No! NOOOOOOOO! The wind got knocked out of many of us, I'm sure, when that camera slowly, elegantly, perfectly panned and zoomed in on Steph's pork belly that got left out of the fridge. Owwwwwwwch. An honest mistake; we've all done it, we've seen it on this show before. But also the kind of mistake that almost always destroys; more damaging for throwing a chef off her game even than for weakening that chef's planned menu for the judges. Obviously, excruciatingly bad timing. I felt really bad for Stephanie and, and worse for Dale.

And by the way, either the Elves re-shot the chefs' exit from the kitchen in order to capture that perfect picture of the forlorn belly's inexorable march toward bacteria-palooza or there is a cameraperson who deserves a cocktail and a fat raise. Actually, regardless, I think they all do.

Just as good for the drama factor, though: Not only does Steph's team (through no fault of her own) give us this jaw-dropping mistake; Steph and Dale then manage to power together through the adversity to produce a dinner that lands in the top two and pleases judges and partygoers alike. That, friends, is hot. That's keeping it together when something's gone deeply wrong, and turning it out. That is being a pro. That's why, even though it was Dale's mistake that caused this problem, Steph was so right to choose him. Together, under her calm leadership, they showed us a remarkable recovery.