Wow, I have to say I didn’t see that one coming (as far as the ouster goes), but we thought it was hilarious that the Top 4 are likely to be our Final 4 as well. It was fun to see a little contentiousness between the brothers (mostly because of Michael’s mind-game competitiveness and not any real hostility), and thought it was hilarious that “Lives with him Mom” Eli harping about Robin not being his mother–an accusation that loses its forcefulness when you haven’t actually left the nest yourself. And the gang up on him was fun because it was playful & harmless, but clearly still designed to push his buttons.
I was sure Larraine was on her way out, since Ash’s biggest sin was not having a backbone. I guess they were sick of him being so spineless and would prefer a daringly misconceived, bad-tasting dish to someone who has pussied out of living up to the demands of the show time and time again. I’m sure Robin would be driving me crazy as well, but it seems the only ones who appear to be resentful about her staying are the ones who are not Final 4-bound.
That might change, though, when Robin teams up with the brothers in next week’s Restaurant wars. Don’t remember what her experience is, but she’s probably the farthest removed from working on the line, and that may really be an impediment the others won’t put up with when the stakes are so high. Plus, it appears that the Final 4 are split 50/50 between the two teams, so we’ll be seeing some new faces at the Judges Table for next week’s knife-packing.
(the above spoilers are from the previews for next week, in case you don’t want any more info than necessary)
Poor Ash finally succeeded in talking himself out of there. I mean really, how do you lose against “cat food”?
Someone should really explain to Robin that while she may be *resented *for her continued and (debatably) undeserved presence, she’s *disliked *because of her incredibly fucking annoying inability to shut up for a minute. There are few things more unlikeable in a person than the mistaken notion that every thought that pops into their head will be just as fascinating to everyone else as it is to them.
Kevin may be my favorite contestant ever. All of the talent, none of the douchey.
The elimination was pretty weird, although it’s not the first time I felt like they’ve handled it this way: they got rid of the person they felt made the worst mistake (Ash taking Mike Iz’s suggestion instead of making the dish he planned) rather than the person who made the worst dish. The worst dish appeared to be Laurine’s, but you got the sense Ash was going to get the axe.
Very cool to see the Big Four in the last group like that. It turned out the way I think the show will, with Kevin winning.
Robin hadn’t bothered me very much before this episode, but I found her almost as annoying as everyone else did yesterday. Just shut up once in a while!
I agree that the winners this week will likely be in the final four. Kevin is a really likable guy and he is my favorite to win it all. If not Kevin then Jen would be fine.
Both of the brothers bother me for some reason, I’m not sure why.
Robin. My God. If I had to live with that woman I would seriously contemplate the upside of suicide.
I was sorry to see Ash leave but he was way out of his league.
I thought this episode was entertaining. On to restaurant wars!
Hehe I got a good kick out of it too. The results were a snapshot of the reality of their cooking skills. The Big four on top, the seriously outmatched three up for elimination, and the semi-talented-but-not-really in-it-but-really-cocky two in the forgotten middle.
Totally agreed with everything you said. Ash was his own toughest competition. He talked up Mike V last episode like he was the Second Coming of Cuisine, and more than once he’s said ‘…wellll, I wanted to make (something yummy-sounding) but I made this (lame item).’ You can almost see the judges facepalming.
Robin made me feel dirty for agreeing with something Mike I. said, when he was saying how he tries to never speak to her else she’ll talk your ear off. So I dislike her even more for that, over and above the yap yap yap yap yap.
I really like Kevin. He’s just so sincerely thrilled about every victory and good experience; he reminds me of Stephanie Izard in that respect, I think.
As for the brothers, I think I got them figured out for identification when they’re not next to each other, at least for this week - Bryan has spiky hair, and has a lower voice.
Good episode- loved when Kevin won. I agree with the comparison to Stephanie Izzard- both showed you don’t have to have a huge ego to be a great chef and they both seem to cook from the heart. I was defending Robin last week- just thinking it was sour grapes but when they showed more footage of her in action (I put the salt and the sugar here but they don’t seem to stay! paraphrased comment would have had me hitting her over the head with a pan) and I can see why the hate. I’ve worked with people like that and they just drive me crazy.
I thought they might tell Ash that he’s got one more chance to show them “his” food, especially when toe to toe with the “cat food” plate. But at least cat food girl owned up immediately to her mistakes and didn’t try to make excuses for it, just basically said “I tried, I failed”.
I don’t ever recall a season where the real “Top Chefs” were identified so early in the program. The four were obvious a couple of weeks ago. I suppose one could crash and burn on a bad luck draw or just totally blow a dish and allow Mike or Eli to sneak in, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not the best.
Now that I think about it, the producers might just do something like that just to keep it from getting boring.
BTW, Sokol Blosser, the winery in Oregon that was Kevin’s choice for the Pinot, makes a white wine called Evolution, which is a blend of nine grapes, and unbelievably it works. It is an amazingly crisp wine that is my go to pairing for spicy food like Thai. It is also perfect for summer barbeques. You should try it. Cheap, too. ~$15.
The impending restaurant wars has me pretty nervous, just because I could see one of the top four being sent home for captaining the losing team. Given the obvious difference in talent, I think it would be really lame if we got one of the lesser chefs in the final four . . . but Chef Tom repeated in his blog this week that they judge each challenge individually, not cumulatively.
No kidding. I want him to be my new best friend. At the very least I’ll be looking up his restaurant next time I’m in Atlanta.
Ash was seriously in over his head, and he knew it. Some people rise to the challenge in that situation, and some people are so afraid of failure that they end up pulling their punches and not even living up to their own abilities. He’s probably a fine chef in his own right, but in this competition he made it further than he should have.
Robin pulled out the ultimate reality show cliche line: “I’m not here to make friends.” And in case she failed to mention it, she had cancer.
I think if Ash knew his limits and just tried to do his best instead of competing with the top 4, he probably would have made it past Robin and Laurine.
I think I have successfully mind-melded with the Top Chef editors because I can sense who is going home just by the editing. For example, Eli and Robin were getting too much of the “loser edit” to really go home. TC is just not that obvious. However, I knew Lorrine couldn’t be going home because they didn’t show her cooking at all nor discussing her catfood dish with the camera. Before Judges’ Table, she had hardly had any camera time at all, so there was no way she was going home. I called Ash as he loser as soon as he said he changed his dish based on Mike I.'s suggestion.
I agree that the Restaurant Wars will add some uncertainty to the mix. I seriously doubt any of the Top4 will get the boot unless they make a bonehead move of epic proportions, though. However, Restaurant Wars did claim one of my favorite contestants a couple of seasons ago, IIRC, Tre.
As nice as Ash is, though, if I were him, I’d be ticked at Mike Iz. If he’d gone with what he wanted to do instead of listening to Mike, he’d probably still be in.
What surprises me is that Mike Iz still thinks he’s finals material. If five people make it to the finals, he might get in, but I wouldn’t rule out Larraine or Eli. Eli looked good at the beginning and then faded; he might be good for a comeback. Larraine’s done something Mike hasn’t – won an elimination. I think that getting kicked off before Larraine might annoy Mike, but I can’t bring myself to see that as a bad thing. I wonder how his love life is going to be after this season.
Honestly I think Ash had accepted he was totally outclassed and had much to learn. I think he really was trying to maneuver himself into one of the brothers or Kevin offering him a job where he could work under them. But he didn’t really have the guts to push it or even ask, and ended up like a 13 year old with a crush, acting like a spineless doormat hoping for spontaneous offer.
When did Laurine win an elimination? According to wikipedia, the only elimination winners have been Kevin, Jennifer and the brothers. In fact, no one else has even been among the judges favorites for an elimination challenge more than twice, while the Big 4 have each been among the favorites 5 times or more.
You’re right. I thought she won the camping challenge, but she only placed in the top 3. On the other hand, I noticed she’s tied with Mike in terms of being in the top 3 and her visits to it were more recent than both of his. I’d think better of her if it hadn’t been for the catfood comment.
He totally dissed Padma on his exit speech, saying he’d invite the other guys on the final panel to his restaurant, not “not Padma”. I know he’s gay and may have only wanted to invite the guys, but it seemed like she must have pushed his buttons a little harder than what I’d seen to be absolutely excluded from a boys night out. Also appeared to have a soft spot for Toby that nobody else seems to
He’s the one whose cooking I’d most like to eat - although they’re almost always cooking meat and I’m a vegetarian. If I was just getting dessert I’d want Michael V. to make it. Of course both of these scenarios depend on my winning the lottery - winning twice if I’m taking my girlfriend to dinner.
Am I the only one who laughed at Alexia brand chips? I guess they’re intended for people who can’t read.
He’s just so sincerely thrilled about every victory and good experience; he reminds me of Stephanie Izard in that respect, I think.