Update on Doug Sohn: The owner and head sausage dude at Chicago's famous encased meat emporium, Hot Doug's, broke his leg three weeks ago, forcing him to close the place while he recuperated. Good news: He sent a note today telling us that he plans to reopen on September 12.

Finally, Colicchio and crew got it right. We were ready for Howie to pack his knives and go weeks ago.

But, oh, the irony! Poor Howie. When he finally decided to try to be a team player, his food tanked, and he had his worst night ever. So much for playing nice.

We don’t have a lot of sympathy for the guy, though. We just can’t get past the fact that he presented a big ol’ martini glass full of nothing during the Quickfire Challenge. You’re a chef, Howie. Your job is to feed people. And just how awful could it have been, anyway? Even Tall C.J. put on his best smile and served a dish he’d sweetened with … salt.

 

Now that we’re down to six chefs, things are going to get interesting. The challenges are tougher, and the stakes are higher. And that, of course, means it’s time to start making some predictions. Here are ours, in the order we think they’ll pack their knives and go.

 

Hung: Yeah, we like to play with our food too. But not when $100,000 is on the line. It’s bad enough that you’re buddies with evil Marcel from Season 2 and that you almost sliced Casey’s head off a couple of episodes back, but then you had to go and build a psychedelic Smurf village during last night’s Quickfire Challenge? Nobody cares what you do in your off-time, Hung, but the only mushrooms that belong in a kitchen are portabellas, oysters, shitakes … and, well, we’ll leave it at that. And what was up with that salmon mousse blob on a cucumber? It might go over well at the country club with Buffy and Mitzi, but Dana Cowin clearly was not amused.

 

Dale: Honestly, we’re torn as to whether Dale or Sara will go home first. Obviously, we’re pulling for Dale. But at this point, we’ve got to be realistic. While Dale’s early issues (presentation, namely) seem to have resolved themselves, a new Achilles heel has emerged: He’s too nice. He took one for the team last night when he swapped $11 worth of goat cheese for yogurt at the supermarket, and his dish suffered for it. We’re not asking you to go all Gordon Ramsay on us, but Dale, please, take a cue from Howie. Show some spine! If you don’t, you’ll only prove that old adage: Nice guys finish fifth.

 

Sara: Our favorite cheese maker has been the show’s biggest sleeper, only really coming into her own during the last few episodes. And now that her nemesis, Howie, is gone, she’s going to be able to focus even more on her food. She might not quite be Top Chef material, but everybody loves cheese.

 

Brian: Last night’s Spam triumph aside, Brian is bound to meet his match eventually with a challenge that forces him to cook something other than fish. Also, does anyone else feel that part of the reason Brian’s stuck around this long is because, well, he’s kinda cute? Don’t get us wrong—he’s no Sam Talbot. But he’s clearly emerging as the show’s token hottie (male hottie, that is—we don’t mean to take anything away from Casey) and it always seems that the final few contestants are among the most, uh, “marketable.”

 

Tall C.J.: Last night’s episode said it all. Where Howie buckled and threw in the towel, C.J. took a potentially devastating mistake (oops, that was salt!) in stride and moved on. He’s cool under pressure, people don’t hate him, and he turns out sophisticated dishes with relative consistency. Plus, he’s able to work in small spaces despite his freakish height.

 

Casey: That’s right, you heard it here: Season 3 will give us our first female Top Chef.

See what our friends at The Stew had to say about last night's show.

Last night was a great night that pretty much felt like an official end to a long and awesome summer—my beach volleyball team won our bracket of the Chicago Sport & Social Club’s rec league! We played against two teams, for two and a half hours, on wet sand due to passing pre-game rain showers, and well into the darkness to win the title (and a long-sleeve, commemorative championship T-shirt). Congrats, Purple Cobras!

To celebrate, the team went to Melvin B’s. It seemed fitting: As we marked an end to our summer league, the famous truck stop-themed bar and grill was supposed to be making its final call on Sunday to make way for a boutique hotel. Imagine our surprise when staffers told us they got a stay—Melvin B’s will now be open until October 1! Let’s raise a glass to a warm and dry September.

So keep summer going with Melvin B's frozen (and strong) strawberry daiquiris, rum runners and vodka lemonades while you can. Fill up on a juicy cheeseburger with fresh-cut potato chips. Order a round of brews with your pals. This patio scene has been a Gold Coast staple since the ’60s, and despite the bugs crawling up the trees and fences on muggy nights, or the dingy interior, this place has a special Chicago charm that draws a crowd. Thanks for the memories, Melvin.