bravofan27

Not to be a grinchface, but it takes 5 days to make injera since it needs to ferment. And the sauces/fillings are all curries and stews, which take a ton of time to make and also are very messy. Everything would run together, so I don't think Ethiopian would work for many reasons.

Regardless of whether Michelle takes it all, I have a feeling we will be seeing her often on TC and other shows. She just has the sweetest personality and great smile. I'm glad she and Savannah are bonding. Manny's ask about porridge was bizarre. He clearly wasn't following the line of questions and answers, or understanding what was going on. I think he just said a food. When it was his turn, he was taken aback. I think Kristen was trying to get the "messy" get dirty thing message about eating off the table in a group, when she picked up all that filling and put it between her puffins. However, when she hastily grabbed everything, took a huge bite, and then threw it down, I was kind of embarrassed for her. Like, Girl, are you okay? IMO, the only way I would want to eat food off a table with a bunch of other people if it was a finger food or bite-sized thing, like with sushi were everyone takes a piece with chopsticks (not touching the plate) and tips into their own little thing of soy. Or like a charcuterie board. I saw the judges using forks and knifes and going back in with the same forks and knives and we should know better about food safety and cross contamination how fast stuff spreads. I actually liked Michelle's mosaic because it made me think of how sushi is often served-- bite sized pick up pieces, and when the one guest judge said, "I feel like I have to pick it up and put it over here like it's my own plate, I was like, YEAH, cuz Michelle is trying to not be grossed out and facilitate all you getting mono.

https://foodsided.com/posts/chef-kaleena-bliss-mental-health-conversation-top-chef-season-21-interview-01hxfd1dm4k7

I don't know if people saw this new article about how Kaleena opted out of doing LCK again because she wanted to prioritize her mental health. Personally, I think she was embarrassed. As executive chef on kitchen wars, she tried super hard to make it seem like everyone was this team and working together, when the whole time, everyone just side eyed her. There was so little engagement from anyone with Kaleena. It was like a completely silent kitchen with Danny, Soo, and Laura looking miserable and tortured. No one seems remotely worried about getting sick. All those chefs eating off the same table seemed really gross. It's not a preschool sensory table (which are also gross).

They can use anything in the kitchen, and the sous vide was in the kitchen, along with all the supplies, so it's fair game.

Sorry! Didn't realize you had to wait till the episode ended. With my time zone, and the fact the thread was open, I thought it was fair to comment. My bad. :)

She also specifically recognized one of the smells as something used for cooking in a wok. So I think that and the woks in the kitchen (she was likely looking for one) made her more sure.

I liked how they started this episode showing everyone sharpening their knives and talking about their families. I was surprised that Dan tried out 13 times for Top Chef-- wonder if it was just coincidence that he landed the role when they came to Wisconsin. I wonder if they brought Tom and Gail into the elimination challenge because they were having a hard time finding local people to guest/introduce the elimination challenge. I am also kind of disappointed that after the Native American challenge, and all the talk about how chefs don't use these ingredients, more chefs or challenges are incorporating these foods. I think what would really impress the judges if the chefs made a dish that incorporated ingredients and flavors, cooking styles, they learned in the Native American challenge. In an interview that Kalena gave, she said it was challenging to shop in Wisconsin because they just didn't have the same products available that are available in other parts of the country. I think this super disadvantages Manny and definitely give Dan the edge since he knows what is available and good.

Adriano's interest in Alex is puzzling. They have nothing in common, and she's becoming a psycho insisting he believe in God, like faith is something you can insist someone have. She wants to control him, and she's acting nutty.

If there was a law against cleavage, then she should DEFINITELY show some of her bubbas.

I can keep better track of Shota on the Japan trip. Who knows how to find him in Seattle. He could be anywhere. LOL. That's probably why the price is high-- or one reason-- weed out the weirdos. LOL.

Shota is from Japan so even more personalized tour I'm sure. I want to go, but only for the food and Shota. I didn't really understand the purpose of the All-Stars doing the shopping. Especially since they were able to tell the All-Stars what they wanted them to buy.

I think the purpose of the fish boil is the kerosene part. People no one has said anything about enjoying the food. It's a good way for all the Wisconsin people to use up all the fish they have caught in fileted that is sitting in their freezer. (From Madison, so I know).

Basically, Luke gave Madeline 10,000 to get her nails and eyelashes done, because I think Madeline is probably the only regular customer at that salon. Shawn is way too old for Aliyah. Not because of societal rules about age gaps and dating, but he just seems to struggle to keep up with her. They have totally different energies.

Me thinks that Alex, when she was traveling solo to Italy, had a threesome with Adriano. I think that's why he is so confused that now she doesn't want to have one. He clearly knows that she has had threesomes. I think he knows firsthand. She's kind of bait and switching. Luke and Madeline's storyline is seeming really scripted. Nothing seems believable.

I actually think Madeleine and Luke are a cute couple. I also feel like a lot of their dialogue is scripted, definitely her interviews, and the storyline in general. That said, I think they both have cute personalities and are a real couple. Alex though. Man, her boyfriend doesn't try to understand anything. Her experience as a person of color, her religion, monogamy, how people build houses on hills. He's cute, but there is not much depth to him at all. If she wants a real connection, she's screwed.

The original native americans were not farmers. They were hunters/gatherers. It's definitely not possible to milk a wild bison. They are super dangerous. I thought it was weird that they mentioned how many federally recognized tribes there were in Wisconsin, but then brought in a chef that was from South Dakota and works in Minneapolis. But whatever.

What happened to two people maybe going home? Is that no longer happening?

I don't think Laura understood what Kaleena wanted, as Kaleena was the one that wanted tickets a certain way and wouldn't accept them the way Laura provided, but it didn't seem like she took any time to train Laura how she wanted them. Never ever have the judges ever nailed the front of house person for not training the staff, or has it ever been brought up. To me, it seems that if the staff mess up, it's still the responsiblity of the FOH to notice it right away and fix it. Note that the judges had to beckon Laura over and TELL HER that their food wasn't arriving and it had been 30 minutes. Sure, it was probably cuz the servers suck, but Laura's correct move would have been to be at that table providing updates and apologies.

I think the idea is that the chef that won the last challenge, even though now they aren't safe from elimination, are able to provide a benefit to the team they work with. So having a 5th chef was a lucky gift and wildcard part of the game, but driven because of having to find a way to reward the winning chef from the last EC. IMO. Having a 5th chef was the prize for the winner of the EC, and the others benefitted. There were clues they would do this, because recall that Charley received immunity just because he was paired with Michelle before (who had immunity).

I couldn't tell too much what was going on when and where. But some comments. Laura did a beautiful job. She's very poised and elegant and I think she really killed her role and remained calm. Michelle definitely looked stressed out and uncomfortable as the face of the restaurant. Her avoiding the chefs when they arrived-- really surprised that she was that insecure/intimidated--- not sure. But she should have been psyched to see them, instead of scurrying away. Weird. This was her chance to engage with them, have 1:1 face time with them, show off her personality and connect in a different way. She blew it, IMO. I don't think Michelle is going win, just based on that. I think Tom is going to definitely remember. The black chef that was with Gail I think fell in love with Laura. As soon as she approached the table, he had this lovey dovey look in his eyes and had a soft voice and looked like he was in heaven just looking at her. Okay, I'm maybe being dramatic, but he was DEFINITELY into Laura. Kaleena really showed her arrogance and her faking her leadership was appropriately called out. She was making decisions from the start with the menu, that were poorly conceived, and just being an asshole. She is competitive and hardworking, but she's not very smart. She might be able to fake it at work by projecting herself as dominant and "right" but I'm thrilled the smoke cleared and the judges could see what a jerk and cocky ass she is. Rant over.

So, I found out that kielbasa is a type of polish sausage, but kielbasa is a generic term for sausage in Poland. Phew. https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-polish-sausage.htm I've never heard of someone calling a hotdog a brat. A brat is bratwurst as far as I know.

They needed a way to use the flags. LOL. Seriously though, having teams made sense for how they voted, and allowed for teamwork in deciding which meat to use, and also provided a handful of sous chefs motivated to help them win.

Yeah, when they talk about something being seasoned they are talking about salt. If it's bland- not enough salt. They will never say anything is well seasoned but too salty. So seasoned = salt. Flavor = all the other seasonings. IMO.

How apropro that the power bottoms were again together for the sausage race. LOL. Kristen looked super cute and her jacket was adorable. Amir is doing WELL with his Finish sponsorship. Where there is Finish, there is Amir. That said, connecting the quickfire to dishwashing detergent as an inspiration was extremely brave in just how willing Kristin and the others were in looking shameless. And they aren't getting paid for their endorsements but sort of forced to. I'm very curious how well Laura will work with everyone. They made a point to air her interview where she talked about how her dad made her get her own place and be completely independent when she was 16-- that's going to mess you up and affect how you relate to people as an adult. I'm sure that was very scary.