Thursday, February 24, 2011
PLEASE DON'T BURP ON ME, FART ON ME OR FLICK A BOOGER ON ME: Last night's Top Chef: All Stars raises the eternal question -- should elimination judging incorporate some consideration of a chef's previous output, or should it be based solely on the food prepared for that challenge? It was a slow-motion meltdown, crushing at the end, and I'm not that happy about it today.
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I'm more disappointed in Dale than I am in the judges, but I also hate this week of the competition.
ReplyDeleteBringing in the eliminated contestants has always wigged me out. Angelo melted the eff down last week, and he was tweaking in the prep room about Dale getting into Richard's head -- he was in no state to be in a kitchen. Marcel acts as though consequences don't really exist -- does he not see the cameras, or does he just not draw the connection?
Speaking of bad behavior on camera: I'm surprised, Adam, that you're not more focused on how germane the quickfire is to your expertise -- Chef Law, anyone?
I am more ready than ever to see Mike eliminated, and I mean, eliminated on his face.
ChefLaw is more Matt's turf than mine, unless one of the chefs is running for office or suffers economic damages due to acts of international terrorism.
ReplyDeleteI actually thought the way they handled bringing back the contestants was really smart. Rather than just drawing knives for protein selection and having so much turn on that, they wisely made pairings that made some of the best/easiest proteins a double-edged sword by also sticking you with a sous chef who could be problematic. Clearly, everyone coveted the White Shrimp, but no one wanted MC 900 Foot Teen Wolf as a sous chef. I really liked Blais' response--he's a chef and can cook any of the proteins, so he chose based on the sous.
ReplyDeleteThe quickfire was meh, but if the "must make two plates" thing is a disqualifier (and was going to come into play) shouldn't it have been mentioned up front? (I know not every "rule" of the challenge is said on camera, and chefs also get a "rule list," but would have been easy enough to do an insert with Padma.)
Yeah, this was a total bummer to watch. I understand this is a one-game playoff every week but it just sucks whe Tiffany's scraping by and Dale gets the boot. Hopefully, the use of the eliminated chefs this week means they aren't coming back for the finale? Because that always sucks, hard.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like Mike I. from the start and I really don't like him now. It's not bad enough that he's a jerk about taking Richard's idea but it's RICHARD. I like Richard too much--he's obviously a creative chef. Mike just looks like a line cook now.
MC 900 Foot Teen Wolf! Love it. As a reward:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/v/hlBWfV4FhXk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="170" height="140
It's not like this is Dale's first mess up. He was on the bottom in the quickfire too, and he has had issues before. He's a go big or go home kind of guy, and he knows he screwed up. Much like Angelo last week, you can't put raw potatoes out there - it'll get you beat even by things that don't taste good every time.
ReplyDeleteThe Chicago Tribune's food blog said this, which I thought was interesting: "Same. Exact. Finish. Dale Talde entered the episode with three wins (just like season four). And he finished in sixth (just like season four). Of all of the chefs, he and Tiffani Faison did the most image rehabilitation from their previous stints on the show. He said earlier in the season that he had undergone anger management training and it showed almost every time he was on camera. He was more comfortable with his food in the kitchen and he seemed to relish playing the role of group comic. In the end, he was undone by an overpowering flavor which complimented his seafood . . . just like season four (anybody up for butterscotch scallops?). Farewell, Dale. You'll be sorely missed."
I was planning on going to Mike's new restaurant, Graffiato, when it opens, since I love the food at Zaytinya. But he just killed my desire to go there. That was just a nasty, no-integrity, crummy move.
ReplyDeleteLove Blais and so glad he won the EC. And yeah, they are making it very clear that it's judged per dish and not on overall record. It's like TAR, where you can be terrific but have a bad week and you're out. It's not like Idol where after a bad week, your defenders will come roaring through to keep you alive -- maybe if it was by popular vote, it would be (but since viewers can't taste the food, that would be bizarre). Is there any reality show where judges make the decisions and they take past record into account?
Top Model certainly, and I think Project Runway as well.
ReplyDeleteAt least in the UK, X Factor has a structure sort of like that--public votes, but initially, the bottom two in public votes are announced, and the four judges vote between the two acts for who's going home. In the event of a tie in judge voting, it is "taken to deadlock," and the public vote controls. In judge voting, past performances are apparently frequently cited.
ReplyDeleteAh, that makes a lot of sense. I'm newish to reality shows, and mostly watch TAR and Top Chef - though I've watched the various BBC Lloyd Webber Shows (How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, etc.) and that's how they do it there, a sing-off between the bottom two and Lloyd Webber chooses who stays, though supposedly not based on past performance.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you say that, Genevieve. The boyfriend and I said the exact same thing: we'd been planning on trying Mike's new restaurant once it opens, but after some of his actions on TC, we just won't. I don't want to give him any money.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like Mike has forgotten something: his business includes serving the public. If you're on TC, you want to win, obviously. But in the end, you don't want to make the audience dislike you, because maybe we won't be willing to give you business in the future. He might have been better off in the long run doing less well in a given $5,000 quickfire than winning by using someone else's idea.
Between this week and last week, total tiers violation. I was fine with whomever went out at whatever time in this competition, as long as I had a final four that was made up of strong chefs. With both Dale and Angelo getting knocked out at #6 and #7, that means that the final four has to include either Tiffany or Mike. Neither of which is really acceptable. And there is a not-insignificant risk that one of the three best remaining chefs chokes next week, and we end up with Tiffany and Mike in the final four, which (1) ugh and (2) would mean a guaranteed flawed final three.
ReplyDeleteExactly. And I've been cutting him all kinds of slack because of my Zaytinya love - oh, he's a Jersey guy, he's just more blunt or harder to tell when he's just joking or whatever. But that was a completely slimy move, right in line with the negative interpretation of everything he's said or done before, and then he gloated about it, and I'm done with him. That wasn't villainous editing - that was just really bad behavior. (And as someone said somewhere else, seems like a chef who won't care about kitchen ethics, like picking up a dropped piece of food and putting it back on the plate.)
ReplyDeleteWhereas Carla? When she does open that (long-term planned) restaurant in the West End? I'll be all over that place.
A good point: if given the chance to eat Dale's food, I'd be excited about it. He's come across as a creative chef who isn't afraid to try new things, but knows his bailiwick pretty thoroughly. Team Bodega all the way...
ReplyDeleteMike? No. Thief, slimy braggy personality, and I can't remember a single creative thing he's done all season.
Carla? YES! Passion for cooking, heart, kindness, and her food often looks totally yummy. She doesn't thrive under pressure, which means she may have a tough time pushing through to the end, but most restaurants are not pressure cookers like Top Chef.
Richard? YES! Passion, heart, fierce competitor, lots of cool ideas, creative, sure--sometimes he does so much crazy technique that you worry about him losing his way, but he seems to have tamed that a little.
Tiffany? No. Just doesn't make a case for herself...she seems to barely squeak through mostly.
Antonia? Yes. Really made a case for herself in this competition. Seems really competent, self-assured.
Can I say how cool it is that the women are rocking it?
Someone at Skillet Doux posted this great link: <span>http://egullet.org/p1153527</span>
ReplyDeleteBlais in 2006 talking about how direct copying another chef's dish is creepy, and how he always gives credit or calls it a remix if he's inspired by someone else's dish.
Last night during Face Off (which doesn't suck, btw) SyFy teased an extreme cooking show featuring him. The advert had a Chris Angel Of Food feel that just oozed.
ReplyDeleteFace Off indeed does not suck (haven't seen last night's yet, though). Classic Top Chef style, but with makeup FX. Brings out the inner Savini/Nicotero in all of us.
ReplyDelete