So what did happen to Tom and Padma? Tom, I assume, is busy counting his money (I dropped $200 at CraftSteak a couple months ago!), but is Padma holding out for more money or something?
I agree with whomever said upthread that the pasta in the shower skeeved them out. Especially a dorm shower. And I may have imagined it, but I could have sworn that the shower head was one of those hand-held dealies! I would have felt like David Puddy eating Kramer’s shower radish roses. To be fair, the bald judge did seem genuinely distressed when he found out.
They are still doing the regular “Top Chef” show. This is just a filler because “Project Runway” ain’t here anymore and I supposed they gave the boot to “Top Design”.
Tom is working as the consulting producer for the Top Chef Masters, so presumably he’s still involved in some way. I have no idea what that means in practice, though.
I loved the lack of forced drama. I didn’t like the hostess much either, but at least she doesn’t have a vote in the results. Keller seems like a great guy and an amazing chef, so I was glad to see him win.
Making winning early episodes actually meaningful is something they should consider for the normal show too. Offering a cash price for the winner of each elimination challenge would be a good way to create more competition and make the early episodes more interesting.
I did like it - but I hate the contrived circumstances. I want to see what these amazing chefs CAN do, not what they can’t do! Hopefully, the final championship round will be one of those “big budget, big kitchen, cook the meal of your life” deals.
I liked it a lot. My wife and I ate at Fleur de Lys in vegas a few years back and it was one of the best meals of my life, it was great to see Keller win. We’re looking forward to the rest of the series.
There hasn’t been much talk on Top chef Masters lately, but I caught the 07/15 episode.
I was really surprised to see to see Michael Chiarello is a good chef. I caught the beginning of his Food network show a few times. But I always turned away because he seemed like a smarmy wannabe who mostly wanted to show off his artsy and expensive lifestyle and hip and self-important dinner party friends. Although it did seem he did get the opportunity to use known Italian recipes.
I’m still putting my money on Keller or Bayless.
I guess I’ll have to actually watch it once now(Is it still on I wonder?)
I didn’t like this episode as much as I did some of the others, and the challenge wasn’t as interesting, but after one involving organ meats and one at the Magic Castle, I guess it was about time they had an ordinary cocktail party. I did feel for the chefs a bit, since I can’t imagine preparing and plating 300 dishes without help. Jay Rayner’s blog post on last night’s episode was funny. Was his comparing pannacotta to women’s breasts really that far out of line?
I’m still enjoying the show, but it feels very different from Top Chef. It’s rather nice seeing camaraderie rather than backstabbing. Even the younger chefs look confident. Season 6 starts next month, so we won’t have to wait much longer for our next fix.
Hehe, I forgot about that. Making a factual comparative statement like that in front of two chicks and a gay guy was funny as hell. There are only a few comparative measures of jigglyness ; bowlful of jelly, a bucket of diesel at 20 below and a natural breast. I give 5 ManBalls to him for saying it.
I felt a bit sorry for Rick after the fifth episode. He got the highest score by far from the challenge itself of the four, but lost because he totally blew the quickfire. He got the highest score from the guests, and all the critics too. He would have tied with Michael even with a shabby 2½ star rating from the quickfire, but starting from 0 he didn’t really have that much of a chance. Guess it shows that you should try to at least plate something when you’re running out of time, even if you can’t get the full dish on the plate.
Does anyone know what happens if two chefs tie on score?
Yes. In the episode 3, Wilo Bennet beat Rick Bayless 4 1/2 stars to 4 in the Quickfire Challenge, but Rick Bayless won the round. Here’s the Wikipedia page for those who want all of the statistics. So far, Bayless is the only one who’s done that.
Dayum, this thing is really shaping up as Must-See TV. I missed a couple of the preliminaries, but caught it again tonight. The thing that is so great is that the Masters all respect each other and are not snarky assholes/drama queens/whatever like so many of the participants in Top Chef.
I can’t wait for what’s coming, when they (I hope) get some sous chefs, more budget and more time to prepare something great.
Who else thinks that chefs should just schedule time to get together, cook with each other, and hang out. That casual dinner last night just made it seem like they really enjoy having peers around. No posturing, no pressure, just cook something and bring it to the table for everyone to share.
It was really nice to see them caring for their fellow contestants at the grocery store and putting some actual thought into what they bought for their competition to use. On the regular show, I’d expect something like “Let’s see what you can do with canned tuna, fruit roll-ups and Cheetos!”
I am going to echo what a lot of other posters have already said. One of the main reasons I love this version of Top Chef is that the contestants aren’t whiny jerks. No sabotage, just the utmost respect for each other. It makes the shows focus more about the food and that is what makes it especially enjoyable.
Personally, I like these challenges just fine. This are all Michelin/Beard award winning chefs so I already know that they can make masterpieces with unlimited ingredients and a brigade. I am more curious to see what they produce when they are limited in resources and time. It reminds me of watching one of my architecture professors participate in a charrette with the class. She loved sitting down for a few hours with us at a board just going crazy and designing by hand. I see a similar look in a lot of the contestants faces. They are calmer than those who are less experienced because they have been there but the challenge is still present because it is something they haven’t done in a while. Everyone looks like they are having a lot of fun.
The mystery box episode was awesome and Art Smith is my current favorite. He was just so pleasant and playful.
I agree that this show has been great fun. Now that we’re done with the preliminary rounds, what was everyone’s favorite episode? And who will you be cheering for in the champion’s round?
I think the best episode was the magic episode with NPH. The challenge was really thematically interesting and fun. Plus, Magic! and NPH!
I think I’m going to have to root for Hubert in the finals, although really, I like pretty much all of them.