"Top Chef: World All Stars" meets "Downton Abbey" for an elevated picnic Mrs. Patmore would hate

To be frank, this episode felt like a letdown.

Aside from Nicole's lovely story (and subsequent win!), I didn't find anything especially exciting about it, from the conceptualization of the challenge to the food itself. We learned a bit about Amar's mom, we saw some really good attitude and team player abilities from Dale, Sara delivered some fun confessionals and Ali was as wholesome as ever, but the overall 75-minute episode was . . . uneventful.

Padma drops in and the conclusion of "Last Chance Kitchen" (Round 1)

Sylwia and Charbel discuss how Charbel had never been on the bottom, and I'm still not sure of the relevance of that conversation, but I'm a Charbel fan, so I hope it bodes well. The "Padma stops by out of nowhere" trope is always fun and I liked seeing the cheftestants maraud through the halls letting their fellow competitors know that they should go downstairs. Unbeknownst to them, it's the final round of "Last Chance Kitchen," which (also) isn't very fun to watch.

The two chefs trying to make it back to the competition are challenged to make a three-tiered British afternoon tea tower, complete with scones, tea sandwiches, pastries and the like. Padma and Tom would have one vote and the remaining cheftestants would also have a collective vote. 

Begoña seems "off" right from the jump. I think she's a prime example of a mind-boggling talented chef who just may not fare especially well in the competitive format (especially one that abides by U.S. rules). The timing seems to get to her repeatedly throughout the competition and aside from her dish week 1 and her collaborative winning dish with Gabri in Episode 2, she seems to flounder a bit. I feel bad for her once she's unable to plate an entire dish (and those eclairs!) Dale handily wins and is light, breezy and humble as can be throughout the rest of the episode. He also gets a hug from Padma, so win-win!

Nicole Gomes, Victoire Gouloubi, Begoña Rodrigo, Dale MacKay, Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi on "Top Chef: World All Stars" (David Moir/Bravo)

An elevated "Downton" picnic

Here's where else I struggled with this episode. The rules of the elimination challenge are convoluted and silly. I can't stand a challenge that sets up the competitors to fail and while only a few wind up fumbling, this is a poorly designed elimination challenge right off the bat: The cheftestants are asked to make a picnic dish that's easy to eat yet elevated, but it has to be served room temperature and has to sit overnight prior to being served. The shopping is interesting because the cheftestants are offered time and money at two locations this time around: the requisite Whole Foods, as well as Fortnum & Mason, a super-upscale establishment that was apparently the Queen's favorite (the carpeted floors!).

The location of the elimination challenge picnic, Highclere Castle was constructed back in the 1600s (!) before being renovated in the mid-1800s. It's now best known (as we were repeatedly told) as being the filming location for "Downton Abbey."

Gabriel Rodriguez, Tom Goetter, Sylwia Stachyra, Amar Santana, Ali Al Ghzawi in "Top Chef: World All Stars" (David Moir/Bravo)

Our cheftestants split into two groups. One consists of Dale (with immunity from his "Last Chance Kitchen" Quickfire win), Sara, Buddha, Nicole, Charbel and Victoire, and the other consists of Amar, Ali, Gabri, Tom and Sylwia. It's a blink and you miss it moment, but the budding Sara/Buddha tension (which we also saw a bit of in the last episode) is a compelling subplot. I wonder what that's setting up? Otherwise, everyone else amicably decides on their dishes overall without much fanfare or conflict.

The shop is a bit contentious, with lots of references and confessionals to Tom's spending habits. I think the most egregious is when he asks Sylwia if she "really needed" one of her items, which is pretty asinine knowing all that he had already purchased with the limited joint budget.

Tom's fluctuating energy (either humorous and lax or very tense and irritable) continues to fascinate me. Sylwia's oddly conceptualized dish consisting of potato, chicken and sausage over a muffin of sorts (?) and a sweet lemon posset on top is a mishap from the start. It's also fascinating to see the cheftestants pivot to take the picnic basket packing into consideration timing-wise.

Nicole is wonderfully candid, revealing that this is her third time doing "Top Chef" and for her, "It's all about the money" because she's gotten approved for adoption, but is waiting on a final payment. There "is a child waiting in Hanoi, Vietnam," and Nicole hopes to be able to use the winnings to finalize the adoption.

I love the honesty this whacky cooking show sometimes taps into, which for me, oftentimes feels rawer and more genuine than most other reality shows — even in its 20th season and as many other competitive reality shows go down well-worn paths full of platitudes and placeholders.

Gabriel Rodriguez, Tom Goetter and Sylwia Stachyra on "Top Chef: World All Stars" (David Moir/Bravo)

Picnic time and judges' table

Gabri's dish of a smoked fish tostada with compressed watermelon sounds fantastic, but his execution iss lacking. Charbel's mezze is very simple, but super visually striking. Ali's dish gets a good review, which is odd since day-old lettuce and muhammarra would be strange from a textural perspective, but the judges love it. Sara's dish — as usual — sounds terrific (a side dish of broccolini, cheeses and cured meats) but it doesn't garner much attention. Victoire hardly has any screen time overall, but makes a foie gras mousse wrapped in a cabbage leaf.

Tom "begrudgingly" likes Nicole's dish, a Niçoise-like dish with salmon instead of tuna. I feel like we haven't seen Tom complain like that in a few seasons, but it's fascinating to see that he's proven wrong (much like the okra debacles from the earlier seasons). Nicole wins the elimination challenge, officially giving her enough money for the final installment of the adoption money: hooray! It's such a lovely win and story.

Competition-wise, I'm also intrigued by how this season is shaping up; there's no Kristin Kish, Brooke Williamson or Paul Qui with a meteoric run of consistent wins. There's no clear "bottom feeders" — it really seems like the high level of talent has allowed the wins to be evenly dispersed amongst the group. One thing is for sure, nearly halfway through the season: There is no far-and-away winner here . . . at least not yet. 

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BFFs Amar and Ali are called out as being the only successful dishes on their (losing) team, with Sylwia and Tom on the bottom and Gabri in the middle. Unfortunately, Sylwia's dish is odd and ill-conceived while Tom's "cioppino salad" is deemed overly ambitious.

Sylwia is seemingly accepting of her place in the bottom, while Tom is disappointed with himself. Unlike most episodes, though, Padma switches it up, telling Sylwia and Tom to "please come with me." They follow her around the bend and behind the castle, where we see a kitchen set up, and everyone immediately discerns there will be a cook-off.

So herein lies my other issue: I'm never fond of inexplicable "twists" or formatting changes; why a Bottom 2? Why this week's episode?  Furthermore, to take it back even further, the kitchen for the "Last Chance Kitchen" returnees is right on the other side of the castle, so why not let the cheftestants have another half hour or so prior to service to finalize the dishes, instead of everyone's serving soggy, day-old food? I'm just not grasping it. 

We're left to believe that one cheftestant will go home while the other will be the first person to enter the next round of "Last Chance Kitchen" for yet another second chance. I think I'm rooting for Tom, but I wouldn't be disappointed to see Sylwia pull out a win. 

After dinner mints

The dishes in the promo for next week look stunning. 

This is the second episode in a row in which Tom references "over-cheffing." I'm intrigued to see if this keeps up throughout the season. 

This challenge is yet another example of how simplicity really does always seem to work best on modern "Top Chef."

Until next time! 

"Top Chef: World All Stars" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo and streams next day on Peacock.