Top Chef - S4E13 Postmortem

That Antonia didn't make the final three doesn't surprise me as much as you think it does.

That a glaring technical issue contributed to her downfall -- now that surprises me. I haven't cruised the recipes yet, but I'll be curious to see if my other reservations about her were evident as well.

And some more true class from Lisa. 'Cause, you know, Blaise and Stephanie have always been such jerks.

Oh, and I'm sure this one'll be a field day for the conspiracy theorists. Go nuts, guys. The fight just isn't in me this week :-)

Comments

[Steve_in_NJ]

Surprised? No. Horrified? Yes. I was really afraid this might happen, that one of the three vastly superior chefs might make a mistake and allow Lisa to slide by yet again. Antonia might have survived one mistake, but her combination of undercooked pigeon peas and putting all her dishes on the same plate did her in.
Now we just have to hope she gets destroyed next week by Richard and Stephanie in the last episode.

[bill]

Lisa's dishes looked and sounded good. They were just lacking technique. Antonia screwed up her simple and comfort food. As soon as Padma? asked during the tasting how long the beans had soaked, Antonia was in trouble.

I've been hoping that in real life Lisa isn't as unpleasant as she's been edited. That hope has left with no forwarding address.

And speaking of class. How about Stephanie and Dale dealing with his screwup, completing the planned dishes and innovating a new dish on the fly. Just awesome work. I'm a big Blais fan, but I'd be more than happy to see Stephanie win.

[linuxgrl]

Yes, hooray for Dale and the chicharones!

[DaveP]

Seriously, I was laughing my a** off when Padma said Antonia's name. I'm not even upset, this is so surreal--like a freakin' bad slasher movie. In any case, I'm hardly Antonia's biggest fan, and predicted that her simple, one plate dish (not too different from one pot Nikki, eh?) would get her eliminated. I was just off by one episode.

Ah well, the top two are clear. They were clear this week, and they'll still be clear next week. Can you imagine the level of competition next week had Dale survived Wedding Wars (he sure as hell wouldn't have fallen in the steak challenge or been as mediocre as the bottom two this week)?

Oh, Dom, hats off to you for, if not predicting a Lisa survival, at least warning us not to be so complacent. You're a bit off about the conspiracy theorists though--Richard should've been sent home for that crowd to really have a field day (Top Chef wants a woman winner, at all costs!). :)

--
Dave

[Jason]

Okay, I get why Lisa advanced to the finale...I do...Antonia isn't inventive enough to get a pass when her cooking isn't on point. So I don't agree (apparently neither did 91% of America if you looked at the Bravo phone results), but I can handle it. But...

HOW DOES LISA MAKE ME HATE HER MORE EVERY EPISODE??? I mean, that stuff at the end was just ridiculous.

My spirits rose when Steph picked Dale, and then my heart sank when he screwed up. But I think he had a lot to do with her victory in the end, with the dark plaintains and the chicarones. AND he admitted to his mistake, something a certain other finalist would hardly have done had the roles been reversed. A finale between him, Richard, and Stephanie would have been unreal. Oh well.

As long as Lisa doesn't win, I'll be quite happy. It was a great episode, all in all.

If Lisa somehow wins this thing, I may break my television. I will never watch Top Chef again...until the next season...or reruns come on.

Oh, and Richards reaction to winning the car was priceless.

[swalter1]

Wow were Stephanie and Dale impressive could you imagine if that had happened to any of the other chef's. I think Lisa would have had a stroke. I am not sure the other 2 would have fared much better.

[Tim]

No fight here, either.  The demarcation between the two levels of cooking was clearly marked.  Antonia made the more egregious mistake of the two.  Shocked me as well that it was in technique in that that has always been her strong suit.  But she was also notched down by her lack of sophistication.  She showed another weak spot in the QF by downplaying the major component simply because she wasn't familiar with it.  But cut her some slack.  She's been working 100-hour weeks and - did she mention?- she's a single mom.     I thought Steph showed class in picking teams that were balanced.  She did grab Dale in a heartbeat.  I didn't know they had known each other for so many years.  And Top Chefs do make mistakes, too.  They just don't blame others and know how to fix them.  Great to see professionalism as a defining attribute in the finale.   It kind of sucked for Antonia getting Nikki.  I kind of saw her as doomed at that point, nothing against Nikki.  At least Andrew (that Rasputin with a culinary boner) can pull his weight and more in the kitchen.  Spike is not bad as a sous chef, (though Richard did show class in referring to him as 'partner.')  It just seemed right from the start that both Antonia and Nikki didn't have much more eclectic experience between them.  I mean, they would have been a winning combination if the finale was in Rome or Naples, but ....    And as to the congrats Lisa was fishing for -"Nice dodge, Neo!"  If Kathy Griffin has an award for 'Dodging the Most Silver Bullets', it would already be inscribed with Lisa's name.

[Bart]

Lisa's "You could at least congratulate me, guys" was appalling.

Richard's reaction to the car was great.

And like the other person mentioned, how classy was Stephanie's reaction to Dale's goof? She reacted in such a way that he felt appropriately guilty but managed to come back with a brilliant idea and even more determination to press forward. Some people have a knack for motivating others. I think she's one of those naturals who doesn't quite realize how influential their actions are.

[ellis]

I loved Blais's line about the bronze medal. I was really hoping that Lisa and Antonia would both be sent home.
It seemed all to obvious, yet again, that Richard and Stephanie are at a much higher level than the rest of the competition, a final episode of those two would have been quite compelling. If Lisa somehow wins this it will be a travesty of epic proportions.

[Myr]

I don't understand how it's a conspiracy to keep Lisa in "for the ratings." Um, it's obvious that keeping her in would upset people (Hello, 91%) and that has been the case for some time. Why would Bravo risk alienating its loyal TC fanbase and keep her? Obviously, Bravo would want the judges to keep all of the likeable favorites, so people would continue to tune in and cheer on their favorites. Does Lisa disgust me? Yes. But she just didn't screw up AS bad as one other person. That is key in the eliminations. Nikki & Spike perfected that strategy for quite awhile

[Gilby]

More thoughts later, but two for now. One, this kills any conspiracy types who think Bravo is doing everything possible to have a woman win. Lisa in the final three is a lot less likely to be able to beat Blaise than Antonia. Two, Snarky Richard rocks! I didn't think he knew how to trash talk.

[Dan_Boston]

Have you ever heard the phrase "cleanliness is next to godliness"? The concept behind that phrase is pretty much as old as civilization itself, and has had a huge effect on both the ancient and modern forms of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. What is not commonly mentioned is that after a certain point, filth becomes it's own sort of 'cleanliness' - the paradigm is reversed (a notable example would be Matthew, who was basically a walking sewer). In this vein, Lisa's consistant and compelling mediocrity has undergone a similar transformation, and in so doing, has elevated her to mythic status. And while this is said somewhat tongue-in-cheek, there is some truth to it as well. I guarantee that Lisa's name will live on long after this season has come and gone. Any discussion of Top Chef winners and loser's will likely bring up (in some form or another) the "Lisa Factor" - the chef who fails her way to the top.

I don't think it was so bad that she brought up that they didn't congratulate her - it was actually *almost* insightful. Unfortunately, she ended up attributing their palpable disappointment to a judgement of popularity rather than skill. While they certainly did like Antonia better, I think that as with us, the skill issues dominated.

In terms of the overall competition, I found it interesting that the two chefs commonly thought to *be* the best also *performed* the best by being strong in their traditional areas of weakness. Richard toned his dishes down and adopted simplicity; Stephanie coolly and calmly handled a terrifying last-minute error and transformed it into one of her more notable dishes of the evening.

Conversely, Antonia was weak in her traditional area of strength: execution. Her peas were undercooked, and her plating (which I would lump into execution) was not well thought out.

It was all oddly symmetrical. The one constant was Lisa, who pretty much did as she always does: she made mediocre food.

[bill]

couple more thoughts.

1. At Bravo there's a video of the sous chefs at the judging table. So they knew about this error before walking into the kitchen the next day.

2. From "Restaurant Wars" on and from reading a few interviews, I have the sense that Stephanie, Dale, and Richard bonded during the show. If so, it wouldn't surprise if, during the break, Stephanie and Richard actually discussed sous chef strategy if given the opportunity to choose.

Stephanie picking Dale was no surprise, though I did think Andrew would've paired up with Richard. But there's another Bravo video extra where Spike talks about bonding with Richard now that Dale is out of the house. All speculative, but I'm wondering if Richard had won would he still have chosen Spike and given Dale to Stephanie?

Yay! Stephanie and Richard final, this should be good. Lisa almost had my sympathy with that "91% think you should go home." Brutal. Then she opened her mouth.

[bill]

this error = pork belly left out.

Not to minimize the setback, but it did give Stephanie and Dale a few more hours to deal with it and think of another dish.

[dave]

Eh, I still think Richard picks Dale first. Did you see the look on his face when Stephanie picked Dale after about .01 seconds of thought?

Sous chef wise, if Stephanie was trying to minimize conflict, it would have been:

Antonia/Nikki
Lisa/Spike
Richard/Andrew or Dale
Stephanie/Dale or Andrew

Lisa and Andrew were a potentially dangerous pair, and we did see Andrew's exasperation in the interviews. Everybody else seemed to work well with their partners. Also, nice to see that Richard holds the same opinion of Lisa that everybody on the internet seems to have.

[Mark F]

Well, Lisa is on the bottom. Again. And the wrong one gets sent home. Again. And boo hoo, she didn’t get congratulated by Richard and Steph? For what? She certainly didn’t make it this far on talent or merit. Note Richard’s two comments on Lisa in this episode. Apparently her attitude became too much for even him.

Interesting match up’s Steph made. Note her comment about making them “To keep the peace.” But then she paired Andrew with Lisa, the one who threw him off the cliff. Interesting.

I’ll bet Dale sure felt lousy for leaving out the pork bellies. But it’s certainly a measure of their skill and Stephanie’s personality/character that she/they got on with it, together, and pulled out a near win in spite of a near disaster. Think Lisa could have done that?

Somebody, somewhere said this is Top Chef, not Top Personality. True that. But you have to admire Stephanie’s and Richard’s sportsmanship throughout this season. Both of them are class acts.

Cheers,

Mark

[Solange]

Actually, the chefs really should have paid Lisa more heed. This week she showed, once again, her single greatest talent and that talent is her ability to constantly run near the bottom and just stay slightly above rock bottom.

It's a talent that has carried this sad sack of vitriol all the way to the final!

The game changes next week though. Lisa has made a career on TC out of just being a tiny bit better than the worst. Think about it. Week in and week out she has only had to beat ONE chef. Everyone else was playing the game to beat ALL the chefs. Not Creepy Lisa though. She just had to beat the weakest dish. Now, in the next challenge, that won't work. For the first time in her run on TC she actually has to beat TWO chefs. Two chefs who btw have run near the top all season long. Can she do it? Sure, anything is possible. Richard may decide the Corolla was enough and he serves bag lunches from Mickey D's. Stephanie may crack up and do a tropical fish plate with Jello fish and big blobs of Cool Whip. Then, Lisa can win all the marbles with yet another plate of her crappy chow.

Realistically though? No. Remember, every week Lisa slobs around with her narrow stare and her potty mouth and talks about her A game. While she skims the bottom like a stingray.

As said, she has to beat TWO chefs this week and they both have proven they have A games. Not talked like they do, they really have them. Can she beat ONE of them? Well, that's how she got to the finals, by beating ONE chef. Hoping that TWO of them both have their worst days and her being able to have her best day all at the same time is alot to ask for. She better pay Spike to play around with the heat controls on their stoves if she hopes to beat them both and you know, I doubt even he would do that to help her....

[Skillet Doux]

For those a little surprised to see Richard finally jump on the anti-Lisa bus, remember that this is the first time we've seen him since the break -- when he had a chance to see all of Lisa's private comments through the first six or eight episodes :-)

[dave]

Anybody read Tom's blog from the last episode? Looks like he *might* have voted for Lisa to be sent home instead of Dale, and if you substitute him for Bourdain, we could have had the great final 4. So close, and yet so far.

Then, if you read Ted's blog, he basically slams Lisa. Yeah, we know that the finals are basically Richard vs. Stephanie, but its still fun to know that the judges dislike Lisa as well.

[Cheryl]

yeah, Lisa is soooo pleasant. she's kept herself apart the whole competition...watching older episodes...she's the one hanging back when everyone is saying good bye to whoever got eliminated....she definitely has a boulder sized chip on her shoulder...but I'm sure if she's been reading any of the blogs, etc she knows she's pretty widely disliked, and, more importantly, many people don't think she's that great a cook, let alone a decent chef.

[Glen]

Wow, great comments all around. I'll really be happy with either a Richard or Stephanie win, both are very deserving.

Richard's comments about Lisa were VERY telling. Hmmm, didn't a certain diminutive Asian chef tell us the EXACT same thing oh so many episodes ago?

Also, my dislike for Antonia is now official. We all knew she was a hypocritical food snob, but what was up with her comment to Steph as they were hugging? "Kick their asses"? What did Richard ever do to her? I supposed it could be all in the editing, but absolutely everything we've seen/heard from all the other chefs is that he's a genuinely nice guy.

Bye-bye Antonia, and bye-bye Lisa, hope to never see you again.

[bill]

"but what was up with her comment to Steph as they were hugging? "Kick their asses"?"

I didn't hear it as malicious or as intended as a slight against Richard. Nothing more than giving her support to Stephanie.

[chris w]

Mark F:

I don't think Stephanie intentionally paired Lisa and Andrew to cause trouble. Lisa just has feuds with so many people on the show that it's probably hard to keep track.

[Ed T.]

Glen - I wouldn't take Antonia's parting comment to Stephanie as a slam on Richard, rather a variant on the "You Go Girl!" type of cheer/exhortation, keeping mindful of the first time that there has been more than 1 female in the finals (and, in fact, the other years IIRC it was down to 1 female well before the finale.) Given that chefdom is still considered a male-dominated field, the fact that 2 out of 3 finalists are female is rather significant.

It *would* have surprised me, though, had she said the same thing to Lisa.

~EdT.

[Bill]

Clearly Stephanie and Richard are the two best and based on what we saw and heard last night Antonia was clearly the worst last night.
However, Steph, Richard and Dale all appeared to get a pass based on past performance at some point this season when they were in danger of being voted off. I think Antonia's past performance should have earned her a pass last night.
I just can't get over how someone with such a terrible record can be in the finals.

[Cheryl]

to Glen - I think Antonio's comment to Stephanie was more around having a woman win vs anything specific against Richard personally. She, like many people, would love to see a woman win Top Chef. She was hoping it would be herself but when she got eliminated, she knew Stephanie was the only hope for a female win. Unless, of course, some freak of nature or act of Satan, Stephanie and Richard both fall apart next week and Lisa, again, wins by being just a little bit better than the worst.

[Skillet Doux]

"Also, my dislike for Antonia is now official. We all knew she was a hypocritical food snob, but what was up with her comment to Steph as they were hugging? 'Kick their asses'? What did Richard ever do to her?"

I'll third or fourth or whatever others' sentiments, Glen. It's no slight of Richard -- just a little gender solidarity.

"However, Steph, Richard and Dale all appeared to get a pass based on past performance at some point this season when they were in danger of being voted off. I think Antonia's past performance should have earned her a pass last night."

A pass (or a tiebreaker, more accurately, I think) in episode five, seven or even nine is one thing. A pass in episode 12, one away from the final showdown, is another entirely :-)

[DaveP]

Re: Antonia's comments, I think the women chefs were very cognizant about how many women were going to the finals, and I'm sure there was a bit of bonding in line of, let's have one of us women win TC! Nothing wrong with that, of course, and Stephanie being the last female contestant left not worthy of contempt, Antonia wished her luck. Prolly would've done the same with Jen or any other last woman standing (sorry, can't think of anyone else that would've made it given better luck--seriously, Nikki?). I doubt there's any real animosity bet. Antonia and Richard. Antonia and Lisa (or Steph & Lisa, or Richard & Lisa, or...) on the other hand? Yeah, prolly a little bitterness there.

--
Dave

[bill]

...and now for the revisionist historical fiction review.

Dale was never eliminated and the four sousses (sousi?) are Lisa, Nikki, Spike, Andrew. Who would Stephanie have chosen and what would have been the outcome with the forgotten pork? Do you see any of those being capable of saving Stephanie from elimination? Maybe Andrew?

[Bill]

A pass (or a tiebreaker, more accurately, I think) in episode five, seven or even nine is one thing. A pass in episode 12, one away from the final showdown, is another entirely :-)

I had a feeling someone would make that point and I don't disagree with it. It's just difficult to accept that Lisa could actually be in the final three. It's not like she was mediocre or flying under the radar. She was terrible, one of the worst.

[Elise]

The only conspiracy I saw on this one was the amazing stealth win editing technique they used for Richard's dishes. Having watched the show I had no clue that he had out preformed Stephanie until they said his name. I thought his dishes sounded better, but that's just my own taste (and my love of Richard). The only comment we heard from the guests was that was a unique use of Malta (which could be good or bad) and the judges barely had anything to say about him before handing him the win. I know they don't want to tip their hands and let us know who wins before the final moments, but this episode seemed to really want to keep the winner a secret. I think it had more than enough of a shocker for who lost, it really didn't need that much cloak and dagger for the win.

On a rather unrelated note, I've noticed some of you talking about this being the strongest group of contestants yet, and I can't see it. We're at the second to last episode and we're still getting comments like "it's too sweet." Which may not be quite on par with under/over seasoned, but is pretty darn close in my book. (For those of you nit-pickers out there, has Tom ever said something like 'you've got a poor palate' more often than in this season? It seems like we've heard that, or something like it, a lot from him.) Plus, I'd bet good money that any contestant from any of the previous final threes could outcook Lisa, anytime, anywhere, any ingredients. (Dave and Lisa might actually be fun to watch...)

Oh well, one more week, and we can see what kind of great stuff Richard and Stephanie come up with. And hopefully, Lisa's luck will finally run out.

[Skillet Doux]

"We're at the second to last episode and we're still getting comments like "it's too sweet." Which may not be quite on par with under/over seasoned, but is pretty darn close in my book. (For those of you nit-pickers out there, has Tom ever said something like 'you've got a poor palate' more often than in this season? It seems like we've heard that, or something like it, a lot from him.)"

Elise...

I don't have a link handy, but at least one of the judges (and I think two) have said outright that they're being much more critical this season BECAUSE it's such a strong field. As the quality of the contestants has risen, so has their willingness to nitpick.

[Lon]

Overall, I think Season 3 had better chefs. I think any of the top six or seven chefs could have given anyone this season, except the two I discuss below, a real run for their money. Certainly, Season 3 chefs were more congenial.

But I consider Richard and Stephanie the best chefs of any of the four seasons, based on what I see in the shows.

Reason 1: They inspire their fellow chefs in various challenges to perform at a higher level. The only other finalist I can remember who could do that was Harold in Season 1.

Reason 2: They can accommodate major problems mid-prep and still produce winning dishes.

100 years of culinary school won't give you those talents.

I think Stephanie and Richard are "in the zone." Any distraction at this time will kick you out of the zone. Lisa is like Marcel, a bee buzzing around people's heads, hence a distraction. Based on what we've seen, why would anyone want to say anything to her? All you would get back is a negative response that pulls you down.

I think Richard was charitable in his comments. His goal is to win. Anything else has to be disregarded. It's not personal but it is necessary to continue a focus on winning.

[Travis]

Okay, i was wrong the other day. Lisa is still here.

As much as it pains me to see Antonia go and Lisa make it to the finals, i completely understand and i'm definitely not crying foul on the judges.

I was surprised at how well Lisa cooked this episode, she really 'brought it'. Unfortunately for her, its still not good enough to top Richard or Steph. But still, though mediocre, her food looked like a step up for her. Her bitching about not congratulating her for making it to the finals was hilarious. What a bitch.

It was nice to see Andrew again. The scene in the market had me cracking up.

Steph killed it considering the gaffe with the pork belly. To have that kind of problem happen and then recover and be in a place to win the challenge is impressive. The Steph from the first few episodes with weak nerves has left the building.

Dale showed why he should still be around. He worked well on a team (although it is worth noting that it was with someone he obviously respects). Even though he left the pork belly out, he genuinely felt awful about it, didn't panic, and helped Steph recover be coming up with a dish that turned out to be a favorite. Also big props to Steph for not complaining about the pork belly when the judges asked how she was doing.

I really enjoyed Richard this episode (although i think i enjoy him in every episode). His response to winning the car was classic (but i would trade the car for Steph's appliance set in a second). His trashtalking about Lisa was great. And he showed that in terms of conceptualizing dishes, he's just playing on another level from everyone else.

Antonia goofed on execution? Wow. Serving everything together was a curious choice and there's no excuse for undercooking beans. She said she likes beans 'al-dente'? Whats that about? Just fess up. She's certainly a better chef than Lisa, and while i didn't think she had the creativity to win, i wish she was still around. But even when you take past performance into account, i don't think Lisa screwed up big enough to make the argument that she should be sent home. Thus, Lisa makes it to the final.

Can't wait till next week.

[bill]

"I don't have a link handy, but at least one of the judges (and I think two) have said outright that they're being much more critical this season BECAUSE it's such a strong field. As the quality of the contestants has risen, so has their willingness to nitpick."

Good point. I think it was Tom C. who told Antonia and Lisa they were both B+. Getting cut at this point doesn't mean you did a bad job, just means the couple in front of did better. All Antonia had to do to survive was cook her beans. Of all the nitpicking, she had the error the judges couldn't overlook.

[sharp]

Mark F:
"While she skims the bottom like a stingray."

That’s great!
I have to say that I don't believe Lisa is just lucky, I think she's survived so many disasters she'll forever be considered the top chef cockroach of season 4

[txc1010]

I'm not surprise or greatly displease at the result. Antonia's gone, Lisa stays. Neither one of them actually had a shot at the ultimate final anyway with Stephanie and Richard in the running. (If Lisa wins, it would be a veritable mini black swan event. It would make a mockery out of the title of the show, a PR disaster, where the judges and producers would have to change the rule of eliminating future contestants.) The best to happen in the final finale would be for Richard and Stephanie to tie---but we know thats not going happen.

Also, this episode confirm why I like Dale. He has the correct instinct about people and cooking. He try to do the right thing. It kind of amusing to find Richard playing the anti-Lisa role now, traditionally been held by Dale.

[Elise]

Hi Skillet (Dom?),

I can understand the idea of this is a better group so we're judging them harder, but I still don't get the idea that things like under/over seasoned, too sweet, under/overcooked are little nit picky things. Maybe it's the way it's edited, but you don't get the sense that the veggie curry, butterscotch scallops, and last nights sweet potato puree were just a hint too sweet. (I feel like there was a third sweet potato combo that got the too sweet comment as well, but it's not springing to mind.) The way these things are edited it looks like the judge put a piece of cotton candy in his/her mouth. But, I didn't taste it, and for all I know by too sweet they mean that these things have about six extra grains of sugar in them.

Spike's one episode from the finals and he picks frozen scallops. Do you see anyone from one of the other seasons who made it that far making that kind of mistake? We've seen them all get nerves, and all occasionally fail on execution, but purposely choosing a bad ingredient, and then purposely cooking it so as to show off how bad an ingredient it is; that's not something I remember from previous seasons.

And then there's Tom's great, "You all tasted it and thought it was fine? Then you've all got pretty poor palates..." Yeah, maybe the food was being judged on a higher level than past years, but that's still a pretty harsh comment if the food's only slightly off base.

Plus it feels like we've seen a very large collection of really basic screw ups this season. Oily salads, salads dressed too soon and wilted, transporting food that would go soggy, badly grilled veggies, incorrectly rendered duck skin, bread that's too tough and thick for the meal, undercooked rice, and most recently undercooked peas... None of these are grand ideas gone bad, they're just execution errors, most of which were foreseeable and avoidable.

Of course, I could be thinking that this field isn't so hot because I've been watching this season without watching the previous seasons concurrently. And it's not that they're bad chefs, it's not that the good food isn't very, very good. It just seems like there's been more technical, cooking 101 level screw ups this year than in previous ones. And it seems that in this season there has been a whole lot less reason for cooking 101 level screw ups. They aren't cooking on the beach, or in an airplane, no one's had to make a meal to be frozen and reheated, let alone shop the local convenience store for ingredients.

And, just to be clear, I'm not saying this isn't a better group of chefs than before. We don't get to taste the food, and we don't get to watch the judging, so I don't know how much higher they've ramped up the standards this year. But those are the reasons they don't seem like a better bunch of chefs to me.

I love your posts, and thanks for responding to me.

[canasian]

Nothing to do with food today (the judges made the right desision, unfortunately, and everybody has touched on predictions, things that could've been fixed to save Antonia, the 91% thing, and why is Lisa is still around, and even the sous-chefs, which I didn't even think about as a topic of dicussion), but did anyone else read Richard's look as "Chistian Siriano got a convertible, that guy who won Top Something-to-do-with-house-decorating got a sexy SUV, and I get a Japanese sedan?! You guys suck, but I'll smile for the camera and take it."?

[Skillet Doux]

Canasian...

You are, indeed, not the only one who wondered if there was a bit of, "A Corolla? Gee... um... thanks, guys," in his reaction :-)

[Chuck]

I don't agree about Richard's reaction at all. I think he was genuinely surprised. Those other guys won it all - not the semifinals. I just wonder how he is going to drive it back to Atlanta. [Kidding!]

This was a terrific episode except for anyone who, like me, loved 'Babe.' All those beef carcasses and whole pigs were too much for me in HD. This has turned out to be a much more difficult competition towards the end than making pizza and cooking for kids, but I'll take the chefs from season 3 any day.

One final thing. I am going to keep up with the snarl queen Lisa and vow never to go to any restaurant with which she is associated. Just like Richard said, ''she is a gray cloud in the kitchen" that would infect any staff around her.

[Mark F]

Solange: Truth, but here’s the thing- Even if she (Lisa) doesn’t win (Shudder) she still made it to the top 3! And now has “Bragging rights.” She should have been gone weeks ago, let alone in the top 4, now the top 3.

Notice that she "threatened" yet again to win? Sheesh!

Man, can’t believe Antonia was that far off her game. Sad.

Bill- Re: Revisionist History, Andrew would have been the only one. And let me take a moment to comment on my opinion of Andrew. The first few weeks I saw him as a typical “Cocky, obnoxious, loud-mouthed braggart.” However, towards the end of his run I upgraded him significantly to “Colorful and eccentric, but a nice guy.” Whilst I was hoping to see Richard-Steph-Dale in the top 3, based on what’s happened I wish Andrew would have made it at least to the top 4.

Elise: I firmly believe Spike chose the scallops for the exact same reason he previously picked the chicken, bread, tomatoes, and lettuce- Not to create some fantastic, exotic dish, but so no else could use them. Pure pettiness. And he shot himself in the foot. Again. My opinion of Spike? He started as “Cocky, obnoxious, loud-mouthed braggart,” but was downgraded to “Underhanded, corkscrewing, dirty dealing, bottom dwelling, scum sucking pig” after his performances in episodes 11 and 12. I came to loath Spike even more than I did Lisa.

Chris W: No, you’re probably right about the pairings (Andrew/Lisa). Still, interesting match up. Maybe Steph was being just a tiny bit devious? : )

No, I don’t think for a moment Richard was being snide or sarcastic about the car. I think he was genuinely surprised and at a loss for words (Stunned?). I too wondered how he was going to drive it back to the states Chuck. That’ll be an interesting drive : )

Cheers,

Mark

[Jon]

Quoth Elise: "Spike's one episode from the finals and he picks frozen scallops. Do you see anyone from one of the other seasons who made it that far making that kind of mistake? "

Seriously?
Season 1: Dave was IN the finals and served up only 2 out of 3 required dishes to the Cirque du Soleil performers. That's an EPIC blunder! Massive, unforgiveable, worse than al dente pigeon peas, isn't it?

Season 2: uh...well we didn't have cable during season 2 so, confession time, I've not seen it yet. But clearly trying to shave a guy's head was a bad idea for someone with so much potential.

Season 3: CJ's "Worst. Broccolini. EVAR." when all he had to do was cook better than Malarkey--shoot, wasn't that *exactly* the same stage in the competition that Spike made his foolish mistake? Not to mention Brian's "Whiskey River Down Home Cowboy Kitchen Sink Circus Tent Choose Your Own Inappropriately Paired Giant Hunk Of Cheese" monstrosity at a further stage than Spike's departure.

[B^2]

Strategically speaking, since I'd like to see either Richard or Stephanie win, I wasn't disappointed by Antonia's loss, even though it means looking at Lisa's nauseating face for another episode. Short of some kind of catastrophic disaster, there's no way Lisa can compete with these two, whereas Antonia might have had a chance.

Another positive that occurs to me is that, had Lisa been eliminated earlier, there's a chance she could have been brought back as a sous chef and foisted on one of the finalists, and I wouldn't even wish that fate on Spike.

[Tim]

I think they do have a better selection of talent this season. I just don't think they all placed where they should have. First of all, I think Richard, Steph, and Richard are the best TC's since season one, let alone the most in one season. I think Jen was definitely in the top 4 or 5. Andrew and Antonia would have rounded out a real strong final six providing the best pool of Sous chefs in all four seasons. Lisa, Spike, Nikki and Mark pretty much fall around the middle before the next drop in skill and execution. Those four are good chefs at a particular level but are lacking in experience, refinement, or maturity. I think this is one of the best seasons even with the disputed lapses in judgement. Still, it's not how good you are, but how well you demonstrate it at the particular competition. I think when someone repeatedly makes it to the losing table, someone has to speak up and say, "What gives? You're consistently missing the task. If you haven't figured it out by now, go home."

[DaveP]

Canasian,

Lexus, Infiniti & Acura make some fine "Japanese sedans" that I'd be happy to own (and do, in fact). Maybe you meant a cheap compact? Though with gas prices these days, I'd still rather have one of those than a "sexy SUV," American or otherwise. You'd think they would've at least sprang for a Prius though. Personally, I'd sell the Corolla for a Civic EX.

Saw this very interesting interview with Antonia:

http://tinyurl.com/65ss2v

Note her desire to work with Dale and obvious respect for his skills. Really doesn't jibe with her "Dale on does Asian, blah, blah..." interviews on the show. I really wonder how much of what we see is edited to hell & back and taken out of context. Of course, she ruins the moment by heaping praise on Zoi. Jen, I could understand, but Zoi? Just perplexing.

--
Dave

[Skillet Doux]

Bear in mind that the choice of a Corolla has absolutely nothing to do with the producers and everything to do with whatever car company is willing to pony up and which model they're currently trying to push.

[Solange]

Sound points every step of the way Mark, but in reality, Lisa's career is now over. What restaurant outside of some perverse Red Lobster would actually employ this pill?

You are right on point, she has bragging rights, but the most she gets to say going forward is do you want fries with that order.....

[Vega]

What I find the most frustrating is how Ted on the blogs fawns over Lisa like she's some poor martyr that has been cruelly edited to say things that she didn't and to cook food that is mediocre if not outright bad.

And really, who is he to say that Lisa isn't so bad when the other judges freely admit that they have no idea what goes on in the kitchen? And she's certainly been a horrible bitch everytime she's been at judge's table.

Ah well. Ted is hardly the strongest or most discriminating judge.

[Vega]

Sorry for the double post, but I find it really odd how Ted constantly asserts that Lisa is a competent cook, despite the fact that she has been in the high spots only twice, and her only win with the bacon happened on an episode where he wasn't judging.

The episode he DID judge where she did well, it was a team challenge with good-Stephanie. So I don't know why Ted thinks that she's so great.

[boycott lisa]

A few episodes ago we decided that we would never knowingly dine at any restaurant that employed Lisa - not only due to her poor food, but due to the risk that her horrifyingly bad attitude would contaminate everything around her and would be potentially infectious. Thus we agree with the earlier post(s) that it would be helpful if someone kept up with where she is so that we could avoid her. On the positive side, we look forward with great pleasure to Richard and Stephanie's progress and continued success - they appear to be wonderful chefs and positive people.

[Gilby]

The Broccolini was with six contestants left. And in the same episode, Malarky's side was almost as bad. And Dale was short one portion. In the next episode, Sara's quickfire and elimination dishes weren't cooked all the way through. Sorry, Elise, but you're really wrong on this one.

[Ed T.]

"I don’t think for a moment Richard was being snide or sarcastic about the car. I think he was genuinely surprised and at a loss for words (Stunned?)."

Perplexed?

~EdT.

[WC]

A bit off topic, but Dom, I'm glad to see that you're finally getting all the attention to this site that you deserve. Fifty-three mostly intelligent and thoughtful comments is pretty impressive. Hopefully these people have explored your archives and will continue to come back after the TC season. I've always thought that this is the best written and photographed food blog out there. Now, when are you coming back to Chicago to write more about our food scene?

Back on topic, I have to agree with the posters in that Antonia did not deserve to go home based on a single bad week. Lisa has been at the bottom for who knows how long. It's so obvious that the producers are going for the villian angle at this point. If she beats out Richard or Stephanie, there should be no doubt that the fix is in.

[MV]

I totally agree, Vega! And why does Ted say it was "mean" for Richard to voice what many others have been saying all along: that it's a suprise that Lisa's in the finals? Her track record and those of the other cheftestants support that assertion. Primarily because of Ted's blog, I've tried to be openminded about Lisa and to consider that we may have been steered in our opinions of her by the Magical Elves, but Ted hasn't been in the kitchen with Lisa, nor lived with her 24/7. The fact that she has had problems with so many of her colleagues -- and that even Richard described her as a "gray cloud" -- suggests that the editors were only taking advantage of footage that Lisa willingly provided.

[Skillet Doux]

Thanks, WC, that's very kind.

That'd be great if people stick around, but if not, hey, I think it's pretty much a given at this point that I'll be doing this again next season :-)

If all goes well, I'll be back about this time next year. Depends on how my wife's job hunt goes, though. TBD.

[John Coctostan]

Add me to Dom and the others who thought, "Oh, wow, a new car! Oh, it's just a Corolla." Don't get me wrong - I'd love for someone to give *me* a new Corolla. I was just disappointed on Richard's behalf. Still, we need to find out the trim level before passing final judgement on the car. If it's a new XRS, then you're riding in fuel-efficient style! If it's a CE, then, yeah, it's a grocery-getter.

[Skillet Doux]

That came off snarkier than I intended. I mean, the dude won a CAR. I just find the intersection of amazing prize and sensible, fuel-efficient midsize funny sometimes :-)

[Elise]

Hi Jon,

Just in case it's not clear, I wasn't saying that no one had made a major error that far along, I was saying no one had made that kind of error...

In the Season 1 Finale (if I remember correctly, which I may not, it's been awhile) everything Dave made tasted good. Hell, they wanted to keep him for the second round, because the one meal he made was better than Tiffani's two meals, except he forgot a dish. Huge mistake, sure, but also due to a case of nerves. Spike coolly, calmly, and purposely made a huge error, and then made it worse by bad cooking technique. Look, having a bad case of nerves tells me very little about a chef's ability to come up with something tasty. Purposely picking a bad ingredient and then cooking it badly does tell me quite a bit about cooking skill levels. That's why I don't consider Dave an apples to apples comparison to Spike. Sure Dave screwed the pooch, but he at least did it while making tasty food.

Season Two, I don't remember anyone making that kind of cooking mistake.

Season Three: I almost brought up the broccolini from hell in my post. Making something that has to be transported and then reheated in some strange contraption that only does one time and temperature counts as an excuse for overcooked veg in my book. (If memory serves there were quite a few overcooked bits in that episode.) Granted, the stuff looked terrible, and judging from the comments it tasted worse. But really, do you think that reheating a dish on an airplane is on par with cook whatever you want in a perfectly functional kitchen with state of the art equipment?

Malarky chose flavors that didn't work. He tried something different and failed. Spike tried something even I can do (I'm a massage therapist, not a chef), and failed. Failure of vision versus failure of execution. How good is your palate versus cooking 101 (how to pick out seafood...)

What bugs me most about Spike in that episode is that he valiantly went off and shot himself in the head. He didn't get nervous, he didn't come up with some grand never before heard of confection that just didn't work, he didn't have to cook the damn things, then freeze them, then microwave them. He had the perfect challenge in the perfect setting and oodles of lovely things to pick. From the sound of LeeAnne's blog he picked the only substandard thing in the entire freezer.

The best comparison I can come up with was during the "Let's Shave Marcel" Debacle of season two. And in that case we got to see a similar level of bad judgment, but that didn't reflect on Cliff's cooking skill.

As I said before, they may not be a worse group of chefs, these are just the reasons I think they are. But I'll stand by the point that any one of the top three from any season could cook the pants off of Lisa.

Elise

[Elise]

Hi Gilby,

So with five contestants to go Sarah undercooked everything. And was rightly sent home.

In the final four, with a six month break to rest and relax Antonia gave us undercooked peas. Which she didn't really notice were undercooked until the end of the night, indicating that she didn't taste them, or couldn't tell they were undercooked. Either way, ouch!

Look, I'm not saying this season is a bad bunch of chefs, I just don't thikg they're all that much better than the previous seasons. And in one glaring case (Lisa) worse!

As for a direct comparison to Spike, undercooked Sarah may work. But if memory serves she made something rather more difficult than a seared scallop. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I'm willing to bet most of us could make a decent seared scallop, assuming we started with good scallops.

Elise

[Elise]

OK, I hit wikipedia to check the win/loss stats for the last four seasons. (They've got these beautiful little charts that list wins/loss/high/low.)

Unless Lisa somehow manages to win the final episode Richard or Stephanie will become the record holder with five wins. The other one will hold second place with four wins. If Lisa does manage to win, she'll still hold the record for most times in the bottom.

No one else in any season has won more than three episodes.

To me this is a pretty strong indication that this season has not been terribly well balanced. Already more than half of the season has been won by two chefs. (Add in Dale and you're looking at a possible twelve out of fifteen wins by three chefs.) Which, if we were really dealing with a top notch bunch of chefs, all of them the very best of the available talent, shouldn't we be seeing a more normal curve of win distribution?

Now, I'll happily concede that Richard and Stephanie are a cut above most of the rest of the previous years (I really liked Hung), as for the rest of this group...

[Skillet Doux]

"Which, if we were really dealing with a top notch bunch of chefs, all of them the very best of the available talent, shouldn't we be seeing a more normal curve of win distribution?"

I'm not going to wade into this debate at the moment, but if I could just make one correction, Elise -- no, a more normal distribution doesn't necessarily indicate that the "better" contestants this season are a few folks at the top.

If you scored everybody's abilities on a scale of 1-10, a crowd of 2s and 3s would probably have a wide distribution of wins, while a range of people from 4-10 would probably show the kind of lopsided results we've seen this season, but the latter group is still the more talented group of chefs. I'm not claiming that this is the case, just that I think you're presuming something you cannot.

In any case, we're talking about a very small sample, many if not most of which are team challenges, so it's very difficult to draw any kind of statistical concusions from season to season by comparing records.

(I DO think this is the most talented season we've seen, overall -- I think both the stars and the dregs are more talented than in previous seasons -- but I base that on gut feeling and my impressions of their recipes, not any hard analysis. Out of curiosity last night, I went back to refresh my memory by looking at some of the old finalists' recipes, and I was struck by how much more impressive even Lisa's offerings this week were -- but it was just a quick look. Okay, I guess I am wading into this debate -- but not with my usual level of detail for right now :-)

[Chuck]

First of all, that comment about Lisa cooking burgers and fries made me LOL.

I had the morning to recuperate after some dental work so watched several episodes of Season 3 that Bravo is rebroadcasting, I guess for Emmy voters. I still feel that season was the best not just from a cheftestant standpoint but also for the creativity of the competitions. The airplane challenge was really well done; Bourdain was his usual snarky self. Poor CJ is never going to live down that broccolini, and Dale's comment during the elk challenge ['I don't know what cowboys eat. I mean, I've slept with a few, but that's it.'] was priceless. And Casey Thompson is the prime reason I go to Shinsei whenever I can. Sad that she wasn't at her best in the finale because I think Eric Ripert would have loved to name her the winner. Likewise, it sure seemed to me that Gail developed a little bit of a crush on Dale. He don't bat for your team, girl. This season's 'All Chicago, All The Time' theme really got tired for me. I still can't believe Oprah didn't figure out a way to get on there, though she sent her chef.

I saw an expanded promo for Wednesday's finale and it's very worrying. Gail says at judge's table, 'I can't believe Richard just said that,' accompanied by horrifying looks from Stephanie and Lisa. I hope it was something like, 'If I had known I would have to be placed on the same level as Lisa I would never have entered this competition,' but he's too classy for that. I hope to God this is not going to be another upset like in Season 2 when that smug Ilan stole it from Marcel, who Padma calls the most memorable contestant in TC history. I agree. Lisa will no doubt be known forever as the nastiest person ever on reality TV [and there are some real contenders for that title, mostly on other Bravo shows]. I have a friend who swears she is going to go out and buy new stilettoes so she can step on Lisa when her bad karma brings her back as a cockroach.

[Vega]

Even if Richard does bizarrely screw himself over (which he might not, Bravo likes to take things out of context like Antonia saying "Well, I guess then you're not going to Puerto Rico, Lisa!"), there's always Stephanie. I don't think anyone could complain about Stephanie winning over Lisa.

Hopefully evil-Stephanie doesn't show up again. That would suck a lot.

[John Coctostan]

"At Bravo there's a video of the sous chefs at the judging table. So they knew about this error before walking into the kitchen the next day."

Hey, bill, can you point this video out somehow? I've been looking for it without any luck.

[Bill]

I recently watched a lecture by Thomas Keller and listened to conversation between Ruhlman, Ripert, Hamilton and Bourdain and something I found to be of striking contrast with a lot of the younger chefs is that the Top Chef candidates tend to speak about cooking in terms of creativity and passion whereas the crowd mentioned above seemed to speak of it in terms of hard work and struggle. Make of that observation what you will.
Praise for the Top Chef crowd; after watching one episode of the Next Food Network Star I would say the T.C. cheftestants are light years beyond that crowd. Lisa would dominate that competition.

[RF]

So, i have a question...I rewatched the first episode of this season last night and there was no scene with Richard and Andrew and making mayonnaise. I distinctly remember seeing this the first time around, or did i imagine it? hell i remember reading posts about the whole fiasco. Did the producers recut the episode and take that scene out? Am i imagining things? Help...

[Skillet Doux]

It's not your imagination, RF. The scene was there. But if you're right and it's gone, generally speaking, it isn't unusual for later rebroadcasts of shows to be cut down to allow for more advertising. That's the sort of fun but non-critical segment that I could see getting the axe if they're looking for chunks to remove.

[DanC]

I last posted when Dale got eliminated. I feel the same way now as I did then - "Do people commenting actually watch the episodes or do they just comment based on their own misconceptions on what goes on in each episode?"

1) Every post states that "the food is all that should matter" and that "only the best chefs should be in the finals." Then, in the same post, Lisa is blasted for her attitude, posture ("arms-crossed"), personality (and admittedly, her food) and banished to hell. Which is it people? Personality counts or personality doesn't count? Pick one point of view and stick with it.

2) I'm going to stick with the point that "personality does NOT count" and that the food is all that matters. I'll also state that I too have disliked Lisa (both personality and food) from the very first episode and hoped she was sent home way back to in the Polish Sausage incident. However, even with my supreme dislike for Lisa, it's not hard to defend her appearance in the Final 3 just in the context of food:

a) She did not undercook her pigeon peas and did not have an empty table in Puerto Rico (watch the episode and you'll twice see Antonia's empty table - one time you can see Antonia's disappointed face and Nikki scrambling to try to cheer her up )

b) She did not use frozen scallops and serve an uninspired/unrefined entree at Rich Tramato's restaurant.

c) She did not screw up a butterscotch/caramel sauce (in fact, she and almost every other chef made the same sort of sauce correctly in one episode or another) and did not select the wrong sticky rice in Restaurant Wars. She also only followed Dale's instructions (as a proper sous chef) on how to correct (i.e. destroy) the incorrect sticky rice.

d) She did not serve an unappetizing and unsatisfying dish (that also did not meet the rules of the challenge) to Chicago cops.

e) She did not abdicate power and leave her teammates stranded in Wedding Wars.

And the list goes on. Yes, Lisa has gotten more lucky breaks than the'69 Mets, but in each episode, one of her fellow chefs has made a glaring mistake resulting in below average food. Thus, Lisa has slid by with average food and how on earth could anyone argue that average food should be sent home before below average food?

3) Every judge in every blog in every season has stated at one time or another that the judging parameters are very not "set in stone". We know that past performance does play some part in keeping a contestant alive:

a) Richard did not go home for having scales in his salmon.
b) Antionia did not go home for not using Polish sausage.
c) Stephanie did not go home for her peanut butter/tomato mess that Padma called "disgusting".
d) Dale did not go home for his miserable wedding food.

However, past performance can only help so much and is most likely only used when two chefs' food are almost on par on the negative side. It seems as if Lisa's food (while not great) is high enough above the bottom plate that past performance can't do much to help the losing chef.

4) And let's talk about past performance: Antonia certainly does not have that great of a track record. She won 1 challenge (for "Mom" food she makes daily) and has been on top when she's been on teams with Richard and Stephanie. Her appetizer was a failure at Tramato's. Her box lunch was uninspired. And, she was on the chopping block with her teams in episode #2 (Steph/Val - Zoo), #4 (Zoi - movies), #5 (Zoi/Spike - elements), and #7 (Lisa - polish sausage). She could have been on the bottom as much as Lisa if she had not been on the "right" teams in Wedding and Restaurant Wars.

5) We all agree that Steph and Richard (and Dale) are great chefs. Thus, as we get to the final 5-6 episodes with only 8 or fewer chefs, if you're not in the top, you're going to be in the bottom. Mathmatically, there is no "middle". Thus, Lisa has been on the bottom (which only started in episode #8) because the top chefs are superb, her teaming has been unlucky, and there's no "middle" for her to fall into.

6) Lastly, does anyone else feel that Andrew may have helped Lisa's food improve 5-10%? Maybe that was all it took to outshine Antonia (who, per the episode, did not seem 100% focused on the challenge).

Maybe Stephanie was not the pure as snow, innocent Shirley Temple she portrayed herself as (teaming pairs so "people would get along"). Had that been 100% true, wouldn't she have teamed Antonia with Andrew and Lisa with Nikki. Perhaps, she put the weaker two sous chefs (Nikki and Spike) with her two strongest rivals hoping one of them may get knocked out in the process. Perhaps she put the 2nd strongest sous chef (Andrew) with her weakest competitor to help get her to the finals so she'd have one fewer competitor to worry about in the Final 3. I love Stephanie and if this was indeed part of her master plan, GOOD FOR HER!!! I love that she's a great chef and that she can play the game with her faux innocent, hiddenly conniving, personality.

[Elise]

Hi DanC,

For me, personality doesn't really matter. (At least, I'd assume that's what being a member of the Marcel & Hung fan club means.) I want to see someone who can really, really cook.

So for all Lisa's glares, evil stares, crossed arms and lousy attitude, it's the fact that she's a mediocre chef (compared to the rest of this crew) who hasn't turned out anything that seemed truly delicious besides a wedding cake and glazed bacon. I don't want to knock the cake and the bacon, they both looked tasty and satisfying to me, but we've seen chefs who made more and better things go home.

And really, I'm not sure how one fixes the game to deal with someone who is repeatedly not quite last place. The previous several season all of the not quite lasters got washed out of the competition way before the grand finale.

I want the final three to be the people who provided a consistent high level of cooking. They don't have to win all the time, but they have to at least stay in the middle or top. I love watching Richard and Stephanie because they are so good at what they do. Same thing with Hung, he had mad skills and it was always a thing of beauty to see him work.

With Lisa I keep wondering what'll be undercooked, overcooked, or mangled, and which one of the others will shoot themselves in the foot even worse than she does. Not fun television.

Just for the record, Lisa has four individual (non-team, it's her own fault for being on the bottom) low scores. That's more individual lows than any other contestant from any other season.

[Max A]

I cannot believe that Lisa somehow managed to keep going into the finals. If she doesn't get murdered one million times over in the finals, I'm not watching Top Chef anymore.

[anon man]

I haven't seen this mentioned here, but in terms of giant blunders, how about Marcel actually forgetting to bring the fish for his fish course cum salad course.

[Gilby]

Sorry. I still don't understand the "If Lisa doesn't lose I'm not watching" crowd. Quite simply, if Lisa wins in this final cook-off (heaven-forbid) it will be because she outcooked, over a number of courses, the two best chefs by quite a margin that Top Chef has ever seen. (Hung could cook with these two, but would not be a tough beat. No one else is close. If not for Richard this season, Dom would be telling us at the start of the season that Steph is a bit of a ringer. I mean, seriously, have you seen the resumes of these two? Top Chef wouldn't have dreamed of having chefs this credentialed when it started.) I don't think there's any real chance that Lisa can both conceive and execute a meal that can come close to either of these chefs, even if they have horrible days. But, if she does win, it will be because she did. And, if she did, that means she came up with something fucking brilliant, and executed it perfectly to boot. I can't find any fault in that, if in fact it happens. (Which, of course, I feel has almost zero chance in happening.)

[Solange]

You are on to something Vega....

The TeamTopChef blog is up and more attempts at the remaking of public opinion on Lisa is there.

I'm starting to get a very stomach turning feeling about the Wednesday Final, almost like they all know something we do not and the fans are about to get a very sickening thump in the breadbasket or something....

Lisa's move into the final underscores a flaw in how the judging is done. On Tom's Bravo blog he makes it known that this may be the only fair way to do things and including past performance is not feasible. That's not actually true though. You can award points based on finish weekly and the lowest points holder packs up the sharp stuff.

You can make a win a 10, a second an 8 etc, etc, or some format of that. Maybe the 3 bottoms get a 1 let's say. Each week, you tally them up and lowest goes. If entire fantasy baseball leagues and football leagues can do this sort of thing surely a cooking competition can figure something out.

If nothing else, Lisa would be gone under that situation and Dale would be in. She's in the final and that means she can win. If she did, the whole competition looks foolish and the "coveted title" of Top Chef rings hollow. No one would ever consider her a Top Chef even if she did mooch a win. Like Tom says, at the end it's about the food and we have seen for months she ain't got the food....

[Hillary]

I'm not surprised Antonia went home...but I'm surprised and HATE that Lisa is in the final three. It's ok now but if she somehow manages to beat Stephanie or Richard, I will in fact be horrified.

I was never all that into Antonia, but Lisa just has to go. I wrote my full review and rant on my blog.

[DaveP]

Bill,

The Next Food Network Star is an entirely different (and, I agree, disappointing) animal than TC. Those aren't chefs, they're wanna-be TV personalities. There's what, 2 or 3 that's even finished culinary school? Nimma could probably out cook them all (well, maybe not). There's not a single NFNS contestant that would make it onto TC, certainly not these last two seasons (maybe Shane in a few more years), but that's not the focus of that show, nor, sadly, is it the focus of the Food Network of late. They want ppl who look good on TV, not trained chefs, and said as much in their recent retrospective.

This isn't to say FN doesn't have their share of talent, but Rachael Ray (who at least admits she's not a chef) & Paula Deen get better ratings than Mario Batali, I'm afraid.

[meg]

~ sad (not surprised) to hear antonia got eliminated.

~ in my head, i'm hoping the final episode will have the eliminated chefs again being paired to the finalists -- it would be just awesome to see dale-richard, steph-antonia battling it out. dale and antonia DID have their bad days, but you can't deny they make up half of the deserving foursome that should've been in the finale. lisa? she can be paired with nikki or spike. or both :P

[anon man]

DaveP and Bill,

TC is a show for chefs and increasingly - good chefs. Season 1 had a few questionable picks, including that nutrionist, the culinary student and at that insane Irish dude. Now, Sous Chefs at widely known restaurants get whacked the first week.

TNFS is about the contestant, not really the food. I don't really watch the show, but if its on I'll stop by. In the episode currently airing, a dishes that stunk, the review is something like "yeah, the food was ok, but you were great, or your stunk, etc." In TC, its all about the food.

I think the more interesting comparion is TC to Hell's Kitchen. Ignoring the idiocy of Sir Gordon melting down over the most mundande things, the show isn't really for professional chefs, its for wannabes. There's a culinary student, a couple pros, a few private chefs and few former/ non-professional chefs.

I'm going to throw down the Gauntlet and suggest that Dom, as a representative for all of us over-zealous home chefs, try out for HC. Even if you don't win, it would be fun to watch. Although given the room tempature IQ of the average chef on that show, he may not make the cut. I would even say we should chip in to pay for his airfare to audition... How about it Dom?

[anon man]

oh, to be clear, by "not make the cut", I'm suggesting that Dom is probably too smart to be cast on the show. (I base that solely on reading the blog.)