mlp

That made no sense. I didn't think the all corn dish did either so I thought one of those pairs would be eliminated. I was surprised when it was the guys but, after thinking about it, I'd guess that serving an unopened mussel is what did them in. That was bad on several levels. I liked all of the top three and would have been happy for any of them to win.

I thought the right two teams were in the bottom but the wrong one was sent home. The sisters' build was mostly big blocks of bricks and not interesting. And it didn't work properly. The brothers had at least put some creative energy into their build. The green face was bad despite Amy's advice. That may have sunk them.

I'm always impressed with the chefs on this show. Almost everything they make looks good which is more than can be said about many other competitions. They all seem very well-rounded. I was sort of wishing Bobby's team would lose so they could get rid of that blondish woman. She's nowhere near the caliber of the others and she's highly annoying. I suspect that Bobby won't be sorry to see her go when her time comes. I like Jason, the tall good-looking guy on Maneet's team, but he needs a better hair cut. I was sorry to see Arturo go.

Yeah. As soon as I read that, I knew you were right. I got the names mixed up. Thanks.

Huh. I had no idea. Maybe that explains why, although I think he's a great chef, I haven't really warmed up to him. I liked Shuai right away and the more we got to "know" him, the more I've liked him. He's also a great chef and he's a nice, humble guy I'm sure I'd like if I met him in person. I'm praying that he pulled out the win.

I liked him on his season but he was very low key and almost forgettable. If I remember correctly, it was a surprise to many when he won. The only negative thing I recall is that he made crudo too often.

Ditto on the botoxed grandma. I would have preferred the firemen to the divorced couple because that woman is going to be shrieking and carrying on every episode. I'm already sick of her.

Yes. I don't get it either. They should have gone to Victoria and done something at the famous and beautiful Empress hotel. Or Butchart Gardens. Maybe those places didn't want to pay for the privilege.

I'm with you on that. I was as impressed as everyone else when she completed that course no woman had done before and I watched it nine or ten times. However, all the acclaim quickly went to her head and she started playing to the cameras and acting smug. He wasn't much better. I was totally sick of her by the time she quit ANW and I'm not looking forward to seeing her again.

I was relieved to see that they went back to the original format instead of the races I hated. Maybe they listened to their viewers. I'd prefer to see more of the old timers instead of the new people who seem to be mostly teenagers but I guess it's inevitable that people drop out as the years go by and they get older. I will never understand why so many people don't like Daniel Gil. He's been one of my top favorites since his very impressive first season. I have zero interest in his job as a "worship leader" which may be what turns people off. I just think he's a first-class ninja and also a nice, decent guy. The baby didn't seem bothered at all by the crowd and noise and her mom jumping up and down.

I didn't understand the emphasis on slow motion. I don't know enough about Lego construction to know if that criterion affected the way the pieces were built. The slow and stop motion effects came from the cameras, The builders had no control once their creations were released by Will. The right team went home IMO.

You've got that right. I hated them bringing back eliminated contestants and then offing chefs who had earned their way to that point. I guess that's part of the game as the producers designed it but it felt very unfair. I also don't think much of the insipid comments during judging. Martha and José don't seem to be putting any effort into it at all.

I thought she'd be the first one out as soon as I saw her. Then she showed herself to be the type whose problems are always going to be someone else's fault. Sadly, the judges couldn't excuse the spinach swimming in sauce. I wonder why Bobby chose her first and then Orchid, possibly the two weakest cooks there. I also wonder why the guy who has won 80 competitions was picked last and by default at that. Maybe he has an ego problem that has preceded him. Love Carson Kressley.

Massimo is admittedly a bit much but I didn't dislike him. I suspect that he is a much better chef than Bailey will ever be so I was disappointed by the judges' decision. Shuai has been my favorite all along so I'll be delighted if he pulls off the win. He's had some ups and down but so has Tristen. I like his personality, his attitude and his modesty. Tristen is obviously a great cook and would be a worthy winner but he seems to have a chip on his shoulder and a big ego that became evident the past couple of episodes. Also I question a man who polishes his nails when he knows he has to cook the next day. I'm pretty sure that's a no-no in serious kitchens. I don't think Cesar can beat out both Shuai and Tristen and win. However, I like him a lot and wish him well. I'm glad he got to go to Milan no matter what happens.

I said right at the beginning that I suspected that he was brought in to cause problems and I now think I was right. He set a tone and riled people up. He did what he was hired to do and left without any explanation from the hosts. Of course, I could be wrong...... but I don't think so.

Yes, yes and more yes. The only thing I liked was the kitchen and a lot of people here didn't like even that. The pickleball area with the hideous wall art was absolutely awful. I can't imagine how anyone thought that added value. I wasn't very impressed with any of the houses taken as a whole although several had some nice areas. I was hoping the brothers would win just because I liked them.

Here we go again. On the positive side, I'm very happy to see Tiffany Derry replacing Aaron whom I haven't cared for since he was on Chopped. On the negative side, I don't like the couples format. We're going to have a whole season of hugging and kissing and eventually quarreling and other things that don't belong in a supposedly serious cooking competition. I can see it coming.

I was disappointed when Kevin was eliminated. I thought his dish looked great even though he didn't handle the English muffin well. He should have just sliced a thin layer off the top rather than cut it in half or leave it whole. I don't care for either Nini or Stephanie so I wasn't sorry to see them both go after the next round. I really, really wanted Bryan to win but I knew he'd lost when I saw what he was cooking and compared it to what Sawyer was doing. So disappointing. He handled his loss like the gentleman he is. I recognize that Sawyer is an excellent chef and even has a James Beard award but I've always found him to be a bit creepy. Not sure why. Like everyone above, I commend him for his sobriety but I'm sick of hearing about it.

This show is a mess. I kinda like the big guy who made the chocolate pudding but most of the rest of them are totally unappealing. I respect José for his work with World Central Kitchen and I think Martha is marvelous for 83 y/o but neither comes across well as host/judge. Each chef is supposed to be working on some personality defect but almost nothing is being said about that when it was the premise of the show. It's just another cooking competition.

I've read that all the places TC goes have to pay for the privilege of hosting somehow and it can be quite expensive for them. Maybe Toronto and Calgary were the only cities willing to pony up. I have no idea - just speculating.

Gender should have absolutely nothing to do with judgments about food but I do think that it influences some producers who worry about being accused of sexism or whatever. The only way I want to see Bailey in the finals is if one of the men submits a dish that is clearly inferior to hers.

Having a picture with a peacock doesn't seem odd to me at all. I've been to many zoos and a lot of them have peacocks roaming around. People take pictures of them and with them all the time. I think I could find a shot of myself with one if I dug into old photos far enough.

CK 2.0 seems a little more sedate than the original version but I'm enjoying it. I think Brian Malarkey is doing a good job as host. He's keeping the basic vibe without Alton's mean streak.

I'll second that. I liked Sunny years ago when she was new to FN and acted like a normal person. I can't stand the attention-seeking loudmouth she's become. I have never liked Tiffani. I've pretty much stopped watching Chopped since she became a permanent judge. Gabe would be a big improvement AFAIC.

I've liked Priya since the beginning and she's been my favorite since Corey left so I'm glad she won. Her cake wasn't spring-y but it was elegant and apparently delicious even if it had a little too much ganache. Raveena's cake was lovely but the cake itself had flaws. Lisa's cake was a distant third IMO. It looked amateurish. I was happy with the judges' decision.