mlp

Maya is a beautiful child but she was in way over her head and needed to go. She was too young and too inexperienced to compete with kids several years older when a couple years makes a huge difference at that age. Reese needs to go next. Everything he does is sub par which is a bit surprising because his mother's cakes looked beautiful in the pictures we saw. He probably needs a few more years of experience and maturity too. I give Duff and Valerie credit for being willing to taste some of those creations after they've watched the kids manhandling the ingredients. There have been a few things presented that I wouldn't have put anywhere near my mouth.

Let us know when you do. Ham, bread and potato salad just sounds squishy and bland to me. Laura's was even worse because, as someone else pointed out, she had big chunks of potatoes rather than thin slices which would have worked somewhat better. I understand coleslaw because that's basically salad dressing of some kind with crunchy stuff in it but ......................potato salad? Nope.

I didn't understand that final bit at all. It made me wonder if Carl's grousing about his trophy was legit instead of what I had thought was "humor" for the show and they came up with the belt to appease him for some reason. So Bobby got 40K and Carl got the belt and they never really said what happened with the trophy. It all seemed very strange and rather unfair to Bobby to steal his thunder like that.

Anne really wasted her save on Kayla. I don't know what Anne thought she saw in her because she has seemed the least bright of the ones left on the red team. I was happy to see both her and the hyperactive housewife leave. With all the "coaching" Rachael and Anne do from the balcony, I don't understand why one of them didn't tell the people with eggs to put them on first so they'd have time to cook and cool. Even if they had done that though, the contestants would have had a hard time completing the task because it takes time to peel a bunch of hard-boiled eggs no matter how skilled you are. I like Laura OK but I can't imagine why anyone would think that putting potato salad on a sandwich would be a good idea. The texture is all wrong.

Jeff - Thanks for another great recap. Loved it. I haven't cared for Brooke since her own season but I never could quite put my finger on why because, overall, she doesn't have any glaring flaws. This episode illustrated what I don't like about her. She disregarded what they were charged to do (cook from a childhood memory) and did what she wanted to do assuming she'd be so good that they'd forget or overlook that detail. And she was right and got away with it. I think she's going to get her redemption/win if she can avoid doing something the judges can't possibly forgive or let slide.

I sort of think Daniel is going to redeem himself and end up as a finalist but I've been really, really wrong before so he'll probably get sent home this weekend. I too wish they'd replace Rachael. A male would be good as long as it isn't Robert Irvine. I like Eddie or, if they want someone goofy, there's always Jeff Mauro. He can cook.

I have to agree with Michel's assessment of the last episode but I still can't stand foul-mouthed Heather even though she did outperform Heidi. I'm not crazy about Ryan but I hope she earns the win. The only contestant I found at all likable this season was long gone Aaron so I guess I don't really care who wins.

I'm not sure how Damaris got to be a baking authority but I was happy to see Lorraine who is. I've always liked her and I was glad to see her on a show where she wasn't being needled by Nancy Fuller. I like Cooks vs. Cons so I was predisposed to like this show too and I did. Buddy is qualified to judge baking and he wasn't any more OTT than he always is. His personality is a good fit for a show like this but, just like Cooks vs. Cons, I do wish the judges (and Buddy) would tone down their reactions a bit. I was sure the guy who drives for Uber was a baker. He really fooled me.

That's all true but................. I had the impression that he thought Anne would be impressed that he'd learned what she taught him and/or he didn't understand that he was supposed to do something original. I didn't think he was being belligerent which is how Anne seemed to interpret it.

I agree although I find that I'm liking him better as the show goes on. I think, just based on his vocabulary and listening to him talk, that he's probably very bright. Justice is still my favorite though.

Yes. In fact, I've recently started to wonder if the contestants know ahead of time what they will be making rather than figuring things out on the fly as we've been led to believe. I don't even know what aki is and I've sure never seen it anywhere although I'm in the Midwest and we don't have many Jamaicans around either. There do seem to be quite a few cooks with Jamaican backgrounds on the various FN shows so maybe they do stock specialty items like that.

The Save^^^^^^^^^^^ Yes. They announced it as something new at the beginning of the first episode.

Count me in.

I've been thinking the same thing. It seems to me that Anne has been sniping at Daniel since the beginning when he's the one who has been taking everything seriously. Maybe his personality isn't the best fit for this goofy show but she should be judging him on results not whether or not he "cares" enough in her opinion. If I had been a contestant, I would have considered bowing out rather than be bossed around by little kids. That was my idea of disrespectful, not amusing.

Not one of these people is seriously competent or marginally likable. I wonder if GR is obligated to employ the one who wins or if he has an out built into the contract. Paulie is a major douche on every possible level. Kimberly always looked like she was going to burst into tears any second. There was no way she was ready to be in charge of anything or anyone. I'm relieved that they're both gone. I hope the next one out is Heather. She can't seem to manage an entire sentence without cursing so she comes across as ignorant with no class at all. Worse, she's a false friend. She was carrying on with Andrew when she knew he was engaged and she apparently had promised Kimberly she'd take her along if she won the trip then reneged. I'd never trust her. I don't like Ryan either so I hope Heidi wins. I guess.

I don't mind Daniel. I think he's one of the "real" contestants and is actually serious about what he's doing and is just frustrated with all the nonsense even though he should have known what to expect if he's watched the show in the past. I have a feeling I'd probably be just as prickly in that environment.

It looks like they're steadily weeding out all the "contestants" from central casting. Next to go should be the dumb blond who's into ketchup and the hyperactive young woman with elf ears. I don't really mind any of the men who are left but the only women I can stand are the one who is a lawyer and acts like a normal human and the flight attendant who seems OK although she did start a sentence with "Me and......." which drives me up the wall.

I'm not surprised. When I read what a fairly untried chef planned to charge in a brand new business, I figured he was doomed by his own self-importance. NYC is full of great chefs with famous restaurants where people can dine for quite a bit less. I was not a fan when he was on Top Chef because I could see immaturity with as yet unearned ego.

Yeah. I grew up in the Northeast and live in the Midwest and I've never heard of chicken parm where the chicken wasn't breaded and fried. What were they expecting? Boiled? Baked? I can't even picture it any other way.

I was pulling for Amanda to win but I liked Stephanie very much too and wouldn't have been disappointed if she'd won. Amanda's final display was just pristine. If they do this show again, I hope the producers suggest to Johnny that he shave and wash his hair. He seems nice enough but I always sort of cringe at the idea of him handling food because he never looks clean. I'll bet Mary isn't impressed with his appearance because she's used to working with Paul who always looks, in one of her words, "immaculate." Somewhere along the line I got used to the hosts. I now like Ian and Nia has ceased to annoy me.

I kept wondering the same thing. Winning Chopped would prove she's the same person she always was? That made no sense at all. I'm glad Ted was supportive but I'm also glad she lost. I thought it was interesting that they talked about Dale Talde losing on Chopped but no one mentioned his appearances on Top Chef. FN always acts as though that show doesn't exist.

I was relieved to see Charlotte go. She deserved to be eliminated and now I can watch without being half angry because FN allowed an employee's kid to compete in the first place. I did expect the daughter of a know-it-all to be a bit more skilled. Maya is cute. Cole is rather obnoxious as is Aiden. My favorite so far is Justice but he shares a name with my granddog so I'm having a little problem with that. :)

I noticed that too and forgot to mention it. I'd really like to know the details of how the shopping trip works because that reward and the meals at notable restaurants are the only rewards that appeal to me. Trapeze act.............no way would I do that.

It's been said during previous seasons that the contestants do receive quite a bit of instruction prior to filming. Obviously, some are quicker on the uptake than others. Another comment about age..................... We very often see cooks citing their grandmothers as the person who taught them to cook or at least influenced them. If we see a picture, grandma is usually older.

viz. Mary Berry.