Top Chef 8/22

[Dids]

OK

- Tre, for seeming like a good chef, made what I assume to be were some pretty noobish mistakes both times. My guess is that he's probably good doing stuff that he really knows, but not the best off the top of his head guy. I don't really feel like he got shafted, since pretty much everything that went wrong was just simple "you made bad food". I don't get how people can think anybody else deserved to go home.

- I liked Sara being assertive and putting Howie in his place.

- My gf Sara N. looked racktastic in that green dress. Lia also seemed smokin.

- CJ doesn't work the line, CJ doesn't really do much. That dude is just skating by.

- I know it might be editing, but I loved the Tom shots when Hung went to down on that chicken.

- Having somebody who is not classically trained do the onions is a bad idea. Anybody can whip egg whites, not everybody has the knife skills to tear up an onion fast. They really should have switched Casey and Tre (who I know isn't clasically trained either, but I just imagine has better knife skills that Casey).

- I cannot fathom why anybody would pair pesto with Salmon. I'm like trying to imagine the taste, and it just seems odd.

[forshure]

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- CJ doesn't work the line, CJ doesn't really do much. That dude is just skating by.

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He seems like he hasnt really done much at all in the last many team challenges, but he also seems like hes just trying to punt everyone else and even those that are like his "friends" and acting like a giant dueche imo.

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- I liked Sara being assertive and putting Howie in his place.

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I just wonder how much of that is like standard and how much of it is editing and such. Like maybe Tre was doing the same things or something and/or it is standard in other times but then this time they just left it in?

Also, imo the show this season has started to suck hardcore. First they are doing the infinite product placement things, but they also seem to be doing everything possible, especially by seemingly increasing the team challenges to every episode, to make much more a realityish show and much less of a competition show which really detracts from the show imo.

Also, it may just be me, but in some cases do they really need to do the judges tables for as long as they do and such, almost again to seemingly watch themselves try to throw each other under the bus. Esp this week. Like just from watching the episode it seemed like obv Tres team was losing and that Tre was prob going home b/c he made one disgusting thing and a few other bad things. They really seem to come up with weak ass arguements each time for all the different people facing elimination even though you know who theyre choosing (as they never even follow through and kick out the person w/ one of their obv weak arguements).

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
Also, imo the show this season has started to suck hardcore. First they are doing the infinite product placement things, but they also seem to be doing everything possible, especially by seemingly increasing the team challenges to every episode, to make much more a realityish show and much less of a competition show which really detracts from the show imo.


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The product placement has been annoying this year, no doubt, but last season there was plenty, too (the cocktail episode, the TGI Friday's menu item).

Increasing the number of contestants also forced more team type competitions. If there seems to be less focus on individuals, it's because there are just to many of them still.

This was episode #9 for the season, and there were still 8 people left.

In the ninth episode of the first season, they were in Napa, making the cut to go from 4 to 3 for the finale.

[forshure]

I just meant that as like one example, but the show def has a much more produced feel to it now then before where it seemed to actually be much more of a competetion. I also think that the probability that the option of redoing the restaurant wars challenge if both teams sucked, which im sure they expected, was at least discussed before the show started. I really doubt they just came up with it on the spot.

[Ron Burgundy]

Bourdain's blog is exceptionally good this week:

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* What the hell is with Casey's knife skills!? During the Quickfire, I was absolutely gobsmacked watching her methodically sawing away at those onions like Ina Garten on Thorazine. No. Let me correct myself. Ina Garten on Thorazine would be faster. MUCH faster.

Casey's a very strong contender in my opinion--a very talented cook with a great palate. She's an experienced line chef. How did she get so far -- and get so good -- with the knife skills of Barney Rubble? Betting line just changed. Drastically. ( I'm still in shock over this...)

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[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
Bourdain's blog is exceptionally good this week:

[ QUOTE ]
* What the hell is with Casey's knife skills!? During the Quickfire, I was absolutely gobsmacked watching her methodically sawing away at those onions like Ina Garten on Thorazine. No. Let me correct myself. Ina Garten on Thorazine would be faster. MUCH faster.

Casey's a very strong contender in my opinion--a very talented cook with a great palate. She's an experienced line chef. How did she get so far -- and get so good -- with the knife skills of Barney Rubble? Betting line just changed. Drastically. ( I'm still in shock over this...)

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Colicchio, answering questions on this week's episode, said the knife was dull. He also said Casey should have had her knife ready for action for the quickfire.

Still, that mise-en-place relay was cool and the bad news bears really whooped ass.

[El Diablo]

All,

I am glad Tre was eliminated. He was my favorite contestant and I thought it would be him and Hung vying for the win. But when we saw the response to the salmon dish and the dessert, two things he was 100% in charge of from concept to execution, I immediately felt he deserved to go. Based on the performance so far of contestants, I felt they would get rid of one of the others who didn't do very much (like CJ for his one so-so dish). However, Tre took a gamble by making some decisions and putting the responsibility on his shoulders. If he went for something innovative and just didn't quite hit the mark, I can see giving him credit for reaching and trying something special. But he just plain seemed to f up a couple of dishes, including one super basic one. Based on that, I really think letting him go was the right call.

As for Casey's knife skills, wow, wtf. Every show I watch and think, wow, these people prepping and stuff looks nothing like me in the kitchen, wow, that is incredible. Then I watched Casey and I was like, hmmm, that is just like how I would chop an onion - except much slower!

Also loved the shot of Tom C when watching Hung break down the chickens.

[bernie]

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The guest judge said an executive chef would not let that dish leave the kitchen.

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Of course, then you get sent home for having an incomplete menu or just lack of a dish at all. It seems that even if you screw up your dish, you're better off sending it out as at least you send something out.

I'd like to see what would happen if one of these chefs did pull the plug on a dish and send out something different. I don't think it would go over well at all.

b

[bernie]

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- My gf Sara N. looked racktastic in that green dress. Lia also seemed smokin.


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I noticed that too. Lia also cleaned up pretty well.
The brief cut of Camille was pretty nice too.

Brian seems to have skated by 2 episodes doing essentially nothing.

Nice to see Steven not working as a chef. Go figure.

God, he'd be irritating at the side of your table.

b

[Dids]

To be fair to Brian, he was asked to do nothing, and last ep he made an oyster that nobody liked and that apparently Howie couldn't understand.