You try cooking with a lobster claw for a hand. (Photo: Kelsey McNeal)

Last night’s Top Chef Masters was everything a boy adventurer could ever want from a reality cooking TV program. For starters, we had special guest and magic enthusiast Neil Patrick Harris (better known as Doogie Howser, M.D., or that guy who snorted coke off a stripper’s ass in Harold & Kumar), plus an appearance by magician and NPH’s best friend, Ed Alonzo, a.k.a. Max of the Max from Saved by the Bell (milk shake, two straws—anyone?). Oh, and John Besh tried to make tableside horseradish and crème fraîche sorbet.

Joining Besh was Nuevo Latino pioneer Douglas Rodriguez, Mark Peel of Campanile in L.A. and Anito Lo, former Date Our Chefs star and owner of the recently closed BarQ and recently torched Annisa (rough luck there). Gail Simmons took Jay Rayner’s place this week as judge beside Gael Greene and James Oseland.

The Quickfire this week was taken from a Top Chef special, wherein the chefs had to cook an egg dish with one hand tied behind their backs. Lo took top honors (five stars) for a stunningly presented soft-scrambled egg served in shell, perched atop a glass filled with rice. Rodriguez and Peel both received compliments: Peel for making a fresh pasta with one hand, and Rodriguez for perfect scrambled eggs. Besh took a beating, as he presented only one dish, an undercooked, slow-cooked egg, which garnered him a measly half star—the lowest Quickfire score this whole season.

Elimination was cooking a dish inspired by one of the four qualities of magic—mystery (Peel), surprise (Besh), spectacle (Rodriguez) and illusion (Lo)—and serving them to NPH and guests at the Magic Castle, a magician’s club. Everyone except for Rodriguez hit their interpretations on the mark, and the chefs even got a quick visit from Tom Colicchio (finally, some credibility to this show!), who pointed out that the Masters did something that the Top Chefs never did, which is not get bogged down by the challenge.

Again, Lo steamrollered the competition with an ingenious preparation of braised daikon stuffed with steak tartare that looked exactly like a scallop. Peel came in second place for his “mysterious” Thai snapper en papillote, and Rodriguez and Besh pulled up the rear, with Besh receiving the lowest overall score this season, a diminutive 12 stars. With Lo’s win, she’ll compete in the finale and her charity, SHARE, gets a $10K check.—Zachary Feldman

Next week: Michael Chiarello, Rick Moonen and friends cook a three-course meal for 100 guests by themselves!