# The Next Iron Chef, season 4: The Super Chefs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 31, 2011, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338 "2011-10-31T00:58:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/101 "2011-12-05T22:39:59Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > I wish I could pick lottery numbers this well. Going by my predictions, Burrell falls next week. Going into final judging, I thought I might’ve been 100% off in my predictions. That was quite the challenge. The other chefs still don’t respect Faulkner, but she came to kick ass and chew bubblegum and she’s all out of bubblegum. Was I right in my prediction? Did Burrell make it into the final four, or will she have more time to spike her hair? Of course I was right. It’s uncanny how well I’ve predicted. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/102 "2011-12-06T00:18:33Z")
I thought the auction was set up poorly… the “5 minutes less than the lowest other bid” thing makes it game-theoretically flawed, as once it’s down to 2 chefs you can bid 5 minutes leaving your opponent with 0 minutes. The way it should have worked is that there should have been a tough but fair known baseline… say, “scallops in 20 minutes” or something, that they all know ahead of time. Then the 6th chef is going to get that. Then you would basically bid numbers lower and lower until you think “well, tuna jerky at 35 minutes is going to be worse than scallops at 20 minutes, so I’ll stop bidding now” or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/103 "2011-12-06T01:31:53Z")
Personally, I thought it was one of the more appropriate Iron Chef challenges. We’ve seen, on Iron Chef, where a chef has to recover from a botched or failed dish with little time left on the clock. I think the last dish was only 5 minutes less than the previous dish, not the lowest other dish, but I won’t bet the house on that. Still, to decide that she could do a souffle in 25 minutes with tuna jerky, Faulkner put Guarnaschelli on the spot. I bet she was wishing for scallops. Still, that was a smart decision on her part. And, while I don’t execute as his level, my risotto has never taken 45 minutes to cook. Butter-poached lobster risotto was a lay-up. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/104 "2011-12-06T02:25:46Z")
How is a sausage risk-taking? Wow, did Burrell really screw the pooch by trying to eliminate a top competitor rather than someone she was guarantied to beat (Snarkaschelli). Has Snarkaschelli really backed into the top-4? I wonder how she feels about being back-doored? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/105 "2011-12-06T02:55:28Z")
I told you guys Alex is going to win. That editing at the beginning of the series to make her look incompetent was to set up her victory, making it look like she was overcoming the odds from a rough start and being “outmatched”. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/106 "2011-12-06T03:46:40Z")
Anne Burrell lost any sympathy from me as she contorted her face while the other competitors were being judged. Yeah for Zakarian! StG ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/107 "2011-12-06T03:50:41Z")
> [@StGermain](#): > > Anne Burrell lost any sympathy from me as she contorted her face while the other competitors were being judged. Yeah for Zakarian! Yep. Everyone in the household commented on it during each of the times they showed her making some sort of body language comment that made us all hate her more. She’s way more bitchy and snarky than Alex has shown at all, good riddance. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/108 "2011-12-06T04:11:38Z")
You know, I’ve never liked Zakarian on Chopped, but I’ve really come to respect and appreciate him. I thought Burrell was going to win, so I was extremely surprised that she (1) played the whole ‘strategy’ angle and (2) showed her butt snarking on Faulkner. I was so glad that he beat her, but I was pretty concerned, given the edit they presented where it seemed like the judges were 50/50 split. Going forward, I would be happy to see either Zakarian or Faulkner win. However, I can almost guarantee that won’t happen now that I want it to. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/109 "2011-12-06T13:55:30Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Personally, I thought it was one of the more appropriate Iron Chef challenges. We’ve seen, on Iron Chef, where a chef has to recover from a botched or failed dish with little time left on the clock. I agree, even though I squirmed for Alex when she got 20 minutes for the lamb. I don’t care what anyone says – her making sausage in 20 minutes was the risk. Making carpaccio or tartare? No risk because either would have been logical. I honestly don’t get the Alex hate. I like her on Chopped and I like her here. Ditto Zakarian. They both play up the “judge demeanor” thing on Chopped because that’s what they’re supposed to do. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/110 "2011-12-06T14:38:15Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > I agree, even though I squirmed for Alex when she got 20 minutes for the lamb. I don’t care what anyone says – her making sausage in 20 minutes was the risk. Making carpaccio or tartare? No risk because either would have been logical. As I posted before, I disagree. Sausage is a common technique when faced with a time crunch. I agree that a raw dish is the obvious one but that doesn’t mean that sausage is a risk. Now cutting and searing a faux-medallion or faux-filet would be a risk. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/111 "2011-12-06T15:58:43Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > I agree, even though I squirmed for Alex when she got 20 minutes for the lamb. I don’t care what anyone says – her making sausage in 20 minutes was the risk. Making carpaccio or tartare? No risk because either would have been logical. > > I honestly don’t get the Alex hate. I like her on Chopped and I like her here. Ditto Zakarian. They both play up the “judge demeanor” thing on Chopped because that’s what they’re supposed to do. I have not watched Chopped, so my dislike off Guarnaschelli is wholly from this show. I still predict she fails in her first showdown. I think the finale comes down to Faulkner versus Zakarian, though these 4 are too close to call. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/112 "2011-12-06T16:32:00Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > As I posted before, I disagree. Sausage is a common technique when faced with a time crunch. I agree that a raw dish is the obvious one but that doesn’t mean that sausage is a risk. Now cutting and searing a faux-medallion or faux-filet would be a risk. You’re confusing ‘risk’ with ‘almost certain failure’. You have to do more than what is obvious/easy, but less than what would be outright daring but virtually doomed to failure. They could have patted on her on the back after she ‘went for it’ and tried to concoct something elaborate as they cringe at the undercooked whatever. In the end, if you pay attention to the successes here, it’s staying above the line drawn, even if it is slightly so. Falling below the line for sake of creativity/risk/whatever looks good and gets the pat on the back… as you head home or into a cook off. We’ve learned this from these types of shows. . ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/113 "2011-12-06T16:34:32Z")
Also: Everyone realizes that an Iron Chef is a TV personality – correct? I mean, there is room to criticize people with cardboard personas. It’s a factor. A must? No. But it has to be considered. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/114 "2011-12-06T19:43:16Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > As I posted before, I disagree. Sausage is a common technique when faced with a time crunch. I agree that a raw dish is the obvious one but that doesn’t mean that sausage is a risk. Now cutting and searing a faux-medallion or faux-filet would be a risk. And if she’s making a simple garlic sausage, even giving the time constraints I would expect it to have the proper amount of fat and no gristle. Anyways, the next episode is a double-elimination that will lead directly to the finale. Since Faulkner has an advantage from winning the challenge this week, I would hope that she’ll be a lock to make it to the finale. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/115 "2011-12-09T20:37:04Z")
I’m crossing my fingers for a Falkner-Zahkarian final ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/116 "2011-12-09T20:41:42Z")
A Faulkner-Zekarian final would be win-win in my book! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/117 "2011-12-09T21:09:51Z")
Except I don’t want either of them to lose. I like them both a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/118 "2011-12-12T04:22:44Z")
Well, I’m pretty happy with who made the final. It’s the two I wanted, so I think this is gonna be good. It was a tight match tonight, but I’m not disappointed at all. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/120 "2011-12-12T07:33:31Z")
So much for prediction of Alex winning. Go Zakarian! ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338/121 "2011-12-12T15:19:14Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > [snip]I think the finals will be Zakarian versus Faulkner. And despite the fact I want to see her fail, I think Guarnaschelli makes the final 4, along with Chiarello. So, **D\_Odds** , who’s gonna win the Superbowl? I always get stuck running the office pool so I could use a little inside info 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-iron-chef-season-4-the-super-chefs/601338.md?page=7)