Top Chef - S8E5 Postmortem

Hey, look! Mike Isabella!

And a lot of fun to see Tom walk the walk. Aside from that? Hard to watch.

Not at all surprised it was Casey. Inedible trumps lousy every time. Though I'm sure the burgeoning wave of Jamie hatred (which I find overblown, but... okay) will disagree.

And I will resist the urge to revisit the Top Scallop myth... AGAIN.

Tough calls at the top coming up this week. I can see making a case for three people right now. And I'm prepared to take my beating for missing the clearly obvious choice, no matter who I end up going with. Comes with the territory, I guess :-)

Discuss!

Comments

[garik16]

That was a train wreck. Like epic train wreck, I'm surprised they even evaluated the food at all.

As it was, no surprise on Dale winning, and Carla survives sooo yeah.

Double Elimination next week.....should be fun.

OH YEAH, and I was sad that Susur Lee, one of my favorite TCM chefs had to see that train wreck.

[EdT.]

Dom - could you please please PLEASE rename "Jamie" to "Lisa Fernandez" next week? And do a photo-swap too? This is getting freaking riDONKulous!

~EdT.

[garik16]

BTW @Dom, I noticed this RichardBlais tweet earlier today:

http://twitter.com/RichardBlais/status/22305392511946752
"Looks like Im going to have to personally cook this guy Dom dinner. What ever happened to Statistics ?"

Curious what that was referring to (I can guess who he's referring to.)

[Kyle]

Glad to see Tiffany finally warming up. Hopefully it lasts.

[lo]

Looks like someone needs to teach Blais stats if he's referring to the rankings here. 2nd was the right place for him. In my mind, elimination challenges always means more than quickfires. Even considering quickfires, he still hasn't done enough to overcome some of the others. I no longer even have him in second.

Speaking of winners, congrats to Dale! I wanted to eat everything he and Angelo prepared. No surprise they did well though.

[David M.]

Did anyone else notice last week when they showed Tiffany D's dish (the seared tuna) during Judges Table discussion it was NOT her actual dish? I didn't recognize the dish they were showing at all, so it was really bugging me. Mystery solved - it was the bass she cooked at the Quickfire challenge tonight. Editors really messed up on that one!

When I heard Tom slap the "inedible" word on Casey right before the PPYKAG I knew then and there it had to be Casey. Some really weak dishes for sure - and Jamie had two of them - but literally not being able to eat something... regardless of what's happened in past episodes, that MUST get you sent home every time.

The shot of that chicken foot sitting there when everyone at the restaurant was fighting each other for food was pretty telling, I thought.

The Elves were definitely unnecessarily evil with the EC - 150 patrons would have been just fine, increased the quality of the food and still been a substantial enough test IMO.

[garik16]

Yep lo. Mind you, this challenge was basically handmade for Angelo and Dale to knock it out of the park, so they don't get too much credit there.

[Krazikarl]

Not having Blais in at least second would be tough to justify in my mind. Who are you going to jump over him? Dale? Dale put out a laughable quickfire dish while Blais was in the top. In the EC, Blais was middle of the pack while Dale won a challenge that was essentially giftwrapped for him (or Angelo) - Dim Sum. He did what he was supposed to do, so lets not go nuts here.

I agree that ECs are more important than QFs, but you can't completely ignore QFs either, which is the only way that you could justify moving Blais from second I think.

[Steve]

Jamie's a disaster. Hate her attitude. She should go next.

[lo]

Surprisingly, I did move Dale above Richard but just so slightly. It's really for two reasons (none of which are stats). I really give a lot (I mean a lot) more weight to elimination challenges, especially since a few of the quickfires are team challenges (hard to tell how to sort out credit). Also, I consider the dishes I've seen. Richard has yet to blow me away. But I know he will. =)

Stats wise, I'm sure he'll still be second (possibly first since Angelo keeps messing up quickfires).

As for challenges being giftwrapped, sure. But we've seen it in the past. Challenges that would presumably be easier for certain people and yet somehow they fall apart. I still give Dale (and Angelo) credit for keeping it together and contibuting a good joint dish as well.

[doktarr]

I'm surprised that Jaime (and the others) were surprised that Casey went home. It's not about history, it's about the foot in front of the Judges. Casey's food wasn't eaten by a bunch of ravenous patrons, while everything else was. Case closed. This was an easy one to call well before judges table got underway.

I loved the quickfire, and I thought the elimination challenge was tough but fair. The chefs failed to create a set of dishes that they could execute in that kitchen; there's nobody else to blame.

[Nicole]

Colicchio really missed an opportunity. After stating that there was "no harmony" in the good harmony restaurant, he should have said "the sum of your service tonight was dim."

[Cousin Sam]

can I just say - Marcel suggesting that Mike I's dish tasted better to the judges because they had just eaten his - ick. His RAH! posturing in the previews for next week - double ick.

[Krazikarl]

Well, you can certainly weigh the QF vs EC however you want. There is no right or wrong way to do it.

But it seems like the chefs treat them as almost equal. When they refer to how many wins they or another chef have, they lump the two together. Really its always seemed to me that they take almost as much pride in QF wins as EC wins (well, unless its a really stupid QF that you get from time to time). Plus, the prizes for QFs nowadays are usually just as big, or even bigger, than those for ECs.

I think that this is where the "statistics" comment comes in. If you treat the EC and QF as equal, Blas's comment makes a lot of sense since he is cleaning up on QFs, while Angelo is kind of bombing them.

[anne]

Also from the previews, Marcel trying to be street? No. No. No. He should get knocked down a notch just for that.

[Dreamboat]

Sadly, I thought Casey would go home as soon as I saw she bought chicken feet. I have never had chicken feet nor have I cooked them. I do not know the method. But I imagine it is a difficult meat to cook properly. I imagine it is easy to mess up if you have not done the method a thousand times. And then she left the delivery of her dish to someone else who had 2 other dishes of her own to worry about?? Disaster!!

I am sad to see her go. But then, this season I am sad to see ANY of them go!!

[nomnomnom]

Dom needs a pass for the rankings. Blais has done nothing to be lower than 1 at any point in the season. When he gets settled I'm sure he'll realize this. This season is Blais' to lose. Always has been.

Casey puts out anything that could actually have been consumed and she stays on. Wrong time to get cute with the ingredients.

[Nikki L]

I really never liked Marcel (purely personality) and this season has been no different but I think I finally get it - his interviews are his attempt at being funny. He just really isn't a funny person. I thought that might be the case with the Angelo or Mike I. comments but then he made that Jersey Shore fist pumping comment and had that same stupid half-smile laugh that he had in the other interviews and it all made sense.

Poor Casey, I wonder if she had cooked her own chicken feet if they would have been ok? It was clear that Antonia did not cook them they way she should have. Carla and Casey really got screwed for doing front of the house. That really is the kiss of death. The judges should take that into account more.

I'm glad to see Mike and Tiffany make more of a presence. Tiffany making pork buns just screamed "Dim Sum" to me. And Fabio is really branching out too... glad he didn't let the turtles scar him.

Everyone is growing but Jamie. It was nice that she laughed at herself with the scallop thing and tried to make up for not cooking in two ECs by making two dishes but she is really awful and clearly the least skilled chef there. I've eaten at Absinthe too and it was great but I really don't care - time for her to go home.

[Independent George]

Wow, that was every bit as brutal as I thought it would be. You never mess with the old Chinese ladies, especially not during Dim Sum.

1. That was served up for Dale & Angelo, but how often have we seen chefs get overconfident and fall on their faces?

2. I'm not surprised to see Casey go, but I do feel a little bad for her given that she didn't even get to cook most of her own dish.

3. It would have been hilarious is Blais would have won another car.

[Jotham Kinder]

I am stoked that Mike I pulled in a pretty sweet win on the QF. For some reason I like the guy, though I understand why he rubs some people the wrong way. Pretty sweet that he landed both the immunity and the car. One interesting thing, though- since Mike I has a sort of speciality in banging out lots of copies of food, especially someone else's food, very quickly, how would this have changed things in the kitchen? Would more food have been moved if, say, Tiffani F or Casey had expedited, rather than cooked? Or Carla?

I loved that quick fire. I own Colicchio's How to Think Like A Chef cook book, so it was pretty fantastic to actually watch him cook. I kind of wish the Elves had actually spent 8:37 just showing him knock together that dish. The look on everyone's face as the time stopped was priceless...

[David M.]

Antonia was definitely in charge of getting Casey's dish to the masses, but I get the sense that both she and Carla prepared the tasting for the judges.

[Independent George]

Marcel suggesting that Mike I's dish tasted better to the judges because they had just eaten his - ick.

I'll give him a pass on that one; I think it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. (Though I'm still waiting on someone to explain the origin of that particular idiom; never made much sense to me).

Also, I knew it was going to be a disaster while they were planning the dishes. I wonder how many of the chefs have actually had the true Dim Sum experience? It's pretty unique to a few cities in the US; I got the sense that most of them have experienced a more gentrified version of it, and were shocked at just how grueling it was. It seemed like they spent way too much time on plating and presentation.

Out of curiosity, how much time does Colicchio spend in the kitchen these days? I have to imagine he's out of the daily grind.

[Skillet Doux]

"Dom - could you please please PLEASE rename "Jamie" to "Lisa Fernandez" next week? And do a photo-swap too? This is getting freaking riDONKulous!"

When Jamie starts crowing about how she's been cooking such great food for the past four episodes, absolutely. But let's recognize that key difference between the two.

[Jotham Kinder]

George- I seem to recall that he hosts a weekly night where he personally cooks at Colicchio and Sons. Thursdays with Tom? Something like that. So, probably not spending ten hours a day working the line, but he is out there cooking.

I like Dim Sum, but I think the 'authentic' experience might drive me a little nuts. Might be fun to try though. Anyone know if the real deal exists in Boston?

[Skillet Doux]

For me, the most compelling reason to think of Eliminations as being more meaningful than Quickfires is that except in very rare circumstances, you don't get sent home for a Quickfire.

[Skillet Doux]

Jotham... heck yeah, Boston has the real deal. Boston has a rather sizable and vibrant Chinatown. I wasn't there for long so I didn't get to try too much, but I dug dim sum at Hei La Moon, and had some great Cantonese standards at Peach Farm.

[Danny]

Jonathan, I got Tom's book and a year's tuition of Top Chef University from my husband for Christams. Love the book and it was amazing to see as hTom cooked just how much it matched what he wrote about in the book. It really is an amazing read and well worth the purchase. I'm enjoying the classes and am learning a lot - an in-person school would have been preferable but there really isn't anything like that where I live now.

I was amazed at how wrong-headed they all were at the Dim Sum challenge. I lived in San Francisco for 29 years and have had many Dim Sum meals from Westernized to places where I was one of the very few non-Asians in the restaurant. You really don't get to see much of the food. Lots of it is covered and they show you a sample dish and then you are served from the pile. So all of the precious presentation techniques were as silly as they were time consuming. Note how simple Angelo's presentation was.

I love Chicken's Feet but generally it seems to be something that has been soaked in a marinade for a long period of time before cooking. It was a foolish dish for Casey to attempt for the first time. They really had no choice but to eliminate her.

Finally, there seemed to be absolutely no point to having Carla and Casey out there rolling out the carts. They just needed to have someone tell the judges what the dishes were and who prepared them. Their front of house work was neither criticized, praised nor taken into account. I think it put both of them at a terrible and pointless disadvantage.

Marcel just keeps getting closer and closer to Old School Marcel. Yikes, is he ever irritating.

[SteveL]

Nicole -- Tom's blog entry tonight is called "Some Dim Dim Sum," so the pun dawned on him sooner or later.

[Bart]

Grand Disharmony!

I had fun watching the episode. Come on, you have to admit train wrecks are amusing.

Marcel's "Jersey" accent was cute, but as a Jersey Shore native...just, no. If you want to hear what a real Jersey accent sounds like, listen to famous New Jerseyans like Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Meryl Streep, Queen Latifah, Martha Stewart, etc...

Like the others said, I knew Casey was a goner when I heard the word "inedible." But did anyone else appreciate the poetry that Casey got eliminated partly because someone else was responsible for her dish?

(To be clear, I never blamed Casey for Carla's showing in the season 5 finale, but she certainly didn't help)

My top three:

1. Angelo
2. Dale
3. Blais

Sure, Angelo hasn't won the last two while Dale has, but Angelo's been among the top mentions. Despite Dale's wins, I think Angelo juuuuuuuuuuuust barely holds the edge. But Dale definitely belongs to be above Blais.

I gotta say, I had a lot of fun watching this episode.

[EdT.]

"When Jamie starts crowing about how she's been cooking such great food for the past four episodes..."

Point taken. Jamie at least recognizes her role in the train wrecks.

~EdT.

[EdT.]

A few thoughts (which again will find their way into my own blog post on the subject):

1) Casey showed how to go out with class. IIRC, during S3 she had to be [BLEEP]ed fairly often, but nothing stronger than "it sucks" last night. Which it did - on many levels.

2) I have no problem w/ the person responsible for those horrid, horrid chicken feet being told to PPYKAG. They really looked like something that was retrieved from a crime scene by CSI.

3) That being said, why why WHY!? do the chefts have to handle FoH duties as well as cook? This isn't, after all, "Top Server" or "Top Wait Staff". I hope that the Elves will allow future chefts to concentrate on the cooking, and bring in folks to handle the FoH duties in this type of challenge. The chefts can come out to present their dishes to the judges, but if the challenge is to get out as much food as possible as quickly as possible, and if they are going to be responsible for a dish, then at least let them have the ability to compete on a semi-even footing.

~EdT.

[paula]

Hey, Independent George! Where've ya been? :)

I could really see the hands of the elves in this episode, more so than in others, in terms of actually trying to create the infamous "asshole edit." First, that Marcel quote about Mike. Marcel was clearly kidding, but I can see they're trying to make it seem as if he wasn't.

And I actually felt sorry for Jamie this episode. Yes, she should be sent home soon. But they're really taking every opportunity now to make it seem like she's just phoning it in on EVERYTHING (the damn scallop thing again! I share your annoyance, Dom). Your distinction between Lisa and Jamie is critical.

And Casey deserved to go, as much as I wish she'd stuck around longer. And if you volunteer to do front of house, why on earth wouldn't you insist that your dish be one of the first given to the judges so you have time to cook, plate and serve it yourself? While it's admirable in most cases to take one for the team, people like Casey and Carla, and even Antonia (who had WAY too much on her plate this episode), do it far too often for their own good when you're in a competitive setting like this. Casey offered herself up both this week and last just to keep the peace, and it caught up with her. I worry for Carla. She's just too damn nice to put the competition before peace, love and harmony. :)

[Lou]

Long-time reader, infrequent poster. I have a question about chicken feet. Susur Lee made it sound as though deep frying is a sensible solution to cooking chicken feet. Then we cut to Casey and Antonio discussing how to cook them and Casey wanted them done on the wok while Antonia had planned to deep fry. I'd have to re-watch but I seem to recall Lee said you need high heat and lots of oil to cook chicken feet.

I don't know. Which is the better, wok or deep fry?

[nomnomnom]

I'm gonna trust Lee's gameplan there. He also sniffed out that jamie bought store bought wrappers which are meant to be boiled, not steamed and she didn't even blink.

[nomnomnom]

Whoa. They are doing Restaurant week in 5 vs 5 format this time around. That is a pretty big change.

[Anon man]

A few thoughts. I loved the QF. Tom, then a mad dash, high stakes.... I thought it was fun. The EC was a train wreck. They have to do Chinese? Kind of a huge advantage for those who cook Asian a lot (Dale and Angelo). But, can I get a little love for my Fabio being the exception? He doesn't just do Italian...

On Jamie: Jamie has been portrayed as slow, not trying, uninterested and without the respect of her peers. Personally, I just think she's mentally checked out and should be on the bottom of the pile until she shows signs of life.

While Dale gets props for the win, I think the Top 3 should be the same, and the win slightly discounted since it was a pitch in his wheelhouse.

Other random comment: Marcel's "my food warmed them up" comments was really funny. Sort of like the classic "I loosened the can top for you" snark.

As for Casey, I never really thought she could hang for the long haul, and I never got a read on her style, but her comment that she wants to be the "bad ass woman butcher" makes me think they should have given her more screen time.

[BK]

I strongly disliked Jaime the first time around, and even moreso this time. But her combination of bad performance/a-hole edit (and perhaps the latter makes the former appear much worse than it really was) is making her look SO bad so far tha I have a terrible feeling she's going to win up in the finals.

Of course, if you like Jaime, then you'll have a great feeling if you're suspecting the same bait-and-switch.

[timothy]

I definitely don't understand the Jamie hate. I think she has one of those personality types that goes to a scowl and a sarcastic comment as a default move, but you can tell by watching that she is not mean. She never insults her competitors. It's totally fair to say she is not cooking well, but I think it's less fair to say she sucks as a human being. She seems kind of okay to me, just kind of struggling with how to match her style to the style of the show. I would say the same about Marcel. His default personality traits seem to be the strut and the cocky remark, but it all seems so harmless and well-intended, if a bit misguided. And while he hasn't cooked anything amazing, he has done solid work. All the venom toward these two is making me cheer for them.

[paula]

Bourdain's blog gives a nice little nod to how much Antonia (stupidly, but still admirably) took on. Oh, and I'm dying to try that shrimp toast she made. It looked fantastic. I hope they post the recipe.

[doktarr]

Nikki/Paula have it right - Marcel is trying to be funny in his interviews. He's not very funny (at least, not in the way he's trying) but he's not being an asshole (at least, not in the way a literal interpretation of his comments would imply).

EdT - my wife had the same complaint. I can see making them have one FotH person, but not giving them a wait staff is just unnecessarily brutal.

Lou - my guess is that Antonia was trying to figure out a way to re-work Casey's trainwreck of a dish, when Casey came downstairs and just went back to her original plan.

I think Dale has established a clear top three, after which there is a sizable gap.

I fully believe that Jamie is getting the "asshole edit", but Jamie... if you say things like "I think she's PMSing" (about Antonia), the elves are going to run it. If you don't give them the ammo, they won't make you the asshole. That said, I don't have any problem with the way she's conducting herself except that she's not cooking well.

On the subject of edits, as I said earlier, this was a very, very easy elimination to call... by CURRENT Top Chef standards. But it used to be like this all the time. In either season 3 or 4 (I can't remember, but I think it was season 3), I went something like seven episodes in a row correctly predicting the eliminated chef during the elimination challenge sequence (before wrap-up and before judges table). Now, it's rare if I can do that two episodes in a row. The elves have gotten a LOT cuter with the editing as the show has gone on. Personally, I liked it the earlier way, when they didn't muddy up our ability to evaluate the food in order to maximize drama in the 58th minute.

[Bill G]

I think Dale moves ahead of Blais and Angelo stays on top. Blais may have the stats but he's not wowing the judges like Angelo and Dale and I don't think Antonia is too far behind.
I want shock and awe from Blais, I chose him with a #1 pick in a fantasy draft!

[ally]

"Also from the previews, Marcel trying to be street? No. No. No. He should get knocked down a notch just for that."

Um, wasnt there some scene of him on a rooftop rapping during his season? If anything he's toned it down :) I think several of these cheftestants are very tongue in cheek in their interviews. I think Marcel is tongue in cheek but also sort of believes what he said about his dish influencing the judging in favor of Mike I. Regardless, it makes me laugh.

[Sweet Sue]

Dumb Sim.
I like Casey and I'm sorry to see her go, but you would have to have some serious Chinese food chops to make those ghastly looking feet palatable. A bold but dumb choice.
Admittedly, I'm not an offal lover, but when she started clipping the toenails, I almost hurled.
I doubt if I'll ever be able to eat wings again, that's how bad it was.

[Anon Man]

Re Marcel's streek cred: Bourdain has a great line in blog about Marcel rolling down the streets in his non-won Prius sipping Gin and Juice. God he's really funny sometimes.

[Sweet Sue]

Fabio has a pet turtle named Princess and he takes her for walks?
Okay, I'm in tv love.
Plus, he's nice looking and his ribs looked delicious.
I'll say it--team Fabio!!

[chrish]

I don't know how accurately the lack of urgency was in the kitchen but I dislike challenges like this where there's a lack of individual responsibility. There should have been at least some assessment of whether each person was putting out enough portions. You can bet when dishes are presented individually that each chef is killing himself/herself to get things out on time. And that makes things worse when throw FOH into the mix. You have people like Carla and Casey willing to work for the good of the team by taking on FOH, at some significant cost to their own dishes. If you are going to add FOH, at least evaluate based on it, good or bad. (I'd rather not have FOH duties at all.)

Casey's chicken feet turned out pretty bad. I'm not sure they were that bad an idea, they had the advantage of being easy to do a large batch and serve (although her cutting each nail off daintily brought back onion memories). Not sure she deep fried them first, which I think is standard. But as bad as her dish was, Jamie's using store bought wrappers is really an atrocious sin. They wouldn't have been good even if boiled. They'd taste nothing like boiled (shui jiao) dumplings are supposed to be. (I'm guessing Tiffany used store bought buns, but you can buy decent buns, you cannot buy decent wrappers of any kind, except maybe wonton wrappers.)

[Skoolie]

A lot of people are saying the same thing I've been thinking since the episode.

First I'm glad Mike I finally showed and won a car! I think the guy has potential and could sneak his way into a finale.

I agree Marcel's comment was him trying to be funny. It looks to me like him and Mike get a long well I bust each others balls once in a while.

I think Marcel has grown some since his season. He isn't as whiny, the problem is that we aren't seeing his food as much as we are seeing his comments. I can't figure out if I still have him too high on my own rankings.

Agreed about Casey. When she picked up those feet I knew it was either going to rock or be really awful. Then when she volunteered and left her dish in the hands of Antonia who already had too much to do, I knew she would be going home.

Casey did sacrifice too much for team efforts, both last week and this week and it ended up doing her in.

While Jamie was in the bottom she didn't deserve to go this time. I also found her actually likable on this episode. She was cheery in the beginning and not one to volunteer herself, she wasn't doing anything to sabotage anyone or work a game angle.

Casey just took one for the team and paid. Had she been thinking about game play she would have A. realized Angelo and Dale had an edge and played it more safe as to land somewhere in the middle, cook what she knows, and B. not volunteer to be the sacrificial lamb.

Interesting though had it been Jamie helping with Casey's dish I think everyone would be screaming. I don't think it was Antonia's fault though, she had a lot to do and seemed very sincere in trying to help.

Did anyone else think Fabio was back to his charming self this episode? I died laughing about the turtle.

[chrish]

Did you taste it chef? That's what I would have asked of Casey and Antonia re the feet. I don't remember seeing a shot of it.

[Polybus]

doktarr: "It's not about history, it's about the foot in front of the Judges." LOL

Nomnomnom & paula: thanks for your posts!

It's nice to see that most of the regular serious posters understand what's going on with Jamie and Marcel - it has helped to keep the hate factor in check and is part of what makes this the sanest TC board out there.

Dale is very good - I think most of us knew that in S4 - but I don't think I could put him above Blais. For now, I'm in pretty strong accord with Dom's rankings, although I still think Marcel should higher, perhaps fourth.

I've been pretty impressed with Casey this year, but when she chose her dish, I had to do a headsmack. If she had worked it before, it wouldn't have been such an issue, but to take something that difficult when the challenge was to cook a lot of food fast was... well, the kiss of death. Even so, I thought that doing FOH was a mitigating factor that should have made the choice between her and Jamie quite close.

The EC really made me homesick for San Francisco's Chinatown.

[Matt #3]

JTS. sorry.

[Nikki L]

A lot of people are making comments about Casey making a dumb move in picking the chicken feet but remember - a couple of episodes back she said that while in most cases she could easily pick a recipe from her "rolodex" (to quote nomnomnom), she felt that you're coming into the show to cook new things per the challenges requirements. Although it may not have been the smartest move, it definitely falls in that train of thought and shows the way she attacks challenges. It's not the best strategy for winning but it does make for more.. interesting... dishes.

[Amaro]

Heading to Hei La Moon tonight thanks Dom!

[twelden]

I'm beginning to think that the best thing about TC All-Stars (and there are a lot of good things) may be Bourdain's blog, which is terrific again this week. His description of traditional dim sum service in Hong Kong is hilarious, and right on based on my one (terrific) Hong Kong dim sum experience. I also think he nailed it when he said that this challenge was basically designed to make these chefs fail. It just seems unrealistic to expect that, simply because these chefs work in restaurant kitchens, they could cook and run a traditional dim sum service. Its like asking a group of figure skaters to strap on pads and play hockey - both activities may occur on ice, but the former is primarily an exercice in individual physical grace while the latter is full-contact collective survivalism. Because of that, this episode left me a bit flat. As I think is the case with most folks on this blog, I prefer the challenges where the chefs are given every opportunity to succeed, because that's when we see sometimes see truly inspirational (and mouth-watering) food. I would bet, though, that the ratings and reaction to this type of train wreck run high.

[Lon]

It is not top personality, it is top chef. It is not top looking person, it is top chef. It is not easiest to get along with, it is top chef. It is not person I like best, it is top chef. It is not most cooperative and supportive, it is top chef. And on Top Chef, it is what you cook that wins.

Sorry. After Casey got dumped, I needed to remind myself what this show really is.

[Independent George]

Hi Paula! Hi everyone!

Between the holidays (including being stranded at JFK due to snow) and year-end stuff at work, I've been too swamped to watch live. I've been avoiding the blog so I don't get spoiled. I've still been lurking on time-delay.

Anyway, for those of you grossed out by the chicken feet, you should see how we eat them in my family. We stuff the whole thing in your mouth, suck off the meat & skin, then spit the bones out onto the plate.

[twelden]

Also, add my vote to those who think ECs should be given greater weight (and I think signifcantly greater weight) than QFs, as well as to those who think Dale now belongs in second place, with only a sliver of space between him and Angelo. I'm a Blais fan, and certainly think he will be competing for the overall season win, but right now Dale seems to be cooking better that Blais when it counts most.

[chrish]

"It just seems unrealistic to expect that, simply because these chefs work in restaurant kitchens, they could cook and run a traditional dim sum service. Its like asking a group of figure skaters to strap on pads and play hockey - both activities may occur on ice, but the former is primarily an exercice in individual physical grace while the latter is full-contact collective survivalism."

Was the dim sum challenge really that different from a really intense catering challenge (also pretty removed from most of their day to day experience)? I think part of the mess is from not having individual responsibility. If they had individual stations and everyone could see who was doing a good job versus not, there would have been a LOT more focus and effort. At least per the editing and Tom C's visit, there just wasn't enough effort to put out dishes.

Hard to tell whether they had a fair chance or not. Dim sum falls apart when there isn't enough food to go around. People absolutely go after carts to get food, whether in HK or NYC or SF. But it's not always that bad. Not sure how on the timing whether they could reasonably have pulled it off. However, they certainly weren't going to pull if off by having dishes with intricate plating and not working hard.

[Skoolie]

Re: Should ECs and QFs be weighted the same or should ECs have more weight.

This depends on how you look at it. Sure rarely is an qf an elemination round but it does should you didn't things that the ecs may not.

Brian Voltaggio is a good example. He's an amazing chef but he likes to have time to deeply think about his food and his ideas. This means he wasn't always great thinking on his feet and won very few qfs. But on the ECs he'd have a bit more time and would knock it out of the park.

I think ECs should be weighted a tad higher but the overall picture is as important just as important.

This is why Blais mentioned it on his twitter.

It makes sense right. Up until this episode Blais had 3 total wins, 5 total top mentions, and has never been in the bottom. Compared to Angelo's 2 total wins, 3 top mentions and 2 bottom appearances.

When you look at it that way Blais looks more consistent.

[Elise]

That's a frighteningly bad food shot. I mean that thing looks like a blackened, ooze covered, skeletal hand clawing its way out of the plate.

I will now go read everyone else's comments.

[matthew]

@nomnomnom - At the risk of keeping this rolodex thing going, I thought about you last night during the show when Dale won with food he's made a thousand times.

I'm with others that didn't understand/get/appreciate the FOH duties. Other than telling the judges what they were eating, we never once saw Casey or Carla managing the chaos in the dining area. In face, the only time I saw either of them beyond presentation of plates was in the kitchen. That only made the FOH assignment seem even more irrelevant.

I understand the decision to have Angelo and Dale cooking food instead of expediting. I've seen some discussion about whether those two would have been better expediting. I actually think not. Given that they have the most experience preparing the most appropriate food for the challenge, putting them at the pass would seem like a misuse of talent. I think that all the chefs should have been in the kitchen cooking, particularly since the criticism was the lack of production.

Like others, I wasn't particularly shocked by the decision. If you watch the extended JT clip on Bravo's site, it's pretty clear that all the judges felt that Casey took a brave leap cooking chicken feet, but didn't stick the landing. In fact, Susur Lee commented that chicken feet is right up there with Peking Duck as a national treat, and Casey's treatment of the product was disrespectful. That's tough, given that she doesn't have any background with chicken feet, nor familiarity with the emotional attachment to them, but I understand.

Carla said that she really loved her experience with Susur Lee. Apparently, he provided all the chefs with very constructive feedback and suggestions. She said it cut like a knife when he said Carla cooked with her eyes not her stomach. If I didn't know better, I think she was swooning for Susur as much as she did for Eric Ripert.

[Skoolie]

LMAO @ Elise.

When I saw the pic I liked it to a the war trophy necklaces proudly displaying the shriveled up hands of their victims.

It's ghastly. It would have looked a lot better fried.

[paula]

Matthew: When Carla gasped at JT after Susur's comment, I immediately thought, Ouch! But at least he didn't accuse her of not cooking from her heart. She might have disintigrated on the spot. ;)

[matthew]

LOL @ Paula! So true.

[Bart]

I don't think Carla was ever in any real danger of going home. I mean, often the dish that gets a chef eliminated not only tastes bad, but looks ghastly as well. Carla's was like artwork, it was just bland.

Casey's (and like Jennifer Carroll's, for example) just looks inedible and unappetizing. It looks like a zombie hand, a decoration for Halloween, not something to eat.

[bryanD]

"And I will resist the urge to revisit the Top Scallop myth... AGAIN."----skilletdoux

Did you feel The Shining from all of your regular readers thinking "Dom!" at the exact same time "scallop" flopped out of Jamie's mouth?

Well, another blur of an episode. Still good thanks to the cast. Otherwise, tables of scowling pensioners and lookalike dishes hermetically sealed in white left not much for the eyes. Casey's expulsion was richly deserved and should serve as a lesson that whoever from now on gets stuck with FOH, that person should insist on a knife draw or balloon darts before they do it. Doubly deserved for Casey's brilliant idea to teach herself to cook chicken feet for experts against the clock in a sudden death match against 10 other professional chefs. I see Carla is still playing too well with others, too. Tsk-tsk.

Tom's quasi-demonstration was fun. And bless him for not putting a tropical element in his dish.

I foresee via coming attractions that success might spoil Dale to puff himself into something full of hot air; however, I predict that Dale will not repeat not direct his roiling anger at Tre.

[Independent George]

The Monkey's Paw! That's what they reminded me of!

Thanks, Elise, for pointing it out!

[Alamos Road]

I'm not sure where on the spectrum he would fall, but Marcel's inability to maintain eye contact, social awkwardness and ineptitude, and single-minded food centered universe (anyone remember his Season 2 opening gambit with Ilan: "Want to see my knives?") seems to indicate at least a mild case of Asperger's.

1. Angelo
2. Dale T.
3. Richard (barely; how many wins were team challenges?)
4. Antonia
5. Mike I.
6. Carla
7. Tiffani F. (this hurts)
8. Tiffany D
9. Fabio
10. Marcel
11. Jamie
12. Tre

[nomnomnom]

Doesn't all the history suggest that QF heroes fall flat in the finals? Tiffany was certainly a QF hero last season and barely showed up in Singapore.

Kevin was a QF hero and also wasn't even a factor in his finale.

Stephan was the QF champ of his season, but he was a very solid 2nd place in his finale.

I think people get hung up rating EC vs QF as they put about as much actual prep time on camera for both elements. The real way to look at these chefs is to judge them the way they will be on the very last show. Single plates served to a group of 15-25 people with cultural limitations spelled out 2-4 months in advance.

I attempted to apply weighed grades on a zero sum basis to the challenges. I keep up with this week to week. The way I have it after last night is:

DaleT 80
Angelo 74
Richard 22
Tre 13
Carla 9
Marcel 8
Antonia 6
Mike 5
Fabio -8
Tiffani -9
Jamie -19
Tiffany -20

I still think this is Richard's to lose, but everyone was seriously sleeping on DaleT going into this thing.

[ally]

Another meta-reality moment this episode: Angelo talking about his father's pride during last season's airings was really touching. I think he seems so much more normal this time, probably due to his viewing of himself last season. Regardless, I like his personality a lot better this season, and am so glad to see him doing well, since his strong showing in a weaker season made him suspect. Without him I would have been with Blais all the way for this season, and for some reason I just still don't see anyone, including Dale T., to be in their league. I don't know if this is subliminal editing from the elves or what. They keep showing Angelo and Blais' reaction shots to losing, so maybe that's it.

Speaking of editing, Casey was the first one shown talking in this episode. I agree that it hasn't been as consistently a give-away recently, but they're still up to their old tricks. BTW I re-watched season 1 recently and at some point in the previews they say that three contestants will be in the finale, and the visual is of Harold, Tiffany and Dave. Didn't notice it at the time. Now I have DVR so I just ignore most of the promo stuff anyway :)

[ally]

One food question: Carla said the rolls she made were Thai, but in my (pretty limited) experience I find them in Vietnamese restaurants. I look for them in Thai places in my area but the fresh Thai rolls have some sort of soft spongy wrapper. So which cuisine are they from (or is it both)? Regardless they are delicious, especially if the sauce is a really thin, citrusy fish sauce.

[HF]

@ally, Carla says they're Vietnamese at about the 21 minute mark. The top Chef website picture just says "Vegetable Summer Roll with Lemongrass Dipping Sauce". I'd call them Vietnamese too, as I used to have summer rolls at a Vietnamese restaurant when I lived in Boston that looked almost identical, but without the dipping sauce. One of my favorite dishes, a sort of fresh cleanliness comes over you when eating them.

I don't have much to say about this episode. The editing was terrible and the show makes almost no sense as a result. And the music... I'm afraid familiarity is breeding contempt in me.

[Krazikarl]

To people saying that Blais hasnt had enough "wow" recently:

Look at what challenges he has drawn. He had to cook classic Italian. VERY far from his style and not a whole lot of room for his "wow" stuff. He still did very well, getting a lot of props. Then we had the Dim Sum. Once again, not close to his style and he was still middle of the pack.

Of the 3 challenges that werent required to be out of his comfort zone, he won 1, probably would have won another if he hadn't been DQd, and was above average in the Tennis challenge.

Dale, on the other hand, has been right in his wheelhouse. Look at his two EC wins - Dim Sum, and he was able to cook creative asian in the other.

When you add this to Blais's QF dominance, I think that you have to put Blais well ahead of Dale. Things have been in Angelo's wheelhouse too, but his EC record is so good that you have to have him #1.

[ally]

@HF: Oops I remembered it as Carla saying it was Thai. My bad.

[Jon Olsen]

One thing about Dale winning with a dish he's made before is that some of these challenges are about a chef's repertoire and skill, right? So while every season there's going to be challenges demanding maximum creativity and boundary pushing, there's also going to HAVE to be some challenges that demand a chef reach in and find something they know is gonna please a huge swath of washed/unwashed humanity and be able to grind it out. Top chefs surely must be able to do both, right?

I mean, knowing how to nail something a thousand times in a row is extremely important and I think it speaks to a chef's level of judgment to know when to play their "bang it out" recipes and when to create a Voltaggio-crazinesss-salad or white-chocolate-wasabi fish. In fact, knowing how to push out good food in this setting is as envelope-pushing as amazing flavor combinations or radical techniques, because it takes as much imagination and skill to pull off.

So this was a challenge where knowing how dim sum diners approach the experience and knowing the expectations and rising to meet those expectations with speed and cool under pressure is actually the path to pushing the boundaries of cuisine.

[Duffy]

Suppose we are deciding where to go for a very important meal: Chef A runs a fine restaurant, always provides excellent food, never disappoints, but rarely "knocks it out of the park." Chef B also runs a fine restaurant, usually provides excellent food, occasionally knocks it out of the park, but, with equal frequency, occasionally bombs. How to choose? The adventurous may well choose B. But many of us, if it was really an important event, would choose A.

Isn't this the pick between Richard and Angelo? It may be true that when Angelo is on top, no one can touch him. But his failures confuse the process. How do you rate his bottoms in the QF added to things like his adding sweet to Spike's dish and overcooking Tre's salmon -- even though these are not directly considered in the scoring? Ignore them?

Richard
Dale T.
Angelo

[timothy]

Duffy, I can't ever see myself in a position where I would have to make the choice you propose as an analogy. First of all, I am not sure I ever am in a situation where I have to eat an "important" meal. What does that mean? Does it mean a meal where I have to impress someone? In that case I think I would find out what they like to eat. Does it mean a meal where I get to splurge on a night of amazing dining? If that's the case I could see myself presented with a choice between the familiar and the promise of the new, but even that choice would be muted by research I could do. What are the best dishes at this new restaurant? What are other people around me eating? What do I know about where the food comes from and who the preparer is? Honestly, I think all my meals are really important events, and I am good at figuring out how to manage them. I am trying to say that I never in my life have had to choose between a boring pro and an erratic genius because I participate in my dining experience and know how to figure out what to do to get good food in my mouth. All of this is my way of saying that I don't buy the analogy and I don't buy the designation of Richard as the stalwart and Angelo as the mad scientist. I also don't buy nomnomnom's elaborate numerical ranking system. I mean, I think all of that is cool and interesting to read about, and I am impressed by the logic, but I will never be convinced that this Top Chef stuff is rationally predictive. I am pretty okay with just going by gut (I guess that pun is somewhat intended), and my gut tells me Richard, Angelo and Dale are interchangeably awesome, but that something weird is going to happen and one of them, maybe two of them, is not going to end up in the finals.

[lo]

If we're considering context, as people are asking on behalf of Blais, I can't even say Angelo has "bombed." Tom didn't even comment on whether his crudo tasted good; just that he had to knock him for doing something raw. His other two bottoms in the quickfire were team efforts - did he over-season or did a team member? Who knows?

And I continue to be confused about the comment that Blais would have won the first one had he not been DQ'ed. Has anyone in the know, such as a judge or producer, ever said this? Richard's in my top 3 and my most likely to win pick even if my preferences lie elsewhere (Carla, Angelo, Tiffani). But I think his greatness is starting to get exaggerated.

[rab01]

Mike Isabella's take on Blais seemed spot on to me -- that he's a great chef who has really studied his techniques and is really into Top Chef but that he doesn't always execute flawlessly like the Volts did. Therefore, he said, Blais didn't scare him as much.

As for whether Blais would've won the first, hard to tell and the extra seconds might have helped him a lot but Collichio said it would've been a really strong contender for the win in his episode 2 blog:

"Before moving forward, let me first say that yes, Richard may have won last week’s challenge had he not gone over the allotted time."

[Stephani]

Should 1 inedible dish really 2 trump lousy dishes when the inedible dish wasn't cooked by the chef eliminated?

Just a fundamental flaw in having that forces chefs out of the kitchen ... seems unfair.

[Wangus]

@Stephani: Yes, I do believe it should. The whole 'wasn't cooked by the chef' is and should be a non-issue.

If I've decided to take one for the team and work the FOH (only likely to happen if I've been hit in the head by a large blunt instrument), I certainly am not going to work on a dish with a completely unknown to me ingredient. I'm going to go with a dish I'm confident in which has many of its components able to be prepped beforehand and have simple finishing instructions for whoever is executing my dish in the kitchen (poor poor Antonia). Casey is ultimately responsible for her dish, in whatever form or however way it comes out. It's up to her to alter her food planning to her situation.

I understand Casey's (and for that matter the dearly departed Dale's) desire to do new and impressive dishes. But in this case, when you are specifically handicapped, it's not a 'ballsy move'... it's the wrong move.

Still sad to see her go. She's had some hilarious quotes this season. "Now I've never seen a T-Rex in real life before..."

[bryanD]

My rankings using EC wins plus top showings minus bottom showings. All values are counted as 1. QF wins are ignored. Any mathematical mistakes are on purpose.

1-Tie)Richard, Dale
3-Tie)Angelo, Marcel, Tre
6)Carla
7)Antonia
8)Mike
9-Tie)Tiffini, Jamie, Fabio [ex Carla]
12)Tiffany

The Can Tiffini get her sh!t together subplot has fully developed.

[Duffy]

Timothy, I did not mean “boring pro” vs “mad genius.” I think if it this way: you are responsible for choosing the chef that will provide your people (family? friends? workers? however you define important) with an amazing dining experience – one time, one event, no do-overs. You do all the research, you ask everyone you can think of in advance, and it comes down to: Chef A and Chef B. One consistently excellent or awesome or wonderful – you describe – and the other all that plus occasionally transcending or out-of-this world BUT with a risk of catastrophe. Who do you choose? It is the conundrum of which is more important -- consistency or isolated occasions of brilliance/failure?

[Jeff]

Poor Casey. First Dale and now her. I loved Season 3 but they are all vanishing! I think they always were some of the biggest risk takers of any season (until Blais really). I think that's why they rose and fell so spectacularly.

Also this challenge was about speed. I don't know if anyone remembers Casey during her prep quickfire in Season 3 but speed is not her forte...

[TxGriff]

I have to agree with lo- I'm confused by this "Angelo is bombing the quickfires" discussion. He's not winning them, sure, but how has he been bombing them? Two of the bottoms have been group efforts, which I see as a non issue. And Tom's only criticism of the most recent quickfire was the raw preparation- he specifically said the flavors were good. So, again, I'm not sure how this is considered "bombing."

As for Richard, he's had an impressive showing to be sure, and he's definitely a contender, but I still think he's #2 (maybe #3 after this last week?). In the tennis challenge, there were problems with his lamb, and I got the impression that he only won because he was up against Spike (who had the worst dish of his team...other than possibly Jamie). This week, he didn't get top mention. As for the first week, it's not a certainty that he had the best dish, so again, I see that as a non issue. I'm sure he'll come out with a "wow" dish soon enough, but so far, Angelo and possibly Dale are standing out more in my mind.

[elaine]

in his exit interview, spike indicated that casey wanted to go home and had offered to go if it came down to the two of them. anyone think that volunteering for foh and choosing chicken feet might have been a form of self-sabotage?

[doktarr]

nomnomnom, I'd love to see the weights you applied to arrive at that.

[bryanD]

"Also this challenge was about speed. I don't know if anyone remembers Casey during her prep quickfire in Season 3 but speed is not her forte..."---Jeff

We've been publicly forewarned by the producers!... this season, front to back, will be about Speed. (I presume this is a Rube Goldbergian attempt to impose Parity. It certainly explains Tre being oddly highly ranked in my own system (above) which weighs a chef's mean performance at the expense of such suspiciously foggy things as the QF win. The other 4 chefs clustered with Tre are predictably fast/organized/en pointe.

The four chefs that have gone home were (in hindsight) lollygaggers: Elia letting the banana leaves convince her that they are actually ti leaves (did Elia EVEN NOTICE???); Jenn: no comment as I tiptoe away; Spike: searching for a mental edge while his opponents fingered his dish; Casey deciding to adopt an orphan from China named Chicken Feet and then runs away to join the circus.

[jordanhc]

Decided to rank each seasons performance so far, I have it like this:

Season 4 - Easily on top with 2 of top 3 (blais, dale). Antonia has gotten at least 1 top mention even if she hasnt looked great and spike got at least 2 before he was eliminated.
Season 7 - Carried entirely by Angelo, not basing this off Tiffanys top mention for her pork buns. The clear dropoff is after the top 3 (angelo, blaise, dale) so angelo carries season 7 to 2nd place so far.
Season 5 - Only season besides 7 with everyone still standing. Carla has a win, Fabio has 3 top mentions (im not saying he is that good), and Jamie had two top mentions from the first ep even though she has been a disaster since. Also Im calling Jamie makes at least the top 6 if not final 4, i dont think she is leaving anytime soon with the edit she is getting.
Season 1 - Stephen showed slightly more then elia (nothing) and tiffany has shown slightly more then Marcel.
Season 2 - See above.
Season 6 - Tough choice here. Jen did nothing so its all on Mike I. He did just win the quickfire and I agree he has potential to go far, but based on season so far he hasnt done much.
Season 3 - 2 eliminated (casey, dale) and I dont think either had a top mention and Tre seems to end up on the bottom a lot.

[Skoolie]

Can we just Tie Angelo and Blais? lol

Interesting though about when Blais DQed, it was Angelo who had one it. If he didn't DQ and he won it, would that make him trump Angelo?

They are so Neck in Neck but in different ways of performances.

[Bart]

I find it hilarious that two of the "weak" seasons (5, 7) are up top.

That said, I can't see how anyone justifies putting Blais at #1. It's gotta be Angelo or Dale, and #2 being the other. Sorry Blais, but I have you pegged as #3.

[Polybus]

@Stephani: This is an oversimplification, but it works for me. If you were starving on an island (or in a Chinatown restaurant) and were offered the choice of a) two dishes that you don't really care for or b) one that you can't eat at all, which would you choose?

@Nomnomnom: I am also intrigued by the zero sum point calculations - how about some details?

[garik16]

Bart, Angelo is season 7 yes, but Dale T is from Season 4, which was NOT a weak season.

(Most of us would rank the seasons with 6 up top, then 4 as 2nd best).

Also, season 2 was weaker than 5. And Season 6 is underrepresented due to both Bryan V and Kevin turning it down (no offense to Jen and Mike I.)

[Skillet Doux]

"Interesting though about when Blais DQed, it was Angelo who had one it. If he didn't DQ and he won it, would that make him trump Angelo?"

Exactly right. If that first elimination had gone to Richard instead of Angelo, I would have put him at #1, and he would have stayed there for the same reason Angelo has. If somebody's going to take over #1, I don't like it to be with a whimper. Richard's only pulled down one elimination win, and it was a team effort with Angelo. Even though I feel that Richard is probably the stronger of the two, there hasn't been a single week where he rocked enough or Angelo screwed up enough to merit a switch.

That's all.

[Skillet Doux]

What's more, if it's revealed definitively at some point that Richard would have won that first elimination, I'd flip-flop them immediately. But that's never been established.

[Naomi]

On a totally different note, the cutesy editing while Tiffany was loading up the dumbwaiter literally made me queasy. All that flip-flopping gave me motion sickness. No joke. I hope whoever decided to play with the new editing tools Santa brought them is done now. (I know. I know. It was edited before Christmas - just trying on a little cutesy myself.) Seriously though, did anyone else get dizzy?

[Skillet Doux]

Naomi... It was shot before Christmas, but most likely was edited within the past couple of weeks. Some of the elves have been pretty open about the fact that they often gauge audience reaction as the season proceeds and edit accordingly.

[Naomi]

Interesting, Dom! I didn't realize that. Thanks :-)

So perhaps the annoying editing software was indeed a gift from Santa ;-) Maybe it will meet the fate of so many other Christmas toys and get forgotten about now that it's been tested out :-)

[Jon Olsen]

Dom's yours are power rankings right? (It's important, because I've always understood that in power rankings, it views quality as a non-transitive property—Team A (or Chef A) may have more wins than B, and B more than C. But C may not be worse than A. ) So this isn't just a pure matter of who has the most wins/losses, and therefore QF vs. EC isn't even really an issue. It's ..."who are the most powerful chefs in this league?" And while wins in both QF & EC play in, I argue so do a number of other factors. The nature of the challenges, the way the chef responds to the challenges, their technical skill, and because it's power rankings, let's be honest it's also the 'gut' of the ranker.

(I'd like to argue that editing factors in, by the way. Especially if you consider how they played Season 5 as a perfect example: with slowly building the emergent Hosea storyline, the "come from behind always getting nipped by Stephan with a victory at the end". They're starting to show shots of Richard in a way that suggests we're getting him built up that way. )

From where I'm sitting, I think the Angelo/Richard/Dale ranking is very hard to power rank, definitely hard on pure tangibles. In a tight race like that I'm inclined to privilege even more intangible factors than I might normally do because it means there's so much dynamism in the system. For me that means 1. Richard, 2. Angelo, 3. Dale. Then a pretty good gap and everyone else, with Mike I, Carla, and the Tiffanies at the top of the mass. I just don't think everyone else has the power those three have.

[lou]

Should 1 inedible dish really 2 trump lousy dishes when the inedible dish wasn't cooked by the chef eliminated?

That's why I asked earlier about the cooking techniques for chicken feet. Based on the responses here, to me the onus was on Casey. She told Antonia to cook in the wok. And that was the wrong way, apparently, to cook chicken feet -- at least quickly.

[paula]

Casey didn't have to make a dish that required someone else to cook it. She knew she was FOH before she chose her dish; she should have planned accordingly. Nobody had to cook or plate Carla's dish, and she was also smart enough to get hers served first, so she got to plate it, too. It was just dumb of Casey not to take everything into consideration. That's what makes this thing a "challenge," and she totally failed.

[Skillet Doux]

Jon... exactly right on all counts. When I talk about QF vs. EC, or number of wins or anything like that, I mean it as variable that I think about. I tend to think of ECs are more valuable. I tend to give some weight to more wins. But it really all depends on the particular challenges and, as you say, a ton of intangibles.

With Richard and Angelo, it isn't a matter of, oh, this one win would have tipped the balance on the scoresheet. If you asked me to do my first ranking of the season today (well, a few days ago... I haven't thought about this coming week yet), I'd probably put Richard first. But I just like somebody to either really claim first place or lose first place rather than a quiet shift, because... you know... it's #1.

[Eric]

ok, got a couple of things to say.

Hey Richard! You don't have to cook Dom dinner. Just win Top Chef All Stars. Then you'll be on top.

Am I the only person who thinks that in this "team" challenge that Tre should have sent home? I mean look at the others on the bottom.

Antonia-- did one good dish and then took on lots of extra responsibility.

Jamie -- cooked two dishes even though both were mediocre.

Carla and Casey -- got stuck with FOH duties as well as trying to do their dishes. So some of their dish stinkiness could be attributed to that.

All while Tre did ONE dish and did it BAD. Looked like kind of a simple dish too.

I really don't think its fair to say it's a "team" challenge then downgrade people for trying to work for the "team".

...and there should have been NO winner as the "team" clearly LOST.

[joelfinkle]

Count me as another not understanding why the cheftestants had to run front of house (from the previous week's preview, I thought it was restaurant wars come too soon). Casey was screwed as soon as she let those feet out of her hands... but they should have had more prep. First off, does nobody have a poultry shears? That would have made short work of the pedicure task. Then, she would have had time to cook them in a stock pot (perhaps with props for providing rich stock for the rest of the crew), dry them overnight before a deep fry: treat them like pork rinds, and they'd be wonderful.

[Bill G]

I thought Tre's performance was dismal as well but I just don't think judges could get past the chicken feet.
Re Blais vs. Angelo/Dale - The stats may be in Blais' favor but it seems that when he wins the judges are less enthusiastic about it than when Angelo or Dale wins.
Again, I want Blais to blaze through this but he just doesn't seem to have his usual wow factor in gear yet. Maybe I expect too much from him.

[EdT.]

I think, based on comments from both Gail and Tom, that this challenge was an #EPICFAIL for the Elves. Don't think Top Chef came off too good, what with dissatisfied customers and uncomfortable situations for the judges and all. Also - the comparison with the "Team meal/challenge" at Nellis AFB (where Jen became "Jennifer Norris") is striking. I do wonder if it would have gone any better had she stayed around and taken over coordination duties - it looked as if Michael I. was really out of his element there.

~EdT.

[bryanD]

@EdT: Good heads up on the Gail post. (I've tended to ignore Gail's blog. A mistake. Hers is the most tellinG this week. (Sorry Bourdain. You overuse the word "humiliating". When Gail writes "humiliating" it holds its meaning much better.)

What was really _Oooo!_ (to me) was Gail actually employing the ironical quotation marks upon a key TC noun in her post: "team". Yikes! Obviously Andy Cohen is pissing off the talent with these craptastic challenge parameters. I verily felt Gail's brain cross itself as she (poor thing) tried to replay how Casey might have saved herself. Long/short, left unsaid: SOMEBODY was STILL getting screwed via FOH storyline.

I submit Gail might just be our Rommel in this struggle for TC integrity against Die Elfe.

[vesuvius]

Casey's exit interview for the Chicago Tribune. It's an interesting read, she explains her original concept for the dish (involving both the fryer and the wok). It sounds like it had potential. No spoilers.

http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2011/01/top-chef-exit-interview-little-feet.html

[nomnomnom]

Someone asked how I came up with my numbers. I weighted the challenges and distributed points based on results to get a zero sum.

I have it broken down so far

Episode # QF/EC
1 40/70
2 15/35
3 15/95
4 20/60
5 20/50

I actually have QF1 > EC2 as QF1 wasn't really a QF at all and had way more in common with an EC.

[Independent George]

BryanD - Wow. Gail as Rommel. I think that even tops your Ed-as-J. Edgar Hoover analogy from last season.

[Danny]

Dom, I think the question of whether Blais would've won the QF if not for the disqualification is unanswerable. Blais was doing things to the dish after the time limit. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and am assuming he did not realize he went over time. But he was doing things to the dish. Things that he must've felt added value to the dish. The only way to know the true outcome would be for him to have served the dish without the finishing touches. That didn't happen.

I am always in awe of your ability to do these rankings and I find that they are very well thought out and usually fairly accurate as to what occurs. But we must remember that cooking is an ephemeral art form. One small error can make a dish terrible or improve it in some way that was never imagined. There are so many factors including the luck of the draw.

Carla is clearly one of the most beloved of the chefs. But during the first half of her season, would anyone have ever thought that she would have the standing that she does now? It is what makes the show so special. I'm not a big sports fan but baseball seems to be able to absorb a lot of mistakes and problems. There are lots of games and a string of bad games is recoverable. Football, on the other hand, is much less forgiving. One single bad game can change everything. The World Series is best four out of seven. The Super Bowl is one game. In that way, TC is more similar to football than to baseball. Casey's disaster could not be absorbed nor was it predictable in much the same way that Jenn and Dale were a surprise. Stephen...not so much.

[Trillium]

Danny, I don't understand how you could think that Richard didn't know he went over time. They always shout: TIME; HANDS UP! Are you saying he was so focused on his dish that he couldn't hear that?

vesuvius, thanks for the link to the Trib interview w/ Casey. She is one cool chef.

also, I agree w/ these comments of Eric:
"I really don't think its fair to say it's a "team" challenge then downgrade people for trying to work for the "team".

...and there should have been NO winner as the "team" clearly LOST."

[Wangus]

You know, I just realized that if Richard had won the quickfire that would've been the 2nd car that he's won from Top Chef? This could have also been true for Carla AND Angelo if they had won. Crazy right? Season 6's car winner was Mike Voltaggio though and I don't believe they were giving out cars during season 3 and earlier.

This makes me want to start calculating out how much overall 'money' individual contestants have won. Maybe both pure cash as well as value in prizes (Superbowl Tickets are not cheap!).

[Naomi]

Trillium: They always shout: TIME; HANDS UP!

It's only during the Quickfires that Padma comes in yelling "Hands up. Utensils Down." While it's true there's a running clock and people often shouting how much time is left during an elimination challenge, there isn't usually a judge coming in and telling them time is up.

[Eric]

...So I guess what I'm getting is that generally some contestant does the countdown for the clock. Without somebody doing the countdown the clock just ticks and perhaps beeps, but I can definitely see how it wouldn't get noticed.

So this is how I figure the whole thing went down.

Richard is busily plating his dish as the clock counts down. Another contestant (Tre I've gathered) is watching him plate and sees the clock go down to zero. But instead of giving a countdown, or saying something like, "Hey Richard, the clock ran out," Tre goes on ahead watching silently as Richard plate past time.

Later, Tre goes to the producers and informs them that Richard went over the time limit. So Tre decided to allow Richard to be eliminated for the win based on some technicality... instead of simply giving Richard a heads up and avoiding the situation entirely. Perhaps it was "legal" and certainlly within his "right" to do so. However, it really shows a lack of sportsmanship and all round respectability. Very Sad. And to think... I actually used to like Tre.

[TxGriff]

Eric- while that may or may not been exactly what happened, how can you be sure? We saw very limited footage. Limited enough that I don't think our personal opinions of the contestants, Richard or otherwise, should be affected. It was a mistake, it was taken care of and addressed, and nothing has come of it since. Also, how do you know that Tre is the one who alerted the producers? Has there been substantial evidence to support this, other than a speculative comment someone has made? I'm just surprised this is still an issue with people, as I think it was handled fairly and appropriately.

[bryanD]

"And to think... I actually used to like Tre."
Posted by: Eric

Blais was the one willing to use the mythical Ecstatic Genius ploy to pretend he was unaware of the sudden severe (Go!/Stop!!!) change in the kitchen decibel level (if nothing else) in order to gain an edge. So Blais put it on the shoulders of someone/anyone else to report his ass. Not an enviable position for an innocent shlub. My own reaction, after Time's Up?: I would have barked sharply enough to make Blais slop his dish all over the counter. Cheftestant jujitsu, hai!

"BryanD - Wow. Gail as Rommel. I think that even tops your Ed-as-J. Edgar Hoover analogy from last season."
Posted by: Independent George

Rommel in France; not Rommel in Africa. The sucky (let's admit it) Season 7 was the breech of Fortress TopChef (D-Day). This All-Star season is a chance for underground political developments to save Season 9 (via resistance figurehead Rommel).
As for my 2-week Elf-induced framing of Ed as Edgar in season 7: Between Ed lashing out, and the golem-like Tiffany D sneering-in, and Alex getting thrown down the well with his very own pea puree, I did the wrong thing: I failed to ignore the utter pea-green polyester stupidity of it all.

[nomnomnom]

There are 12 left and they will split into 4 teams of 3 it would seem.

I would assume that would mean one from each of the bottom two teams go home. The teams will be

Tre/DaleT/Carla - 102
MikeI/Angelo/TiffanyD - 59
Fabio/Marcel/Richard - 22
TiffaniF/Jamie/Antonia - (22)

I placed the sum of my cumulative ranking points to the right. Tiffani and her team have just been that bad all season. Horrible draw and unfortunate to not be able to put 2 of these up for the same elimination.

[EdT.]

I finally got around to posting my extended thoughts on this episode, after I finally decided it was "Top Chef" and not "Hell's Kitchen" I was watching.

http://newblog.etee2k.net/2011/01/10/top-chef-all-stars-e5/

Enjoy.

~EdT.

[bryanD]

"There are 12 left and they will split into 4 teams of 3 it would seem."---nomnomnom

You might be right but it looks to me like it could very well be 3 teams of 4; the words "100 guests" means either 3 teams, or get your 3-D glasses on for an extra-blurry episode when wedged-in with the bane of good teevee per Bourdain: the stunt-fishing excursion for no particular reason. Tick-tick-tick. Oh, and Dale and Marcel have to yell at each other, too. You could be right though. I'm learning to make my own fun out of these busy episodes, anyway. Presently, the Can Tiffani come back? subplot is gathering suspense. Also, can Dale actually hold his very high performance level amongst Blais, Angelo, and the predictably solid Marcel?
Stuff like that. Plus this board of course. Good work there, Dom.

[nomnomnom]

There's a little bit of vagueness about the 3 of 4 or 4 of 3, but I'm 95% sure on the listings above. You do not actually see any of those lists cooking with anyone else off those lists. The fishing preview makes it a little iffy, but you are looking at a boat deck rather than a cooking space on land there.

[Polybus]

Here are my rankings for this week:

1. Angelo Sosa
2. Richard Blais
3. Marcel Vigneron
4. Dale Talde
5. Tiffani Faison
6. Antonia Lafaso
7. Carla Hall
8. Michael Isabella
9. Jamie Lauren
10. Tre Wilcox
11. Tiffany Derry
12. Fabio Viviandi

[dc]

re: QF vs EC

I mentally use a simple chess analogy. QF = speed chess. EC = regular time chess. Being great at one form means you are good but often not as great in the other. Different mindset, different skills (prep, conception, logistics, stamina, fast twitch muscles, etc) leads one to excel more in one form than the other.

And Obviously, the final TC winner is not decided by QF, but by EC. And competitors are eliminated only by EC failure.

In far fewer words, EC > QF