Top Chef - S9E1 Postmortem

Okay... I'm strongly considering the possibility that that was the best elimination in Top Chef history. There must be some other contenders, but man, I'm having a hard time coming up with one I enjoyed more. And I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed that five of the six Chicago chefs are already in. If Beverly Kim can survive next week, Chicago takes more than a third of the bunks. Love it.

It's a bloodbath! Though nowhere close to what next week will be like. Ten left to cook plus four on the bubble means fourteen chefs going for five remaining spots. I want to think about it a bit more, but I think I like this format. As somebody who always wants to see the cream rise to the top, I'm much happier with the judges making the final cut down to 16 than I am with casting having that say. And for a couple of episodes, I think it's a fun diversion before we get to the meat of the competition. I found it diverting, anyway.

There's some chaff, to be sure, but once again, there are a lot of strong bodies in this field. Almost makes me regret not doing the preseason rankings. But watching all of that research going down the drain all at once next week might've been too much to take.

I was a little burned out at the end of last season, but I have to say, I'm feeling re-energized by the premiere. Let's stick with a postmortem for next week, and then I'll dig deep and do sort of a combo preseason/episode 1 rankings going into episode three.

A good start, I think... discuss!

Comments

[garik16]

May I say I'm kind of irritated by the fact that there is not one (as expected) but TWO basically tryout episodes just to start this season?

Stop milking this please. Blech. Why couldn't they just have done a 90 minute episode.

[Independent George]

garik - I actually love the tryout episode because it effectively eliminates the weaker chefs right from the start, and should (theoretically) lead to a better competition. I agree about the second tryout episode, though, unless they make it into a quickfire for 4 chefs as opposed to devoting an entire episode to them. We'll see how it goes.

Anyway, to copy and paste my post from skillet doux:

1. Go Chicago! Five are in, they could all go deep, and... gasp! I've actually been to three of the four places represented! Spiaggia is a Michelin one-star that doesn't require explanation. I haven't been to Moto, but Dom has an incredible write-up of his experience here. Sable and Chilam Balam are not as refined as the others, but the food is first-rate and seems to be exactly the kind of thing hits Tom in the happy zone.
2. I was skeptical at first, but I LOVE the new intro format. The problem with previous seasons is that the initial contestants were chosen for TV purposes by the producers, and not necessarily the strongest chefs. This effectively puts the food front and center right from the start.
3. I'm rooting for Keith, partly for his biography, but mostly for the beard. You have to root for the beard.

[garik16]

IG, I don't mind having tryouts, I just wish they'd been done before this point. The Butchering dude was just annoying.

Also, what were the odds that a guy who stated he had no training classically and learned from various sources, including youtube, wouldn't get in? 99%?

[Lou]

I think the 2 episode intro works well because they will do the 3rd group and then the bubble group. Four groups squeezed into 90 min would be too much dismissal and too little time for comment or presentation visuals. This format shows some standards being set and how the chefs will have to step up to the game.

I do think they could have done the intro as a 2 hour premier rather than split into 2 weeks but for rerun purposes have a formal division for 2 one hours segments for the repeats.

[Kimberly]

I think the tryout concept is decent, but stretching it out over two episodes seems a bit obnoxious.

One advantage to this format is that on the first full episode all the chefs will be introduced so these episodes will (theoretically, hopefully) focus more on their food.

Another advantage is that the chefs will feel more fire at the beginning. How many times on previous seasons have chefs said, around 6 or 7 chefs left, "Any mistake can make you go home, there is no middle now." Perhaps this tryout will make the chefs feel like that right from the beginning.

[Independent George]

I don't mind having tryouts, I just wish they'd been done before this point. The Butchering dude was just annoying.

The butchering dude was incredibly annoying - and he's gone. That's what I like about this - in previous years, he might have hung around for a couple episodes.

Also, what were the odds that a guy who stated he had no training classically and learned from various sources, including youtube, wouldn't get in? 99%?

I was actually kind of rooting for him. There are plenty of self-taught cooks out there who do a great job, and I respect anyone who works his way up like he did. Your average line cook is a Mexican immigrant with no training whatsoever - and you would never know it from the dish you get at the table. The problem is that they usually don't have the depth of experience someone who went through the traditional culinary school/extern/stage/sous progression.

I do think they could have done the intro as a 2 hour premier rather than split into 2 weeks but for rerun purposes have a formal division for 2 one hours segments for the repeats.

I agree, and your explanation makes total sense to me.

[Independent George]

Ack, no html tags.

[doktarr]

IG took the words out of my mouth. The butchering dude was annoying, sure, but he's GONE. The producers milked his annoying-ness for all it was worth, which was, blessedly, very little.

I, too, would have preferred one longer episode, but really, it's not that big of a deal.

The one thing that DID bug me about this format is that the judges handed out a lot of coats, and didn't leave much for the bubble. It's looking like the bubble cooks are going to have, maybe, just one spot to go for. What happens if the last group has a bunch of great dishes? There just won't be enough coats to go around. It just makes the process a bit more arbitrary than it needs to be. I would have preferred a fatter bubble, where the chefs only handed out coats to the dishes that absolutely blew them away.

[Allison]

I was pleasantly surprised with tonight's show. While I don't like that the intro is spread over 2 weeks (yes, a hour episode would have been nice!), I think this format works with the final group & the bubble group next week. It doesn't feel rushed or overwhelming, and that's good.

Oh yeah, the arrogant guy that couldn't butcher ... good to see Tom ask him to leave when he did.

[garik16]

Doktarr I don't mind if the Bubble chefs don't get a chance at all, really. If 16 chefs manage (i could see them taking more if the third group is really good) to make it before the bubble, then the bubble didn't deserve to make it.

(My only tinge of regret then would be the girl whose butchering was killed by the Master Chef who basically never had a chance.)

[Scott]

Anybody else get an American Idol Vibe?

[pottymouth princess]

Scott, just came here to post that the format REEKED of American Idol. Replace the chef's jackets with hipsters carrying their pass-letters as they leave their audition and there you go.

Did Bravo give TC more episodes this season? Or will we be saddled (sorry, had to get a stereotypical TX pun in there) with multi double-eliminations? Anyone?

[MiniMonkey]

The new format actually reminded me of the Masterchef opening format, except on a much smaller scale. The two episodes are annoying only because they're a week apart. If Bravo wanted to keep it as 2 separate hour-long shows, they should have (like Masterchef) shown the first two episodes on back-to-back nights.

I like the format particularly in that it will (hopefully) get rid of the chaff right away, rather than taking 1/2 the season to weed them out.

[Skillet Doux]

Sorry, IG... HTML tags restored, and citations blockquoted and italicized for your viewing pleasure.

[stephan]

Enjoying the quikster split into two sites.

Would like to recommend a less harsh color for the background. Orange on white (almost) is a great color combination, reminds me of 50/50 bars, but it's not the greatest to read. Maybe a light grey instead?

[doktarr]

Did Bravo give TC more episodes this season? Or will we be saddled (sorry, had to get a stereotypical TX pun in there) with multi double-eliminations? Anyone?

No idea, but personally, I don't really see any reason why only one person should be sent home for the first few weeks. Especially early in the season, you often have multiple failed dishes, and people skating on to the next round who really deserve the axe.

If it were up to me, they would only cut to 20 or so in these early rounds, then have a bunch of double or triple eliminations in the early episodes, with the judges having the latitude to toss those extra eliminations in as they see fit until they have burned through all the extra eliminations.

[pcaatl]

Dom, I'm choosing to be vicariously happy for you and the Chicago success because as a Seattleite... ouch. Fingers crossed for Ashley Villaluz.

I'm with those who wish that the tryouts had finished tonight, but other then that, I'd be more than happy if the opening mass elimination became a standard feature. Maybe a few more in kitchen eliminations, and slightly fewer passes in favor of a bigger bubble.

[Anon Man]

The butcher, in past years, would have been the ego-centric hack who goes out in the third episode, but not before getting a serious villain edit and most of us hating him. I'm a little sad to see the vegan guy go (#2, above). It would have been interesting to see a vegan bent make it for a few shows.

[KinderJ]

I think this was one of the most engaging episodes, certainly the best first episode, of Top Chef I have seen. Laser like focus on cooking and the food, minimal drama, and a refreshing sense of pragmatism prevailing. I was worried that Tom would be pushed to be harsh or abusive, and I am really glad that he did not come off that way. Clearly not tolerant of substandard work, but not abusive either.

Moving on to the food for a second, I really like the first two challenges. Breaking down pig primals should be a familiar task for the chefs, and still challenges them to make useful and interesting dishes. Lets take the tenderloin for example. Even if it hadn't been hacked into tiny pieces by that Christian-Bale-American-Psycho looking guy, it's a pretty boring cut of meat. It takes more work to make it really shine. Contrast that with ribs (long cooking time) skin (just plain hard to work with)and other, more difficult cuts and you have a quality challenge.

The second challenge- everybody has to use the same main ingredient but still stand out- struck me as very clever. A real apples to apples comparison right in the first round. Plus rabbit can be a pain to work because of all the tiny bones. Very cool that it was on the list of options, and very cool that the chefs were not afraid to work with it.

All in all an excellent start to the season!

[KinderJ]

Also- "I am a food artist." Ahahahaahahaha. ha. hehe. ha.

[matthew]

Hi everyone! Welcome back for another season. It's great to see familiar names.

A good number of you have articulated my sentiments on last night's episode, so I won't repeat. All-in-all, I liked the format. I liked the idea of going down the line of chefs and having each introduce themselves.

[Independent George]

The one thing that DID bug me about this format is that the judges handed out a lot of coats, and didn't leave much for the bubble. It's looking like the bubble cooks are going to have, maybe, just one spot to go for. What happens if the last group has a bunch of great dishes?

That's a really, really good point. Your odds of making the cut diminish the later you are judged.

There are two contrasting issues going on here - if you judge sequentially, then the best odds are at the start of the queue, and get progressively worse the further along you are. Theoretically, it might have been possible for the first 16 to 'pass', eliminating the rest without ever having tasted the food.

If you set a cutoff in each group, - say, a cap of 3 'winning', then it's unfair because someone in a strong group might not make the cut, while a weaker chef in a weaker group might.

There are two 'fairer' ways to do the judging - one good, one bad. The bad way is to taste all 29 dishes, and then judge afterwards. In practice, that doesen't work because it's damned hard to sort out which dish was which after the fact.

The good way is to ignore the 16-contestant limit, and just do a straight yes/no/bubble on the first pass-through. If you end up with more than 16 'winning' chefs, then you eliminate the bubbles, and do an elimination challenge to whittle it down to 16. If it's less, you do the cookoff with the bubbles for the remaining slots.

[Natalie]

Like others, I enjoy that they're taking a bit of time with the on-screen auditions, though I really wish they had aired it as back-to-back premiere episodes.

The only thing that really surprised me was the judging table harmony. The bubble thing seemed ripe for a bunch of Emeril or Gail vs Tom showdowns, and instead it was all "we liked this" or "we thought this was meh." I assume the debate was left on the cutting room floor.

One GA chef in and one on the bubble makes me pretty happy. I thought there was a second Atlanta chef in the group, but wikipedia says no. Who was the woman with drama bangs and all the tattoos?

She deserved it for not getting her rabbit on the plate, but I'm sad to see Nina go. I liked her attitude.

[Nigel from Cameroon]

I liked the focus of the ep, but they could have and should have made it through all 3 groups in the hour.

The contrarian in me sees I will have to be anti-Chicago this season. Just for sport.

It's early, but the season shows some promise of less douchebaggery than norm.

[KinderJ]

@Nigel- Waaay too early to rule out the jerk contingent, and lets not forget the magic power of the villain edit. That being said, the one guy who looked like he was being set up for just that cut... got cut. By Tom. While cutting.

Bit of a recursive loop there. Erm.

[Danny]

Loved the episode and the idea but I hope next week that the judges don't feel constrained by having only 5 openings. What if 8 of the last group are awesome? What if the bubble group kills? We shall see.

Kind of felt like the woman that had the meat destroyed by Mr. Butcher should have been cut some slack. Glad that the Vegan chef is gone. Be a Vegan if you want - great. But it doesn't work in a cooking competition format. I've seen it on Chopped - "I'm strictly a Vegan chef" (or insert Kosher or some other restrictive diet) and I've never cooked Pork or meat or shellfish before. Inevitably they fail and it just feels pointless to have them on when they have no experience cooking with 90% of the ingredients they will be faced with.

[Sara]

(Longtime reader/lurker coming out to gush about this premiere)

-- I LOVE this format. LOVE it. I love having the judges pick who gets to pass on instead of the casting people (and I loved the results last time they did this)
-- I LOVE that Tom got to cut someone he would otherwise have had to keep on for weeks because of the producers (dickbag “celebrity personal chef” who couldn’t butcher a damn pig). You could see Tom’s glee over getting to weed out people who didn’t deserve to be there. Like, bitch all you want about time limits, but that’s the point of the show. You get limited time to get your shit done. If you can’t get the main ingredient on your plate, when other people got all their shit done, you don’t need to be there. Try again next year.
-- I LOVE Chuy and Keith and Tex-Mex Ravioli Robuchon Girl (I don’t recall her name) and Spiagga Girl (again). LOVE them. And I don’t hate anyone yet!
-- My husband LOVES Blonde Guy and Shorter Moto Chef With Mohawk. We both are meh on Taller Moto Guy With Glasses.
-- We both LOVE that Shorter Moto Chef has a saltier palate than Tom, apparently, which is just ridiculously funny.
-- I love the idea of Emeril as a judge, but he didn't really get to do much yet, so. We'll see.
-- I’m really, really excited to see how this season goes. Like, a lot. A lot a lot a lot. This is the most excited I've been after a premiere since S4.

[Vncntdl]

Yeah, I'm totally with Dom about loving the first episode (after only half-looking forward to it). I think it was a great decision too to spread it over two episodes. Project Runway tried something similar this season, but spoiled it by trying to cram too much into one 90 minute block (hence negating the point of having a competition to get into the competition). It's a terrific way to get the season off, rather than the usual Quickfire/Elimination format. I like the alternative way it allows us to be introduced to the contestants as well. So props all-around.

[Bob]

Agree with others, and Dom, that it was a blast to watch, and isn't that really what it's all about? I don't see any Voltagio's in the group, but could be an entertaining series - nothing wrong with that.

Were the chefs instructed to say if they were James Beard finalists? Some added their accolades, others didn't (or didn't have any to tout).

What a hoot to have a sous and head chef in the same group. That's the best subplot so far.

Can't believe the chef with the teensy pork loin stuck with her plan to stuff it - and got away with it. That could be a good - or bad - sign.

Did Tom have way too much giving the axe after ten seconds; "Oh, your food didn't make it on the plate - there's the door." Hilarious. But, I mean, come on, you have AN HOUR to cook a piece of rabbit! This isn't Chopped, for Pete's sake, where you have rabbit, rhubarb, Cheez Whiz and salsify, and you have 30 minutes to make a coherent dish using them all.

Initially excited about Emeril, but now agree with another writer's concern that he might be too agreeable - or maybe it was just so obvious when a dish "had it." Let's face it, these guys do this for a living - they can tell when someone can cook. Could use some of Bourdain's sarcasm (though thankfully, not Toby's.)

Agree the third tranche is at a huge disadvantage - not enough coats to go around. We'll see how it turns out, but I can't imagine they'll cut anyone who really brings it. Would not want to be on the bubble....

[Anon Man]

That's a really, really good point. Your odds of making the cut diminish the later you are judged.

I disagree. There are ten left for 5 spots. That's a 50/50 chance. That's roughly the same as the original number 16/29 (55% chance). If they had given out 1 less (10 coats), it would be a 60 percent chance. So, they are right where they need to be. As for the people in purgatory, it isn't as if they didn't have a fair chance. They cooked, and it wasn't as good as the 11 that made it. So, I'm not really broken up if 6 chefs have to compete for 1 or 2 spots in the purgatory round. Should have done better the first time...

[Courtney Leigh]

I actually wish there was a cap on the number of coats in each group. They wouldn't have to take three from each group, but they couldn't take more than that. If one group was really talent heavy they shouldn't have a problem killing it in the bubble round. I like that the judges pick the contestants, but I couldn't help but cringe at a couple of the eliminations where the food didn't even get tasted. Except for celebrity chef guy. That was just beautiful.

[doktarr]

The good way is to ignore the 16-contestant limit, and just do a straight yes/no/bubble on the first pass-through. If you end up with more than 16 'winning' chefs, then you eliminate the bubbles, and do an elimination challenge to whittle it down to 16. If it's less, you do the cookoff with the bubbles for the remaining slots.

I would actually prefer if they took more latitude than that. We've seen them defer eliminations in other seasons - why not do that here, if needed? Give out as many coats as you like, let in at least one from the bubble (more, if they deserve it), and then make up for any overshoot with multiple eliminations in the subsequent episodes.

[Kevin]

Just some thoughts on the contestants so far:

I agree with an earlier commenter that there doesn't appear to be any Voltaggios yet in the season, but the current top 11 seem to (collectively) be one of the strongest groups in TC history (thanks to the new format, which I absolutely loved). The talent in the top 11 also seems to be a bit more uniform than in previous seasons (ie: the difference in talent between the weakest chef and the strongest chef is smaller).

Chefs that have stood out to me so far: Nyesha, Sarah, Chris (from Moto), and Keith. Keith actually reminds me a lot of Kevin Gillespie (food style, personality, size, beard) and looks like a potential fan favorite.

Of the chefs that didn't get a jacket, Ed Lee seemed quite strong (Tom and Gail commented on his great flavors), and I liked Nina's and Colin's attitudes.

I wonder how different previous seasons would have been if they had this season's premiere format. Weaker contestants that were outclassed but made it farther than they should have would be gone from the start (Robin), but some very talented chefs that had rough starts might never have competed (season 5 Carla).

[pottymouth princess]

My husband couldn't stand the tall guy with the beard even before he put fish sauce on his rabbit. I'll lay down a wager that he gets a jerk edit.

Unfortunately, it's not all about the food all the time, so there will be a jerk or three. Along those lines, aside from the pretty boy who was crushing on Padma, it appears casting focused more on talent and less on the cheftestant's telegenic appeal to make it to the first episode.

[Angela]

I'm OK with the judges having a say in who gets to be in the top 16, but I don't need to see the whole process onscreen. I'd rather the season start with the 16. Also, I agree with those who feel the people in the third group are at a huge and unfair disadvantage, and the judging process should have been handled better. I'll throw in another problem I had: I don't like that the judges changed between the first and second groups (i.e., Tom, Padma, and Emeril for the first group, but Tom, Padma, and Gail for the second). I think the same three judges should have been used for all three groups. I guess I'm just a consistency freak.

[Libster]

Re: Fish Sauce Guy - He had a lot of ingredients even before he put the fish sauce on it. I should counted how many he spouted off.

Just a few thoughts on the 11 that made it so far.

Dakota - why does she always appear to be crying? They really liked her dish. I hope she isn't going to crumble under the pressure.

Chuy - looks like that kid off of "That 70's Show"

Keith - I agree, he could turn out to be a fan favorite. Not only did he prove he's a great chef but he has the friendly teddy bear quality to him.

Whitney - Did she say that Hugh mentored her and taught her everything she knows? Interesting that he's a judge, he'll have to slide any favoritism aside. I think if anyone can do that it would probably be Hugh though.

The 2 Chris issue - We need Nicknames for these guys. I heard Moto-Chris and the other Chris liked himself to Blais and Voltaggio - Vlais?

[Libster]

oh and top 3 dishes I would like to try.

Tex-Mex Ravioli - Nyesha

Seared Tenderloin, Chicken Fried Rabbit, Yukon Potato Hash, Braised Rabbit Confit - Keith

Pig Skin Ravioli - Sarah

[Genevieve]

I really liked Keith - his food looked terrific and I love his story and his personality. One question: can you have a chef who lives a sober lifestyle (i.e. no alcohol whatsoever)? Keith didn't say if he does, but since he's a former addict, he might be sober now, his presence made us wonder if that's come up before. There are often pairing with wine challenges, though I don't recall cooking with alcohol challenges (I remember that Carla made a mocktail and some people disliked that, but I thought it was terrific -- great to give options for people who can't or don't drink).

[TxGriff]

Isn't Rick Tramonto a former alcoholic and addict? I could be wrong, but I think he's completely sober. Also, I think Carla said she doesn't drink at all (Matthew, is that correct?).

Anyways, I'm sure it's possible for chefs to utilize alcohol simply by smelling and tasting (not swallowing).

[Matt #3]

I think it's kind of silly that they booted a guy because he struggled butchering a pig. It looked like the kid had potential. Only 22 years old and he's already had a cookbook published? That's awesome. At least he stepped up and tried to handle the job. That's worth something. I didn't see anybody else putting their butt on the line.

[Anon Man]

Only 22 years old and he's already had a cookbook published? That's awesome.

Well..... The book is called "The Kid's Cooking" and it appears to be a self-published "vanity pressing". Now, he did pubplish it in 2006, so it shows he's been at it awhile, at least.

http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Cooking-Tyler-Stone/dp/B0010XL366/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320426217&sr=8-1

His webaite shows a recipe of fried shrimp with mango salsa that looks like a PF Chang special. It doesn't really inspire me to want to spend $20 on it.

[Vncntdl]

"The one thing that DID bug me about this format is that the judges handed out a lot of coats, and didn't leave much for the bubble. It's looking like the bubble cooks are going to have, maybe, just one spot to go for. What happens if the last group has a bunch of great dishes?"

I agree, but for this reason I'm going to assume that there was a strategic logic to what group the chefs were put in. Presumably, most of the strongest chefs were placed in groups 1 and 2; otherwise, it would make little sense that the judges passed so many through to the next round with 10 chefs left to compete and 4 on the bubble. After all, every season the producers let through a few "personalities" whom they see mainly as cannon fodder. I'm guessing that group 3 has more of this type than groups 1 and 2. Having said this, it does seem like something of a flaw in the design. So too the fact that each group is giving a different challenge (more entertaining for us, but less fair for them). I still stick by my earlier comment that I think this EP rocked, but it wasn't flawless by any means – and yes, maybe one two-hour premiere would have been better.

[mncharm]

I was skeptical about starting with 29 chefs...but what an episode! Great challenges that allowed the chefs appropriate latitude, and the show was really edited well: I didn't feel that any of the 20 we saw got short shrift. I'm impressed.

Looks like a solid group of chefs as well, which really ramps up the quality of a season (4, 6, 8).

Bubble challenge will be intense -- there look to be some potentially talented chefs there.

Dom, great idea to shift the blog over here.

[El Sabor Asiático]

I was worried about the initial number of chefs because it smelled strongly of Masterchef US, which is just a joke of a cooking show. (They're even using the three-person vote gimmick from MC.) But the way TC is employing it is actually pretty brilliant. Not only are they weeding out the less capable chefs right at the start, but as IG pointed out, it's a great way around the problem of Bravo picking cheftestants based on their TV drama appeal. Getting rid of Butcher Boy right off the bat -- that one moment made me fall back in love with Top Chef. No doubt there will still be plenty of drama and douchebaggery this season, but at least we'll have more reassurance than in previous seasons that the cheftestants are in fact there because of their cooking ability. Transparency FTW!

My only (lighthearted) complaint: I'm halfway convinced that TC only brings on vegan/vegetarian chefs in order to have them fail and thus discredit the idea that there can be great vegan/vegetarian chefs and cuisine. I mean, wow, so the chef who's been cooking vegan for years somehow has difficulty breaking down pork? Speaks volumes about his cooking ability! *rolls eyes* Although of course, in my opinion a principled vegan chef should refuse to do any meat-based challenges, but whatevs.

[HF]

Get it straight. This isn't quite yet we will move four of you on the bubble to the next round, this is get your shit together or get out. Different judges, different contests, you'all are Prize Nominees, deal with it.

Padma, speak a little faster. Gail, speak a little less Connecticut.
Hugh, pluck it, please.
#CCCCCC

[Libster]

The Hughnibrow - When I first saw him on TV the brow drove me crazy. I'd always say doesn't he realize this, pluck it or wax it man!

but then, (no pun intended) it grew on me. It because it became part of his personality in a way. It's his thing.

Fear the Hughnibrow. lol

[Bart]

Thanks to my new shift I have to DVR the shows and not watch them/comment on Skillet Doux until at least Friday evening! I miss my Friday morning SD roundup.

Anyhoo, I liked the new format. Like everyone else, hooray, ding dong, the butchering witch is dead. I'm also not concerned with the final number of spots - I can easily see, if they end up with, say, 19 chefs instead of 16, the first "real" episode can be a triple elimination to bring the number down.

Are there any Jersey chefs out there? Only one NYC chef so far? Go Ty-Lor Boring. His background seems REALLY interesting. And by background I mean culinary, although his actual background, as reported by Gawker, is also very interesting.

This should be a fun season.

[Duffy]

@Independent George - I wonder if your second alternative is how they are doing it. Somewhere I read that there was a mechanism for ousted contestants to come back in later -- maybe this figures in to the bubble players somehow??

[pietranseri]

@ George I'm with you. Fear the Beard.

I also immediately liked Heather and Sarah. Go Team Chicago.

[Genevieve]

My question wasn't very clear - what I meant to say is can a Top Chef contestant be someone who doesn't drink or use alcohol at all? It seems like a definitely handicap in the wine pairing challenges they have sometimes, but I can't recall a cooking with wine or alcohol challenge.

Definitely liking the format much more than I expected to, especially the 'you can't break down a pig? you're out' elimination. Feel bad for the guy whose soup spattered everywhere but in the dish, but I understand why that's an elimination.

Looking forward to this week.

[Anon Man]

Random Top Chef facotid I saw online that other devotees of the show may find amusing: Apparently, presidential candidate and former ambassador, Jon Huntsman, lives in the former cheftestant house in DC. I found that highly amusing for some reason. Presented without any political point at all. Really.

[Bart]

@Anon Man:

You godless commie.

[rab01]

Genevieve -- I think it'd be hard (though not as hard as for the Buddhist on TC Masters). In prior seasons, contestants have had to make mixed drinks (Florida) and cook with beer (Chicago) and they've had to pair food with wine or mixed drinks several times. The times they've had to actually use alcohol in their food has tended to be quickfires.

[KinderJ]

Anyone remember Colicchio's Game Of Thrones food truck from a while back? A nasty idea just occurred to me. AMC just started a new cowboy revenge epic called (I think) hell on wheels. Possible tie-in challenge?

"You will have to cook dinner, appropriate to the era, for sixty railroad workers... on a steam train! You have sixty minutes, starting... NOW!"

[*susan*]

I finally hit play on the DVR... loved this show's format. With a few exceptions, I thought that the overall quality of this crop of cheftestants was much higher than in previous years. The fact that Tom was allowed to just remove anyone who didn't meet a standard in the kitchen felt like a real kitchen. If someone did that to my pig, I would be beyond angry.

No problem here with the two-episode filter. I prefer to actually see the food preparation along with the commentary. If the rest of the season is as well produced as this episode, it could be a might fine season.

[Independent George]

Anyone remember Colicchio's Game Of Thrones food truck from a while back?

I just finished reading the series, so I'm a little confused and intrigued by the reference. I'm really not sure what you meant, but now I'm trying to imagine a GoT themed challenge; the results are, perhaps unsurprisingly, rather horrifying.

[KinderJ]

Anyone else notice the 'Next 50 Comments' button does not actually move you fifty comments over? According to the ticker on the main page, there have only been 55 comments (before this one), and I am on p.3 of the comments, so there should be 100 plus...

Dom! The machines have begun their inevitable rise! Run. Run!

[Duffy]

Hey Dom -- I think you have the comments section set to 25 replies per "page" although the button still says 50.

[Skillet Doux]

Quite right, Duffy... now fixed, and thanks for the heads up!

[KinderJ]

IG- As part of the promotion for the HBO series, they had Game of Thrones food trucks in LA and NY. Colicchio and Sons provided the food for the NY food truck. There was video of Tom preparing the food, tying it into the geography of Westeros, etc. It all looked and sounded fantastic. There were even lemon cakes.

I was trying to think of an appropriate Game of Thrones joke to cap this post with, but it occurred to me that absolutely none of them are really... Skillet Doux friendly. Something about killing off characters? Horses? Yeah, I got nothing.

[KinderJ]

Although I do love the notion of a Game of Thrones challenge. Lord that would be twisted. "Team Lannister, half of you must cook dinner on your knees, but you get ten times the starting money. Team Stark, only you get the liquid nitrogen, the freezer and, of course, all the wolves. Last one still alive at judges table gets to cook off against Team Dragon. Your time starts... NOW!"

[Independent George]

I haven't seen the HBO series yet, so I don't know if either scene made the cut, but the first two things that came to my mind for a Game of Thrones challenge were Daenerys eating the raw horse heart while pregnant, and the imp's "Singers Stew" (minor spoiler: in volume 3, Tyrion had a singer assassinated and his body disposed of at a cheap tavern infamous for serving brown stews with meats of questionable origins).

Shortly thereafter, I decided to stop thinking about a Game of Thrones challenge.

[ally]

I would like to second stephans comment about the color on this page. White is harsh, the orange is so bright. Just sayin

[Gilmore]

The colors are fine if one is a Tennessee Volunteer fan!!

Really enjoyed the show.

Just cook!! Only a few twists, such as the timer. Butchering was kind of a twist, but was a good skill test.

I wonder if they planned on 32 with half making the cut and only 29 showed (personal crisis, etc.).

There were 5 slots for 15 people (10 new, 5 on the bubble) heading into week 2. That is 33% of the remaining chefs. On the first episode, 11 out of 19 were chosen. that is 58%. without the bubble, it was 5 slots for 10 chefs, or 50%. Not much different than episode 1.

As stated earlier, if the bubble group did not get to cook again, that would have been sad for them, but so goes the bubble. The chef who ended up with butchered butchered meat has only herself to blame for not taking charge of her ticket to the house.

[Elise]

"Last one still alive at Judges Table gets to cook off against Team Dragon."

Almost wet myself I was laughing so hard at that.

Made my day!