You know what makes a really nice pairing? Watching Top Chef and live-blogging it on Gawker. They go together like fava beans and chianti! Join us in the comments tonight and find out for yourself!

The live blog, which takes place directly below this post, is a group project—all commenters are welcome to join in when the show starts on Bravo at 10 p.m. Last week's edition was an especially memorable affair. Highlights from that one included the following:

  • When the chefs talked about that "spy names" would be, commenter katekate suggested one for Amanda: "Mata Herpe."
  • We were surprised to hear that Angelo has a fiancée in Russia. Perhaps, in addition to mail-order brides, you can get also mail-order beards from that country too?
  • When CIA director Leon Panetta abruptly left the table after being handed a note, commenter bread_and_potatoes theorized that it was an intelligence report from the kitchen warning that crappy food from Alex was on its way.
  • We cheered when Tiffany pulled off yet another two-challenge sweep. Suddenly, for the first time since Season 5's Carla, a chef that everyone likes is kicking ass!
  • We bid a long-overdue adieu to Alex—aka "Dobby," "Swiper" "Gollum," "Gazoo" and "Nosferatu." He may not have been much of a chef, but he sure was great at inspiring nicknames.

You know what else was inspiring? Everyone's witty banter last week! Check out this selection of commenting highlights I've assembled from our last live blog—and when you're done, check out this list of highlights to watch for on tonight's episode:

  • At the start of the quickfire challenge, the chefs will select cards with food-related slogans on them, such as "spill the beans" and "bigger fish to fry." One of these cards will actually say "hide the salami." I am not making this up. How much do you want to bet that Amanda picks that one?
  • Angelo will tell Kevin that he's a "bad boy." If I were that Russian fiancée, this sort of thing would concern me.
  • The elimination challenge will be held at the Washington Nationals' baseball stadium. As a life-long Redskins fan, this disappoints me greatly—who the hell cares about baseball in DC? I would much rather see a football-themed challenge, like a contest to see which chef can make the best chunky soup for Donovan McNabb.

OK fans, it's time for us to start warming up in on-deck circle, because this live-blog's about to get started. So join me down in the comments section and let's all swing for the fences tonight!