Darth Nigel

Well, every time we see Marcus and his outfits, either my wife or I comment "Marcus is trying out for Doctor Who again"

Well, I can see why.. I read the name and said, "Who?"

Yeah, but one person comes back from LCK, so there really are 7 chefs left.

Quite enjoyed the episode; agree with the various comments on the crappy quickfire. When Jamie missed one plate, and it ended up in front of Padma, she got that haughty tone and said "Care to tell me what happened?" (or some other shitty phrase). I would have given serious money if Jamie had answered, "Well, you're looking a bit chunky these days, Padma. I figured it wouldn't hurt you to miss a course". Cut to Tom, Gail and Hugh-ni-brow giggling like schoolgirls. Alas, 'twas not to be.

Based on an episode i just saw: Chopped 2017: Beard Kisses for Everyone Failing that, I like the offal one as well

Thanks, JeanneH. That was a good read, and makes me realize why I would never succeed in the restaurant business (well, other than I can't cook for shit)

I am confused watching Katsuji's interactions on the show (where he's often shown being a dick), and comparing it with the reactions of many of the chefs around him and on his Facebook feed. Then I remembered something John Scalzi wrote -- "The failure mode of 'clever' is asshole". I suspect that applies here too, although it's possible Katsuji is an asshole, just a personable one. Having said that, I loved watching John and Katsuji together. And they produced some good food too. I figure about two or three more episodes before we get down to the serious contenders; there's still a few (in both camps) who clearly are not going to be successful here.

So what's with FN and kids? (or probably "KIDZ!!!!")? The last couple of BBF have had kids as the Round 1 judges (with someone older if not more mature as the designated grownup) which is OK. But then the Round 2 judges are all kids as well, which seems a little unwise. It's making me grumpy, which I don't need these days.

Well, 5 out of 6 people really enjoy Russian Roulette and would play again...

Seems like the last few episodes have had episode-specific opening credits. I think that the only chefs we see in the opening montage are the chefs on that night's show. Certainly true for the "scotch egg" one and the one before that. Wonder why?

If I were Amar, I would have said "My favorite magician is Teller, and he doesn't talk", and then presented the food in silence claiming it was part of the schtick. Also, I missed who the guest judge was -- Julio somebody -- but he didn't seem to have a lot to say. Generally, these have been more likable chefs this season (some I liked more than others) compared with the bitch-fest that some previous seasons have given us. I don't think any of the final however many it was since Philip left did themselves any damage by being on the show, and I'd probably watch them if they showed up again/go to their restaurants. Much nicer season for me.

I swear I've seen some restaurant show (maybe Scott Conant's short-lived "24 Hour Restaurant Battle") where the contestants had to open a restaurant in a day. The chefs figured out the menus and the decor, picking colors from swatches and furniture/cutlery/fittings from a big catalog. Then they went off to do the cooking, and a small team of painters/dressers/grips came in and made the restaurant space appear. This worked quite well. The chefs still had the job of defining the decor, planning the menu, cooking, FOH, expediting, service and dealing with any minor disasters that happened before or during service. They were critiqued a little on the theming and especially on the food/service/comfort. I remember one chef served everything family style round big tables, which wasn't as successful as he had hoped. I'd like to see something like that in Restaurant Wars. Given how unrealistic the scenario is, let us at least give them some help for the things that are not related to cooking and service.

There's a BBC Documentary called Victorian Bakers up on YouTube. Looks interesting.

Damn, I can't tell some of them apart. But I would have loved to see Chad(?) come out and say, "10 years ago, I was a Navy cook. For you tonight, I have prepared Shit-on-a-Shingle. Bon Appetit"... if only to see Padma's look of horror. The kicker would have been to make a gourmet version of SoS on artisinal bread, and have it be delicious.

Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how they show the mayhem and protomolecule on Eros. I'm not thrilled at some of the choices made in the TV series. mostly around characterization. Havelock getting shot, Miller getting kidnapped, the relationships between the crew of the Cant/Tachi/Roci... it feels a little uncomfortable and sort of "TV-ish".