Leah bugs me. Her “look at me, i’m so cute” pout during the quickfire was annoying and she should have lost the elimination just for that.
Eric Ripert is an awesome guest judge. He gives good feedback, he ends up with good challenges, and he seems to judge fairly and competently and tactfully. I don’t know if the camera crew and editing staff love him and want to give him a great edit or if there’s simply nothing bad to film about him. But either way - he comes across well.
Toby does not. He was back to his idiocy last night and needs to not be invited back for future seasons.
Eric Ripert is the most adorable chef I have ever seen. I’m in love with him.
I’m really upset that Leah is still there and Jamie is gone, but there’s no way Leah is going to skate through next week. Though I, too, am getting tired of Hosea and his sniping. It’s not like Europeans are the only ones who eat eels or have access to the little fuckers.
Did you see the episode of Bourdain’s show where he and Ripert worked the line for a whole day at Bourdain’s old restaurant? It was pretty awesome, and showed that Eric has both grace and the chops.
Really really hoping Leah gets shown the door next week.
Did anyone else hate this challenge? Cooking someone else’s food is fine for a quickfire, but lame for an elimination. I would have rather had them put their own spin on the dishes. Reproducing dishes is the sous-chef/line cook’s job, not the executive chef.
What is the deal with all this love of all things un-‘merican? Whenever Ripert came on the screen, my wife would mutter in a French accent “I want evereebodee to stop wha dey are doeeeng, an look at my lucious lips.” My daughter, my own flesh and blood, is rooting for Fabio. I bet you his accent is fake and he is really from Nebraska. Forget all those guys, I am going for that cheatin’ whining, baldy American Hosea…USA! USA! USA!
I think Eric Ripert is one of the best guest judges they have. Not only is he breathtakingly adorable, he seems like a genuinely nice guy who really wants to give the cheftestants useful feedback, instead of just getting his snark on (I’m looking at you, Toby!). I loved him in the S4 finale when the final 3 had celebrity sous chefs, and he was working with Stephanie. He was watching Richard Blais do something, I can’t remember what, using some MG technique, and was clearly impressed. Later, he said something to the effect of “If you’re too arrogant to learn something new, your ego is too big for you to be a good chef”. I hope that Stephan leans some humility when he goes on their chef junket!
I hope Leah is the next to go. She’s managed to stay under the radar the whole season by being not quite the worst. She’s this season’s Lisa. I think Stephan is an arrogant jerk, so I"m rooting for Fabio- but I think it’s Stephan’s to lose.
My thoughts exactly – Ripert actually takes the time to teach and instruct while judging. Stefan really lucked out with the prize this week.
Maybe it’s because I had a bad day at work before watching this episode, but every time Hosea was onscreen I wanted to punch him. Go big or go home – shut the eff up.
I liked this challenge. I’m no professional chef, but reproducing a dish seems to me like it’s an exercise for your palate (figuring out what you’re tasting and remembering it), your training and technique plus any improvisation (not only making a great bordelaise or hollandaise but also tweaking it), and your presentation skills.
Watching Stefan peel that eel was pretty bad ass. I loved watching Hosea try to make excuses about that challenge, as if working full-time at a fish restaurant shouldn’t have given him the winning edge.
I was … disappointed … to see Jamie go, only because I think she is talented. But after reading the blogs and seeing just how bad she screwed up the dish, and that this is a one-and-done competition (I believe, in theory, past performance doesn’t count), she deserved to go.
What I wonder is whether a chef, in a “replicate this dish” contest, would be more penalized for a) leaving a main component out or b) serving that component even if it’s inedible. Should Jamie have left the celery back in the kitchen?
Like him or not, Stefan is far, far more talented and skilled than any remaining contender. He crushes Carla in desserts, Hosea in fish, etc. But once they get to the final three (it is final three right?) anyone can win if they don’t take the entire show’s performance into account.
My rankings
Stefan
2 - 5. No one worthy
Hosea (solid if unspectacular)
Carla (though she’s more skilled and has a much greater awareness/knowledge than I thought a few weeks ago)
Fabio (you know, I find him charming, but he’s not wowing me with his cooking)
I am GLAD Jamie got bounced. I was getting really sick of her whining, and now talking shit about Eric Ripert? Oh no girl, you gots to go. Don’t let the door hit you in the highwaters you wore every single day on the way out.
Now I hope Leah is next, then Hosea. Carla, Fabio, and Stefan in the final and hopefully Stefan wins it.