Michael needs to get hit by a metaphorical bus. I’ve decided that if I ever find out he’s the chef at someplace we are dining, we will leave immediately, after telling management exactly why we found their establishment lacking. I really hope he’s the next one eliminated, and that he fails in a gloriously embarrassing fashion.
I misunderstood then.
I hope the French team was equally punished in the scoring for sabotage, regardless of if it was accidental or not.
That’s my favorite thing about it–they showcase the sort of serious chefs that you’d never see on the Food Network these days. Keller, Boulud, Robuchon, names that mean nothing to the general public but everything to people who are serious about cooking.
My other favorite thing is the camaraderie among the chefs, which we saw a lot of in this episode. I liked that they all seemed genuinely upset when Eli was eliminated, and that they’re willing to help each other out when they can. It’s so much more refreshing than the usual “I’m not here to make friends” attitude (which we saw a little bit of from Robyn, but not much otherwise). It makes Michael V.'s increasing douchiness stand out like a sore thumb.
Seems like this season has real heavyweight guest judges. I know they’ve had some notable guest judges in the past, but last night was the Bocuse guy himself, Keller, Bolud (sp?) and a couple of guys I wasn’t familiar with that are probably familiar to chefs everywhere.
I think Top Chef Masters might have opened some eyes about how tough some of this stuff is and raised the credibility. I remember a couple of the Masters contestants who’d been guest judges before say that it gave them a new insight.
Yeah, they really kind of glossed over this but they did say “U.S. Bocuse d’Or” which I take it is like the U.S. qualifiers for the international event. Tom Colicchio clarified this on his blog.
He also said in a recent week that he could have whipped up Kevin’s winning dish in 15 minutes.
I’ve taken to snarking back at him with the equivalent of “maybe you should have, then.”
One of the VoltBros said something about how being on/winning(?) this show helps show their parents what they do. I thought that sounded a little weird at first, but I’ve also had the sneaking suspicion previously that maybe Michael is desperately insecure, to the point of openly dragging down anything that someone who’s a threat has to offer. Either that or he’s the equivalent of the mouthiest trash-talking basketball player on the court and expects that others will probably do the same.
I would actually be interested in seeing what Kevin could do with enough prep time. Gavin Kaysen mentioned that he spent 4 months perfecting one of his dishes at the 2007 Bocuse d’Or. I think Kevin has the skills to do something brilliant but he also knows enough not to attempt something too ambitious for a 3 hour challenge.
The guy who represented the U.S. last year raised $500K, got four months leave from the French Laundry and spent 40-50 hours a week working in an exact replica of the kitchen he would be using in France. Apparantly this is a very big deal.
Which makes we wonder if Kevin even could do it. Did I hear him correctly that he said he now owns his own restaurant? He doesn’t really have the time to be practicing for that.
I could have sworn I saw a “What have I gotten myself in for?!” look on Kevin’s face as he walked back to the stew room with the books. I don’t think the Bocuse D’Or is his sort of cooking, although I think he’s the best chef there.
I noticed something which I thought was interesting last night. According to the show, he’s 26 and Eli’s 25. I’d been assuming Kevin was older, I suppose because he seems a lot more mature than Eli. He’s the youngest of the final four, in fact.
It was great seeing Jen back on form last night, and I liked the way she helped Brian (older V.) out. I like the camaraderie and professionalism I’m seeing among the final four, although Mike’s “I could have cooked it better” routine is getting on my nerves, too. I agree with Ferret Herder. If he’s a better cook, he’s got two more episodes to show it.
I think you’ve nailed it. Bryan is so low-key and a genuinely nice guy (he hasn’t said a negative word about anybody or anything for the duration of the series) plus he’s clearly extremely talented and intelligent. I wonder if Michael spent his whole life being compared to his older brother, and has a result, as deep-seated insecurity that prompts him to lash out and be an arrogant jerk.
Michael is starting to get kind of a jerk-ass edit, and usually the rule of reality telivision is that jerk-ass edit is a loser edit, but we’ve seen jerk-asses win this show bfore.
Still, just going by the edits, I sense that MV will be the next one out, with BV, Jen and Kevin in the finale, and with Kevin as the ultimate winner…or maybe Bryan…or even Jen. It’s really hard to call. Any one of them is capable of knocking one out of the park.
Yeah, I think Kevin is probably the front runner at this point, but they all have a reasonable chance to win. I’m just glad they all made the final 4 (yes, even the “jerkass”). They just clearly are the most deserving in terms of skill (heck, they’re the only ones who won any elimination challenges all season). It would have been a shame if one of them had missed out just because they had an off night.
It’s the finals we all expected, all right. I thought Eli had been doing better than Jen the last couple of weeks, but she outperformed him in this one and probably beat him last week, too.
I guess the finale is in two weeks, right? I’m confused about the schedule. Kevin has to be the runaway favorite. It’s gotta be the beard.
I enjoyed that too. I’m wondering if there is more of that now that so few are left and they have won the respect of their competitors, or if there has always been some of this and it was edited out.
I think it’s always been there. They’ve all worked with each other on previous challenges, and I think they all respect for the others’ skills and professionalism. I’ve even read speculation about a romance between Jen and Brian, although I think they’re too wrapped up in their careers at the moment.
I think this is Kevin’s to lose, and I’ll be surprised if he does. Unlike the rest of the finalists, not much seems to faze him, and he’s remarkably disinclined to psych himself out. This ep was the first time I recall him really unsure if his food was up to snuff, and frankly I think you’d have to be practically inhumanly secure to NOT wonder whether you should be presenting (your very first) sous vide lamb to Thomas Keller.
In Michael’s defense, “he cooks the food that I cook on my day off” certainly isn’t the nicest thing to say, but I think that it’s a valid remark on their very different styles. Kevin’s not a fancy-schmancy dude, and Michael’s experience is in the sort of restaurants where everything comes with a foam. Michael is baffled and frustrated that he’s not being rewarded for using technical skills that he’s worked very hard to learn. I’m not saying he’s justified (if Kevin’s food tastes better, Kevin SHOULD win), but I get it. Also, he said it once, god knows when he actually said it, and they repeat it every episode.
I also think that while Kevin is the most likely fan favorite, I wouldn’t rule out Ash.