Top Chef - Season 7 Postmortem

Apologies for the delay, folks. Blame Pavle over at FnB. Alcohol just makes me sleepy these days (you can enable me anytime, Pavle).

So season seven draws to a close, and while most folks, myself included, seemed to be pleased with a strong finish, you'd be hard-pressed to find somebody who didn't think this was one of the less compelling seasons. And most people found it disappointing enough that I think it might be troubling for the series, if not for a certain late-season development that we'll get to in a minute.

The question, of course, is what went wrong? The challenges certainly seem to have survived Lee Anne's departure (though she's still dearly missed) and Eric Ripert did a fine job as the new substitute judge. So where's the issue? Top Chef has always walked a fine line between a hardcore competition and a reality series with everything that entails. To oversimplify, you have the food and you have the personalities, and while some value one above the other (I'm more concerned with the former, though I don't deny the importance of the latter), I suspect we can all agree that the show's at its best when you have both.

The problem with season seven was that for a long stretch, it seemed to have neither.

We've seen that people can get excited when the food is great and the personalities are a little flat and/or focused (season six). And we've seen that when the food is lacking, if there are people competing who we truly enjoy watching, we can forgive food that's a little less compelling (season five). Though in the latter situation, I stress the word "enjoy." There's clearly an audience for shows featuring despicable individuals acting terribly towards each other, but you won't find many of them here, and while the elves just can't help themselves sometimes, I think Top Chef is best when it refuses to get down in the gutter with many other reality shows.

Season seven, however, just came off as flat in both departments. On the personalities end, there were certainly some curious folks. Can we all agree that love him or hate him, Angelo possessed enough weird for all four finalists? I'm not sure there was a lack of quirkiness. I'm more inclined to think it was a matter of a lack of people to root for. And I don't know that there's a formula, per se. There was just kind of an intangible sense that this season's cast wasn't compelling, at least from a reality show standpoint. And I suspect this is simply the nature of the business when you're in reality show casting. You pick a bunch of personalities, throw them in a room together and hope something watchable comes out. Sometimes what comes out is less than you thought you put in.

But you guys know me, and the personalities are a distant second consideration next to the main event, which is the food. Though it may be an unpopular sentiment, and you can never say with any degree of certainty if you're not sitting at the table tasting, let me first say that I don't think the quality of food was lacking this season. Certainly not in the back half of the season. But even in the front half, when I look back at what was produced, browse old recipes, look at the leaders and eventual winners, I can think of multiple other seasons that -- on a dish by dish basis -- I found less compelling than season seven. And Tom came right out and said that Kevin's finale menu was the best finale menu he's had to date. Even if you believe he's prone to hyperbole (may very well be the case), I don't see him making that statement if it wasn't at least one of the better ones. The problem, I think, was that the food didn't come across as well as it could or should have, and I think there were two contributing factors that I hope the elves consider going forward.

The first, I think, is a casting issue. Modern American cuisine is such a hodgepodge of flavors, techniques and influences that it's difficult to define, as it is with any big tent. It also means that while the differences between the chefs who practice it might be fairly evident when the plate's on the table in front of you, it means that drawing the lines between them is a little more difficult on camera. In essence, much of this season's food looked the same. There wasn't much in the way of ethnic specialists. There weren't any flashy MG chefs. There wasn't the contemporary yet vaguely foreign feel of a Stefan, or the technically sound homey feel of a Carla, or the San Francisco clean of a Jamie, or the rustic yet deceptively sophisticated pork-centricity of a Kevin Gillespie, or the clean simplicity of an Antonia, or the clumsy-looking but awesome-tasting of a Dave... you get the point. Angelo aside, the season seven contestants were very difficult to pigeonhole, which isn't a bad thing in the restaurant world, but I think it's a liability on Top Chef, and I think this season demonstrated why. It's easier to follow the contestants and get excited about them when there are clear lines to be drawn between their styles.

This was exacerbated, however, by what I consider the larger issue, which is one of editing. We have all come to expect deception from the editors on Top Chef. And not just in small ways. Of course, they want to sharpen personalities for dramatic purposes -- make the lovable contestants more lovable, make the jerks bigger jerks, make the comedians funnier -- that's part of the reality show game, it's to be expected and other than the places where it seems like they're manufacturing controversy out of whole cloth, I can't get that bent out of shape about it because that isn't where my primary interest in the show lies anyway (and in their defense, in the reunion episode Tiffany made it pretty clear that peagate wasn't completely an invention of the producers, even if they played it up). But this season, it seemed like the task of trying to fight through the editing to see the food was unusually difficult. I'm trying to decide whether this is a trend, an exception, or rose-colored glasses. But my gut feeling was that this season, it was harder than ever to trust the way the food was presented. It's as though the editors are so concerned with preserving suspense in that last minute of the show that they're doing whatever they can to obscure the nature of the food. And this is really, really bothersome. If we aren't given an accurate idea of what's on the plate, with the accompanying judges' comments both good and bad, then the food is no longer a part of the show. It becomes the MacGuffin, a nondescript, meaningless element that exists solely to drive the plot. We've always relied on the blogs for context and detail in the wake of the episodes, but I worry that it's increasingly becoming a matter of "Okay, we just watched the show. Now let's go read the blogs to hear what *REALLY* happened." And that's that kind of thing that, for me, completely destroys the show.

Hey, Elves... if you're reading, it's okay to have somebody run away with it sometimes. Hearing the judges' opinions -- their real opinions -- provides far, far more enjoyment than a little bit of suspense in minute 59. You have articulate, interesting judges and you've mostly done a good job of assembling interesting chefs. Trust that the competition is interesting enough on its own and that you don't have to play sneaky editing games to make it so, and I think the result will be a stronger show. Please. Because it's getting really tiresome, even for (obsessively) dedicated fans of the show.

Thankfully, the Elves rounded out the season by pulling a rabbit out of their hats. Just when the calls that Top Chef had jumped the shark were starting to reach a crescendo, they announce (after a leak) that next season will be an all-stars season, featuring favorites and finalists from the previous seven. I'm sure somebody will find something to be annoyed about, but really, if you can't get excited about this, you never should have been watching the show in the first place. Plus, the addition of Bourdain as a regular judge is a major, major coup. Here's hoping this won't be a one-season stint. The only thing I'm dreading? The preseason rankings. Talk about an impossible task.

So until then, we'll consider this post the signoff until either season eight of Top Chef, or another season of Masters, whichever comes first. While I appreciate the enthusiastic e-mails, I just don't have it in me -- time or energy -- to post about another TC spinoff, particularly one that covers the part of the menu I personally find the least interesting (pure preference, no value judgment), and includes some reportedly... um... oversized personalities. Sounds like a recipe for a weekly desire to claw out my eyeballs, even if I had the time. And this blog has always simply been about what interests me, and I don't want that to change. So I'm going to pass on Just Desserts and focus on my regular content for a while. But I'll leave this post open for any TC discussion you like, and I'll try to get some sort of prominent link right on the front page of the blog for easy access before it gets too buried.

And with that, I'll sign off. Thanks again to everybody who comes here to read and discuss and participate. I love that the folks who comment here are interested in the food, and try for the most part to stay above the usual mudslinging. It certainly makes the show a whole lot more enjoyable for me, even though it feels like I can't spend as much time responding directly to comments as I did a few years ago. Please don't read it as a lack of desire -- purely a lack of time. And as usual, there's an actual blog here about plenty of things non-TC, and while readership numbers aren't something that drive me (my ad revenue isn't based on-- hey, wait... I have no ad revenue!), food discussion surely does, and I love hearing all of your thoughts on things unrelated to Top Chef as well. To you folks, it's business as usual, minus Top Chef.

To those solely interested in Top Chef, though, thanks for hanging out, I hope you enjoyed the posts and the discussion, and I hope you'll check back in when the next season is dated.

Thanks, all!

Comments

[SteveL]

The announcement of the Top Chef all-stars has me stoked going forward. Every season has its share of obviously dead wood that is thrown in there to broaden either the diversity of menus or personalities (every chef whose passion is healthy/natural/nutritional eating, for instance, is never going to be in competition for the finale). In this competition, everyone is already in the top tier from day one. Food is going to have to be judged by splitting hairs from day one, which means more food talk (I hope). No one skating by and trying to stay under the radar while the dead wood drops off. It should be amazing for both food and enjoyment of the "characters," because we already know them and have our favorites and our prejudices in place. I can't wait!

[DebbyT]

Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to blog; about TC, Masters and any little foodie thing that interests you. Even though I eat strictly Kosher, I always find it interesting and entertaining to read your restaurant reviews. A little bit jealous...
When TC started, I tried to read all the blogs...whittled that down to just one...

[Lon]

First, in one of Andy Cohen's recent columns he mentioned that contestants this season had purposely been chosen based on similar skill levels so that anyone and everyone should have had an even chance to win at any given time. To me, that explains a lot of what went on, especially in the first half of the season when there were so many contestants and before chefs had a chance to measure their food prep skills against judges' comments.

Dom, I agree about the editing. I don't know if it was from the lack of natural drama, or what, but I did feel the editors were really "reaching" to build drama into the show. And that those efforts got in the way of viewers being able to determine food and chef quality. Peagate is a prime example of using a little issue to try to build a major controversy. Compared to season 2, for example, where a chef wrongly took a whole box of food from the store; or the Marcel hair-cutting incident, this season's controversies were non-existent.

I also think the show location damped the season. Washington, D.C. is not that well known as a food town, certainly not like Miami, LA, San Fran, Chicago and other places that have been used. The injection of politicians, while never becoming partisan, also damaged the show, in my opinion.

I know TC needs to find places where companies such as Marriot, etc. can provide hosting facilities. But I wonder about other towns like Boston, Dallas or Atlanta. I know Colicchio has restaurants in Dallas & Atlanta.

Finally, according to announcements during the reunion show, Season 8 is supposed to start airing Dec. 1, barely two months away. I saw stories even before the finale of Season 7 talking about Season 8 and reporting chef-contestant viewings in New York. The format doesn't surprise me: both Tom and Padma have small children now and probably don't want to take a month off for a show filmed in New Orleans or some other distant place. Maybe the same for Bourdain if he's the new full-time judge because he has a small child as well.

[Lon]

Dom: Are you interested in starting a thread that allows us to discuss what we would do to prepare as a Top Chef contestant? What types of food styles would be learn? Would we have a dessert ready? How much menu planning would we do?

Especially since you are planning your own menu right now, and in light of Tom Colicchio's recent Newsweek presentation of "How to Succeed as a Top Chef, I think this would be a great topic to span the down time between seasons.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/22/how-to-succeed-as-a-top-chef.html

[Dreamboat]

Dom,
As always thank you for your thoughtful comments. I think you hit the nail on the head with regards to editing. This first became obvious to me during season 6 restaurant wars. During the show, even at judges table, I got the sense that the restaurants had a similar number of successes and failure but ReVOLT was slightly better. Then I read a bog (Tom's I believe) and find out that it was a lot better and that it was the best food ever in restaurant wars. My jaw dropped. I was shocked. And I was disappointed that I did not get to hear more commentary from the judges about the food!

I believe the editing has "dumbed down" the food. The elves show comments at the lowest common denominator in order to preserve the suspense of the winner and loser. And the viewing public misses most of the commentary about the food. It is like eating a wonderful meal when you have a cold -- everything is muted.

[aaalex]

dominic: i'd be curious as to which seasons' cooking you found so much less compelling than this season. season 5 excepted. and remember: though colicchio said the season seven finale winning meal was the best he'd had in a finale, he also said that he was grumpy for most of the season because the food this season just wasn't worth leaving your wife and children at home for.

[Anon Man]

Nice summary, Dom. A few comments. One is, as you alluded to: the Elves. Really a sub-par editing season for me which marred the whole thing. Not enough judges time as you note. I wonder how much was LeAnn being gone and the challenges being more complicated to follow or if there were other new personnel.

For Lon, DC has a wide ranging foodie community. Sure, it is still marred by the which restaurant has the most well-known lobbyists, but for ethnic diversity of food I put DC up there with almost anywhere. But, even still, I really don't see how the location matters when the challenges are the challenges and 95 percent of the time the location doesn't matter in the least.

One comment from the reunion that has bugging me and I need a sanity check: Amanda said she saw Alex make the Pea Puree right next to her and several people, including Tiffany said that did nothing to change their minds about the matter. I don't get it. Is it that they don't trust Alex, don't respect Amanda, both, something else? Please help me.

[aaalex]

another thing: i like eric ripert as a kind of yoda-like presence, but he wasn't all taht well used this season. there wasn't enough of him, for one thing. and ripert is ... not sedate, exactly, but pretty laid back. i mean, it takes bourdain two seconds to put across a full blast of disdain/humour/teasing/banter ... ripert is more subtle. of all the judges, this season, i'd have liked much more face and thought time with ripert.

[Karl]

Dom - thanks for your hard work on this site. Absolute destination reading all week. (And not just for TC coverage. Your Central Gyros post was a pleasure to read.)

I owe someone a fiver for my unfulfilled prediction that Angelo and Amanda would end up an item.

I'll lay that double or nothing on Blais to win TCAS.

[*susan*]

I don't post much, well at all, but mostly because you state things so perfectly, there really isn't anything to add. Thank you for keeping up with this blog.

[Trillium]

I thought part of the reason for the blah-ness of season 7 was the gimmickyness and the non-interesting celebrities brought in (Nancy Pelosi, the peeps from NASA, the CIA bit, etc).

Looking forward to All Stars.

[paula]

Everything you said about the editing: YESYESYES. That's exactly how I felt watching it: That unless I read the blogs afterward, there was no way to know what the real story was or how the food actually compared (or even what it was, in some cases). It almost completely killed the season for me. You can bet I'll be watching on Dec. 1, but if the Elves screw this up and don't take heed of your two paragraphs above, they're going to lose a lot of us.

[Mann of Sandd]

I hope for the shows sake that someone forwards this to the decision makers at Bravo, because as usual you state things perfectly Dom. Thanks again for all your insights and hard work.

[EdT.]

I missed the reunion show, and couldn't help notice your statement that Tiffany indicated "peagate" wasn't entirely a work of fiction on the part of the Elves. Does this mean she accused Alex of actually stealing the pea puree? Or just that the other contestants piled on Alex like stink on a skunk, thinking that he might have done this?

Actually, I'm not sure it matters. The Elves should have given the judges a heads-up (like they did with the head-shaving stunt in Season 2), as it could have seriously called the integrity of the show into question.

But, I am curious, anyway.

~EdT.

[Bart]

Perfect recap. I like how you characterized the people who watch Top Chef for the characters as much as the food. Like you said, the key word here is "enjoy." I enjoyed watching the outsize personalities, because they were likable.

Just Desserts is the antithesis of that - these personalities are way too outsized...and not very likable.

I am super stoked about the All-Star season. My one big regret is that people will start having to get eliminated right away. Can't we go a couple of weeks without elimination challenges? Sigh...

[Skillet Doux]

"First, in one of Andy Cohen's recent columns he mentioned that contestants this season had purposely been chosen based on similar skill levels so that anyone and everyone should have had an even chance to win at any given time. To me, that explains a lot of what went on, especially in the first half of the season when there were so many contestants and before chefs had a chance to measure their food prep skills against judges' comments."

This explains a lot, and I think it's a good idea if they can pull it off, but there's a difference between similar skill levels and similar styles. While the former was intentional, I suspect the latter was incidental, and that was part of the problem. Or, as mentioned, that's at least how the edit brought it across.

I strongly disagree that the show location dampened the season. Ever since season four, when they really started playing cat and mouse with people looking for spoilers, the city has been almost completely immaterial. They barely used New York City. At this point, the city is a B-roll backdrop, and maybe the inspiration for a challenge or two. That's it.

"i'd be curious as to which seasons' cooking you found so much less compelling than this season. season 5 excepted. and remember: though colicchio said the season seven finale winning meal was the best he'd had in a finale, he also said that he was grumpy for most of the season because the food this season just wasn't worth leaving your wife and children at home for."

That's why I distinguished the first half of the season from the second half :-) But even so, yes, you're right, season five is one of them. Taken as a whole, I think season one is another. I rewatched season one last year, and though I kind of expected it, I was still taken aback by how much terrible food there was. The show has come a long way. And to a lesser extent, season two and maaaaaaybe even season three (though the latter stages of season three were also rather compelling). If we're talking the season's recipes as an aggregate, I'm scoring three and maybe even four below season seven. I suspect Tom reacted the way he did for the same reason many of us did... we were coming off a grand exception in season six, and it's sometimes hard to remember just how grand of an exception it was. I don't know that he wouldn't have reacted even more strongly if asked to recall some other previous seasons. But of course, I'm not tasting the food so I couldn't really defend this impression... it's just my gut feeling based on the recipes. I'd certainly be curious to hear what the judges had to say about the relative strength of the contestants from season to season if they ever addressed the subject.

"I missed the reunion show, and couldn't help notice your statement that Tiffany indicated "peagate" wasn't entirely a work of fiction on the part of the Elves. Does this mean she accused Alex of actually stealing the pea puree?"

The subject came up, Alex denied stealing anything, Amanda said she stood right next to him and watched him make his own, and without actually calling Alex and Amanda liars, Tiffany essentially called them liars. Point simply being that the controversy, even if may have been exaggerated by the elves, wasn't completely of their invention.

[dach]

Solid close to the season, and excellent wrapup and thoughts. Even if the season itself lacked something, Dom's writing and analysis have been as high caliber and insightful as always. I always look forward to the next SD report as much as I did the next episode of TC.

Well, I'll go back to lurking until season 8.

See'yall

[doktarr]

I also agree that the editing has gotten more "clever" in recent seasons. In some past seasons I've gone five or six episodes in a row where I called the eliminated dish before minute 40, but now they're disguising the outcome to such a degree that I'm right no more than 60% of the time in minute 55.

I do feel like some of the actual understanding of what's going on with the food is lost in this clever editing.

For what it's worth, things have been headed this way for a while. In my opinion, the episode where the scales really began to tip in this direction was the season 4 finale. The elves obviously (and probably correctly) felt the drama would be highest if it seemed like the "villain" Lisa was going to win. Only after reading the blogs did we discover, wow, she was actually the consensus #3 that day, and the "choker", Richard, was actually #2.

[matthew]

Great summary, and follow-up Dom. I, too, think the chefs' skills and the food they prepare is compelling enough. I think [most] people tune into Top Chef for the food, not the snark and drama. There are plenty of other shows for that (ahem...Hell's Kitchen). Naturally, tensions will flare when you're in the kitchen, and that's ok; but I wholeheartedly agree that the producers should trust that the food and the judges will keep viewers interested.

As for the comment about DC's food scene -- I agree with Anon Man that DC actually has a very broad range of ethnic food available. My two cents is that DC hasn't always been known as a high-level food city. The federal government is here, and even with lobbyists, the city had traditionally been a pretty dull culinary location. Recently, say the last 5-7 years, DC has become a destination for chefs. There's enough people with money in this area that can support top-notch restaurants. Further, people who traditionally would travel to Philly or New York for good food can now find it locally. I will say, though, that I think DC still suffers from a large group of people that don't have discriminating palates. So often, Carla and I hear rave reviews about some place, only to discover the food was so-so. Perhaps as more chefs locate, or open places, in DC, the collective food sensibility of folks here will increase. Until then, Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Changs will be packed with people ready to give those places Michelin stars.

[Bart]

"Until then, Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Changs will be packed with people ready to give those places Michelin stars."

That is a hilariously apt way of putting it. The food at places like these isn't horrible, but it mystifies me that people will go there instead of the local guy's restaurant or the Italian joint down the street (NOT Olive Garden...which is about as Italian as P.F. Changs is Chinese, which is to say, not at all).

[jse91]

Dom - thank you for all work you put in throughout the season. Top chef is what brought me to this blog, but your great writing and passion for food has made me a year round visitor.

Does anyone know why Kevin Gillespie isn't one the "All Stars". When I first heard about the concept, he was the chef I was most hoping to see.

Season 8 will either be off the charts awesome or a total flop. I hoping for the former.

[paula]

Hey, Matthew: Is the upcoming season why we didn't see a guest spot from Carla in D.C.? I'm SO happy she's on board for the next round! :)

[matthew]

Hi Paula. Not really. I believe there were a couple attempts to get Carla on the show, but the timing didn't work out. I'm excited to see what happens with the all-star season. As was the case last time, she doesn't tell me anything, so I'm on pins and needles each week.

[nomnomnom]

In most years the first guy off is usually clearly outclassed, but I think they made a huge season changing mistake sending John off first. Had the no-talent Jaquline?spelling? instead gone home soon I think the entire house dynamic would have been different. Plus, it really seems like this guy has some talent. Arnold also may have been a reasonable force late going out in that pair challenge nonsense.

Another problem is that they are probably like some of the other open audition shows are starting to run out of young chefs from urban B-List restaurants to bring on. It's probably good they are going to take what seems to be 24 months off between new seasons now. Maybe that will give a chance for the talent pool to replenish a bit.

I am more than pumped for the return of Tre. Don't sleep on this guy. No question he had more than any non-finalist so far, and should make a deep run.

[garik16]

My preliminary Rankings for season 8:

1-17 not sure (#1 is probably blais i think).
#18: Spike.

[gilmore]

Dom, thanks for the recap and covering the season.

I started losing interest half way through. The editing was the main reason - the seemingly uninteresting food. I always watch reruns either late Wednesday night or later in the week. As the season progressed, I didn't care if I just watched the last 15 minutes to see who was kicked off and who won.

The hacks like Pelosi and Panetta, toothpicks saving our republic, other politicians, the White House chef lecturing us on healthy eating and the NBC news crowd were more of a turn off than in prior seasons.

I also hated prior years when they had celebrities, so I am an equal opportunity curmudgeon.

Give me local restauranteurs as the guests - Tramonto in Chicago, etc. The Palm was good, except for the NBC crew. The Virginia farm was good too.

Season 8 has me pumped. Hopefully, season 9 will revert back to focusing on the food.

--- Until then, Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Changs will be packed with people ready to give those places Michelin stars. ---- too funny. Been there on business and that is high on the list of must eat at places.

[bryanD]

"Top Chef has always walked a fine line between a hardcore competition and a reality series with everything that entails."----skilletdoux

This way monsters be! But they dwell in a misty gray area that is anything but fine. A hardcore competition would be akin to a documentary, or a game show which adheres to some public standard of ethics since money is on the line (as well as credibility). Top Chef isn't that. While Top Chef is not patently fake, it is art, and art allows "fictions" to be forwarded as entertainment (or educational: moral) devices. I would invite people to investigate the meaning of the word "reality", which is not a concrete state of things as existence is.

"I need a sanity check: Amanda said she saw Alex make the Pea Puree right next to her and several people, including Tiffany said that did nothing to change their minds about the matter."---Anon Man

Yeah. Plus we all saw the peas progress---from whole peas in water to Alex mashing them----right there on the screen in *that* episode. (I offended some here when I stood gesticulating in the direction of the teevee. "There! Look!" ) But to your point: 1. Tiffany never fooled me as some sweet dollop of butter as many wished to project. Her "laugh" is a tic. Her patois is guffaw. It signifies nothing in particular. And 2. To back up my opinion, I present the hateful and willfully ignorant troglodyte named Tiffany that we all witnessed at the reunion.

(Hmmm. I wonder what the Tiffany-Amanda backstory is, anyway? Surely, it would have been more compelling than the blindness-inducing mental picture of Tiffany and Ed having jumbo sex that the elves tried to damage us with instead.)

Hey, great blog, Dom! And if I sound like a party pooper, I'm not. Top Chef is one of the few TV shows I watch religiously. I care. Here's hoping that some key persons get a pink slip back at HQ, though, because the production quality was way, way down this year, nevermind the elves. Hopefully Rippert will learn to say No to Tom. R's heart was not in it this year. He does himself no favors just phoning it in. As for Padma, she was subtly very good. Tom? He's wearing out my patience. He seems to be playing 3-dimensional chess and we can only see a single board of it. It's like Tom is placing himself as the product in "product placement" and we are NOT the intended audience. As coz might say, Tom's getting to be a tosser.

"I'll lay that double or nothing on Blais to win TCAS."---Karl

Reconsider, earthling! While Season 1 Tiffini's masculine brain has been devouring Spain, throwing off sparks in its wake, Blaise is still standing in front of the g#dd@m mirror rearranging his f7ck4ng hair. Nice guy tho'! Hopefully he's progressed beyond MG spheroids and scallop bananas and transient gas presentations.

[Anon Man]

Bravo, Matthew. An excellent take on the food scene here. I can think of half a dozen "rave" places that are very ordinary. I think that PF Chang/Cheesecake Factory line will go down as a top 10 DC food lines. (Regaring Cheesecake Factory, Michael Ruhlman went there on a dare from a reader to try some dish which he admitted that he liked, even though he called half of it "insipid". If you can find the video it is funny.

For the record, my favorite places are: Eve, Komi, Courdaroy (perhaps more for the service than the innovation of the menu), Obelisk and the newly-restyled 2941 (odd location, decent mix of classic and modern French). Nora used to be on the list but declined into nothingness.

As for TCAS, the three I want to see are Marcel, Tiffani and Richard. Tiffani was clearly very talented even then, Marcel wasn't fully developed as a chef yet, and Richard, is well, Richard. Good luck to Carla in TCAS.

[Anon Man]

Sorrry for the double post, but: @garik: 18 has to be Steven. As far as I know he stopped cooking years ago and now just runs restaurants.

[jh]

The editing this time around made the season almost unwatchable for me. I prefer going to the blogs afterwords to get more a more in depth look (miss Lee Anne's blog the most), rather than "oh, so THAT'S what really happened".

One thing I've noticed in my many hours of TV watching is that the TC judges have rarely gone down the slippery slope that has doomed so many other reality show competition judges in subsequent seasons. The critiques of Tom and company are rarely hyperbolized to the extent where they lose their meaning (perhaps why I hated Toby), and are generally pointed as to why a dish failed or succeeded. The judges of American Idol, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, among the many others, appear to have become caricatures of their former selves. As a result, the shows have become "how can I top my last critique" rather than offer constructive criticism.

I hope the elves don't screw up next season. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some great challenges and even better food.

As for Stephen, I always got the impression that his heart was more as a sommelier than as chef.

[bryanD]

Erk. Revisiting my first paragraph above, I sound like a philistine: "That's just the way it is! La-dee-dah!"

The shortest way for me to ameliorate that impression, while moving beyond it, is to note that At least the self-granted "reality" fudge zone has not seeped underneath the judges table. Even the most controversial verdicts were only close calls. No one has ever been outright robbed at the elimination dock. Even I will admit that Kenny's cheese patty (yes, patty!), besides being oversize and obnoxious, was also a lazy rerun from TC past. (Kenny was, per Kenny, being delusional)

So, actually, Dom's "fine line" (for our purposes here) DOES exist. (I should have known better. It's why I never comment on Dom's food articles. I'd REALLY murderize myself there! Suicide by cop---I mean, foodie!)

PS. My name is Bryan and I watch Just Desserts.

[HF]

Thanks for the TC posts, Dominic!

[nomnomnom]

So have they said that S8 is going to have the same format as the other regular seasons, or will it be more like Masters?

[mncharm]

Dom, thanks again for all the time you put into the rankings. Contract-year performance, as always.

Agree that one of the main issues was the lack of distinctive styles among the chefs. Even in the other "lesser" years, the chefs tended to be identifiable by their food -- I did not get much of that this year. Made it far less intersting, in my eyes.

At least it ended with a bang -- the last few episodes were definite winners.

Looking forward to All Stars!

[Mann of Sandd]

Perhaps as more chefs locate, or open places, in DC, the collective food sensibility of folks here will increase. Until then, Cheesecake Factory and P.F. Changs will be packed with people ready to give those places Michelin stars.

Living and working in Atlanta, all I can say is....don't count on the collective food sensibility increasing. We have several high caliber restaurants here. I happen to work part time at one of them. It's a neighborhood spot and we're doing really well, but I'm still constantly amazed that people will not wait 15 minutes for a table at our place but will go down the road to Cheesecake Factory and wait an hour. Several good businesses have gone under during the recession here, but I have seen nary a Chili's or Applebee's shutter its' doors.

[Nikki L]

@garik - Mine would go like this:

#1 Blaise
#2 Jen Carrol
#3-17 everyone else
#18 Spike

[Louis Diodato]

Thanks for sharing your blog - I find it fascinating and appreciate all the hard work that goes into it. I enjoy reading the non TC posts and hope to get to some of the places one day. You have a great style and passion for the subject - I'm glad you're out here.

[Independent George]

#1 Blaise
#2 Jen Carrol
#3-17 everyone else
#18 Spike

Is Tiffany (S1) on the roster? I always thought of her as one of the stronger contestants in TC history.

[gdis]

BryanD - I 100% agree about Tiffany. She really came off as b***** by blatantly calling Alex and Amanda liars. I think good editing really helped her out. To be honest, Angelo came off as one of the most likable the entire season (albeit weird).

Looking ahead to Season 8 (which will be awesome), I think my top 5, in no particular order, are the following:

Richard - self explanatory - I've always wanted to try his Willy Wonka salmon dish
Jennifer - she was solid and any other season probably would have been top 3, just not as talented or distinctive as the Volt/Kevin G freight train
Angelo - as long as he doesn't self destruct again. He was one of the few who had a distinctive style and probably showed the most refinement this entire season.
Dale T - Restaurant wars has sent home a lot of great chefs; Dale showed talent and was a competitor.
Marcel - I suspect he's matured quite a bit. He showed talent then and I believe he's only gotten better.

The one I'm most curious to see is Mike I. The whole season it seemed like he had the skill but kept making boneheaded mistakes. I think this will be a good chance at redemption, but I easily could be proven wrong. With this cast, you won't get far if you make mistakes.

And Bourdain as a full time judge? Perfect thing for the season. One of the few people who can be brutally honest and sarcastic without going over the top while providing spot on analysis of the dishes. Although she seems like a nice person, I never really trusted Gail's opinion and hated Toby. I think a Tom - Ripert - Bourdain combo with Padma hosting would be the best judges table.

[PerryMB]

My pre season 8 ranking.

1 Jennifer Carroll
2 Richard Blais
3 Tiffani Faison
4 Angelo Sosa
5 Tre Cox
6 Dale Talde
7 Jamie Lauren
8 Mike Isabella
9 Dake Levitski
10 Marcel Vigneron
11 Tiffani Derry
12 Casey Thompson
13 Carla Hall
14 Antonia Lafaso
15 Elia Aboumrad
16 Fabio Viviani
17 Spike Mendelsohn
18 Steven Aspirino

[gilmore]

Not sure how to rank 'em, but Spike and Stephen would have to be near the bottom - Spike for being Spike and Stephen for apparently not cooking for a while.

Top contenders will be those that are still cheffing it - not those that have let their TC celebrity get them out of the kitchen and on the road doing demos, etc.

[Bart]

@gdis - Out of curiosity, why don't you trust Gail's opinion?

I think she's incredibly insightful and offers (what appears to be) well founded criticisms. The episode where the chefs served politicians (and people like Joe Scarborough) was *the* episode that showed why Gail is a great judge.

But then, I liked Toby, so what do I know? ;-)

[bryanD]

I won't even ATTEMPT to match the comprehensiveness of PerryMB's sheet.

I will submit however, that PerryMB's Jen is way over-rated, and Elia at #15 is just insane! :0)

My late-season locks. L-O-C-K-S:
1. Tiffani Faison to win
2. Marcel
3. Elia

The other consensual 1st-class cheftestants have each demonstrated certain *issues* regarding Heat:Kitchen/ Fart:Brain:
Jen, Blaise, Angelo, Jamie, Casey.

Beyond that, my right-brain now kicks in with all the Carla, the Asperino, the Big Gay Dale, and the whole Good Teevee angle. Numbers and x's and check marks fade away, fade away.

[gilmore]

And they keep having Spike on - guest judge, Super Bowl special, judge on TCM, now Season 8.

As if he is either a super star chef or beloved by the fans (maybe he is and I am the douche), or both a super star chef and beloved.

Maybe he is the beloved douche. That title reminds me of the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, Beloved Aunt.

[jh]

gilmore, you forgot another possibility. A "villian" of sorts. Not necessarily beloved by the fans, but highly visible and well known to the viewing public. In some ways, he's a good reality tv character, because he has *some* cooking talent (he can def butcher), but likes to stir the pot, and loves to hear himself talk.

Perhaps he's always on Bravo because he has nothing better to do.

[Polybus]

A terrific analysis, Dom! As usual, you are spot-on with your observations. I only read one blog and one column and yours is the blog. As with several others who follow your TC blog, I have come to admire and look forward to your other restaurant articles throughout the year. Having taken a quick look at Just Desserts, I think it was a wise move not to blog it.

Like others, I am really hyped about TCAS and I'm glad that we won't have to wait long until it gets going. I'm not going to post a preseason guess just yet as I need to give it some thought and review some of the past seasons to help form my opinions. I will say that I have been a Blais fan since the deep dish peach pizza in the first episode of S4, but I will also have a rooting interest in others as well. I'm a little surprised that Stephen was selected - Ely would have been much better, among others.

As to the Spike issue, I doubt he is nearly as bad as his chicken sandwich - and his personality helps to qualify him for Bravo fill time. It is also his personality and gamesmanship that makes him a good addition to TCAS. I would love to see he and Tiffani F. paired up for a team challenge. Other team challenge dreams: Mike & Angelo, Dale L. & Fabio, Stephen & Richard.

I'm really glad that Dale T. is getting another shot, too. In spite of the crotch grab, I thought he was a good contestant and that his dishes were intriguing - food I would definately like to try. Also, I love Jamie's cooking and I'm glad to see that she has another chance as well.

Two factors may determine where the chefs settle in the Power Rankings: Will the standard of judging be sky-high? (I'm thinking Yes and that should also keep the quality of the dishes sky-high and make for a great competition.) Will the types of challenges be more on the level of S6? (I'm hoping Yes again, so that creativity will come front and center!) It has the possibility to be a great season and I'm hoping the elvises step back and let 'em argue and cook!

[LaLaura]

Dom, thanks for doing this blog. This season I looked forward more to your blog than the show! See you next season (which should be fabulous)!

[aaalex]

it's been a while since anyone posted here and the general feeling may be that "top chef: just desserts" isn't worth discussing, but i'm liking the show very much and wondered if there were others like me.

it's nearing the end: we're down to the final four. three of the four are exceptional chefs. morgan, yigit, and the "julie andrews wannabe" zac, are fantastically talented. it's true that the personalities have been over-the-top. when you have a trio of gay chefs who call themselves "team diva", you know what you're in for: one step away from pillow fights and toenail painting. but ... the level of creativity on display has been awesome. it has commanded respect.

it's been fascinating learning - by virtue of who has been invited to judge - the top names in dessert chefery. more: johnny iuzzini has been superior to collichio as head judge. he has been precise in his judgments, very clear, sometimes harsh, but always fair. this week when yigit made something inferior, he said that iuzzini's assessment was worse than the possibility of losing because he genuinely respected iuzzini's opinion. it's the first time, in all the top chef's, i've been moved by the sheer regard a contestant has had for a judge.

the thing about the personalities: these are a group who must be as precise as chemists and as flamboyant as the most flamboyant of visual artists. both ends of the scale are absolutely necessary for success. that explains both the "diva quotient" and the sheer brilliance.

there was mention, on this blog, of the gay content of "just desserts". someone remarked that one of the heterosexual contestants was behaving in a way more typical of homosexuals - throwing a hissy fit, etc. in fact, the show has been unusual in showing how much a range there is of "gay" behaviour. yes, of course, it's obvious that a "category" that includes paul lynde, william burroughs and ludwig wittgenstein is uselessly imprecise. but i've been impressed by how little fuss has been made over the gay content, how little it has mattered to anyone.

in the end, the thing i was looking for: interesting culinary thought, interesting techniques, the discovery of what to look for in a dessert, how to criticize cakes, chocolate, shortbreads ... i've got all of these things from the show, so far. the personalities have also been so much more entertaining than those on regular top chef season seven. i'm looking forward to the finals as happily as i was for season six's voltaggio show down. i think it's between yigit and morgan and, despite myself, despite liking yigit more than i like morgan, i kind of hope morgan wins. his technique, nerve, seriousness have been really impressive.

[Elise]

@aaalex

I too have been watching Just Desserts, and while the first few episodes were painful, due to a contestant who's real name I can't remember, but when telling my husband about the show I referred to him as Mr. Drama, but once he self destructed and left the show everything got so much more watchable.

Which is great because these guys are mind-blowing. In the pre-show footage they had one of the chefs (Yigit?) saying he could do anything a savory chef could and then some, and he's right. The number of techniques and precise mastery of diverse skills is incredible. (This week we're doing wedding cakes, this week we're doing truffles, this week we're making cocktail inspired desserts, now we're doing ice creams, etc...) Any of those skills could easily take a life time of work to truly master and some of these guys (Morgan, Yigit, and Zac) have almost all of them down pat.

Next week is the last show, and though I was deeply disappointed to see Zac go, he made the least appealing offering. Can't wait to see Yigit and Morgan go head to head.

I'm wondering though, do they also get a few weeks off to rest and recuperate, or is it the grand finale right after everything else?

[aaalex]

elise: the thing that has most impressed with morgan and yigit is their absolute command of a range of techniques. i don't know if you read johnny iuzzini's blog about the creation of truffles but the fact that morgan - and yigit - could do this as well as make butter cream cakes and ice creams, etc. ... it's just astounding and it does make you wonder if, pound for pound, the dessert chefs aren't more impressive than the savory ones.

i know morgan is kind of difficult but he's obviously tremendously talented, so i was very disappointed in zac's attitude when he got the boot. it was the first time i thought zac was petty, mean-spirited and nasty. he made a cake that was not appropriate for ben and sylvia - preferring to force "disco dust" on them. classic egotism which, to be fair, he hadn't really displayed before last show. (until this episode, he was one of my favourites.)

i'm just really disappointed to see mobile-face get to the final - not because she doesn't deserve it but because she has really kind of coasted to the final doing just enough to get by. a zac, yigit, morgan final would have been a better reflection of the more talented chefs in the competition.

on the whole, i've been really impressed with just desserts. i hope there's a season two. (i wonder what the numbers are) also: i'm making desserts with more enthusiasm since this show began. go yigit, go morgan. i'd be happy if either of those two won. (the preview had zac saying one of danielle's desserts was best though ... uh oh ...)

[Nikki L]

I have spent the last week doing significant research on what it takes to make a macaron. This is what Just Desserts does to me.

[Dave]

Hi All,

Here is a link from the Chicago Tribune about the December 1st Top Chef All-Stars

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ae-1121-top-chef-20101119,0,3353746.story

And here is a formula-based Top Chef Power Index

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-food-features-top-chef-power-index,0,2081590.story

Stephanie has always been my favorite winner, and now I have math to back me up! Seems appropriate that some others, like Hosea, are way down the list.

[bryanD]

Thanks for the links, Dave.

My impression of the first link: Ruh-Roh! To wit:

Executive producer Dan Cutforth speaking_
"We took away tools. We gave them less time...You'll see in pretty much every episode this season, the chefs are literally sprinting like their lives depended on it...they literally never have enough time."

Me again_ @#$!%&#!! (I HATE Iron Chef America!)

The second link is *interesting*, too. (The link within the link) In a novelty non-Dom-approved kind of way, of course. It's right up there with the Biography of President Douglas MacArthur (1948-1956).

:o)

THX.

[bryanD]

Me again. Re: Dave's second link. It's pretty entertaining.
Supreme irony found so far (for regulars only):

Ariane Duarte score 85. Mike Isabella 75.

[Brian]

Top Chef Just Desserts:

Interesting enough to watch, wish people in general would have more maturity and empathy, was really glad that Danielle went from a better Lisa to a lesser Carla by winning the penultimate challenge.

Top Chef Season Eight:

I nerded out way too much over that Power Index.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much.

I think their Staying Power stat boils down to pretending there's seventeen contestants each season, then getting five points for everyone that goes home before you except for the final. Winning the title might get you fame, fortune, and a variable amount of respect, but it only counts for five more points of Staying Power.

The earlier season extra Staying Power Points are offset by the lack of opportunity to gain Cooking Points - the points earned in the rest of the formula for quality of food cooked while on the show. Earlier season weak chefs are overvalued a little bit, strong chefs are undervalued a little. This bugged me, as it also overvalues cooking just well enough to get by without ever doing strong work. (You might be able to tell where this is going.)

I did some really ham-fisted Excel work to rerank based on Cooking Points, and I found some stuff that might be interesting. I checked the math on Staying Power, including correcting what I believe were a few errors, but I didn't check the reporting for the other stats. This is all based on the numbers, not nuance or culinary knowledge.

Strongest Overall Performances without being named All-Star: Kevin Gillespie, Stefan Richter, Bryan Voltagglio, Ed Cotton, Sam Talbot, Kelly Liken.

All of these would have been named All-Stars going solely by Power Index. If you go by Cooking Points, add Betty Fraser and Rahdika Desai to the list, both of which surprised me. Especially Betty, as she had an early season position working against her.

Strongest Overall Performance without a QF Win: Bryan Voltagglio.

Apparently, QF wins are not that relevant in Top Chef. Of the eight people with four or more QF wins, none won the title and only half were named All-Star.

Strongest Overall Performance without an EC Win: Eli Kirshtein, Cliff Crooks.

You could tip this to Eli based on most top EC mentions without a win, Cliff caught up on QF wins.

Most Disappointing Overall Performance from a Chef with an EC Win: Lia Bardeen.

Unless you give it to someone I'll be talking about later.

PPYKAGed too Soon: Dale Talde.

First name that comes to mind is probably Tre, but Dale is top twenty overall going by either Power Index or Cooking Points.

Chefs with more EC Wins than the eventual TC: Kevin Gillespie, Ed Cotton, Stefan Richter, Tre Wilcox.

This plus his second place showing in the Holiday Special is the best argument for including Tre as an All-Star. Carla Hall and Dave Martin tied the eventual TC in this category.

Chefs never in Danger: Nobody.

A few were only there once, but there has not been a single chef to make the final without sweating it out at Judge's Table.

Biggest Surprise: Antonia Lofaso.

Antonia is top ten overall by either Power Index or Cooking Points. From a season that included Stephanie and Richard. Going by the numbers she's incredibly strong, and not just in the weakened All-Star field.

Least Deserving All-Star: Spike Mendelsohn.

He got zero Cooking Points. Zero. I'm not going to pile on, but that's the same number as Ron Duprat.

Most Suitable Replacement for Spike: Andrew D'Ambrosi.

From the same season, Andrew would have filled a similar type in casting, went home two episodes earlier, and still got 60 Cooking Points. The same number as Casey Thompson and Dale Levitski. Okay, now I'll stop.

The Reason Why I Did All This: Lisa Fernandes.

Had an EC win. Made the final. Was in the bottom eight times. Apparently never thought, "Hey, maybe I should make good food." Ended up with negative ten Cooking Points. Tied for ninety-fifth out of one hundred and nine total contestants.

Flaw in my Argument: Going by Cooking Points, the least successful contestants in Top Chef history are Stephen Hopcraft and Ash Fulk. Two really nice guys who were never able to get their act together despite repeated reprieves at Judge's Table.

Finally, here's an ordering of the Season Eight cast based on averaging their positions on two lists, one ranked by Power Index, one ranked by Cooking Points:

1. Richard Blais
2. Antonia Lofaso
3. Tiffany Derry
4. Angelo Sosa
5. Carla Hall
6. Jennifer Carroll
7. Tiffani Faison
8. Dale Talde
9. Fabio Viviani
10. Casey Thompson
10. Dale Levitski
12. Stephen Asprinio
13. Marcel Vigneron
14. Jamie Lauren
15. Elia Aboumrad
16. Tre Wilcox
17. Mike Isabella
18. Spike Mendelsohn

Jennifer's probably too low, Antonia's probably a little too high, rest of it is at least defensible.

Um. Sorry for the gigantic post. Can you tell I'm looking forward to this season?

[bryanD]

Hello, Brian,

(gawd, I'm such a TC geek!...so early!... the shame!...anyhoo:)

"Top Chef Just Desserts:
Interesting enough to watch, wish people in general would have more maturity and empathy..."

Ugh! TCJD was a disaster. And boring. But instructive! The lessons of which I shall brandish in due time!(!!!)

"I did some really ham-fisted Excel work to rerank..."

It's all cool. Carry on...

"Strongest Overall Performances without being named All-Star: Kevin Gillespie..."

God bless, but Kevin can't cook a sheep steak. See Restaurant Wars. (Or was it a deer steak? Either way, it doesn't matter. Kevin was a food-perv trapped within his own (Pig) fetish. A ridiculous thing for a food contest not centered around SC BBQ)

"The Reason Why I Did All This: Lisa Fernandes. Had an EC win. Made the final..."

I agree whole-heartedly. That mad cow could cook.(!) A Top 7 automatically, personality notwithstanding.

"Finally, here's an ordering of the Season Eight cast based on....(snip)
...Jennifer's probably too low, Antonia's probably a little too high..."

The semi-official order is all eff'd up;
Antonia is WAY too high. ("Antonia" is spelled H-a-m-b-e-r-g-e-r-h-e-l-p-e-r roun' heah!)

As for Jennifer? I'm drooling for no reason at all!
(Let's hope she's all cried out this time. The braggart.)

Conclusion:

Thx, Brian. Good geeky post.

P.S. My top 3 (leaving room for Mystery!):

1)Tiffani Faison
2)Elia Amboumrad
3)Marcel Vigneron

Bonus: he whom I hope CHOKES in Episode One!
(And is drummed out FOREVER!):

Malingering weirdo Angelo Notgay Sosa.
(If there are any wedding pics this season I will eat my hypothetical hat.)

[bryanD]

This is really embarrassing, but I have been *corrected* by my Better Half....ugh! (Lord deliver me!)...Dear.

...That Brian's complaint, re: Lisa F. is the result of Lisa F. being COMPLETELY left out of the All-Star competition.

I concur. An outrage which my mind glossed over.

Also, I am Not an A-hole. I just *read* like one.

[aaalex]

bryanD: uhm, no, top TCJD was not a disaster, nor was it in any way boring, especially in relation to TC season 7 which, i think, was almost eye-gougingly dull. the hit of personality that TCJD brought was much needed relief after season 7, as far as i'm concerned, and it was more watchable that season 7 until the last two episodes when i was tired of yigit and extremely tired of zac (who turned out to be a backstabbing, horrible little imp). (i wouldn't want to work with morgan, but i admired his technique and i thought it ironic that - with the chocolate souffles - his technique is what let him down.) TCJD made me think about desserts, of course, but about of the range of skills each specialist has: from chocolatiers to bakers to ice cream specialists. the one thing i might have liked on TCJD was an episode where the chefs had to make a good steak or non-dessert dish - a kind of reverse situation to normal TC. all in all, i thought the season was entertaining and instructive - i've also looked into macaroons - and i very much hope there's a second season.

as for TC8 ... i'm looking forward to it but with trepidation. this is one of those situations where it all sounds so great that i start to worry. worst case scenario: it plays out like an nba all-star game: a little safe and dull until the very end.

[Brian]

I was attempting to make the opposite point with regard to Lisa. I looked at the Power Index, saw that Lisa was the lowest rated contestant to make the final, and wondered how of much of her ranking was due solely to how far she progressed in the competition. She consistently made food that was judged to be poor in relation to the group as a whole, yet kept surviving because each week there was one or two people that performed worse. When I looked at the numbers that dealt with quality of results over the course of the season, Lisa underperformed her Power Index ranking by a significant amount.

Antonia did extremely well by this metric. On reflection, it’s not necessarily true that she’s a great chef. But she’s a great Top Chef contestant. My impression is that the first thing that gets you in the bottom and in danger of being sent home on Top Chef is an error of execution. Cook something unevenly, season improperly, fail to clean your product, have your reach exceed your grasp technically. Lack of concept and creativity is a distant second. Actually, it’s probably third behind failure to apply a heat source to a piece of meat in your dish. (In other words, make a salad or dessert. Strangely, soups seem to be an exception here.) Antonia’s strengths are valued and her weaknesses discounted due to the biases of the judging. Someone like Marcel might be a favorite over Antonia if they make the final, but Antonia is a better bet to make the final because she’s not as likely to trip over herself on the way.

I did have a bias against Lisa going in, but I didn’t have one for Antonia. That’s just what the numbers said and I looked for a reason why the numbers might be right. And strangely, in one way Antonia and Lisa are very much alike. The consistency of their work meant that their success was a product of the efforts of the other chefs. Antonia was almost always safe unless everyone else hit a home run. Lisa was almost always going home unless one other chef completely screwed up. Of course, the almosts caught up to them and Lisa went to the final when Antonia made an uncharacteristic mistake. I still think Antonia and Tiffany (who is quite similar) are good bets to outperform their reputations, perhaps by a large margin.

By these numbers, Richard's a huge favorite. As I said, Jennifer’s probably too low – the strength of the three guys ahead of her kept her from scoring better. Tiffani’s probably too low as well; she had fewer opportunities to score points. I think Tre is boom or bust and am okay with him having a low ranking.

Again, this is just based on past performance on the show and has no relation to what they’ve been doing in the time since Top Chef. It is also not corrupted by any knowledge of culinary technique beyond that necessary to roast a chicken as instructed by Thomas Keller.

Which is easy and awesome and should be done by everyone immediately.

[bryanD]

@Brian:

I think the chef rating anomalies of the Power Index are due to the absolute disregard paid to such contextual elements as...FOOD. Creativity with an ingredient, Over-reliance on an ELECTIVE ingredient by a chef, etc.

Of course, statistical analysis is a deep process, what with all the -1,0,+1s across an entire spectrum of variables that must be isolated and compared and weighted in ways that might defy objective analysis anyway (owing to the Old Man of The Mountain stance too often taken by the judges regarding pesky details).

Perhaps we can freelance some Moscow University mathematicians to mark it up (cheap!), have their translators cogitate the results, and have Dom present his proven color commentary along with a minority opinion or two!

"bryanD: uhm, no, top TCJD was not a disaster, nor was it in any way boring...aaalex

Respect mah authoritah!

I DID enjoy Danielle's talking-head scenes (great blind date material, her!). Morgan and Yigit were highly skilled. But, still. The repetitious cake challenges (spanning the *finished* spectrum of wobbly silo to old-tyme carnival shed objects) kind of *outed* everyone's lack of most BASIC skills.

Bright side? I will Tivo the next hypothetical season because I'm a gentleman and scholarship. Ianuzzi did well. Gail was fine. H Keller was OK. Yet tweaks are in order. Also, the Gay Exhibitionism needs to be toned down around food. Just sayin'. Washing hands is worrying enough.

[aaalex]

good answer, bryan d. i can almost see foghorn leghorn watching TCJD. i thought ianuzzi was really good. much more informative than tom in his kitchen interviews. (yeah ... the pompadour thing ... but still...) hubert keller didn't have enough time to leave a strong impression, but i liked what he said and would have wanted more of him, though the other woman - whose name escapes me - wasn't bad. all in all, the judging was well handled. i agree there was, maybe, one too many cake challenge, but that they demonstrated "everybody's" lack of "basic" skills? you lost me on that one, since some of the time constraints on the cake challenges were fairly severe and i thought everyone - morgan, yigit, especially - did very well indeed. (i even liked morgan's final cake which was judged "safe".)

as to the "gay exhibitionism": highly unlikely there are that many dessert chefs as vicious and exhibitionist as zac. i can't see a second season matching this one for over-the-top exhibitionism. but, don't forget: most of the gay chefs on TCJD were pretty much either tame (eric, tim) or more or less next-door-neighboury (yigit). take zac away from this season's TCJD and things look pretty "normal" (whatever "normal" is when it's at home.)

[bryanD]

"but that they demonstrated "everybody's" lack of "basic" skills? you lost me on that one, since some of the time constraints..."---aaalex

Yeah, time constraints on the contestants and on the program running time. Since I'm not familiar with dessert- and candy-making, the show was all a blur of them doing something with tiny things on sheet pans and the refrigerator doors constantly being opened and closed...for sheet pans.