No, it’s sexist of you to attribute her success to her looks.
She has mostly stunk in the competition and I think she’s been getting some gift wins lately because the producers want a hot chick in the finals. She didn’t just suddenly become talented.
Yea because a pretty woman could never beat the big bad men at cooking. It must be a grand conspiracy by the producers to get the hot chick into the finals. It doesn’t even make logical sense. Padma is a regular judge and the lady from Food and Wine magazine is almost always on as a judge also. Like they would sit there and be fine with an order from the producers to let the hot chick win. Even if they wanted her in the finals, why would they have her win the elimination challenges? Why not just let her slide along. Plus, the guest judges have liked her food. The guest judge on the ship thought her’s was the best, and so did the host of the party. One of the chefs tonight said that her dish tasted the best.
By the way I am rewatching the episode and Soltner said the technique was off on the potatoes. Hung also specifically said that his potatoes had deflated because he had to plate on his own.
I read that a lot of the crew and passengers on that airplane challenge were surprised that Casey won because the consensus at the time was that Hung’s bass was far and away the most popular dish served while Casey’s dish was generally considered to be a failure. Then magically, the judges are praising it and awarding her the win. That seems suspicious to me. Plus like I said, she was never any good until the last couple of weeks. When did she learn to cook all of a sudden?
Producers tamper with these shows all the time. A woman has not won this particular show yet. I think they’re really pushing to get one in the finals and it might as well be the good looking white girl.
Upon reflection, maybe I’m not being entirely fair to Casey. I don’t dislike her or anything and I don’t think she sucks or has no ability. She probably is better than the likes of Dale and Brian and Sara. I don’t think she’s better than Hung, though and I do think she’s getting some little nudges here and there in the hopes that a woman (or as she says, a “female”) might in the show. I don’t think it’s outrageously fixed but I do think they’re going softr on her and harder on Hung to make the inevitable final matchup appear more even.
(Hung should have won that airplane challenge)
Hung is a brilliant technician who knows his stuff. He’s also got what I call “kitchen arrogance” in that 1) in order to survive in a high-end kitchen, one has to adopt an “I can do it all” attitude., and 2) that attitude naturally ignores the word “humility”.
That arrogance bothers some people. Conversely, some people – especially if you’re already used to it – aren’t bothered by it at all.
It would be nice if Hung could be humble every so often. The non-kitchen non-food part of me would welcome it like a breath of fresh air. But I know better. Hung’s professional background no doubt contains kitchens where plaudits were far and few between. In order to survive, one has to learn to pat one’s own back, develop a thick skin, and have unwavering self-confidence. Looking at it from this perspective, it’s understandable why Hung is the way he is.
I’ve known countless chefs/cooks/managers with a similar arrogance. I learned a long time ago to either live with it or leave.
You know because, well you tasted the food, right?
While I think Hung might be the best trained chef, I certainly think Casey is very close. Casey probably has the best palate of all the chefs (she won the taste test…Hung may or maynot be arrogant, but her certainly was arrogant in that challenge if I recall and it cost him). There was a stretch there where Hung was pretty bad, actually. And I actually think Hung got the benefit of the doubt tonight, because they loved Casey’s dish, but gave the win to Hung, despite the potatoes. Clearly, obviously, indoubtedly, without question, beyond argument, Hung won tonight because they didn’t want to give Casey three straight wins.
I wouldn’t be upset if Hung won, in fact I think he probably is the most deserving. But I certianly think Casey has proven herself, she and HUng for example were pretty much neck and neck in the quickfire.
Also related to Hung, I had absolutely no problem with him giving no help to Dale and the others during the quickfire challenge. It is a competition and he went first, why should they get any benefit from that. He wasn’t going to get any help from anybody, going first, so why should he give any.
Hung reminds me of Steven (Is that the right name? He’s the sommlier team Quatre won in the Quickfire Challenge during Battle of the Restaurants) from Season One–a total asshole who more or less knows his shit, but you can’t help but feel schadenfreude when he screws up because he looks so damn smug all the time.
I had missed the last two weeks and had a marathon session last night. I have no problems with Hung (as I didn’t with Marcel, last season). Humility is not a needed trait to be a Chef. I am glad he is scoring well. I always thought he had the talent and the knowledge and was sorry to see him floundering and looking like crap.
My only real complaint about him, is that he is always running through that kitchen like a pig in rut and knocking everything to the floor and not picking up after himself. I guess mopping skills are not needed to be a Chef either.
And no way he had to share his secrets for the quick challenge!. It was only chance he went first. This should have normally happened all at the same time, so no issue. Why did they expect every contestant to share his experience? They might as well just give the win to the last one to go.
I am also very surprised at Casey’s sudden improvement. So is she, for that matter. At least that is the way she said it in one of the testimonials. Producers do move things around a lot to get the result they want. I am not discounting her or her skills, it is just curious that after so many weeks of flying under the radar, now she is always on top. I mean, people do get on a roll and all that, but.
:rolleyes: Oh please, apples and oranges. Last time, people bitched that he didn’t help because he was done, sitting around and cleaning his station instead of volunteering to see what he might do to assist. This time, he was first which meant everyone else was still cooking–of course they couldn’t help! Plus, he had a half-hour more time than everyone else! If he couldn’t plate on his own with that extra time, he’s got piss poor time management abilities.
I don’t think Hung is a total asshole. There have been a few times where he has been shown helping others and it’s barely acknowledged but more of a deal is made when he refuses to help others. Heck it is a competition and I think it’s crazy to even expect him to be helping anyone else.
It wasn’t a team challenge and nobody asked for his help anyway. They had no right to bitch. They were just being tools.
The difference is that he didn’t complain or call them bad people because they couldn’t help him. He never said it was their fault. He also helped THEM after he served his dish, by the way.
Let’s talk about the food. I’ve been wanting to try making choux pastry dough and this pommes dauphine looks interesting. The deep frying bit doesn’t appeal to me. I know other things made with choux are baked, can the dauphines be baked instead?
Episode 3:
Episode 4:
Episode 7:
And as for arrogance:Episode 1:
Episode 3:
Episode 4:
Episode 5:
Episode 7:
Episode 10:
So the judges are always wrong, Hung is always right.
Also, I’m not a big fan of CJ, but I’d like ONE cite of him bringing up his cancer anywhere besides the personal interviews. And when was the first time we learned about the cancer? Only one or two episodes before he got the boot (and well after the season was half over). I’m also no great defender of Casey (too much of a drama queen sometimes), but what’s one example of her showing arrogance that stands completely contrary to the reality of a situation?
Well, let’s do a tally.
Before last night, number of Quickfires Casey won: 2 (Eps 4 & 6). Number of elimination challenges Casey won: 2 (Eps 10 & 11).
Before last night, number of Quickfires Hung won: 0. Number of elimination challenges Hung won: 0.
While Hung has appeared as a Top finalist in the Elimination challenges more often than Casey, he also was in the bottom in 3 different Quickfires (Casey only once). And while she’s been in the bottom for elimination challenges a few times, Hung’s no stranger there either (and for both of them, it’s usually been team situations, not individual performances).
Is Hung the best chef? Quite possibly. But he’s not as good as he thinks he is, and he’s not as consistent as his boasting would suggest. Can he work well in a team? Sure, if guided with a strong hand. Does he make mealy-mouth excuses just like everyone else? You betcha.
I don’t actively dislike the guy, but I do dislike how he presents himself as so far above everyone else, and while in certain areas that’s been true, it’s not as universal an axiom as he’s deluded in believing. Give the guy props for talent and confidence. But he can still come across as a grade-A jerk, and anyone who’s that much of a whirling dervish in the kitchen (spilling crawfish, breaking truffle oil, running with knives) shows a fundamental lack of consideration to the other people he’s working with. But given his attitude towards them (that they’re largely beneath him), this isn’t surprising at all.
Most likely I wouldn’t end up inviting Hung to hang out if he moved in next door to me, but from what I can tell by just seeing, he is a technically capable chef.
Casey seems to have a strong sense of what flavors will combine well, and generally makes things I’d try. Dale can be a little out there for me. Brian didn’t cook fish…
If Casey and Hung end up as the final pair, as long as there isn’t a comparison of knife skills it could go either way. I so want to believe that the judging is based on the food that day, not on past performance, and not on what best meets the producers’ needs. Who would win would really depend on the challenge. It seems to me that when Hung tries something innovative the judges don’t like it (of course they didn’t understand the concept, but…)
After the first “confit” came out I thought “I guess I don’t really know what ‘confit’ means”. After the other two I thought , “neither do they”
The Judges eating table was the best part. Only Tom seemed to be the least bit comfortable and even his statements were more interogative then declaritve compared to usual. Padma and Gail seemed truly intimidated to be there with that many judges of that quality, looked like kids eating at the big table for the first time afraid he’ll spit milk through his nose or something. Gail even had to have someone else point out that her chicken wasn’t done, and Padma kept saying a vauge and non-forceful “I think I tasted good”. I never liked Gail very much, and think she has an arrogance she beyond her pedigree, and watching her shrink when confronted with the real big fishes in the real pond, was golden.
Actually (courtesy Wikipedia),
Quickfire Wins:
Casey - Weeks 4 and 7
Hung - Weeks 2,12,13 and 10 as part of a team
Elimination Wins:
Casey - Weeks 11 and 12
Hung - Week 13
Elimination Top Group:
Casey - Weeks 7 (team) and 13
Hung - Weeks 1, 4 (team), 8 (team), 10 (team), and 12
Elimination bottom group:
Casey - Weeks 4 (team), 5, 8 (team), 10 (team)
Hung - Weeks 5, 7 (team), 11
I think it is interesting that Hung has done well in the team competitions, given the jackhole edit he gets. Meanwhile Casey has not done well in the team competitions. I think Casey simply did not have Hung’s confidence at the beginning, played it safe and then she just got rolling. Hung came out trying to really impress early, which I think he did. I think he is just on the wrong side of being too arrogant, but I am not overly bothered by it. It’s unfortunate,however, that if Casey wins, some will say it is because they wanted a woman to win.
I think what we learned last year (with Sam’s early expulsion) is that for the Final Four, it’s all in the delivery. Past performance is out and full-bodied execution is in. It’s Game Day and whoever is best that day will probably take it.
That said, I’d say Hung has a 45% chance of taking it, with Casey at 35%, Dale at 12% and Brian at 8%. I think Casey’s big advantage, if she’s in the final two, is that she’ll have a more accomodating and supportive crew (of former contestants) at her disposal. I don’t think most of them dislike Hung on the level of a Tiffani or Marcel, so they’re not going to undermine his efforts. But he has proven that he can be a poor communicator–not conveying a thought to his teammate effectively, stubborn, and curt. This may very well interfere with the dynamic of his crew working at their best. Casey’s shown that stress, decision-making, and high emotion can get to her, so that will be her biggest vulnerability.
But she’s the only one that has a chance of beating Hung. If she drops for some reason, neither Dale nor Brian can take him.
It’s hard to proof the Wiki cite because they’re off one week (TWOP cite), although they may be counting the recap show. I was wrong about Hung’s QF wins (the citrus & the breakfast), though he probably could’ve won the ingredient ID one if he hadn’t shot himself in the foot by “knowing” the ingredient without bothering to taste it. To be complete, Casey was in the QF bottom Ep. 7, and Hung Eps. 4, 5 & 7.
Although Hung has done well in team situations (and poorly in others), most of them didn’t involve much teamwork but rather everyone executing their own specific assignment. The two notable exceptions were his excellent support of Sara (who ended up winning the elimination), and his pairing with Joey, which was a general fiasco (with plenty of blame to go between both of them).
Casey’s notable team performances were when she had the worst dish but also had immunity when paired with Howie & Joey, and on the boat cruise where, though on the losing team, she came out well performance-wise.