So maybe I was wrong about Ariane's win last week. The judges said she won on flavor, which was Radhika's marinade, but Gail said it was "juicy," which was due to the cooking. I stand corrected. I still contend that Ariane won't win the whole competition because her cooking is too straightforward. That's the way I like to cook, which is probably why I wouldn't win either. Speaking of classic, traditional and straightforward cooking is Martha's specialty.

I'm loving the camaraderie theme between Fabio and Stefan and between Ariane and Jamie. Let's see how long this lasts.

Martha loves a one-pot meal, and I agreed with all of her critiques. Cornstarch is nasty, and Eugene saying that it's what housewives use doesn't help matters. Fabio is flailing and he is giving the Italians a bad name. I instantly thought paella was the perfect idea, but Ariane took it home again with a twist on a classic. She stumped Martha on butter, which is probably still driving Martha nuts. I myself make cauliflower as a mashed substitute, so I loved the idea. Jamie is ready to jump. Also, I suppose by substituting cauliflower for potatoes, she avoided the dreaded "too simple" warning from Martha. I've had culinary moments with Martha and she knows her stuff. Ariane's meat and faux-tatoes must have been good.

I get that gospel is religious, however I didn't know where that moment was going. I did, however, love the Christmas theme. They are always so clever. How perfect that Fabio got 8 ladies dancing? Stefan was so right on by describing how daunting 3 hours to prep for 300 people is. Just unpacking is a process.

Here we go again with Jeff doing something complicated and out of the box. Jeff, less is more. I hope this works out. Even his method of cutting potatoes into Arborio rice was a bit too tricked out for my taste.