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

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours 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.

And yet they just happened to have Lobster as one of the mystery ingredients-and Stephen’s signature dish just happened to be Lobster Ravioli. No, not rigged at all.

2 hours ago, KayVeeTeeVee said:

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? 

Same here! And I don’t buy the nonsense that Bobby wasn’t familiar with the Chopped Pantry/Kitchen. Like he wouldn’t familiarize himself with it if he wasn’t?

I think they wanted that asshole to be the one to compete against Bobby.

I really wanted Andre to be the one competing against Bobby. But the writing was on the wall that they’d have the one who trash talked Bobby the most to compete against him.

And I say this as a casual viewer, but still cynical from watching other shows.

Edited September 7, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[KayVeeTeeVee]

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 am FROM Boston - never heard of her.  She's still arrogant in my book.  Strolling around the kitchen trying to intimidate the participants.  Hope she's never on Chopped again.  Ever.  And you can tell that to her sous chef, who I hope tells her, but probably won't.

 

[Rammchick]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

And yet they just happened to have Lobster as one of the mystery ingredients-and Stephen’s signature dish just happened to be Lobster Ravioli. No, not rigged at all.

Same here! And I don’t buy the nonsense that Bobby wasn’t familiar with the Chopped Pantry/Kitchen. Like he wouldn’t familiarize himself with it if he wasn’t?

I think they wanted that asshole to be the one to compete against Bobby.

I really wanted Andre to be the one competing against Bobby. But the writing was on the wall that they’d have the one who trash talked Bobby the most to compete against him.

And I say this as a casual viewer, but still cynical from watching other shows.

At least there was some semblance of fairness, even if they did tinker with the outcome.  But as far as the lobster was concerned, they had to provide that if the signature dish was lobster ravioli.  My guess is, each finalist submitted a signature dish that he would do if he won, so there were potentially four final baskets.  That way, whatever the key ingredient was that would be required was in the basket.

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 minutes ago, Rammchick said:

At least there was some semblance of fairness, even if they did tinker with the outcome.  But as far as the lobster was concerned, they had to provide that if the signature dish was lobster ravioli.  My guess is, each finalist submitted a signature dish that he would do if he won, so there were potentially four final baskets.  That way, whatever the key ingredient was that would be required was in the basket.

Would you stop being logical? 🤪 Let me stew in my rage and resentment, please? 😆

[Grizzly]

Whole episode just sucked. Best part was when Ted threw out the original judges for a blind panel.  And then Scott, I hear the food's good here. Lol.

[nitrofishblue]

When they have another one of these "Beat (name of chef)", we need to start a drinking game. Every time the chef's name is mentioned, you take a drink. By ten minutes into the show you would be drunk as a skunk and passed out. I swear, they were saying Bobby Flay in every other sentence.

[mlp]

3 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

Truth be told, I'll take Tiffani over Mark Murphy and Marcus Samuelson any day.

Omigosh!  I loooove Marc Murphy and Marcus Samuelsson and I cannot stand Tiffani.  Unfortunately (for me), she's now considered a regular judge so we'll be seeing a lot of her.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

3 hours ago, mlp said:

Omigosh!  I loooove Marc Murphy and Marcus Samuelsson and I cannot stand Tiffani.  Unfortunately (for me), she's now considered a regular judge so we'll be seeing a lot of her.

Noooooooooooo to Tiffani as a regular judge.  And Christian the deese and dems guy who just won Food Network star.  He is so skeevy.  Shudder!  Bring in Miss Emily - one of the finalists. The one who is always so nervous.

 

[Maverick]

My dislike of Tiffani has nothing to do with her gender.  She comes across as an awful person on these shows to many people.  She did not present herself well on her first turn on Top Chef.   She herself even recognized this because she tried to rehab her image on All Stars, which she did with some success.

 When she first started on Chopped, she tried to be positive and supportive of the chefs.  She even ooheed and ahhhed over this sob stories,   To me it all came off as very fake, a veneer she was putting on to counter her old image.   About the time her nemesis Dave appeared on Chopped and she judged the episode (which had some producer standing on the side salivating, no doubt) she started being blatantly arrogant  and nasty again.   There are some people who sound unnecessarily critical no matter what that say.   For me, she's in the basement of Food Network judges, trolling around with the like of Melissa d'Arabian and Dan Lagan.  

 Everybody views these chefs differently.   Most people can't stand Alex but I'm fine with her.   Of the current crop of judges, she's just behind Marc and Amanda.  GZ and now Tiffani are at the bottom for me with Scott a close third.  

[KayVeeTeeVee]

The day Alton Brown is a judge is the day I am OUT!  His old/original show was clever, but for at least a decade, he's come off as a haughty, wise, know-it-all.  Cannot stand him!

[buttersister]

Ha, I see my decision to skip this crapfest was good. With the exception of Marcus Samuelsson, life is better without any of those other "judges" up to and including Tiffani, who was an obnoxious Top Chef wannabe. (Not the most obnoxious, I should say.)

I wonder if they had to pay Bobby "chef and executive producer of TV shows" Flay extra for him to lose? Or if they owe him another FNS winner. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Yeah, I’m only watching episodes where Marcus is a judge. Deleting everything else. Sue Me. There’s just a warmth and sincerity that he exudes that I don’t find or see in any of the other judges.

[emmawoodhouse]

Marcus just seems like a nice guy. The others? Not so much. A whole lot of assholery going on there.

[Ashforth]

Interesting article about Tiffani here: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2019/01/08/tiffani-faison/

I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, but it has been 13 years since the first season of Top Chef and this article gives some context. Not to mention that reality shows create "storylines" and Top Chef is no exception. Tiffani is now an accomplished chef and restaurateur, and like many who can get the exposure to help their businesses, she will still do some reality TV (yes, that's why Marcus Samuelson is on these shows).

There is no question to me that women who have strong personalities are judged very differently than men.

[Maverick]

 Alex and Amanda are like night and day on this show and they're two of my favs.  Alex can be direct, but she's able to temper it in a way Tiffani can't.   Women may get called out if for more for being direct, but you can be a woman and still be (fairly) called out for being arrogant and condescending.  And purely within the Chopped realm, GZ, Conant and (when he was still there) Sanchez are routinely called out for their arrogance.   

 As for reality shows, yes they craft story lines but as one of the participants in the first season of the original reality show said, they can't use what you don't give them.   Tiffani may be a perfectly nice person and I'm sure she's a good chef .   But as a Chopped judge, I find her insufferable and gender has nothing to do with it.  

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Yeah, I’m only watching episodes where Marcus is a judge. Deleting everything else. Sue Me. There’s just a warmth and sincerity that he exudes that I don’t find or see in any of the other judges.

 Marcus hasn't been a judge in several years.   I assume he was just back for this because it was a single round.   It was effectively like being a judge on a regular episode of Beat Bobby Flay.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

12 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Interesting article about Tiffani here: https://www.bostonmagazine.com/restaurants/2019/01/08/tiffani-faison/

I'm not trying to change anyone's mind, but it has been 13 years since the first season of Top Chef and this article gives some context. Not to mention that reality shows create "storylines" and Top Chef is no exception. Tiffani is now an accomplished chef and restaurateur, and like many who can get the exposure to help their businesses, she will still do some reality TV (yes, that's why Marcus Samuelson is on these shows).

There is no question to me that women who have strong personalities are judged very differently than men.

IMHO, Tiffani doesn't have a strong personality, she's just plain obnoxious.  There is a difference.  And this from the Ultimate Women's Libber!  Even Alex can give a compliment before dropping the hammer. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

15 hours ago, Maverick said:

Marcus hasn't been a judge in several years.   I assume he was just back for this because it was a single round. 

I figured as much. I think when I first learned about this show, Marcus was one of the regular judges, and I stopped after he left. So, I'm just watching season 40? which is from 2019 according to my DVR, and zipping through and only watching where he is one of the judges. I get a kick out of his slight lisp.

[Rammchick]

15 hours ago, Maverick said:

 Alex and Amanda are like night and day on this show and they're two of my favs.  Alex can be direct, but she's able to temper it in a way Tiffani can't.   

Alex has come a long way on this show.  At one time, when the judges were much sterner, Alex came off as a total bitch.  But time has softened the show enormously, and with it, some of the judges.  I didn't like Alex in the early years, but I find that I now like her sense of humor and empathy.

Perhaps Tiffani will warm up, who knows?

[GHScorpiosRule]

Maybe this needs to go in the Judges thread, but since we’re discussing who we like here, I should clarify my earlier comment:

I also like Marc Murphy, Alex, Chris Santos, and Amanda. I used to like Maneet, but lately, she comes off as insincere and my God, when did she start putting so much makeup on her face??!! I’m watching an episode from 2018 “You’ve Been Canned” and she looks like a 🤡. And it’s so unnecessary because she’s a beautiful woman.

And can someone help me out here? How is Lychee pronounced? Lye-chee or Lee-Chee?

[Ashforth]

On 9/8/2020 at 5:32 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

And can someone help me out here? How is Lychee pronounced? Lye-chee or Lee-Chee?

I'm pretty sure it's Lee-Chee but I'm no expert.

[emmawoodhouse]

That's how Ted pronounces it.

[Bastet]

Both are listed as acceptable pronunciations in the dictionaries I checked. (I usually hear lie-chee, which is odd, as it seems that's more common in the UK and lee-chee is more common here).

[Sweet-tea]

On 9/7/2020 at 10:29 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

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. 

I couldn’t stand Stephen. I didn’t like him from his first competition. I was hoping he would check himself and become less arrogant after he saw himself on Tv. No luck!

I actually like Bobby so I always root for him on BBF, but I was really hoping he’d take Stephen down a few notches. This show was one of the few times I’ve seen Bobby rattled. I like Jay best of the four and was hoping he’d be the one to cook against Bobby. 

The blind tasting was a good idea. Makes me wonder why they haven’t done it on the other Chopped shows when someone is battling a judge? IIRC, the judge has won every one of them. I’m not sure these judges can be truly objective about each other. 

I like most of the judges. My favorites are Alex, Scott (“utilize”), Maneet, Chris, Amanda and Arun (haven’t seen him much lately). Least favorite: Jeffery Chopsticks and Martha. Both seem pretentious to me. 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Sweet-tea

[MartyQui]

There was an interview with Stephen in our local paper (the Patriot Ledger), and he came off like a real jerk.  He's the chef at the Marshfield Country Club, so I don't know what he has to be so arrogant about.

[pdlinda]

On 9/7/2020 at 8:29 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I think they wanted that asshole to be the one to compete against Bobby.

I remember him from the Grilling outdoor competition several years ago.  He was just as obnoxious then.  I remember it like it was yesterday!!!

[Brookside]

.

Edited October 7, 2020 by Brookside
Frustration

[Brookside]

On 8/27/2020 at 7:45 AM, Rammchick said:

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.

 

Not always.  (I've never tried it, but I have seen it, live . . . .)

 

 

Edited October 7, 2020 by Brookside

[Rammchick]

1 hour ago, Brookside said:

 

Not always.  (I've never tried it, but I have seen it, live . . . .)

 

 

Lol yep, I'll walk back what I said then!

[cooksdelight]

On 8/20/2020 at 4:03 PM, 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.

He cheated on Stephanie with January Jones, the chain-smoking yet beautiful wife on Mad Men. Compare the two and you’ll see he has a “type” he goes for.

[Maverick]

 Am I the only one digging Ted's look in the comfort food tournament promise?   Hel-LO Mr. Allen.  I think he's channeling the cowboy from the Village People a little. 

[sharifa70]

I was soooo glad that the cocky chef didn’t win that first episode of the comfort food challenge. I don’t mind confidence or even a little swagger, but when all of your comments involve putting down the other chefs’ dishes and talking about what you’re going to do with the money when you win, you can get the hell off my tv. 

On 11/9/2020 at 8:26 PM, Maverick said:

Am I the only one digging Ted's look in the comfort food tournament promise? 

Hah I kind of liked his scruffy look! It’s so...Not Ted.

[mlp]

I was also glad the cocky guy didn't win.  Christopher , who did win, was the only one of the 4 whom I actually liked.  I thought the eliminations were made in the right order too.

I don't like Ted's Covid look at all.  He does look scruffy and also at least 10 years older.  

Including a bit of what was going on with production was interesting, especially when the power went out and they filmed using someone's cell phone and then used that footage.  

[Grizzly]

39 minutes ago, mlp said:

 

Including a bit of what was going on with production was interesting, especially when the power went out and they filmed using someone's cell phone and then used that footage.  

When that storm came up and the producer said take cover, my hubby wondered if they were hiding under the table. I said no, they are probably getting their masks/personal items. It was interesting to see all the equipment covered. Wonder if they had to throw out any food.

[schnauzergirl]

I couldn't stand that cocky guy and have even forgotten his name...so glad Christopher won.  For a minute there I wondered if Jennifer (?) was going to pass out.  Interesting that Maneet and, I think, Tiffani were wearing shorts.  Not crazy about scruffy Ted.

[Ashforth]

2 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

Interesting that Maneet and, I think, Tiffani were wearing shorts.

I thought that was funny! They had on their "Zoom meeting" outfits. 🤣

[awaken]

Happy to see a pandemic-filmed episode!  Glad that tv shows are finding ways to film safely. I was so worried we’d run out of new content as the pandemic wears on!
 

Enjoyed the comfort food; it all looked yummy. 
 

didn’t like ted’s raggedy beard- he looks haggard and much older!  

[Darian]

On 11/11/2020 at 11:30 PM, awaken said:

Happy to see a pandemic-filmed episode!  Glad that tv shows are finding ways to film safely.

And I liked seeing a little of the pandemic safety measures. I find it reassuring, and they showed just enough to make me relax. I'm glad shows are coming back, but I also want to know they're not risking people's health to make TV shows. I enjoyed the comfort food episode so much. 

[xaxat]

I finally got around to watching this episode and I am glad that they figured out a way to film at least some episodes in a safe manner. I still can't believe they had eight months worth of episodes stockpiled.

I actually got a laugh out of the scene when lightning halted production. Chris asked if the bungalow was safe and , zoom!, he was gone. Didn't even look back at his fellow judges.

Ted's covid look was. . . unexpected.

Edited November 17, 2020 by xaxat

[sharifa70]

What was the food focus when the storm hit? I think my dvr might have missed it. The only Comfort Food episode I’ve seen so far was the bacon one.

[emmawoodhouse]

Bacon was the first episode in the series. I don't recall what they were doing when the storm hit.

[mlp]

23 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I don't recall what they were doing when the storm hit.

The round was over and the judges were discussing the next elimination.  

[sharifa70]

7 hours ago, mlp said:

The round was over and the judges were discussing the next elimination.  

Ah, that explains it, thanks. I’m terrible about fast-forwarding anything that isn’t cooking or tasting. 

[nitrofishblue]

was the second comfort food episode ever shown?

[emmawoodhouse]

11 minutes ago, nitrofishblue said:

was the second comfort food episode ever shown?

No, that's this week.

[nitrofishblue]

12 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

No, that's this week.

Thanks, anymore time has no meaning,  everyday is the same

[nitrofishblue]

We need to start a drinking game for every time the judges say "how important it is for the chefs to remember they are competing for $25000 dollars". I am so sick of hearing $25000. 

[libgirl2]

I picked the winner from last night right at the start of the show. 

[emmawoodhouse]

I was rooting for Mitzi. She sucked, but she shares her name with my 20 year old cat. 😁

I thought Deandre would take it, but failing to grind his meat did him in (and that sounds dirty). 😂

[mlp]

I thought Mitzi was slated to win when the judges let her get by with a lettuce concoction in the first round that was in no way a burger.  Some times the decisions seem very inconsistent.  I was happy that the young man won.

I like Maneet but she needs to find some new words to describe what she likes.  Everything good is "amazing."  And everything "needs something fresh."  I was glad that Chris disagreed with her on that.  

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, mlp said:

I thought Mitzi was slated to win when the judges let her get by with a lettuce concoction in the first round that was in no way a burger.  Some times the decisions seem very inconsistent.  I was happy that the young man won.

I like Maneet but she needs to find some new words to describe what she likes.  Everything good is "amazing."  And everything "needs something fresh."  I was glad that Chris disagreed with her on that.  

She also uses delicious a lot.