Rai

In season 14, Brooke and Shirley chose two chefs each from the lineup of former competitors, and then their third cook help turned out to be their right-hand chefs from their restaurants. Maybe that's what you were thinking of?

This was truly Yammamoto's best night all around. Divo has carved out a very special place in my heart. I really don't care he didn't change his tempo for his duck walk. To me, that added to the precision because he never dropped the beat. I loved that he faced off against Brooklyn who is truly a superstar, and honestly, I love that he beat Brooklyn too. I also found it hilarious when Yammamoto was thinking each judge individually for what they contributed in their critiques (Keke, acting! Leiomy, dance! Law, fashion!) and when they got to Jameela, they were like....uh, just want to make you gag! Nice workaround, y'all. It was Juicy's to lose though, and even though they didn't have a flawless night, there definitely didn't seem to be a doubt who would walk away with the trophy. So I think that definitely brought the tension down. I also think it would've been tighter between Revlon and Juciy, no shade to Yammamoto. Revlon was just SO good and definitely clean and precise, since that's a thing now. But everyone loves an underdog story, I guess. It also felt like a really short episode! House performance, five elements of vogue, and then boom, done! An all-house vogue-off, or an individual vogue-off incorporating the five elements would've been great. And I miss when the exhibitions got really niche too. I remember in season 1, the house performance that had to incorporate a mannequin or still life tableau kind of element. I miss those. Looking forward to another season though, if only to see Keke kiki on this judges panel again. I've become a huge fan already, and I love how she pointed out the challenging relationship so many queer youth have with their churches and religious upbringing. It takes a special kind of faith to still commit to any religion if it's a branch that's been preaching against you from birth. I admire it even if I'm not entirely on board with it. But no one asked me! In the "no one asked me" dept., there was one element that bothered me, and that was the D&G aspect. Amazing prize, no doubt, but somehow, it seems over much for a DIY kind of scene like ballroom? My bigger concern though is how it feels like more contrived image management for D&G after all their PR difficulties a few years ago over some very racist messaging and acts from within the house. From one of the founders! They're a thing, and it's hard to imagine high fashion without their house, but coming in here has "image management" written all over it, and it honestly grossed me out a little. I shouldn't hate. These performers deserve high-label clothing just as much as anyone does. I literally wish it'd been any other house though. Law, if you swung the deal, please aim for a Marc Jacobs or Moschino next time. Comme des Garcons! Viktor and Rolf! Balenciaga! Go nuts! Choices, that's all I'm saying. Would definitely love a season 4 though, and would definitely love to see another classic house in the mix. Xtravaganza? PS, to my point about D&G, here's an article that talks about their problematic history and also how short memories can be about this kind of thing.

Having now listened to the episode, I have to say, Sarah was a fantastic guest. She gave wonderful insights as to what it's like being on Top Chef and even why it's a less competitive vibe right now. Loved it.

Yeah, really. Keke Palmer speaks with confidence and knowledge, and gives critiques, but there's nothing unkind about her criticisms. The read she gave Law Roach was such a thing of beauty even he was dazzled. I really never knew much about her (and can't name one of her songs), but I'm all in on her now. Queen!

I like that podcast a lot too. Between them and the crappens guys, I feel like I never run out of ways to relive the magic!

I cannot believe Revlon went home. I am desolate. Leslie Jones was an amazing guest though. Her outfit! She slayed. Kelly Rowland was a surprisingly sharp judge. And Dominique Jackson is flawless as always. I just finally watched season 3 of Pose a few weeks ago (I know, I know), so it was good to see her again. Juicy Couture seems on lock, and yo, they totally deserve it. Even if Revlon had stayed, I'm very okay with JC taking it home. That said, I wish they were facing Revlon because they're the only house who seem able to give Juicy Couture some competition. Sure, Yammamoto has a determined underdog factor, but they're never going to be strong enough. Of course, watch me be TOTALLY WRONG. But c'mon. Juicy Couture is the business here.

Still not watching this, just keeping up with it, and yo. We need to talk about Bruno. Was he just added to the Pit Crew in season 14 or have I been sleeping on him? ...I mean, I wish I was sleeping on him. HEY OOOOOH. But seriously, he is FINE.

I admit I yelled at the TV a couple times when it came to the sous chefs. I thought it was very nice of Sarah to pick Robert. I completely forgot he won the first challenge and seemed like a genuine contender before they crashed and burned together. I've never been a Jackson fan, and while I get he cooks the kind of fine-dining food Buddha does too, I just would not trust my final meal to someone who owned up to having no sense of taste on his way out the door. I mean, okay, it was amazing how hard he was winning up to that point, so what do I know. Just seemed really risky though. I loved Jo, but when she was talking about how strong she and Evelyn are together, I yelled out "on the bottom!" They nearly got cut when they were a team, so idk, maybe you two aren't the best team? But they did a lovely job together even if it seemed Evelyn struggled to explain her instructions at times.

I knew Buddha would win, but I still rooted for Evelyn all the same. All three turned out lovely menus though. I like that Sarah did think about zero waste -- until she did that, I didn't actually know what was her point of view. I think Evelyn's downfall was the currymole because it was just a hunk of meat with sauce over it. It needs more fine-tuning. Sarah's dessert and plating for it was probably her finest moment. I will dream of Buddha's lamb dish for a while. And those leaves on his dessert -- I can't lie, they looked technically incredible. I'm not made of stone, so of course Buddha talking about his dad and then the call at the end were moving moments. But honestly, where Buddha won me over is when he suggested Evelyn call her currymole "Murray." I laughed a lot. Good on yer, Buddha. I would welcome Evelyn in an all-stars any day. I would welcome Sarah too! She's an agent of chaos, but it turns out man, she can cook. I really don't care if she always seems "on." That's how some people are to cope with nerves and social awkwardness/anxiety. Lord knows I have a few practiced anecdotes at the ready when I need them. It'd be great if every person could say just the right authentic thing at the right time every time, but that's pretty unrealistic. Normally, I have zero interest in the judges hugging everyone, but they honestly seemed so warm and supportive to all the finalists. It was very sweet to watch. It's been a sweet season. Looking forward to seeing the next asap -- get filming, magical elves!

This is basically what I was coming in here to say, so I'm just going to amplify it. As noted above by @marybennet, Evelyn actually specializes in South Asian cuisine professionally, and while she has enjoyed demonstrating commonality between South Asian and the American Southwest, I don't take it for granted she'll be nailing every ingredient local to the area. By inference, Carrie Baird should've had an advantage with the Rocky Mountain oysters in her season, and though she knew enough to at least prep for a potential challenge with them, she still bombed the quickfire with them anyway. So I don't see Evelyn as having any special advantage, really. Can't believe there's only one episode to go all of a sudden! Evelyn is my fave still. I could live with Sarah winning. I could live with Buddha winning, although he's my third fave in this fight. But they're all great. I was very sad to see Damarr go home. Once his beans got mushy, I was thinking he should make a crispy bean patty from them, but you know, armchair quarterbacking and all that. Really hope he comes back for an All-Stars. (I love both Sarah's and Damarr's personalities too. People just are who they are.)

Juicy Couture and Revlon should have this on lock by now, and I'd be down with either of them winning. The only acceptable use of Leiomy's flag would be for one of those two houses, I'm assuming. Someone told Jameela to be more critical this season, I guess, because damn. Still loving Keke Palmer! She really does speak from a performance perspective that's different from Leiomy's specific ballroom background. I feel like I finally got to see what's so special about Alpha Omega on the episode they went home, alas. Jesus, Rebel is a god among studs. But yeah, I don't know what the Burberry textile was all about other than an earth tone. I feel for Makevelli, but also, I'm kinda over them. It's like a similar story to Escada, but Escada actually won a lot more often that Makevelli has ever. I know they can't win, but jesus. Put them out of their misery already. Deshaun does seem to be kinda low energy, and I don't know why. Sir! We get the hype cue from you! Pump your own beat! (Uh, phrasing, I know.) This is a much better season than 2 though. I've gotten to know the houses better, and the live audience does make a huge difference. That said, I wish it wasn't so regimented into a house performance and a singles category. I get why they've hit that formula, but I loved learning all the different categories in season 1. It helped me get to know the individuals better too. Still, I'm glad this show exists, and I love that Bob the Drag Queen dropped by. I would DIE if Sasha Velour came by once as well. Just sayin'.

I'm still rooting for them, but Revlon and Juicy Couture have got my attention. Actually, as I watched the houses do their animal thing, I was like "I don't know, the judges are a little harsh, they're all fine," and then Revlon performed and I was whooping and hollering in my living room. Okay, there IS a difference, and I felt it. Sometimes critiques like "we need to feel your passion" seem so vague, but Revlon really demonstrated what it was about. The 360 looks incredibly difficult. I already ache in my knees watching the duck walks, but forget even trying the dips!

I caught up this morning, and I'm okay with a final four if they get to do a lipsync tournament. Marina keeps being the surprise dark horse, and despite Estrella's lack of polish (although her black and white look was excellent), her talent is so evident it would've been heartbreaking to cut her out of the finale. Sharonne is PROBABLY the winner. But I've come to really embrace Venedita to the point that I think I'm most rooting for her to win. A bearded queen winning a drag race franchise would be amazing to me, and she certainly has the polish and more versatility than I expected. Her makeover was so good! And she's just very charming and sweet (and hot). I don't know. I didn't expect to be so won over by her, but I hope she wins. And if not, Sharonne makes total sense. But who knows? Marina still could upset it all! (Sorry, Estrella, I would put you in fourth in this race probably.)

I refuse to sign up for Paramount+, but I managed to catch Snatch Game on YouTube finally, and it did not disappoint. Jinkx is the clear and obvious winner for her Judy Garland, but omg, Raja was robbed. Her Madame was ON POINT, and the fact that she added the sticks on her arms was genius. And her Diana Vreeland finally gave the gal justice after Robbie Turner's terrible turn at 'er. Trinity was great! But Raja was on another level. I wonder if Ru put Trinity in the top only because she was already blocked, and wanted to make it more interesting? Unclear. Granted, I'm biased more toward Raja than I am Trinity (and I love Trinity), but still. Those were amazing performances and makeup artistry. That said, although I'd already had the Dave punchline spoiled online, the rest of the Judgy Garland performance was so good. The over the rainbow moment? "It's a set, dear! It's cardboard!" Dying. I loved it. It was wonderful to see Jinkx do Snatch Game in a group that could compete with her -- and still have her be the absolute best. I liked Jaida's Prince, was underwhelmed by her Lady Chablis who basically just seemed like Jaida's true self (I say with love because she is a fave). I actually liked Monet's "Martin Lawrence" more than her Mike Tyson just because his violent behavior is still too soon for me. I liked the Boogieman -- and yes, partly because Yvie is pretty hot. I can't remember Shea's first choice! But I was deeply disappointed by her Miss J who is PERFECT Snatch Game fodder, and I only can hope someone does him again someday. It'd be wonderful if someone else did Jay Manuel at the same time (eyes A'Hora and Trinity). As a huge Joanna Lumley fan, I was let down by the Viv, but her Catherine Tate was fun if somewhat incomprehensible. I have a lot to say about a season I'm not watching. Well, it's a delightful group, and I'm glad we can enjoy them the whole time. Just hope Jaida really finds a way to stand out! Hoo-hoo!

I haven't watched episode three yet (probably will tonight), but I've come to accept I don't at all understand how to judge the houses. Instead, I will defer to the judges and just yell encouragement from my couch like they can hear me in the past. By law (but not by Law), I am required to root for the true legendary house of La Beija, especially with the addition of Aja. (I assume most viewers of this show have also seen Paris is Burning and drag race, and that I don't have to explain my bias!) I kinda wonder if they got low scores just for the judges to mess with them a bit given their legendary status. But then seeing how harshly they scored the houses in the second episode, it would appear no, they're just going to put them through it. That said, I literally don't understand how it's freestyle but it's got to be as clean as a choreographed bit. That's kinda where Leiomy lost me, and I defer to her as the true expert in the room (her and Deshaun). I've always assumed they were choreographed performances when it's a house thing and more freestyle when it's a face-off between two individuals. I guess I have much to learn. I was at first very sad that Megan Thee Stallion had been replaced, but man, two episodes in, and I'm all for Keke Palmer. She seems to know what she's talking about, she's not afraid to stand up to the other judges, especially Law, and she's got that tough love thang going on. Bring it, queen. Law and Jamilla are what they are, and that's all I'm going to say about that. Deshaun seems a little subdued and yeah, possibly been touched by an angel as is the nice way to put "got some work done." I'm still all in though. It's nice to have a live crowd back. I think that really hurt last season, and I'm glad they were able to find a way to work a crowd in.

Hung was interesting because while he was arrogant, he seemed to be the obvious winner for most of the season. I wasn't at all mad about his win although I did feel bad Casey fell apart so hard. Something that always bothered me about how Hung was treated on the show though was Tom insisting he had to bring in more of his soul and background, which I took to mean Vietnamese flavors specifically. Hung did a great pivot to address just that in his finale, but honestly, had he said "I'm a classically trained French chef, and I'm drawing on the French influences of my background," I would've cheered for that. I'm really happy Top Chef has shifted its focus away from classic training and euro-centrism, but if that's the way he genuinely cooks and wants to cook, it makes me uncomfortable to force this whole narrative expectation on how he SHOULD be cooking. Weirdly, season 3 remains one of my favorites, especially of the early seasons. Just enough conflict for fun, not enough to actually get in the way of making good food. Except for that Elks episode. Oof.

Nick was one of my early faves, so I'm bummed that he's gone. The way he talked this whole episode about the opportunity and disappointment is one of the reasons why I got attached so early. He just seems like a warm, committed dude, and I dig it. Unfortunately, Quickfires aside, I've been afraid for his chances to hit the finals for a while now, and alas, that's how it panned out. I didn't expect him to go out on such a flaming catastrophe though. Wooooof. This is where I'll apparently read myself, but his fishcake plate looked like I'd plated it. It was the definition of ugly delicious. His taco plate wasn't much better. That tortilla in the beauty shot was ROUGH. I always assume production picks the best plate for the close-ups, so if that one was the best? Yiiiikes. He knew he was gone, and he chose to spend his last minutes on the show pumping up Damarr, and honestly, dude, you were terrific. Sarah's humor reminds me a lot of Stephanie Cmar's humor, who's basically one of my very favorite personalities to ever have been on this show. She's a lot more of a nervous, rambler talker than Stephanie was, but the deadpan, self-deprecation is similar. As such, I don't have an issue with her personality, and I was super impressed by her plating this episode. I think she 100 percent earned her win. That said, the two I'm rooting for the most remain Evelyn and Damarr. Sorry, Buddha! But it would feel anticlimactic for him to win, which I then have to admit it probably means he is cooking the best food. (Although according to the Top Chef stats site, Evelyn and Buddha are tied for elimination wins.) Evelyn may have played it safe here, but she has served up some very refined plates, and I don't think people always remember that. She does have the fine dining chops. She just might not take as many risks as Buddha in her flavors. Damarr keeps feeling like the stealth winner though. We'll see. I wouldn't have a problem with Buddha winning, I just am more invested in Evelyn or Damarr winning. Similarly, I wouldn't have a problem with Sarah winning, since she's proven she can cook through a hell of a gauntlet. I also don't have a problem with LCK when only one person is brought back. But ever since it became two of them, and it's not even a veteran chef from a previous season kinda of gimmick, I've been way less into LCK. Okay, a second chance is cool and all, but just do one. Sarah is possibly the LCK all-star at this point, and if she wins, she'll be the LCK GOAT. However, I admit, I don't see her making it to the final three. Maybe I'm being unfairly biased against an LCK winner. This is something I can live with. Finally, my apologies to Arizona, but I laughed so hard at Padma trying to get them all excited for Tuscon and them having to go along with it. Top Chef finales have been in Vegas! Puerto Rico! Aspen! Singapore! Italy! And now...Tuscon! Even "the coast" from last season sounded more exciting. I know, it's covid, and honestly, I am intrigued as to what qualifies Tuscon to be a UNESCO heritage site for food, The initial reaction was to giggle though, and again, this is something I can live with. This has been a surprisingly good season. I'll be sad when it's over!

Oh nooooooooo, I loved Jae. I'm bummed she had to go. I honestly thought Demarr was done for though, since Tom seemed to hate his entire dish. I agree with Melissa's assessment that Asheligh may have focused too much on her presentation and not enough on the actual cookery. It was wild seeing Claudette again. She definitely seems to have gotten a glow-up since competing on Top Chef. I remember her as being super obnoxious on her season, and more than that, not particularly kind about the Top Chef franchise itself. I'm surprised that they would ask her to come back and that she would agree to come back. Maybe she was different on Top Chef Mexico, I dunno. I've been rooting for Nick right from the start, but honestly, I thought Demarr had been outperforming him. Then it turns out he's got the rep and nickname for slaying the quickfires? That was something I hadn't been paying enough attention to, but I love that they call him the baker. That's hilarious. I also think his gumbo would've been good for the win. Easier to make for a trip, I'd think. That said, Buddha's dessert looked like space food. It was a really fun plate, and if you ever saw it in a sci-fi movie, you'd be like 'Space food!" He and Evelyn seem like the destined top two. I hope I'm not jinxing anyone. Evelyn's stew looked and sounded fantastic. I will take a big bowl of that, most definitely. Demarr has been one of the top performers this whole time, so it was a surprise to see him in the bottom. He's my number three pick for the finale, depending on how the LCK winner does. But messing up rice -- twice! -- has got to be super disappointing for him. I'm bummed Jae left because bulgogi beef is totally one of my favorite ways to enjoy red meat. I do think of it as thinly cut and tender and easily broken down. But it must have been way over a normal tender texture to get booted out. I could see the argument for any one of them going home. I liked the astronaut's point about how barley does cross multiple cultures though. That was a lovely thing to note. It's been a great season, and I'm not sure who's gonna win, but it'll clearly be someone talented as all get out.

So apparently Melissa King was at the Met Gala tonight! I actually only mention this in light of the conversation around Kwame's hand accessory, although I think it's pretty great she's getting to move in these kinds of circles. Anyway, check out entry #24 in the article. She looks fantastic. https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/fashion/g39881268/best-worst-dressed-met-gala-2022/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-media&src=socialflowTW&utm_campaign=socialflowTWCOS

Oh yeah, I forgot to comment on the Quickfire! I enjoy the color challenges and appreciated that this time, they had the ingredients all separated out already as opposed to on season 2 when the chefs had to scramble to see what was available, and Cliff got purple but was colorblind. This setup was way more accessible. The dishes all looked amazing, but for some reason, Evelyn's really jumped out at me. It might have been the most composed plate she's done yet, and I wanted a bowl of my own immediately.

I'm so happy Jae won this challenge! I don't eat seafood, so her dish wasn't necessarily the one I wanted to try the most (Evelyn's sope probably was my personal winner), but the personal connection she had and the reaction she had when she won were really heartwarming in a genuine way. Still, I was a little surprised Evelyn didn't win given how everyone was responding to her food. It looked and sounded amazing. I'm okay with Luke leaving over Ashleigh although his dish sounded more composed (also, meatloaf and mashed potatoes are my thang). He really hasn't fulfilled the potential I expect from someone who worked at Noma for so long, and I think that expectation has been coloring the judges' perception of his food as well. Luke was a very strong candidate to go home last week, so this feels a little inevitable. I don't think Ashleigh will make it to the finals either, truth be told, but her point of view interests me more, so I want to see what else she does in her time left on the show. Buddha, Evelyn, and Demarr now seem like the logical top three, but I wouldn't mind Jae bumping out Buddha. An Evelyn/Demarr final showdown as top two (depending on how Top Chef does the final table this year) would be pretty amazing. It's hard not to see Evelyn as one of the last finalists standing, basically. As for the Kwame thing, his hand jewelry certainly looked heavy to wear all day, but it's not particularly out there. Kwame has said he likes to be fashion forward, and jewelry on men in Black culture especially isn't unusual. His outfit was very classic in tailoring, and the yellow accent stripe worked better than that outfit he wore in Portland with the yellow caution tape pattern. This will probably be my last weighing in for this episode, but basically, Kwame is dressing up more formally to be on the judges panel the way the other judges dress to impress. He's just going about it in a younger, more contemporary way, and he enjoys playing with fashion. I wish more celebrity men -- or even average joes -- paid that much attention to their clothing. I guess the one upside is that he's getting the same level of criticism Gail and Padma get, but that's not the kind of fashion equality I want. It's so much more fun to see someone take chances with their outfits. Even if they aren't always successful -- although he looked very sharp to me here -- it's way more interesting to see something new than, say, Tom's knit beanie from the Portland season. Now THAT was a tragedy.

Big difference between personal preference and ragging on a man for his own personal preferences. And since his appearance has nothing to do with how he judges on the show, I'm all in favor of letting him live his truth.

It's so wild to me how much it seems to upset people that Kwame paints his nails. A lot of men do it. It's just not news any more. Also, I'm wearing the silver nail polish from his minicollection right now, and it's terrific. Plus, he wears the most innocuous color too. It's not like it's neon green or orange (although I wouldn't care if he did). Much like Padma and Gail, he has fun with his fashion, and I want to see more of that in the world. Especially from dudes.

In case there's any confusion, I'm not saying that having the numbered knife means you HAVE to be executive chef. But it is a question that Tom has asked in multiple seasons, so people being prepared to answer it doesn't seem like a bad idea. Always be preppin'. Also, why pick Ashleigh over Buddha? Nick clearly wanted to work with people who had similar flavor profiles to him and said as much. Ashleigh cooks more in Nick's wheelhouse than Buddha does. Really no way to judge how he'd fare in an southern American food context. Buddha's incredibly talented and a strong contender for the win, but he's had his stumbles too.

Tom specifically asked Chris why he ceded the executive chef responsibility when he got to choose the team, so it has been raised as an expectation before. I think of all the way back to season 3 when Brian Malarky was the executive chef of the boat party challenge, and he made a big deal about how there was no other choice, that's why they're all there. That's the attitude Tom seems to encourage, and it makes sense as a way to stand out in the competition.