# Top Chef Texas - Season 9 \[combined thread\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 3, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702 "2011-11-03T02:07:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/262 "2012-02-12T16:27:18Z")
> [@Fair\_Rarity](#): > > The episode pissed me off. Ok, so Sarah took immunity. While it’s not ultra competitive of her, I can see the point of coming that far and then going home over the stupidest mistake. > > But when it was time for the challenge and she chose not to participate? That annoyed me. > [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I will be very disappointed if Sara wins. Taking immunity and then choosing not to compete just does not sit well with me. Where is her competitive spirit? > [@NAF1138](#): > > Was Sara given the choice not to compete? I thought she was told that if she took immunity she would not participate. I watched a rerun of this episode today and **NAF1138** is correct - it was not Sarah’s choice to sit out the elimination challenge. Padma makes it very clear at the beginning that if the chef takes the immunity they will not be competing. I honestly think you would have to be an idiot to not take the automatic spot in the final. I can see not liking Sarah for how she has treated Beverly but I can’t imagine any chef from any season passing up a guaranteed spot in the final 4. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/263 "2012-02-16T09:22:30Z")
Hated the episode tonight. Especially since it was a semi-final. I’ve never seen so many challenges that had absolutely nothing to do with cooking. Making people ski and then shoot targets for their ingredients? Pathetic. I thought Sara was going to have a heart attack. She was huffing and puffing. Someone that obese doesn’t need to jump out and do something this strenuous. There was one bright spot. Paul showed a lot of class helping the ladies bust open those blocks of ice. He even commented that this was supposed to be about cooking and not busting ice. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/264 "2012-02-16T11:06:48Z")
^ I completely agree with all of this. And I was really rooting for Beverly to beat Sarah. Please win it all, Paul! ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/265 "2012-02-16T12:16:59Z")
I think that gondola ride would have had me hoofing it back to Texas. Yikes. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/266 "2012-02-16T14:36:16Z")
Yeah, I thought it was a bit ridiculous - not quite as bad as the Pee Wee Herman episode but close. I was glad to see that Sarah and Paul, especiallly, gained some respect for Bev. I can see how her personality could get annoying but she obviously has the cooking chops and fought hard through the challenge. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/267 "2012-02-16T16:51:48Z")
> [@Sam\_Lowry](#): > > I agree. Before the season started, I was disappointed to learn that Houston wouldn’t be featured. But considering the quality of this season I don’t think Houston has missed out on much. [Did you see the Houston commercial that ran during Top Chef last night?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpeMsvYrK1c) I like it–a positive way to respond to not being included in the show. Nice logo there at the end. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/268 "2012-02-16T18:19:19Z")
> [@LVBoPeep](#): > > Yeah, I thought it was a bit ridiculous - not quite as bad as the Pee Wee Herman episode but close. I was glad to see that Sarah and Paul, especiallly, gained some respect for Bev. I can see how her personality could get annoying but she obviously has the cooking chops and fought hard through the challenge. Well Sarah did say she wanted to be a nicer person. That lasted until they all got into the car and Bev was talking about LCK > [@](#): > > Look at the trees! I don’t care who wins as long as Sarah loses. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/269 "2012-02-16T19:51:10Z")
Linsay and Sarah both behaved like high school mean girls. Shame. Paul helping them get to their ingredients - that was class. It was a very gentlemanly “F-you” to the producers, and I enjoyed it immensely. The frozen ice blocks were just so obviously easier for a man. Meaning, the one difference between men and women that almost no one can dispute: Greater upper body strength. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/270 "2012-02-16T20:44:10Z")
Overall, this season has been a major disappointment, from the quality of the contestant to the ridiculousness of the challenges. Last night’s Olympics challenge completely went off the rail. I’ll watch to see who wins (Paul, I hope), but Top Chef is getting deleted from the DVR schedule. I’ll stick to Top Chef Masters, assuming it comes back and they don’t ruin that as well. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/271 "2012-02-17T02:20:30Z")
It was awful, I agree. Great idea for a quickfire, but it stopped being a cooking competition with off-beat challenges with SOME basis in reality to just stunts. Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/272 "2012-02-17T03:46:57Z")
I detested that episode and I detest Sarah. All I can say about this season is that I’m rooting for the least-mean contestant, Paul. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/273 "2012-02-17T05:57:04Z")
Shitty fucking challenges. The ingredients you get to use should not depend on your physical strength or your ability to ski or shoot. Fucking dumb, dumb, dumb. Like everyone else, i thought Paul showed some real class helping the others out in the ice challenge, and i hope he goes on to win it all. ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/274 "2012-02-17T14:46:10Z")
Ha ha ha. People who have never skied falling down and tripping over each other. That is so hilarious … Wait, what, we aren’t watching Wipeout? Paul helping the women with the ice blocks was classy. Padma posing with a rifle warmed my loins a little. The rest of the episode sucked. The forced cameos from past Olympians were especially painful. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/275 "2012-02-17T15:10:07Z")
I’m waiting for the episode where the guest judge is an MMA cage fighter. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/276 "2012-02-17T19:57:01Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > The forced cameos from past Olympians were especially painful. Not only that, but at this stage of the competition the guest judge should be an actual chef, not some athlete whose most useful contribution to the discussion was “I thought your food tasted great.” ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/277 "2012-02-20T04:55:39Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > Ha ha ha. People who have never skied falling down and tripping over each other. That is so hilarious … Wait, what, we aren’t watching Wipeout? It made me think of America’s Next Top Model. They love torturing the “models” with photoshoots where they’re on stilts and runways that are in swimming pools and the model is in a giant hamster ball. But part of the fun in watching Top Model is laughing at the models’ delusions and the stress the competition takes on them. The fun in Top Chef is watching talented chefs cook amazing food. At this point the chefs should all be the best of the season and be able to cook amazing dishes and I want to see that. This episode would have been ridiculous but not as annoying if it was at the beginning of a season, but it’s terrible at the end of the season. I think I’ll watch the finale and cheer on Paul and then not watch any more unless I hear people say it’s improved. I do watch too much TV anyway, especially now that I have Netflix Instant. I gave up on watching Project Runway last season when it became much more about the drama and less about amazing clothes. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/278 "2012-02-20T11:32:32Z")
I don’t mind craziness in the quickfire challenges - as long as it’s fair craziness. (Not pobviously easier for men, or for Asian cooks, or whatever it might be slanted toward.) But IMHO it has no place in an elimination challenge. ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/279 "2012-02-20T13:20:39Z")
That was absolutely horrible. I was glad to see that nearly everyone on the bravo site was castigating the producers for how horrible it was by making up challenges for the finalists that had very little to do with making good food and were more about humiliating challengers. They were lucky that no one got hurt with the ice pick. I wanted to slap Gail for complaining that the mango Paul served was still a little frozen. That’s because fresh mango isn’t meant to be frozen; if it was fully thawed, it would have been mush. The only redeeming feature was the editing they did before a commercial break that made it look like the upcoming segment was going to feature Bev getting out her sniper’s rifle and taking Sarah down.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/280 "2012-02-23T03:56:39Z")
Tonight looks to be a better episode without the silly distractions during challenges. The quickfire challenge was fun. I always enjoy seeing Takashi. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2012, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702/281 "2012-02-23T04:00:54Z")
And the final two are: Paul and Sarah. It should be an interesting finale. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-texas-season-9-combined-thread/601702.md?page=15)