Top Chef - S6E5 Postmortem

I would like to state for the record that I do NOT have the Magical Elves editing bay bugged.

(*razzafrazza* double elimination messin' up my streak!)

Apparently the kiss of death this season is making a mediocre dish and having absolutely no clue it's mediocre.

Like the cactus challenge, not so keen on the chuckwagon. Not because they were roughing it and cooking over an open flame. Because they had to plan and shop BEFORE finding out what their facilities were going to be like. Of all the BS twists Top Chef has pulled over the years, that -- for me -- is the big enchilada. "Plan to serve us high-end cuisine, but for all you know your tools are going to be a rock and a bic lighter!" I don't believe they'd done it since the beach challenge in season... two? And I can't say I'm very excited to see it return. When it comes to goofy challenges, there's goofy, and there's just plain stupid.

And yet, most everybody handles the situation with aplomb. Bravo, season six contestants!

After a couple of boring weeks for the rankings, next week should be interesting. Mike I. shows strong again. The Ashley some of us knew was in there finally makes an appearance. Bryan pulls down two eliminations in a row.

Hey, look! Laurine!!!

Discuss!

Comments

[babyarm]

Was I the only one wondering where's the beef?

The season of ceviche on top chef.

[KinderJ]

Double elimination does not count! So say we all.

But now comes the real challenge- what do we call this strange phenomenon? The curse of the skillet? The coming of the Grim Donster? Suggestions people- the man is on one hell of a roll.

Actually I thought this was a pretty good ep, goofy heat source aside. They showed some real creativity (some of them) and everyone seemed to have a fairly good sense of humor about the whole thing (Michael V aside). Good to see Mike I moving up, as I have actually kind of liked the guy. Aside from the, you know, whole Jersey thing. But he could move! It could all be ok, right? Still, while it sounded like a nice gyro, interesting play and all that... Really? A gyro? You are going with Gyro, thats your final answer? Wow. Yeah. Talk about playing it safe. A Greek Cypriot from Jersey makes a Gyro. I was really stoked after his Quick Fire win, and then... Gyro. Well, at least it's not shrimp salad.

As for the winning dish- pork, polenta and was it rutabaga? Yes. I want that dish. The wife wants to make that dish. Simple, clean and flavorful. It really is win on a plate.

[KinderJ]

Stooopid trying to type in the dark. Grim DOMster, swapped an m for an n there.

Also considering the Doux Goat, the Holy Hand Grenade of the Internets, and the Pasta Salad Award for Excellence in Television.

[Bart]

KinderJ - Hey! What's with the Jersey hate?

Our state is fantastic. It's really like a microcosm of America. We have the best tomatoes and corn in the country; we've got mountains in the north, farms to the south, densely populated urban areas in northeast, Jersey City and Hoboken are unofficial boroughs of New York City, we have the whole Jersey Shore, America's first boardwalk in Atlantic City, the ecological rarity that is the Pine Barrens... and on and on and on.

It's a good state, darn it! I bet most people who don't like it are the ones who have only driven on the Turnpike, lol.

Anyhoo, I'm not sure I liked the elimination challenge, but I certainly like the way the contestants responded to it. I think this episode is notable if only because Jen came off as unremarkable in this one.

Anyone else notice that Michael said that Bryan and Mike Isabella were the strongest? No mention of Jen and Kevin?

Yeah...

[KinderJ]

Bart- I'm from Boston. I (and this sounds crazy, but I swear this is true and I have witnesses for this) break out in an honest to god allergic reaction whenever I travel south of Rhode Island. I have actually been through central Jersey, and yeah, it's called the garden state for a pretty good reason. Princeton and Trenton are pretty. And you could not get me out of Boston with a big stick.

I did catch that thing about Jen and Kevin, but had forgotten until you mentioned it. Very, very interesting, especially since Mike V worked with Jen, and Kevin has been a player. I am really curious as to why he would rate Mike I over either of them. There must be something, Mike V is certainly not stupid. What does he know that we don't? Watch what happens I guess...

[MiniMonkey]

Does anyone else find it weird/funny that Mike I. butchered the pronunciation of Gyro and Tsatsiki?

[Brody]

stab at rankings

1. Bryan
2. Michael
3. Jennifer
4. Kevin
5. Mike
6. Ashley
7. Eli
8. Laurine
9. Ash
10. Robin
11. Ron

[Independent George]

Now that I think about it, I think the Curse of Dom is a bit of a misnomer. A real curse would be if Dom's #1 was eliminated five weeks in a row.

Anyway, I think Rule #1 of Top Chef should be, "Don't half-ass an extra dish you don't have to make." Ron makes a totally superfluous drink because "[he] didn't want the coconut to go to waste", and nearly pays the price. Mattin tries to dazzle with three ceviche dishes instead of one good one, and then gets the boot.

[j]

i think it's about time you move bryan up a bit on the rankings - 3 out of 5 elimination challenge wins. Only brother mike and kevin have won an EC and they've only won 1 each.

At this point the chefs should really wisen up - if you're brought to judges table among the losers, just admit/lie you know your dish was messed up.

[Esther]

With all respect (I'm so impressed by your continued predictive powers!), I'd personally reverse your rankings of the quickfire vs. elimination. Last week, they pre-cooked the snails, so it wasn't a question of "do you know how to cook this exotic ingredient?", it was a matter of how they combined them with interesting flavors. This week, chefs had to cook an ingredient where knowing correct preparation has a huge impact, and -- surprise, surprise! -- the one guy who seemed to have extensive experience with the ingredient was the winner. I'm not saying that Mike didn't deserve the win, just that the concept of the challenge annoyed me.

Whereas with the campfire cooking, it was clear that some of the chefs were thinking smart -- get a fish that's more flexible for cooking, don't assume any specific pieces of equipment, etc. They had knives and prep areas, pots and pans; I think it's telling that the problems with all three of the worst dishes had nothing to do with the setting.

Also note Tom's blog: And while the idea of cooking over an open flame was nice in the abstract, in actuality the “fire pits” were propane, so they were no big deal to cook on.

By the way, I know that high-end restaurants tend to serve pork shy of the well-done that the USDA recommends, but Bryan's pork looked awfully rare to me -- especially considering the sketchy refrigeration and cooking conditions. The judges loved it, though, so what do I know.

[Esther]

Also a bit sad that Jen and Kevin didn't get mentions in either challenge, given that they made some really good-looking dishes. I was particularly surprised that Kevin's Elimination dish wasn't even in the top four -- it looked flavorful, refreshing, and interesting. Shame that Tom doesn't really comment on either of them for this episode; I'm curious about where they'll go in the rankings.

[Dreamboat]

I know that these chefs had to buy the food without knowing their cooking theatre. But at some point you would have thought that one of the bottom 3 would have said "gee, my seafood has been in a cooler in a hot environment overnight...maybe I should determine if I should really serve it because it may have turned..." And 2 of the 3 make ceviche ANYWAY?? That is just a bad decision! First, it is made with day-old seafood (in the best of conditions). Next it has been out of your sight in in a cooler for who knows how long (even if the producers were supposed to put it into a fridge overnight...). Gee, no thanks! No wonder Tom spit some out.

[Dave_P]

Worst episode so far this season. By far.

I'm almost tempted to just give this episode a pass. The EC was so damn gimmicky that if the bottom hadn't been so consistant, I'd just give everyone a mulligan. Even the QF was a bit gimmicky w/an ingredient few have worked with. Mike I was the only one really proficient with it (Mattin looked like he lucked into the top) and deservedly won, and a first for a MOTP'er to win something. Playing it super safe w/his bland gyro for the EC. Not exactly admirable, but really not a bad play w/the crappy conditions they were in--someone was bound to mess up and badly. He can console himself w/the $15K, I'm sure, but it would've been more interesting if they'd offered him immunity for the $15K.

For the EC, the top 4 seemed to do well, even if Jen & Kevin didn't make the top, and Ashley finally broke out and performed. Not reading too much into Laurine's success though. Bryan's looking a bit stronger than his brother, at least with consistancy. I think Mike V's more prone to the odd stumble (twice on QF bottoms, iirc).

Bottom 3 (interesting only 3, though I thought maybe they'd only call in Robin & Mattin) were expected. Ron was never in much trouble, and bad and ignorant will get you sent home before bad and self-aware. I wonder if the shrimp went bad in the cooler--they mentioned bad smelling seafood in the stew room. What do you do in that situation, in the middle of a desert w/rotten proteins and no pantry? Just serve romaine?

--
Dave

[garik16]

Dave_P, BRYAN was the voltaggio that previously had stumbled during quickfire.

This was Michael's first bottom of anything.

[Mann of Sandd]

Just a few quick points before bed, hope to discuss more on the morrow....

Who knows who Mike V may have mentioned in the strongest chefs statement....could have very easily been edited. I can't imagine he didn't feel Jen was strong competition.

I think Hector could have rocked this challenge. Really wish he'd have stuck around. Darn.

Not my favorite ep of the season, but did contain my favorite moment. At judges table when Tim Love just goes "Mattin.....this guy". Had me rolling.

[Mann of Sandd]

Esther, it also depends on the kind of pork and whether it's been brined. At the restaurant I work in we use Berkshire pork and it often looks pink even when cooked close to well done.

[Rabrab]

I have to say that I was astonished that two of them chose to go the ceviche route for outdoor prep in desert heat with fish that had been kept in unknown conditions for at least 12 hours. That, to me, smacks of simply not thinking.

[lamelama22]

Re: The Mike V strongest chefs statement, from what was said in the first episode, Mike V and Mike I both worked together and Isabella helped him open a restaurant, so there is probably a little bit of a personal preference there just because of familiarity.

Also concerning Mike V, was it just me or did he seem to turn into a total ass once he wasn't sitting pretty at the top? I mean, maybe it was the cut, but he complained/talked down both the challenge and his competitors/excused his performance in every comment they aired.

Minimonkey: Isabella mispronouncing something? Must be that heavy freaking North Jersey accent. :P Oh btw, am I the only one to notice Jen butchering the pronunciation of "ceviche" practically every show (I'm assuming Wikipedia and every other contestant/judge on Top Chef pronounces it correctly?)? lol.

I should stop in her restaurant on Friday, since I'll be visiting Philly for a day... though not sure a lunch would be worth that much $ to me.

It was also nice to see Bryan get a tiny tiny bit of emotion in an interview laughing about dominating his brother in elimination wins. And for all those people hating on Bryan's interviews - stop complaining, you must love Mike I's promos then! :P

I was actually disappointed with this episode, though the breakfast fire pit at the beach episode in Season 2 was one of my favorites. I'm no chef or food critic, so as just a fan of the show I do enjoy a little bit of them doing something outside of the kitchen or being forced to adapt or maybe be put in a situation I could see myself cooking in (a fire pit, not the middle of the desert). I think the beach one was better because it just had a different feel - they were relatively happy to be there and not outright suffering like they seemed to be out in the wilderness/blistering heat.

I was so surprised that no one cooked steak. I mean, if I was in their shoes (and could cook), and they told me I was going out into the f*ing desert, I would immediately think I'd be cooking on a grill, a fire pit, or a damn campfire. I'd bring steak or chops or ribs or whatever standard grille faire, and some other stuff to throw into a pot in case it was a bowl over a campfire. I mean, common sense. Actually... I was shocked and kinda mad even. It pained me to watch like a third of them try to hand out raw food in a grilling challenge.

One thing I wanted to make a comment about was Mike I's "biggot" thing - a comment saying he didn't want to lose to a girl makes a person a biggot? What is this, the super duper PC era of 1995? Please. Every, and I mean almost EVERY (not gay) guy I've met in my entire life, even if they wouldn't necessarily say it on national television, would feel a little emasculated and/or embarrassed or put down by losing to a girl. It's not being sexist or a biggot, it's not that the ladies can't perform (cook) better than the men (case in point: Jen; or my ex, who cooked waaaaaaaaaaaaay better than me and kicked my ass in bowling too), it's just a natural reaction that guys get. It comes with having balls and testosterone. The difference is Mike I. just says what's on his mind. People calling him a biggot are overreacting and probably should try to remember what it was like back in middle school.

Jersey Shore ftw! <3 the beach!

[peli grietzer]

My problem with the episodes is that the judges gave us no descriptions of the food at all. The whole point of filming judges table is to impart some sense of what the food was like, and we got nothing but generic yummy/yucky responses.

[Dan_boston]

In middle school, You are a kid: short sighted, emotional, and completely bigoted in any number of ways, all of which is excused to one degree or another because you are a kid in middle school...

Memories of that seem like a pretty silly way to set a standard for behavior....if you lose to a 'girl' in something and you feel extra bad because it was a girl, and you aren't still 12 years old than I'm sorry... you are a bigot. The solution is just to get over it. Of course, I'm probably only saying this because I'm a homo with no balls or testosterone...seriously can some of you please just think before you post and leave this crap out from now on? I come here to enjoy the food commentary, not to react to borderline and not so borderline homophobia/sexism.

[Skillet Doux]

"The season of ceviche on top chef."

Seriously. People are going to start getting dinged for it. Perhaps not overtly, but it's going to start getting tiresome.

"Still, while it sounded like a nice gyro, interesting play and all that... Really? A gyro? You are going with Gyro, thats your final answer? Wow. Yeah. Talk about playing it safe. A Greek Cypriot from Jersey makes a Gyro. I was really stoked after his Quick Fire win, and then... Gyro."

I found the pronunciation far more offensive than the dish selection, personally. I'm not somebody who suddenly morphs into a person of another nationality when pronouncing foreign words, but... c'mon.

"I wonder if the shrimp went bad in the cooler--they mentioned bad smelling seafood in the stew room. What do you do in that situation, in the middle of a desert w/rotten proteins and no pantry? Just serve romaine?"

She still had the chicken sausage. She wasn't just stuck with lettuce. The issue was, as she mentioned (it was quick and easy to miss), that she didn't taste it before serving. When she finally did, she realized the blunder.

"I think Hector could have rocked this challenge."

I thought the same. Until I realized that for a cookout, he'd probably do a steak :-)

"I have to say that I was astonished that two of them chose to go the ceviche route for outdoor prep in desert heat with fish that had been kept in unknown conditions for at least 12 hours. That, to me, smacks of simply not thinking."

Overthinking, rather. Not knowing what the facilities would be like, I imagine they were trying to pick something that they could make with a knife and a bowl that wasn't a salad.

"Re: The Mike V strongest chefs statement, from what was said in the first episode, Mike V and Mike I both worked together and Isabella helped him open a restaurant, so there is probably a little bit of a personal preference there just because of familiarity."

It definitely seems clear that there's a lot of mutual respect because of their time working together, yeah.

"Also concerning Mike V, was it just me or did he seem to turn into a total ass once he wasn't sitting pretty at the top? I mean, maybe it was the cut, but he complained/talked down both the challenge and his competitors/excused his performance in every comment they aired."

I don't think it was a matter of not being on top, I think it was frustration with the challenge. He's outed himself as somebody with little patience for the goofier ones. Still came off very badly though, I agree.

"I was so surprised that no one cooked steak. I mean, if I was in their shoes (and could cook), and they told me I was going out into the f*ing desert, I would immediately think I'd be cooking on a grill, a fire pit, or a damn campfire. I'd bring steak or chops or ribs or whatever standard grille faire, and some other stuff to throw into a pot in case it was a bowl over a campfire. I mean, common sense. Actually... I was shocked and kinda mad even. It pained me to watch like a third of them try to hand out raw food in a grilling challenge."

I think everybody avoided it because they were afraid everybody else would be doing that (some said so outright), but then nobody actually did. The entire field was too smart for its own good :-)

[Shelly]

@Bart, Sorry for the Jersey comments. My ex b-i-l is from there and it colors my perception. In support of Jersey, I have to say that my favorite childhood author of the Lad books, Albert Payson Terhune, lived there on a lovely estate with his collies, and he's why I have two collies today.

About this elimination challenge, Tom pretty much expressed all the things I disliked about it. Except that what I disliked most was not telling the contestants there would be no refrigeration (that's what I gathered from reading Tom's blog). That's ignoring food safety issues, and I have a big problem with that.

I thought the QF was fair. They often test the breadth of knowledge of the chefs, like in sauce production or use of game, snails, etc, so use of a southwestern ingredient is fair game as far as I'm concerned.

[Esther]

lamelama:

So just to clarify your comment, you're saying that:

1) It's natural for men to be embarrassed when women beat them, but women naturally just accept their position when they lose.

2) Gay men have no "balls and testosterone."

Statement (1) perpetrates the legacy of a culture where women have been so often considered inferior that it's their "normal" state of affairs, which they should just accept, while men are "normally" superior, so it's embarrassing for them to lose that status. I know that you're not saying that women actually are inferior, but if men are on par with women and therefore lose to them about half the time, then there should be no special embarrassment involved -- beyond the embarrassment that anyone might feel about losing to anyone, of course. As for statement (2), I hope I don't have to explain how it's bigoted.

Sorry for the side tangent, Dom, but I'd rather have my food commentary without a side of sexism and homophobia.

[anon man]

As I said 2 episodes ago: "Its Top Chef, not Top Ceviche". I'm also wondering why there hasn't been a single scallop this season (unless I missed one...)

Other random thoughts:

I would have liked to have heard more about Kevin's duck. It looked stunning, but missed the top. I can't imagine it was less interesting than Ashley's Fish club sandwich (which looked great), or Laurine's homey meat and potato dish, but it received exactly 5 seconds of airtime.

While you may dislike the challenge, it could have been had. The edit of Bryan saying that he had stared at the pit for an hour figuring out how to place the food so that it cooked evenly in the time allowed was I think critical (as was Ashley's mention of using a cast iron skillet for even distribution). The challenge could be had if you thought through how use the resources you were given (which I note they had all night to do...)

[Jon Olsen]

Bart, I pity and admire you, man. I was born in South Dakota (in the home of the *corn palace*) and live in Minnesota, and I assure you, New Jersey cannot have the best corn in the country. I have tasted the best corns in the country my friend, and they came from Minnesota and from Wisconsin! I admire you for typing all those words while so deeply under the influence. Jersey. Best marijuana in the country, obviously! JERSEY!

I had no problem with this challenge. It's no different from any other challenges in my opinion: set high expectations for the chefs, give them a setback, and see where the cream rises. Not only that *Propane Campfires*. Seriously?? Cop out! Weak!

The inability of some chefs to plan—for to me this was a planning and preparedness flexibility challenge—is what put them in the bottom. Ron and Mattin(...this guy) should have retooled their dishes in their heads the moment those SUVs pulled up to camp. They stuck with their plan and it sucked. Did I understand there were Less than TWO hours to prep? Can ceviche even "cook" in two hours? I don't understand how ceviche works. Clearly it did not for the Basque. If he grew up on a farm, why didn't he adjust to the conditions? He didn't and THAT is why he went home.

Ron "I Don't Drink" Duprat offends the bartender in me (I resist "mixologist"). If you don't drink, don't touch the booze! You didn't want to waste the coconut? Make something non-alcoholic! There must be about a million non-alcoholic coconut drinks out there, and 2/3 of them must be available to a Haitian chef. Figure it out!!

Also, Jen made more fish. I'm just sayin'.

[Steve in NJ]

lamelama 22,
When you are in Philly Friday I strongly recommend lunch at Bistro La Minette. Great food at good prices with a friendly staff. My family and I love it there.

[Anne]

I truly don't want Dom's comments to devolve, so I just want to say thank you, Esther.

So, was there refrigeration? If not, ew.

[LynnO]

I thought the people that made ceviche or sandwiches for this challenge were pretty lame. How could they expect to win a grilling challenge with that?
Also, I've now decided Bryan is my favorite V brother, not only in performance but attitude. I think Mike V acts like he's in a boys club with Bryan and Mike I, so that's why he said they were the best. I was glad to see someone besides the top 5 get in the top this week -- it was getting boring!

[paula]

This ep bored me, although I did enjoy seeing Ashley rally and her back story touched me. My thoughts:

* I felt much better about my personal cactus fail after seeing that QF.
* No steak or beef for a cowboy challenge? Jeez, guys. Come on.
* Fish again from Jen.
* "Jie-roe" make me physically flinch.
* All the conversations with Mike V...they're setting us up for something here. Reminding us that this guy, for all his mad cooking skilz, is a bit of a douche like his BFF Mike I.
* Mattin..."this guy." Oh, that was funny.
* I honestly feel sad for lamelama that you think every guy feels emasculated if "bested" by a "girl." In all seriously, maybe it's time to meet some new people.

[Skillet Doux]

"Can ceviche even "cook" in two hours? I don't understand how ceviche works."

It can. It's all in the cutting. If you want it to cook quickly, you cut small or thin pieces. If you want it to cure longer, you cut larger pieces. One of the keys, which they touched on both on-air and in Tom's blog, is that the cut has to be CONSISTENT. Otherwise, some pieces cook while others are raw.

"I truly don't want Dom's comments to devolve, so I just want to say thank you, Esther."

Thank you, Anne :-)

Indeed, I understand, I think the point has been made, no need to pile on. I don't mean to diminish the importance of such subjects, but help me keep us on topic, guys... thanks!

[Anne]

Mike V seemed like such a little brother in this episode--a bit petulant, a bit arrogant, a bit challenging. I wonder if the pressure and close quarters are starting to make him regress a bit.

I'm already excited for the rankings. Bryan at #1 now?

[Independent George]

I think the main reason everyone was doing fish last night was that you can prepare it much faster than beef or chicken. A cut of meat can take 12 hours or more to marinade, depending on the cut; flavor gets infused into fish much, much faster. The 'no refrigeration' is what got them - fish degrades much faster than terrestrial meats because the enzymes in fish are meant to work at much lower temperatures.

I'm very curious as to how the food was packed in the coolers. Fish is doable, but it's a much, much different preparation, particularly if you're anticipating a 6 hour car ride vs storing it outdoors in the desert for 24 hours. Ideally, you would lay fish flat between layers of ice & salt, with additional ice on top and bottom to account for melting. I can imagine the contestants just throwing their food into the cooler, expecting to put it into a real fridge once they arrived; ranches usually have basic, but industrial-scale amenities, so a walk-in fridge/freezer might have been expected. Brian strikes me as the type of person who would organize his cooler the same way for a 60-minute drive to Grandma's house as he would for a week-long camping trip. Jennifer, too, for that matter.

[paula]

A good-quality steak doesn't need to marinate to be delicious if you use a good rub and/or a kick-ass sauce or salsa.

Oh, and it was nice to see Laurine step out. She had a quiet confidence that was surprising.

[Independent George]

That's the rub (so to speak), though, isn't it? They had no idea what would be available to them for prep. A rub would be a great idea, but I'm not sure they knew what spices would be available to them in the 'pantry'. There are a lot of great sauce possibilities, but if you're limited in budget, the types of produce you need to make it depend on whether you'll have a food processor/blender available, or just your knife. A 'straight' steak with a simple rub would work, but you have to assume that it wouldn't win the challenge (particularly since Tim Love explicitly said it had to be a high-end affair).

So, that brings us to fish. It's very easy to infuse flavors, and can cook in minutes. The only problem is transport/storage - and that's only a problem if you made the reasonable assumption that the TC producers wouldn't put anyone's life in jeopardy by taking away refrigeration.

I don't have a problem with having the challenge outdoors at a ranch, but I have a big problem with the 'surprise!' element.

[paula]

Sorry, one more thing: Learning that those grills were propane after the fact--they deliberately misled the viewers in the episode--pisses me off. Now that challenge seems even stupider and more arbitrary.

[Independent George]

Just as an aside, does anyone else find it funny that Tim Love's hiccup in TCM came when he thought the freezer was a fridge, while his challenge in TC centered around the lack of refrigeration?

[paula]

George: Still not convinced, though. First, they could buy spices at Whole Foods just as easily as they bought produce. Second, just as an example, Tim Love himself had a recipe in F+W magazine for a cocoa-and-chile-rubbed grilled pork that's absolutely amazing. Sliced and served over polenta, maybe, and paired with a sophisticated veggie side, it would be perfectly high-end. No reason you couldn't do something similar with a steak. Man, now I'm hungry.

[Independent George]

I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm just saying that the contestants probably watched every episode of seasons 1-5, figured they'd have to build their own stove out of cow skulls and sawdust, and decided fish was probably the better option.

[Skillet Doux]

"I'm not saying you can't do it. I'm just saying that the contestants probably watched every episode of seasons 1-5, figured they'd have to build their own stove out of cow skulls and sawdust, and decided fish was probably the better option."

I mean to go back and crunch the actual numbers before Monday, but I don't think this is a phenomenon limited to the chuckwagon. My impression is that it's been a VERY seafood-heavy season. Even if you remove Jennifer from the equation :-)

[Jake]

I have little to add that hasn't already been said (unless anyone still wants to talk Jersey!), except for this:

Dom, I love that picture of Mattin up top. I'll miss the jaunty red scarfy-thing.

[Danny]

Although they didn't know the specifics of the challenge they knew enough that it surprised me the direction so many of them went in. Ceviche? Really?

[Bill]

I agree that the chefs should have known what they were in for when planning but it seemed to me they showed a lot of disrespect towards Tim Love and his style of cooking. This is a guy who beat Morimoto in Iron Chef.
The way everyone raced for the fish counter I think they knew there wasn't a lot of steak going on. Was it beneath them to put out some great barbecue? To me, having the opportunity to do some cowboy cooking for Tim Love would be as exciting as the challenge for the French masters.
Also; what about those tortillas that Ash made? I make tortillas and I don't have a tortilla press. I press the dough between two cast iron pans and get a pretty good squeeze. His looked like two lumps of paste, how do you even call that a tortilla?

[Independent George]

Unofficial Rules For Surviving Top Chef:

1. Taste your food before serving it.
2. "The key is bending the challenge to meet your strengths. Don't play somebody else's game - play your game" - Richard Blais
3. Don't half-ass an extra dish you don't have to make just because you think the judges will be impressed by the extra half-assed effort. They won't.
4. Pasta Salad = Death.
5. Don't overcook your meat.
6. Don't underseason your food.
7. Don't disrespect the judges.
8. "Deconstructed" doesn't mean throwing a pile of crap all over the plate. A deconstructed anything is a carefully planned composition in and of itself.
9. It's not enough to simply admit a mistake at Judges Table; explain how to fix it.
10. Don't let the guy with immunity lead the elimination challenge.
11. Have 2 different dessert recipes memorized by heart, with substitutes for each ingredient.
12. Know what foods work when served out of a chafing dish.

That's all I can think of for now.

[dc]

The real challenge turned out to be lack of refrigeration. Not really brought up in the editing.

I was thinking it would be Robin with the bad shrimp going before Mattin. But her's was fully cooked at least. In Mattin's dish, oh my... Gail's blog explains clearly why Mattin had to go. Explains also why the judges got even more POd then usual when Mattin claimed he had tried his food before serving them. I feel for the poor judges -- and wonder how many of their rancher "customers" did too.

If the judges know they've eaten something really bad for their system, can they throw it up or eat some counteracting medication?

Mattin seems like Tintin. Clueless happy go lucky, jaunting through life, adventures, challenge and missteps. Funny character makes me smile. Tigger too.

[Naomi]

I really like Ashley and was thrilled to see her in the top but I really wish the editors had chosen
To show the judges telling us something other than this was the best dish she'd produced; both at judge's table and during tasting. What made it so strong? How did it edge out Kevin. I wanted details. Instead they almost made it seem she was in the top simply because she did better than last time which of course wasn't true.

[Danielle]

Agree with Paula: the propane fire pits were laaaaame. I wondered why they didn't give us a close-up view of how the different chefs managed the cooking itself. Perhaps it's because the propane took away the unpredictability.

Disappointed that Kevin's family background in competitive bbq didn't make an appearance.

[karenology]

Independent George: I would add "let your meat rest properly before cutting" somewhere in those rules, maybe in addition to #5?

[paula]

Great list, George. How about: "If you're at the bottom at JT, don't tell them you thought your dish rocked."

[paula]

dc: Hilarious observation about Mattin.

[Rabrab]

I see you're point about the chefs who picked ceviche overthinking in the direction of "simple prep/simple equipment, but I guess my personal experience at camp cooking is showing -- I'd be much less concerned with what utensils would be available (lots of things can be jury-rigged for camp cooking) and more concerned with food storage. I've run into far more problems because the ingredients went off or got waterlogged in the cooler than because I didn't have exactly the pan I wanted. And fish when camp cooking is strictly acquire-the-day-of -- especially fish in something like ceviche, where it has to be pristine. I guess that this episode was proof positive that it's possible to overthink and underthink the same thing at the same time.

On this:
"The only problem is transport/storage - and that's only a problem if you made the reasonable assumption that the TC producers wouldn't put anyone's life in jeopardy by taking away refrigeration"

Part of each challenge for the chefs is figuring out what will work and what won't under the circumstances as they know them. Ranch + campcooking + desert + Las Vegas adds up to don't count on using fragile ingredients. And don't count on the producers saving you from your own errors -- they haven't in the past. Leave an ingredient in the kitchen in a street-food challenge? Tough luck -- do without it. Pack a fridge so full that it doesn't close tight? So sorry -- make do with what didn't spoil. Leave a pork belly out on the counter overnight in Hawaii? Oh, well -- your problem.

[Dave_P]

garik16: Gah, I'm still getting Michael & Bryan mixed up from time to time! Thanks for the correction.

Food selections - yeah, I'm sorta surprised no one did steak (seriously, you're going to impress Tim Love w/ceviche?), but I was also hoping someone would do a spin on pork & beans or other "trail" fare. Sure, time constraints and other limitations were overbearing, but even Tom was surprised no one did beef.

Next week, our "favorite" Brit returns to judge. I miss Jay Rayner already.

--
Dave

[anon man]

Indpendent George:

13. Proceed with a Duet or Trio at your own risk. One great thing is better than one good thing surrounded by two mediocre things.

[babyarm]

propane pits huh...I wondered why there wasn't more smoke coming out.

Interesting move on their part.

They are getting all the cliches out of the way. Next week the terribly unfunny penn and teller make an appearance. Gag.

[Bart]

@Jon Olson: Minnesota and Wisconsin have the best corn? Bah! Jersey corn is usually much sweeter than corn I find elsewhere, which is why I'm partial (that, and the fact that I have to have SOME hometown pride!)

Re: Everyone else's comments about ceviche and fish - I agree. Let's see more of other ingredients.

Here's a controversial thought - I'd like to see a lot more chicken. I know it's usually looked down upon, but lately, Americans have been cooking lots and lots of chicken. It's sort of become everyone's favorite dish to consume. I'd like to see more chefs try to elevate chicken beyond the typical "oh, let's do a roast" or "let's bread it up."

Chicken may be the modern day "peasant" dish, but there's no reason why more chefs can't make it more refined. It's not as exciting as most other ingredients. Heck, even scallops are more interesting. But if a lot of people are eating it these days, why ignore it? One could argue that it's the 500 lb chicken in the culinary room.

[SorchaRei]

If you are eating corn in Jersey, the sweetest corn will have been grown in Jersey. If you are eating corn in Minnesota, the sweetest corn will have been grown in Minnesota. My grandmother always used to say that the right way to cook corn is to drag your pot out into the corn field, build a fire, boil the water, and then pick and shuck the corn. She was right, too. (When we were kids on her farm, we tried it once.)

If you have only eaten Minnesota corn in New Jersey, you have no idea what fresh Minnesota corn tastes like (and vice versa). Having said that, I have eaten freshly picked corn in both places, and I'm going with Wisconsin corn myself.

Now despite the dubious link to the episode provided by the "build a fire in a corn field" story, I think I need to say something substantive about the episode. Lacking all knowledge of what I'd be cooking and how, I'd bring a tender cut of beef, a bunch of vegetables that work roasted, grilled, boiled, and raw, and a whole lot of spices. What I actually cooked would depend on what the cooking facilities turned out to be. (And on whether there was a field of fresh corn nearby where I could build a fire . . . )

Now I'm going to be yearning for fresh corn until I get some.

[Megan H.]

Several comments have been made that Kevin should have used his BBQ mojo on this challenge....but with propane fires, that may have actually not worked to his advantage.

Also, being from Iowa....I feel I need to represent a bit in the corn controversy. Not that I have any meaningful way to do so, aside from memories of my mom trash-talking Minnesota sweet corn.

[Independent George]

Bart - I love Jersey because it means Illinois is only the second-most corrupt state in the union.

[aaalex]

not my favourite episode, but ron looking for a sword was amusing, as was ron putting down "voodoo branches" to keep the snakes away.

tom described robin's shrimp as tasting like "a mouthful of chlorine". i can't think of a worse insult, whether or not she had interesting ideas. tim love said the shrimp were so bad he couldn't get beyond it to taste the rest of the dish. how godawful did mattin's ceviches have to be to lose to the "mouthful of chlorine"? i thought robin was the "dark horse" this season, but it's looking like she's just not thoughtful enough. also, she simply didn't taste her food before sending it to the judges. (george: great list, btw) gail simmons had no way of knowing she didn't taste the shrimp before she put them out AND it obviously did not occur to gail that anyone would NOT taste the food before serving it.

i'm not quite sure what this episode says about laurine. she did well in qf, though according to tim love she was not one of the two chefs who actually featured the cactus prominently. (she kind of buried the cactus in a salsa. her pork chop DID look good, though) in the ec she cooked food that made use of the grill. great, but tim love also mentioned that her food was simple, that its simplicity helped her. not to get into another "is ariane any good?" debate but she still hasn't shown any startling thinking or creativity.

as to michael i. mispronouncing "gyro". it didn't offend me any more than jen mispronouncing "ceviche" or "chasseur". you say things like where you grew up. he grew up where they pronounce "gyro" "jie-ro". it's not a reflection on his cooking and, given the outdoor setting, not a bad choice. of course, you have to really work to make a gyro exciting, when you're asked to provide restaurant quality food. it was, according to the judges, good but nothing to write mom about.

michael v getting pissed at the cactus challenge and denigrating robin's ability didn't bother me at all. on another blog, the brothers v. are known as "the borg". michael v's grousing makes him seem much more likable to me. not admirable, but human and still young. also, he and michael i. are close friends for a reason. they get along and respect each other: birds of a feather, etc.

the robin factor has been ramped up a bit this week, too. michael v. saying robin is not as good a cook as hector means either: he's right and she'll go soon or he's wrong and his words will come back to haunt him. after this week, i'm thinking robin's more likely on the way out (though i hope not, because i like her and like the way she admitted her mistake in not tasting the food) than on the way much further up.

[aaalex]

ps: the sweetest corn is from southern ontario, canada... sorry you guys, but i'm just saying ...

[Danny]

Just wanted to add that Tom and Gail's blogs at the infamous Bravo site are particularly enlightening. Among other things we learn that the whole season (I assume not including the finale) is filmed in 20 days - 2 days per episode!

Tom seemed very disappointed in the food this time around calling it overall the worst food of the season to date. And Gail explains the ceviche missteps and how Robin and Mattin's dishes were almost inedible. Yikes.

I still, more than anything, can't understand why more chefs didn't go in the high-end chuckwagon direction. When I think camping, I don't think Arctic Char.

[timothy]

Since we are doing the hometown corn representing thing I just want to say I live in Hawaii and... Well, okay our corn is not all that good. We have pretty good ceviche though. Anyway, yeah.

[Katherine]

SorchaRei, you're absolutely right about the corn -- it's best eaten the day it's picked. I grew up in Chicago and loved the corn my grandparents grew in their Wisconsin garden, but for sweetest corn I've ever tasted, I have to give the nod to upstate New York. As for tomatoes, I have yet to taste any better than the ones I ate in North Carolina (sorry, Bart!) I used to think North Carolina strawberries were the best, too, until I moved out to Northern (coastal) California ... mmmm!

I've spent a lot of time camping, and it's never occurred to me to pack in my own seafood. It's just too hard to keep it fresh without reliable refrigeration. Even at home I always cook fish/seafood the day I buy it. (Of course, fish you catch and cook on site -- that's a different story altogether!) I understand the point about being able to infuse fish with flavor more quickly than you can with other proteins, but seafood just seemed like a very risky choice to transport out to the desert. I have to wonder how many of the chefs had any inkling of just how inferno-like the Nevada desert can get ... guess none of them have ever been to Burning Man! Frankly, I was relieved no one passed out from the heat.

Independent George, I love your Top Chef rules -- they rank right up there with the "Jennifer Norris" lists, which had me laughing aloud!

[aaalex]

i should have read colicchio's blog before commenting. his defense of simplicity was to the point and just right. laurine's "simplicity", under the circumstances, was the perfect approach to the challenge. whoever aaalex is, he was dead, foolish wrong to doubt this week was laurine's turn in the sun. (no pun intended)

[Amanda P.]

I think the part that I wish were taken into account more is the actual challenge the chefs are given. Perhaps it is, all other things being equal, but when given a specific remit, if you don't meet the criteria, even if your food is better than someone else, shouldn't you get dinged? I don't see how a gyro or a tuna sandwich qualifies as "high-end". I know that neither won, but they didn't get in trouble for it either.

As for gyro (jai-row) - if Mike I were using the sandwich to maintain stability or a gravitational field, I'd be ok with the pronounciation, but I had to acutally STOP the the DVR so I could finish yelling at the TV (and my husband could stop laughing at me). Cevich (sic) and chasseur made me twitch, but Mike I played up the Crete last week, he ought to be able to pronounce one of the more well known greek food words. On the other hand, my italian MIL can't pronounce manicotti (manigot) or mozzerela (motzerel).

[Allison]

For the record, the best tomatoes and corn are the ones I grow, wherever I may be. Lots of heirlooms now, but no corn this year, must give a nod to upstate NY.

And did all of these chefs suddenly discover ceviche? I don't get that. And not in the desert, unless as Dom suggested they were overthinking.

I'm with the "where was the beef?" camp. It could have been beef tartare if there were no grills.

Finally, for the record, I've been a charcoal griller since I was in kindergarten (Dad, born in Omaha, not a fan of Omaha steaks, but a fan of grilling steak - every Sunday). Got to teach a friend (who attended culinary school & has worked at some great restaurants) a bit about that this summer), nice to hear her say my chicken was cooked "perfectly." -- I do proteins & veggies well. Seriously, she bought a charcoal grill for my visit. We had fun.

That they had propane to deal with this challenge almost seems like cheating.

[Skillet Doux]

The reason Kevin didn't do BBQ is because he's from a Southern competitive BBQ family, so he knows BBQ is low and slow and you do NOT do it in 75 minutes.

[jh]

I am skeptical that the food was outside the whole night. It seems to be a blatant food violation, and the producers can't afford the judges to get sick (or anyone else for that matter) from poorly stored food. Though badly cooked food is not out of the question.

My guess about the refrigeration issue is that the ingredients that were bought at Whole Foods were actually stored in refrigerators either on site or at another location, and then transported to the camping area in coolers at the start of the challenge. I wouldn't be surprised if the producers told them after they went to shopping at Whole Foods to pack everything they wanted into their labeled cooler and that it would be given to them the next morning. I think the lack of refrigeration aspect was during the challenge itself, so if the food spoiled in the heat in that one hour, then sucks for you. It also appeared that the WF bags they were carrying when they exited the cars contained some of their belongings or nothing at all.

[anon man]

Actually, Tom's blog is somewhat enlightening to the fact that Tom didn't like the challenge. Maybe in part because of the lack of good food, but frankly he thought the extreme heat and the food spoilage and the open ended nature of the challenge (i.e., they were not given any parameters on what they should cook) wasn't a great set of circumstances.

On a somewhat related note, NPR today had a bit about Survivor. It noted that before they do a challenge, the cameras go off, the host talks to each team and walks them through the challenge, gives detailed rules, etc. A guy from the network follows him to make sure he doesn't say one thing to one team and something else to another.

I think its worth a listen for those of us who follow TC, because its a reminder that there is much we don't see and maybe isn't filmed at all. You know that after the 30 second blurb on the challenge is given, they turn the camera off, tell them what's in the pantry, what isn't, what "done" means for purposes of transporting food, how many dishes they need to make, etc., etc. For this specific challenge, I wonder if they were told about no fridges or if "not knowing" was part of the challenge. In a sense, that's just part of TV, but in another its somewhat annoying because some of the major mistakes this week might have been avoidable with some brain power, or maybe not, if they didn't know.

[Amanda P.]

Another point that Tom made on his blog was that it was 110 when they ate. I don't know how many of you have experienced 110 degrees, but for me temperatures much above 95 and I'm not INTERESTED in eating. I think that contributed to the lack of enthusiasm in the judging.

[Skillet Doux]

"I think its worth a listen for those of us who follow TC, because its a reminder that there is much we don't see and maybe isn't filmed at all. You know that after the 30 second blurb on the challenge is given, they turn the camera off, tell them what's in the pantry, what isn't, what "done" means for purposes of transporting food, how many dishes they need to make, etc., etc."

In fact, Lee Anne has mentioned that they receive a sheet of paper with detailed rules and a list of pantry items available to them. My impression of this particular challenge was that they didn't know about the facilities. And I agree with what was said above. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the coolers were stored off-site overnight and returned to them in the morning.

[Independent George]

Would it be cruel of me to include, "Don't team up with Casey" as another rule?

[hayamyma]

I thought it was an okay challenge, if a little boring. I did find it was interesting that it seemed like a different palate chose the winners (ie Tim Love). Not that the palate was worse, or even better, just different, and so we saw different winners. I was a little disappointed in Mike V's implied diss of Jennifer Norris when he didn't list her (or Kevin who also deserved recognition) as worthy competition. Why is Robin a worse chef than Ron?

What struck terror into my heart, however, is Jen's interview in the previews for next week confessing she's unhappy with her plate and worried to she might get sent home!

[Skillet Doux]

"What struck terror into my heart, however, is Jen's interview in the previews for next week confessing she's unhappy with her plate and worried to she might get sent home!"

Mine too, for a moment. But then I figured such a brazen use of that clip could only be to freak us out so that we might find happy relief when she's spared the axe.

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

(Also, it wouldn't be the first time a future clip has been inserted into what appears to be a next episode clip. Point: don't trust the previews about anything.)

[Tinuviel]

Did not like this episode. Cooking in 115 degree heat is not my idea of "competition". Does anyone want to take a guess when Jen will cook something other than fish?

[Clarita]

George, another rule: tase your team's food before allowing it to go out.

[paula]

Clarita, I assume you mean "tase THE OTHER team's food before it goes out."

Oh...wait..."taste."

(in best Emily Litella voice:) Never mind!

[Nsam]

I found this episode subpar, too. And worse, I'm not looking forward to next week, either, with that awful Penn Jillette. How does that guy even get work? He should give his agent a big kiss and a huge raise.

And speaking of foreshadowing hints, how about the editors emphasizing Gail's praise of Ashley, that she could be a dark horse. Seems very deliberate editing to me, and I'm inclined to think it foreshadows good things for Ashley.

[aaalex]

paula: "tase the OTHER team's food"? if you're going to tase anyone it should be the other TEAM, shouldn't it? but now i'm wondering what cooking for with a taser would be like as a challenge.

[rf]

So, did anyone catch Ash's reference to a certain stephen sondheim musical? I have a feeling it was missed by the contestants. Also wanted to comment on what someone asked earlier about taking antibiotics to avert food poisoning. The answer unfortunately is no, that won't work. Most food poisoning is due to toxins produced by the bacteria. Even though you can kill the bacteria, the toxin is still present.

I agree this episode was unimpressive, but since it was the one that removed mattin, i'm all for it!

[Bart]

Jennifer Norris cannot be Tasered. In fact, when shot with the Taser, the Taser will overload with the electricity from Jennifer Norris's body and malfunction.

[Ally]

Independent George: Yes

With regard to Ashley being on top and not e.g. Kevin, I sometimes think that the judges make strategic decisions to encourage people that they think have potential, or who improve and respond to criticism.

[Ally]

P.S. speaking of food poisoning I have two words: bad clams.

[Anne]

I'm pretty sure Blais cooked with a taser for a quickfire.

[Dreamboat]

Two quick comments...

"Jennifer Norris cannot be Tasered. In fact, when shot with the Taser, the Taser will overload with the electricity from Jennifer Norris's body and malfunction."

Beer nearly spurt out of my nose when I read that -- too funny!!

And second, I just watched next weeks preview and at least half of the chefs are wearing a red kerchief...LOL :-D

[Marya]

About Mattin... I realized after his elimination that he never cooked any traditionally Basque food. I was under the impression that was his comfort zone. Strange choice, I think.

(Unless I am wrong about what constitutes Basque. I thought it was a Spanish-influenced French cuisine.)

[paula]

Ally: I think you're right. It seems clear that they bring certain people to JT, both at the top and the bottom, to send a message even if they're not really on the block to lose/win the challenge outright. I think they did want to give Ashley some recognition and maybe even help boost her confidence because they know she's got strong potential.

[anon man]

Regarding Kevin and his mystery duck: I just watched the preview for next week and without revealing too much, he is making a mole negra. He has a comment like "I do want to show the judges that I actually can make a mole." Reading between the lines, maybe Kevin got some feedback (somehow) that while the duck and watermelon might have been good, the mole sauce wasn't. An hour and change isn't really enough time to make a great mole, so, maybe that tripped him up. Yes, I love duck and I love mole, so maybe I'm obsessing, but it does kind that we know nothing about it. Its not even mentioned in the blogs.

[Magi]

::Also wanted to comment on what someone asked earlier about taking antibiotics to avert food poisoning. The answer unfortunately is no, that won't work. Most food poisoning is due to toxins produced by the bacteria. Even though you can kill the bacteria, the toxin is still present.::

This may just be an urban myth that's developed within this community, but I also follow international adoption sites. Adopting from China involves a 2-3 week trip to multiple locations in China. Gastro-intestinal issues from eating unfamiliar foods, contaminated water, etc... are very common among the travelers. Most people who get sick do because they forget and brush their teeth with tap water. The advice everyone gives, and swears by, is to eat two Pepto-Bismal tablets each morning. It's supposed to help eliminate or reduce food-borne illness issues.

As for the show, everyone here always states my thoughts better and faster than I can. Love this site!

[Anne]

It seems a little bizarre for people to say that Ashley didn't REALLY have one of the top dishes, especially since we didn't actually try any of them. Yes, Kevin's looked great, but that doesn't mean Ashley's wasn't better.

[paula]

I don't think anyone was suggesting that Ashley didn't have one of the top dishes (and we all accept as a given that we can't taste the dishes, so that caveat is automatically applied to everything we say). I was just suggesting that she probably didn't really have a shot at winning this challenge, but her dish was yummy enough to warrant a nod from the judges. Maybe Kevin's was just as good as Ashley's (or maybe better, or maybe worse), but he might not have been a real contender for the win, either, so the judges decided not to bring him out there yet again. Maybe they wanted to give Ashley a little moment in the sun.

Just hypothesizing. But of course, I don't know for sure, because I wasn't there, didn't taste it, blah, blah, blah.

[anon man]

paula, I'm not intending any offense at Ashley because I'm obsessed with the duck, its just that it looked great and I love love love both mole and duck.

Her stated goal was to make a dish that tasted like a club sandwich but was with fish. This is good thinking. Take an actual lunch dish like a club sandwich and make it into something interesting. In other words, a step beyond an actual Ji-roh (meh!) or a tuna sandwich.

[Megan H.]

If you read Tom's blog from this week, he states pretty clearly that the choices to bring folks to JT are made purely on the food. Who knows what is going on subconsciously for them, but I'm at least convinced that on the surface it really is all about the food.

[seanchai]

It's always discussed about whether the chefs know when Padma comes to the stew room if the people being called up to Judges Table are on the winning or losing team. In this episode it was funny that you could tell Ashley and Laurine knew immediately they were on the winning team because they were going with the brothers V. No way both of them had losing dishes!

[Clarita]

Paula: yes I meant, "taste," not "tase." I guess bad spelling is what happens when I try to multi-task. But I'm glad it's turned into a source of entertainment for everyone! Next QF: cooking with tasers

[natmicstef]

And note that suddenly Ashley does not look exhausted, has make-up on and is smiling and lively..

[Jon Olsen]

Going allll the way back to the first comment, may I say I have "must be the season of ceviche" in my head, you know, like the Donovan song "must be the season of the witch" ... with the Say-Veech pronunciation. Yeah. That's a treat to have in your head.

[adeeyore]

just a quick warning, for those of you who also follow the top chef podcasts at Daily Loafing, there's a pretty major spoiler regarding this season's ultimate winner in the middle this week's episode that comes with almost zero warning.

They've removed the fun... =P

[Skillet Doux]

"just a quick warning, for those of you who also follow the top chef podcasts at Daily Loafing, there's a pretty major spoiler regarding this season's ultimate winner in the middle this week's episode that comes with almost zero warning."

Does this season even have an ultimate winner yet? That'd be unusually early, historically speaking. Not that that necessarily means anything.

See, this is why I limit discussion to broadcast material.

[rab01]

Thanks for the warning about the podcast.

Please no one amplify on adeeyore's warning, I'd hate to have to drop reading this blog to avoid hints.

[Skillet Doux]

"Please no one amplify on adeeyore's warning, I'd hate to have to drop reading this blog to avoid hints."

Good point.

Don't answer my question, adeeyore... even the most innocuous thing can end up being a big hint at some point.

Thanks very much for the heads-up, though. Good thing I don't read any Top Chef material other than what's on the official site :-)

(Well... preview rankings research aside.)

[karenology]

Regarding the issue of Mike Isabella's personality flaws, I was doing some light internet stalking of Ashley (research purposes!) and came across this interview: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/top-chef-an-interview/Content?oid=2156026

"What are your feelings about Mike Isabella? He made some pretty sexist comments in episode 1.

I adore Isabella. He comes across as a complete jackass, [but] Michael Isabella is a very talented chef and a very smart man, and I adore him. Knowing the situation and knowing Michael, I didn't take it as anything other than a joke—and in the end, the joke's on him. To me, that's funny."

So further support for the view that Mike Isabella, like everyone else appearing on any TV show ever, is not exactly what the editors portray him to be.

Oh, and girlcrush on Ashley notwithstanding, I do hope that the speculation at the beginning of that article isn't true, and that she doesn't end up edging out the Brothers Volt, Jenn C., Kevin, etc.

[karenology]

^^ Dom: that interview i posted does not contain spoilers, just pure outsider speculation - but in light of all the spoilers now apparently lurking around the internet, feel free to take my comment down if you think it is inappropriate!

[adeeyore]

I know... I'm going to try to sticking to reading your blog from now on... though it is funny to see everyone else on the net get caught up in all the reality show tropes.

On a side note, there's a story in the Washington Post today that Mike Isabella got married a few weeks ago (so maybe he doesn't hate women after all?)

Also, since I've never commented before (sorry if I de-rail the top chef conversation here), I have been enjoying the heck out of the new Monkey Island episodes, that swordfighting scene in episode two was EPIC. Bravo Dom! =)

[ddg]

if you guys check out the previews for next week looks like everyone is wearing a red neckercheif in honor of Mattin, pretty nice gesture.

[mncharm]

Something I haven't seen anyone mention yet: Michael V.'s comment indicating that he is not interested in considering the context of the challenge; rather, he is going to make good food.

I think the fact that he was in the top and made what looked like a delicious dish proves that the quality of the food takes precedence in this competition -- as it should -- even if an Asian dish at a ranch is out of context.

But...you have to wonder if this might be a small chink in his armor. As noted in the List of Rules to Win Top Chef and as stated by Blais, you have to bend the challenge to your strengths. I think Bryan V. did that better here than Michael V. -- his dish makes more sense at a ranch.

Also, Gail notes in her blog:

"Bryan’s Roasted Pork Loin, Corn Polenta, Dandelion Green & Glazed Rutabaga was definitely the highlight of our meal. It exemplified what I wish many others had done: used ingredients appropriate to the environment and cooked in a manner natural to the equipment at hand. Bryan composed the plate to showcase the pork, which was well roasted, but still juicy. The vegetables and polenta each added their own taste and texture – sweet, creamy, and just a little bitter. It was exactly what I wanted to be eating at that moment, or at any cowboy barbecue, for that matter. Our ranchers agreed."

Obviously, Michael V. has the talent to win the whole thing, no question -- but will his unwillingness to take the context of a challenge into account hurt him at some point?

[mncharm]

I probably should have read Gail's entire blog before commenting, as she later said this:

Michael Voltaggio was the risktaker of the night and I must applaud him for it. He is one of the first chefs in my memory who was able to articulate, in both his words and his dish, what we judges think so often when eating the contestants’ food: Do not completely alter your food philosophy to please us, just adapt it to the challenge and cook the best food you possibly can. Mike made Dashi with Miso & Marin Cured Black Cod with Watermelon. Not something any of us would expect to be served on a cattle ranch in the sweltering heat, but no one could deny that it was utterly delicious. The fish was savory and light, the broth had strong citrus undertones from the ponzu, and the watermelon gave it all a lovely, sweet finish. That he cooked it over the grill was impressive too."

Nonetheless...an odd comment. She says he adapted his style to the challenge, then says this is not something you would expect at a ranch...not sure what to make of it.

[Naomi]

As someone who posted about Ashley's top spot this week, I wanted to clarify that I have no beef with her being there (I'm thrilled in fact) and I'm sure was there deservedly. My problem was that the editors chose to show us only to show us the judge's saying amonst themselves and then to her that it was the best dish she'd cooked yet. I'm certain their praise was more substantial than that and I was wanting to know what it was. When I asked in my post, why was she there instead of Keven, it wasn't meant to imply that she didn't deserve to be. Instead it was complaning that the editors cut out information that was interesting to me. I truly wanted to know what they liked about the dish.

[Shelly]

I think it worth mentioning that the article Karenology pointed to says the season 6 finale has not yet been filmed, so there is no winner yet.

[Ally]

Regarding the "did Ashley really deserve to be in the top" question: I think the only reason any of us are asking that question is because when Love announced the winner he said "It was between the two brothers". Which made the third position seem like a throwaway.

This "it's all about the food" and Tom's claim in his blog that there is no inherent bias depending on who the chef is -- really? Are they the first humans on the planet to be completely devoid of any kind of bias? Wow! If they are, in fact, using their positions as judges to bring good to a chef or two, I'm happy about that. I guess for me it isn't "all about the food".

[Naomi]

rf:

So, did anyone catch Ash's reference to a certain stephen sondheim musical?

As a professional, musical theater performer I'm embarassed to say I totally missed it. What was the Sondheim reference?

[Duffy]

By the way -- does anybody know what happened to Le Anne? It was noted several weeks ago that she had been traveling but was back, and that her blog was due up soon.

[aaalex]

ally: i don't think it's "all about the food" even for colicchio. he's slightly hypocritical where the judging is concerned. i mean, he wants it both ways: objective and subjective.

if it was "all about the food", colicchio would not have mentioned that, when bryan v. won for his trout, the deconstructed bearnaise was more like bryan's cooking than michael i's. why shouldn't michael i. cook like bryan from time to time? and what business is it of the judges to decide when "chef a" is cooking like "chef b"? in judging the nature of a chef's cooking, you're going away from judging only the food on the table. NOT that the judges were wrong to do this. but it already tells you some extra-culinary elements are in play.

if it was "all about the cooking", it wouldn't matter if a chef stood by their dish or, as was mattin's case last week, did not know his dish was flawed. mattin lost, at least in part because robin understood her food was bad and mattin did not. in watching top chef, we've seen any number of examples where a chef was criticized (even sent home) because he or she had the wrong attitude. again, if it's at all about a chef's attitude, it's not only about the food.

if it was "all about the food", top chef would be a show in which, every week, every chef was given the opportunity to cook at their highest level so the judges could taste their best efforts. it would be dish against dish and the winner would be the chef who, over the space of 20 days, consistently made the best food. but top chef is about putting obstacles in a chef's way. it's about overcoming impossible situations to create the best food you can. it's about the drama and the challenge and keeping your nerve. the judges, when they taste the food, are (until the finals) judging "the best food under the circumstances", not the best food period. it's about the game as much as the food and colicchio knows that. (in fact, when colicchio makes nfl comparisons, it becomes clear that the game/competition is sometimes MORE important than the food.) when colicchio says "it's all about the food", it's because he wants to insist on objectivity. he wants the judging process to seem fair. but how objective can a judge be? as someone pointed out in this blog, french cuisine is "basic" only if you come from the european tradition. an asian chef would NOT necessarily know a bearnaise from a chasseur. (and why should they?) the assumptions behind the judging are culturally specific, not "objective". certain types of cooking are at a disadvantage. not that the disadvantage can't be overcome. rick bayless won for cooking mexican food, something slightly outside the traditions of the judges. but bayless was trained/familiar with western cooking and western tastes. when hector deep fried a steak, there was revulsion all around. the assumption (implied and stated) was that steak should never be fried. but as hector pointed out, puerto ricans fry everything. maybe his deep fried steak didn't turn out, but that doesn't mean NO deep fried steak would ever taste good. this was a moment - with wolfgang puck smugly saying he'd throw any chef who fried a steak in his restaurant into the fryer with the meat - when the cultural assumptions of the panel were glaring and kind of amusing. (if i remember rightly, colichio was at least cautious here. he did imply that PERHAPS deep fried steak could work but that hector's didn't. i admired him for being less of a clown than wolfgang puck.)

on top chef, the judges are only as objective as their assumptions allow (which is perfectly natural) and it is "all about the food" only in the very narrow sense that someone tastes someone else's food and has to decide if he or she actually likes it. the bottom line is the food, but the process is not one designed to get the best food out and the judges aren't always at their best when forced beyond the boundaries of their own tastes.

[Bart]

aaalex - I mostly agree. I got my Master's in Journalism, and my first couple of jobs were as a reporter of various kinds. One of the things that was drilled in us from Day 1 is that there is no such thing as true objectivity. What that means, then, is not to give in to your bias, but to recognize what is biased in your viewpoint, and working around that.

(This actually doesn't apply too much to politics and sports beat writers too much, because they don't really have time to care more about Position A than Position B, or Team X over Team Y - they leave the opinionating to columnists)

I'm not a reporter anymore (thank God) but it has made me sympathetic to the judges when they are, as you say, forced out of the boundaries of their own tastes.

The difference between a good judge and a bad judge, in this instance, would be the one who says, "Ok, this isn't normally my thing, but I see where you're coming from."

I don't necessarily think that deep-frying a steak was itself the sin - but within the context of the challenge, it became a negative (Hector said he was a smoker...what does frying have to do with smoking? etc). If he said his sin was a love for fried food, then he would have gotten away with it, I think.

At the end of the day, though, taste matters. I don't think it tasted as good as it could have. While there's something to be said for, say, the average American not typically being able to handle Indian or, I don't know, Mongolian cuisine because their palates aren't equipped to handle it... these Top Chef judges are serious eaters. Except for really spicy (spicy hot) food, they seem pretty much open to just about anything.

I just don't think that the fried steak was as good as it could have - or should have - been.

[Zyfsv]

The Sondheim reference is from In the Woods. "Bears, Bears are sweet." Gotta love Ash for that one!

[Jon Olsen]

It's a good list of "don'ts" for Top Chef risks. I think a couple reasons we see so many "duos" is partly the trendiness, but also because Miguel wayyy back in season one did his "duo of beef" and it got high marks from judges TWICE that season. Later contestants surely must look at that and go "Miguel?? I can outcook that dude!" And...the hope of nailing a duo gets ensconced in the show.

[aaalex]

bart: i agree with you about the steak, but as i was thinking about the assumptions the judges might have, i also thought about the assumptions the contestants bring to the game. this year, mattin did not cook basque food. colicchio himself asked why. last year, radikha was afraid to cook indian food, for fear she'd be branded as someone who could only do indian. instead of playing to their own strengths, mattin and radikha tried to "blend in" by cooking "normal" food. (when radikha did cook indian, she did well, i seem to remember ...)

last year, jamie didn't think twice about making scallop after scallop. this year, jen c. has rarely made anything but seafood. jen c isn't afraid of being branded, she's just doing what she knows best and more power to her. it's a good strategy ... until it's not. on the other hand, what jen c. does is well within the range of "normal" food. her food isn't exotic in any way, so she hasn't faced the same question that mattin and radikha did: do i stick to what i know best or give the judges something THEY'RE more comfortable with? (on top chef masters, anita lo largely did things that were in the range of "normal" as well. i can't remember anything she did that was distinctly/uniquely chinese ... am i wrong about that?)

i wonder if the top chef pantry is stocked with only (or mostly) the usual things, ingrediants we're familiar with in north america. maybe part of the reason mattin couldn't do basque food or radikha east indian is that the ingredients they needed aren't readily available. that would explain the endless scallops last year and ceviches this year. it would also explain why we tend to see fewer purely chinese, indian or even thai or south asian dishes on top chef.

i'm not trying to accuse top chef of some sort of institutional bias. it's an american show, after all, and most of the contestants are americans cooking american food. but it is interesting when you realize the overwhelming majority of the dishes we see (the dishes that are judged) fall squarely within north american tradition. i do get the sense the show is at least unconsciously tilted towards what we all know best. and that, too, makes me skeptical (as skeptical as you and ally) about "objectivity" on top chef.

[zsparks]

Minimonkey wrote: Does anyone else find it weird/funny that Mike I. butchered the pronunciation of Gyro and Tsatsiki? A: Yes!! I'm not a fan.

Bart: I LOVE NJ! I have been lost in Paramaus every single time I have driven between NYC and upstate. It's awesome! Also, I fly into Newark rather than JKF or LGA as a matter of choice.

Jon Olsen said: *Propane Campfires*. A: no kidding!!! Geez, Louise. Why couldn't we find out who can actually build a fire? I wanted to see Mike I. looking for kindling.

Jon Olsen again: The inability of some chefs to plan—for to me this was a planning and preparedness flexibility challenge—is what put them in the bottom. - A: Ditto! This is a basic Mom skill.

Dom said of ceviche: Otherwise, some pieces cook while others are raw. - A: Having recently assigned my 12-yr-old to make some, I would add that you must not skimp on the juice, and it must be thoroughly tossed. :(

Independent George: Can you believe anyone would come to Top Chef not having made note of your list all on their own?!

[zsparks]

mn charm, Thanks for the long quotes from Gail. Dom, If you would RSS feed Gail's and Tom's blogs into the sidebar, we'd never have to return to that nasty Bravo site.

p.s. Any ideas about why a group like Bravo has the worst webmaster on the planet?

[Naomi]

Zyfsv - Thanks! Totally missed it.

[kit]

Lee Anne's back!!

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/lee-anne-wong/checking-in

[Luray]

On the "just about the food" discussion. I think they mean it's about the food and not the behind the scenes stuff that the judges don't see. The who is nice, who makes nasty comments, who's rude in the kitchen, etc. There is no way to be totally subjective about the food as even Tom says- they know each person's style and would probably know who cooked what without being told. They are judging the food they are served knowing what the challenge parameters are and deciding whose is best. Looking at who the judges are, I don't know that it's necessarily a north american pallette, they have all certainly traveled the world and eaten various cuisines. I do think they try to determine which is best of what they're given.

[zsparks]

Final Return to the Campfire: After talking to my granddad about both the sad end of Hector and the chuckwagon challenge, I would like to clarify what I was schooled.

1.) Chicharrones are not originally chuckwagon food, as they came over from Spain (though I say, look at the kitchen in the middle ages).

2.) Puerto Rico is one of the few Latin American countries where they're not common.

3.) No, deepfried steak is not common in Puerto Rico.

4.) At The Red Barn, where we used to eat the steak I thought of as chicharrones-style, he did not, as he feels a steak is of a size that simply makes the term "chicharrones-style steak" an oxymoron.

4.) Girl - when I have made you a campfire meal, could you TELL it wasn't cooked in a kitchen?!

Now: Does he actually know all this? After all, he thought Talk Like a Pirate Day was the 15th.

[Amaro Taylor-Weiner]

Dunno how many people have found this but thought Id post it cause I have been finding it interesting. Laurine's blog

http://www.leftcoastcatering.com/blog/2009/09/adaptation/

[dc]

A ranch insider's report of the ranch episode...

http://www.dahlight.com/top-chef-the-morning-after/

[aaalex]

thank you, dc, for the link. really amusing, and it makes mattin's ceviche sound almost poisonously bad. but ... they killed the rooster? i wonder what the bird's name was? next time i watch the show, i'll think of it as a memorial for roo.

btw. in canada, the food network has begun to show this this season's top chef. they're a few episodes behind, of course. but it was interesting to watch the "airforce show" with ALL of ashley's controversial comments edited out. whatever your feelings about ashley's comments, it felt as if the show had been emasculated. like watching the sopranos on a&e. made me realize how important it is to have some hint of the contestants' personalities, something to give traction. knowing the original, i felt we'd been ripped off up here.

[hayamyma]

In the rancher perspective offered above it was interesting to hear that one or both of the Voltaggio brothers were standoffish . . . that could come back to haunt them if either one has to play Head of the House in RW. Tom and the other judges have made it clear that those duties matter and it's not enough to say "I'm just a chef!"

[aaalex]

amaro taylor-weiner: thank you very very much for mentioning laurine's blog. it's the most insightful (crisply written, nicely thought out) chef's blog i've read. it's really impressive, i think. she seems to embody this year's crop of contestants: thoroughly professional, mostly low-key but sharp as tacks. laurine's words about eve were so respectful and thoughtful, i almost wished eve had stayed longer. whatever happens, though, i'm kind of pulling for laurine, now, if only so she'll be able to keep writing about her experiences on the show.

this year's crew doesn't have characters as immediately compelling as fabio or stefan, but they're doing a kind of slow burn. the more you know these chefs, the more impressive they seem to be, and the better this season compares to any of the previous.

[Independent George]

In the rancher perspective offered above it was interesting to hear that one or both of the Voltaggio brothers were standoffish . . . that could come back to haunt them if either one has to play Head of the House in RW. Tom and the other judges have made it clear that those duties matter and it's not enough to say "I'm just a chef!"

Not to play armchair psychologist, but that comment strikes me as the typical extrovert's reaction to an introvert. The V Brothers actually strike me as far, far more left-brain/analytical than we've seen from any contestants so far, which is often misinterpreted as aloof by them fancy-pants artist types. With regard to restaurant wars, remember that Radhika's trouble at FoH was mostly poor organization and a lack of control of the kitchen - neither of which would seem to be a problem for either of the brothers. Or Jennifer.

[SorchaRei]

"this year's crew doesn't have characters as immediately compelling as fabio or stefan, but they're doing a kind of slow burn. the more you know these chefs, the more impressive they seem to be, and the better this season compares to any of the previous."

My initial response to Stefan was "Ick", although I came to like him better as the season rolled on. My initial response to Fabio was "He's rather charming, but I wonder if he can cook;" and I didn't get interested in him as a contestant until he showed that he could.

I had an immediate positive reaction to both Voltaggio brothers, and to Kevin, as people, and even moreso to their food in the first episode.

I don't think that this season's chef have less personality than last, just that en masse, the personalities are lower key. That means that it's a matter of taste. I'd say that for me, last season's contestants (other than Jamie) had to grow on me, while this season, I immediately related to these guys as people and was impressed by the food.

I just mention this because I know it's easy for me to get caught up in my own reactions and to think that "this season, they got a lot more attractive personalities", when the truth is more like "this season they got a lot more of the kind of personalities that I relate well to". That's part of why I read this blog, to remind myself that I am not the whole audience, and because other people's reactions to the whole TC experience help inform mine and make it more nuanced.

[Bart]

SorchaRei - I get where you're coming from, but as PEOPLE, the New York crew (and the Chicago crew) were just more entertaining to watch.

I'm not trying to start an argument here about what we'd rather have - outsize personalities versus exceptional chefs. I'm just pointing out the simple fact that, regardless of what they did in the kitchen, it was a lot more fun watching Fabio and Carla and Spike and Andrew than it is to watch Bryan mumble, "Well, that's three times I've beaten my brother."

Mike Isabella seems to be the one person this season who's shown signs of life. Eli (Robuchon's a unicorn?), Ash (his Judge's Table "meltdown") and Jennifer (omg she has a personality!) show sparks, but we haven't seen too much of that side from them just yet.

I'm not saying that the others don't have personalities... we just haven't seen them yet. Most of the chefs are there to do business. They're there to cook, and to cook well. Thus far, they've succeeded. I'd just like to see them loosen up a bit.

Not everyone can be as gifted in front of the camera as Fabio, or as lovable as Carla. But I'm not asking them to be like them. I want to see their personalities come out a bit. I want to get to know them, beyond what they put on their plates. Is that so wrong?

[anon man]

Bart,

We've actually dubbed the Brothers V and Jen as Team Lithium. They are just so monotone. Our personal favorite moment was the interview of Jen talking about the French challenge where she says so deadpan as to be reading it off a card "I know we're going to make a bangin' dish." Zzzzz.

But, I watch for the food, so the fact that they aren't shaving their heads is a-ok with me.

George, the comment about the Brothers could be that they were, you know, working. Bryan in particular had a complicated plating, so a lot of chit-chat isn't going to be in his food timeline. Or maybe they just aren't social. Tom picked on Harold in Season 1 for his inability to present dishes, noting something like "Stay in the back of the house."

Aaalex, do you mean Ashley comments in the Bachelor Party challenge, not the AF challenge? If it is the AF challenge, which comments are you refering to?

[SorchaRei]

SorchaRei - I get where you're coming from, but as PEOPLE, the New York crew (and the Chicago crew) were just more entertaining to watch.

No, see, I think you are missing my point. For YOU, the NY and Chicago crews were more entertaining to watch. For ME, this crew is more entertaining to watch, and this would be true if their food were the food from, say NY, instead of the food they are making. I enjoy watching personalities emerge gently and subtly. I find over-the-top personalities tiring to watch.

Now, I am not saying that they should cast TC to my tastes and not yours -- I'm just saying that I am enjoying these chefs not DESPITE their low-key, slow-to-emerge personalities, but in part BECAUSE of it.

It's not wrong to enjoy outsize personalities, and it's not wrong to enjoy more subtle personalities.

I'm reminded of a comment Jane Austen made about her novels, comparing them to the florid gothic novels which were all the rage at the time. She said What should I do with your strong, manly, spirited sketches, full of variety and glow? How could I possibly join them on to the little bit (two inches wide) of ivory on which I work with so fine a brush, as produces little effect after much labour?

For people who like florid gothic novels, Jane Austen seems dry and tedious and boring, but for those who like that sort of thing, her novels are sublime. I think that this is similar. I enjoyed Chicago and NY. I love this season's personalities more. At the same time, I completely grasp why other people call Jen+Vs "team Lithium".

[Independent George]

SorchaRei: I love that comparison, and only partly because I absolutely despise those florid gothic novels.

[Bart]

Fair enough :)

And, for the record, I'm not asking for the Brothers V to suddenly act like turtles or shave their heads. That would be unlike them. But I'd like to see them be themselves.

It's good that they're suuuuuuuuuuper focused on the competition, but I'm not getting a sense of who they are, beyond their personalities as chefs in the kitchen (they'd probably say, "but that IS who we are" - which is true, to a certain point. But they're not ALWAYS like that; so I'd like to see their personalities emerge a bit)

[Jon Olsen]

I commend you to Jane Austen's Love & Freindship, if you haven't already read it. It's a lovely satire of florid prose. Much fainting and dying straightaway from chills.

[Kathy V.]

As a fan of Jackie Collins rather than Jane Austen, I say we have a TC season filled with nothing but Marcel, Betty and Ilan...... bwahahahahahaha

[Naomi]

While I too prefer this season's personalities, I think I could probably watch Andrew every day and not get tired of it.

[aaalex]

sorcha rei: i'm not sure what you're saying in response to my comment. i think you're kind of agreeing with me, but i can't really tell. my point was that last year's crew were IMMEDIATELY there as personalites: carla, stefan, fabio, spike, andrew ... whatever you thought about them or felt about them, you had a quick, sharp hit of HUMAN. this year, the personalities have been more restrained - or toned down in the editing. they've been serious about the cooking and the challenges. they've have put their heads down and cooked. but as you get to know them, as this season progresses, their sheer prickly human-ness comes out and, for me, attains the levels of immediacy/intimacy i felt last year. (remember: what prompted this thought was laurine's blog: for me, a revelation of sensitivity and thoughtfulness that i found immensely appealing.) i wasn't making an invidious comparison between this season and last. i like them both, though i think the chefs, en masses, are more creative food-wise this year. nor was i suggesting that in-your-face (personality) is better for me as a watcher of top chef.

on another note: i'm a huge fan of jane austen and, in northanger abbey, she did a tongue-in-cheek version of gothic that is as amusing (and over the top) as any echt gothic tale. no one who wasn't a fan (an assiduous reader) of gothic novels could have written northanger abbey. so, it's not a slam dunk that she preferred subtler characters. it's just that she didn't (often) write big characters herself. so, i'm not sure if jane would, as a spectator, have preferred season 5 or season 6. it's a good topic for an academic paper: "it's not top scallops or austen and the cult of personality" ... i can see a great academic future for anyone who writes that one.

anon man: i realized, as i read your question, that i had got the episodes mixed up. ashley's comments were from the bachelor party show, not the airbase episode. damn! i just hate all the signs that my brain is beginning to atrophy. (it's not as if i watched those shows all that long ago, either! o death! i feel thy sting.)

[Independent George]

It's not often that we debate the television-viewing preferences of 19th century novelists, but I wholeheartedly approve of this new direction. I'm now trying to imagine the cast of Season 6 as a Jane Austin story... perhaps Sense & Sensibility? Jennifer as Eleanor Dashwood? One of the Volt brothers as Colonel Brandon...?

Shouldn't I be working right now?

[doktarr]

Count me among those who find the Voltaggios and Jennifer very easy to relate to. Bryan is clearly a bit shy, but all three of them are just naturally focussed people. I have to wonder whether the interviewers are coaxing the sibling rivalry stuff out of Mike and Bryan, and that's why those particular lines seem a bit stilted and forced.

If "team Lithium" was in RW together, would you really pick them to lose? Or would you expect courteous and efficient (if not charming) FotH service, and timely, well-cooked food? I'm picking the latter.

[aaalex]

ha! my brain let me down again. last year, the personalities did not include spike and andrew, of course, but carla, fabio, stefan, jamie, ariane, hosea, leah. not as low key as this year, but not as over the top as spike or culinary boner guy.

[Karen]

Whatever the reason, I'm loving this season. I do know that in the past when the show focused on personalities alot, I got impatient with it.

Doktarr - if those three were on the same team in RW, I expect Bryan would do FOH since he owns his own restaurant. Good grief, that would be a frighteningly efficient and talented team-throw in Kevin and it would be perfect.

[SorchaRei]

I guess one thing I am trying to say is that I enjoy watching people unfold instead of having them in my face immediately. It gives me the chance to watch for subtle clues as to who they are without strong first impressions, and then to feel clever when I notice that Jim Bob has a wicked sense of humor, even though it's deadpan and not immediately obvious.

And to be sure, Jane Austen did read and enjoy the kind of book she did not choose to write. In addition to Love and Friendship and Northanger Abbey, I draw your attention to Lady Susan, a far more traditional novel for the times than any of her later work. I am fan of both Austen's work and wilder things such as Clarissa, Glenarvon, and even The Castle of Otranto and The Mysteries of Udolpho. Heck, I am a fan of all seasons of TC, except season 2.

The main thing I am trying to say about the differences in the contestants this season vs, say, last season, is that I find these people enjoyable to watch, as is, and because they are the way they are.

Austen novels often provide contrasts between her heroines and their opposites. Laurine as Fanny Price and Leah as Mary Crawford? Harold as Darcy and Stephen Asperinio as Mr. Collins? (Although, in fairness, Stephen seems to have grown up into a much nicer person than Mr. Collins . . .)

Meanwhile, I just rewatched the episode and I really want to eat Michael V's dashi offering. Wow. (Not to take anything away from the other top dishes, but that one really appeals to me right now.)

[ally]

The Jackie Collins cast:

Dave and Stephen (season 1)
Marcel and Betty (2)
Howie and Joey (3)
Spike and Andrew (4)
Stefan and Carla (5)

Judged by the Foo Fighters and Christopher Ciccone

[anon man]

Thinking ahead to RW, assume the current top 8 are there (so no Ron, Laurine or Robin). You have 8 very talented chefs, or at least 4 very talented chefs and 4 talented chefs. Instead of the ordinary RW where they divide up and pick jobs, I want to see them assigned jobs, just to mix it up. Eli, you don't want to do front of the house? Too bad, should have drawn a different knife. RW is, of course a highlight for many in the season, but I feel like its become kind of stale and that kind of twist would be interesting.

[kit]

SorchaRei says: "I guess one thing I am trying to say is that I enjoy watching people unfold instead of having them in my face immediately."

I'm the same way, which is probably why as a matter of personal taste, I enjoy the "personalities" of this season more than last season. It reminds me of how I love watching Gosford Park - the characters are constantly reacting to one another but the clues can be quite subtle. However, my SO finds that movie boring beyond belief and says that nothing happens it. I read sooo much into those first few clips of the brothers V meeting up and interacting at the cheftestant house. I love my personalities/characters to feel like mysteries that I must slowly unravel. Oh don't get me wrong, snarky commentary and hammy delivery can be fun, but the unrelenting in-your-faceness can actually get monotonous for me after awhile - it's just more of the same.

[hayamyma]

I am wondering if this season's chefs are somewhat subdued because of all the attention the bad language and defiance (yeah, I'm looking at you Spike dissing Rick Tramonto's place for having frozen scallops) displayed last year. Tom C. has publicly chastised the cheftestants about their tv demeanor and the effect it may have on their professional careers; Richard Blais has weighed in as well about the benefits of using the publicity. Maybe everyone is being restrained in their camera appearances?

[Bart]

It might be a cultural thing. I mean, look at where most of the chefs are from, and that could lend itself to the way they behave.

Mike I. is a North Jersey guy from a Greek family. He's outgoing. Eli's a Southern Jew. Ash is a gay New Yorker. They're the ones that have emerged. I'm a Jersey guy who's also a New Yorker, from an Italian family. I LIKE outsized personalities. I'm used to it.

Somehow it just makes life a little more fun. These kinds of people don't seem to take life that seriously. They can if they have to, but they know how to loosen up.

Of course, I know a lot of quiet and reserved people like the Brothers V. And I know people who are laser-focused like Jennifer (but I guarantee you she's not that quiet and reserved off-camera). And believe me, I can pick up their subtle clues. The sibling rivalry. The "I say I'm happy for my brother and I kinda am but this is f-----g killing me too" thing.

I'm never going to meet those chefs. And for most of them, I'm not going to taste their food. And I'm already invested in this show - I just want to get to know them. At least with Blais, Stefanie, Hosea, Stefan, Hung, etc... - they were super focused (well, except maybe Stefan in the finals), and really were conscious of how they came across on camera. But I still feel like I got to know a bit more about them.

I know nothing about the Bros. V except for the sibling rivalry, that they live on opposite coasts, and that one's slightly more of a risk-taker than the other. But that doesn't tell me too much about them.

Really stressing here that I don't want them to do a song-and-dance - I just want them to, when they're not in the kitchen, to just...relax. Open up a bit. Let us know who you are. They're coming off as fleshy robots at this point. Phenomenal chefs - truly. But as people?

I mean, even C-3PO and R2-D2 had personality, and one of them didn't even speak English. Heck, he didn't even appear human.

They don't owe me anything. They don't HAVE to show a bit of personality. But it sure would be nice.

[Antha]

I don't think that some of these chefs lack personality, but rather their physical cues and inflection. They have a personality inside, they just have a hard time expressing it.

It can be very difficult and sometimes frustrating to listen to and watch someone speak if they aren't matching their words to their facial expressions. The mind has a hard time reading and believing what someone says if they aren't bringing everything to the table.

For example, if you talk to a spouse and they say, "I'm fine" and are monotone with no expression, quite often the answer is, "no you're not". We read people based on these cues. If someone says the same thing and smiles and says in a higher pitch, I (usually, unless he's a smart ass) won't question. When Kevin won the opportunity to sit at a table with a unicorn, you could SEE how happy he was. He said a thousand things with those cute cheeks of his! When Jen says, "I'm mad as hell" I think..really?? I have a hard time believing her and I shut off from what she's saying.

Chefs like The V brothers and Jen can be very successful leading a team in the kitchen because half the time the team isn't really looking at you, they're cooking. Imagine them in a sales job? No one would buy anything from them because they are difficult to read.

The best way for me to get through their diary sessions is to look away. I seem to like them more when I can't see them. It's not being rude, it just lets my mind create what they lack. They sure don't lack cooking skills though, and that's why I watch!

But.. what do I know...I'm in my early 20s and have never worked in a kitchen.

[Antha]

Whoops! Jen said she's "nervous as hell"

whatever, either way, they have a problem with moving their eyebrows.