Chopped 2020: A Year Without Chopsticks ... Please??

[LazySuzanne]

Do we know if or when a new season begins?

[schnauzergirl]

32 minutes ago, LazySuzanne said:

Do we know if or when a new season begins?

According to an article -- sorry can't find the reference -- about which shows would be delayed, it seems that Chopped has enough new episodes to go into 2021.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 8/9/2020 at 11:16 PM, mlp said:

I loved the chopsticks cracks too.  Geoffrey was not amused after the second one.

Stephen is apparently a good cook but I couldn't stand him on the grilling competition and I liked Joe who won that one.   I was hoping Joe would beat him again.  Stephen has the kind of face you just want to smack.  He reminds me a lot of Chris Coombs when he was first on the show - egotistical and smirking.

I do not like it when a judge (or Ted) goes over and talks to the chefs while they're cooking.  Those people are under a lot of pressure and have severe time constraints.  They shouldn't have to deal with that too.

 

 

On 8/10/2020 at 8:57 AM, Koalagirl said:

I was wishing Stephen Coe would be the first to be chopped. I don’t care if he’s the greatest chef to have walked this earth (a legend in his own mind) but I wanted his stank face and pissy attitude off of my screen.  

 

On 8/10/2020 at 8:14 PM, schnauzergirl said:

I really wanted to smack Stephen -- he wants to bring his food to "the masses."  How patronizing can you be?  I thought Adriana's first two rounds were outstanding and Stephen's entree was criticized by all the judges, yet somehow he won.  Disappointing.

Can I sit at all of your tables? I loathed Stephen the minute he opened his mouth and then hit the nail on the head with his “I could care less” how great (or whatever he said) Bobby Flay was. 
 

It’s “I couldn’t care less” you ignorant baboon. What you said infers you do care a little a lot.

I know it’s rigged when it’s judges competing, but if this asshat makes it to the finale, I want Bobby to wipe the floor in each and every round.

I don’t know anything about Bobby’s personal life/relationships. I’ve liked him on the few cooking shows I’ve seen him on. And I don’t want to know. I already hear and read about too many assholes. Let me keep my rose colored glasses, please. Unless he’s a raping murderer.

Edited August 20, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[Stardancer Supreme]

They should call this the Blood season.  So many cheftestants cut themselves in the Chopped Kitchen!

[LazySuzanne]

2 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

According to an article -- sorry can't find the reference -- about which shows would be delayed, it seems that Chopped has enough new episodes to go into 2021.  

Fantastic! Thank you!

[xaxat]

On 8/17/2020 at 10:20 PM, mlp said:

Some years ago, I read Marcus Samuelsson's memoir.  In it, he says that Bobby Flay is one of the best chefs in New York.

I used to work at a business near his old Union Square restaurant, Mesa Grill. It was the go to spot for our CEO. So several times a year I got to eat there when the company celebrated hitting our numbers etc. This was back in the mid/late nineties when he might have actually been in the kitchen, and the  food was outstanding. (Not that I have GZ's palate.)

It's kind of weird watching the shows they have in the can knowing that the restaurant industry is in absolute crisis right now. About a month ago they had a chef from Portland. This was during the height of the protests there, so I looked up the hotel where his restaurant was. It was two blocks away from the courthouse were all of the action was and the hotel had restrictions on what states they would allow visitors to book from. 

I miss the pre-pandemic days.

 

[Ashforth]

11 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I don’t know anything about Bobby’s personal life/relationships. I’ve liked him on the few cooking shows I’ve seen him on. And I don’t want to know. I already hear and read about too many assholes. Let me keep my rose colored glasses, please. Unless he’s a raping murderer.

Nah, he's apparently a serial cheater who treated at least one of his ex-wives horribly during their divorce (Stephanie March, who was on Law & Order: SVU and was prominently featured on one of his FN series - Boy Meets Grill, I think). But I've never heard anything about sexual harassment, rape or murder. 

Oh wait, you didn't want to know. I'm sorry.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Ashforth

[Rammchick]

On 8/9/2020 at 8:16 PM, mlp said:

I do not like it when a judge (or Ted) goes over and talks to the chefs while they're cooking.  Those people are under a lot of pressure and have severe time constraints.  They shouldn't have to deal with that too.

 

That's only part of it.  There's so little room between the counter and the stove that I always think Ted or whomever will eventually end up with hot grease splattered all over them when the chef turns around with a hot pan.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Rammchick

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Nah, he's apparently a serial cheater who treated at least one of his ex-wives horribly during their divorce (Stephanie March, who was on Law & Order: SVU

You know what? I heard about that sort of when I watched SVU. I'd forgotten. Oh well. But I still want Bobby to annihilate that jerk.

[Ashforth]

18 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

You know what? I heard about that sort of when I watched SVU. I'd forgotten. Oh well. But I still want Bobby to annihilate that jerk.

Me, TOO! I mean, Bobby didn't cheat on me, so... He seems to have matured, or who knows, but I find him much more likable now than he was years ago. And that Stephen guy seems like a complete arrogant asshole.

Edited August 20, 2020 by Ashforth

[GHScorpiosRule]

21 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Me, TOO! I mean, Bobby didn't cheat on me, so... He seems to have matured, or who knows, but I find him much more likable now than he was years ago. And that Stephen guy seems like a complete arrogant asshole.

He totally is. When I was watching Part I after the first round of appetizers, Bobby said how Stephen thinks he "has it in the bag", but doesn't realize that there are a lot of good cooks out there. I just want Bobby to take him down a peg or 100.

I hope Marcus will be one of the judges for Part III. I ADORE him.

[Sew Sumi]

I saw Tiffani Faison in the previews. She hasn't judged yet, so I expect her this week. She doesn't have the Chopped gravitas to judge a finale. Then I expect Alex, GZ, and Murphy.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I really wanted Meny to win last night.

Evan is right up there with Stephen in all his pompous arrogance. If either of them were as good as they think they are (better than Bobby) then why aren't they as successful as Bobby? Yeah, I know, I know.

Hey! Does anyone know if Gordon Ramsey and Bobby Flay ever "duked" it out in a cooking competition? Now THAT'S one I'd be down for.

[Grizzly]

I was really hoping Evan would go out the first round. Both ladies had a bad night, they're usually better than that.

[mlp]

I didn't mind Evan.  Most chefs, male and female, seem to be at least somewhat arrogant and he didn't seem any worse to me, certainly not at the Stephen level.  Based upon my opinion of the dishes (which doesn't usually count LOL), the chefs were chopped in exactly the right order.  I actually thought the woman who went out first, the one who has won four times, was a lot closer to Stephen's level of arrogance but less smirky. 

[buttersister]

Quote

There's so little room between the counter and the stove that I always think Ted or whomever will eventually end up with hot grease splattered all over them when the chef turns around with a hot pan.

I'd watch that. Not wishing any actual injuries, maybe just splatter on one of his or Geoffrey's suits. 

And let me jump on the Love Train for the sometimes-insufferable Bobby Flay skewering the always-insufferable Geoffrey Zakarian. 

Quote

She doesn't have the Chopped gravitas to judge a finale. 

Oh, that's hilarious, thank you! 

[OhTheHumanity]

For crying out loud, Chopped, get a second fryer!  And while you're at it, another ice cream maker and more than two cast-iron griddles!  If the point is to see what well-qualified cooks can do with a basket of weird ingredients and serious time pressure, why add in ridiculous equipment limitations?  The lack of fryer space really affected the outcome of the most recent episode, which really sucks!

[TexasTiffany]

On 8/24/2020 at 1:47 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Hey! Does anyone know if Gordon Ramsey and Bobby Flay ever "duked" it out in a cooking competition? Now THAT'S one I'd be down for.

I googled this. Apparently, both of them have challenged each other twice. Gordon didn't follow through when he was challenged. Then, Bobby didn't follow through when Gordon challenged him. 

https://www.eater.com/2013/5/13/6435205/gordon-ramsay-wimps-out-wont-cook-vs-bobby-flay   (from May 2013)

https://www.foodbeast.com/news/ramsay-spill-your-guts/    (Feb. 2018)

https://www.foodbeast.com/news/ramsay-looks-for-flay-at-mesa-grill/   (Aug 2020)

 

[Gramto6]

Chopped Sweets: Yikes Durian!! That kitchen must stink! When I was in the Philippines years ago the hotels I stayed in all had signs posted everywhere No Durian allowed in the rooms! I guess it is an acquired taste...

[mlp]

56 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

Yikes Durian!!

It surprised me that there were so few comments about the smell.  I remember once when they had durian on regular Chopped and the judges and Ted were practically gagging.  The pastry chefs didn't seem overly grossed out.  I've never smelled it but I'd think 4 of them in a kitchen that size must have been pretty powerful.

I liked both of the finalists so I would have been happy with either winning.  I do wish contestants on all competitions would stop saying they're competing to show their kids that they can do anything blah blah blah.  Especially when said kid isn't even 2 y/o yet.

 

[Gramto6]

9 minutes ago, mlp said:

It surprised me that there were so few comments about the smell.  I remember once when they had durian on regular Chopped and the judges and Ted were practically gagging.  The pastry chefs didn't seem overly grossed out.  I've never smelled it but I'd think 4 of them in a kitchen that size must have been pretty powerful.

I liked both of the finalists so I would have been happy with either winning.  I do wish contestants on all competitions would stop saying they're competing to show their kids that they can do anything blah blah blah.  Especially when said kid isn't even 2 y/o yet.

 

Oh, believe me durian stinks!!!!!!

[Ashforth]

10 hours ago, mlp said:

I do wish contestants on all competitions would stop saying they're competing to show their kids that they can do anything blah blah blah. 

I totally agree! I remember my mother saying sarcastically years ago in response to this particular trope, "Well I want to be Miss America, but that's not happening" (she was probably in her 50's at the time).

If you have the talent and/or intellect for something and you work hard and practice, practice, practice, you can probably be successful at it. But so many people don't have the opportunity or access to achieve their dreams, even if they do have talent and intelligence and drive, that they can't "do anything." They are limited by their circumstances and the constraints of our society.

So "you can do anything" = bullshit.

[CoderLady]

Utter, total, bullshit. Every contestant now seems to have a child or dead relative that they absolutely have to win for. Well, 75% of the contestants on each show completely fail at that and walk off into oblivion. The show plays it up by asking each chef pointed questions about their hopes and dreams during each round's judging, which I think is really cruel. It's so blatantly manipulative for drama and ratings.

I read a recent interview with a contestant -- wish I could remember where -- who said a producer told him/her that they were going to make the contestant cry on camera. Oh, fuck that. This show should be about cooking, not trainwreck drama.

I don't watch Chopped much anymore, just when there's absolutely nothing else on and that's pretty rare these days. There's virtually always something better.

Edited August 26, 2020 by CoderLady

[Grizzly]

29 minutes ago, CoderLady said:

I read a recent interview with a contestant -- wish I could remember where -- who said a producer told him/her that they were going to make the contestant cry on camera. 

Could have been that girl last night who tried cooking shrimp with lime juice. In the appetizer round! Judges wouldn't try it and chopped her right there. Thought she was going to cry.

[libgirl2]

4 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Could have been that girl last night who tried cooking shrimp with lime juice. In the appetizer round! Judges wouldn't try it and chopped her right there. Thought she was going to cry.

I don't blame them for not wanting to eat the shrimp. It was still raw! 

[xaxat]

I think the biggest surprise for me during Beat Bobby Flay is finding out that the Chopped studio is in the Upper East Side. I always assumed it was at FN's Chelsea headquarters.

[Ashforth]

13 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I don't blame them for not wanting to eat the shrimp. It was still raw! 

Ceviche is seafood "cooked" in lime juice and it's delicious, but there not nearly enough time in a Chopped round to make that happen, so it was a very poor choice by the chef. Even in a ceviche that has had adequate time to cure, I'm wary of shrimp. 

I grew up in Houston with lots of Gulf seafood, and I used to love to eat shrimp. Fried shrimp platter? Bring it on! But I have come to think of them as the cockroaches of the sea and, er, not so much love anymore.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Ashforth said:

Ceviche is seafood "cooked" in lime juice and it's delicious, but there not nearly enough time in a Chopped round to make that happen, so it was a very poor choice by the chef. Even in a ceviche that has had adequate time to cure, I'm wary of shrimp. 

I grew up in Houston with lots of Gulf seafood, and I used to love to eat shrimp. Fried shrimp platter? Bring it on! But I have come to think of them as the cockroaches of the sea and, er, not so much love anymore.

I adore ceviche, but I agree, there wasn't enough time to "cook" it and I'm not sure shrimp is the best choice. 

Edited August 27, 2020 by libgirl2

[Rammchick]

19 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Could have been that girl last night who tried cooking shrimp with lime juice. In the appetizer round! Judges wouldn't try it and chopped her right there. Thought she was going to cry.

I always use sushi as my touchstone for this.  If a fish can be eaten as sushi or sashimi, then it's OK to eat raw in other preparations.  Notice, then, that shrimp in sushi is pink, and always cooked.

[sharifa70]

When I’ve made shrimp “ceviche,” I’ve always used cooked shrimp. I wouldn’t have eaten that dish either.

[Bastet]

I always use raw shrimp for ceviche (I loathe overcooked shrimp [I hate overcooked anything, but shrimp, especially, goes over in a hurry], so to start with cooked would necessitate marinating it for so little time the flavors wouldn't combine and set to my liking), but I would never try to make ceviche under this show's time constraints!  For any round, but especially the appetizer round with only 20 minutes total (that's not even 20 minutes of "cooking" time). 

[libgirl2]

funny a library near me just posted a youtube video on making shrimp ceviche. Haven't watched it though. 

[mlp]

The baskets were awful last night but I was still a bit surprised by how poorly all the chefs did.  So was Bobby.

I remembered Bradley very well because I couldn't stand him the first time around.  I was happy that the guy I did like beat him again although it might have been amusing to see Bradley and Stephen square off in the finals.  Jerk vs. jerk.

I remembered Seis as being very good and also a nice guy so I felt a bit sorry for him when he lost again.

Go away, Tiffani.  

[TexasTiffany]

They are really drawing this out. Haven't there been 4 episodes already? So, when IS Bobby going to cook? 

This is more like "Suffer Through Tiffani Faison" than "Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay". 

ITA last night's episode produced dismal dishes. Mistake after mistake after "pureed french fry" mistake. Raw meat. Burned green beans. This has been ridiculous. Bobby has already won and he didn't have to cook. 

[KayVeeTeeVee]

5 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

They are really drawing this out. Haven't there been 4 episodes already? So, when IS Bobby going to cook? 

This is more like "Suffer Through Tiffani Faison" than "Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay". 

ITA last night's episode produced dismal dishes. Mistake after mistake after "pureed french fry" mistake. Raw meat. Burned green beans. This has been ridiculous. Bobby has already won and he didn't have to cook. 

Tiffani is abysmal.  All of my favorites have gone home and all that's left are over-confident jerks.  I may have to root for Bobby Flay to win.  Or just not watch.  

[Grizzly]

Chopped Sweets last night, you could tell the judges were trying so hard not to give it to the pretentious douche. Sylvia Weinstock even said I know who I like. Who trash talks when your opponent's dish is melting? Knew he'd be a sore loser.

Edited September 2, 2020 by Grizzly
Capitalized Sylvia's name.

[mlp]

26 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Who trash talks when your opponent's dish is melting? Knew he'd be a sore loser.

Yep.  I was glad the young woman won.  She seemed highly skilled and nice too.  Her charlotte looked terrific and I think the judges gave her a pass on the melting in the last round because the heat of the kitchen was out of her control.

[TexasTiffany]

I found this earlier and thought I'd share. 

 

[Maverick]

Shut up, Tiffany.  The chefs aren't your bitch, bitch.

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, Maverick said:

Shut up, Tiffany.  The chefs aren't your bitch, bitch.

Seriously. Who is this twat?

And I seriously, honestly LOATHE Stephen.

[GHScorpiosRule]

❤️❤️🥰🥰❤️❤️MARCUS!!!!!!!!!!❤️❤️🥰🥰❤️❤️

Edited September 7, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[GHScorpiosRule]

NOOOO!!!!!

🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

RIGGED!!!

[mlp]

Well, crap.  I liked Evan best and loathed Stephen but his final dish did look better than Bobby's.  I did think that a lot of Bobby being flustered and making mistakes seemed overdone.  He's used to cooking under pressure.  At least he didn't put hot peppers in his dish.

[Bastet]

I remember Tiffani being dislikable during her original season of Top Chef, but I don't remember actually disliking her.  And I liked her during the all-stars season (or whatever it was) for which she returned.  "I'm not your bitch, bitch" was never funny, or anything other than sexist and inappropriate, so it's despicable producers made a t-shirt of it at the reunion.  I haven't seen much of this Chopped contest, but from what I have, she doesn't bother me here, either.  If she did, I'd stick to what she says and does rather than dragging her irrelevant gender into it.

Stephen is an annoying jerk.  I figured he was going to win, but I still groaned when he did.

[schnauzergirl]

I don't remember every seeing Bobby so discombobulated, but he still pulled off a great dish.  Unless he's very different off screen, Stephen isn't somebody I'd want to hang around with.  He accepted criticism much better than I expected him to because he looks like a pouter.

[Rammchick]

So they finally listened to me and judged the finale blind.  I've been griping about that ever since they started these "very special episode" tournaments.  This was truly the first time I've ever rooted for Bobby Flay.  Damn.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

1 minute ago, Rammchick said:

So they finally listened to me and judged the finale blind.  I've been griping about that ever since they started these "very special episode" tournaments.  This was truly the first time I've ever rooted for Bobby Flay.  Damn.

Same here.  I was screaming!  Please, please Bobby, pull another rabbit out of the hat!  All four of the finalists were face-slappable, arrogant jerks, but the 'winner' was the worst.  Go away, Stephen, and take Tiffani (what a bitch) with you.  Who IS she, anyway? 

[MartyQui]

Tiffani is a very successful chef here in Boston, and does a lot for her community.  I know one of her sous chefs and he’s had nothing but good things to say about working for her.

[Koalagirl]

It was only by using extreme restraint last night that I didn’t end up having to buy a new tv.  Otherwise I would have thrown a heavy object when stank face won.  

[schnauzergirl]

1 hour ago, MartyQui said:

Tiffani is a very successful chef here in Boston, and does a lot for her community.  I know one of her sous chefs and he’s had nothing but good things to say about working for her.

I have no previous history watching Tiffani and thought she was as good a judge as any of the others.  She seemed seriously engaged in wanting the chefs to present their best dishes and in one case acknowledged she was "torn" because the chef's mistakes might outweigh the other great things on his plate.  Truth be told, I'll take Tiffani over Mark Murphy and Marcus Samuelson any day.