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“Top Chef” already operates at a disadvantage from other reality competition shows. Unlike, say, “Project Runway,” where the results of a fashion mishap are easily visible, it’s pretty hard for the home viewing audience to taste a too-sweet tart or overly salted pork loin.

That said, this season has done a decent job of merging food and television. And this week’s episode was the perfect example.

During a Quickfire challenge in which the competitors were required to create a breakfast amuse-bouche (translated from French as “mouth amuser” — which is also what Paris Hilton’s name translates into), TV chef Rocco DiSpirito selected Leah as winner for her bacon and egg-laden morsel.

But this was just a cinematic amuse-bouche, for DiSpirito announced the Elimination Challenge would have its own TV component. Chefs were asked to concoct a dish that they could make and talk their way through during a two-and-a-half minute demonstration segment on “The Today Show.”

Now being a good chef and being good on TV are two things that have little to do with each other. So during these faux demonstrations, it became clear that the camera really doesn’t love a lot of these people. Some were jittery, some laconic, some simply dull. Ironic, considering they were all believed camera-friendly enough to get cast on a hit Bravo show.

The contestants were flanked by Rocco and judges Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Padma Lakshmi in this frenetic, claustrophobic segment. Standouts included Fabio, Jeff and Ariane, whose stunning leap from perennial loser to perennial winner shocked her ego-heavy competitors.

This trio’s reward got even better when they were awakened by Colicchio at 2 a.m. — actually that wasn’t the good part. It was that he informed them they were going to make their dishes for the hosts of “The Today Show,” who would determine the winner.

At first, I wondered why Bravo would allow the three finalists to be shown on TV months before this season aired, as it would reveal which contestants hadn’t been kicked off in the first four episodes. “Top Chef” solved that by never showing or naming the chefs, instead having Meredith Vieira and her “View”-like posse select only the dish they liked best. Winner was Ariane with a yummy looking but somewhat safe spin on a beefsteak tomato salad.

They probably should have had CBS’ “Early Show” team judge the losers, but instead it was back to a particularly harsh judges table for Melissa (a way-too-spicy shrimp dish), Jamie (an undercooked duck egg) and Alex (a not-ready-for-consumption creme brulee).

“I definitely picked the wrong dish,” said Alex, who was preoccupied throughout the episode with his own wedding, which was mere days away. Alex ended up getting booted. Hopefully, that dish sentiment didn’t apply to his fiancee.

On a side note: I wondered if the chefs were forced to cook with onions or merely emotionally unstable, because this episode featured way too many chefs crying. I counted six different competitors in tears before any decisions about their fate were revealed. I’m guessing it’s only going to get weepier as the season progresses.

Remember folks, there’s no crying in live TV.