ILuvShibaInus

With Sawyer's win, maybe the "Redemption Tour" will end now and he can stop being on every FN competition show talking about sobriety. As Sophia said on the Golden Girls "You sure know how to beat a metaphor to death." The editors clearly telecast who was going to be in the finale early on so this season was very predictable and those gimmicky last minute switches (no heat, not making a lumberjack breakfast, etc.) just seemed cruel since it seemed preordained who was making it to the end. Unless you have blind judging all the way from start to finish, this show will become like other cooking competition shows that come off as "scripted."

Sawyer has a "redemption edit" for me and since he didn't win on that ho-hum "House of Knives," he gets another shot here. The others are not so much a "redemption" but the "I have something to prove" edit. How many times must they highlight that Bryan V was a three time loser on TC? Or Stephanie was a TC and IC winner but that was decades ago so she must show she still has it? I would not be surprised that at least 2 of the chefs mentioned here make it to the finale.

The ending reminded me several times of why I love the show and its writing: Darlene telling Ben why would she text someone laying in bed next to her, the comment about not hitting Louise with lightening, I took over the restaurant and the food tastes better and a few others. The characters using humor in serious situations where you would not expect it but it works. The ending is almost like the antithesis to them winning the lottery in the original - money is not going to make everything perfect, they stick together no matter what the financial situation. But to leave adult DJ out, BOO!

"I hate that the show makes some look like saints while others are given a less than flattering edit." That's exactly what i mean by the "villain" edit. They are usually full of ego, don't work well in teams/duos as their ideas are always the better ones and they have haven shown to use the majority of money at Whole Foods on team challenges. They may cook very well but their personality is another story. However, they make for great tv since they bring the drama and hang around for a while. See Mike Isabella as an example. Also Spike M. and Tom from the international all-stars edition to a lesser degree. And just like with any other TV reality show, if you don't behave like a know it all or come across with attitude, the producers have nothing to work with.

But Vinny (and Massimo) are getting the "villain" edit this season and we know that type goes far into the competition. Vinny should have been gone last week for making a dish that did not fit the challenge but producer manipulation steps in and he lives another week.

Just rename the show Top Chef: TOC and you'll have a male winner in no time once blind judging goes out the window. The Battle of the Sexes idea would guarantee a male in the finale if you would have 16 men compete against each other (same with women) so 1 man vs. 1 woman in the finale. Expect to see some type of manipulation next year with the brackets.

Kareem finally goes 4 episodes past his expiration date. But does this mean Paul is now the weakest link??

Jon'nae and Kareem have both been circling the drain so too bad it was not a double elimination. I can see producer manipulation to keep him in and am just waiting for the episode where Jessie interviews him and says "you have yet to win" and then like magic, he will win during the episode! So predictable....

Having to incorporate a "whammy" ingredient was so Chopped-like. Someone should have picked Durian (a Chopped favorite) but maybe that market did not have it. And any Chopped viewer knows that when given candy, the chefs just make a sauce out of it so it's really not a sabotage ingredient.

Stephanie is a great chef and I've eaten at one of her restaurants here in Chicago and the meal was excellent. But this is not Top Chef where you make a great plate of food - you have to embrace the randomizer and not just use one aspect of it a single time but multiple ways. Antonia understands this but several other chefs do not; embrace the randomizer not just make a token gesture. Getting rid of East and West brackets and past champions not competing does smack of producer manipulation. Whether that's for Jet, who knows but I suspect they will do whatever to make him a winner.

The only definitive clue I could think of for 20th century: Fox's movie studio

The editing this season pushed a home baker so no surprise who won. Using already made graham crackers is not very creative but yet you win? Even Natasha was throwing shade when she mentioned using graham crackers would be so easy to use. No wonder people think the winner is already determined.

Thankfully they sent home Jonathan. Talk about a mercy killing as he appeared to be in way over his head with the challenges.

Jonathan's team really needed a second character to bring home the story. And the one character they had was unfinished so that killed their chances and unless the other team really screwed up, they had it in the bag.

The editing monkeys show Aaron's talents but also his entitled "attitude." Interesting edit if he ends up being the winner. Almost want him to win so we don't have to see him pop up on another baking show. LOL... And again, someone circling the drain (Hollie) manages to conveniently win right before the semis so the show can say she has legitimately earned a spot. Uh huh...