Top Chef 8/1 Thread

[Snafu'd]

Easily the worst episode I've seen and it's complete bs that Sara didn't get the ax.

[Dids]

In the blogs they always say that they mostly base their decision on the current week and not the overall contest, but obv they very a bit.

The more I think about it, and after reading some of the blogs, I get the Joey thing more. The key part of this contest was basically looking at the Bertoli bagged stuff and figuring out how to make it work. While Sara just did nothing beyond let herself get run over by Howie, Joey was active in [censored] things up. It's a passive mistake versus an active one.

Another reason why Hung isn't nearly as badass as he like to talk. A true badass scolds Joey into doing it right.

[wildzer0]

I wanted to smack Hung when he yelled out the ingredient before he tasted it looking all smug and then of course got it wrong.

[Blarg]

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That's something that has bothered me as well. Didn't Lia win one week and get eliminated the next? I generally don't emotionally invest myself in shows like this... and it really pisses me off that Sara hasn't been eliminated yet. She's been in the bottom group several times and has received some of the worst criticisms.

All the same, I'm glad Joey is gone. I think it was pretty dumb to make a dish that pretty much anyone could easily make from scratch, and Joey tried to justify it by saying they needed to keep it simple for the target audience. A red sauce, chicken and tri-color fusilli pasta is just about the opposite of what most people are looking for from a frozen pasta bag--the couple of times I've bought something like this, it was exactly because it was something I didn't think I could make from scratch very easily.

Plus, the target audience here was people shopping at what would appear to be an upscale grocery store. Yeah, fusilli and red sauce is what they're dying for. Even if they'd done the packaging right, I doubt they'd have "sold" well, if at all.

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Considering they weren't having any luck giving it away for free, you're right on that one.

Hung looked incredibly whipped and distraught, like he was completely crushed. Frankly I think it was very good for his ego to get yet another dressing down by the judges. It was still hard not to feel bad for him, though. It looked like he saw every hope slip away because of one dish he felt out of control over in the first place.

[bernie]

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And if you are telling people "identify this by taste alone, PUT A [censored] BLINDFOLD ON THEM, cause hint to producers THEY ARE LOOKING AT IT, THEREBY MAGICALLY COMBINING INFORMATION FROM TWO SENSES!


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Hung?

b

[Blarg]

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is there any sort of consideration given to the same people sucking every week?

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I think they definitely do and, conversely, give consideration to the consistantly better performing chefs, as well. But, whenever they hint at it, they quickly change the topic. This sheds light on my main problem with the show. Hypothetically, someone could come out and win the first five rounds, stomping the competition but then screw up in round 6 and, according to the rules, get sent home. This isn't right. And, I think, the judges knowing this, even if his dish was very bad, would find a reason to send someone else home. Anytime judges in a competition like this are compelled to make executive decisions to skip around the rules, it is indicative of a poorly constructed judging format. But, obviously, the show is not set up with fairness in mind. It is, afterall, a television show.

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This is key. This is why you'll probably always see both sexes fully in the competition up till near the end. You don't want to lose half your audience early. I'm pretty sure I saw something in the end credits once to the effect that the judges may not have the final say.

[Blarg]

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This episode sucked. We already have a show that is all about cooking and selling food and product placement (Food Network Star among other shows), this is supposed to be TOP CHEF. I enjoy the creative challenges, even the gas station quickfires are cool and interesting, but the product placement in this episode and catering the entire episode to it was just awful.

The whole freezing and reheating was such a gimmick and is really lame I think. No chef has to worry about whether something will taste good the next day after its been completely cooked and then frozen.

Maybe it was my additional hatred for Rocco after having seen his failed reality show, but I could not stand this episode.



Also, WTF? to that quickfire.

Hey you get to identify taro root, japanese eggplant, etc.....


Now Casey, identify this:




Are you [censored] kidding me?

That was retarded. And if you are telling people "identify this by taste alone, PUT A [censored] BLINDFOLD ON THEM, cause hint to producers THEY ARE LOOKING AT IT, THEREBY MAGICALLY COMBINING INFORMATION FROM TWO SENSES!

God that episode sucked.

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Haha, much as I love this show, I have to agree with all this. The product placement is getting really transparent and overbearing. In this show, Rocco was pimping the product hard, and it felt really cheesy.

[Dids]

I don't think there's any attempts for the product placement to not be obvious. Just pretend each ep has a different sponsor, I don't think it takes away from the quality of the show at all. I thought especially this ep was a nice way of pimping the sponsor and challenging the chefs.

[Aloysius]

I enjoyed the episode, overall it got the job done. The QF was an interesting way to mix it up. This Rocco guy seems like a douchebag, and also maybe uses alot of botox or something.

I was pleased for Tre who continues to be very competent and understated. CJ strikes me as the guy who loves the sound of his own voice and is not nearly as clever as he thinks he is... but he's pretty likeable and more interesting than alot of the other contestants.

Ted Allen wonders:

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Knowing all of this, as most of our contestants did: Why on earth did Hung allow Joey to glop his hot red sauce right onto their pasta, causing it to get mushy overnight? Was it a deliberate strategy on Hung’s part to let Joey hang himself? (That would be really risky).

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Could've been in the back of Hung's mind. But I was surprised he didn't just scream at Joey to do the right thing. Pretty weak.

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YES YES YES YES YES YES. I hated that guy.


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Haha well, I guess we will no longer be sparring on the merits of Joey. He definitely seemed very confused by the challenge (it seems, at the Judge's Table, he was saying he thought there had to be 15 individually frozen portions ready to go at the end of the first 2 hours, not sure why he would think that).

But I think, hopefully, we dispelled the notion he's a douchebag (maybe not), agree with this from Ted Allen's blog:

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Now, Joey: I am really sorry to see him go, mainly because it was such a blast to watch him and Howie blow up at each other, and later, to kiss and make up. (Thank god we still have Howie -- a terrific chef, if a little too stressed-out, and by far the most entertaining character in the cast.) I was impressed by Joey’s plan to give the Italy trip to his mama and sister, were he to win it. And during his exit interview, I teared up like a sensitive Eye-Talian guy my own self when he said, “My whole life people tell me, ‘You’re not good enough to do this,’ and out of all the people in the world I made it to “Top Chef 3.” I’m gonna go back to New York with my head held high.”
He promised it, and my money says he will deliver: “You haven’t heard the last of me.”

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-Al

[Dids]

Al,

He's still on my d-bag list for his silly NYC centric rant a few eps ago.

For some reason Hung's bravado just endears him to me. He's like a wonderfuly flawed person, just fun for me to watch.