Top Chef - S9E11 Last Chance Kitchen

Yowza.

First off, props to Nyesha for coming so far. That was an outstanding run against long/impossible odds, and no matter who you're rooting for, it's hard not to be disappointed to see a streak like that end. That was a lot of fun to watch.

But just as much of a story here, I think, is Beverly. Clearly, she's rubbing some people the wrong way. But really, how many great dishes does somebody have to put together to be taken seriously? It's difficult to get a sense of the degree to which she's stepping on others' toes, and whether this reputation is fully deserved or being blown out of proportion. Wherever she lands on that spectrum, I understand frustration and anger. What I can't wrap my head around is how easily most of the crowd seems to dismiss her. Is it so easy to mistake awkwardness and a deliberate pace for incompetence? Strange.

In any case, we're not done with Beverly yet. Perhaps not for a while. Particularly since I suspect Nyesha's dead wrong when she states that she wanted it more.

Discuss!

Comments

[SinoSoul]

Dare I say it? The Asian female glass ceiling?

No one else?

[Gary]

Personally, I think the reason everyone dismisses her is because how she conducts herself when cooking. She's very messy (flour everywhere during LCK, pans everywhere during the Dallas Dinner Party elimination challenge) and disorganized, which just makes her look like an amateur cook. The problem (for her competitors anyway) is that despite all the chaos, she ends up plating delicious thoughtful food.

I don't believe it has anything to do with an "Asian female glass ceiling"

[paula]

I'm baffled, as well, by how they all persist in underestimating Bev in spite of how well she cooks. Although we have to keep in mind that the axed chefs haven't been seeing what's been happening in the main competition, so their opinion of Beverly is based on whatever she was doing at the time they got cut.

Still, this episode of LCK bothered me. I wish Bev hadn't beaten Nyesha in a challenge with this particular twist--Nyesha was so dismissive of the ingredients Bev chose, and all the chefs are probably thinking, well, Bev only won because Nyesha set her up with such great ingredients. The widespread disdain for Bev cooking Asian is REALLY over-the-top this year and it's more troubling than we've seen in other seasons (even if it's probably because they just don't like Bev anyway).

I have a question, though, for those who have a broader grasp of international cuisine than I do: Was it fair of Nyesha to basically say Bev's ingredients were all so mundane and boring and " 'Asian' " --implying that hers were much more sophisticated and avant garde? The ingredients I saw on Nyesha's station were pretty straight-up Meditterean flavors...am I wrong?

[paula]

Ack! *Mediterranean

[TxGriff]

I've heard a lot of grumbling about LCK this week (not on here, elsewhere), and I have to say, I don't really understand the objections. Dislike the fact that they had to switch ingredients and be thrown off their game? Alright. But they BOTH had to switch ingredients, so it was equally challenging for both Beverly and Nyesha. And they were forced to switch before either had started prep (Beverly had only coated the fish in corn starch), so really they both were given free reign to conceive and execute a dish with their set of ingredients. To me that's far less restrictive than a BBQ challenge with 3 set proteins or a dinner party for guests with very limited tastes.

Also, remember that Beverly outcooked both Nyesha and Richie when they had to repurpose the chili. Who's to say that Beverly would not have outcooked her again if they had not switched stations in LCK? Again, I understand there might be objections to the gimmick of the switch, but obvioulsy both of them created great dishes, so they were hardly set up to fail. The final decision came down to seasoning, not which flavor profile or preparation Tom preferred. Simply put, Nyesha was outcooked this challenge. I was very happy to see Beverly redeem herself.

[rab01]

I have no grumbling about who won and who lost. Beverly straight up won. Nyesha's never beaten Beverly head-to-head so I wasn't surprised at all. I do, however, always hate mid-cooking twists by the Elves. I think those are the ones that most often lead to mediocre food.

One note, Nyesha was not as graceless as the Elves made her appear to be. I am certain that her talking head where she says "I got this one in the bag" came from after she had already lost. She's laughing when she said it because she's laughing at herself.

[chrish]

"Dare I say it? The Asian female glass ceiling?"

There may be some of that, although it's not an absolute ceiling as Anita Lo seems to have no trouble getting respect. I do think part of it is the moneyball thing. Beverly does not walk and talk and cook exactly like you'd expect from a chef with her own (relatively high end) restaurant. And yet she has her own place and puts out very good dishes in competition.

"I've heard a lot of grumbling about LCK this week (not on here, elsewhere), and I have to say, I don't really understand the objections."

Agree with this. If the complaint about Beverly is that she can only cook "asian", by inference it has to be that the other chefs have a broader range which presumably includes asian. If all of this is true, then the switch should have been much harder on Beverly.

Nyesha really seemed thrown off her game. Also, at least according to Tom, it came down to seasoning, which was entirely within Nyesha's control. Would I prefer not to have had the gimmick? Probably. But it wasn't like they had a fifth grader go through and select ingredients and cookware. It was an ok gimmick as these things go. And it was a better challenge than the gas station store LCK. I don't think Nyesha really has anyone to blame other than herself. A LOT of respect to her though for the run, which has been fun to watch.

[Vncntdl]

Agree with Dom that the constant dismissal of Bev as a chef (versus Bev as a person or as a colleague) is baffling. Even if the eliminated chefs haven't been watching the competition, the fact that she got this far should already tell them something. Having said this, I still thought that Tom/producers were definitely playing up the drama by polling the eliminated chefs beforehand to see how many of them thought Bev could beat Nyesha. It seemed a bit cruel, so props to Bev for shutting them down – again.

[Anon Man]

There's a moment in LCK, which I alluded to in the episode thread, where they are doing the fridge grab and Bev clearly cuts off Nyesha to get something, and Nyesha does kind of an arm motion like "come on". I think that is the annoyance with her in a nutshell: complete focus on her dish and her cooking needs without regards to the others. And thus is the great tension of the show: a competition, yes, but they are all professional chefs and there is apparently several unwritten rules among this sub-culture that us foodies and restaurant ethusiasts can only piece together. One of the other big Internet complaints about her is that she is slow. But, at least based on the edit, she went from whole fish to cooked fish in about 3 minutes. That takes some skill. Too bad they didn't show the fileting.

Regarding the grumbling, I read somewhere, and I forget where, that Beverly didn't get salt out of pantry and that is why Nyesha was under-seasoned. (Assuming that's true, you have to conclude that either Beverely intended to get the salt from something else, like soy sauce, or that she forgot it. I'm inclined to say the former, but who knows.) But, I don't have any real complaint about the trick of the switch. That kind of adaptation is part of the game. And, it isn't like Beverely simply made Nyesha's dish and won with it. Nyesha said point blank that she had a different idea.

I like Nyesha as much as the next viewer and I would have liked to have seen her back in the main show now that she has her sea legs. But, I must admit I find all the gnashing of teeth about Beverely amusing from a viewer persepctive. As I've said before, I don't really know what to think of her as a chef or person.

[TxGriff]

I agree that I probably would have liked the challenge better without the switch, but only so there would be no claims that Beverly won because of it.

Paula- while my knowledge is pretty limited, I don't see how olives, fennel and oranges are inherently superior ingredients to peppers, pineapple and cabbage (for slaw). Sounds like sour grapes to me.

[nomnomnom]

She may be getting the reverse Stefan edit. A chef that was universally loved by his competitors but made to look like a real a-hole. Here's poor beaten up Bev who is universally reviled by her competitors, but made to be an angel.

It has to be more than speed and cleanliness.

[TxGriff]

I think no one openly picked Beverly to win over Nyesha because half of that group had lost to Nyesha themselves, and the remaining half left too early to see what Beverly can accomplish. Still, I agree it's odd that she continues to be dismissed by many of the chefs.

Anon- Interesting, but I find it hard to believe that Beverly would have forgotten to grab any sort of salty component, especially since the praise she always receives is on the flavor and balance in her dishes. Plus, wouldn't the editors have been all over a confessional of Beverly saying "wow I really dodged a bullet since I had forgotten salt or anything else to flavor my dish." Or likewise a confessional of Nyesha saying "Beverly had no salt or any other element that I could use to season my food" when Tom said the final decision came down to seasoning? I think Nyesha was just more thrown by the twist than Beverly.

[Skillet Doux]

"The ingredients I saw on Nyesha's station were pretty straight-up Meditterean flavors...am I wrong?"

My thought exactly. It's a fine set of ingredients, simple and traditional. I don't know precisely what Nyesha was trying to suggest, but I can't believe she was attempting to convey the notion that there was something inspired about that profile.

Anon Man... I watched and rewatched and rewatched that clip at the fridge, and while Bev may very well be getting in everybody's way, that's not the exhibit I'd point to. We routinely see seven and eight person scrums at the protein fridge during quickfires. If anything, it struck me as some odd bobbing and weaving to avoid simply pushing her way in as so many do. But this is clearly something open to interpretation.

The sentiment seems to be universal enough that I don't doubt there's something to it. I just wonder how much of it is based on Bev's actions and how much is based on perception spilling over from reactions to her personality. I wonder if they'd find her kitchen approach so frustrating if she weren't so socially awkward. I think of people like... maybe Andrew? There's probably a better example... who were crazy balls of energy but whom people found more personable outside of the kitchen.

In all of this, I stress the word "wonder."

Incidentally, I'm not a big fan of the twist. Not that a twist happened, but that it was a twist that could penalize a chef for the OTHER chef's bad performance. If they were both handed a new set of ingredients at the last minute, fine. Dumb, but fine. But with this twist, you could inherit your opponent's screwup, and I think that's lame. I wanted to say it didn't matter since it came down to seasoning, but if it's true that Bev lacked the necessary ingredients to season properly, that's another story... I'd very much like to see where you heard that if you remember it.

[Anon Man]

Well, I tracked down the source, kind of. It was a comment on Tom's blog. The comment, however, has been removed. Like I said, I don't think there's anything to it. And, even if it were true, then adapt.

But, I'm with you. They all seem to not like her. Edward respects her, Grayson says some nice things, but that's about it. I'm hoping that somewhere, like the reunion show, it all comes out, but I'm not holding my breath.

I didn't really mind the twist. Yeah, I don't usually like limitation challenges, but this was one where you can be set up to win. This wasn't the standard: "Cook with this mystery box of stuff that is missing key things." Rather, it was: cook a dish using a vision started by the other. Tom made a point of getting in early enough to stop them before they started their prep. Aside from wiping corn starch off the fish and station, Nyesha got stuff right out of pantry that would make a complete dish.

[foodiewannabe]

I think Beverly has some personality issues that make it difficult for both her and her competitors to deal with in this kind of situation where time constraints and close quarters induce alot of stress.
It seems that she gets very focused (a good thing) but seemingly cant "see" or "hear" her fellow chefs. That might account for some of her clumsiness where she has closed off everything around her. Paul is a real mensch and I think his talk before Restaurant Wars was directed at her hoping that she would hear him and do a little behavior modification.

[Lou]

It seems to me that most of the criticism of Bev comes from the other women chefs - not the men. She is small and gets in there to get stuff and it may be just be easier for the men to deal with her bob and weave. Nyesha was just as dismissive as anyone has been of Bev. I just don't get why Bev continues to produce good food and good comments from the judges and still is underestimated by the other cheftestants. Of course that may be Bev's survival technique, an ability to confuse others into underestimating her.

I think the twist was the true measure of the contest. Do what you want with what you want....no wait - pick up what the other chef was going to do and make it ... better. The twist takes real thinking on the run.

At the end, I think it'll be between Paul and Bev.

[TxGriff]

Just rewatched LCK- Beverly had selected peppers, ginger, onions, snow peas, garlic, pineapple, cilantro...not sure how those are "boring" ingredients. Perhaps not exciting to Nyesha, but not inherently boring.

Also, Tom specifically asked Nyesha if she didn't have what she needed with Beverly's ingredients, and she said no, she was just thrown by the twist. So I agree with Anon that we can write off the idea that Beverly had forgotten salt or necessary seasoning ingredients.

[Libster]

and correct me if I'm wrong here but I thought Salt and Pepper where things that were on hand that they did not have to select just like oil. or is that just for some challenges?

I agree with those that say the peanut gallery just have the perception of what they saw before they went out and then also the added info from people like Heather and such.

We've said this time and time again, season from season that while there are great amazing chefs some of them don't lend well to the time limits and restrictions of the challenges. Bev is not the first one, but she certainly is an example when it comes to a chef making it work and turning it out, no matter how frazzled she gets. There is method to her madness.

[Cindy]

This was definitely the most upset I've ever felt on LCK; I really, really wanted Nyesha to win. For being thrown under the bus with Dakota, and then thrown off her game in LCK....I was worried the moment Tom said, "Waaaait chefs, whoa, hold up. I want you to switch." I KNEW Nyesha was going to lose.

Personally, I think Beverly has a personality that's best represented by the episode where they had to cook a dish they had when they were younger; Bev said something along the lines of concentrating on cooking and career and no time for anything else, and that's exactly the way she moves in the kitchen. However, what I find inexcusable from Bev's behavior is that from all her years working as a top chef, she should have picked up on those unspoken rules between her fellow chefs. These rules are heightened and enforced even more so on these competitions (for example, Heather winning using Ed's cake recipe- that was an unspoken no-no. Least she could have done is to share some money with him for HIS recipe). These are like bro rules. Don't date your best friend's ex, etc, stuff like that. Perhaps the editing team skewed Bev; however, there's only so much that can be skewed, and I think that manifested itself when NO ONE stood up for Bev. Talk about ouch!

Oh, her tendency to cry at every turn really struck a spot and irritated me to no end. Did anyone ever lovingly grant Bev a nickname? No? Let me have the honor. Bev, "The Crybaby".

[ally]

Seems to me that some people/personalities somehow inspire others to crap all over them. Bev, it seems, is one of those people. I'm with Dom in not seeing how some of the perhaps irritating stuff she does shouldn't elicit statements like her behavior is "inexcusable" etc. I've known some people who are similar, its people who don't stand up for themselves and make huge scenes when others are assholes. Really, it's inexcusable not to pick up on other people's body language etc? In that case, my whole chemistry department should be taken out and whipped. Or worse ... twittered about and blogged about endlessly. :)

[Independent George]

As the person who originally pegged Beverly as 'most likely to snap and shank someone', let me just say that she's completely grown on me. I, too, don't get why people react so negatively to her. I would assume that the producers would go out of their way to highlight it, but I just haven't seen anything on tape that would explain it. The Moneyball theory certainly sounds plausible, but, again - there's nothing substantive we can point to.

[Kathy from Austin]

Bev is clearly a good chef. That said, I have had the displeasure of working with people like her before, and for lack of a better word, they throw off the chemistry of the entire team. Perhaps that is what motivated Paul to give his etiquette lecture.

Haven't each and everyone of us worked with someone who just threw the "well oiled machine" a work stopping wrench? Whether it is in management or on a line, there are those who simply can't work well with a group. The "weakest link" metaphor writ large.

@Cindy is right, IMO.

[ally]

Sorry but, as a human I refuse to pile on, mortify, and humiliate a person because they don't fit into a norm. That puts me on the outside, I'm sure, and doesn't ingratiate me with the people who are hell-bent on ensuring that their norm persists. Yet I will stand outside of that rather than encourage it. Calling Bev a "cry-baby", after all that a few of these chefs put her through? Beyond the pale imo.

[t-c100100]

Count me as a Bev sympathizer. I too thought "the switch" was fair---fair in throwing *both* contestant off their path, and make them reset their plan. Bev won fairly. And frankly, winning is winning, and there's no substitute for it.

I do think thought Bev is receiving 'an edit'. Her natural awkwardness is there, but its selectively emphasized by the edits, e.g. her bumping into things. Her story has a great dramatic arc if she in fact does become one of the final four---beating the fat chick or the blonde chick (give me i forget their name) or both in LCK or the main game.

[Paula]

I lean toward Ally's POV, especially since it really seems as if Bev doesn't have a mean bone in her body (and I don't think that's a trick of the editing). She seems like an innocent in many ways--an exasperating, want-to-shake-some-sense-into-her kind of innocent, but still, not someone deserving of the vitriol coming her way. i have no doubt that Paul's speech was meant to get some points across specifically to her. But that's a much more adult, professional and humane way to deal with people like her than calling her names, shouting in her face and talking to her like a toddler. And I don't buy the "screwing up the team" argument. One, this is a competition. There's no team in the big picture. And two, it's certainly not as if she's not trying to be a team player on those group challenges--it's just that she rightly refuses to take the role of someone who keeps her mouth shut and does what she's told.

[Independent George]

Haven't each and everyone of us worked with someone who just threw the "well oiled machine" a work stopping wrench? Whether it is in management or on a line, there are those who simply can't work well with a group. The "weakest link" metaphor writ large.

I have, and that is indeed a problem. However, I've also worked in groups where one person, on account of some personal quirks, is immediately isolated and cast as a malcontent. No matter what happens afterwards, that initial view colors all judgement later on.

Which of the two is it? It's really hard to tell from what we see, but I think the evidence tend towards the latter. By all accounts, Bev is kind of a spaz; that makes it really easy for her to be cast as an outsider from the start. And once Heather started jumping on her (first over the shrimp, then when they were on the same team), I think that permanently shifted the group dynamics against her.

What struck me was the way Sarah kept insisting that Lindsay was responsible for their team's success, when it appears she was actually a liability. The implication was that Beverly couldn't keep up and wouldn't have been able to get anything done if Lindsay weren't in the kitchen yelling at her the whole night through. That seems ridiculous on the face of it, and it appeared to me she managed to hinder both progress in the kitchen and in the FOH (which was her primary responsibility).

But, again - we see only a carefully selected portion of the show. But it seems to me that it's more like

[garik16]

IG, the Sarah thing strikes me differently. None of Sarah, Beverly, or Grayson SAW the front of the house problems...they were always inside the kitchen. And while they were told about them in Judges' table, to them, what they saw was Lindsey trying to make sure everything was working in the kitchen. Seeing makes a stronger impact than being told.

Combine that with a possible previous bias against Beverly, and you get that there...

[Sweet Sue]

beating the fat chick or the blonde chick (give me i forget their name) or both in LCK or the main game
Allow me to come to your assistance, do you mean Sarah and Lindsay?

[Alamos Road]

I don't think the other chefs are dismissive of Beverly's talent as a chef. I think they simply don't like her behavior. Paul's "rules of the kitchen" speech was clearly directed at Beverly; there have been a fair number of times she's taken or moved other chefs' equipment, blanching pots, etc. For someone so sensitive to how others are treating her, she's pretty oblivious to how her own conduct is affecting others.

[foodiewannabe]

Bev has an inability to connect with others when she is focused on her task. I am in no position to define it or care to but I do believe that is the crux of the anti Bev feeling. It begs credulity to think 15 chefs targeted Bev from the inception of the competition - her behavior, as it manifested during the taping incurred to greater and lesser degrees the annoyance of her competitors.
Grayson, one of my faves, is not "top chef" but she is probably one of the most grounded, well adjusted of this crew - my sense is she is smart enough to stay away from Bev when possible and encourage her when she cant. It certainly is a more mature approach than some of the others.
In my view, Bev is not some devious manipulator but a good chef who doesnt "wear well" in this type of environment - that being said, nor is she some helpless victim bravely clawing her way through a minefield.

[Tom W.]

There's a lot of unhelpful noise in this Beverly discussion, but I find IG's take to be helpful and well-reasoned. As for which of the two possibilities it is with Bev, whether she's resented and bullied for throwing a wrench into a well-oiled machine or because she's an odd duck who makes for a convenient scapegoat to kick around, I also lean toward the latter. One, I believe the latter is MUCH more commonly the actual motivation in life in general. Two, I think we've seen more of the latter on Top Chef. This kind of sharp elbowing/ostracizing/power play to get the upper hand is reminiscent of situations we've seen before on the show. (When even someone as mild and gracious as Carla Hall talks about how prevalent the psychological warfare is on the show, it makes me think there's a lot more of it than we even see on-camera.)

What I find interesting about the most poorly considered anti-Beverly comments is their lack of reason and proportion. She triggers some issues in her detractors to such a degree that they seem to have lost their grip on any logic or calmness, not to mention their grip on a basis sense of human decency. Like Heather's Twitter retweet that Dom highlighted previously, Heather retweeted someone's desire to dump shrimp excrement on that bitch Beverly. The worst comments here are right at that level.

Apparently some people read Bev's obliviousness and poor manners/awkwardness in the kitchen as passive-aggressive or manipulative. I don't agree, and if anyone can point to anything more than the scantest evidence to back that up, I'd like to hear it. But for the sake of argument, even if that were true, is she a demon who deserves the level of vitriol she's taking from some people here? And... shrimp excrement (???) Amazing.

[Amanda]

Rightly or wrongly, it does seem like Bev has the tendency to rub at least some people the wrong way. We should also remember these chefs are essentially kept in isolation for as long as the show is taping. Behaviors that might irritate you a little in normal company when you can get away at night, after work, etc. can and often do become magnified when you're forced to deal with them nonstop for days or weeks on end, especially when you consider that these chefs don't really see or talk to anyone else except each other. I think that pent-up irritation is clearly a factor in the backlash we're seeing from the other chefs.

[Kathy from Austin]

Recall when they passed on Marcel among others, because the role of "Top Chef" was great food, for sure, but also the ability to lead a kitchen. Am I remembering this correctly? Also, for those of you who are chefs, is this right?

I like Bev very much and appreciate her skills, as many have justly stated. That said, how do you rate her leadership skills? And is that skill set important vs. being a great chef?

[Kathy from Austin]

Said another way: IF leadership an important aspect of a Top Chef, who embodies that skill best? Beverley? Lindsey? Paul? Ed?

Just throwing that out there for conversation and your wisdom.

[foodiewannabe]

Every profession that has a hierarchy requires leadership skills, however defined,to move up to management levels. I would think the common denominator is the ability to motivate subordinates, hire the right people and overall meet the company's objectives. Is it that much different in chefdom; dont know.
I believe Bev is chef de cuisine at her restaurant so it would appear she has responsibility for others and wouldnt retain this position if she were not doing it well. It is unfortunate that some viewers get unhinged and spew forth vile comments.
She might very well make it to the finals but I hope Paul takes it. He is very marketable from a Bravo perspective. Ed, owning his restaurant, is probably the well rounded of this group but I think Paul is the most talented.
Thankfully this season has turned a corner with the last episode and hoping the remaining shows will give us all a real insight into the skill/creativity level of these folks.

[Paula]

I didn't watch season 1, but I don't think leadership has anything to do with earning the title of Top Chef. It may help (or hurt) you strategically to take a leadership role in certain challenges. It may earn you respect and admiration from your teammates and the judges. But even Paul, who's far and away demonstrated the best leadership with this group, won't win the title if he doesn't cook the best-tasting food during the finale.

[ally]

I think season 1 was the only season where it might have played a role, as they asked the contestant sous-chefs who they thought was top chef, and the loser's sous chefs went for the winner.

Where leadership comes in handy is the finale where, depending on the season, they have had to rely on their fellow cheftestants in the end.

[Anon Man]

Here's a food question for Dom, his Chicago following, or anyone, really.... Has anyone eaten at her place? The menu looks like a pan-Asian east meets west kind of places in a funky way that could either be fun and interesting or confused and muddled. I have to imagine that if the restaurant runs well and puts out decent dishes, then there's something up with the edit.