Well, it seems that those who usually start the thread have gotten bored, so I’m going to go ahead to discuss the penultimate episode of this season.
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Well, I’m not at all surprised by who got sent home. Mary Beth’s cooking has been inconsistent the whole season, and Vic at least usually provides tasty eats. However, I don’t think he’s going to make it through the camera challenge next week at all. Unless he has time to work with, he just doesn’t have the chops.
Jeff pulled it out, barely. His commentary was stellar, and his food seemed tasty overall, but the mayo thing was a bit of a sin given it’s Iron Chef, after all. But I’d eat anything he put out in that challenge. It looked yummy!
Susie is really managing to hold on. Her food is (apparently) quite good, and when she relaxes she can be really good on camera. She still gets a little hung up, but I think that’s insecurity more than anything else. When she’s confident, she’s fine.
I think it’s going to be a tight race next week. However, my prediction is that Jeff is going to win in the end. But if FN doesn’t give Susie a show anyway, they’re full of crap. They’d be losing a fine talent.
I was going to wait one more day for silenus to start the traditional weekly thread, but I’m glad you started this one Indyellen.
I agree that it was a justified elimination this week. Mary Beth can put out some really good food, but ISTM she doesn’t have the cooking experience to really know how to handle everything they’ve thrown at her. (But I really expect to see this woman hosting some sort of food show on FN; Bob and Susie seem to love her, and she’s really good at the commentary.)
Vic, I think could just as easily have been eliminated as well. Yeah, he’s a more accomplished chef, but (besides not having a concept beyond loving his mom any more) he has two major flaws. He makes some brave but gawdawful decisions in his food -the lachanga from a few weeks ago and this week’s mint jelly/cointreau sauce for the lamb hearken back to that chocolate dipped asparagus he did early on- and he just plain sucks rocks on camera. He seems a nice guy, but I don’t know if he’s bright enough to have a speaking role in his own show.
The contest is between Jeff and Susie, and frankly I’d declare them co-winners, give Susie free rein on whatever cuisine she wants to talk about, and make Jeff the Sandwich King.
It does seem like it would be between Susie and Jeff. And I think if Susie’s keeps on remembering just one more line of her dad’s deathbed monologue, the Food Network execs are going to give it to her. (I really hate the way she’s been pushed into exploiting that. It’s uncomfortable for me to watch.)
Mary Beth should end up on a camera somewhere. She’s shown that she can be an engaging presence and talk about food well, even if she doesn’t quite have the cooking chops. And finally, what was Penny thinking? I know she doesn’t like Mary Beth, but deliberate sabotage was just stupid.
Yeah, I think she hurt no one but herself with the slow mo’ sous chefing. The judges seemed to give MB extra points just for dealing without snatching Penny’s hair out, and I can’t believe this wouldn’t have killed any lingering thoughts FN had about using Penny in the future.
ETA: I liked Michael Symon’s comment: “This girl’s moving at the speed of dirt!”
Sorry, guys. I’ve been out of town the last few days so I didn’t get to post the new thread.
I agree with everybody. Penny just cost herself any job with FN. Ever.
Vic is gone next week. That’s kinda a given. He just doesn’t have the smoothness that Susie and Jeff do. My bet is both of them are on the network by January.
I was surprised Mary Beth didn’t have Penny make kibbeh with the lamb, it would be a nice starter and impossible to overcook. I’m sure Penny could have found a way to sabotage it though.
Anyone else think Alton Brown was a real jerk on that episode? All salt is from the sea! Yeah, that’s right, but whether you think it tastes different or not, sea salt usually refers to something recently evaporated from sea water, not mined and refined from what was laid down millions of years ago.
MB could have said somethng like that. Instead she looked dumbfounded and babbled something about “Here we have Kosher Salt!” Not the reaction Alton was looking for and it underscored that she does not have the depth of food knowledge that they are looking for and can’t even fake it.
Penny was less surprising. She and MB do not get along at all and she was in no frame of mind to help anyone else win. This is probably reason#1 that the producers brought her back.
I am just astounded that people who are eliminated from these shows never make the connection that not only is the host program looking at your performance, but hundreds of other potential furture employers and investors are watching your behaviour, as well. Hell’s Kitchen is notorious for having the returning chefs screw everything up for one of the contestants.
I think all three of them will end up with a show. I would watch all three. But my pick for Winner is Suzy. If she can put everything she learned together and not eff up the dish or the tv spot, it’s hers. Otherwise, Jeff has it.
Penny definitely cut her own throat last week, and Mary Beth gets major props for not dicing her up into Persian Mama Kebabs.