'Top Chef: Las Vegas' Results December 2: Jennifer Carroll Elimination Interview

And then there were three: as Top Chef: Las Vegas relocated to Napa Valley, the four remaining chefs duked it out by making dishes out of grapes for their Quickfire and catering a 150 person party for the elimination challenge. Oh, and the kicker on that last part: they had to use all local ingredients in every aspect of their dishes.

In the end, Jennifer Carroll-once thought to be a huge frontrunner – was eliminated for a salting issue. While this wasn't that noticeable on screen, head judge Tom Colicchio explains on his blog that "What it came down to was that both of her dishes were way too salty. Jen's over seasoning of both her dishes stood out to the judges like a sore thumb."And then there were three.

As Top Chef: Las Vegas relocated to Napa Valley, the four remaining chefs duked it out by making dishes out of grapes for their quickfire and catering a 150-person party for the elimination challenge. The kicker: They had to use all local ingredients in every aspect of their dishes.

In the end, Jennifer Carroll -- once thought to be a frontrunner -- was eliminated for a salting issue. While the wasn't that noticeable on screen, head judge Tom Colicchio explains on his blog that "What it came down to was that both of her dishes were way too salty. Jen's over seasoning of both her dishes stood out to the judges like a sore thumb."

The Voltaggio brothers had a great night: Michael won the Quickfire, which rewarded him with a 2010 Toyota Prius. Winning the elimination challenge was Bryan, who wowed the judges with a ravioli dish, although Colicchio did say that one was under-seasoned. This sets up a final between the Voltaggio brothers, who have been consistently good all season, and Kevin Gillespie, a southern cook whose shown us throughout the season that he specializes in two things: simplicity and making meats worthy of a trip to Atlanta.

Jennifer spoke to the press in a conference call this morning. Here's what she had to say:

On regretting anything said or not said at judges table:
Honestly, we were at judge's table for a very long time. I feel that I defended my dishes and I was proud of them. They show a very minute part of judges table and I thought I spoke up for myself. They made the decision and it was my time to go. I wish I hadn't put that last piece of salt on for garnish on the goat cheese.

On the difficulty of cooking for large parties (as seen on this week's episode):
Cooking for these large parties definitely crazy. It was hard because, typically when you cook for that many people, you have two other people with you to help you set up and get things going. And you usually don't prep for those types of parties on the same day. So it was definitely stressful and definitely challenging to get everything done.

On starting off strong, then taking a few steps back towards the end:
I was definitely tired. I was beating myself up over little mistakes that I made. I should have just let it go and started off fresh everyday. It was hard for me to do that and I was bringing myself down and not cooking to the level I know I'm capable of. But I'm very proud of myself and how far I got and my whole performance. I never said anything bad about anybody, I always tried to help people when they needed help, even if it wasn't the best for me. Professionalism in the kitchen is number one.

On the hardest challenge:
Let me see, what did I do the worst in? [laughs] I thought the desert was hard because it was just so hot and not normal circumstances for us to be cooking in. it was the middle of the afternoon, when the sun was beating down on us. Stressful: the Bocuse d'Or, because of the caliber of judges and what we had to do .

On expectations of the show to actually being there:
I didn't expect it to be as hard as it was. I didn't think it was supposed to be as emotional as it was. I was disappointed I didn't make it to the end. Even on the last challenge, even though I got eliminated, I thought I did very well. It was a helluva lot harder than I thought.

On whether she'd do it all over again:
Yes, definitely. I'd wouldn't even have to think about that. Even though it was hard, and stressful and emotional, I made a lot of great friends. It's been awesome for the restaurant and all of the cooks and servers. It's been great exposure and a lot of fun for all of us.

On whether or not there was a pre-destined feel on the Voltaggio brother vs. brother finale:
It definitely felt that there was a competition within the competition the entire time. Besides wanting to win 'Top Chef', they also wanted to beat each other more. But at the same time, they wanted to see each other do good and they were both each others' biggest fans, which they didn't show too much. The two of them are awesome chefs and they deserve to be there.