It’s the Top Chef episode we’ve all been waiting for: Restaurant Wars!

This week’s guest judge is Top Chef Masters alum, Rick Moonen. The quick-fire challenge: Top Chef’s first ever tag team cook off- why have they not done this before!? The chefs draw knives and Jennifer and Michael have first and second choice to choose their teams. On the Red team: Jennifer, Kevin, Mike I and Laurine. On the Blue team: the Voltaggio brothers, Eli and Robin. Robin is last to be picked and declares, “I’m their mom here, and I know that’s what they think of me.” Sorry Robin, but I don’t think these guys think of you as their mom. The chefs learn that each team is required to make one dish in 40 minutes. The first chef in line will start the dish and cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes the next chef will take over until all chefs cook for 40 minutes total. And the twist (there’s always a twist in Top Chef!): the chefs cannot speak to each other, and until they cook they must wear blindfolds. The team that creates the most cohesive dish will have a significant advantage in the elimination challenge, along with $10,000 to split because it is a high stakes quick-fire challenge.

After some quick thinking and a little confusion, the 40 minutes are up and the teams are ready to present their tag team dishes to Chef Moonen. The Blue team creates sablefish with sautéed mushrooms, shitake broth and radish salad. The Red team creates pan roasted NY strip steak with whipped miso, avocado puree and pickled vegetables. Despite presenting the dish as trout and not sablefish, the Blue team wins the high stakes quick-fire challenge. They have the option of splitting the $10,000 amongst themselves, or letting it ride in hopes of winning $10,000 each for an elimination challenge win. The team decides to let it ride and Padma presents the elimination challenge: Restaurant Wars.

The teams are told that the challenge is all about the restaurant and menu concept- they are not responsible for the décor. Good thing, we all remember the scented candles fiasco right? As champion of conscientious cooking and owner of RM Seafood, a 100% sustainable seafood restaurant,  Chef Moonen instructs the cheftestants that they must carry the sustainable seafood mentality throughout their menu creation.

The teams deliberate and finalize menu concepts, restaurant names and roles. The Red team comes up with the name Revolt, symbolizing their names and the concept of uprising (yes, Revolt). The Blue team chooses the name Mission and relates it to the mission-style of architecture: simple, understated and not flashy. Because of the Blue team’s quick-fire win, they have first pick and choose the fine dining room over another less formal dining space.

The Mission menu: asparagus and six minute eggs, arctic char tartare, bouillabaisse consommé, seared trout, pork three ways and lamb with carrot jam.

The Revolt menu: chicken and calamari ‘pasta’, smoked arctic char, duo of beef, cod and billi-bi sauce, pear pithivier and chocolate ganache.

In the Revolt kitchen Robin and Michael clash over Robin’s pear pithivier dessert. Michael takes over Robin’s dish and she tells him off for doing so. Bryan tries to diffuse the situation, and later comments that feelings need to be put aside and it’s time to win. In the front of the house, Eli and Laurine are kept busy with their guests and the judges. Both teams experience trouble with the pacing of their courses, but it becomes clear that Mission is having the most issues. Laurine runs off after serving the judges their first and second courses, causing them to call her back to explain the dishes. Temperature issues with Kevin and Laurine’s lamb cause the judges and guests to take notice. Chef Moonen even calls it ‘Jell-O lamb’. Tom also declares that Jennifer’s trout with broken butter sauce is an absolute disaster. Conversely, Revolt serves up a delicious first course. The judges love Michael’s chicken and calamari dish. Despite the bickering between Robin and Michael, it seems as if their food is not affected.

In the end, not only does Revolt win Restaurant Wars, but the Red team takes home the win for best restaurant in all six seasons of Top Chef. Michael is declared winner and decides to share his $10,000 prize with the rest of his team. However, back in the stew room Bryan is obviously upset with Michael’s win, stating that he is annoyed that his brother’s unprofessional behavior is rewarded in the challenge. Nonetheless, put your feelings aside and it’s time to win, right Bryan?

The Blue team is not surprised by their loss. Their decision to have Jennifer create two fish courses and Kevin create two meat courses did not work in their favor. The judges point out that the team needed a leader, and that a kitchen cannot run without one. Ultimately, Laurine is sent home. Did anyone else think that Jennifer could have easily been sent home as well?

Check back next week for another Top Chef recap! Cheers!