Top Chef - S6E11 Postmortem

Yow... I figured Robin was one elimination away from the finals. I'm a little surprised. I'll be curious to see what the blogs have to say.

I like to see Mike hitting big on another wacky dish. Mike v. Kevin is what I'm most excited to see in the finale. There are some fun potential spoilers left, but for me, that's where it's at now.

It's been far too long since I visited Vegas. Which I realize was exactly the point. And I feel dirty for falling for it. But it's still been too long since I visited Vegas.

You guys take over... gotta scoot... rankings Monday, I hope.

Discuss!

Comments

[Independent George]

Wow, this went up fast. So fast that I actually couldn't think of anything to say.

That quickfire prize sucked; when did they do away with getting an advantage on the elimination? It would have been easy to do on this challenge, too - they could have let the winner decide which Casino he wanted, while the rest had to draw knives.

As much as I sympathized with Robin, I'm actually a bit relieved that she's gone. Hopefully, the drama is over, and they can just focus on cooking.

[aaalex]

congrats on getting back on track, dominic.
hard not to think justice was done, especially after reading tom's blog. but ... most of all glad this storyline is over...

[JJH2]

One of the few eliminations that really left me scratching my head. I get that Robin's panna cotta was bland and lacked the appropriate amount of fleshy jiggle (um, thanks Nigella?), but Eli's dish looked kind of like something you would get at a Halloween party where the food is supposed to remind you of something disgusting. It looked horrible and Nigella and Padma seemed to hate it, and Toby seemed to think it was a totally failed gamble. Only Tom indicated with his surprised reaction to Nigella that he thought there was anything redeeming about the dish.

I felt a lot of sympathy for Robin as she choked back the tears. She must have gotten a harsher raking than we saw because she couldn't keep in the tears during the return to the stew room. Judging by her reaction, she really seemed to think she was going to go. It's a bit sad to hear her express that she's technically outclassed by the group, but it's the truth.

Sad to see Jen express that she's ready to go. She really did not seem to care much during her hotel walkthrough. I'm not crazy about his personality, but at least Eli really wants to be in the competition. Although she was initially one of my favorites, I wouldn't at all be disappointed at this point to see Jen bow out before the finale.

[Dionysus]

"especially after reading tom's blog"

Except, as far as I can tell, Tom's blog isn't up yet. Or is Bravo being mean to me.

We're at the point where the previews terrify me. Like Kevin talking about how bad his steak was? When I think about, I'm willing to beat the offending piece of meats was in the QF and they elves are just messing with me but... jeez. I couldn't handle losing Kevin.

[aaalex]

actually, if you look under "blogs" at the side panel of the bravo site, you'll read tom and toby's blogs about the show. both good. (bravo was being mean to you, or kind to me ... not sure which, dionysus.)

[garik16]

Dionysus, Tom's blog is up: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/inspiration-hotel

It's just not labeled under Tom Collichio.

[Dionysus]

"Dionysus, Tom's blog is up: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/inspiration-hotel

It's just not labeled under Tom Collichio."

But... but.. why wouldn't it be?

How is it an organization like Bravo has such terrible webdesign?

[aaalex]

as someone on another blog asked: with jen it's probably time to ask if the jennifer you saw at the start of the season is the real her or if the one we're seeing now is. she's just so fragile.

the thing about robin's panna cotta: it would have had to have been superb to overcome the judges' doubts about making such a simple dish. as tom said on his blog as well, the amber "glass" on top (in the photo of her dessert) didn't actually make it to their dishes. so ... two strikes against her, sadly.

[garik16]

Okay, just actually finished the episode.

Thoughts:

Eli really bombed. He got lucky Robin screwed up worse here. Will this start a trend that will kick him out of the top 4 just when it looked like he might sneak in?

The Top 2 are obvious at this point, but Bryan could steal this thing.

Jen's a wildcard here imo. If she gets into the top 4, that means she gets a HUGEEEEEEE break from the grind of the season. Remember how Lisa came back after the layoff with a renewed talent for handling the challenges and put a fear into us?
Well Jen is enormously more talented than Lisa and some time off could give her the bounce back to take a strong run at the final four.

[Sarah C.]

I was actually surprised that Eli didn't go home for his dish. To me, this is just another indication that, as much as they claim otherwise, the judges do take past performance into account. Eli's dish was crazy ugly and, according to Padma and Nigella, inedible. While I've never been a fan of Robin and her self-deprecation nor do I think she deserved to be in the finals, I really think Eli deserved the boot this time.

Dear Nigella, I also love a panna cotta that "quivers like a courtesan's inner thigh". Awesome.

[vesuvius]

Did anyone else notice that Nigella and Jay Rayner both described panna cotta in eerily similar fashions? What, exactly, are they teaching the British in culinary school?

[Krazikarl]

Dionysus:

Yeah, the Kevin stuff kind of scared me. But you have to remember that Kevin has really high standards. Him being upset about a dish could mean that he comes in second instead of first or whatever. After all, he has announced in the past that he would be disappointed if he came in second on a few challenges (and then won them).

With yet another shot from Mike at Kevin's food, I kind of wonder if Mike v Kevin will become the storyline now that Robin is gone.

[Krazikarl]

About Eli making it through:

Tom seemed to be defending his dish. During the episode he seemed genuinely surprised that people thought it was that bad (he clearly didnt like it, but he didnt think it was all that terrible) and defended it a little bit in this blog.

So Eli seemed to have the strongest voice on the panel defending him, while I find it hard to believe that anybody was really sticking up for Robin. Especially since she admitted that she didnt really know how to make a simple dish and that the other chefs were more technically skilled than her. Basically she helped dig her own grave on that one, while Eli had a swing and a miss, but at least went for something.

[Steve]

So close. Robin almost beat Eli. Too bad she couldn't make a simple panna cotta.

I'm so ready for the finals (Mike, Bryan, Kevin).

Eli should be next to go. Jen, while okay tonight, is burnt out. No use rooting for a four-person finale anymore. She's not going to recover. (I believe that these competitions occur almost daily, not weekly like other reality shows.)

[Dawn]

Steve, I believe in their time, two days = an episode. So yeah, no chance to rest at all.

I love Jen, but she's given up & ready to go. It's sad, but I'll have to stop caring about her chances any more. This is a competition & I'm excited by & rooting for people who are actually competing.

Kevin Vs. Michael V. final 2 would be amazing. I totally agree, Dom.

[lamelama22]

Just read Tom's blog (thanks for the link Dionysus - I couldn't find it anywhere on Bravo's terrible website), and I noticed something at the end:

"Five chefs left standing … two more challenges in Vegas … Have a good week, all.

Based on Padma's earlier quote in an episode where she said only 3 chefs would make it to the finale, I'm guessing that his comment means that there will be two more eliminations in Vegas - so I don't think Jen will get that break she needs to get away from the competition and come back kicking ass with a clear head. :(

Of course he could mean that there's 1 quickfire and 1 elimination left, then hopefully it's good-bye Eli and hello Final Four! :)

[mncharm]

Disappointing to hear Jen say she's ready to go. Not inspiring, to say the least, given that she rightly earned the Jen Norris nickname at the beginning of the season -- that seems a long time ago, doesn't it?

I thought it was pretty clear in the episode that Tom felt Eli's dish has some redeeming qualities. As someone else mentioned, although he isn't the only word at jt, he almost assuredly has the strongest voice. I suspect he bailed Eli out from Padma (in her typically obnoxious fashion) and Nigella's reactions.

[Dionysus]

I... I didnt supply the link. garik did. I just repeated it when quoting him.

[gilmore]

Eli took a risk that did not work. Robin made something that Nigella Lawson called "child's play" that did not work (and also left a component off. Easy decision. Also, maybe they did let past performance slip in.

Since the next episode is in the can, show it tonight!!!! I can't wait.

[Danny]

Clearly past performance was taken into account. No matter what Tom says, if those two dishes were put in front of you and you were told to eat one, I doubt very many people would dig into that nightmare that Eli made. It didn't even sound like a good idea gone wrong. That being said, Robin lasted much longer than she should have. And I hope that no other chef is ever treated like that again.

I look forward to the food that we will see in the finale. At this point it feels like the chefs are spent. While it is the nature of the beast, I wish that they would occassionally give them a day off just to get their minds back in place. I suppose that we are going to get another 3 person finale with Kevin and the brothers as the finalists. I wish it was like the first two seasons where we had only two finalists with two different nights of dining. I just don't think that you can fairly judge food when you are eating three different dishes with sometimes radically different flavor profiles. And it gives the viewer more time to see and understand the food and get the flow of the entire dinner. Instead I'm left comparing Kim Chee to Foie Gras and scratching my head.

[Danny]

This is from Toby's Bravo blog:

"I like Robin and I was sad to see her go, but we felt she’d got as far as she was entitled to get in this competition. I think she can hold her head up high. The field of contestants has been very strong this season — the strongest Top Chef has ever seen, according to Tom. So making it into the final six is something she should be proud of."

So despite Tom's protests, if Toby is to be believed, more than just the dishes that were served that night were taken into account when the decision was made as to who would be told to PPYKAG.

[suzanne]

From everything I've read, there isn't a major change to the finals this year -- four people, with three in the finale.

Tom must have been referring to "two challenges" as the QF and EC.

[babyarm]

This is a 15 episode season. Do the math.

[anon man]

My first thought was that I couldn't believe Toby and Nigella were in the same room. One of Toby's books makes some ugly comments about her while at college. I guess time (and a lot of money) heels all wounds.

I do have to disagree with Dom here. I actually would rather see Kevin v. Bryan. First, I think Michael has better singular dishes, but I could see him flame out trying a theme meal (like Richard) in the finals. And, as Dom well knows: high end chicken wing has been done. Yawn. Second, I think Michael has this disdain or arrogance about Kevin's cooking. Kevin's food looks rustic, but its pretty complicated. I would like to see Michael get taken down a peg or two by Kevin.

[Dreamboat]

I am not sure if how much past performance comes into play. However, you must remember that Eli really impressed Nigella in the quick fire while Robin was in the bottom of the quick fire. Add on Tom not thinking that Eli's dish was that bad and the feeling that Eli's dish was risky while Robin's was not, I am not surprised that Robin left.

[Bart]

I'm not that surprised that Robin went. Here's why:

The judges may have urinated all over Eli's dish, but they all recognized that he went on a huge limb to make it. Certainly, Robin's dish may not have been as catastrophic, they all made a point of saying, "...if you can't even make a simple panna cotta..." that is when I knew she would go.

Eli's dish might have been, quite possibly, one of the biggest blunders we've ever seen in Top Chef history. But Robin messed up a dish that is (supposed to be) very, very simple. It's sort of like someone messing up French toast (which I have done, but that's neither here nor there :p)

I'm sad to see Robin go, but without reading any of the blogs, I can understand why the judges made their decision.

For me, the big question is whether Eli's unmitigated disaster will drop him a notch below Jen in the rankings, or if Jen's continued spiral downwards will keep her at the bottom. I'm going to have to go with the latter. Sorry, Jen.

[dc]

Cool. I saw a clear EC elim. Remember Eli did win the Quick Fire, Robin was at the bottom, which should have helped him with Nigella and Padme. In EC Eli bombed out on his complex novel circus dish. Whereas Robin bombed on something that looks like soup flan that she's tried and failed at before, which judges said was basic level dish. She's tried her congealed jello soup more than once (remember French challenge). JT to Robin, gelatin soup does not make something fine dining, or novel, no more than Jen Z's satin (ep 1). The only ego ding Eli should take is if Robin had just made some of her "comfort food" she would likely have stayed on over him.

Glad to see Robin self-awareness that she is the oddball out -- like Christopher confessed at the end of Project Runway 6. She is an artist first, who stumbled (?) into cooking, who makes tasty homestyle / comfort food. Everyone else is obsessed with high end cooking 24/7 since they where kids.

Jennifer Jennifer Jennifer. I'm still a big fan. I'm hoping her bad misses recently is because she's just not good/experienced at assembly-line very-high-volume cattle-call type ECs, and she gets the chance to bounce back in a low-volume, artisan type of EC.

I think Jennifer is also out of ideas, rocked by the wakes left by creativity of the top 3 ahead of her. The top 3 are young master chefs who create novel, signature dishes at the drop of a hat, who I have no doubt would compete well in Top Chef Masters. Whereas Jennifer is more the old school artisan, traditionalist, who takes time to make the perfect, to order, classic fine dish, but shies away from innovation.

Jennifer might do well next week, if the challenge is Bocuse d'Or inspired as it seems, if the judging is standard is stick-in-the-mud and traditionalist as the real Bocuse. Will they invite a real Bocuse judge? It could be targeted right at her classic fine chefing sweet spot. Go Jen!

[timothy]

Referring way back to Independent George's comment about the quickfire prize: I wonder if Eli will get a royalty fee every time that cookbook is sold. I don't know how that works, but it is conceivable that since a recipe is intellectual property, everyone published will get paid a bit. It probably wouldn't be a lot of money, but that book will probably sell. Maybe he gets a couple thousand dollars? Maybe not? I am just thinking that there may be some benefit to publication, and if that's the case, the prize wouldn't be all that bad.

[dc]

Add... Did anyone notice the 2nd morning wakeup scene? Where my eyes deceiving me, but is the bedroom co-ed? I slow-mo'd it, and I think I saw Jennifer was sleeping in the bed by the window in the "boys" room. I counted 5 occupied beds, Voltaggios on the left side of the screen with Michael at the bottom, Eli/Kevin on the right, one more indistinct person on the top left that I finally decided was Jen.

I always thought the bedrooms were single sex. Hmmm...

[babyarm]

I doubt they get any money from the books. I'm sure they sign something to the effect of "all your recipes are belongs to us" ;-)

The whole Bocuse competition is pretty contrived IMO. Since the brought the son along I assume they will stick with the meat dish/fish dish thing? This thing is pretty controversial considering the cost and preparation amounts to damn near 20 million dollars (by now with more teams hell, maybe 30?) to feed 1000 people more or less one meal.

This may actually be the first season in a long time where very few chefs did not rise to the level that their background and performance would suggest. Really only Hector went out early based on his background.
Ashley maybe slightly early.

Quite a few people lasted longer than maybe they should have. Robin and MikeI probably got the producers choice award to bring some reality show drama in the mix. Ash obviously hung around 5-6 episodes too long.

Really they do at least seem to be taking a season long approach to judging to some extent perhaps in criticism of the Hosea victory last year. That has to be in the back of their minds at least a little bit.

[gilmore]

The contestants sign away their rights to all things Top Chef. Eli will see nothing but his name in the cookbook.

[timothy]

Oh, one other thing: I understand the argument that Robin messed up a simple dish and Eli messed up an ambitious one, so Robin made the biggest blunder and must go home. There is logic to that argument and I get it. But can we also acknowledge that there is logic to the following argument: panacotta may be easy, but done well it is delicious food. Crumbling up pieces of popcorn on top of watery peanuts is gross! I don't mind that Eli stayed, but I disagree that the choice was obvious.

[Sean]

Just an observation but usuall when Tom says (something to the effect) "{that dish} is simple to make and she screwed it up", as he did about Robin's, that person is almost always gone.

Anyway, I enjoyed the episode and definately want to try Eli's quickfire recipe.

[timothy]

Okay. You all have convinced me that Eli won't get paid. I was just trying hard to spin it into something positive I guess.

[Will Allen]

Does in anybody else occasionally root for the product that went into the dish, as opposed to the dish or the chef? I mean, I normally root for Kevin anyways, but I was especially disappointed in what I perceive to be his 2nd place finish last night, because of one factor: the fondness I have for Copper River salmon. I have been nearly spoiled on salmon harvested from other areas due to the spectacular meals my family has cooked and enjoyed with Copper River salmon as the star. By Neptune's Trident, I demand that this gilled emperor receive the respect it deserves!!!!!

O.K., less irrationally, I suspect Michael won in part because his dish had a theme which was more creatively tied to the casino he was assigned. That's fine, I guess, but the marketing potential of a dish is not something that I'm terribly interested in.

[anon man]

On Eli: Having read Tom's blog (and echoing something Kevin said in the edit), it sounds like there was an idea there, but it was certainly a tough dish to do. Tom liked the idea and it sounds like he got high marks from Tom on the creativity side. Nigella said she wouldn't want to eat it again, but what if Eli did it again and again and again as Kevin said, and refined it? Maybe it would still suck, but if Kevin and Tom both think its something that could improve with a few attempts, then he deserves some level of credit for the idea.

[ally]

During Jen's interview at the beginning of the episode, she said something about needing to ignore others and focus on her food. And so she made steak why?

It's harsh to judge her for saying "I'm ready to go" in the stew room hours and hours after the challenge and champagne. It doesnt really mean that she is no longer competing, come on.

I still have hope.

[Danielle]

The rule holds: Never make panna cotta on Top Chef. There is some force field in those kitchens that keeps custard desserts from setting right.

[ally]

p.s. did anyone else notice the foreshadowing at the beginning when the first scene was Robin getting a trash bag?

[Dave_P]

Yes, Robin's finally gone! Like Dom, I really wanted her to go just to avoid all the drama that she, perhaps due to no fault of her own, was creating. To a lesser extent, Mike I too for that matter. Finally, we can get back to the food.

Jen needs to just survive next week to recharge her batteries. I'm convinced she'll be back like the monster she was earlier on, if she can get into the final rounds (that's 4 ppl, btw).

Interesting comment from Tom, that Kevin merely made a good dish, but the Vs made exceptional ones. Kevin, of course, is capable of doing much more as well. Really, this finals sets up to be something special, as long as Eli doesn't sneak in.

I really found the guest judge off putting. Seemed very prejudiced to certain foods and/or flavors, and reluctant to open her mind a bit more.

One more ep...

--
Dave

[marjorie]

hey, anon man, i wanna know what nastiness toby young said about nigella in his books! (stylistically they're so different: she's talking about a 17th century courtesan's inner thigh jiggle and he's belaboring his "he came to vegas TO GAMBLE, and he LOST!" comments like some kind of cheeseball monster truck announcer.)

as always, reading tom's comments makes me satisfied about their decision making. i still feel terrible for robin about how crappily she was treated -- she should hold her head high! -- but it was certainly her time.

i loved all the comments on tom's blog from medieval food historians calling out his errors on spicing! who knew?

[mncharm]

Dave P, I tend to agree -- obviously, Nigella has an impressive resume; but she came off as snobby and irritating as Padma -- basic critical comments with little/no depth (i.e., Padma's pat "that's disgusting").

On another note: Eli's dish was obviously way to busy, and I'm not sure the popcorn or the dome would ever work, but peanut butter/caramel apple soup, if done right, sounds delicious to me.

[Lon]

1. Don't forget that in show taping time, Jen was very sick less than 10 days ago. Her appearance on the show still reflects her illness. If she can make it one more show and get to the break, I think she'll do okay in any finals. Since she works for Eric Ripert, maybe getting some consultation in during the break will help.

2. Tie in to the casino helped the winner based on comments during the show. Kevin didn't make the connection strong enough. Eli did, even if the dish was bad. Robin failed both in presentation and connection, ergo she failed on both counts plus I think everyone realized her biggest failing was that she was over her head in the competition.

3. Somewhere I heard the final would be two chefs head to head. So maybe they'll use the format from season 2: Two head to head cookoffs.

[Esther]

The moment Robin announced she was making a panna cotta, I said aloud, "She's going home. No one ever wins with panna cotta, and lots of people have gone home." Be that as it may, I also agree with the judges' decision, for two reasons. First, IIRC, the big issues with Eli's dish were appearance and texture; the flavors sounded potentially tasty and interesting. Second, screwing up three basic techniques -- the panna cotta, sauce, and sugar "glass" were ALL bad -- is, I think, a worse crime than making an ambitious dish that fails.

Team Kevin update: while he didn't win this challenge, I find myself further reassured by his techniques -- the fact that he broke out of his "rich meats and savory Southern-style veggies" mold to produce a seafood dish that sounded like a big technical success. Michael's continuing scorn for him reads as pure envy to me (and frustration that his own flashy methods don't always win).

Does Toby Young have a secret coterie of fans out there, sending Bravo love letters on his behalf? I mean, seriously, how is this guy still on the show? Are there really no other food critics out there willing to appear on Top Chef?

I'm worried about Jen. About the best scenario that I can envision, right now, is that she skids through the next challenge(s?) before the final, goes home, and regains her confidence. I'm not holding out too much hope, though. When contestants want to go home, they usually find a way.

[mill]

I think the boohooing about Jennifer is getting tiresome. So what if she is hard on herself. It hasn't made her food worse (think about it).

As far as I can see she has made one bad (not "ok") dish in ECs. That dish was the trout from RW and Laurine should take the blame for serving the broken sauce.

So where does Tom draw the conclusion she has been terrible? Judges table's hyperbole.. at least "bowl of WMD" was funny.

I agree she seems to be lacking in creativity, but if she makes the finale and gets to cook her food I think she will have Hung-like perfection on her dishes. But that is of course a big if.

Yes, she was the fifth one in the boys bedroom and I doubt Robin slept in that sixth bed with all the stuff on.

One final thing. The shoe department is considerable better this season too. Blais' Crocs vs Mike V's Converse.

[gilmore]

I am still not convinced that Robin did not bring some of the scorn on her by her own actions. When Mike V. was cooking his quickfire, Robin was getting in his way trying to gather some spoons or some other non-important thing. She than got pissed that Mike got pissed at her and walked out. Mike was already angry at how messy she left the station.

[jh]

This isn't to say that Mike didn't deserve a win on his dish alone, but if all 3 dishes were strong, I wonder if part of the reason Mike V. won was to reward him for his style of food. He didn't win for the vegetarian challenge, when Tom was talked out of it, so perhaps this time was to throw him a bone.

When Kevin was talking about his approach to cooking, I swear I was listening to Tom's Diet Coke commercial. Also, if history has anything to do with it, Kevin has the best chance of winning. 3 of the 5 previous winners of the first challenge went on to win the whole thing. 1 was in the finals and the other one was Tre'd.

[rab01]

Jen just isn't Jen Norris and I doubt she ever was. It was easy for her to be confident and kick ass when the judges were praising her food. As soon as she had dishes out of the top tier she started breaking down. It eerily resembles Anita Lo before and after the cheeseburger quickfire.

[Bart]

Esther: I like Toby. He's funny, and bluntly honest. Yes, he's cheesy, but I don't understand why he deserves such vitriolic hatred.

[Independent George]

I like Toby. He's funny, and bluntly honest. Yes, he's cheesy, but I don't understand why he deserves such vitriolic hatred.

I don't hate him, but I don't like that his comments seem less about the food than they are about demonstrating how clever he is. He's improved since last season, but he still reminds me of the joke about the actor who won the part of the gravedigger in Hamlet. He gives the good news to his wife, who asks, "What's it about?". "It's about a gravedigger who meets a prince."

[matthew]

As much as I've been expecting Robin's exit in the last couple of episodes, I actually didn't think she was going home--given how Eli's peanut concoction was unanimously panned. I guess, as others have commented, Eli at least attempted something complex, while Robin swung and missed with panna cotta. I think Richard Blais has some good comments on his blog. Particularly, he talked about drawing inspiration from Circus Circus. Eli completely missed the mark. I was shocked that he tried to incorporate crushed popcorn into the dish. It's liked Chopped where you have to use every ingredient.

I've learned from Carla that there is, indeed, a lot that you don't see at Judges' Table. The comment about Robin shedding tears reminded me of Carla at the Judges' Table in the finale. She said those tears didn't start rolling until they had been standing there for hours, and the judges were beating her up for not sticking to her own food. "Why? Why? Why?" they repeatedly asked her.

Bravo/Magical Elves does do some creative foreshadowing. I still haven't mastered picking up some of the nuances, but usually when someone says "I'm gonna knock this out!" Watch out for failure. Whenever someone admits not having done something before. Womp Womp! The editing clearly showed Mike V. asking Robin is she was going to leave the sugar out--foreshadowing that something was going to go wrong with it.

In the end, I am torn between the V brothers and Kevin. I REALLY like Kevin. His approach is very much like Carla's. Keep things simple and focus on flavors. Same goes for Bryan, though he's more inclined to bring in some whiz-bang techniques. Mike V., however, is making a believer out of me, but that cocky edge is a bit off-putting. It would be interesting to see Either V brother go head-to-head against Kevin because they all have a good grasp of flavors, but their techniques are starkly different--particularly Mike V. and Kevin.

Poor Jen. She seems like she's run out of gas like Jamie did in Season 5.

As for the Nigella "thing." I don't know. She's never struck me as being exceptionally warm. A lot of her appeal, IMHO, has been the soft-porn quality of her shows. I'm not taking away from her skill. I didn't get the sense that she had skewed palate. Some of the breakfast offerings just didn't look appealing. Robin and Jen's looked horrid.

FWIW, I was at the Capitol Food Fight here in DC last night. Mike I. and Bryan V. were competing against other chefs. Both did well, but eventually lost to Michael Mina. Carla did a throw-down challenge against Chef Rock from Hell's Kitchen. Carla enlisted Anthony Bourdain and Rock had Jose Andres as sous-chefs. Fun times. Carla won, overwhelmingly. :-)

[Will Allen]

I can't hear of, or see, Circus Circus, without thinking of Hunter S. Thompson, so when poor Eli drew that venue, I immediately thought that the only chance he had to avoid the bottom three was if he really went for capturing the theme and history of the joint, and used some, er, exotic mushrooms in his dish.

[Esther]

Bart, what IG said. I don't hate Toby, either. However, I find that at best, he adds little or nothing to what other judges could say, and at worst, his cheesy comments take up time from actual analyses of the food. If I'm only going to hear one thing about a dish -- and that's sometimes all we get, especially early in the season -- I don't want it to be a snarky, hyperbolic comment that tells me less about the actual dish than about Toby's vocabulary of put-downs. Even Padma's comments are more consistently interesting. I just find it very frustrating that a show I love continues to waste time on something that contributes neither to the discussion of good food nor even to the character dynamics.

[kchick627]

I am really glad Robin is gone. She deserved to go when she made that awful drunken prawn salad. She was really lucky to last as long as she did.

I didnt really care for Eli before but now that my favorite is gone (Ashley) and my second favorite is barely pulling it together (Jen) I have to say that I wouldnt mind too much if he was in the final four. His dish was probably pretty nasty but it was a good idea and cool for him to take a risk like that. Regardless, we all know that Kevin is probably going to win anyway.

By the way, has anyone else heard the rumor that next Top Chef is Top Chef DC?

[Jordan]

I have no outside information on this, but to me it looks very very obvious 3 chefs will go to the finale location and 2 will make the finals, not 3 and 4. Its a 15 episode season, but remember one early episode 2 chefs went home (i think it was jessie and hector) so that adds up to a 2 person final epuisode. In addition, there is no way tom was counting a quickfire as one of the two challenges left when writing his blog. He doesnt judge quickfires, they dont count anymore and he doesnt count them. 2 elimination challenges left in vegas means no time for Jen to rest if she cant make the top 3

[Skillet Doux]

"I have no outside information on this, but to me it looks very very obvious 3 chefs will go to the finale location and 2 will make the finals, not 3 and 4. Its a 15 episode season, but remember one early episode 2 chefs went home (i think it was jessie and hector) so that adds up to a 2 person final epuisode."

The past two seasons, the 15 episodes have been 14 regular episodes, plus a 15th reunion episode at the conclusion of the season. Whether that will again be the case remains to be seen. And even within that framework, there's no reason they couldn't adjust when the finals started if they wanted. But so far, this season is consistent with the previous two.

[dc]

What a tight horse-race. Kevin may be ahead, but only by a nose. Kevin has 4 wins, each Voltaggio has 3, Jen has 1, Eli has 0. The top 3 are so close, if each does their normal level work, it won't be food quality, it will be mostly the judges individual pallet, day of the week, presentation -- both descriptive and visual, that will tip the winner and loser.

I think the bottom 2 is also an even matchup. It's a toss-up head-to-head between Jen and Eli (losing one of one of the top 3 would be mindboggling shocking epic upset). Relatively, Jen is the old tired expert (not physically, but psychologically and emotionally), Eli is the energetic and hungry young pup. Who will prevail?

[babyarm]

Whether they go from 3 to 1 or 2 to one they will certainly have two episodes in Napa judging on the number of filming locations.

I can't believe nobody has commented on how authentic chicken wings are to NYC. I know when I go to NYC the first thing I go for are some boneless chicken wings.

[Will Allen]

Oh, it was more cynical than that. You see, the casino has a replica of a NYFD boat out front, and we all love firefighters, and firefighters love chicken wings! If Michael had not won, then the firefighter-hating contingent would have triumphed! Whew! That was a close one!

[Danielle]

Oh yeah, the QF. I'm totally stealing the reuben Benedict idea. That ruled.

[Dreamboat]

Matthew, thanks for giving us an update on Carla. I would have loved to see her compete against Rock!

As far as the finals, if you watch the quick fire preview on Bravo, "Protein Inside a Protein Inside a Protein", Padma says that the winner gets an advantage for the "last elimination challenge". So it looks like 4 go to the finals.

[Shelly]

I thought the judges last night were pretty bad. Nigella and Padma and Toby couldn't express decent thoughts on the food, and Tom was perpetuating ancient urban legends! At least Tom talked food.

A couple of notes: I believe Gordon Ramsey named a turkey after Nigella because he looks down upon her cooking. Also, Toby in his blog says that he and Nigella were old friends, back from the days when she was a critic. Of course, that may have been sarcasm. But perhaps that explains her inability to so say anything about the food without using ridiculous metaphors.

And too, you can't say they only looked at the EC dishes to decide who was to go, then say that Eli's QF win was what got them to keep him. It's pretty obvious they took past performances into account. They discuss it in the blogs and on the screen. I have no problem with that, but think they should be honest about it.

At least we got to see a little more food preparation per EC dish this episode. With so few chefs they can take the time to do so, and I enjoyed that.

[Cousin Sam]

"Protein Inside a Protein Inside a Protein"

does that mean someone is making turducken? ;)

[jh]

A turducken would seem reasonable since Thanksgiving is approaching. Though a "protein inside a protein inside a protein" could also refer to the Bacon Explosion.

[Skillet Doux]

Oh, I can already hear Padma:

"The Turducken, a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey, is a popular Thanksgiving treat. For your quickfire challenge, you'll be creating your own protein inside a protein inside a protein."

[seth]

Don't know why people are defending Robin.

She's annoying and inconsiderate. First she leaves the kitchen a huge mess then she gets in people's way while they're trying to cook under time pressure for no reason after she's done.

I doubt she is universally disliked by the other chefs because they're all jerks. Granted the disparaging remarks about her cooking ability some made were petty and mean but her passive aggressiveness and manipulative ways were grating.

[Maria]

I used to be neutral on Robin, but I found her actively annoying today. I understand being harried and not cleaning up her station. I understand that she may have been asked to clean up. BUT she had no right to be pissed off at Michael telling her to leave!

Jennifer seems to be on auto-pilot right now. That will automatically land her in the bottom when there are six contestants left. But she was in no danger of being kicked out. Nigella had to admit that other people's beef was tender. Jen's dish was uninspired, not disgusting. That won't be enough against the top 3, but I won't bet against her being in the top 4 yet.

[anon man]

Maria,

I wondered about that incident. Clearly, she should have gotten out of Michael's way. (I will give her a pass on actually cleaning her station, since it would be reasonable to do that AFTER your time expired if you were pressed and they had to immediately go up to the suite which apparently took awhile.) But she said something like "I was told to come in here and get my stuff." Did some little Elves (tm) tell her to go get the stuff knowing it would create a conflict? Otherwise it seemed weird that she would be "told" to go in during another person's 30 minutes, and you would think she would have enough sense to stay out of there otherwise.

"For my stuffed protein challenge, I have made a three bean salad, with each bean stuffed inside the other beans. Inside the final bean is a spherical-encased vinaigrette..."

[Maria]

"For my stuffed protein challenge, I have made a three bean salad, with each bean stuffed inside the other beans. Inside the final bean is a spherical-encased vinaigrette..."

That made me laugh!

I agree, anon man, there probably was producer interference. Though I don't think it was for purely disruptive purposes. I suspect miscommunication more than drama-seeking.

[TxGriff]

Re: The Robin/Michael incident- it seems like she was told (by who?) to go back and clean the area. When Michael snapped at her she responded by saying "I was told to come and get my stuff", then afterward you hear her comment off camera, "I"m not going back in there.". I don't think she was being thoughtless, just seems like miscommunication. I can see how she would get upset by Michael's comment, and I can see why Michael would be annoyed because he was already in a rush.

Matthew- thank you for the comments. I'm sure it's very different to watch the show after your spouse has been a contestant.

People seem to be down on Nigella, but I don't know, I found her pleasant. There might not have been much food talk, but it seemed like they were trying to give Nigella and Padma the "sultry sophisticated woman" edit this episode rather than "distinguished food critique". Who knows what all was said at judge's table.

[TxGriff]

Drats, I didn't see anon man's comments. I agree with Maria- I don't think it was manipulative, just miscommunication. Who knows though.

[mncharm]

I'm trying to think of a good sports analogy for Jen -- I'm thinking Chuck Knoblauch. "Jen just Chuck Knoblauched that dish into the stands." I think this might have legs.

[mncharm]

And after all my cuts on Padma -- she's on 30 Rock tonight and is actually funny.

[Darin]

Does anybody else think that the reason Stefan cannot comment on this season is because hes coming back later this season? hmmmm. Also Stefan if you read this please email me! Im setting up a trip to California to surprise my girlfriend for our anniversary. I want to coordinate a reservation!

[Cousin Sam]

"The Turducken, a chicken inside a duck inside a turkey, is a popular Thanksgiving treat. For your quickfire challenge, you'll be creating your own protein inside a protein inside a protein."

You can use anything in the Top Chef pantry, but instead of using the GE suite of appliances you'll only be able to use two matches and a charcoal briquette. Outside. In the rain. You have 30 minutes, your time starts NOW!!

[Marya]

Babyarm, the absurdity of chicken wings representing NYC really struck me too... seemed like Michael got confused between Buffalo and NYC. And then somehow he came up with that stupid justification about firemen liking chicken wings.

I think it demonstrates how loose the relationship to the "theme" needs to be, really. Eli was being way to literal.

[Allison]

Where to begin?

Matthew's earlier post pretty much summed up the episode for me.

mncharm,I really hope that Jen is not like Chuck Knoblauch -- I was at the game yelling him to "get the ball!" (ALCS, 1998)

And as a lifelong New Yorker (all over the state, with cousins in Buffalo), you could not PAY me to eat Buffalo wings in NYC -- if someone finds an authentic rendition, let me know. 99% do a lousy job. I make them myself -- very easy, btw -- learned as a kid. Tom Collichio's blog is correct that this is an upstate Buffalo dish -- and that NYC and upstate can be quite different.

Will Allen -- thanks for the HST reference! I have not spent time in Vegas for a very long time. I've been to Timbuktu (Tomboutou) more recently, and could reference other spots for interesting mushrooms.

Finally, as someone who has haggled over royalties & does receive them from a published book, I concur that Eli must have signed his rights away for Top Chef.

Just my 2 cents to fellow Top Chef fans. Looking forward to the finals.

[Independent George]

I'm still waiting for the Turkey fryer challenge.

[Independent George]

I'm still hoping the Dick Vermeil sports analogy holds for Jennifer - after some early success in Philly, he burned out, 'retired', and then came back after a long hiatus to win a Super Bowl with a grocery bagger at QB.

I'm not sure what the last part means.

[Steve]

To be honest, I was disappointed with this episode. After all the hype about the monumental casinos being the inspiration for our contestants' dishes, they end up being hors d'oeuvres, half of which were even good. And Kevin didn't even meet the requirement of the challenge that it be inspired by his hotel/casino.

Hopefully, the culinary Olympics next episode will exact better inspired and executed dishes.

I'm counting on Eli going. Jennifer has weakened tremendously, but according to Collichio, her elimination dish at least didn't have major errors. She's cooking salmon next week. Let's hope it's so ingrained in her that she can sleepwalk through it. Considering her record, I'd like her to end the season at fourth.

[Independent George]

I'm counting on Eli going. Jennifer has weakened tremendously, but according to Collichio, her elimination dish at least didn't have major errors. She's cooking salmon next week. Let's hope it's so ingrained in her that she can sleepwalk through it

One can hope, but the reason Jennifer hasn't had major errors recently is because she's also gone very conservative. She can't expect an error from any of them; there's a big difference between hoping one of four people screws up worse than you, and hoping that one person screws up worse than you.

What makes it interesting is that even if she pulls herself together for the next episode, her tailspin has already cost her a major psychological advantage.

If Jennifer had placed high in the last elimination or two, and recaptured some of her early-season mojo, Eli would be going into the next challenge knowing he has to slay Goliath. That would have made it more likely he'd overreach and eliminate himself; her recent weakness is no doubt even more obvious to him than to us.

With that intimidation factor gone, he doesn't have to shoot the moon to win.

[babyarm]

Since we didn't get to see the shopping (And thank god for that, BTW) what cut of beef did jen buy? It was bone in I guess as Nigella got some bone, or did she?

[Will Allen]

George, I share your hopes, but my fear is that dear Jen has followed the path of Jay Cutler. She has demonstrated outstanding talent and potential, but as the end zone has drawn nearer, she has lost focus and become mistake-prone. Oh well, at least nobody had to trade Hosea, and the rights to Kevin, to obtain her services!

[Duffy]

On who's goiing home next -- according to the previews, Jen is cooking salmon in a technically difficult but classical manner -- right up her alley? Kevin is trying out a new technique -- something he says he has never done before! And one of the brothers (can't keep them straight) is doing a braise which he says should take 10 hours -- in the 4 hours allowed for the challenge. Should be very interesting.

[Karen]

I don't know how long it's been out there, but I just watched a video on Bravo's site with the harshest criticisms dished out by the judges. Pretty funny stuff and really makes you appreciate Bourdain. Cat food! Prison food! Something a bear produces, not eats! Classic comments.

[zsparks]

I'm still hoping the Dick Vermeil sports analogy holds for Jennifer - after some early success in Philly, he burned out, 'retired', and then came back after a long hiatus to win a Super Bowl with a grocery bagger at QB.

I think Vermeil retired from the Kansas City Chiefs. So I'm not going to wish that on her - I think the culinary equivalent might be Bennigan's.

[lamelama22]

lol @ Chuck Knoblauch. Does this mean Jen is going to hit an elderly woman in the face with a misthrown plate of food and send her to the hospital? That would be some really great reality TV.

I would love to see them be forced to make something like John Madden's turducken... particularly if they were forced to use a giant outdoor fryer. Make sure not to put your turkey in frozen, or else it will explode and spew boiling oil everywhere and set your house and lawn on fire~!

Quote by babyarm:
"It was bone in I guess as Nigella got some bone, or did she?"

She wishes she did as it could have settled down her quivering thighs. LOL

I was laughing so hard at this episode. Do all British food critics and personalities just make ridiculous metaphors that have absolutely nothing to do with the food at all? Both her and Toby were terrible... After googling Nigella Lawson, as I'd never heard of her before, it appears she primarily sells her boobalicious image instead of anything actually having to do with food (or even knowing anything about food) - very amusing.

[paula]

Of the original Four Horsemen, I could live with any of them winning this thing except Jen. The fact that her heart's not in it anymore, she's playing it safe with her cooking, and she's practically dared the judges to send her home at JT are three big strikes for me. Yes, she's a fantastic chef. Yes, I'd give a lot to try her cooking. But as for being crowned Top Chef this year? Sorry, but the show isn't simply about who cooks the best. The person I always want to win is someone who's a kick-ass chef, of course, but who's also been able to run a great race and rise to all the disparate, time-crunched, crazy-making challenges. (If they can do it without being a complete d-bag and stay true to their own style, so much the better.)

Jen gave up 4 episodes and is now in complete face-saving mode. It would be a slap in the face to real competitors like Kevin, Bryan and Mike if she were to win this thing in the end after basically getting a pass for a good chunk of the season. Maybe if that chunk had been in the beginning, when she was still getting her bearings, that would be different. But Jen is no underdog. She strikes me as the kind of competitor who expects to win, and comes in with all guns blazing, but then as soon as she stumbles, she just wants everyone to stop looking at her and let her slink off.

This sounds harsher on her than I mean it to be, but I find myself just really disappointed. I just hate to see someone as clearly talented as she is, and a natural leader, fall apart so quickly and thoroughly because of self-confidence. This competition is not for her anymore, so I wish she'd just go back to making awesome food in her restaurant so we can watch a finale with people who REALLY want to be there.

[SorchaRei]

I think it's worthwhile remembering that Jen was very, very sick four episodes ago. Since they never get a day off, she's been running on fumes since then, and may still be sick at the point we are seeing now, depending on what exactly she had. I wouldn't be surprised if her showing would have been quite different had she not getting ill.

For that reason, if she makes it into the final, and she cooks an incredible meal at that point, I'm willing to give her props for having overcome an additional challenge (the sickness) that her competitors didn't have to deal with.

[Duffy]

Wow, Paula, a "pass"?? Now, clearly, Jen was not cooking up to the level she demonstrated in the earliest rounds -- and she is a perfectionist and has been beating herself up for being on the bottom, but according to Tom's blogs, her stuff was still competently prepared and tasty and she was never in any real danger of going home. (Even RW: several have commented that the broken sauce was probably more on the FOH and server.) I think SorchaRei has it right -- don't chalk it up to Jen throwing in the towel, put it to the flu -- and to her being overly hard on herself at JT.

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