Top Chef - S6E4 Postmortem

Guess we have our first bummer of the season.

I have to say, as freaked out as I was about this quickfire, that turned out pretty darn well. I'm done doubting this crew. That whole thing about a chuckwagon in the desert heat and sand next week? *pfffffffffffft* They'll be fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. (maybe)

Definitely bummed to see Hector go. He's by far the most interesting Latin chef we've seen on the show, and I was really hoping he'd go deep. But you butcher beef like that in any season, much less this one, and you're done. And like they said, it doesn't help that in chateaubriand he essentially got the belt high fastball down the heart of the plate and still blew it.

I'm a little surprised the producers brought such a murderer's row of chefs this early in the season. I mean, how the hell do you raise the bar on Boulud, Joho, Keller, Tourondel and Robuchon?

Season six continues to be awesome. Here's hoping they don't blow the streak with what looks like a really stupid challenge next week.

Discuss!

Comments

[babyarm]

Wow, our "buddy" Tim Love gets another screwy episode to be a part of. He told us he'd be doing an episode this season, but didn't say it was a super tricked up one.

Funny that bacon wins again this time out. And damn near lost it for someone else.

We are treated to a TomC spitting out of food next week. Should be fun.

Not sure these guys really did very well this week as a whole. Of the 6 dishes really only 2 were good. It wasn't clear why the frog legs team didn't go up either that looked and was described as god awful.

Agree that if you can't cook a chateau in 2? hours you don't deserve to stay on. The guy was too rustic to make it deep anyways. The Howie stuff won't fly this season.

[Anne]

Like I said, re: the quickfire. Bacon.

[Skillet Doux]

Good call, Anne :-)

[Bart]

A lot to absorb in this episode.

1. Very disappointed (but not surprised) to see Jesse go. I really think there's a lot of untapped potential there, and like a few of the other chefs we've seen recently (Art Smith, Arianne, Antonia), her restaurant probably serves memorable, phenomenal food...but couldn't translate that into the competition. Cooking in a kitchen and cooking for Top Chef are completely different things.

2. I was so stoked (and found it really hilarious) that Erica (Erica!), the grand poobah of pasta, made a return appearance.

3. Dang. Very disappointed to see Hector go. I kept thinking it'd be Ashley. Ash, on the other hand, clearly seemed to be the safest of the bottom four. I don't think he was too seriously considered for elimination.

4. When Jennifer, Isabella and the Voltaggio brothers all teamed up, I knew those would be the winning teams. Those four, plus Kevin, could easily have been finalists on any other season...perhaps even outright winners. It'll be very interesting to see how the final three comes down to. And whoever wins this season will undoubtedly be recognized as the real deal.

5. How cool is Robuchon? He's only the chef of the century. No pressure. I bet even Gail, Tom and Padma were nervous to meet him.

[Independent George]

I was nervous about the elimination QF, but they did it right - they increased the stakes, but the chefs all had two opportunities to save themselves. It was fair - which is the main criterion by which I judge these challenges.

It's a shame about Hector, but I really can't complain about the outcome. If there's one cardinal sin for Colicchio, it's "Don't screw up the meat." (I guess #2 would be, "Don't under-season."

I always wondered why, when roasting, the chefs don't 'cheat' by sticking an extra piece to the oven that they can slice open towards the end to check on the progress. Sure, it's not something you think a pro would need, but when you're working in an unfamiliar kitchen with such high stakes, it seems like a good insurance policy.

The hardest thing about Hector's elimination is that they evidently didn't need to leave the meat in the oven so long; the thermometer was appeared to read low, and the meat was overcooked as a result. It's a good idea to rely on the thermometer when you don't know how hot an oven really runs, but this time, it seems to have backfired.

[KinderJ]

4x4 and then a bolt from the blue with Hector. Damn shame, I liked him and wanted to see him for a good long while. That being said... whew! That's one episode I am going to have to download and watch a few times to pick up on everything. Everything I said about snail innovation? They nailed it. A bunch of the Cheftestants were locked into the butter and garlic mindset (though the tried to jazz it up) but those three top dishes were... just staggering. Very, very creative and well done. And it looks like Mike I was very close to the win there.

On the elimination... I have the recipe book of sauces, but mostly it's just been sitting there. I now feel almost compelled to start making a Bernaise. And Veloute and all the rest of them (except maybe the sauce American, as I am not much into sea food). Just amazing to see the execution and technical skill put forward by the chefs, and especially the Voltaggio brothers. Mike I did good, no question, but I would say that 80-90% of the intellectual leg work on that dish was Brian. The rabbit looked gorgeous, and I am sure the sauce was excellent, but it was the butchering of the lamb that grabbed my attention, and the mustard noodles that rocked the judges. The Voltaggios are really making a name for themselves by pairing classic techniques and flavors with understated MG techniques. Have a look at Chef Tom's blog over at Bravo for more on that. Very interesting stuff. I am reminded of something Blais wrote a while back- that MG is not a cooking style per se but a way of improving already good things. He also stressed the need for a solid classical background, to allow the chef to really make use of modern technology and technique. I think a good example of this would be Marcel from a few seasons back. Show of hands who thinks he could beat either of the Voltaggios head to head. Anyone? Aaaaanyone? Me either.

All in all a damn fine episode, and one I look forward to watching again.

[KinderJ]

and by lamb I meant rabbit. Because they look damn near identical and all. Clearly I have mad cow.

[KinderJ]

Independent George- yeah, screwing up the meat is a real fast track to the door with Colicchio. The second I saw him start to carve, the second I realized he was leaving it in so long, my heart just dropped. It was like he smacked into a blood piniata when he tried to carve that thing. Just tragic. And so avoidable. I am sad to see Hector go, but it was clearly the worst error of the evening.

It also really underscored something Colichio has said again and again- the chefs are judged solely on the dish the present that day. Not past performance or future expectations, just that dish. Its tough, but very fair.

[Independent George]

How happy did Kevin look to be seated at that table? How awesome must it feel to be praised by those chefs, as this week's top four were?

Anybody else enjoy watching Jennifer horsing around with Mike I. while shopping? I called shenanigans on the editors from the beginning, and I'm now more convinced than ever that the 'I'm not getting beat by a girl' and 'That's favoritism' lines were taken completely out of context.

I also have to give props to Colicchio for writing this in his blog:

Ashley had a solid idea to flavor the classic volute with asparagus but was shot down by Mattin and, unfortunately, deferred to him. If done properly, this would have been entirely acceptable. I will note that I respect Ashley for not throwing Mattin under the bus when he lied about this at the Judge’s Table … and I think viewers will lose respect for Mattin for lying.

[gilmore]

What a great episode.

Not surprised to see Jesse go. She was continually in the bottom.

Sad to see Hector go, but not surprised as said earlier, he had the easiest component. This was also the second piece of beef he did not cook well. I had hoped for him to stay on longer so as to see more of his Latin style.

Matin got off lucky. What should have been a breeze was a thud.

[Mann of Sandd]

Best. Season. Ever.

And I say that despite my bitter disappointment at Hector's dismissal, as I was rooting for him. His restaurant in Atlanta is one of the city's best, and I hoped he'd stay on longer. Not to say Atlanta isn't being repped just fine right now. As disappointed as I am, I echo the sentiments of everyone else....he deserved to go based on what he made this episode. If it wasn't such a strong field this year, I may be more ticked they didn't take overall potential into the mix, but it's hard to argue against the formula this year.

[Cousin Sam]

It's funny to me that they ask questions of the top chefs and then announce the winner right away, while with the bottom chefs they have that deliberation in between with the chefs going back to the stew room. Do you think it's just a trick of editing and they deliberate for the winning spot as well, or that they already have a winner picked?

[garik16]

Awesome show, though i'd hoped that Jen and Mike would win.

The quickfire showcased the best thing about top chef...it is a meritocracy. Even when there's a double elimination, the chefs eliminated DESERVE to go home. And no one can deny that about Jesse.

Aside: Was Mike seriously flirting with Jen during the elimination challenge? Or was he just being courteous to her? Because of its the former, while its better than Hosea+Lea, it should stay out of this show, thanks.

[Lon]

Very few surprises in this episode, at least for chef's performances. The top stayed the top and the bottom stayed the bottom, except for Hector who fell hard.

Right now I'm rooting for Kevin. He spent some time in Portland, Ore., my hometown. He seems to pull out victories with very unusual mixtures and tastes with classical techniques. I think it's very easy to underestimate him.

[Skillet Doux]

"I was nervous about the elimination QF, but they did it right - they increased the stakes, but the chefs all had two opportunities to save themselves. It was fair - which is the main criterion by which I judge these challenges."

IG... I hope I didn't lend the wrong impression. I was never concerned about fairness in the challenge. Everybody's in the same boat. It just seemed like the type that could trip up a favorite, and that's what had me nervous. Thrilled to see they all rose to the challenge.

[Skillet Doux]

"It's funny to me that they ask questions of the top chefs and then announce the winner right away, while with the bottom chefs they have that deliberation in between with the chefs going back to the stew room. Do you think it's just a trick of editing and they deliberate for the winning spot as well, or that they already have a winner picked?"

I'm thinking it has to be the former. I don't know if that's an impression borne of actual evidence or just a hunch, but I can't believe they've predetermined the winner before they even talk to anybody.

[anon man]

Bummer, but how cool was it that Hector just turned and walked out. Much better than the whiney "thank you thank you" we usually get.

[Independent George]

IG... I hope I didn't lend the wrong impression. I was never concerned about fairness in the challenge. Everybody's in the same boat. It just seemed like the type that could trip up a favorite, and that's what had me nervous. Thrilled to see they all rose to the challenge.

That wasn't in reference to anything you said, but my own observations on TC. What I mean by 'unfair' would be like TCM challenge where they moved everybody right during the middle of prep, and then changed the venue again afterwards. Sure, everybody was in the same boat, but depending on their menus, not everyone was affected the same way, and there was no way to plan for that sort of thing.

[garik16]

Anyone ever seen something like this group dominance before?

4 Eliminations

Michael V:
3/4 Tops, and that one was because he was in the same group as Kevin.

Kevin:
2/3 Tops (wasn't eligible this time around)

Jen: 2/3 (Wasn't really eligible due to the exec chef duty last week)

Bryan V: 2/4

And even Jerk Mike I is 2/4.

I mean literally if you take out those 5, thats almost all of the top spots in elimination challenges. That's PURE domination...it's like having 5 times Stephs' performance in early season 4.

[Cousin Sam]

It seems odd they would predetermine the winner to me too, and yet they never show that, except maybe in the finale.

Ok, next question - what does it mean to stodge in someone's kitchen? And which do you think is the bigger prize - Kevin having the opportunity to eat with those chefs (and yet only being able to impress one chef with his cooking), or Bryan's win?

Also interesting to read on Tom's blog that Bryan's technique with the trout was a sous-vide, when sous-vides (?) never seem to come off very well. (Not that I would know a sous-vide from Uncle Ben's boil-in-a-bag rice, I'm just sayin'.)

[Lou_NJ]

These chefs are phenomenal but some are getting really irritating -
Ron is taking subtle pot shots and just flying under the radar by not doing anything special.
Mike I. seems very competent and did well in the QF but time and again seems dependent on one the V. brothers to get especially creative. I recognize he has talent but he has more mouth and ego.
Mattin should have gone (Tom's blog defines why very well) he was lucky that Hector did something worse. I would have preferred Hector stay but he really committed the worse sin of the two.

[Independent George]

garik - actually, that is very reminiscent of S4. Richard won 4 eliminations, Steph won 4, Dale T won 3 (including one shared with Richard), and Antonia won 1, and Lisa won 1. That's 12 of 13 (Andrew won the remaining one) - the four finalists accounted for 10 of the 13 EC wins (9 of 12 if you eliminate the EC in Puerto Rico, where one of the four finalists had to win). (And then just imagine the alternate-universe where Lisa was eliminated in RW and Dale wound up going to Puerto Rico).

[Nsam]

Anon Man, how is the usual "thank you thank you" when getting PPYKAGged considered "whiney"? Seriously? Wouldn't a better description be that's it's an attempt at a graceful exit under painful or disappointing circumstances? And do you seriously think that Hector's borderline contemptuous behavior was "cool"?

TC isn't (and I hope never will be) some bare-knuckled, anything goes deathmatch. This French-themed episode, in fact, reminds us that the profession of chef is rooted in cultural traditions of which civility is no small part. I can empathize with Hector's hurt feelings, but he behaved badly. I'm afraid that I don't agree with you about this at all.

[kit]

Cousin Sam says: "Ok, next question - what does it mean to stodge in someone's kitchen?"

I figured he meant "stage", but was pronouncing it all frenchified. I think it's when someone goes and works in some amazing kitchen, as a learning experience. One of the chefs who visits this site probably has a better idea than me though...

[zsparks]

Unbelievable! Instead of Power Rankings, you might have to start calling it the Skillet Doux Curse. (Okay, you missed Hector, but jeez.)

[Cousin Sam]

"I figured he meant "stage", but was pronouncing it all frenchified."

He who - wasn't it Padma who said it? Where's the instant replay?! :)

[kit]

Cousin Sam points out my dementia: "He who - wasn't it Padma who said it? Where's the instant replay?! :)"

Um, somehow I turned Padma into Tom??? Obviously because they look so alike :)

[kit]

I just finished watching the exit interviews and those combined with some of the comments Ashley made during the episode, my heart really goes out to these chefs. They seem so sincere about the experience and what they had hoped it could do for their careers, but so crestfallen and concerned about how it's actually playing out. Hector worries that it will actually drive customers away. Ashley voices concerns about what this will do to her reputation. And Jesse even sounds like she's rethinking whether she should be a chef (though I hope that's just a transient reaction since I think they filmed the interview the morning after). I just want to tell Hector, Listen I know Mattin is cute and neckerchiefy, and may seem to have groupies, but honestly I would eat your food any day over Mattin's!

[Cousin Sam]

Kit, Tom's prevailing over the QF must have stuck with you. :) And speaking of which, the PPYKAL was much more harsh coming from him than Padma's PPYKAG.

[Cheryl]

On the Jennifer/Mike I playing around in the grocery store. Food critic at a local paper in DE checked out Jennifer's restaurant and got to talk with her. She asked Jennifer specifically about Mike I and if he was the big jerk he looks like on the show. Read on to see what Jennifer says:
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20090909/LIFE05/909090310&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Also note her restaurant has proteins other than fish on the menu, including rabbit. I need to talk the husband into a visit to Philly. We'll probably have to wait for reservations. I'm sure it was already a popular place and now people are going to see the celebrity chef.

[Esther]

Re: "stodge," that's how it was spelled on the TV's closed captioning. (Not that it's always right!)

Anyway, I continue to adore this season. I was so pleased with the quickfire challenge -- how, even with a very unusual protein, we still saw the same skill levels and styles that they've been putting out so consistently. (And goodness, I have never had a Top Chef crush as strong as my current one on Kevin. Loved the look of his dish, and his comment about owning all Robuchon's cookbooks, even the ones he can't read, was geekily adorable!)

I find myself wondering which Kevin would have picked, if they had offered him the choice between sitting with the culinary gods (an incredible prize) and cooking for them (a shot at an even more incredible one).

I've got to say, I'm not heartbroken to see Hector go. I mean, I would rather have had Mattin go, but Hector has never really impressed me -- at best, his dishes have looked like tasty features of a high-end Latin restaurant, but nothing I would really cherish as a food memory.

Wasn't it a treat to watch Jen and Bryan cooking together? The professionalism that the judges saw on the plate was really manifest in the kitchen. The contrast between their smooth efficiency, putting out several gorgeous and harmonious components, and the way that some of the other contestants were running around and freaking out over just a couple of simple dishes? Fascinating to watch.

I'm tentatively withdrawing my verdict on Mike I until I see more of his comments. I still think he's making jokes that are unfunny at best (and offensive at worst), but after seeing him horsing around with Jen, I'm more willing to believe that it's the villain edit that's really making him look like an ass. (It's a good note for future TC contestants: don't make offensive jokes, even in sarcasm, even if their target knows you mean no harm.)

[SorchaRei]

Wow, Mattin is a vile piece of work. I had no idea how strongly I had reacted to him until I woke up this morning, still steaming about his behavior. I haven't been particularly fond of his food, and now I can't wait for him to leave.

Jen's comment about Mike I in the interview linked above suggests that he's an actual bigot, but she likes him okay anyway. What I primarily noticed about his in this episode was that he had this idea about deconstructing the bernaise, but Bryan had to explain to him how to do it -- in other words, he had a great idea and carried it out well, but the part where the idea turns into a set of steps you can do to achieve your goal had to be done for him by someone else. This suggests to me that while he has good skills and interesting ideas, his skills are not quite up to his ideas. I place him, therefore, as by far the weakest of the top four tonight.

My sense is that both Jesse and Hector are chefs who are not at their best in this pressure-cooker environment, so while I would like to try their food, I'm not terribly sad to see them go.

And finally, even just watching that group of people eat together was amazing. How Kevin must treasure that experience!

[natmicstef]

Bryan won a position as Stagiaire; kitchen brigade positions are briefly touched upon in Richard Blais' blog on Bravo but the definition I pulled up is :

"A person attached to a group of professional workers for a fixed period in order to gain experience in their specialist field"

[Independent George]

I actually kind of enjoy the idea of having 'stodge' as a verb - as in, the act of being obstinate, cranky, and cantankerous.

[paula]

That episode was awesome. And Tom's blog on Bravo was very enlightening--how they could tell that the Bryan/Mike dish was much more of a "Bryan dish" all the way around, the details on how Bryan prepared the trout, and the fact that the chefs all got precooked snails in the QF--they just had to "flavor" them.

Ashley's getting petulant and frustrated, and I think it may end up being her undoing. Ron, Robin and Mattin (yikes) are sinking quickly to the bottom. Ash--you gotta love that guy's attitude, but at the same time, I feel like, does he even care? He's having a great time and will ride it out as long as he can, but it's not going to bust him up when he gets sent home. Mike I. has promise but when he doesn't have a co-chef to bring out the best in him, I think he's just not going to have the chops. Laurine is coasting; Eli might be this season's Dale T.; and the V Bros, Kevin and her Royal Badassery, Jennifer Norris, are just thrilling to watch. The last few episodes of the season are going to be edge-of-your-seat watching.

[Amanda P.]

The one thing that stuck with me last night is that Ashley needs to find a place between "throw Mattin under the bus" (which would have been justified, but maybe not a good idea) and "complete shutdown" (as noted by the judges). There is a middle where you don't come off as whiny and defensive or obnoxious and "not a team player".

Otherwise, I was trying to come up with a non-chef comparison of what Kevin got to experience, and I couldn't come up with a good example. I bet it was amazing, though!

I'm not sad to see Jessie go.

Finally, it seems like they're grooming Eli with the villain edit after some of his comments last week and this. However, Eli's broadcast comments were about the product, while Mike I's comments are about the person, so I find Eli more entertaining.

[paula]

Amanda: That middle ground exists; Carla nailed it last season. (Can I get a "Hootie-HOO"?)

[Dave_P]

This season is just getting better all the time. Another amazing episode, despite all the misgivings about the QF elimination. Random thoughts to follow:

I was sorry to see it, but Jesse needed to go. Too many failures in execution and too many times on the bottom. Bit of a peeve w/the final QF tho--that soup Robin made wasn't really an amuse, I don't think.

They bought Kevin a suit (read the blogs, esp Tom's this week--lots of good insight)! Nice prize to go along w/that awesome dinner. Wonder if he'd rather be cooking for those chefs instead though... or do both.

Speaking of Kevin, bacon jelly? Isn't that just cheating (see Tom's blog for more on this)? :) Can bacon do any wrong on this show? Oh wait... et tu, bacon? Nah, I'll just blame Mateen (more below on him).

Bryan & Mike I make a really strong team, but it's very clear who's the leader of that duo. That team & Mike V + Jen w/Kevin out of the running and... well, that's just not fair, is it? Bryan also mentions some of the other chefs wanting to team up w/the stronger chefs regardless of the pairings. Wonder who was asking for the V-bros & Jen the most?

Hector... that's just a damn shame, but he deserved to be cut, no doubt. I would've brought the meat out w/enough time to rest, carve & plate regardless of temperature (to a point, mind you). Prolly a greater sin to have the juices leak and butcher (figuratively) the cuts than to serve it a bit underdone. And it really was the easiest chore of the evening, all things considered. Good exit though.

Mateen, you little weasel, you're next though. I'm pissed at Hector for being worse than Mateen this week and letting him survive. Still, if he can't shine in this challenge which should be firmly in his wheelhouse, he's toast sooner than later. Seriously, how does anyone screw up bacon on TC? Props to Ashley for not throwing him under the bus, though she seemed closer to just giving up at that point (frustration? Nerves?).

Even the judges flat out acknowledge this is the best season ever. To paraphrase Gail (I think), there's no way any other season could've prepared that meal at this stage. In fact, I don't know who else can hang w/the top 4 from any of the seasons except maybe Hung at this point. I thought Blais could, but consider his failure at his poached (sous-vide) salmon vs. Bryan's trout last night. Even putting aside scale-gate, the salmon was mushy (sous-vide salmon, seriously?), a problem solved by Bryan by curing the trout first to firm up the texture & inject more flavors, then poaching it (sous-vide trout, wow!). And again, no out & out failures by any of the top 4. Early yet, I know, but still.

BTW, Tom, Bryan & other comments at:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-6/blogs

--
Dave

[aaalex]

i'm with everyone who thought this episode was awesome. i don't even like to use the word "awesome", but i can't think of any other superlative. i sat in front of my television as thrilled and almost as stressed as the contestants must have been. jamie lauren's blog entry denigrating this group of contestants was just so stupid. watching jen and michael working together was more thrilling than listening to stefan or fabio. (and i loved both of them) this season gets the balance between cooking and competition just right, for me. each episode has been better than the last. i'm with you, dominic, in wondering what comes next. ferran adria as a guest judge? the resurrected corpse of escoffier used in a soup?

amanda: i think the analogy, for those who write, would be a chance to spend an evening out with samuel beckett, dashiell hammett, harold pinter and thomas pynchon or the chance to have those writers read your work and see their reaction. i'd choose the evening out. i imagine kevin got a lot of time to talk with the chefs (time the editors had to cut) and just absorb the attitude. he got to feel what the energy of those people is like and he got to imagine himself in the highest company his profession has to offer. the best, obviously, would be to have robuchon eat your food and then talk to you about it, one on one. but that wasn't on offer. so, next best (for me) would be a few words with the man, over a drink.

re: ron ... the editors chose to give us the ron and robin show. ron was snarky and suggested he did not think he and robin made a good pair. (he plead the fifth.) he made robin seem scattered and too much of a handful. (he suggested the other chefs feel that way, too). the thing is: the contrast between ron/robin and mattin/ashley was instructive. though eli talked about the wilted greens going out, the only thing on the plate that ron did was the battered frogs legs. and the comment about them was that there was too much batter on them (over-caked was eli's description, "overcooked" was boulud's observation, and robuchon mentioned you couldn't taste the frog). the rest of the dish (lemon confit, mache and arugula salad and fried capers) was robin's doing. keller mentioned that there was creativity and originality in the dish, and the others agreed. the originality, then, must have come from robin, not ron. the fact they survived - the thoughtfulness and originality - was from the person who did NOT have the french background: robin. conversely, if ashley had gone with her instincts to make an asperagus veloute, the team would have been much better off. (mattin's outright lying at judge's table, his whining that he hadn't made a veloute in a while, was pretty much hateful. he's a weasely little guy who has played it safe until now and in the one challenge when he should have shined he was just awful and showed himself willing to take ashley down to save his own neckerchiefed skin, the bastard. ashley's reaction at judges table was one of outrage (at mattin's lie) and frustration with herself (she must have known she should have trusted her own instincts) i don't blame her for being speechless under the circumstances. it must have been a bitch to discover just what a jerk mattin really is.

anyway, my bet is that mattin goes very soon.

and, independent george: love the idea of stodge as a verb. love to see you use it in a sentence. may i suggest: "ron stodged robin into lettng him do the frogs' legs."

[babyarm]

Yeah, I'm not even sure Blais could have lasted if he pulled out his salmon dish versus this crew. It came at about this point in the competition too.

At some point you can start listing competitors that would last with this season to RW and the list is very small. I'm not sure any of Season 5 would make it, not even stefan. 4 maybe Blais and that's it.

3 I think Casey, Tre, and Hung could hang.

2 and 1, nobody really comes to mind.

Tim Love the judge next week if I remember right started out doing these gourmet chuck wagon events. He's got a background in cooking all sorts of crazy trail food. So he's perfect for this challenge next week. He competed on TCM and fared poorly due to freezing his groceries, but won on Iron Chef versus Morimoto.

[Brent]

Tim Love is a monster talent. Can't tell you how many times I've read a chef quoted as saying that as soon as they land in DFW, they head straight to Tim Love's place. But I think his "Mr. Texas" shtick sometimes gets in the way of greater appreciation of his talent. He apparently doesn't care about that, though, and always seems to be enjoying himself, so more power to him. Get on that cowboy hat and ride, Chef Love!

[Independent George]

I think Tiffani from S1, Hung and Tre from S3, Blais and Steph from S4 could have contended in this season. They all had their missteps, but I think the talent was definitely there.

[aaalex]

babyarm: not sure anyone from previous seasons could have lasted to the very END with the top four of this season. but to this point? blais, stefan, stephanie, hung, etc. were all better than ash, mattin, laurine, ron. the middle of the pack here is not at the highest level of previous years. i do wonder, though: if blais had been in this group and left scales in the sousvide salmon, would he have been gone? hector's mistake was pretty huge. hector might still have got the axe at this point. (obviously hard to compare such different circumstances.)

[peli grietzer]

Re: Richard's salmon, do recall that it was a banquet catering sorta thing. So not really comparable to this particular challenge. I'd say Stephanie, Richard, Dale T could hang this season. Also maybe Jamie and Harold. I'd even bet Stefan would have been capable of stepping up his game sufficiently.

[anon man]

I was just reading Tom's blog, and he essentially said something that I sort of realized this morning in traffic: Michael I is a follower. (My words, not Tom's.) Its clear that he has some ideas, but he's riding Bryan's coat tails. Maybe its a regional thing, both being from around DC so they team up a lot, but it seems to me that he needs Bryan's help to stay in the top 3 (with the exception of the snails dish, which he apparently got right.) He's still MOTP, but he's not elite. This is fast turning into a 4 horse race, IMHO.

As for previous seasons, I think both Tiffany and Harold from S1 could have lasted awhile with this group. Yeah, in retrospect, some of their dishes were pretty boring, but you can only beat the people you're up against, and I don't think they had the tools they have now. I think at this point, comparing S1 to S3-S6 is a bit like compating Babe Ruth to Barry Bonds, they're too far apart in time to reliably compare.

[jojo]

Its kind of frustrating that there clearly are worse chefs in the field than Hector and we all know it. Ron is a one-note. Mattin can't even do french. Come on, these guys aren't lasting anyway. But rules are rules.

Mattin is pretty much a universal a-hole now; worse than Mike I, who simply just reeks of Jersey, no sin there.

[rab01]

Actually, I think there are a bunch who could've competed hard: Harold, Tiffani, Lee Anne, Hung, Tre, Stephanie, Richard, Dale T, Stefan, maybe Jaime, maybe Sam, maybe Marcel. Remember Marcel was hamstrung by not having any of the ingredients necessary for his style of cooking; although it's also true that there are people in this cast who are way more experienced at MG than he ever was. It is, however, a testament to this group that you'd need to draft the all-stars to find real competition for them.

The most interesting transplant would've been Stefan -- a chef good enough to (perhaps) out-do Rippert in Rippert's own kitchen but who lost his season due to boredom.

[peli grietzer]

'Lost his season due to boredom' = awesome phrasing. Also I think Stefan's big issue was his sense that he deserved the Top Chef title as a lifetime achievement award.

[suzanne]

I think Ashley's confidence was blown by how she finished in the QF. Had she done better there (or at least not come close to being eliminated), she may have been more assertive on the asparagus issue.

[The Last Stop]

Wow. It's not a stretch to say that this is a contender for best TC episode EVER for me. Right up there with the FCI ep from S3 and part 1 of S4 finale. Kevin and Brian's victories were truly thrilling.

As for chefs that could hang with the cream of S6, I'd put the list and no more than Hung, Blais, maybe Tiffani(Tom said that she was his favorite contestant in a recent interview) Dale, and Stefan.

I'll go ahead and disagree with those(Dave P, babyarm) who say that Blais couldn't hang with this crowd, though. - if he were cooking for Boloud and Robuchon, you can bet he'd be on his best behavior. In fact, he DID cook for Boloud and blew his mind with the chocolate-wasabi salmon. Even at the finale, which he blew, he came in "close second" to Stephanie at her best, according to Ted. The salmon was the only serious mistake he made all season. Bryan made a few so far, though the rest of the top 4 have been impeccable consistent. If Blais were cooking with S6, I'm sure he would step up his game accordingly. Although that would raise the chance of him being eliminated for something that was just TOO left field.

Blais and Hung have been the only contestants who've consistently come up with dishes universally praised as "genius.

I'm actually not sure about Tre: his dominance of season 3 definitely seems to be romanticized. He had a good run, and is probably the only one that stood a chance against Hung. But he was on the bottom of several qf's, and his restaurant wars dishes were just BAD on every level - poorly executed and uninventive. Hung's inconsistency seemed to be a result of a strategy based on attempting to cook dishes that weren't "him"- more or less treating the entire competition as a high level culinary school exam. I think this is different than "playing it safe". It was a questionable strategy but maybe it turned out to be the right one - he KNEW that he was head and shoulders above the rest of the cast and needed to make sure he made it through a series of unpredictable eliminations.

[Independent George]

I think Tiffani is frequently underrated when comparing the different casts. S2 was such a trainwreck that I can't evaluate any of the chefs fairly; I prefer to pretend it didn't exist.

[Naomi]

Agree with everyone - fantastic episode.

And I too echo a lot of other comments regarding Hector; sad to see him go but sadly he deserved it most.

I thought it would have been cool in the QF if Tom had told the bottom 3 what he didn't like about their dishes and then given them a chance to fix the mistakes.

And Kevin's joy at being at that table was stinking adorable. I really dig that guy.

I'm with whoever said they'd rather watch Jen and Mike V.'s amazing teamwork than past season shenanigans any day!

[ally]

Dumb question -- how did Ron prepare the frog legs? On the episode it looked like he covered them in something green (the parsley oil?)during the dredging process (which maybe led to the over-battering?) The recipe on bravo's website just says dredge in flour. Anyway, in defense of Ron, I thought that the method of prep for the frog legs might have led, in part, to Hubert's comments about creativity?

With regard to Michael I -- I think he made a little miscalculation this week in creeping up to the line of claiming too much credit (without going over?) After that judge's table, I doubt that there will be a third week of his riding on a V-brother's coattails.

[Naomi]

Oh, also wanted to add that I had the impression from the beginning that Jesse was better than what she showed. When she said she hoped people know she doesn't suck as bad as it seemed, I really believed her and felt badly for her (moreso than when other, early leavers, have said similar things)

[SorchaRei]

Jesse strikes me as someone who doesn't do well in this particular kind of environment. Add to that the definite impression that the worse she did, the more freaked she became, which made her do worse, and she was in a vicious cycle she couldn't break out of.

She started out strong, even her worst performances had good ideas at the core of them, and I've heard great things about her work in a less artificial environment. I'm chalking her performance up to bad fit between Jesse and the competition. I just mostly hope it doesn't break her confidence.

[Independent George]

Jesse definitely seems like a case where she had the abilities, but her nerves got the better of her. I'd love to hear from anyone who's been to her restaurant.

Hector just seems like he had a bad day. When watching, I remember thinking that he was smart to use a thermometer for the meat since he didn't know how hot the ovens truly ran, and that it might have saved him from serving an undercooked roast. Unfortunately, that turned out to be what did him in; I suspect he probably got the original cooking time/temp right, but the thermometer wasn't placed correctly in the meat.

I couldn't tell whether he was using an analog thermometer or digital; in my experience, the analog thermometers tend to run 5-10 degrees cold. The end result was an overcooked roast, and a frantic hurry at the end.

[doktarr]

This is definitely the strongest season yet, but it's really just about the top four. It's hard to overstate the degree to which those four have really distanced themselves from the pack. Only Eli and Michael I. are even close, but both of them have ridden the coattails of the top 4 to a degree.

Any of the top 4 would be the absolute shark of any other season. To have all four is an embarrassment of riches. I've reached the point where I would be pretty disappointed if that's not the finale, even though I know the chances of all four of them making it through the 7, 6, and 5 chef stages is pretty low.

Incidentally, big kudos to Dom for nailing the top 4 in preseason. There's a reason this is the best independent Top Chef blog out there.

[aaalex]

ally: ron did dredge the frogs' legs in something green. not sure what it was. but every comment on the frogs' legs themselves was negative. even hubert keller said "well, cooking frogs' legs is difficult", as if to excuse the state of the legs themselves before he defended the originality of the dish. so, i'm thinking, though i could be wrong, it was the meuniere (robin) and the salad (which ron claimed had too much vinaigre) that made the dish interesting. in re-watching the show, i also caught how, before the judging, ron said he hoped he would be judged solely for the frogs' legs and nothing else on the plate. i think if he had been, he'd have been toast. of course, it could be i just didn't like how condescending he was with robin. he spoke as if he knew what he was doing and she didn't have a clue about french cooking. maybe true, but if i read the show right, it was lucky for him she did do things differently. it drew attention away from his over-battered and overcooked frogs' legs.

[babyarm]

"I'll go ahead and disagree with those(Dave P, babyarm) who say that Blais couldn't hang with this crowd, "

That wasn't exactly what I meant. I just meant that if he did this season like the one he was on the salmon scale incident would most likely had sent him packing.

I don't recall exactly how they managed to keep him on for that disaster, but they did mainly due to the high number of non competitive chefs remaining.

It's more of a testament to the overall quality here. One technical screw up and you are toast.

That being said these chefs should invest in a thermapen. Hyper-accurate and the measuring device is in a tapered tip. Fans of America's Test Kitchen see this utilized in virtually every episode. I have one and love it. There is a smaller version of this designed for pro chefs as well. The meter he was using suffers from some of the same design problems that typically plague instruments of that type.

[Danny]

I hate to be a contrarian but I had problems with this episode. I hated hated hated that someone was eliminated in a Quickfire. The Quickfire has always been a bit of a stunt - extremely short time frame, no ability to shop, a set limited theme and frequently something wacky thrown in. I have no problem with them being the decider in immunity or a $15,000 chip (heck they gave one of those away solely based on luck) but I don't like it being used as a reason to send someone home.

Next the three, after hearing no reasons given for why their dishes were in the bottom 3, were told to make an Amuse Buche. As Tom put it, they were being judged by a single bite. Except Jesse was the only one who actually made an Amuse Buche. The other two made a cup of soup and an appetizer that was certainly more than one or two bites. Shouldn't some consideration be given to Jesse for the fact that she was the only one who actually did what they were asked to do? I know that Jesse had no chance of winning Top Chef but it just seemed unfair that she was the only one who performed as requested.

Next, there has been so much talk about how strong this season is. That being so, why was it 4 of the dishes were poorly done - bad frog legs, dry lobster, hacked up over-cooked meat and dry chicken. And, despite what the esteemed chefs said, none of the dishes seemed wildly creative - deconstructed Bernaise sauce - oy. Not saying it wasn't delicious, but in 2009 deconstructed anything just doesn't seem like thinking outside the box.

I just think that, given who they were cooking for, there should have been more successful dishes and some dishes that were as creative as the Guacamole and Chips interpretation from a few weeks back. Sorry about the rant.

[Skillet Doux]

"I hate to be a contrarian..."

Contrarianism is entirely welcome!

I still think you're wrong, though :-)

I agree, ideally I don't like a quickfire elimination, but they handled it about as well as they could have, I think. For starters, unless they cut the field down by one contestant (for which you could certainly make a good argument and I don't know that I'd disagree), presuming Bravo ordered the same number of episodes, they need to have a double elimination somewhere along the way. A 45 minute quickfire for Boulud with a pre-prepped protein and a second chance strikes me as a decent way to do it, even if I don't consider it ideal.

In terms of size of the amuses, you might sway me with Robin's tiny soup bowl, but Ashley's seemed awfully small to me. If it wasn't one bite, it couldn't have been more than two. And so long as they're very, very small and the spirit of amuse bouche is honored, I don't see how getting pedantic about it being "one bite and ONLY one bite" adds anything. One of the three might arguably have been a touch big, and Colicchio even commented on that.

Also, when you say four of the dishes were "poorly done", I think we're talking on a relative scale, here. It seems clear to me that the judges have adjusted to the field, at least to some degree, and they're really nit-picking to a degree that they haven't in seasons past. On the creativity end, I simply disagree -- I think there was some wonderfully creative stuff going on at that meal (not all of it whiz bang flashy creative, but some very nice little twists). Not only is expecting Bryan's guac and chips every week unrealistic, but I'm not even certain the judges would respond well to a constant barrage of that kind of insane creativity without some plain old wild creativity in between. Of course, that's a matter both of opinion and speculation. On quality, though, as mentioned, I think you're getting a skewed sense because the judges are being more critical.

I will note, however, that I do think some are selling some of the better chefs from seasons past awfully short. So far, it appears that this season is notable for having multiple worldbeaters and an unusually strong middle of the pack, but I think the best from just about all of the previous seasons would be in competiton here. Tiffani, Hung, Stephanie, Blais, Dale T... maybe Harold, Dale L., Lee Anne, Sam, Antonia, Stefan, Jamie... they'd all be in contention here, I think. I'm not saying I'm betting against Season Six in any forthcoming special season vs. season battles :-) But while I agree that this season seems exceptional both in terms of its peaks and its depth, I think the latter is actually more of a departure than the former.

[doktarr]

Next, there has been so much talk about how strong this season is. That being so, why was it 4 of the dishes were poorly done - bad frog legs, dry lobster, hacked up over-cooked meat and dry chicken.

I agree that 4 of the dishes ranged from bad to OK but not great. As I said, though, the reason this season is so exceptional is that there are FOUR chefs (Jennifer, Kevin, and the brothers) who are as talented as anyone who has been on the show in the last five seasons. One of those four sat out the elimination challenge, and the other three were on the teams that produced the two exceptional dishes.

So, this being the strongest season ever does not conflict with only two of six dishes hitting the bullseye.

And, despite what the esteemed chefs said, none of the dishes seemed wildly creative - deconstructed Bernaise sauce - oy. Not saying it wasn't delicious, but in 2009 deconstructed anything just doesn't seem like thinking outside the box.

You're ignoring the preparation of the fish, which was the real exceptional part of the dish. Read Tom's blog.

[doktarr]

But while I agree that this season seems exceptional both in terms of its peaks and its depth, I think the latter is actually more of a departure than the former.

Really? I think the opposite is true. You implicitly make a case for season 4, which is reasonable, but if I had to pick a winner in a restaurant-wars-esqe challenge between Stephanie/Dale/Richard and any three of MikeV/BryanV/Jennifer/Kevin, I'd be inclined to pick the latter. But aside from Michael I. and Eli, I'm not blown away by this year's MOTPers. Are they really so much better than, say, uh... Spike?

OK, maybe I just proved your point.

[Danny]

Dom and doktarr, I appreciate your comments. Still have no idea how to copy them, but I still appreciate them. But I do think that four of the dishes had problems that if they showed up to me at a restaurant would leave me dissatisfied and possibly willing to send it back. The frog legs looked tragic in the brief glimpses we got of them, dry lobster is as bad to me as mushy lobster - they are both unacceptable, and the whole challenge of poussin is to stop it from being dry. Nuf said about the meat.

I just watched it again and Tom did not talk about the size of the Amuse Bouches. He said that the proportions were off in the soup because it needed more crab just as he said that Jesse's proportions were off.

I agree that the preparation was great - but much of the praise was for the deconstructed Bernaise although it seemed that Tom wasn't so impressed when he said that if we mix it all together we will have a Bernaise.

But Dom, your last paragraph was actually much what I was saying. There are some very strong competitors this season but somehow that has turned into dismissing most of the other chefs in the other seasons and I just don't think that this is fair to those other chefs. Apparently many of them don't suck since they've gone on to launch successful restaurants and have successful careers. Do I think that S2 Mike is probably working at the Redondo Beach TGIF - yep - but I think that we have short memories and we forget how strongly we championed chefs when they were on the current seasons we were watching as we now summarily dismiss them.

[Skillet Doux]

"OK, maybe I just proved your point."

Heh :-)

First, consider the top tier:

Jennifer C.
Kevin
Brothers V.

vs.

Hosea
Stefan
Carla
Fabio

vs.

Blais
Stephanie
Antonia
Dale T.

vs.

Hung
Dale L.
Casey
???

vs.

Ilan
Marcel
Sam
Elia

vs.

Harold
Tiffani
Dave
Lee Anne

(Almost) every season has a couple of people who are top notch, but who rounds out a fop four like season six?

And the MOTP'ers:

Michael I.
Ashley
Eli
Robin

vs.

Jeff
Leah
Jamie
Radhika

vs.

Spike
Lisa
Andrew
Nikki

vs.

Brian
Sara M.
CJ
Howie

vs.

Cliff
Michael
Betty
Mia

vs.

Stephen
Miguel
Andrea
Lisa

Atually, the middle of the pack was pretty deep last season, too, but I'm not convinced that even they match up. This season's crowd may be overshadowed by the top tier, but they look really solid to me.

I mean, again, we're four episodes in, here. But I think it's the depth that's really remarkable this season.

[The Last Stop]

"Tiffani, Hung, Stephanie, Blais, Dale T... maybe Harold, Dale L., Lee Anne, Sam, Antonia, Stefan, Jamie... they'd all be in contention here, I think."

If by "in contention" you mean better than this seasons 50th %ile, I'd probably agree with you. In my comment earlier, I was referring to being on par with the top 4 this season, and I stand by that - Hung, Blais, maybe Tiffani, Stefan, Dale T. Did you mean that you think Antonia, Sam, Harold are on par with Jen C and the Voltaggios? I'd be surprised if you meant that. But what the hell do I know? ;-)

[Skillet Doux]

"If by 'in contention' you mean better than this seasons 50th %ile, I'd probably agree with you. In my comment earlier, I was referring to being on par with the top 4 this season, and I stand by that - Hung, Blais, maybe Tiffani, Stefan, Dale T. Did you mean that you think Antonia, Sam, Harold are on par with Jen C and the Voltaggios? I'd be surprised if you meant that. But what the hell do I know? ;-)"

Ehhhh, I'm trying not to be that precise about it (in character, I know). It's not really fair to compare in that fashion so early in the season, I suppose. I'm just trying to think of people from previous seasons who I'd consider serious contenders for the finals this season. Point is, there are plenty.

[gilmore]

Tim Love, trail cooking.

Watch out for Kevin and his background (via his parents) in competitive barbecue cooking. Combined with his classical training, he is my pick for TC.

Is it me or the editing - there seems to be very little drinking by these chefs (despite there vices). They are focused on the competition.

[anon man]

Dom, one other thing on the legitimacy of the snail QF is that Tom makes clear that cooking with snails actually involves some time-consuing cleaning/purging process which they wouldn't be able to do, so they all got cleaned and cooked (I assume partially so - I've never worked with them.) to level the playing field. It wasn't like the S3 debacle where people were left trying to figure out how to unshell a conch for the first time in their lives with time ticking away.

[babyarm]

they took away hard liquor from the chefs this year. Only beer and wine.

[rab01]

"Actually, the middle of the pack was pretty deep last season, too"

That may be because the middle of the pack for that season compared favorably to the top 4. It's not clear who's better in a fight between:

Hosea
Stefan
Carla
Fabio

and

Jeff
Leah
Jamie
Radhika

Brian was in the top 4 of Season 3, which I think brings Tre into the the next group. Not sure that has much impact on a relative comparison of seasons, though.

[natmicstef]

Ashley looked exhausted during both the QF and Elimination. I know the schedule is rigorous but it's the same for all of the contestants; she looked wiped out which may have been one of the reasons for her going almost blank on several occasions. Not throwing Matin under the bus was admirable and I am happy that Tom at least seemed to know that Matin was lying. As for not having made veloute in a while..well really? is such a basic sauce something you could forget if you were a chef?, not to mention a French chef. He must be wishing now that had not made a point of introducing his dish to the venerable judges in French.

And one more thing...I can't stop writing...Jamie's blog criticizing the non personalities is poor form. Watching this group is so exciting - I am not missing any drama.

[doktarr]

Yeah, I think I take season 5 in a MOTP cook-off. I'm not particularly impressed by Robin and Ashley at this point.

Incidentally, I don't think it's an accident that the depth is better in the two most recent seasons. Better ratings = bigger applicant pool = better depth. Also, when Eric Ripert starts advising his top proteges to go on the show, that doesn't hurt either.

If this season is in the argument for best top 4 (and winning that argument in my mind) and best next four (and only barely losing in my mind), and no other season can say that, it definitely speaks to the talent of season six.

[aaalex]

gilmore: i know this isn't quite related to your comment, but i found myself really wishing they would treat the wines more seriously on this show. i saw a gathering of some of the best chefs in the world. they were drinking a white wine and i desperately wanted to know what the wine was. if they're drinking fine wines (and i can't imagine otherwise at robuchon's restaurant), those wines will influence the dishes. so, it'd be nice to know what they're matching, say, the rabbit with. (i'm thinking it's not rabbit and "baby duck" ...)

[Dave_P]

Just to make it clear, I meant to say (and in fact did say, I think) that almost no one from S1-5 could hang w/the *top 4* of this season. The MotP is the MotP, and while this season seems deeper than most, it's not heads and shoulders above others

Again, it's early, and I may well be oversold on this season (90% probability that I am), but the creativity, execution and consistancy shown by the top 4 just seem to be ahead of what we've seen before. If I had to put all the top contestants in tiers, it'd look like:

T1 - V bros, Jen, Kevin, Hung
T1a - Blais
T2 - Harold, Dale L, Casey, Dale T, Steph
T3 - Stephan, Hosea, Tre, Ilan, Marcel, Lee Ann, maybe Sam

I put Blais as 1a, because I really do think he's a phenominally talented chef and he does belong right up there, but until I see the top 4 stumble at least a little, I'm gonna keep just a bit of separation bet them and the rest (again, excepting Hung). BTW, I only put Hung up there for what he accomplished very soon after his TC run, which is to say almost representing the US in the Bocuse d'Or competition.

This does not mean I think everyone else sucks or any such thing. Many of the past contestants would do themselves proud this season and last a long while, I'm sure. Steph, Tre, Lee Ann or Marcel may well be the #5 chef of S6 if they competed now, but I don't see any of them being favored (or even odds) to win over the current top 4. I only see Hung being able to do that, and maybe Blais. Everyone else who's ever competed in TC would be underdogs (and most by quite a bit). JMO and all that, of course, and everything subject to change from week to week. :)

--
Dave

[Independent George]

Dave_P: I have to disagree.

I think you're seriously undervaluing Tiffani and Steph from S1 and S4, and overrating the top-4 from this season. Based on what we've seen, I would absolutely put Richard, Steph, and Tiffani at the same level as this year's top-4; what makes this season stand out is that it's a four-way race at the top, not that this year's best is that much better than previous seasons.

[anon man]

On the personality issue: my wife calls this the V brothers and Jennifer the Lithium trio. All their interviews are so monotone and without any emotion at all. I'm all for professional detachment, but how about some sign of life other than Jennifer blue streak. They're all great chefs, clearly, but the interviews border on unwatchable.

[Skillet Doux]

Okay, okay!

It's been brought up before and I'm officially relenting!

At the conclusion of season six, we'll do an all-time Top Chef Power Rankings!!!

(Or at the very least, I'll kick it off and let you guys go to town :-)

[aaalex]

uhm, dominic, you sure about this all time ranking thing? do the phrases "free for all" or "blood in the streets" or, even, "bat shit crazy top chef fans descend on armato residence" have absolutely no meaning for you?

[Lou_NJ]

I'm find ing all this TC across the seasons comparisons a bit off putting. In each successive season the competition has had a chance to build on the earlier - both in talent and production. Each new season has had the opportunity to watch prior seasons and see the pit falls both to personality and talent that are inherent to the production to the talent and the competition. They know the series and could develop a strategy for some of the expected challenges (Q and/or EC). The producers have an expanded talent pool that have learned lessons on what to bring to the table and have an arsenal to tricks and recipes to pull out. By knowing the past and what to expect these guys could certainly come better prepared - especially since the prizes have been significantly jumped. If Blais or Steph or Harold (or ...) came to play today they would be better prepared for the competition. Many of the competitors from past season would be just as worthy in this round. What I see in past seasons and this season is that the top of the pack tends to be more gracious and certainly not snippy about the others. The lurid drama is mostly being provided lower end of the pack (there is a good chance to correlate bitching v performance).
One last point, Ash probably showed more class and understanding in his comment in the waiting room about the judges being spot on, balls to wall - hopefully that's the experience he needed. The leaders understand that but he articulated it best. He should move up because seems to deliver a good and consistent product and if he did a "wow" something he would get serious recognition.

[JH]

I, for one, don't think that there is a lack of personality for the current season. First, I think that the professionalism of the cheftestants is higher this season which, for a few exceptions, leads the chefs to be much more reserved and aware of how their comments will come across to the public. I also think that some of these chefs aren't great on-camera personalities and tense up, hence, the nearly "unwatchable" interviews. Their personalities are evident when they're joking around around the house or their playfulness at Whole Foods or in the kitchen. For those familiar with the Next Food Network Star, there are many contestants there that are great off camera, but then completely suck once the red light turns on.

As a complete side note, and about a week late, Preeti works as a chef for Google. Having eaten at the Google campus (once), the food is way better than most cafeterias, but is no way as good as some of the amazing buffets you can find in Las Vegas. Though her pasta salad would seem like a decent fit for their menu.

[anon man]

Dom, I would look forward to an all-time ranking, and would even accept a tiered system. My only request, okay, lobbying, is please give Harold his due. His food is rustic, but the guy's got some chops. Would have he have beaten Stephanie or Hung or Hosea? Who knows. I reiterate that comparing Season 1 to Seasons 3-6 is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison.

More interesting would be this debate: Worst all-time? Ken (S1), Seitan (S6), Random culinary student (S5), other?

[mar]

Getting back to last night's episode... another comment on Michael I. riding the V. bros. coattails. Seriously, I was appalled at JT listening to him describe his contribution to the dish. I think he took a LOT more credit than he should have for the sauce - he may have managed the deconstruction well but without Bryan he wouldn't have even known how to make the sauce - at least that's how it appeared. And it seemed that Bryan was uncomfortable with Michael's words, too - granted, there was clearly a lot of editing and cutting during that scene, but still. Am I totally off-base on this? Because I can't imagine either V bro would want to work with someone who is regularly going to try to take credit where credit is not due. Fortunately the judges were able to see where the meat (er, fish :) of the dish came from.

How cool would it have been to have the V brothers pick a complementary protein/sauce and pair up? They'd either kick butt or crash and burn trying to work together.

[aaalex]

anon man: well, ken would be weirdest of all time, but preeti, from this season, would be near the bottom of my list. that pasta salad was really really amateur and right down there with the "oriental" dish from your random culinary student (patrick) from last year. also, though i know it's not her fault she had never shucked clams before, i think the single most painful moment i've seen, chef skill-wise, was watching preeti trying to open those clams. she managed, what, five by the end? jen z and eve were both unlucky to go before preeti, this year, i think. but if we're talking least likable tv personality, ilan or lisa would have to be neck and neck. so, what are your parameters: personality or cooking?

[Lon]

Does anyone else think TC is really working hard for an Emmy this year? The level of chef/judges in show #4 this year compare with the finals of Season 3.

With Project Runway gone, TC is Bravo's top show. Enough said there.

I'm looking forward to next week's show because the season 2 show on the beach in Los Angeles was one of my favorites. Brought back lots of memories of cooking out during camping.

If it is true that Judge/Chef Tom has more creative control, I think we're seeing the results of that. Plus, the five seasons of experience, results, attitude and reputations must play a factor as well. Many challenges from seasons 1, 2, & 3 would be the subject of ridicule now.

Those of you who are sports fans know the issues involved in trying to compare players in different generations. The game changes so much I don't think I would want to try, although it does make good debating. Same with Top Chef any season compared to another season.

[natmicstef]

Mar; I agree, it was embarrassing watching Michael I trying to claim more than his due for the elimination challenge, especially as it appeared more than obvious to Tom which chef was responsible for what. Really, how can he delude himself; the V brothers are several tiers above him and thinking it isn't so isn't going to make it so.

[Anne]

I am curious what makes for the difference in talent level from this season to last. The top 4 are just ridiculous, of course. But it does feel like the MOTPers are much stronger this time around, and people who will go in the next few episodes could have stayed to the end last time. Of course, the point above about comparing seasons is right--who knows what Stefan might have done with this crowd to challenge him.

[Dionysus]

With regards to comparing seasons, y'all should check out Blais' blog entry on Bravo about the Kitchen itself. The Top Chef Kitchen for S6 is head and shoulders above previous kitchens in terms of equipment. He points out the 'available to everyone' tank of liquid Nitrogen, the "Tech Shelf" ie an array of MG stuff, and more were - in previous seasons - only available to chefs who brought it along as their secret ingredients.

That makes comparing seasons even harder. Not only can't we see how different casts would push certain chefs to new heights, but they aren't even using the same resources!

[Bart]

I think a lot of us prone to hyper-ventilating about the current season. Many of you are saying "OMG LOL THIS IS THE BEST SEASON EVAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!1one!!"

And last year some of you were saying "OMG THESE PEOPLE SUCK WORST SEASON EVER!!!!!!11!!!!!1!!!!!one!!!!!!!!two !!!!"

Look, while I generally agree with you (and the judges and everyone else) that the caliber of chefs this season is much higher than previous seasons; and that season 5 was disappointing in a number of ways; we still have to see how the rest of this season unfolds.

Each season has its own strength and each season has its own weakness. Yes, this season is awesome - and believe me - I'm not denying that. I'm just asking for a little bit of perspective.

I haven't seen anything that yet matches the way the judges orgasmed over Carla's dish in the next-to-last episode. And I think we can honestly say that we had an embarrassment of riches when it came to the personalities of the chefs (Carla, Fabio, Stefan - they all could host their own cooking show).

Is anyone going to forget the way Blais gave away the Restaurant Wars award? Or the way he impressed culinary legends in the kitchen? Or Stephanie's dazzling run in the beginning? (Ok, maybe I should have asked, "Is anyone who is a serious Top Chef fan going to forget all of that stuff?")

I don't need to go back to each season, but I think comparing one season to another is markedly unfair. I bet you if we got the contestants from the first season and put them through the meat grinder that is season 6 (or hell, even season 5), you'd see a much different result. The producers have had time to hone the show, find out what works and what doesn't. New challenges have emerged, old ones have been scrapped. New judges have come in, and serious chefs are guest judges.

Even the tools offered in the kitchen are different. Blais mentioned that the show stocks up on supplies that weren't available in the previous season (e.g. liquid nitrogen) after a chef uses it for a dish.

Someone mentioned comparing chefs from previous seasons would be like comparing Babe Ruth to Barry Bonds (or whoever) - season 6's contestants are most assuredly souped up on the culinary equivalent of steroids, when it comes to the equipment available in the kitchen.

Now, let's breathe a bit and see how this season unfolds. Remember, this time last season, Arianne was the worst of the bunch (before briefly becoming the best of the bunch) and Carla seemed destined to be a MOTPer, and Stefan hadn't emerged yet as the best chef of the season.

Before then, it seemed like the Stephanie/Blais/Dale juggernaut would take out everything in its path, and Dale turned out to be a MOTPer and Spike advanced far more deeply than anyone anticipated. And so on and so forth.

We got time, folks. Let's see how all of this unfolds before determining this the best season ever. While signs point to yes, I'm going to wait until the dust settles and the finale is over before making my final judgment.

[TxGriff]

Bart: I agree with you, comparing seasons is unfair as the competition is constantly evolving and each new batch of chefs has the benefit of learning from the last (in addition to the new equipment, perfected challenges, etc.) Comparing season 1 to 3 to 6 really is comparing apples to oranges in my opinion, although I can see why people would think it's fun. I just think had Harold or Tiffani had the benefit of five previous seasons of exposure, a renevoted and stocked kitchen full of expensive proteins and top-of-the-line equipment, and challenges that weren't in their beginning stages, I think we would see different chefs competing.

Just one counter to what you said: yes, Stephanie/Blais/Dale had an impressive run. However, ALL of them had fumbled by this point in their season, in a big way too. Out of the top tier this season, only Brian V. has been on the bottom, and it was for two quickfires (one of which Tom said he liked his dish and it was after he won the relay, so I don't even count that as a bottom) and neither time did you get the impression that his was the worst dish.

Well I guess I just went ahead and compared seasons there :). My main point is the top tier this season is astounding...it's very exciting to watch!

[Otter]

Not much to say except how do you top this? Amazing guests. Amazing dishes. Amazing season. I can't wait to see where it goes from here...very well played, Top Chef.

[Brent]

With regards to comparing seasons, y'all should check out Blais' blog entry on Bravo about the Kitchen itself. The Top Chef Kitchen for S6 is head and shoulders above previous kitchens in terms of equipment. He points out the 'available to everyone' tank of liquid Nitrogen, the "Tech Shelf" ie an array of MG stuff, and more were - in previous seasons - only available to chefs who brought it along as their secret ingredients.

One thing Blais pointed out in that post was that he only had access to liquid nitrogen because he brought some with him in a soup thermos.

[paula]

Until this season's chefs are forced to make a smurf village because they're given a budget of 30 cents and told to stick to the feminine hygeine products aisle at Walmart, I don't think we can fairly compare season-to-season chefs.

[Brent]

There's also the question of whether the cheftestants are being compares as chefs on Top Chef, or whether we are trying to rate them as real-world chefs. In the real world, Hung and Blais are head-and-shoulders above all other contestants from previous seasons. Hung was a semifinals to represent the US in the Bocuse d'Or, and earned Best Seafood Dish honors in the cook-off to choose the finalist. Blais' pre-Top Chef restaraunts were not financially successful, but he had already earned enough acclaim for his cooking that he had been invited on Iron Chef.

How they compare to the current cast, in real-world terms, is yet to be seen.

[Dave_P]

Worst TC contestant ever would be kinda fun (tho a bit cruel). My vote goes for Nimma. Clay was kinda bad too, but not awful-bad; that culinary student who mangled his "Chinese" dish last season was worse, even though he was technically the 2nd to get axed. I don't remember much about Ken--he was that kung fu guy, right?

Regarding better equipment, I remember Marcel mentioning that the Kenmore (?) equipment they used in S2 was complete trash and S3 got a huge upgrade w/the GE stuff. I also remember Hung doing his chicken sous-vide w/o an immersion circulator, eyeballing the temperature w/a thermostat.

Yeah, the chefs in each subsequent season have advantages, but they're also being drawn from bigger and more talented/experienced pools too. It *is* unfair comparing Eric Ripert's former sous (and hand-piced EC for his new restaurant) or a Michelin starred chef or a former ICA contestant w/the pool they had for seasons 1 & 2. Still, that's what we have for this season (and Blais from S4), and a big reason why some of us view this season a cut above. Hopefully, this trend continues (though I don't see how they can get much better w/o getting into near Masters territory) and we can spend some merry weeks during S7 debating how the V-bros wouldn't even crack the top 10 in the new lineup. :)

--
Dave

[Hillary]

I was so worried Ashley would be kicked off in BOTH rounds this episode. I think she has a lot of potential and wouldn't want to see her go so early. As for Hector, the beef incident was very unfortunate. It really shows that timing is IMPORTANT. No matter how much skill you have, if you run out of time once and screw up, it's over. I wish we could give him a second chance.

[Naomi]

paula:

Until this season's chefs are forced to make a smurf village because they're given a budget of 30 cents and told to stick to the feminine hygeine products aisle at Walmart, I don't think we can fairly compare season-to-season chefs.

Ba ha ha ha ha ha!

[Jon Olsen]

All time rankings! All time rankings! All time rankings!

No no wait I got it. LET'S do a March Madness-style bracket! Boom!

The streets will flow with the blood of the nonbelievers!!
mindless chant! mindless chant! mindless chant! mindless chant!

aaaaagggggghhhh!

[Kathy V.]

Jon Olsen --- no more espresso for you!!

[Bart]

Actually a bracket might be pretty cool, lol. We could rank them - good way to weed out the lower tiers (Jen "Norris" versus Nimma? Hung versus Random Culinary Student?) and see some real scrums among the MOTPers (Lisa's acerbicness against Leah's whininess)

Could be funny...

[rab01]

Jon Olsen: pure genius!

Dom can take grief not just for the final results but for every intermediate decision -- who gets a one seed and who doesn't make it into the big dance at all. How can Harold not get a top seed? Why are you letting Ilan into the tournament at all? Why doesn't S4 Mark make the cut?

I would love to see who'd win in head-to-head competition between say Antonia and Carla, Kevin and Harold, Jen Norris and Tiffani, Blais and either Voltaggio brother. Oh, wait ... it would just be imaginary match-ups, damn.

But seriously, how much would you pay for a chance to be a judge if some of those people were competing Iron Chef style?

[Steve in NJ]

Forget comparing the different seasons. What is your Top Chef dream cast from all 6 seasons? Not necessarily the ones you think would be the most competitive, but the ones you would most like to watch. Here is my dream cast:
Season 1: Harold, Tiffani, Lee Anne, Stephen
Season 2: No one (I hated Season 2)
Season 3: Lia, Dale L, Tre, Hung
Season 4: Stephanie, Richard, Dale T
Season 5: Carla
Season 6: Michael V, Bryan V, Kevin, Jennifer+

These are the chefs I would all like to see compete in the same season. What are your dream teams?

[gilmore]

As Top Chef gets more credibility as a cooking show, better chefs have wanted to be on. Eric Rippert suggested that Jenn Norris try out!!! It is only natural that this season has a stronger group.

As repugnant as Marcel was, remember that he worked for Joel Robuchon before and after his TC stint. I will admit that I had never heard of Robuchon before this episode, and I may be the only person watching the show that never heard of him, but the way all of the contestants as well as Tom, Padma and Gail swooned, told me he was someone I should read up on. I did. If Marcel worked for him, he is no slouch (just a jerk).

[Danny]

Well, why not toss in my two cents. I think S1 is highly underrated. These folks had absolutely no idea what they were getting into. Quickfire? What's that? We're shopping at a gas station???? Restaurant Wars? What's that?????? Dessert at a a sex toy shop (I worked there as a tenp once - no lie)????

We have yet to see a truly wacky challenge this season - maybe next week's EC but even with a chuckwagon dinner (which was done for the final four in a previous season) they have yet to face a truly ridiculous or impossible to cook challenge (and I hope that they don't have to as I generally hate those).

[Allison]

Paula ... " Until this season's chefs are forced to make a smurf village because they're given a budget of 30 cents and told to stick to the feminine hygeine products aisle at Walmart, I don't think we can fairly compare season-to-season chefs."

You had me rolling & laughing. Thanks!

I am in the camp that is amazed by this season's contestants, not sorry to see the bottom of the crop disappear (nor the MOPTP -- sooner or later, they'll fall), but seriously wondering how they'll pick among the top 4. No doubt that it's the brothers, Jen Norris & Kevin (in my mind). Sooner or later, I expect a misstep & one will be gone ... but I can hope that until it happens, they'll all be there in the end.

[timothy]

Lisa's acerbicness against Leah's whininess! Good one. That would be a death match to the finish and VERY hard to call. Random Culinary Student's limp black pasta versus Unfortunately Earringed Jennifer's Seitan torpedo... Another tough call.

[SorchaRei]

A couple random observations . . .

Jen did snails (and not sea snails) and a sauce chasseur -- neither of those is seafood, and she did very well.

Mike V frenched the racks of those rabbits. That's some amazing butchering dexterity right there. They were gorgeous.

Mike I. may think he's in the same class as the brothers V., Jen N., and Kevin, but I think that's a bit delusional on his part. It looked like he needed Bryan to help him figure out how to make his idea of deconstructed bernaise a reality; as Bryan put it, "Mike wants to deconstruct it and I gave him a way to do it". I'm going to accept that as accurate reading of what happened, moreso than the "we tossed ideas around together" versin Mike was trying to sell at Judge's Table.

[Shelly]

Re: comparing seasons, the judges themselves did it on the most recent show. Of everyone who could, Tom and Gail are most qualified to make comparisons, and they did.

[kathy from austin]

Paula: You, my friend, had me rolling on the floor with that apt observation.

Here is the inherent problem with a bar room brawl of the lowliest Cheftestants: Who the hell can remember them or what they cooked? Seriously, when some mentioned "Culinary School dude" it took me a while to recognize Patrick. Sorry to sound so harsh, as there have been undoubtedly some good chefs aufed in the first round by bad luck, but that would be an exercise in futility for me.

I would also like to point out that among the many masters of the best ever, that Sam should probably earn a place in that field, IMHO. He saved Marcel in the final round with his quick thinking and he had some very memorable dishes.

[Lon]

The biggest danger to our top 4 is going to be restaurant wars. Remember, the losing head chef in that event usually goes.

[Skillet Doux]

"The biggest danger to our top 4 is going to be restaurant wars. Remember, the losing head chef in that event usually goes."

A common myth, Lon!

S1 - Miguel, Lee Anne and Stephen lose for "Sabor". Miguel, who couldn't have been less in control of the menu, goes home.

S2 - Sam, Mikey and Ilan lose for "Lalalina". I'm working off memory and it's been a very long time since I've seen this episode, but I remember Mikey going home for doing nothing, not for being a bad EC.

S3 - Brian, Casey, CJ and Tre lose (on the RW do-over) for "Restaurant April". Tre is EC and goes down with the ship.

S4 - Dale T., Lisa and Spike lose for "Mai Buddha". Though Dale T. is acting as EC and is sent home, it's made abundantly clear by the judges -- both on and off-screen -- that it's because he made a terrible dish in the butterscotch scallops.

S5 - Radhika, Carla, Jamie and Jeff lose for "Sahana", and Radhika goes home. Though team "leader", calling her EC or head chef would be a highly dubious proposition (Jamie fit that role much more closely than Radhika), and she is quite explicitly sent home because what little she does -- running FoH -- she botches, not for her role (or lack thereof) as a chef.

Even under the most charitable interpretation, the losing EC has gone home three out of five times. But of those three, one wasn't a head chef or EC (or any chef) position, and two of the three were explicitly eliminated for reasons other than executive chef reasons (bad cook on the scallop dish, and a poorly run front of house). A person clearly acting as head chef "went down with the ship" only once in the history of the show.

I think it's because Tre's ouster was so unexpected and so memorable that this notion persists.

[L.S.]

"Though Dale T. is acting as EC and is sent home, it's made abundantly clear by the judges -- both on and off-screen -- that it's because he made a terrible dish in the butterscotch scallops."

Nonetheless, I still wonder if Dale would have been sent home had Colicchio been there (instead of Bourdain as the guest head judge).

[kit]

Speaking of Dale T's elimination, in case anyone didn't read it at the time, Bourdain did an, as usual, hilarious blog post about it:

http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/read/very-bad-things-blogging-top-chef

Reading Bourdain's take on Dale T's scallops, I don't know if Colicchio really would have decided differently, unless he fundamentally would have had a different opinion of that scallop dish.

[Duffy]

Lots of comparisons from this season to others. Lots of comments on how "bad" the losers' dishes were, and how clearly they deserved to go home. Hmmmmm.

Judges seem to think these cefs significantly ahead of other seasons -- both individually and overall. Recall Tom telling the bottom of the QF that all three of their dishes were very good, and that the decision was difficult.

Gail's comment that Hector sliced the beef with a hatchet reminds me of an old first sergeant yelling about a "log under the bunk" when he found a piece of straw during an inspection, or "shining shoes with a Hershey bar" becauseof an overlooked smudge. A bit of hyperbole to emphasize a matter of degree.

In past seasons, the cheftestants have produced horrible dishes --witness, for exapmple, Bourdain's blog referred to by Kit. This season, so far as the judge's comments appear to go, has not produced the disasters of past years. Everything this season appears edible and tasty. Decisions are matters of degree. Separating the superb from the merely very good.

Hector's beef was overdone -- but just by a touch. Gails' dish looked "OK" -- a little uneven, but probably nothing she would send back to the kitchen. Now, in comparison the the top four, it was on the bottom -- but if taken in isolation, I am willing to wager that most of us would have been delighted with it.

Someone early on here said there were only 2 good dishes, suggesting that the rest were substandard. I really don't think that is accurate, given the judges and guest chefs' comments on the dishes as a whole. I suggest that there were 6 well prepared, tasty plates, with two that were clearly extraordinary and two that needed to be separated out for some reason, so that an elimination could be made.

The top four continue to stun. The MOTP would be leaders in every other season. The decisions are going to get much more difficult and the calls are going to be much closer from here on out.

[SorchaRei]

The MOTP would be leaders in every other season.

I disagree. The sauce Americaine, which was a middle-of-the-pack dish, was not properly prepared and the lobster was not properly cooked, either.

The other middle-of-the-pack dish was the frog's legs, of which the kindest thing anyone said was "you can't really taste the frog leg".

I saw this challenge as having two outstanding dishes and then four which were all disappointments in at least one way.

I don't think Hector's beef was overdone, precisely. It was undercooked and cooking too slowly, so he jacked up the heat on the oven which left hte outside overcooked and the inside still undercooked. It also didn't have a chance to rest properly, so when he sliced it, it drained juice all over hte plate, which wiped out the sauce (which may or may not have been properly done -- the judges said they couldn't tell because the beef was so badly handled that it made it impossible to tell).

In the QF, I read Tom as saying that it was hard to send someone home basd on one bite, not that the amuses were fabulous and it was hard to choose. They had a specific criticism of each amuse (not intense enough flavors, not the right balance of crab, not the right cut on the fois and the pineapple). It's possible that they were all fabulous and they were looking to quibble, but I didn't get that impression at all.

I'd say that the top four are very strong, but I don't really see the MotP out-cooking the better chefs in previous seasons. There's already been one disastrous dish (the seitan) and from the previews, there's going to be another next week.

[jh]

I think that based on the nature of the show, i.e. a competition with only one winner, the judges need to be able to be able to critique and determine which dish was best and which one was worst, even if the worst dish was great. Great might have been able to beat out a good dish from the past, but when you're comparing amazing to great this season, great doesn't cut it, and the judgments are based on a sliding scale.

After watching TCM, I wonder if some of the comments and critiques for the less successful dishes would have been different if those dishes were presented during an episode of TC. For example, Rick Bayless's last dish, the arroz a la tumbada, had overcooked seafood and was considered a weakness in his menu. However, would that dish have received rave reviews if presented during any season of TC, and would the reviews been different on different seasons?

It was commented that in this past episode, aside from two dishes, everything else had something at fault. However, editing plays a large role. In the to-die-for mole that Bayless served, the diners strongly debated whether that dish should have been paired with tuna (root4rick.com). So while the viewers believed that the mole dish was perfection, there were faults to the dish. Does that make it a disappointment?

Btw, I also think there's some crushing going on between Jen and Mike, though those editors could just be playing with my mind...

[SorchaRei]

Re: Bayless' mole, the question of the tuna was touched on in the show, as well. Granted, it was almost overwhelmed by the praise heaped on the mole itself, but it didn't get completely edited out.

I do think that in general, comparison of seasons is going to be difficult as anything other than the kind of exercise that is embodied in questions like "Who was a smarter person: Newton or Einstein?"

The fact is that the kitchens are different, the challenges are different, the chefs come in with a different set of expectations (I'm always struck on rewatching how surprised the season 1 chefs are by everything -- not just responding to the twists, but the surprise that there are twists at all. Even the TCM chefs expected twists.)

The only realistic way to compare people's food is to eat their food. In this show, we're already at one remove from the food. At the end of the day, if I want to know whether Jamie is a better chef than Harold (or vice versa), I need to eat at Absinthe and Perilla and compare the food they put out.

As to who was a better contestant? I'm not sure we can ever know that. The seasons were very different.

That's one reason why I personally interpret Dom's wonderful power rankings as ranking how people are doing on the show and how they are likely to do on the show. Some chefs will be ale to shine amongst all the reality TV trappings and some won't.

It occurred to me the other day that Eric Ripert is very familiar with the show. If he encouraged Jen N. to come on it, he must think both that she's a good chef and that she's the kind of chef who works well under this kind of pressure.

[babyarm]

"Even under the most charitable interpretation, the losing EC has gone home three out of five times. But of those three, one wasn't a head chef or EC (or any chef) position, and two of the three were explicitly eliminated for reasons other than executive chef reasons (bad cook on the scallop dish, and a poorly run front of house). A person clearly acting as head chef "went down with the ship" only once in the history of the show."

In the same vein though you can say that of the 35 survivors 28 of them were not EC as well. Numbers games always go both ways. I mean the EC has nearly always put out a bad dish in a series of bad dishes. It's the last straw and gets you sent home.

The key to surviving RW is clearly taking no role in planning or design, but instead focus on getting a single dish out that fits with the concept provided by the EC and staying the hell away from dessert. 100% of those doing this have survived.

Tanking the QF with 8 remaining is good strategy. I wonder if that will be done this year.

[aaalex]

babyarm: it WOULD be a good strategy to tank the QF before RW. but i remember the look of surprise (delight really) on stefan's face when RW was announced. and it was announced AFTER the QF. so, it's most likely the contestants don't get to plan that way.

[aaalex]

babyarm: oh, wait, you said tank the QF when there are eight remaining. meaning: with eight remaining, RW is usually on the cards. hmm ... you're right. i wonder if the producers have thought of this weasely - but smart - move?

[Skillet Doux]

"babyarm: oh, wait, you said tank the QF when there are eight remaining. meaning: with eight remaining, RW is usually on the cards. hmm ... you're right. i wonder if the producers have thought of this weasely - but smart - move?"

Weeeeell, they've done it both with six and eight contestants remaining, and I don't think you could assume they wouldn't try something else to throw the chefs off from doing just that, so my feeling is you'd probably have to commit to taking multiple quickfires to be sure -- which is of dubious benefit, I think. In any case, it certainly makes is a lot more complicated than simply trying not to win a single quickfire. Plus, this season, big money quickfire prizes and all.

[aaalex]

babyarm: sorry. problems with posting. my first (erased) post mentioned the surprise (and delight) on stefan's face last year when RW was announced. last year, the contestants didn't clue into the fact that RW was up that week. might be fun to see RW with 10 left, this year, just to screw up the possibility of not doing your best during the QF leading to it.

[aaalex]

damn, must be gremlin on this site today. my first post WAS posted after all. still, dominic, your answer addresses the issue perfectly. i'd forgotten they'd done RW with 6.

[rab01]

If these guys studied up on Top Chef, I doubt any will tank the quickfire even if they want to play it safe.

When CJ and Antonia won their respective quickfires, they earned the right to choose their entire RW team. CJ even suckered Tre into being the executive chef.

Imagine going into a 10-person RW and having selected Kevin, Jen N. and the Volts as your teammates!

[paula]

I can't imagine the producers would allow the Fab 4 to all be on the same RW team, just for the sake of keeping the competition remotely fair.

I just realized I'm dying to see the V Bros. paired up on a challenge, though.

Also, it's been so refreshing not to have all the sponsor tie-ins so far this year! No doubt they're coming (sigh), but I sure haven't missed the "make an appetizer to pair with Dr. Pepper" challenges.

[Allison]

Re-watching last week's show & realize that even though I really like Jennifer N. in the kitchen, that woman can butcher French (sauce chasseur this time). Adored Robuchon's commentary in French. As close as the subtitles were, it's never the same as hearing the original.

[aaalex]

allison: you're so right, i was going to mention jen's mangling of french. she said sauce "chausseur", which sounded like the french for "shoes" ("chaussures"). i thought "what could a "sauce chaussures" (shoe sauce) be?" her french is not a reflection on her talent or anything (she's just great) but it is odd considering she's worked for ripert for years and, presumably, has heard these words spoken over and over.

i thought the subtitles for robuchon were good, but there's so much conveyed in the french attitude, in the tone of voice. (the man is french to the marrow.) when robuchon said you couldn't taste the frog in ron's frog legs, it was like a quick, sharp knife stroke in the chef's back. kind of amusing, if you're not the victim, but it showed how polite the french can be when they assassinate.

[SorchaRei]

When I was watching Jen and Mike cooking, they showed him butchering the rabbit (in the best sense of the word) juxtaposed with her butchering the name of the sauce. I was amused.

[Jon Olsen]

re: the 8/6-tank-QF-

There were 14 last week when they eliminated 2. So 12 going into this week, right? If it's normal, after this week there'll be 11.

Which *could* mean an elimination QF for next week, leaving us 10; and then Restaurant Wars with *five* on a side, to change it up. We're enough weeks into the season that people are going to start looking for RW soon, and it'd be a nice changeup to throw it at 5 contestants rather than 4.

Or not.

[Independent George]

I wonder if teams of five would actually make it harder. I think there's good reason for the old adage about too many chefs in the kitchen; at some point, the benefit of an extra chef is outweighed by the difficulties of managing an extra body in the kitchen. Teams of 4 seems like the best balance; S4 started with teams of 3, but added a soux chef to bring it back to teams of 4.

[Independent George]

Why do I keep spelling 'sous' as 'soux'? That's the third time by my count - and those are just the times I've actually noticed.

[AP]

"Which *could* mean an elimination QF for next week, leaving us 10; and then Restaurant Wars with *five* on a side, to change it up."

I was thinking that the chefs may want to blow any even numbered QFs, but then it occurred to me that they could also do a three-way Restaurant Wars when we get to nine left.

[Bart]

Or, you know, they can seize the opportunity to really shine. You saw how well Jen "N" managed the big challenge as Executive Chef. She could duplicate that success in RW.

[Independent George]

The more I think of it, the more surprising I find it that RW is so prone to such colossal blunders. This is the one challenge before the finale where you really aren't limited to themes or ingredients except those that you place upon yourselves. They even know where they'll be shopping - Whole Foods and Restaurant Depot. There are no wacky surprises, no mystery ingredients. Why doesn't every chef have their entire RW menu planned out in detail six weeks before they ever step on the plane? Heck, S3's Restaurant Wars was so awful that they gave both teams a mulligan.

Except for Richard/Steph/Antonia in S4, even the winning teams in RW have been iffy.

[aaalex]

independent george: yeah, but this group has been playing the top chef game with more sophistication than any before it. i bet these guys DO have their restaurants/themes/menus sketched out, at least somewhat. last year, stefan called it the most important part of top chef. he desperately wanted to be on the winning team. i'm thinking all of this year's class are on RW like dirty shirts.

[Allison]

aaalex, yes (shoe sauce? worse, with a bad American accent ... note that I say that having an American accent myself, but as my Francophone friends tell me, I must have *some* accent). I don't get it since she's worked with Eric Ripert & gee, I'd expect her to know how to pronounce basic terms regardless (again, I agree, she's terrific in the kitchen & I expect her to be in the top 4). And Robuchon, exactement ... the French are masters of subtlety ... "le mot juste" & all.

SorchaRei ... I didn't notice it at the time, but you are SO right about the contrast in butchering.