As the competition gets closer on The Taste Season 3 Episode 5, there are displays of strong loyalty and bad tempers.

We're at a point where we know most of the cooks pretty well, and this episode offered even more back story for them. Those details aren't quite as telling, though, as the way they are all handling the competition.

When Team Ludo came up last for the team challenge, the entire team refused to say which one of their teammates they thought should go home. Even Ludo was impressed by the loyalty. Rather than throwing each other under the bus, Jen, Ben, and Dan stood with their arms around one another as they awaited Ludo's decision. I always find it cruel that the cooks are asked to say which of their teammates should go home, so this was a really nice change of pace.

Of course, this happened after Ludo lost his temper more than usual, cursing and kicking trash cans and storming off. He really wants to win this competition, especially after having come so close in previous seasons.

Vanessa's love for Anthony Bourdain is obvious (who can blame her?), and she became pretty emotional over his response to her food. The thing is, she knew she had made a mistake in not salting her food, but that's not a mistake she'll likely make again.

When asked why she should stay in the competition, she struck a nerve in one of her teammates. Eric did not take kindly to the idea that he wasn't as passionate about the competition as she was, and it made him that much more motivated to stay in the game.

It's an interesting twist that Anthony's team members were up against each other in the taste off. Anthony's strategy of putting his strongest cook against his weakest cook was risky and, quite frankly, a little uncomfortable. Anthony showed from the beginning of the night that he had lost his patience with Tom, so it's not surprising he wanted to get rid of him. But the strategy was also smart. Anthony felt confident that Eric would be able to beat Tom, and he was right. Even though it was a close competition, Tom was still the cook sent home.

A few folks have suggested that a steal option would be good for this show, and I think I agree. Nigella barely had a place in this episode since she no longer had a team, and Anthony's full team made things feel a little off. Granted, that seems to show that The Taste is a legitimate competition, and that cooks aren't going home who shouldn't merely to keep the teams even. But changing the rules a bit might make the competition a little more interesting.

Still, I'm in love with the show, the mentors, and watching the cooks create such interesting dishes each week.

Here are the teams as they currently stand:

Anthony’s Kitchen: Vanessa, Eric, Tarik, Tom

Marcus’s Kitchen: Tristen, Gabe, Joe , Jake

Nigella’s Kitchen: P.K ., Mia , Renee , Lindsey

Ludo’s Kitchen: Jen, Ben, Dan , Natasha

What about you, The Taste Fanatics? Who do you want to win this season and why?

And remember, you can always watch The Taste online via TV Fanatic!

Latin Review Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 4.5 / 5.0

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5 User Rating: 3.3 / 5.0

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Rating: 3.3 / 5.0 ( 4 Votes) 4.5 / 5.0

Ashley Bissette Sumerel was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in September 2017. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.