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bluepiano

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Everything posted by bluepiano

  1. If this show is really about hiring a Head Chef, then cooking skill shouldn't even be the primary qualification. It's about leadership and the ability to make executive decisions. Jonathan's ridiculous immature snit about the sack of xxxx comment should've made him the person to go home ahead of Dahmere. The personal feud he started with Jason also showed him not able to be a leader. Sometimes in the real world you have to work with jerks, and you need to be able to put your ego aside and get along with them. I was puzzled by some of the contestants chosen for this season. Several were so young, especially on the women's side, that even if they were talented cooks. there's no way they're ready for a high pressure Head Chef job with GR. There was no way a 25-year old or someone with one year of professional culinary experience was going to win this. (Not sexism. I'd say the same thing about a guy with one year in the industry). Ryan has seemed like an obvious choice all year, even more so after Dahmere, the other chef with skill and leardership qualities, got sent home. Plus, he best fit the "American Dream" theme. (Which always seemed silly to me, anyway). Finally, did you know Jonathan has a daughter? And that her name is Saxon? And that winning Hell's Kitchen was her American dream? (Because all little kids have an American dream). Contestants who constantly invoke the name of their kid, as if makes them better than everyone else or more deserving of winning, are so annoying. Jonathan was one of the worst in that regard. Saxon this and Saxon that, all season. Give it a rest.
  2. I liked Sandra too. She was funny and I thought she was the only Red team member with the maturity to be a head chef. Her putting herself up for elimination could just as easily been spun as a positive. As you said, accountability, and holding herself to a high standard. That's a better quality in a head chef/manager than finger pointing and blaming your mistakes on someone else, which is the norm on HK. I hate this thing that GR has started doing of putting people on the spot by asking who the weakest chef is. I thought Sandra showed class by not naming Donya after Donya had named her. An "influencer" who looked like he was about 17 and two actresses from shows I'd never heard of. We are really scraping the bottom of the "celebrity" barrel. Especially considering that "once again, Hell's Kitchen is the hottest reservation in town."
  3. I think there are some good chefs on the women's team, but I don't see any of them having the combination of experience, skill, and leadership qualities to be a Head Chef for GR. Sandra comes the closest, but I don't think she has the right temperament and flies off the handle too easily. On the men's side, I think that both Dahmere and Ryan clearly have what it takes, and maybe Jonathan too. I don't remember a season where one team had such an edge in terms of qualified Head Chef candidates. (Of course, watch now, one of the women will win). Echoing what others have said, some of the prizes for the winning team in the challenge have been pretty lame. Tomahawk throwing? Really? As for Currygate, I've always thought that "curry" was a generic term that encompassed multiple Indian dishes, so Ryan slides by on a technicality.
  4. Yeah, it's been really disappointing. As someone previously posted, GR seems checked out and only going through the motions. Why even bother bringing this show back? It's not like GR is lacking for TV shows. Or money. Just once I'd like to see an episode that deviates from the tired old formula. Where the food is actually good, but the restaurant is failing because of other issues, like mismanagement or poor marketing. But then Gordon would have to get into the actual business of running a restaurant, instead of screaming about how the kitchen is disgusting and they're going to kill someone. Clearly GR and his producers think that's why people are watching. In the real restaurant world, one of the biggest issues that restaurants have is theft by staff, but that's something this show has never touched on either. A few years ago the Food Network had a show about that called Mystery Diners.
  5. No, I don't still live in New York, and as I said, I grew up eating in diners, but that was admittedly many (many) years ago. So I'm sure you're right about diners being a dying thing. One of the diners in my old Queens neighborhood is still there, and seemingly going strong, but they may be an exception. The neighborhood delis in NY are all pretty much gone too. We didn't have the enormous number of chain restaurants and fast food places in the "old days," and that's surely a factor. The restaurant business is strange. In times of economic uncertainty, it seems that many high-end restaurants thrive and the fast food places are packed, but the middle ground restaurants (like family owned diners and delis) struggle to survive.
  6. Gordon may be a world-famous Michelin starred chef, but he knows squat about east coast diners. I grew up eating in diners in Queens and Long Island, and they all had gigantic, multi-page menus. And the astonishing thing was, whatever you ordered, it was good. That's why people go to diners, especially with families, because there's something for everyone. And 20 cooks is not crazy, because diners are typically large, with multiple rooms, and have to quickly turn out a huge volume of food. For this episode, he must've found the worst diner in New York, because they could barely cook toast. Or else the food wasn't really that bad, and it was producer shenanigans. I suspect that was the case with the filthy gross food storage area. Because restaurants get regular visits from health inspectors. How would that diner not have already been shut down for multiple health code violations? I'm not surprised they went back to the large menu, because if I walked into a diner and saw a one-page menu I'd be shocked. Gordon contradicted himself, because he said "it's a diner, not fine dining," and then he gave them the kind of very limited menu you see in high end restaurants. As for Kitchen Nightmares, I'm glad it's back, but I wish in all that time away they'd retooled the concept, because this episode was like a hundred others I've seen. Does every failing restaurant have a filthy, disgusting kitchen? Does every KN episode need to include GR yelling, "you're going to kill someone" and "shut it down."
  7. It always cracks me up when the announcer says that Hell's Kitchen is the hottest reservation in town and then as evidence they introduce some unknown C list celebrity. I've always felt that Jason is a plant for the sake of drama. You know, the veteran chef pro chef gets shown up by the newbies. No way he could have that background and be so clueless in the kitchen. On TV cooking shows I aways see people ladling tons of butter onto their steaks. You're adding lots of fat, and a good piece of meat should have a distinctive flavor of its own. Butter makes everything taste like butter. But I don't doubt that many restaurants use this method. It's why restaurant food tastes richer than home cooking. A relative of mine who worked in some very high-end New York kitchens told me that patrons would be shocked at much duck fat they cooked with.
  8. But don't you know that "Hell's Kitchen is the hottest ticket in town." So these folks must be big deals to get in. (Said with voice dripping in sarcasm). TV has totally redefined the meaning of the word "celebrity" to include anyone who has ever appeared on a reality show or had a small part on some TV series. Unfortunately, her being loud and obnoxious might mean she'll be around for a while, as the producers like to have at least one over-the-top character around for the drama.
  9. Something doesn't feel right about Jason. I think he's a plant. Invited on the show for just this kind of drama. "Worked in Michelin star restaurants, can't do simple things correctly." When he recited his resume, and Gordon acted surprised, that was clearly fake. It's the nature of all these shows that everything is "the worst ever." Somewhat off topic, but yeah, my reaction too. She's a young woman, and was probably beautiful before any of her procedures, so why?? I know this is not all that uncommon in our culture, but I just don't get it. Finally, why the heck would they title this episode "A Tad Overwhelmed," therefore telegraphing that Tad was the one being eliminated before the show even started? Good job, producers. Way to eliminate any drama.
  10. In addition to the multiple misused words cited by others, Joe said that the gelato in Grant's dessert "deserved accommodation." By which I assume he meant it needed its own hotel room. Fitting that for the finale the judges were in peak form. I was glad Grant won. Of the three finalists, I felt he was the one most about the food and not self-glorification. Question. When you go out to dinner, do you care if the chef is creating food that's an expression of their identity, or "personal journey," or do you just want it taste good? Especially at "Michelin star" restaurant prices. By the end of the show, I was so tired of Kennedy relating all her dishes to herself. (And I thought the rabbit dish looked disgusting, but then, I'd never eat rabbit). I admit to being one of those hypocrites who eats meat but doesn't like the idea of hunting. But I still thought that between Kennedy and Jennifer's husband, there was way too much discussion on this show about killing, butchering, and maiming living creatures.
  11. The last three winners have been women. A midwestern dude would be a nice change of pace.
  12. I think I heard the word "landlocked" more on this show this season than I have in the last 20 years. I know the coastal elites generally have contempt for the flyover states, but do they really think there is no seafood available in the midwest? (And news flash, even landlocked states have lakes and rivers.) Kennedy lasted way longer than several better chefs. She was kind of a producer/host pet. I was sure that both Wayne and Grant would not be in the final three. So, one of them had to go. Sav ended up being my favorite contestant. She seemed sincere and genuine.
  13. My thought exactly, though I can't blame her at being happy at getting a pass. The problem is that a contestant should never have been given that much power so late in the game. Has that ever happened before? Well, ironically, Reagan is still there and Brynn isn't. I have nothing against people holding religious convictions, but Reagan and Jennifer's on camera prayer meeting to avoid elimination seemed way over the top. Ah Joe, you've outdone yourself. He complimented two of the contestants on the "duplicity" of their dish. Wish of course means to lie, not to have two things that are duplicate. He's like today's Norm Crosby. (If anyone remembers that comedian from Ed Sullivan, whose routine was to mangle the English language).
  14. I believe they think they'll be rewarded for being bold and doing something they haven't done before. But then "Madame Donut" can make a donut and not be dinged for it. I feel like she played it so safe that she should have been excluded from making Top Three. (And theoretically if it was not perfect she should have been at least Bottom Three). Speaking of comfort zones, Joe's the meat should be bigger than the bread comment is one of many examples of him sounding like an idiot when he talks about anything other than Italian food. I wonder if he's ever actually eaten a patty melt.
  15. Although at the stadiums in Seattle, a regular dog, beer, and nachos will still set you back about $25. Since this is a competition for amateur cooks, how is MD, a food industry professional, allowed to compete? Worse yet, since she owns a donut shop, how is she allowed to make donuts for a challenge? (And get selected for Top 3.) Contender for "least surprising revelation of all time.'' Jennifer was a high school cheerleader. That's why I hate team challenges. Almost as a rule, the contestant who steps up to do the hardest, most critical job goes home, while the people who grab the easiest assignments are safe.
  16. MD seems like a nice person, but I can't get past the fact that she's headed for the Top 10 even after botching a key lime pie. Especially when several stronger cooks have been eliminated for a single slip up. Nina going home was a surprise to me, as based on the judges' past praise of her, she seemed top 5 material. Judging is supposed to be based on the current episode, but certainly Charles was overdue for being eliminated, and I think that was a factor. Similar to how Richie had narrowly avoided a couple of eliminations but definitely needed to go. In her exit Nina said something like, "being the 13th best home cook in America is pretty good." No, you're not the 13th best home cook in America. You're number 13 among the people who chose to go on this show. Statistically, that's a WAY smaller sample.
  17. I suspect that in other challenges the contestants are given advance notice and time to prepare as well. But with baking challenges it's more obvious, and as others have pointed out, we were not shown the actual time sequence. Well, at least Christina Tosi is no longer a judge, which thankfully reduce the number of deserts the contestants have to make. The format of the show has been altered to fit this season's concept of the four competing regions, which I think has been a complete failure. I don't like that every week an entire region gets to be safe if one member cooks the winning dish. And it's really silly that with only 2 people in the northeast, every week one has to be in the bottom and one in the top. More importantly, we've seen virtually no true regional cooking. Not even in the south, which I believe is the one region that actually does have a distinctive cuisine. I lived in the midwest for 12 yers, and I'll be darned if I can tell you what midwest cuisine is. Meat and potatoes? They do that everywhere.
  18. Was it Sav (short for Savannah, the farmer? I remember liking her during the auditions, and when I saw her this week I thought, wait, she's still around? It feels like she hasn't even been mentioned or shown all season. There are a few others who are flying under the radar, because they're never chosen as best or worst. "Madame Donut" was in that middle group until this week. (Though always noticeable because of her hair). So, if she owns a donut shop, doesn't that make her a professional chef, and therefore not a "home cook" and eligible for Master Chef. I know that donuts are not haute cuisine, but she's at least a professional baker, and since they have baking challenges on Master Chef, they consider baking to be cooking. IMO, if you call yourself Madame Donut and you screw up the simplest of the deserts you deserve to go home, no matter how much of a mess Kyle made. I think Kyle was one of the three or four best cooks on the show. I hate that he went home in a baking challenge. I'm in that group that feels that baking should not be part of a show called "Master Chef."
  19. They should have been, but I was not surprised they weren't. Khana was Tyler and the producer's pet team all season, and seemed to be above the rules. They could fire and replace a team member, something we've never seen before. We know that these shows like to create a villain, but you can't do it unless you have the material. I have no doubt that the snarkiness, smugness, and general unpleasantness of the Khana leader was her true personality. Especially as some people who live in Detroit have posted here that she does not have a good reputation in the community.
  20. I believe that the Khana leader patted herself on the back for being a person-of-color, not for it being a woman-owned truck. Though it may have been both. Yet another reason not to like Khana. Playing some kind of race/gender card to make themselves seem more deserving of the win. The Vegans never claimed some special privilege for being a married gay couple. The magical appearance of lamb chops on the Khana truck was just more evidence that everything we've seen this season was scripted and prearranged. Also, way too many challenges, which allow the producers to help their chosen favorites win even if they're struggling with sales. I had to laugh when Tyler stated the rookies had beaten the food truck pros. Since nothing on this show has anything to do with the actual business of running a food truck, the experience the pros had was irrelevant. I feel like this show is on its last legs. If there's another season I probably won't watch unless they go back to having a different location each week, which for me was a big part of what made the show entertaining. And I also want to see them go back to showing the teams shopping and having to strategize about budget and pricing. Without that, it's all just fake drama.
  21. Khana coming in first was a shocker. Nothing we were shown would've led to that conclusion. God knows why, but Khana is clearly a producer favorite. I think the producers didn't want them eliminated in a week where their truck was short-staffed. Most dishes this season look nothing like food you would get at an actual food truck, which generally has to be easy to carry, and something you could eat standing up. That's why taco trucks are so popular. Finger food with no utensils required. When I order from a food truck, the last thing I want is something gloppy with sauce that would get on my hands and drip on my clothes. Since the entire season has taken place in LA, they shouldn't let Khana keep parking at the same coffee shop. Everything about Khana screams "cheat." They should've never been allowed to fire one of their team and then replace him. Worst season ever. Since there's no shopping or strategic pricing involved, most episodes are the contestants getting in the face of people and pleading with them to eat their food. Which in the real food truck world never happens.
  22. Bald Guy seemed like such a heavy favorite that it was almost a tip-off they wouldn't win, as there needs to be some surprise twist. But I did think they'd at least make it to the finale. I would expect Khana in the finale, because every reality show needs a villain, and the producers seem to think people watch for the drama. There was a season in which one truck was all miliary wives, and they used social media every week to connect with veteran's groups in whatever city they were in. I don't recall that they were ever banned from doing that, even though it gave them a big advantage.
  23. Gordon as well. I think the main reason they do these challenges where they cook for first responders or the military is so that GR can scream, "these people protect/defend/keep you safe and you dare serve them raw food." I dislike the team challenges because time and again, the person eliminated is someone who stepped up to do the heavy lifting for their team, like running the grill. Even if they make mistakes, they're at least being a team player by taking on greater responsibility. Clearly, the best survival strategy is to lurk in the background and do some minor task that won't get you sent up for elimination. When the camera panned across the members of the losing team, I had no idea what some of them had even done. Joe: "Jennifer is being a great figurehead." Definitely not the word he meant to use. Joe: "Now we'll see who can walk the walk and talk the talk." Gordon: "It's not about staying in your lane. It's about owning your lane." What the heck does any of that mean?
  24. I just think of them as "obnoxious leader" and "flunky with hideous neck tat." Echoing what others have said, this season is quickly becoming unwatchable, childish mean girl antics taking the place of anything actually having to do with the real food truck business. We don't even hear any discussion about pricing anymore. It's like the producers decided that the audience doesn't care about that stuff, and just wants bad reality show drama. (Although we don't know what the dishes are being priced at, in one shot of the Kana truck leader you could see on the chalk board behind her that their chicken sandwich is $30. Are you kidding me? In real world, who would buy that?) The whole season has an air of Food Network not caring about this show anymore, including cheaping out by shooting the whole thing in Los Angeles. If they're trying to kill off the show they're doing a good job. It's sad, because this could have been a good season. There are several trucks you really want to root for, and some of the food has looked the best of anything we've seen on this show.
  25. Yup. And she has no personality of her own. She's just Maryam's puppet. Obnoxious that after firing Jake they have to passive aggressively put him down by talking about how much better the team is with the new guy. We know that the producers use the "villain edit" to create drama, but the other teams genuinely seem to not like Khana. Count me in with those missing Paisini. Their Italian food was a nice contrast to the other cuisines, and I liked their no BS east coast personalities. I wish they'd gone further in the competition, but think they have bright futures in the food business.
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