That would have been cool,
I think the challenge was unreasonable, not enough space and the timing.
One of these days I wish they’d do a long challenge. There’s never enough time, but they completely eliminate whole styles of food and many cooking methods by limiting things to breakneck speeds. Wake 'em up at 6:00am and say you have dinner in 12 hours, GO!
I don’t like the “Taste this briefly and replicate it perfectly” challenges. It’s not everyone’s strong suits. However, it seems that the bottom failed not because of similarity discrepancies, but because they generally sucked. Regardless, I think it’s boring to watch and you don’t see the chefs in the meal, only their ability to replicate. Yes, that is a talent, but I think you could be a Top Chef and not be a good mimic. It’d have been more interesting to have them do their own versions of the dishes or make something to accompany the dishes, let them be creative and show their own style.
I don’t like quickfire eliminations either.
The worst part of every episode this season is that the judges’ table is apparently shown in the stew room. So we watch them watching what we’re watching. It’s tedious and awful. I thought it would go away, but apparently it’s here to stay for the season.
Those complaints aside, I do like the season and the show still.
I LOVED Hugh calling Tom out on that. Since he’s been there before, he knows the truth. I wish he and Tom had actually duked it out under the time constraints.
I get so annoyed at Tom when he sniffs at the contestants because they use, say, a prepared sausage product rather than butchering their own hog and making their own sausage when they have only an hour to prepare a complex dish. I hate seeing so many of the challenges being based on someone who can bang something adequate out in an unreasonably short amount of time, or seeing who is best at dealing with sleep deprivation.
And Hugh Acheson’s blogs are the best part of the Top Chef experience.
YWalker - I sort of disagree about the sausage they. Especially if the sausage is a main component of a dish. They have sausage grinders/stuffers in the kitchen, and it seems to me that sausage, with several spices and ingredients, would show a skill to make without being too time consuming. Sort of like in TC Masters a couple seasons ago when Art Smith went out because he used store-bought vegan ice cream, which was a main component of his dish (he made a nut brittle to go with it, I think).
I do agree with Hugh Acheson’s blog being one of the best things about TC. And in his Sous chef challenge, he tested the challenge beforehand to make sure it was doable. In this case, I’d guess they asked the chefs at Commander’s Palace the prep and cook time for the dishes they were being asked to recreate, to make sure they worked in that competition parameters.
StG
Hugh seems much more invested than Tom does. Maybe Tom is just tired of the show. I used to follow all of the blogs. I am going to go check them out!
I am glad the girls are doing well.
Not only are the female chefs DOING better this season, but they’re vastly more distinctive, personalitywise. I have at least a solid mental image of every one of the female chefs, I think, but far fewer of the men, if any.
I really liked the imitation challenge, but then I like my Top Chef as gimmicky as heck. If I wanted just pure chef challenge, I would, I dunno, follow the James Bear awards of something.
I always kind of enjoy seeing the overly confident guy being taken down. And wow was Travis’s ego sky high or what? Pride cometh before a fall, unfortunately he took the Aussie lady with him on his fall.
They were on the bus when they came up with the tomato sauce recipe, and both judges were saying, “Ask us questions on the bus!” Why didn’t they say, “Have you ever heard of a Thai dish with a tomato sauce base, and do you think it would go over with the people in New Orleans?”
sigh bye bye hottie
But she did awesome in Last CHance Kitchen. Maybe she’ll come back to the competition… but she’d have to beat an awful lot of chefs succeed.
Travis had already determined that he knew more about Vietnamese food than the guest judge, there was no way he was going to ask ‘permission’ to do his tomato dish. His teammates trusted him too much to ask themselves. As much as I think he should have taken full blame for the dish, they’re still at the point where cooking mistakes are sending people home, not concept mistakes.
I kind of wanted Asian-fetish guy to go home. He was so arrogant. Has he not watched these competition shows? When you go on and on and on about how awesome you are at a particular thing and then are delivered a challenge in your wheelhouse, you don’t always fare so well. Be a tad more modest, more like “I hope to do well, as this is my bag” instead of “I will do well because I know more than the judges.”
I had liked Rosie the Riveter up until last night. I don’t think she got rid of the lemongrass on purpose, but she was just in the way at the grocery store for no reason.
Glad Michael from NO went. Padma scolding his team partner wasn’t pleasant however.
I think she did as well as she could have. He wasn’t going to listen to her any ways and he was obnoxious. And she had to know they wouldn’t send her home for his crappy dish when hers was one of the best ones while he chose to do an unoriginal dish badly.
This ep was filmed before Cory Montieth died. Leah Michelle looked a lot better then.
StG
Michael (curly haired NO chef) didn’t do all that well. He even screwed up some NO dishes a few episodes ago. Glad to see him gone.
Justin (the NO chef with beard) is always making snarky comments to the camera about the other chefs. Not a very nice guy. He does have some skills. Probably a top 3 pick.
I’m just not seeing a lot of talent this season. Maybe some will emerge as the season goes on. Nina was partnered with Michael. She has some skills. But, I’m not sure yet if she’s going to the top 3.
I’m still trying to learn this cast and who is talented.
I hate how Michael was always calling the female chefs with obnoxious nicknames, “Beautiful” “Boo-boo” or “Sweetheart”. Guys like that are icky and I was glad to see him go.
The chefs were off their game this week. Surprising because they had these wonderful farm fresh vegetables. They didn’t seem inspired at all. The QF and EC both weren’t much to get excited about. Tom and John Besh, the guest judge seemed pretty irritated with the food.
Nina continues to dominate. Winning week after week. Justin, Carlos and Nicholas are right behind her.
The other chefs just don’t seem able to keep up.
With the exception of Nina, I find this to be a fair-to-middling group this season. They all can cook, sure, but nobody seems capable of taking it to the next level. I don’t think it’s so much skill level as it is that none of them are compelling personalities; ergo, I’m not invested as much this season as I have been in others.
(and let’s face it, one reason why people like reality competition shows is because of the personalities involved. Sure, skills count, but it’s the people who compel you to keep watching to see what happens.)
I agree - when the most compelling backstory they could find is a girl who misses her boyfriend (“we’ve been together a whole year!”), it isn’t enough to pull me in. This season hasn’t been memorable for me at all.
StG