Top Chef: Zoo Food (Episode # 402)

Chefs in ChicagoThis week we get our first team challenge and a visit from molecular gastronomist Wylie Dufresne. Who has to pack up their knives and go? Read on!

Quick Fire Challenge: For the QF, the chefs have to cook a meal using ony five ingredients, using items purchased from the farmer's market and their kitchen. The only "free" ingredients are salt, pepper and oil. Mark, who was in the bottom last week, looks to redeem himself and is all business at the market. Which makes it even funnier when he leaves his lettuce behind. Wah-wahh.

The market must have had a lot of peaches, because it's a prevalent ingredient in the dishes. Richard, who also digs science in the kitchen, hopes to wow guest judge Wylie with some eucalyptus trick but falls short. Andrew manages to use six ingredients, disqualifying himself. In the end, Mark didn't need his lettuce: his sirloin with peaches and turnips takes the prize, giving him immunity for the elimination challenge.

Elimination Challenge: The elimination challenge is a team competition. The chefs are separated into five teams to cater a zoo party: gorilla, lion, vulture, penguin and bear. Their dishes have to be based around their animal's diet.

The bears clash in the market, when Nikki demands table decor. Later, her mushroom dish looks, for lack of a better term, like poop, but she serves it anyways over Dale's protestations. The gorillas have trouble with the timing of their dishes. Stephanie's chips gets soggy, and Valerie's blini doesn't travel well.

The top two teams end up being team penguin (who made a tasty glacier) and vulture. Glacier-maker Andrew, who has been on a bit of a losing streak, takes the win.

The gorillas and bears are sent in to duke it out in the loser's circle, and Dale and Nikki get a little testy. Meanwhile, when the judges ask bear Antonia who she would hire, Stephanie or Valerie, she chooses one-time coworker Steph. That, plus her banana bread dessert saves the day for Steph, and Valerie is sent home.