And they send the wrong one home.
(Mouseover space by request)
I really think they should have dumped Marybeth, but the previews for next week almost make it worth it.
Vic Vegas is dead, finally. This is Jeff’s battle to lose. He is really impressing everybody with both his cooking and his personality. I’d watch his show.
Disagree about the elimination. Whitney needed to go home. I’d rather watch Anne Burrell make dog treats than watch Whit make any of her “four star flair” concoctions, no matter how wonderful her food or attractive her appearance. She just doesn’t click, for me.
I do wish the judges would’ve heeded the comics a little more closely. Somehow I don’t think Susie Fogelson understands the implications of the comments from Louie Anderson and Judy Gold about tears being a distraction and an irritation. She’ll continue to make the girl contestants cry and the guy contestants lie.
Speaking of which, I hope Vic Moea visits Vic Vegas’ grave to pay his respects, because the Vegas fusion cuisine was the only interesting thing he had. Vegas is dead, but Mama’s Boy is deadly dull. (Put a prime rib platter in one hand and “cuddly” in the other and tell me which one makes you salivate.)
Jeff is getting better and better, and I agree this contest is his to lose now. I don’t see anyone taking the lead away from him, and unless he succumbs to a fit of frenetic clowning, I can’t imagine him giving it up.
For me, Susie J. is the most watchable, and I’d like to see her with a show that goes beyond “traditional Mexican”. She was very natural last night and I think she’ll be competing with Jeff in the finale.
Mary Beth is very resourceful and I hope she’s now proven her cooking chops, but she’s missed two chances in a row to connect with relatively friendly audiences. I’m pretty sure the next time she misses she’ll be gone. She’s better than Vic by a mile, of course, but so was Whitney. (What was the deal, btw, with the condescension from Whitney and Vic over MB’s butcher consult? That was smart and absolutely the right approach, and it’s something FN viewers are frequently exhorted to do by superstar chefs like Mario Batali and yes, Bobby Flay. It’s difficult to respect a cook who thinks talking to butchers/grocers/food mongers is a sign of incompetence.)
Looking forward to the Iron Chef battle. This is always one of the best segments of the competition.
I saw Whitney on her way out from last week. She is fairly dry, which is fine for me (I only care that you can cook and your food is accessible to me) but FNS PTB want “relatability.” She went off the rails describing when the animal was slaughtered to the comics. WTF?
I do like Susie, but I resent being clobbered over the head with the ghost of her dad every episode. And I still think Fogelson’s directing her to Mexican cuisine smacks of paternalistic racism, but whatever. FN hasn’t had a Mexican show to my knowledge, ever. It’s the one “major” US cuisine they don’t have covered.
Jeff has gone from annoying to someone I could appreciate. He really does have good camera presence, and like one of the contestants remarked, his TBTIEA segment looked like the real show. I like sarnies too, and I do wonder how much mileage he can get out of the concept… but I’d definitely watch if it was on.
Mary Beth - I think she might finagle a traveling food show because she is a good “reporter” type. She should get props for cooking a duck perfectly the first time ever as well. I don’t think she’s as good as Jeff and Susie, though.
Vic - well, I thought he was the front runner to win a long time ago, but I think the death of Vic Vegas makes him a little phony. He readily admitted he wasn’t that guy, but that’s the first time he’s acknowledged it? Also, I cringe every time I hear “Mama’s Boy.” He does have a larger than life personality and I can see him on FN doing something. But I think his shot at the show has passed.
I can’t stand Mary Beth, so if she gets a show it will be unwatched in this house. It will be interesting to see what Jeff does in the Iron Chef challenge. That will definitely throw him out of his comfort zone.
Their beef was that she was getting the full A-Z on how to cook a duck after admitting that she has never cooked duck before. She’s very lucky that the butcher knew how to handle the bird, and she owes most of her success with it to his knowledge.
Truth be told, most roasted things will do quite well “low and slow” without needing much skill on the part of the chef. Just let it go slow, and the fat renders and permeates the meat fibers, and all is tender and well with the world.
AFAIK, the contestants don’t have access to cookbooks, so what she did might be considered awfully close to cheating.
I learned that I am a Pig because I would have eaten that entire slab of Prime Rib and loved every minute of it!
Still rooting for Jeff though.
Good Og. I’ll have to watch the show again to see if I can spot the footage of that butcher preparing MB’s duck for her in the kitchen. (Probably standing side by side with the organic farmer who did her blackberry glaze.)
Seriously, does anyone really believe a mediocre cook can quiz a butcher for 10 minutes (probably a fraction of that, but let’s guess high) about an ingredient and prepare it flawlessly the first time based on that “A-Z” seminar? I’m pretty sure you can cook a goose, a farm turkey and a wild duck using the same “low and slow” roasting method, adjusted only for weight, and produce tough/greasy, tender/juicy and stringy/gamey respectively.
I am not disappointed by the departure of Whitney. I think I’d enjoy eating her food, but watching her cook it, not so much.
Mary Beth is next. She doesn’t translate well on camera, although I’d enjoy talking foodie talk with her. She won’t handle the Iron Chef round well.
I still like Vic and would probably watch him for his personality, but I’m getting tired of Susie trying to make him (and Suzie J, for that matter) into what she thinks he should be. Due to the conflict (between two Vic’s), I don’t think he’ll last.
So, that leaves Suzie & Jeff. It’s Jeff’s contest to lose, at this stage. If he can hold it together, he’s got it. I think FN would be INSANE to not give Suzie a show, too, though.
I’m looking forward to next week, but do we need the forced drama from a Penny/Mary Beth interaction?
BTW, thanks for the mouseover space. 
I can’t believe that it took this much time to come to the realization that “Vic Vegas” was as phony as Tara Reid’s boobs. And it took a bunch of comedians to do it. Bobby Flay said “finally! The death of Vic Vegas.” Bullshit, dude - you never mentioned his phoniness once, nor did any of the other judges.
To Bad for Vic that “Mama’s Boy” is almost as bad, and a direct play to the judges wish for personal stories. I think he’s got a story to tell, but he doesn’t have enough self-awareness to figure out what it is. He just keeps inventing new personas.
So, I’ve never watched this show, other than a couple episodes now and then.
But I started a new job this week, at a large mortgage company in Chicago. We have a professional chef on staff, and I heard a lot of people calling him a celebrity chef. I thought they were joking until today, when I found out that our chef is Jeff Mauro, from the show. I don’t know him too well, but he’s a pretty nice guy, and he makes one delicious sandwich. Part of me doesn’t want to root for him, because after only 3 days I am completely addicted to his sandwiches.