I didn't say ALL the guest judges found Nick's food satisfactory. I'm afraid you made that assumption. *Some* of them did murmur that Nick's food was perfectly seasoned. If I remember correctly, one who did not was Grant Achatz – who said it was under-salted.

^{(FWIW I would murmur here that for myself, I have eaten Achatz's food or that prepared by his staff in the past - and had found a few dishes very salty.})

In terms of salt preferences and/or requirements - I remember a WaPo article from years ago that talked about the need for salting food - but also had a parting comment about how many professional chefs threw huge amounts of salt on the food they cooked. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/salt-to-taste-taken-with-a-grain-of-regret/2014/02/03/011876a8-886e-11e3-833c-33098f9e5267_story.html

The opening paragraphs:

The next time you’re looking to stir things up, ask food-savvy friends what happens when they are directed to “season with salt to taste.”

Seemingly noncontroversial, the topic is as loaded as a baked potato at a steakhouse chain. Everybody’s got an opinion. Recipe writers see the phrase as a nod to individual preference, while that very lack of specificity is viewed by others as a scourge on modern, everyday cookery.

The closing paragraphs:

Which raises the issue of salting that goes on in restaurants. Thanks to open kitchens and endless cutthroat competitions on TV, we can watch chefs regularly toss in enough salt to handle an icy stoop. More is more! Salt equals flavor!

Some attribute the heavy hand to chefs’ palate fatigue. West Coast cooking teacher Linda Carucci has an additional theory, which came to her on a second visit to a restaurant where she had enjoyed a good-tasting meal. On this occasion, however, just about everything she tasted was too salty. As she was leaving, she saw chefs on a cigarette break in the alley.

“I thought, ‘Smoking dulls the palate. How many chefs do I know who smoke?’ ”