Top Chef - S8E6 Power Rankings

*phew*... Back at it, finally.

I apologize for last week, folks. Doing the rankings the week that I'm moving a family of four from house to house was probably a little ambitious to begin with, and I still would have gotten it done had our internet installation not taken a little longer than expected. I'm not against parking at an internet cafe (and have done so for the rankings before), but not this past week.

What a great episode! Really, what didn't they do, here? Fun setting that brings a little bit of the location into the show... check. A cooking challenge that sets the chefs up for success and lets them really express themselves... check. A setup that's even a little educational from a food standpoint... check. A framework that lets the chefs have some fun and makes for some interesting television beyond just the food angle... check. And what the hey, even a little smidgen of drama... check. It was all here, folks. In terms of setup, they don't get any better than this. Well, it'd be nice to get more than three recipes (you're KILLING me, elves).

So I have two episodes to process here, and though this is officially the rankings for episode six, really what we're looking at are two weeks of movement. And for the first time all season, I could go top to bottom and just snap them off without agonizing over them. There were some very close calls, but they were all ones I felt comfortable making. I wish I had more to say about the food, but I just don't have the data this season. So I'm doing the best I can. Let's get it on:

The power rankings are not purely a prediction of who is most likely to win, or an assessment of last episode's dishes, or a reflection of the contestants' historical performance, but rather a nebulous amalgam of all three, combined with a little bit of gut feeling, to provide a relative measure of current awesomeness.

Wins

Top

Bottom

1 Dale Quickfires 1 2 1 Last Week: 3 Eliminations 2 4 0 There's a new number one in town, and he has me wishing I'd trusted my gut and put him a little higher in the preseason. If you're a pure numbers person, it's tough to make an argument against Dale. He's tied for the most wins, the most elimination wins, the most top mentions, and the fewest bottom appearances. And let's be honest, if you have anger issues, watching that performance from Marcel without tossing him over the side of the building should almost be considered title-worthy right there. But most importantly, Dale's been putting in a true Power Rankings performance. Not only does he have numbers on his side, but he has swagger. He has mojo. He's got that intangible awesomeness that I like to see from whoever's sitting on top. Who can say if it will last for more than a week, and there are other chefs just waiting to pounce should he so much as stumble, but I feel totally comfortable putting Dale in the top slot.

2 Angelo Quickfires 0 0 3 Last Week: 1 Eliminations 2 5 0 Which isn't to say that Angelo has faded. He's having some quickfire issues, but two group dishes and a questionable decision not to heed Tom's advice on one challenge don't worry me too much. Along with Dale and Mike(!), he's one of three people who has yet to sniff the chopping block, and in a season where the "anybody can go home at any time" adage is magnified times ten, this is especially important. He's cooled off a bit after a red-hot start, but he's still looking strong.

3 Richard Quickfires 2 3 0 Last Week: 2 Eliminations 1 3 1 For those who have complained that Richard hasn't hit the top spot yet this season, I should clarify by saying that he might as well have been there. Angelo was quickest out of the gate, and I never felt there was an episode where there was enough momentum from either of them to justify switching positions. If it had been Richard who won that first elimination rather than Angelo, then 1 and 2 probably would have been reversed this whole time. So even though this week's misstep combined with Dale's strong showing pushes him down to number three, he's one wow dish away from the top. And though this seems like the wrong week to mention it, Richard is impressing with his consistency. This was really his first stumble all season, and I suspect he'll bounce right back from it. This is an analytical mind who will learn from his mistake and work to ensure it doesn't happen again. The biggest thing Richard has going for him is that we definitely haven't seen his best yet, and he's cooking well enough that there's no reason to believe he won't be around long enough to get all cylinders firing in sync. He's stalking just off the pace and I look forward to the charge. Any more metaphors I can cram into this paragraph?

4 Carla Quickfires 0 1 2 Last Week: 5 Eliminations 2 3 1 Six shows in, and Carla's owns a third of the elimination wins handed out so far. Which means the folks at Cinema Blend have seen fit to move her into their SECOND lowest position. Look, I understand the feeling that Carla isn't going all the way. I had it all the way through Season Five. But how long can you continue to explain away her success? Her bluefish dish... this is a smart, smart dish! And you take a look at those judges' faces while describing it and tell me she isn't legit. Do I think she's going to win? Probably not. I don't really think anybody below number three is going to win. But it's certainly a possibility, and I think you'd be a fool not to consider her among those with a shot.

5 Antonia Quickfires 1 1 1 Last Week: 6 Eliminations 0 2 3 The Black Hammer is back, crushing teammates with remorseless authority. But that bit of Top Chef history aside, Antonia continues to look a lot stronger to me this time out. If not for her teammates dragging her down, though the level of certainty depends on who's telling the story, she might very well have reeled in (ha!) her first elimination win. It's killing me that there's no recipe for her po-boy, because I'd love to see it. But in general, as I've mentioned before, there's a certain creative spark to her dishes that was missing last time around, and combined with her technical skill, that makes her very, very dangerous. Dangerous enough that I even considered putting her at number four. Consider this a full 180 from season four. I'm no longer expecting another deftly-executed snoozer. I'm anxious to see what she puts up next.

6 Marcel Quickfires 0 3 1 Last Week: 7 Eliminations 1 1 1 With Marcel, we leave the realm of sunshine and happiness and drift into the question marks. I put Marcel at the top of this imaginary tier because he's met with some success and had some near misses. But he's still not wowing anybody, and there have been a couple of challenges where you'd think he really should have done better. I'm going to take a moment to defend the use of foam, both in general and from Marcel. Yes, it's overused, and yes, it's become the poster child for style over substance cuisine. But let's not dismiss a tool's value because it's wielded a little too often. Though even that would be an unfair characterization of Marcel's performance so far, which has spanned six episodes, included eleven dishes, and featured one (1) foam. The beach... mmmmmay not have been the best time to finally bust it out. But the guy went a third of the way through the season before using it for the first time. Cut him some slack. Except when it comes to the rapping and posturing. No quarter, there.

7 Mike Quickfires 1 2 2 Last Week: 9 Eliminations 0 2 0 On one hand, Mike is one of the three who have never been on the chopping block. On the other hand, he only just won his first challenge last episode, even if it was for a car. Which I guess means he's following the exact same trajectory as season six... proficient enough to hang around, but not impressive enough to make it to the final stages. Still, consistency is big. He could sneak in there.

8 Tre Quickfires 2 3 0 Last Week: 10 Eliminations 0 2 3 Tre's met with a little success, which is why I have him a couple spots out of the basement, but he's also gotten himself into an awful lot of trouble. And while I don't like to flat-out discount wins, a team QF and a stuffing don't scream going deep. What's more, Gail's blog confirmed my suspicion that with Dale and Carla on his team, he was along for the ride to the top this week. I think he's one of those you have to consider in imminent danger.

9 Tiffany Quickfires 0 0 3 Last Week: 13 Eliminations 0 2 2 Between a good team performance this week and top mention for her dim sum last week, I flirted with the idea of moving Tiffany above Tre. But she's warming up only in the sense that she's no longer dead cold. Still, it's enough to pull her out of the basement...

10 Fabio Quickfires 0 0 2 Last Week: 12 Eliminations 0 3 3 ...which is where I'm returning Fabio. I should probably be applying the Carla logic to him as well, but I just can't. I don't see it. And thankfully those who are immediately above him have done well enough at times that I don't have to. Again, I like the guy. He obviously turns out some good dishes and it's landed him on top a few times, but he's still a bottom magnet.

11 Tiffani Quickfires 1 2 2 Last Week: 4 Eliminations 0 0 3 Bummer, man. So much for my dark horse. Though it sounds like enough people picked her to finish high that perhaps she wasn't as dark of a horse as I thought. Rather poetic that Tiffani was sent home for the very mistake Carla made a point to avoid: leaving the bloodline in the bluefish. What's frustrating to me is that it seemed like Tiffani just never got going, an assessment that she shares in her exit interview. Though from her demeanor you'd think it bothers her less than it bothers me. Still, I always like to see competitors going out while doing their best, particularly when I think highly of them. Not to be.

12 Jamie Quickfires 0 0 3 Last Week: 11 Eliminations 0 1 3 And that's the theme for this week, since the same can be said of Jamie, who was even less of her old self than Tiffani. At least when it came to food, though it should probably be noted that at extended JT, despite the specific criticisms, the judges discussed how it was difficult to send people home for making great (if less great) food. In terms of attitude, I'll personally miss having Jamie around. It's been like reliving the '90s every Wednesday, minus the grunge soundtrack. Cook or don't. Whatever.

I feel like we've finally settled in and have a sense of where everybody stands. Now to see who does and doesn't live up to expectations.

WARNING : MINOR EPISODE SEVEN SPOILERS AHEAD

Restaurant Wars! Nice and early this season. Though I have Fabio in the basement, him going home for running FoH just doesn't seem possible. And I'm not buying the Dale freakout. Seems like classic misdirection to me. Momentary annoyance swept under the rug, I bet. With this group, Restaurant Wars could... just maybe... go unusually smoothly. But Bourdain takes such quiet glee in talking about how he had a part in the challenge's design that I smell something evil. Bank on it.

Discuss!

Comments

[Danny]

Great analysis. I would only make one change which would be to flip Carla and Richard. Is Richard overthinking? Time will tell.

Very excited about Restaurant Wars especially because of Bourdain's excitement. He usually doesn't get this jazzed and I've got to think that he's come up with a great twist and one that is based in real life more than having to cook the meal while riding a unicycle...blindfolded....in the rain....while listening to Marcel's new rap CD.

Just finished Bourdain's new book. Best. Food. Porn. Ever. I felt dirty reading it. It was great!!!!!

[Joel]

I agree with most of this list, but I would also flip Carla and Richard. Richard's only EC win was a shared win, and one of his top mentions was in a team challenge where his dish didn't seem to be that great at all, just better than Casey's. Carla won two challenges where the overall quality was deemed to be pretty great. Then again, I am hugely biased towards Carla.

Dale has definitely upped his game, and is coming off as extremely likable, so I agree that he's definitely in the top. I've never liked Angelo, but there's no denying that he's performing really well.

Aside from the quartet of Dale, Angelo, Carla and Richard, it doesn't seem like the rest of them are really in the competition. I think they could go out in any order, and I'm fully expecting those four to be the last four standing.

[Independent George]

Oh man. Dale at #1? Now he's doomed. DOOOOOOMED!

[Bart]

I mostly agree with the sentiments behind each ranking but I'd flip Carla and Richard. I might even go so far as to flip Dale and Angelo.

The rest, I got no beef with.

Glad to see the power rankings make a triumphant return!

[rab01]

Bourdain's involvement might be in designing the quickfire rather than tweaking Restaurant Wars :(

And like everyone else, I agree with the rankings except for one tweak -- I'd flip Marcel and Mike. I like Marcel and dislike Mike but I've been worried about Marcel ever since he started getting the "bland" comments again.

Since Fabio is not going home unless both restaurants perform awesomely well and there are no bad dishes, who is most at risk? ... I'd hate to see Tre go home for RW again.

[JJ]

Yeah, I'm in agreement with most of the other commentators here. Like Joel, I think Richard has been a bit less impressive than the rankings suggest. He's mostly been in the middle-of-the-pack. Just based on their performances thus far, Carla has probably earned a higher spot and perhaps even Antonia (except that I still do think, like Dom, that Richard has better long-term prospects). I would also keep Angelo in front of Dale. Let's see how he handles Restaurant Wars. If he survives this, and with style, than maybe he deserves a top placement. BTW I'm hoping that either Fabio or Tre is the next to go. Not impressed with their food so far.

[ally]

The rankings make a lot of sense numbers-wise. At the same time, I'm just not feeling Dale, but I'm not sure why. Maybe because one of his elimination wins was a dish from his restaurant (dim sum challenge)? Or rumored to be. Those arguments were made last week by others and stuck with me. Anyways, for sure I'm interested to see if he maintains Power Ranking mojo. Thanks as always for putting things in perspective.

[Alamos Road]

I'm with the peanut gallery on this round: Carla before Richard. All of "Richard's wins" were team wins, both quickfires (one of which was with Dale making the main sausage component) and elimination (with Angelo and Marcel). If mojo and momentum are propelling Dale in the rankings, they should do the same for Carla.

And once Marcel whiffed his WD opportunity (although he may be unaware he was 3rd out of 4, placing behind Carla, of all people), it was hard to remember why he was even here.

No way Fabio goes home as FOH for Restaurant Wars, but Tiffany D?

[Alamos Road]

Oh, and a question: Can anyone explain the sneers exchanged between David Chang and Tom Colicchio when Chang mentioned Daniel Boulud's restaurant during the NY Finest episode? It was an unexpectedly snarky moment (unexpected coming from Colicchio, not Chang, who apparently can be snark personified).

[Anon Man]

Anyone know, is there an official explanation as to why there are very few recipes this season? Kind of a departure from the normal...

[Bart]

Anon Man: Saving them for the Top Chef All-Stars cookbook?

/I'm joking
//But maybe not that much

[Anon Man]

@Bart, yeah, the thought crossed my mind. That's tacky if that's what it is.

[mncharm]

I think the argument for Richard over Carla -- and I think it's a good one, but admittedly, this is a close call -- is that he has been more consistent, with very few lows, and thus, less danger of being eliminated. While Richard hasn't hit Carla's highs, I'd argue he hasn't hit her lows, either.

I'm also still insisting that the challenges have fallen away from Richard's strengths...although at some point that is going to sound more and more like a weak excuse.

None of this, just to be clear, is any sort of criticism of Carla, who has been kicking ass. Not sure why so many still seem to doubt her...leftovers from the nondescript start to season 5? The fact that she's a caterer? I don't get it. In any event, it seems clear to me that she has every chance to win this thing. Would love to see her along with Dale, Angelo, and Richard int he finals.

[matthew]

@Independent George wrote:

"Oh man. Dale at #1? Now he's doomed. DOOOOOOMED!"

Get out of my head! I was thinking the same thing. It's kind of like NCAA basketball. It seems like ascending to #1 in the rankings often spells trouble.

[Bill G]

Generally agree with the rankings but I think it's tighter from top to bottom. The only one who shock me by winning this is Fabio. I have everyone else at 10-1 or better.

[JJ]

Bill – I would agree with you that it is likely that at least one more favorite will fall before the finale (just hoping it's not Angelo), but otherwise I'm a bit surprised by your claim that everyone but Fabio has a 10-1 chance for the final. In my view, there are at least four contestants remaining who have slim to no-chance of making the final (besides Fabio: Tre, Tiffany and Marcel). Of the remaining six, I'm hoping the top four are Angelo, Richard, Carla and Dale, and in that order.

[MarcP]

Interestingly enough, I do think they do not belong on the top, but Mike and Marcel have shown something but at the same time I feel are the most likely to be kicked off next.

I just get the feeling they are about to fly off the handle a bit any second and completely poop the bed and pack the proverbial knives.

[lb]

I agree with the rankings (would make one or two minor switches but the idea is right). As much as I would like Angelo to be # 1 the whole way through and win, I don't see it happening. And Dale definitely earned the spot he's in.

As for shocking eliminations, Jen and Tiffani count right? I can't bear to see either of the top 2 shockingly leave (I can not do without Carla either; Richard maybe).

[Bill G]

JJ: I think they've all shown that they can rise to the occasion on any given challenge and we've seen that there is no one immune to the bad day. If Tiffany, Tre, Mike or Marcel get a particular challenge right in their wheelhouse they can knock out one of the big three. Also think Antonia and Carla are flat out right there with the big boys.

[timothy]

mncharm: "None of this, just to be clear, is any sort of criticism of Carla, who has been kicking ass. Not sure why so many still seem to doubt her...leftovers from the nondescript start to season 5? The fact that she's a caterer? I don't get it."

I am wading into the dangerous territory of generalization here, but I think it's probably fair, on some level, to say that really nice women are not taken as seriously in competitive enterprises as trash-talking men. That's one of many reasons it's nice to see Carla do so well.

[Polybus]

My thanks, as always, to Dom for the Power Rankings.

I'm a little surprised to see Dale leapfrogging the season leaders. Usually, Dom is a little reluctant to make such a bold move.

Finally, as a Season 4 geek, I'm really glad to see that Dale, Richard and Antonia are all doing so well.

[redpoint]

Polybus, I always thought Dale was one of the season leaders. He just had one bad day in season 4. I'm sure you all remember the circumstances of how he got out. He came second in the Quickfire, just shy of Antonia. Antonia got to pick all the members of her team to work with in the Elimination Round. He got stuck with the dregs.

[Alamos Road]

@redpoint: Even Dale admits that Bourdain was right, and the butterscotch scallops were one of the worst dishes in all of Top Chef history. Nobody else to blame for that, not even the "dregs."

[skoolie]

Bravo Dom! I think you made some necessary changes. I kept rolling around with the top 3 Dale, Angelo, and Blais, which is very reminiscent of season 6. With Jen just off the mark at 4 and now Carla is just off the mark at 4.

The thing here is they have played the game before, they know how to move, competition is tougher and anyone can go home at any time. It not enough to just get by you must do better each time because these chefs just aren't going to make the rookie mistakes and their game play is stronger than before.

I'm glad to see Mike I. as 7th I know he's probably just moved up in your rankings due to everything else shifting, but my preseason had him at 7. I doomed him to the same fate of his season.

Although I had a lot of conflict when trying to place Mike and Marcey - Mike could easily move past the wiley Marcey. Mike is more consistent at times even though we don't always get to see it.

[bryanD]

"With this group, Restaurant Wars could... just maybe... go unusually smoothly."----skilletdoux

I might have dreamt it, but aren't there previews extant showing such evil things as mobile kitchen appliances, buffeteria braziers, and folding tables deployed for our, the viewers', morbid delectation?

(Certainly, if anything important in such an ad hoc arrangement is electric-powered, wicked (though UL-approved) ways can be had to drain power via electrical laws of resistance by elfin finessing of extension cords, resulting in such default money quotes as "Why isn't this @#$%& thing getting hot??!")

If things DO go smoothly (in context) foodwise, I agree/disagree with others above: FOH is in trouble and deservedly so...for being backbench IDJITS.

PS. Good rankings, Skilletdoux. (My formerly eerie-good system has fallen apart this week as the numbers got bigger; math problems: enemy mine!) I'm long-term Daleskeptical, but the dude deserves his props 100%. Certainly Angelo has a history of cracking notoriously to match Dale's unreformed former self; Blais is kind of a salesman of Chinese plastics; Marcel ain't wowing the judges, so....

...I sure hope Carla doesn't risk pastry on an appliance hooked up to an extension cord!

[Wangus]

@Alamos Road: On the 'Daniel' comment by Chang and Tom. I think it's possible to look at the comment differently.

They are talking about Tiffany's dish, and the challenge is to create a dish that would go on the menu of David Chang's restaurant. Instead, Tiffany made a dish, that while not unappetizing, seemed like it didn't hit any of the essence of Ma Pesch. Thus David Chang states that you could see this dish in somewhere like 'Daniel' and Tom agrees by saying "Yep. A lot of restaurants". I think of it akin to the standard tuna tartare that was once in pretty much every establishment. Sure it could be tasty, but it rarely (I won't say 'never'), defined an establishment.

I'm not going to say I know what David Chang was trying to invoke when specifically using Daniel Boulud's restaurant as the example. Certainly he could be trying to be snarky. But he could also be praising the dish on the other hand. Daniel is currently a 3-star michelin restaurant. He could be saying something on par with: 'While Tiffany's dish was a very highly executed dish, it just isn't the style of food that I serve here'. And Tom would obviously agree to that sentiment of "not making a dish in the style of the restaurant".

[bryanD]

Update: my subsequent viewing of non-Housewife-related Bravo programming with incidental TC teasers seems to reveal that Restaurant Wars will feature actual built-in kitchen appliances after all. Also, that Mike I. is frantically laying into Marcel at JT...which puts the onus on Mike I. in my mind according to holistic traditions.

[karenology]

The worst twist they could possibly do this time around for Restaurant Wars is...make them run a dim sum restaurant :)

[Polybus]

Redpoint, I think anyone who saw S4 knows that Dale is an awesome chef and us fans of that season probably had him ranked higher than others did to start. My comment was really more that I can't recall Dom jumping someone from third to first. My memory is probably faulty - maybe someone else can recall?

I just thought it was a bold move. I didn't anticipate it and it surprised me.

[Skillet Doux]

Polybus... combination of the fact that I thought 1-3 were so close and the fact that it's been two weeks since the last rankings.

[nomnomnom]

Been on a long bender in Vegas. Just now recovered.

Unless my math is off they are ahead one elimination. This may be to protect against some major screwup by an act of god or other major Bravo error later on.

I can easily see this being a free-pass night. In fact, I can see how they could do a second RW type battle in E9 like normal.

It is also very unusual for them to really spell out the worst team in such an obvious manner like this. Something is up.

If you do watch the previews you can narrow it down to really just 2 possibilities for elimination (maybe 3) so that's too much a spoiler to discuss here.

[bryanD]

"I can easily see this being a free-pass night. In fact, I can see how they could do a second RW type battle in E9 like normal."----nomnomnom

Time capsule: season x back when...the Re-Do Diptych:

RW Day1: Madonna's brother makes a noisy cameo appearance as "a diner" complaining about candles, plates, table cloth, silverware, and service.

RW Day2 (the do-over): Madonna's brother NOW appears as hired design consultant and becomes a part of the show.

"Believe it or not!"___________R.Ripley

[matthew]

@nomnomnom - After reading your post, I jumped over to the Bravo site. There are 10 contestants left. I you eliminate on contestant for each episode going forward, you're left with four after episode 12. I put the number remaining next to each episode title.

Episode 7: Restaurant Wars: One Night Only (10 competing)
Episode 8: An Offer They Can't Refuse (9 competing)
Episode 9: Feeding Fallon (8 competing)
Episode 10: Lock Down (7 competing)
Episode 11: For the Gulf (6 competing)
Episode 12: Give Me Your Huddled Masses (5 competing)

However, if you're correct and no one is eliminated tonight, that means there will be a another double elimination somewhere between 8 and 12. (That would mark an unprecedented third double elimination this season.) I think the only season that didn't feature an elimination from Restaurant Wars was Season 3.

Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

[nomnomnom]

Well they have one episode for the "reunion show" that counts in their run, unless they are going to roll that into some sort of "watch what happens" this time around.

[matthew]

@nomnomnom - Take a look at the episode line up from all the prior seasons of TC. There are typically 11-12 episodes in the "regular season" leading up to the finale. Based on that, there are typically 15 episodes per season -- two for the finale and one for the reunion show. It's analogous to sports. The playoffs don't count as additional games, in terms of the regular season schedule.

[nomnomnom]

Right, I get that, but the guide only shows 14 total episodes and in years past the reunion episode counts in that number. That's why I think they are ahead of schedule at this point. If this assumption is wrong (reunion show counts this year) then disregard.

Either way the whole run-up to this episode is really, really fishy.

[matthew]

What guide are you looking at? I'm going by the episode scorecard on the Bravo site. It shows 12 episodes, and no mention of the finale nor reunion show.

[Anon Man]

Guys, this is cable, not basic broadcast, so the typcial "rules" for season length don't necessarily apply here. Seasons can be as long or short as they want/ Someone is going home tonight. Book it. I would even guess on who it is based on the preview, but I won't be a potential spoiler.

[nomnomnom]

TV Guide has this booked as 14. This has been accurate in every season to date. Bravo conceals episode names of the finale to conceal the location. Last year was odd in that they threw a random shot of the Montreal skyline (an oversight?) into the intro which made people think the finale was there. I haven't heard any buzz on the finale location yet except that they may have just kept on shooting in NY to close it out right then.

And yeah, making forward looking statements right now on this episode is probably not wise. They've almost totally set this one up on a tee preview wise this time around.

[matthew]

Not to belabor this topic (too late?), but Season 7's reunion show was a "Watch What Happens" deal, so, as you opined earlier, it could be the same deal this time around.

@Anon Man - You never know with Magical Elves. There are a couple of people that are being set up, through the magic of preview editing, to be in danger.

RW is usually my favorite episode of the season, so I'm just counting down the hours until then. As you can imagine, I start to get quite distracted at work late in the day. I'm eyeballing Carla, trying to get cues on what's about to go down. Nothin'! She really should play in the World Series of Poker.

@Dom - I had to laugh about your passing reference to Cinema Blend. They really have the knives sharpened for Carla. No matter what she does...it's a fluke. It unnerves me, but, fortunately, it doesn't get to Carla at all.

[Anon Man]

@matthew, I know the elves are devious. But, still there's a limit to the magic they can do.

[skoolie]

Carla - World Series of Poker, that would be awesome!

I'm not buying the drama yet either, now that jamie is gone they are going to focus more on people who are the most dramatic, marcey, mike, dale t perhaps?

I'll believe it when I see it.