Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[Catfi9ht]

37 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I thought he was an arrogant ass on TOC II.

I agree. Seeing him on GGG changed my mind for both him and Christian Petroni. On GGG, they're more relaxed and make jokes at their own expense.

[Ohmo]

Spoilers about tonight's episode!  I watched it because I have Discovery+ and no patience. :)
 

Spoiler

 

OMG Antonia and Darnell!

Justin Warner: It's up to your interpretation because you are Eric Repiere (sp?).  Ha!

I did not like Chef Justin throwing shade at Justin Warner (about Justin commentating instead of cooking).

Thought Guy was wayyyyyy too nice about describing what happened with Madison.  Madison DID try and get Guy to bend the rules.  Guy refused, but Madison did try.

Like Chef Karen.  Chef Aarti was nice, but I was rooting for Darnell.

 

 

[candall]

24 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

Spoilers about tonight's episode!  I watched it because I have Discovery+ and no patience. :)
 

  Reveal spoiler

 

OMG Antonia and Darnell!

Justin Warner: It's up to your interpretation because you are Eric Repiere (sp?).  Ha!

I did not like Chef Justin throwing shade at Justin Warner (about Justin commentating instead of cooking).

Thought Guy was wayyyyyy too nice about describing what happened with Madison.  Madison DID try and get Guy to bend the rules.  Guy refused, but Madison did try.

Like Chef Karen.  Chef Aarti was nice, but I was rooting for Darnell.

 

 

This the first time I have NOT peeked under the spoiler banner.  I am steel!

[Ohmo]

6 minutes ago, candall said:

This the first time I have NOT peeked under the spoiler banner.  I am steel!

Good for you!  I fully admit I have never met a spoiler I won't read.

[dleighg]

I didn't peek- last week I was unintentionally spoiled because I read the thread before I watched the show- and learned that my fav. Bryan V was ousted. So sad! But maybe it softened the blow when I finally watched the show :) 

[susannot]

I can't believe they got Chef Eric Ripert.

[Grizzly]

It's the asparagus, stupid. As a GGG judge, she should know better. She was very gracious .

[jette30a]

Before the score: Does Marcel ever win anything? 
 

After: dang. Should’ve cooked the chicken, bro!

Edited March 14, 2022 by jette30a
The wolverine lost again :(

[MerBearHou]

I didn’t like Justin Sutherland (who I like very much) being snarky to Justin Warner (who I also like a lot).  I think it was Justin S sort of bantering in the gameplay, but it came off badly.

On the other hand, I loved Justin W’s witty response to the lovely Eric Ripert.  “You *are* Eric Ripert”

Great judges tonight — fantastic trio.

Edited March 14, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Grizzly]

Frigging Aarthi. She better win the whole thing after taking out Darnell. 

[susannot]

I'm happy for Aarthi although I love Darnell.  Good to see some new blood in the competition.

[Ciarrai]

Ugh Shirley Chung. Cannot stand her.

[MerBearHou]

20 minutes ago, Ciarrai said:

Ugh Shirley Chung. Cannot stand her.

Ditto.  I was so bummed when she won.

[Ohmo]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

I didn’t like Justin Sutherland (who I like very much) being snarky to Justin Warner (who I also like a lot).  I think it was Justin S sort of bantering in the gameplay, but it came off badly.

+1 It definitely rubbed me the wrong way.  I like Justin Warner and Simon.  Justin Sutherland seems like a good guy.  I thought it was poor taste to "go after" either commentator.  It was banter that didn't land well.

I was shocked at Antonia and Darnell both losing.

[FormerMod-a1]

I could tell Justin S was just having fun with it, but I could also tell Justin W was not liking it.  I think Justin S was just too in the zone to notice, unfortunately, and maybe still in the Fast Foodies mindset where they have a lot of banter while competing.

I loved Shirley Chung!  I would have been good with either her or Marcel winning, but with 2 of the dishes have raw chicken (if even not all raw) it was kind of obvious Marcel was not going to go on.

I love that they got Eric Ripert and Lorena Garcia!  (I also love Traci Des Jardin, but she has been a judge before so not as "surprising". :)  )

[Ohmo]

I think it'd be fun if there was a kind of "bonus battle" where Simon and Justin competed against each other, and two chefs (perhaps two who are no longer competing) commentated for them.

While I like the expanded bracket very much, this first round feels like it's taking forever to get through.

[Bastet]

Marcel, you did not give birth to a baby.  I'm quite sure I'd have read about that in the news.

I cannot stand him, and I absolutely adored Shirley on Top Chef and have had her food, so I was very happy for her to get him off my screen.

I remember mildly disliking Joe on his TC season, while I liked Antonia and have eaten her food, so I was rooting for her, but I figured her attitude about the asparagus would bite her in the ass.  Indeed, the two point difference between them came from the randomizer.

She had my favorite of the reactions to learning Eric Ripert is one of the judges.  "Shut UP.  You guys got Eric Ripert?"

I also loved Justin (commentator, not contestant) answering Ripert's question with "I believe that's up to your interpretation, as you are Eric Ripert".

As for contestant Justin, I really like him and Karen, so I was torn coming into that round.  But I thought he was a bit much with the other Justin.  It was very much how he, Kristen, and Jeremy josh each other on Fast Foodies, but there it's mutual.  Here, it didn't seem like they know each other in the same way, so it felt different to me.  So, as the round went on, I was Team Karen.

Guy calling them both GOATs was ridiculous, though.  They're great chefs, but clearly neither one is the Greatest of All Time.  That's an argument to be made for someone like Joel Robuchon.

I'm not familiar with Aarthi at all, and don't know much about Darnell, so I didn't have a horse in that race, but what a great round.  They both had such good attitudes.  I'm happy for her pulling off an upset, and against someone who knows what it feels like.

[desertflower]

Aw man, I was rooting for Darnell. Aarthi seems nice though and her dish was beautiful. I don’t mind Marcel, but I remember Shirley was really good on TC so I figured she’d win and I’m ok with that. 

They were acting like the frozen drink machine was the worst thing ever but wasn’t it basically a blender? Didn’t seem so bad.  

Edited March 14, 2022 by desertflower

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, desertflower said:

They were acting like the frozen drink machine was the worst thing ever but wasn’t it basically a blender? Didn’t seem so bad.

They are probably contractually obligated to freak out over at least one thing on the Randomizer.

[Maverick]

 Yes, even if the game elements are truly above board, there's still a lot of producer prodding for drama.  You could tell Shirley was struggling to deliver her undoubtedly production-scripted smack talk about sending Marcel home to his kid.  

 No, Guy, Madison did not miss getting the food on his plate by ONE SECOND (oooohhh).   The clock ran out while he was running back from the oven.  You know, like it showed in the flashback that was running during your OTT recollection.  

 In Justin vs. Justin, I was Team Warner.  I'm kind of indifferent to him, but he looked genuinely hurt at that.  

 I can't root for Joe Sasto while he's wearing those Pastel Picasso Pilates Pants (or 4P, as he'll be forever known to me, since I can't unsee that).  

 

[dleighg]

24 minutes ago, Maverick said:

In Justin vs. Justin, I was Team Warner.  I'm kind of indifferent to him, but he looked genuinely hurt at that.  

In what was apparently their next interaction, Justin asked Justin W for time, and Warner gave it very "flatly." I think you're right, that he was hurt. 

[candall]

I thought Guy must be describing Eric Rippert when he kvelled about "Greatest Of All Time" and "Legend."  But no, it was Justin Somebody, a chef I'd never heard of, who was rude to his commentator and who lost his round to someone else I'd never heard of.

Somebody needs to slip Guy a valium.  Vitamin V, Guy, it's what's for breakfast.

[roughing it]

I'm not a Top Chef watcher, so I don't know of any of these contestants.

I don't think I've ever seen Marcel or Elizabeth Faulkner win a competition.

With the "known" names losing, it definitely comes down to the blind judging.  When they do competitions with their faces there (and not just Antonia and Darnell, but all of the "name" chefs) their food is judged but the judges also know whose dish it belongs to.  So I believe they win based not only on the food but on their name as well.  Which gives them a false sense of ego.  Look at Iron Chef America - very rarely did the Iron Chef lose.  Had it been completely blind judging though, would it have been the same result?

Edited March 14, 2022 by roughing it

[Ohmo]

3 hours ago, dleighg said:

In what was apparently their next interaction, Justin asked Justin W for time, and Warner gave it very "flatly." I think you're right, that he was hurt. 

Justin S. also made a comment about his use of one of the radomizer elements.  He wanted to make sure Justin W. was aware of it, but he said something like "you got that" in a scolding sort of tone.  After what he had said to Justin W before, that wasn't the tone to use.  It wasn't received well.

[emmawoodhouse]

22 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

Justin S. also made a comment about his use of one of the radomizer elements.  He wanted to make sure Justin W. was aware of it, but he said something like "you got that" in a scolding sort of tone.  After what he had said to Justin W before, that wasn't the tone to use.  It wasn't received well.

I think Justin S. brought his Fast Foodies sarcastic banter to TOC, and it didn't play well. It's pretty much all they do on FF. 

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Ohmo said:

Justin S. also made a comment about his use of one of the radomizer elements.  He wanted to make sure Justin W. was aware of it, but he said something like "you got that" in a scolding sort of tone.  After what he had said to Justin W before, that wasn't the tone to use.  It wasn't received well.

Justin W. said Justin S. was [something-ing], and Justin S. told him to use the (required by the randomizer) word, he's glazing it.  That was when I started pulling for Karen to win (I came in torn, as I like them both a lot as chefs and what I've seen of them as people), because by that point it was clear Justin W. was not sharing in the same vibe Justin S. was creating; I know he's focused on his cooking, and I don't know how soon before this he'd filmed the latest batch of Fast Foodies episodes where that's what they do, but he should have read the room by then.

[Maverick]

 I don't know what Fast Foodies is (but it sounds obnoxious from what little I've heard here) but TOC is in its third season.  Has Justin not seen the show and realized going in that it's not part of the schtick to treat your commentator like shit?

 

[Grizzly]

10 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 I don't know what Fast Foodies is (but it sounds obnoxious from what little I've heard here) but TOC is in its third season.  Has Justin not seen the show and realized going in that it's not part of the schtick to treat your commentator like shit?

 

Especially when said commentator is presenting your food to the judges. I didn't like it when Guy used the commentator's nicknames when introducing them to the judges. I don't think they did either. "C'mon Guy, don't call me Wild Card in front of Eric Ripert." Eric seemed familiar with show, he looked straight away at the randomizer. Oh the horror, getting ham and something has to be glazed. Nothing seemed too crazy to me.

[mlp]

One of the most entertaining parts of last night's show was watching various chefs react to seeing Eric Ripert walk out.  Guy needs to stop with all the stupid nicknames but, if he had to use GOAT, he should have saved it for ER not the two he referred to.

I didn't like Karen at all when she was on TC but she was perfectly pleasant last night and I ended up being glad she beat Justin after his comments already discussed.

I've always liked Marcel so I keep pulling for him and hoping he'll win something some time but I knew he was toast when his chicken was undercooked.  Shoot, even I knew it wouldn't be cooked through when he waited so long to put it in the fryer.  What was he thinking?  I don't actively dislike Shirley but I do think she can be a pain in the neck.  Oh well.

I have nothing against Aarthi.  She seemed quite nice on GGG which is the only time I've ever seen her but I hated to see Darnell lose.   

Antonia going out in the first round was a bit of a shock.  I liked Joe Sasto when he was on TC (despite the mustache) so I was happy for him but a bit sad for Antonia.  However, she's won a lot of competitions so I'm glad Joe had a chance to shine.  I remember reading an interview with one of the other contestants from his season and that person said that Joe is a really nice guy and that he got up every day during TC and fixed breakfast for everyone.  

[Bastet]

On 3/14/2022 at 12:16 PM, Maverick said:

I don't know what Fast Foodies is

Kristen Kish, Justin Sutherland, and Jeremy Ford have a celebrity guest on who brings in their favorite fast food dish.  In the copycat round, they compete to see which of the three best replicates the taste and presentation of the original.  It's funny to watch three great chefs go against every culinary instinct they have in order to make the food come out like the original.

In the remix round, they get to cook their way, but it still has to relate -- they compete to see who makes the best of a completely different (and I mean largely using different ingredients, never mind preparations), high-end dish that somehow still evokes the overall flavor profile of the original. 

There are no actual prizes, there are silly shenanigans the two losers of the copycat round must briefly endure, and the atmosphere is very joking (many of the celebrity guests are comedians).  But that remix round is what makes the show worth watching, because it is astounding what they make (of course, we can't taste it to verify it indeed relates to the flavors of the fast food dish, but the celebrity guest reactions couldn't be faked even if they got Oscar-winning actors; their minds are blown).  Here's the forum for it.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Bastet

[MsMalin]

Am I remembering correctly that Marcel was treated poorly/bullied on Top Chef?  I have a soft spot for him and is happy that he has a child.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, MsMalin said:

Am I remembering correctly that Marcel was treated poorly/bullied on Top Chef?

yeah there was a whole threat of head shaving thing. I hadn't started watching yet that season but I think at least one contestant got kicked off. He seems like a nice enough guy now; I gather that season he was a bit of a "young kid with a big opinion of himself."

I didn't hear him say anything like that he "birthed a kid" so I'm not sure what some earlier comments on this thread were referring to.

[MsMalin]

Thank you for answering my question about Marcel. ^  It was humiliating and I felt very badly for him. I think he was somewhat pretentious and weird, but I still liked him. That whole thing was disgraceful.

Yes, I believe he did say last night that he birthed or gave birth to a baby.

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I didn't hear him say anything like that he "birthed a kid" so I'm not sure what some earlier comments on this thread were referring to.

He said, "Season two I took off because I was at the hospital giving birth to my baby boy."

[MsMalin]

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/top-chef-marcel-vigneron-shaved-head_n_5b806383e4b0348586006bcb

Just read about the bullying incident. It really was quite bad. Link is above...don't know if I did that right

[Rammchick]

Justin S may have burned Justin W with that comeback, but it was nothing compared to the way Guy chortled at it.  His reaction was way over the top.  If Justin W was embarrassed, Guy definitely made it much worse.

[Ohmo]

2 hours ago, mlp said:

One of the most entertaining parts of last night's show was watching various chefs react to seeing Eric Ripert walk out.

That was great, especially Antonia's reaction, followed by Justin W.'s comment!

I must admit, I started watching "Parts Unknown" right after Anthony Bourdain died.   He was friends with Eric Ripert, and Eric appeared several times on Parts Unknown.  I like watching food competition shows, but I'm not fully aware of the chef scene.  Needless to say, I did not fully understand or appreciate Eric's status as a chef.  For a long time he was "the guy who was on Anthony Bourdain's show."

I now understand how incorrect I was.

[schnauzergirl]

One of the highlights for me -- Giada wasn't a judge!  Seriously, the quality of judging on Sunday couldn't have been bettter.  

[Colorado David]

4 hours ago, mlp said:

One of the most entertaining parts of last night's show was watching various chefs react to seeing Eric Ripert walk out.  Guy needs to stop with all the stupid nicknames but, if he had to use GOAT, he should have saved it for ER not the two he referred to.

I didn't like Karen at all when she was on TC but she was perfectly pleasant last night and I ended up being glad she beat Justin after his comments already discussed.

I've always liked Marcel so I keep pulling for him and hoping he'll win something some time but I knew he was toast when his chicken was undercooked.  Shoot, even I knew it wouldn't be cooked through when he waited so long to put it in the fryer.  What was he thinking?  I don't actively dislike Shirley but I do think she can be a pain in the neck.  Oh well.

 

Antonia going out in the first round was a bit of a shock.  I liked Joe Sasto when he was on TC (despite the mustache) so I was happy for him but a bit sad for Antonia.  However, she's won a lot of competitions so I'm glad Joe had a chance to shine.  I remember reading an interview with one of the other contestants from his season and that person said that Joe is a really nice guy and that he got up every day during TC and fixed breakfast for everyone.  

Enjoyed that. I'm sad Marcel got zapped - I like him as he seems to have found himself after being so dang arrogant on Top Chef. But yeah underdone chicken is such a rookie mistake, I'm surprised he let that get him. I don't mind Shirley, tho she can be OTT exuberant at times.  (And I question being proud of being 'the opener' - do her opened restaurants stay open, and didn't Marcel have like double the number of restaurants to hers???)

Antonia feels like Amanda F to me now - she (Antonia) is highly ranked, but gets taken out fairly quickly by the up n comers. So much so I wonder if there's not some dealing go on behind the scenes, but that's just my opinion on feeling, I have no facts to corroborate that. 

[roseslg]

Ah, Ripert! I once walked by him on the streets of NYC, his eyes are dreamy.  😂 

[dleighg]

8 hours ago, Colorado David said:

And I question being proud of being 'the opener' - do her opened restaurants stay open

I had exactly the same thought!

[DEL901]

I keep seeing Guy’s ads promoting the show “we’ve gathered the best chefs in the world”.   Dude, are there even any non-American chefs competing?   And you didn’t get the best chefs in the US either.  Or even the best from the Food Network.   

[bad things are bad]

Forgive me if it's been mentioned but Marc Murphy went to Poland to work with Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen,  feeding refugees.  I was annoyed by him last year, but this utterly redeems him 

[roughing it]

17 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

One of the highlights for me -- Giada wasn't a judge!  Seriously, the quality of judging on Sunday couldn't have been bettter.

And with that, I noticed the scores were quite a bit lower with this group of judges...

[JTMacc99]

I like Joe Sasto. He seemed like somebody the other contestants liked to be around during his time on Top Chef. He does specialize in Italian food, especially pasta, but he's well trained, and I'm not shocked he made a good dish.  Rough draw for Antonia, and she kind of messed up with her decision making.

20 hours ago, mlp said:

(despite the mustache)

Heh. Joe connected with a little family run forge in Florida to make Sasto Pizza and Pasta tools. I'm not sure how he connected with them, but maybe it's because Doghouse Forge makes nice custom kitchen knives. Some of their stuff is really cool.  Anyway, the mustache is what makes it "Sasto":

As they are hand made, they aren't cheap. But they're super cool looking, so you can hang then on a wall and call it art.

 

[Stardancer Supreme]

I really like Shirley Chung.  But Marcel knew the undercooked chicken would do him in!  I did give Guy side eye at "Dumpling Mafia Queen".

Darnell is awesome and arrogant.  Aarthi Sampath is quite formidable! 

I'm eating hamburgers while watching this show.  My happy place!

[Harry24]

52 minutes ago, Stardancer Supreme said:

Aarthi Sampath is quite formidable! 

She is that indeed.  I watched the GGG show where she won her spot, and she kicked the asses of some really good chefs.  I honestly think she could win this whole tournament, if things go her way, she keeps her focus, and doesn’t let the big opportunity affect her confidence.

That said, I am so sad Adorable Darnell is out.  He’s an impressive chef too.

 

[Maverick]

1 hour ago, Stardancer Supreme said:

Darnell is awesome and arrogant.

 I thought I was a party of one at the Darnell is Arrogant table.  I liked him in his first couple of appearances but like several chefs, after a few wins on various shows and some ego stroking he starting to buy into the press.  Antonia is another one I really liked them she started getting a swelled head, especially with the "warrior princess" stuff.   

[anniebird]

I loved their reaction to Eric Ripert - "Oh my god! They got Eric Ripert!" compared to "Oh, it's Giada. She wrote a lot of cookbooks."

[Catfi9ht]

I'm still kind of "meh" about this show, but the increased pacing makes it much more enjoyable than last season. I can not pay attention while they cook and then pay attention during judging, and it doesn't take very long. The randomizer's results are still my favorite part of the show. I'm looking forward to see what they change for next round.