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Shota.

Agreed, I really think if Dawn had been able to go home for a break to think about the structure of this competition she might have been able to process the feedback a little better (and win?). Her beef course showed she is able to create a delicious dish that does not require an edit. It was so simple, and she did tell Jamie "don't worry this one will be easy to plate".

From my own experience it takes AGES to validate the marriage in South Africa! I have friends who've waited a year or so for their marriage certificate after getting married in South Africa. I also know SA has high marriage fraud so you have to interview at Home Affairs to receive a marriage license if you plan to marry a foreign national to show you have a real relationship! Ronald and Tiffany didn't discuss the interview at home affairs when they got married so I always wonder if they did in fact get married.

Yep! I wonder if they didn’t have a big enough rice cooker for the finale. I do adore my rice cooker… but I am on my 3rd one and sometimes the ratios are a little different depending on the brand. I grew up without a rice cooker though and sometimes it’s easier to just cook rice on the stove. I’m thinking the quantity of rice threw him off. the diversity in the finale was so great. I had my reservations about this season because it seemed so “woke” at the beginning but I have come to appreciate how awesome it is to have 3 chefs able to cook their own cuisine with access to the ingredients they usually use. No finale where you have to cook with the food of the region and maybe cook proteins or vegetables you’ve never used before.

Maria bugged me at first and then I really started to like her... I think she has one of those abrasive personalities, but is really all heart.

I love fish sticks and ketchup! My fave.

Gregory actually said "You've all done an amazing job, but you've definitely shown us a lot this season, Shota." And then Shota went on to talk about being ashamed to be Japanese. Shota has mostly (only?) made Japanese food this season, so I think this was a great way of highlighting how Shota has been educating the judges with techniques but also how confident Shota has become in his heritage. Then he went on to ask Dawn about "the clock" and she spoke about her plating issues. I really think this was a "struggle" segment talking about the difficulties those two chefs have had in the past. I find it more interesting Gregory didn't have a unique question for Gabe. He was totally left out of the edit.

The judges were hilarious eating Dawn's second dish! It looked like it was really tasty and no one was holding back even though it was super messy. My husband this episode kept on saying ... this isn't the final? Isn't it usually a final three? I kept on stating it's never a final three we usually have a final two. So, he felt fairly chuffed when he was proved right and we ended up with a final three. I think this season can go to anyone. Maybe the sous chefs are going to make or break the final... but it also seems like there's going to be a twist. Maybe cooking in their hotel or having to swop ingredients or ??? After a few seasons of not being invested in the winner, I've decided I don't mind who wins or loses. I'm here for the storylines, and the food. As Shota mentioned others have told him "being in the finale really changes your life". So, I think all three of these chefs are going to get a big boost to their careers. And we've also seen chefs who've placed further down do some great things. Kwame is a great example of not making it to the final but parlaying his time on Top Chef into amazing success. I'm excited for a final 3. I think it'll be more interesting than a final two.

Lux is also a soap brand.

We don't know if the person coming over does or doesn't pay for anything related to the visa. The show really likes to play up the "poor foreigner who thinks Americans are all wealthy" angle. And they never really talk about money unless it's about the American going in to debt to fund the international love story lifestyle. The two year conditional residency is only if you've been married for under 2 years when you enter the States. I think they've been married 2 years already (or they'll definitely be married 2+ years if he ever gets to the States) so he'll get his 10 year visa as soon as he arrives. I wonder if Tiffany has even applied for the visa. Ronald seemed so disengaged and dismissive during the entire interview. He was acting like it's a farce and he didn't want to be there at all.

Melissa King, Ed Lee, and Dale Talde were all on the judging panel. Ed Lee and Dale Talde were also the two judges who introduced the cheddar challenge. I just don't know if your argument holds weight. Chefs (especially in Top Chef) should be able to work with a multitude of foods and food styles. If this challenge was seriously problematic- one of these 5 individuals would have mentioned it. Instead we have Shota mentioning cheese isn't really used in Japanese cuisine and then crushing the competition.

This show is mostly about sponsorship and they like to create challenges based on certain products. They’ve also had challenges in the past where chefs were allergic to seafood and had to work with gloves/ have fellow chefs taste the food for them. How is this different? Shota also won the challenge and seemed to have a good idea on how to incorporate cheese into Japanese cuisine. I feel like it would be more offensive to scrap a challenge just in case one of the two remaining Asian chefs was lactose intolerant.

TBH I feel like the bigger judging panel (and editing) has diluted Tom's (onscreen) voice. But, I wouldn't be shocked if Tom still has the final say... I rewatched the judging from this episode and Tom's opinion is barely heard (IMO).

Agreed! Dawn's storyline has been "I am a former Olympian and now I'm a chef". She hasn't really referenced her ethnicity and she doesn't seem to *only* cook food from a certain region. The judges also *really* seem to love her food and last episode was the first time (in my memory) they dinged her on components that weren't successful. I've been really excited for a Dawn or Shota win because even though they've both had some missteps they both seem to be cooking delicious innovative and compelling food. I'm not sure of a Gabe win because (honestly) he isn't super memorable in my mind, so I keep forgetting he is in the competition. IIRC Tom used to ding chefs at the judges table for leaving off a component or changing their dish between chatting to him in the kitchen and plating. I'm really happy this no longer happens and instead judges just critique the final product. Shallow note: I've also been loving Tom's style this season. And Kwame's outfits are always chefs kiss! Edited to add: I also LOVE when Dawn wears her hair out. Her hair is super beautiful.

This challenge made me feel a little queasy with the cheese on cheese on cheese aspect. But, I loved Dawn’s interaction with Tom in the kitchen when she spoke about what she was making: cheese with a side of cheese highlighting cheese. Or whatever her quote was it. It made me laugh. I did not think Shota was going to do so well. A cheese based dashi sounded super strange. Cheese tofu though… I want to try that! And it looked like the judges were all stunned and impressed by the flavors. I’m happy all the remaining contestants feel confident cooking their own food. I’m always surprised Gabe is still in the competition. His edit hasn’t been super exciting- he just seems like a mild mannered great chef who makes innovative Mexican food. The other chefs all have had more exciting personalities or gripping storylines.

It looked like they received the same recipe as the judges. So, they were able to see what the final dish should look like.

Love Games was an eye opener for some couples... they really did seem to get along well. But, I think they both know how to play to the cameras and play things up on social media. Either way, I don’t think it’s healthy to put your relationship through that type of strife even if it is “acting”.

Chris doing pasta again... I rolled my eyes, too. Although, I was excited to see what the chef following the recipe would do... I was hoping Melissa’s gnocchi would look and taste better than Chris’s but it looked so raw and pale! I was confused they didn’t really compare the dishes or talk more about the execution of the recipe when judging. Also, I thought the banana leaf, fish dish looked a little like poop. Not at all appealing. side note: the product placement of BMWs this year feels egregious.

He did. I wonder if that put a stop to it this season because of Covid protocols? I’ve noticed the judges generally don’t stand right next to each other when introducing the challenges... but it does amuse me when they file out they’re fairly close together. Although, he has done walkthroughs for some challenges this season. Most notable (in my memory) the episode where he questioned Kiki’s fried chicken idea- but that was an outdoors challenge. I can’t remember him doing walkthroughs indoors.

I wonder how an International divorce/ custody would work if Tiffany initiates the divorce in the States but Ronald is in South Africa and the original marriage took place in South Africa. I know the Deavan and JiHoon’s custody situation is a mess but I’m not sure if they are already divorced or not. . .

Every season, I feel like there is one chef who skates by because the judges like him/ are rooting for him. This season it’s totally Chris. The problem is- judges usually just see the end product and never the process (unless Tom does a walk through and then calls a chef out for changing their plan). If I was ever on Top Chef in a team challenge I would be completely selfish and just concentrate on my own course. The judges never ding someone for creating great food while the rest of the team falters. . . They’re called Bonito flakes and are fairly common in Japanese cooking. I’ve seen them in many Izakayas. Kokoson was so positive and happy. I had a feeling they were going to win because they just seemed to gel at the start and were so receptive to bouncing ideas off each other. Penny seemed so quiet and non-communicative. I had a feeling either Sarah or Chris would go... just from the talking heads. . . They were all so muted and didn’t seem very confident when narrating the episode.

Watched this for the first time a few weeks ago. I was really annoyed by the 8th grade behaviour of the men and especially Rob. But, I'm thinking the sex- focused confessionals were producer driven. Both men and women spoke about how they needed to be in a tribe with the opposite sex. Heidi and Jenna kept on talking about how the other women in the tribe were jealous of their youth/beauty etc (and it didn't really make sense in the context of an all women tribe- they were annoyed because Heidi/Jenna and Shawna weren't pulling their weight!). I'm also wondering if one of the reasons behind Jenna's win was her sick mother (Adam got a lot of sympathy votes during his season IMO). They didn't really mention it during the season, but most of the tribe were aware her mom was sick.

Weed is very, very illegal in Korea. Koreans are also subject to Korean law when traveling abroad, so some k-pop stars have been arrested on their return to Korea after smoking in foreign countries. If you're caught smoking weed in Korea as a foreigner, they deport you. So, I'm fairly sure no one was smoking while in Korea. edit to add: caught smoking includes having weed in your system (urine and/ or hair) English teachers moving to Korea are drug tested when they arrive and will be sent back to their home country if they test positive (even if weed is legal in their country/ State).

Just came over to post this. It's also in the Detroit News. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2021/05/18/nessel-90-day-fiance-participant-must-retract-covid-19-claims-face-litigation/5147058001/ I'm amazed she is claiming with the shot and the vaccine she'll never get Covid. I wonder if getting on the show gave her more popularity to spread her claim and if anyone fell for her story or if people just reported her? SIDE NOTE: I'm amused they refer to her as a "contestant" on the show.