Top Chef - S4E12 Postmortem

Weeeeeell, at least Frick AND Frack aren't in the finals.

The frozen scallops really were a shockingly bad call.

Ditto calling Tramonto out on them. Amusing, but... stupid would be putting it charitably. At least he had the sense to realize what a dumb move it was a few minutes later.

Substitute Dale for Lisa and I'd be on cloud nine, but I'm totally jazzed for the finals. Updated Power Rankings and finals talk on Monday!

Comments

[Eva]

Is it wrong that I feel kinda bad for the guy? I was just starting to like him a little bit. Definitely should have been Lisa this time around but at least they got the top three right. I can't believe Lisa squeaked by once again. Luckiest girl on earth.

Also, it's a shame Antonia's appetizer didn't come out better. Warm mushroom salad with a poached egg SOUNDS so good in theory. I'd eat that.

[Glenn]

Interesting that the night Lisa pulls ahead of Spike - and just based on appearances without reviewing recipes or anything it seems to me she did - happens to be the same night that she seemed to pull her attitude in a bit and take some criticism. Meanwhile, Spike wins the award for the single worst thing ever said to a judge. Anyway, it'll be an interesting finale. I think the time off will benefit Richard who seemed to be drifting a bit.

And man - Ilan is such a little jerk.

[DaveP]

In terms of pure food, and apart from who should and should not have been there, this was my favorite episode of the season. Great individual challenges w/o the gimmicks and silliness that had brought down so many other episodes. Great seeing the past winners again too--who else would've loved to see Hung tackle the QF?

The demarcation between the top 3 and the also-rans couldn't be clearer, and I doubt things will change much next episode when I expect Lisa will finally get sent packing. It's really bittersweet when you consider how incredible a field it would've been if you replace Lisa with Dale. Hopefully, we'll see him again, along with Andrew and Spike if tradition holds, for the last cookoff. A Richard & Dale pairing will be almost unstoppable, if it comes about.

[Ben]

This episode really showed off how terrible Spike and Lisa were when compared to the top chefs in this competition. Of course Spike finally impressed me with his performance in the quickfire that of course meant he was going for sure this week.

Spikes Comment to the judge while offensive was completely warranted and there was some major discrepancies in what the contestants were saying vs what the judges were saying. Multiple contestants said Spike COULDN'T switch his main ingredient in the appetizer and yet Tom stated point blank he should have. They really should have a section where we see the actual challenge rules.

Oh and what the heck was with Toms comment about Lisa's great pallet anyway?!?!?!?!? Seriously has that girl made anything correctly at all?

[Dan_Boston]

Lisa's Howler of the episode:

"It's stressful knowing that the tiniest flaw or the tiniest imperfection in something can get you sent home."

Ugh. She sucks, though skill-and-personality-wise, she's pretty much a toss-up with Spike. He has his butternut squash soup, she has her bacon.

[Tim]

I've seen more than one comment relating to how Lisa seems to have mellowed out this episode.  I wonder just how much is the editing.  After last week blog bashing did the TC crew decide to let up? And if that's the case, how much was skewered in the past. I think everyone knows that what you see after editing isn't always accurate and can be slanted, especially for reality TV, but still one expects some sincerity from the camera. I mean that if after all is said and done the cast of TC tell us that the edited version doesn't accurately portray the characters, then that's just as bad as the idea of any of the competitions being rigged. I don't mean to start another 'conspiracy' theory. It's just now I find myself second guessing just how much of the broadcasted TC is real and how much is manipulated.

[Skillet Doux]

Tim...

I've no doubt whatsoever that the editors play a LOT with how they represent certain chefs. In fact, that's always been one of my arguments against the idea that the show is fixed. Good editors can take that raw footage and create whatever storyline they want. They don't NEED to fix the show to create drama.

That said, when you're talking about the less agreeable chefs, you can't create their comments out of thin air. I'm sure their nastiness is played up or played down as it suits the editors, but I've no doubt Lisa's giving them plenty to work with :-)

[Dreamboat]

OK, Lisa redeemed herself by cooking decent food this time. Perhaps even good food -- who can tell when you are comparing her against the best of the best. But she did get some nice compliments and seemed to actually take the criticism better than most weeks. Again, who knows because what we see is a half minute in a 36 hour day.

But Lisa, if you read this then I do have a constructive criticism. 1) stop with the negative talk -- both internal and external. It will never help you; 2) Own your mistakes; You can watch every episode and see chefs saying "It was not exactly what I wanted. I wish I had done..."; IF you could have done something different and gotten a better result, then SAY that!! 3) Don't defend stupid mistakes. For example, if using frozen scallops was yur demise, then ADMIT it!! If the rice you used was not as sticky as you expected, then just SAY that!! "The store did not have the rice we wanted. So we chose a different rice and it did not work for us." Note the "WE" and "US" in that sentence.

Now, my advise for all 4 chefs in the final. Do not let nerves get to you. Do not shave anyone's head. Do whatever you can to prepare for the weather (of note: Casey had altitude sickness; She would have benefited greatly if she had arrived at a high altitude a few days before) Puerto Rico is hot and humid. If you are not used to it and have to cook without AC, that could be a problem.

I look forward to the final 4. I wonder what curve balls will be thrown their way and how they will respond!!

[Dan_Boston]

Not to be a comment hog, and I realize I'm beating a dead horse a little bit here, but I do find it a little telling that Lisa has set the bar so low for herself that cooking things properly (though according to the judges, still wholly underseasoned) is considered a coup, and that holding her mouth shut in a tight, rigid little line while her forehead looks like it is about to explode is being open to criticism. That being said, improvement is improvement, so Kudos Lisa!

Slight correction - Padma, not Tom was the one who comment on Lisa's palate - I was also surprised and confused. I figure this late in the game the judges feel obligated to say these nice things, as in these final rounds, poor contestents reflect badly on the show, not just on themselves.

[Tom]

For me, tonight's episode really cemented my suspicion that Tom's absence at last week's judging table was instrumental in Dale's elimination. Tom brought up the fact that both Spike and Lisa have been at the bottom a huge number of times. (His comments were in dubbed voiceover, but he probably said something similar in person.) Was it a surprise to anyone that Spike and Lisa were the bottom two?

Antonia again impresses with execution, but disappoints with creativity. Her two dishes were so very dull. I'm glad Stephanie pulled it together. She definitely deserved the win. Richard could have had it if he had not tried to be so clever with his main course. I hope he doesn't stumble the same way in the final.

It should be a great showdown between Richard and Stephanie if they keep their wits about them.

[Tim]

Is there any one else out there who likes Lisa just a little? I mean, she has her problems with execution, but there's a resiliency there to be admired. And I was kind of touched when she promised to keep in contact with all the chefs after the competition is over. Yes, she probably deserves to go home next week, but I enjoy seeing her fight through her depressive tendencies, and I find myself hoping that she does well each week.

[Allison]

No real surprises with this episode, except Spike's choice of frozen scallops, which went a long way toward sealing his fate.

As for Lisa, Ted Allen had a comment on his blog that we'd only seen one side of her, the side editors have chosen because they like a villain. While her results to date are clearly below the Top 3, I'm not counting her out yet -- she just may execute something that really works. Still, I don't see her winning it all.

I also wondered about Tom's comment about her palate, considering her seasoning issues. For that, I go back to the bacon -- I actually made that recipe after the show with a fish dish I'd already planned. It seemed simple enough & all the ingredients were already on hand (I cook a lot of Asian food from multiple regions since I lived in Japan & spent nearly a year traveling across the continent & more than a few islands), yet I ran into the exact same texture issue she faced in the show. Granted this was the first time I played with the concept, but the flavors were as advertised & I could see why Ming Tsai said this was something he'd never seen before. That she's messed up rice twice is just mindboggling to me.

I came here from Ted's blog & and have become hooked on the site -- great insights & food. Love everything from the cardamom pods to the podcasts. Thanks, SD.

[Wangus]

Coming from a guy who usually buys large, intact, quantities of meat and cleans and frenches (for racks) them himself so that he can save a few bucks, I was extremely impressed with Spike's QF performance. His talk of his grandfathers even seemed heartfelt (though you can never tell with Spike).

However, I think that regardless of the actual episode, having Lisa round out the final four will make for a better POTENTIAL finals than having Spike. Spike has never really impressed me with his food, and except for his beloved soup, hasn't seemed to impress the judges either. Lisa, on the other hand, has proven that she has the ability to perform well and not only well, but innovatively too. Don't be mistaken, I have not turned into a Lisa believer; I despise the woman and think she has more culinary flaws than the previous three kicked-off contestants. Still, I believe she has a better chance at giving a surprise run-for-their-money against the strong three already in the finals than Spike would have.

[Glenn]

OK, someone has to offer something at least resembling a conspiracy theory this week.

The frozen scallops. If you read through the blogs, particularly the interview with Rick Tramonto, their are a couple of mentions of the fact that he does not and never has kept frozen scallops in his walk-in. It's mentioned in another blog also. Tramonto chalks it up to sometimes a vendor drops stuff off you didn't order.

Anyone think production put em there as a test/trap?

[bill (lowercase b)]

Paraphrasing here, need to review the tape for the actual quotes:

Stephanie & Richard: Totally new dishes that I rocked out because I rule the kitchen like a T-Rex mainlining testosterone.

Lisa: I memorized a recipe from the last restaurant I worked at.

[anon man]

I know this is a food blog and not a tv editing blog, but did anyone else notice that with about half the show down, Spike's interview attire changed and he looked like he had been crying (see the picture above). It was at that point I knew he was done.

Also, even though its not a hair blog either, I guess Lisa goes for the Top Lesbian look in Puerto Rico. Either that or the new style is a prelude to gender reassignment surgery...

The first half of the finals will be boring. We'll just wait around for Lisa to get PYKAG'ed, then the fun starts.

Oh, the food. I think I need to watch the episode again. I'm not entirely clear what all of them made due to the editing, except in the broadest sense. Lisa's Potatoes apparently got her into the finals, although she alone admitted to having made the dish before.

[bill (lowercase b)]

Curious to see/here about any preparation/training they were doing before the finals.

I've read rumors that Stephanie was cooking/catering dinner parties all over Chicago to train. Richard was consulting on one restaurant that opened in December, then about 6 weeks ago took over a more upscale, kitchen and redesigned the menu. Antonia opened a restaurant just as the show was starting. Lisa, I have no clue what she's been doing.

[Kathy from Austin]

Chef Tom just posted at Bravo and seemed to indicate that had he been there last week Dale would have survived.

Also, by the fact that he noted (as someone above has mentioned) during the show the poor record of Spike and Lisa being on the chopping block speaks volumes.

I had come to dislike Dale, though and don't feel as "charged" about his departure as many of you do. I was seriously rooting for an occasion to boot Spike and Lisa out in one round. Lord knows they earned it.

[Bill]

Question on frozen scallops. How do you get "fresh" scallops in Chicago?
Recently when I was at my local fish monger I noticed he had Alaskan scallops that were being promoted as "never frozen." So I asked a fisherman friend how they would get scallops from Alaska to Southern California with out freezing them; right from the water on a direct flight to L.A. and immediately rushed to fish stores?
His response was that what most people consider frozen is a different definition than what the government considers frozen. I forget the exact temperatures but it was something like; I might consider 32 F frozen but the fish monger can legally claim never frozen if the fish was never below 10 F. So I'm wondering just how much difference there is between fresh and frozen scallops in a non-coastal area like Chicago. Based on the reactions of everyone (except Spike) it's a pretty big difference. That's two weeks in a row a contestant has had to pack knives due to scallops.
Another excellent week for Antonia, is anyone starting to lean towards my opinion that she has a legitimate shot to win?

[Wangus]

bill: "I rule the kitchen like a T-Rex mainlining testosterone." - hilarious.

Bill: I think she has a chance to win, yes. Unfortunately I think it will probably only occur if her competitor(s) screw up a bit. Put it this way, if the final is three people like last season and it's Antonia, Stephanie, and Richard, and all three do their absolute best, I think we'll see Antonia at the bottom (a la Casey).

I'd like to say, I think Antonia is a great chef. I think a restaurant under her would produce solid, tasty food. Unfortunately, while I can easily see myself impressed and very happy with perfect execution, I don't think I'd be blown away by it. I think this episode kind of helps my argument: she made, by her own admission, exactly what a steakhouse should make. Did she make it perfectly? Absolutely. But would you be surprised to see it on your plate? Not really. I'd certainly go home with a huge smile on my face, a full stomach, and a feeling of satisfaction for the price I paid. I just still can't see her as a potential mover/shaker of the culinary world.

[anon man]

Bill (big B),

I think one difference is that virtually all fish is packed in ice. On the boat, on a plane, whatever. Its not processed, just chilled. Ideally, it would be flown to your location whole fish/shell on (we are talking about Scallops) and then filleted or schucked at the store. The ones Spike used were processed, cryovaced and otherwise abused. Tom's blog is kind of detailed on this. Not only were they watery, they were beatend to hell too.

On fish generally, now that I live on the East Coast and not in a fish-tastic city like San Francisco, I find the fresh/frozen thing to be a trade off with other issues. For instance, I love to smoke my own salmon. But fresh, albeit farm raised salmon generally sucks. Wild caught but frozen is way better. Wild caught fresh would be better still, but that ain't happening 90% of the time. So, we make due. Grilled/seared scallops strikes me as dish where fresh would be better. If he did crab legs, for instance, its probably wouldn't have matterd as much, IMHO.

[DCThunder]

Quote: If he did crab legs, for instance, its probably wouldn't have matterd as much, IMHO.

But then it would have been Deadliest Catch and not TC.

[anon man]

One other thing. Spike's exit interview is hysterical. He's all bitter and salty about how all he had to use was frozen scallops. God is that funny. I never thought him to be whiner, but oh yeah, he's whining.

And, Wangus, Antonia is not without fans. Gail seems to have warmed to her style. She seems to me to be similar to Harold. Rustic, simple, well prepared food. Does that beat a sous vide chicken with mini-smoked chipillinis? Who knows.

[Ed T.]

"Chef Tom just posted at Bravo and seemed to indicate that had he been there last week Dale would have survived."

I read Chef Tom's posting to indicate that he finally understood why there was so much controversy, since he had watched the show not as an insider, but as a regular viewer. It seems that more is left on the cutting-room floor than even *he* was aware of.

~EdT.

[AJ]

My first thought when Spike pulled out those frozen scallops was wtf are those doing in there? Then I wondered why, when he had first choice, would he grab anything frozen? That is just ridiculous.

Also, if anyone in interested, Bourdain posted on last week's show on his travel channel blog. What was most interesting to me was that he stated very clearly that he thinks both Lisa & Spike are schmucks & that while the edit suggested that Dale's dumplings were good, they were in fact universally not enjoyed & the scallops were inedible.

Also, I forgot that Ilan won season 2, and last night's reminder just made me angry all over again. Ick.

[John Coctostan]

anon man: I wouldn't be too sure of Lisa getting the first boot in Puerto Rico. If past seasons are anything to go by, then the first elimination will be done with a quickfire challenge. And, as has been demonstrated again and again, Stephanie and Lisa are both weak on quickfires.

[anon man]

Good point. But if they do fish (like last year, and hey, its an island), Steph should smoke her. Her restaurant was apparently known for its fish.

[Joanna]

Wait, weren't there elimination challenges for the final four in seasons 2 and 3? The Hawaiian luau and the elk challenge last year? I'd be really surprised if they base an elimination decision off a quickfire at this stage in the game... on the other hand, from the previews, it looks like next week will have them butchering meat again, which makes me a little worried for Stephanie and Richard.

[DaveP]

S2 is a bit blurry for me, but I think there was an EC in Hawaii that narrowed the field to Ilan & Marcel (Sam & Elia got eliminated). S3, Brian got sacked in Aspen for his Elk with a thousand ingredients that had to be explained for 2 hours before serving, but as a first, 3 chefs got sent to the final.

I think they'll keep that tradition and have an EC to narrow the field to 3, which is to say Richard, Steph & Antonia. I really don't see Lisa surviving yet another elimination when there's no more chaff (Spike, Nikki) or team challenges for ppl to self-destruct (Dale) to take the hit for her.

[Lon]

Several random comments:

Of the four seasons, only in Season 1 was the line between the top 3-4 chefs and the rest of the group so defined as this season. Of the 12 Quickfires, 6 were won by Richard, Stephanie and/or Antonia. Add Dale and Spike, and 9 of the 12 quickfires were won by the top chefs. Of the 12 Elimination challenges, 8 were won by one or more of the three top chefs. The only other Elimination challenge winners were Andrew, Lisa and Dale. Add Dale to the mix, and 10 of the 12 elimination challenges were won by those four chefs.

In season 2, for example, Betty won several Quickfire and Elimination challenges early in the season then faded near the end. In Season 3, Dale came on stronger near the end of the season after escaping several early challenges. This season the strongest three have pretty much remained the strongest three, although they each have had down times.

Even Hung, the odds-on favorite the entire length of Season 3, didn't outright "win" that many challenges.

I know the judges often say "this season's chefs are some of the strongest yet." I haven't heard that as much this year (actually haven't heard much from the judges at all as they haven't blogged much). Also, just a guess, but it seems the deliberations of the judges aren't taking as long this year, which, to me, shows the line between good and less good is more defined.

Have you noticed how often, especially in the last half of the seasons, the elimination winner one week is him/her self eliminated in the very next show? Dale this year. Michael and Sam in season 2. Lia and Howie in Season 3. Or, how often, the Quickfire winner loses the Elimination challenge in the very same show?

This is the first season of the four with no "Vending machine" challenge, as I call them, where chefs had both an unconventional food source and a budget limit. Season 1 was a convenience store. Season 2 was literally a vending machine. Season 3 was an aisle of a grocery store. The only real "limited budget" challenge this season involved family-style cooking and was very realistic, especially now when fuel prices are cutting families' budgets.

I fear for Richard in the finals. His deliberate style reminds me of Casey last year. She came on really strong near the end of the regular shows, and even did well in the early part of the finals. But her careful manner (coupled with her issues with the altitude of Aspen) cut her legs out from under her.

Stephanie has come out of her mid-season doldrums and showed some real innovation and quality the last few episodes while Richard has gone back to the basics, quieting down his dramatic flairs. At this point, I do think Stephanie is stronger than Richard.

Finally, I have come to expect to not really enjoy Top Chef until about midway through the season. There simply are too many chefs to make good judgments about their talents until that point.

[anon man]

Forgot about the Luau with Sam and Elia getting the boot. I believe that's the one that had Tom's famous comment about Sam's meal:

Tom: He didn't cook anything.
Padma: So?
Tom: Its a cooking competition.

[slb]

I was confused by one of Tom's comments last night. He mentioned that Lisa had been at the bottom of judge's table five times. I would have sworn it was way more than that. Was she ever not in the bottom three?

[Travis]

Did anyone else find it strange that this late in the competition they were working a steakhouse? I realize that this isn't your run of the mill steakhouse, but still, not really the epicenter of fine dining in America.

I was glad to see the judges finally call Lisa and Spike out for being on the bottom of so many challenges. I haven't read the Bravo blogs yet (i always come here first), but i maintain that if Tom was around last week that Dale would still be here. Spike once again got to pick his ingredients and once again made a bad choice. Frozen scallops? Dude, come on. I found myself at the end, when only Spike and Lisa were left at JT hoping that they were going to surprise us with a double elimination, but it just wasn't to be. Lisa's food was mediocre at best and she had cooked all those dishes pretty extensively in the past. Why is she still here? If she has such a great palate why has she been on the bottom of so many challenges?

Did anyone else notice that Antonia's app salad was eerily similar to her salad from the salad QF? Her entre may have been good, but it was traditional steak house. Shes got to step up the creativity.

Glad to see Steph pull out another win, her confidence really needs it. And Tom's comments about her being the most cool, calm, and collected? Are we talking about the same Steph that i know? The one who in one of the first episodes couldn't hold a spoon steady enough to sauce a dish. She's come a long way.

Blais looked really out of his element the entire show. Steak is obviously not his thing. His app may have been the best on the night, but he was obviously shaky. Anyone who has watched this show for any length of time knows that the judges HATE decomposed dishes and find them cliche and contrived. He seemed genuinely concerned when Tom accused him of holding back. If this second guessing Richard shows up to the finals im not sure he's a lock for the win. Steph has a legitimate shot if she brings her A-game. But i think Antonia's food is just too simple to really wow the judges in a final where they are likely to be able to use a wide range of high quality, exotic, and fresh ingredients.

By the way, I'm digging this postmortem thing.

[Jake]

I thought it was a very good point when Spike pointed out that Tramonto had frozen scallops in his own walk-in, right after Tramonto said you should never have frozen scallops in your restaurant. Smart? Maybe not. But worth mentioning.

Still a really dumb decision to actually use them, of course.

Also: Ilan still annoys the heck out of me, and I still enjoy Howard and Hung -- both of whom found things to praise in the food while Ilan went out of his way to whine.

This is the first final where I'm not really pulling for anyone in particular, because there are three really solid and likable cheftestants, and I know it's going to be a great battle.

[Travis]

Ok, update on frozen scallops in the walk-in: If you read Tom's blog he points out that the place where they did the butchering (Allen Bros?) also provided some extra ingredients to round out the walk-in they would be using. The scallops were brought in by them without the knowledge of Tramonto. Spike's comment about why they were in the walk in made me spit wine out of my mouth and almost out of my nose. Why in the world would you say that?

I also thought it was interesting that Tom came right out in his blog and said that Lisa should have been sent home last week instead of Dale. Interesting.

[Bill]

I’m curious why Tom was asking chefs if they had made their dishes before. Are there bonus points for making something for the first time? I don’t understand why that would be a benefit. What’s wrong with pulling out one of your knockout recipes at an important challenge?
I also wonder when a chef say’s she/he has never made something before if they have made very similar dishes in the past. Basically the same ingredients but arranged differently. It seems strange to me that you would get down to the final five and try something that you had no idea how it was going to come out or taste and just hope for the best.
In Season One I seem to recall towards the end that Harold said something to the effect that if, at this point in the competition, you didn’t have some go-to recipes in your head, you were in trouble.
If a competitor comes into this and is prepared for just about anything that comes his/her way for 30 or so challenges I would see that is a strength rather than an inability to be creative. That is someone I would want running my kitchen.

[Maxx Antonucci]

Ugh, I can't believe Lisa, of all people, is going to be in the final four. Don't get me wrong, I know Spike really did screw up with those scallops, but I really wish Lisa had gone instead.

On the bright side, though, we get to see her get crushed by the others in the finale. That will definitely make up for it.

[Gilby]

I hate to defend Lisa too much, but she really can't be said to have messed up rice twice. The brown rice, with the burner thing, she can be blamed for. You have to double check those long-cook things. Her fault for not being careful enough.

But the sticky rice....it sounds like it turned out the way it should have. Which is to say, not sticky. Whole Foods didn't have sticky rice, so they used something else. And Dale *did* tell her to use it. And to use the paste to try and fix it. The more I look at the problems with that dish, the more I think it's an executive chef issue of decision making.

Again, I don't necessarily want to defend Lisa. I just don't like seeing "She shouldn't be here because she can't cook rice" as simple criticism when, by the same basic logic, you could say that Stephanie shouldn't be there because she can't cook couscous or Richard shouldn't be there because he can't serve fish without scales.

[Anonymous]

Slightly off-topic, but check out Bourdain's comments about his decision to send Dale home last week: http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/2008/05/post.html.

[Tom]

My problem with Lisa - horrendous attitude aside - is that she has consistently failed to execute dishes that she has made in the past. Sure, Dale's scallops bombed, but he had never done the dish before. Was that a bad judgment call on his part? Absolutely. However, in terms of a cooking competition like Top Chef, which is ostensibly looking for that next great chef, which is the worse sin - trying something new and failing or failing at making tried and true dishes? Lisa screwed up mango with sticky rice, and I don't think it matters that Dale picked the rice. It was her dish, and she should have known that Dale's rice would not have worked. Instead, she tried to pass the buck onto the executive chef. IMHO, that is not what top chef is about.

[Solange]

Dale did tell Lisa to use that rice. That said though, I don't believe Lisa had the foggiest idea as to whether it work or not. Sure, after it failed, she became a real rice guru, but prior to that, no. Why cook it if you know it won't work? If you know it won't work and you go ahead anyway that should be called willful sabotage.

Dale got screwed with that team, plain and simple. Lisa at best is a buffoon who can't cook, at worse a kitchen equivalent of a hostile witness. Spike is Spike, he is what he is. He lasted a long time with gamesmanship and guile. Still though, you wonder what his run might have been like if he just went out there and cooked. Dale hasd his problems, but I'm betting he is going to be one of those TC losers who goes on to bigger and better. Bourdain was correct to chastise him, but at the same time you know that Dale would not let either of his two "team mates" loose in a real kitchen he was running. Busting somebodies stones about being responsible for the work of a team when they are the EC on TC is not truly fair. Dale did not have the choice of hiring those two lumps and he sure did not have the right to fire them either.

I have to believe that shoving bad food out in a team challenge then hiding and pointing a finger and saying "I was not the EC and I did what I was told" is more egregious than putting out a crap butterscotch/scallop mess. At least Dale tried, and at least he showed up. Lisa and Spike did not.

Who would YOU want to work with/for out of the Terrible Trio????

[canasian]

People are still complaining about the sticky rice, so I'll put in my two cents. (Carlos, please forgive me for being an armchair chef) Lisa should have, when she discovered that there was no sticky rice at WF, pulled a Richard and done a "play on" sticky rice, with the rice Dale did(?) give give her, with a "sticky" element mixed in (say, maybe, mango jam?) to make the individual grains of rice "sticky". Instead of criticizing her inability to make rice, now the judges marvel over her creativeness and "improvisation" (remember that word, Lisa?).

On to more recent and relevant things, Spike's mistake wasn't necessarily in his choice of frozen scallops, his error was in what he did with them. With their high moisture content, frozen scallops can't be seared and served whole, but the defect that makes 99.9% of chefs hate frozen scallops can be used to do probably the one application fresh scallops can't be used for: mousse. A well-executed mousse with a few twists that intrigued the judjes, maybe some asian spices and a side salad like his winning quickfire salad (hey, Antonia got away with it), and Spike would probably be number four in this finale, not Lisa.

[anon man]

Well, "Play on sticky rice" is a great, innovative idea. Lisa doesn't get those.

[canasian]

Sorry, guys, I have to take back what I said about Antonia's salads after reading the recipies. THey aren't the same. Similar to Dale's halo-halos, the quickfire slad is a dumbed-down version of the quickfire one (I could also reference Elia's "kiss" things she made for the nestle product placement challenge and the romantic dinner, but why dig so far back? Oops, I just did.). IT doesn't make sense that the chefs give it their all in the quickfire, and draw back when their asses are on the line in the EC.

On a side note, I'm very proud of Bravo for having a full episode where, aside from the theme sequence, had very minimal product placement (they didn't even metion the Glad Family of Products) - it made for a rather uninteresting drinking game, though.

[Chuck]

I'm glad others have become annoyed at the egregious amount of products 'placed' on this show. Did anyone notice the lingering look at a bottle of Evian water in restaurant wars? It's not quite as bad as the Hershey's challenge on Project Runway, but I think it distracts from the competition. I expect Bravo to start a crawl underneath the filming sort of like CNN, to further tout the sponsors, but if they do I am long gone.

Can't believe anyone can still defend anything about Lisa with her snarling demeanor, lying, and living in a universe that doesn't allow her to own up to her mistakes. She is easily the most repulsive reality show contestant ever, with the possible exception of those haggard faux-Housewives of NYC.

[Gilby]

It's not top attitude. Or top nice person. There's plenty of reasons to knock Lisa just based on her cooking. Repeatedly insisting that she should be sent home because she's unpleasant (usually not so nicely put) just plain misses the point.

[Dan_Boston]

Agreed Gilby - though I think that for most of us, her unpleasant demeanor is really just the icing on the cake for her lousy food and poor skills. If she was producing solid (Antonia) or innovative (Richard) cuisine, no one would be calling for her ouster. For example, Marcel from season 2 was incredibly obnoxious, but he consistently delivered - hence, there wasn't this outcry to send him home. I don't think most people are really missing the point at all - rather, we are rolling together all her faults into one unpleasant package.

[Slider]

Does anyone else think the majority of the judges' comments, throughout the season, have been really lame? I realize editing, blah blah blah, but the majority of comments are "it's good," "nice texture." Couldn't they be a little more specific? Or, if they're going to use those type comments at least dress them up a little bit, like AB does? I thought the previous winners comments were particularly boring in this episode.

Additionally, which was the more mind numbingly stupid decision: Dale volunteering to be executive chef or Spike using frozen scallops?

[swalter1]

Looked like a tough Quick Fire for Stephanie this week the meat was bigger than her. This week it looks like some more big meat being hammered I hope they all have been working out.

[Vega]

I don't think having done a dish before harms the contestants at all, really - it seems as if Tom asks when someone is doing a really out-there recipe, such as Lisa's peanut butter mashed potatoes. If she had never made that dish before, it would probably end up being a total mess. Sure, the chefs probably get brownie points if they can execute a dish that they've never done before, but I doubt that using an old dish harms the chefs in anyway. With the obvious exception of dishes that they already prepared on the *show*. If anything, it seems very smart.

[Mark F]

"OK, someone has to offer something at least resembling a conspiracy theory this week.

The frozen scallops. If you read through the blogs, particularly the interview with Rick Tramonto, their are a couple of mentions of the fact that he does not and never has kept frozen scallops in his walk-in. It's mentioned in another blog also. Tramonto chalks it up to sometimes a vendor drops stuff off you didn't order.

Anyone think production put em there as a test/trap?"
---------------------------------------------

For what it's worth, apparently the producers stocked Rick's coolers and they put the frozen scallops in as a booby-trap to see if anyone would actually use them. And Spikey boy fell for it hook, line, and sinker:

"Producers planted the frozen scallops that led to Spike’s elimination from Top Chef"-

http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/top_chef_4/2008_Jun_01_spike_scallops

and

"Not our scallops on 'Top Chef,' says Rick Tramonto"-

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2008/05/says-tramanto-r.html

Cheers,

Mark

[Gilby]

Wow.

The comments in that Chicago Tribune blog make it pretty clear that, for the most part, people are just idiots.