Top Chef - S9E10 Last Chance Kitchen

I'm maintaining Top Chef media blackout until Wednesday when I can watch (yes, I am avoiding reading my own blog), but it occurs to me that you guys probably need a Last Chance Kitchen thread, too. Have at it... see you for the postmortem on Wednesday!

Comments

[Amanda P.]

I don't usually applaud the "strategery" aspect - I'd rather watch people win by skill - but I did enjoy Nyesha's reasoning, and being able to watch someone get past their emotions and work with someone they had some problems with. Looked like "professionalism", something I think has been somewhat lacking this season.

Sorry for all of the "some"s....

[Kathy from Austin]

Re-posted from previous thread:

Sorry to not so subtly change the subject, but what did you all think of LCK?

I suspect that Nyesha didn't really get a chance to know Ty very well during the short time they competed. The clip they played of him saying something like "put out good food or just shut the F up" I think probably was taken out of context, though clearly Nyesha thought it was directed toward her.

But wasn't she a clever one in her sous chef selection? She understood the power of Ty having worked with Heather before and eliminated that advantage. She was taking a risk with Heather's volatile attitude, particularly since she had just eliminated her. It took Nyesha extra effort to retain her leadership position against such a strong personality, yet she asserted it well.

I like her attitude very much and really hope she makes it through what now is 3 more challenges.

[Kathy from Austin]

Also, since we are clearly blessed with a number of "game theorists" in this community, what are your thoughts about how the challenge ends? 5 chefs or double elimination?

Nomnon....points out that Tom has mentioned in the past his dislike of a 5-member finale.

Thanks, all, and respect your thoughts.

[Paula]

With this group, I'm rooting for a double elimination rather than a 5-way for sure.

[doktarr]

While I'm sure denying Tylor someone he knew well played a role, I think Nyesha's choice was in no small part a nod to Heather's pastry experience. She did win a car with a cake earlier in the season, after all.

As I said in the other thread, watching the seamless use of sous-chefs in LCK right after watching Restaurant Wars reminded me of why Top Chef is such a difficult scenario for the contestants. In a normal kitchen, everyone has the exact same goal, and there is a clear chain of command. In any team challenge on Top Chef, there are significant competing incentives for the chefs, and there is no established chain of command.

[Alamos Road]

Kathy from Austin - I don't think they structured this for the winner of LCK to go automatically or directly to the finale. I think the LCK winner just gets back into the Top Chef competition as the 5th chef and still has to battle it out to make it to the finale.

Nyesha has had something of an advantage in LCK. She knows (more or less) what's happening, is more rested, and gets to tackle the eliminated chefs one at a time. I'm (for the moment) rooting for her to get back into the main competition, but that will be a different competition altogether.

[doktarr]

If (as many of us suspect) the LCK winner will be re-introduced in the last episode before the final, Nyesha only needs to win two more times to get back in.

[ally]

Doktarr, Tom said there eould be three more LCK so I dont understand your comment.

[ally]

What I've enjoyed about the LCK is the lightness and sense of cameraderie in evidence each weak. With Bourdain long gone, even Emeril being so serious, this season there is a major lack of humor.

Speaking of which, i dont see why some people were getting so bent out of shape about Sweet Sue, but then again i can also be very sarcastic. :)

[JimD]

Did anyone else think that, given Nyesha's advantage in knowing what was going on (compared to the incoming eliminatee who has no clue), that Ty should have gotten the advantage of first pick of sous chef?

[gilmore]

JimD - I think the returning winner has earned the advantage(s). Other advantages include knowledge of the equipment and supplies in the kitchen. Possible that the supplies are moved/changed each episode. Even though this was the original home kitchen, they were not there long enough for the newly eliminated chefs to remember much.

Agree that LCK winner goes into final five. If they avoid elimination in that episode, they are on the road with the Final Four.

Where is the final being held?

[Duffy]

I recall LeAnn writing several years ago that the chefs are thoroughly briefed off camera. Just after Padma explains the test, the cameras stop and the chefs are given written lists of pantry items, equipment, etc. and given the opportunity to ask questions. I would expect the same would be true of the LCK

Also, I think it has been put together here that some time passes between the elimination and the LCK contest -- the chefs change clothes, the light of day changes, sometimes the city locale has changed. There is nothing that establishes that the LCK happens immediately after the elimination. One might suspect, to accommodate Tom's time, that several LCK's could be shot in one day with all of the chefs, not just Nyesha, rested and well informed about the conditions of contest.

While I think Nyesha does accrue an advantage by winning these things, the insider's track may not be that significant.

[nomnomnom]

LCK are happening in San Antonio. They aren't hiding that fact. They seemed to shoot a cluster of them about the time the shoots moved from Dallas to Austin, and then again at a later time which is or seems to be in the "future" at this point.

Oh, and for those that care you can download these episodes in HD on some cable providers to your TV and not have to suffer through them on a computer.

[rab01]

Knowing that there are three more LCK's, I think they could play it in two ways:

1) single eliminations for the next two episodes and then have a bottom two in the round of Five. They'd be told that only three are guaranteed spots in the finale so everyone sweats bullets but then the bottom two battle the LCK winner for one spot (or 2) in the Finale and 4 (or 5) go to it ...

or

2) single eliminations for the next three episodes and we don't see the LCK winner until the Finale where he or she has to win in the penultimate round to move forward (a la Jeff in Season 5) ...

[ally]

I don't understand why anyone thinks LCK is shot in clusters. Tom is always wearing different clothes. Chuy wears the same shirt as when he gets the letter. Nyesha wears the same pants as when she gets the letter. Same for Heather. Chris is wearing the same shirt. Meanwhile, the peanut gallery wears different clothes each time.

Also, some of the comments from the incoming chef are that they are surprised. So they would all have to be held separately or told to lie about it.

So this is all a huge conspiracy to fool the viewer into thinking it is happening on different days? I disagree completely.

[Amanda P]

Ally, having been on a game show before, they do shoot multiple episodes on one day, with brief breaks to change clothes, hit the restroom, etc. I can see (although I have no proof one way or the other) that they shot LCK in batches. It's not that hard to record the "find the letter in the suitcase" and make sure the person is wearing the same shirt for LCK.

Now, the fact that the peanut gallery decends like a horde of locusts to try the food makes me think they're starving - of course, that could be an argument for either way.

In other words, it's not impossible to shoot 2 or 3 LCK in one day from a production standpoint. It does decrease the advantage for the winner though (short breaks, mental fatigue).

[ally]

Amanda, what I am asking is, how can you see that they shot LCK in batches?

[nomnomnom]

I think the batch shoots were leaked in tv interviews. I forget which chef said it.

[Vncntdl]

"I suspect that Nyesha didn't really get a chance to know Ty very well during the short time they competed. The clip they played of him saying something like 'put out good food or just shut the F up' I think probably was taken out of context, though clearly Nyesha thought it was directed toward he"

The footage that was shown to illustrate Ty-Lor's abrasiveness was chosen by the producers, not Nyesha, so it hardly seems compelling to argue that her dislike is simply the result of a misunderstanding based on this one incident. Indeed, considering how level-headed Nyesha is, and considering that the only other person she expressed dislike for is Heather (and considering that Heather, in fact, is a real b**ch), I'm going to assume that there had to be a series of incidents, large or small, that led her to this position. This doesn't mean Nyesha is necessarily correct, but it does suggest Ty-Lor has more sides to him than maybe we saw. Or, minimally, at least one other side – and this other side Nyesha didn't like. My point here is neither to defend one or the other. I still like Ty-Lor, but I also accept that Nyesha doesn't. Nor does she need to.

I remained thrilled that Nyesha has managed to put together a string of wins. Hope she can keep it going!

[Duffy]

Seems to me the eliminated chefs could "find" Tom's letter as they are packing to leave the contestants' abode -- but then be advised by production staff off camera that the meeting is to be "tomorrow" or "next Tuesday" or whatever. We do see a shot of a SUV driving somewhere -- but without any reference to who, where or when. Don't they call this a "B-Roll shot"?

Could it be that the elves piece this thing together so that it just looks like it all happens slam-bang, right after the elimination? They wouldn't try to fool us, would they??

[doktarr]

@ally - I agree; there's evidence suggesting that LCK is happening on the days after eliminations, just as we would expect. It's possible that it's otherwise, but that would mean that the eliminated chef is being sequestered separately, or that the eliminated chef is faking surprise, both of which I haven't seen anything to suggest.

1) single eliminations for the next two episodes and then have a bottom two in the round of Five. They'd be told that only three are guaranteed spots in the finale so everyone sweats bullets but then the bottom two battle the LCK winner for one spot (or 2) in the Finale and 4 (or 5) go to it ...

or

2) single eliminations for the next three episodes and we don't see the LCK winner until the Finale where he or she has to win in the penultimate round to move forward (a la Jeff in Season 5) ...

I doubt they will give up the drama of the LCK reveal, so I'm going with (1) between those two.

However, do we have the production schedule for the rest of the season yet? It seems possible that they will just have one extra episode before the finale. Round of 7, round of 6, round of 5, repeat round of 5 with the LCK winner.

[ally]

Maybe Tom foresaw getting bored hanging around in TX waiting the extra day for the elimination challenge, so he cooked up this web episode thing. In that case maybe he wouldnt mind the 2 hour (or so) trip to San Antonio (especially if he has a driver). Who knows. I can see it is possible that it was shot in batches, but unless nom is right then I don't see any evidence that it wasn't shot over time.

Regardless, I still enjoy the webisodes and I hope they keep it up. I also hope they get a judge with a sense of humor in the future to make the whole show more enjoyable. I know some people say each season that they are giving up on the show because of x, y or z, but I wonder if it's true that they do give up. With the current formula, even though I complain about some things, I still enjoy this show. I quit watching Survivor for several years after being disenchanted with the social part of the game, but Top Chef, while at times having inevitable human drama, continues to emphasize actual challenges. I do miss the extended episodes they used to air, randomly. Some episodes deserve more air time than others.

The only thing I can see getting so annoying that people stop watching is the new trend of having cheftestants comment on product placements. If it happened with other products besides the cars it might be too much. That's the worst new thing this season imo.

[Amanda P.]

Ally, I have no comments one way or the other about what did happen. I just know that it is possible to have done so. Honestly, I don't much care one way or the other. :)

[paula]

Ally: I'm one of those who was determined not to watch this year, burned out and annoyed by all the personalities and gimmicks. I blame Dom and you all for making me watch again: Dom's review of the first episode (I didn't watch it, but couldn't help myself but check in here)intrigued me enough to catch it on a rerun, then the next episode, and ... well, here I am.

[ally]

It's Tuesday, is it time to start arguing about rankings yet? :)

Seems to me Dom's revamped rankings are pretty solid.

1. Paul: good tasting pork belly that didn't finish well. Not a well thought out dish but still probably the best savory dish from the guys team. Surprising to hear him blame Ty for poor seasoning, I mean he could have corrected it before serving. One small chink in his armor.
2. Sara gave them something delicious, even though it didn't win, it got high praise, so I think she's safe as 2 this week.
3. Edward: tempted to switch him and Bev but he gave the judges favorite dish on the guys team.
4. Beverly: might actually deserve higher ranking because of the win. Bev is 3.6 to Edwards 3.4. I'd love to taste those short ribs!

Giant step down to these three...

5. Grayson: the flintstone steak was anomolously terrible, it seems. Her first course was a hit and was relatively creative. I wish she'd stop cooking her family's favorite dishes, but the dessert pleased Tom anyway. He looked like such a kid when Padma handed him a spoon. Anyways, she did enough to separate herself from the bottom two.
6. Lindsay: she probably belongs on the bottom but she's shooting straight for the middle every time, so I think she won't be eliminated before....
7. Chris: he hasn't learned one thing during this show so far. His dessert didn't taste terrible, I guess, but it looked terrible, and the gimmick was pointless. Just make ice-cream instead of a messy glob of peanut butter noodle. Lame. He's shooting high, but shooting blanks. Go away already!

[rab01]

Ally -- your rankings seem spot on and I have no logical quibble but ... I can't really place Lindsay higher than Chris.

Yes, Chris seems remarkably incapable of adjusting to the competition. Yes, Chris gets caught up in gimmicks. Yes, if I had to guess which chef is more likely to do something hideous, it's Chris. But, what the hell has Lindsay cooked throughout this competition? Quick, close your eyes and name one dish she prepared. Try to think of any time when you said to yourself "hmm, I'd like to eat that" or even "hmm, I'd like to try that" about a Lindsay dish. Chris may be a weaker chef but, on Dom's scale of "current awesomeness", I find Chris to be a much more awesome chef to watch.

Logically, you're right but emotionally, I have to flip those two. (Plus, she irritates the hell out of me in team challenges. Disaster seems to follow both of them around but Chris is always called out for his while Lindsay's are always someone else's fault.)

[ally]

rab01, you're probably right. If I was emphasizing current awesomeness more, I would put Bev above Edward. I think I was emphasizing who is more likely to flame out more than current awesomeness.

Although Gail's foreshadowing of Bev seems to indicate that she has turned the corner. In which case I also should put Bev above Edward. Tough call!

I illogically put Chris on the bottom because he bugs me more than Lindsay, foodwise. :)

[chrish]

I like the revamped rankings. Hard to argue with too much. The only big question in my mind is whether to put Beverly higher. If you throw out the team/catering-like challenges I think it's awfully close between her and Ed. Ed's edge is maybe experience and that he's less likely to have a freakout Beverly's edge is momentum and, in her own way, perhaps focus. I think I'd put her above Ed, especially since the team challenges are probably over. She probably will have to cook something other than short ribs, although I would love to taste them too (and maybe I can because what looks pretty much like the winning dish is on the menu at her restaurant). I don't think there's even that much between Sarah (her arancini were apparently good although Hugh was not completely sold; her donuts were not well received) and Beverly though I probably wouldn't swap them in the rankings.

Between Chris and Lindsay at the bottom, Chris is more awesome to watch, I guess he's swinging for the fences all the time, but has he done anything really successful (I do not count the miracle berry)? I'd keep Lindsay above him. Dom or someone did say that some of the exit or other interviews mentioned her favorably. I think it's a tough season to judge because there have been so many crazy challenges, but perhaps that's selective memory and it's not that different from other seasons. In any case, she seems seems to have an experience level of the type where it wouldn't be stunning for her to make it to the finals.

[Anon Man]

First, on the "batch shoots", I was watching what the other people were wearing. Keith wore his ILM shirt twice in a row, so those two might have been shot right after one another. Then, honestly, I stopped watching that closely. It's an interesting logistic puzzle, but unless Nyesha has to cook through 5 people in 4 hours, then I don't think it's that big of an issue.

The most intersting thing about LCK was Nyesha's clear dislike for Ty-lor. We all seem to like Ty-lor as a solid performer and decent human. Nyesha seems to disagree with our assessment. Something to ponder.

As for Rankings, I think ally's are fine, although I'm not so sure I would say the step down between 4 and 5 is that huge. To me it would be 1 and 2, step, 3 and 4, step, Grayson, step Lindsay and Chris. Among the bottom three, I think Chris is the most likely to screw something up technically, when his nitrogren tank runs out or something. Grayson is the most likely to screw something up conceptually, doing something so basic or so literal that it risks going home. And, Lindsay is the most likey to lose on the "it was fine, but all the others were better" score. She doesn't screw much up, but she doesn't do anything interesting either.

[Cousin Sam]

Ally: "I can see it is possible that it was shot in batches, but unless nom is right then I don't see any evidence that it wasn't shot over time."

that is, except for Tom's cheeky "see you next week!" comment at the end of each LCK. ;)

[Anon Man]

Cousin Sam, yeah, I thought of that. But, game shows routinely shoot entire weeks of episodes in a short period. The host says "see you tomorrow" and then goes back to his dressing room, changes, and comes back out. I think the only major game show that hasn't done this is Jeopardy, because of the fatigue factor.

[ally]

Anon Man: I would put a step between 1 and 2 but no step between 2-4. Sarah hasn't progressed any, and Bev is catching up imo. With Ty-lor gone, nobody has an impressive number of wins except for Paul. I do see a larger step between 2-4 and 5-7 because I don't see any of the bottom three making it to the finals. But any of 1-4 wouldn't be surprising.

Since I say that, probably someone in 1-4 will flame out this week. :)

This week seems like they're cooking their own dish, so it should be helpful for evaluating their own dishes again. We'll see!

[Genevieve]

Anon Man, Jeopardy! does that too -- they shoot five episodes in a day, each one starting filming about ten minutes after the previous one ends.

[Paula]

I would have to give Bev bonus ranking points for knocking it out of the park last week despite standing in the center of a raging hurricane of ill will, condescension and straight-up bitchiness--all on top of the stress bomb that is Restaurant Wars. I can totally see how she would be irritating as hell to deal with in person, but I'm eager to see what she does food-wise on the individual challenges going forward.

[Lizzie]

There is something odd about the timeline between elimination, letter reveal and then LCK. Need proof? Check out Ty's disappearing and reappearing beard on the latest episode.

[ZRD]

Anon Man - what Paula said - I know Ken Jennings joked after his Jeopardy run they had to have show runners go out (or he went?) and buy him new shirts / changes of clothing at one point, because they were filming five episodes a day and he was on for weeks...

[Amanda P.]

Trust me - they tape 5 episodes of Jeopardy in 1 day. The day starts at 8:30 with practice. Taping starts around 11 - 11:30. Each episode takes about 45 minutes to tape, you get enough time to hit the bathroom, change and get your make-up refreshed. Lunch is after "Wednesday" at around 3pm.

I'm never surprised to see Jeopardy champs lose on Wednesdays. My brain was certainly mush by then. :)

[Gary]

I think it's unlikely they film LCK the day after an elimination. They appear to be using the same set for everyone participating in LCK, which leads me to believe they have the contestants travel back to San Antonio to compete. Plus it makes sense when the victorious chef from LCK returns to the competition has to travel back to join the group. The physical journey creates anticipation for the chef and the show gets free screen time to feature them traveling

[Tom Foolery]

I find odd the many in this audiences near-obessiveness concerning the logistics of taping LCK (when? where? how?). Who cares?

[Cindy]

I just HAD to share.

Remember Fabio?

http://screen.yahoo.com/the-perfect-hamburger-27880585.html

[Cousin Sam]

@ Anon Man - oh I know, it just makes me laugh every week when he says that to maintain the pretense even though we know full well that at most it's only a day or two between rounds (or less, if the batch theory is true).

[Anon Man]

Ok, I stand corrected about Jeopardy. They didn't used to do that and that made them unique. And by "didn't used to", I mean back like 20 years ago when some friends I know were on there.

But, I still think they shot a handful of of the LCK's at the same time. Since it is kind of a one off thing, it doesn't have a rigid production schedule. They probably did a few, had a break in cooking on the real show, and Tom went up to do a couple, then back down, etc. As the Texans noted on this issue earlier, the distance between SA and Dallas is such that a batch would be more necessary than the shorter distance between SA and Austin (I think).

[Duffy]

From a pure logistical standpoint, they could line up all the eliminated chefs and run the LCK competition in one clump, one after the other in one or twos days straight, at the end of the main competition and just before they intend to insert the LCK chef back into the competition. But then, as t-foolery comments, who cares?