Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[potatoradio]

On 4/4/2022 at 2:28 PM, Bastet said:

There are half a dozen fast food/fast casual kabob places near me.

Lucky! We've just gotten fast Mediterranean food here within the last two years. I wonder if the quibble was established corporate fast food vs. street food? I associate kebobs with street food more than fast food, but it wasn't THAT hard for me to make the leap, even if I cringed a little at ground swordfish, which I associate more with steaks. 

On 4/4/2022 at 5:15 PM, Maverick said:

There's Guy with his bleached hair and West Coast baller getup where he looks like he's trying to be a flashier version of the dude on Storage Wars. 

*wipes monitor free of water I spit out laughing* 

I like that Malarkey isn't mean, but I can't take his cooking seriously with all of his antics. It's like he's trying to be another OTT Guy, but with a Richard Blais or Marcel V. fussy kind of cuisine. 

Not a Volt fan, but I did like Michael V. much more after seeing a more relaxed version who was able to laugh at himself instead of how he was portrayed on TC. 

 

 

 

[Maverick]

3 hours ago, potatoradio said:

. I wonder if the quibble was established corporate fast food vs. street food?

 That's how I took "fast food favorite": something from a big fast food chain (someplace with a drive thru).  You can almost any type of food from a quick service place these days, but to me there's a difference between a Chipotle and a Taco Bell.  Of course it's open to interpretation but that's just how I took it.   Otherwise, it becomes really broad. 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Maverick

[Ohmo]

Quarterfinals: Battle #1
 

Spoiler

 

Winner: Jet

Judges are Cat Cora, Nancy Silverton, and Scott Connant

Radomizer is grasshoppers, casava, paella, some pan that's like a dumpling pan but not exactly.

Shirley made a paella with the casava as noodles instead of rice.  That didn't go over well w/ judges.  They wanted a more classic paella.

However, Jet got nailed with his dish being a dish you would post to IG, but not one you would eat (Nancy)

Spread was mostly in taste.  Shirley seems to sense it before Guy revealed the winner.  Her body language read to me like she expected Jet to win.

 

Back at some point with Battle #2. :)

[Ohmo]

Battle #2
 

Spoiler

 

Winner: Brooke (by one point)

pheasant, jackfruit, bimpinbap, chamba pot, 35 minutes

The most notable thing about this battle is how quiet it was.  This was full-on intense cooking.

Scott and Nancy were very complimentary of Brooke's dish (a classic bipinbap).  She pulled her rice with 30 seconds to go.  Scott said he was going to take the rest of Brooke's dis with him.

Cat was more critical.  Said parts of her rice and pheasant were undercooked.

Michael fried his pheasant, which Cat liked.  Based on the judging, I thought the span would be greater than one point.  Scott and Nancy wanted more flavor and unchiousness throughout Michael's dish.

Michael joked about moving to the East Coast, but he definitely seemed disappointed.

 

 

[Ellee]

Thank you @Ohmo

[Ohmo]

Battle #3

Spoiler

 

Winner: Tobias

Stone crab claws, Chengdu hot pot, coq au vin, truffles

Tobias had a panic attack before the battle, so he went outside with Guy to get some air.

During the battle, Tobias did a literal interpretation of coq au vin with crab legs added.

Karen did an interpretation of coq au vin.  She made farrow with chicken stock, which was the nod to coq au vin, plus fried mushrooms, and a lot of truffles.

Scott said that Tobias's dish was too literal and took away from the crab.  Nancy and Cat seemed to like a literal interpretation.

 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Ohmo

[Ohmo]

Battle 4
 

Spoiler

 

Winner: Tiffani

I'm not a culinary whiz, so I'm not going to butcher these words. The cooking style was some chile dish with walnut sauce plus porcelet (which I now know is milk-fed pork.

The apparatus was a chittera, which Tiffani tried to use as a grill.  Didn't work.  She literally burned one.

Scott threw down his fork at Tiffani's dish and said it was delicious.  Nancy said her porcelet was a bit underdone.

The judges did not seem to like Maneet's dish.  Comments were too much salt, too sloppy on the place, too much sauce, and her peppers weren't cooked enough (Nancy).

 

 

[emmawoodhouse]

Thanks @Ohmo! Can you divulge the point differential in Battle #4? Under spoiler tags, of course. 😁

[Ohmo]

2 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Thanks @Ohmo! Can you divulge the point differential in Battle #4? Under spoiler tags, of course. 😁

Spoiler

 

I believe Battle #4 was 80 to 83*

* I think that's right, but sometimes the points in each battle blur together.  It wasn't a one point victory, but it wasn't a huge margin either.  I'm fairly certain it was three points.  If not, I will stand corrected when the episode actually airs.

The judges were more critical of Maneet than I thought they'd be.

 

 

[MerBearHou]

So from Michael and Brooke’s comments, some the items on a previous Randomizer are taken away for the next chefs’ Randomizers.  Michael said he was glad the protein cooked by Jet and Shirley “would be taken off” and Brooke questioned why their time was still on the Randomizer when the chefs right before had the same time to cook.  Y’all may have known this, but this was news to me.

Edited April 11, 2022 by MerBearHou

[jette30a]

7 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Battle #2
 

  Reveal spoiler

 

Winner: Brooke (by one point)

pheasant, jackfruit, bimpinbap, chamba pot, 35 minutes

The most notable thing about this battle is how quiet it was.  This was full-on intense cooking.

Scott and Nancy were very complimentary of Brooke's dish (a classic bipinbap).  She pulled her rice with 30 seconds to go.  Scott said he was going to take the rest of Brooke's dis with him.

Cat was more critical.  Said parts of her rice and pheasant were undercooked.

Michael fried his pheasant, which Cat liked.  Based on the judging, I thought the span would be greater than one point.  Scott and Nancy wanted more flavor and unchiousness throughout Michael's dish.

Michael joked about moving to the East Coast, but he definitely seemed disappointed.

 

 

Well, that’s incredibly disappointing. 

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

So from Michael and Brooke’s comments, some the items on a previous Randomizer are taken away for the next chefs’ Randomizers.  Michael said he was was glad the protein cooked by Jet and Shirley “would be taken off” and Brooke questioned why their time was still on the Randomizer when the chefs right before had the same time to cook.  Y’all may have known this, but this was news to me.

Yes, it was covered in the interview with the executive producer linked upthread:

Quote

The randomizer is the source of conspiracy theories and accusations that the show is rigged. But it is truly random, Lando said: “100 percent it’s random. It’s so important to Guy that there’s no funny-business behind the scenes.”

Some people have accused it of not being random because the same item never shows up twice. But there’s a reason for that.

The protein, produce, equipment, or style is replaced on the randomizer wheel after it’s been selected. “Our culinary team is so talented and creative that they have enough options that viewers will never see the same things twice,” Lando told me.

The way the randomizer actually spun in season one generated conversation and speculation that it wasn’t random. But the real reason is simpler: it was a last-minute idea.

Brian Lando told me that producers “were maybe two weeks out from filming season one, and we were talking about the challenges and how we were going to put these chefs to the test. And Guy comes up with the randomizer on the fly: What if we had all these wheels, and they spun, and it was the protein and the equipment? And he’s standing up, describing, and he’s showing us how he’s going to spin it—he’s reaching up and spinning air.”

“We only had 2.5 weeks, three weeks to build it. But it was during awards season and it was hard to find prop houses. We looked far and wide and we found someone,” he said.

There was one issue: “it didn’t have a stopping mechanism.” So that meant that, “on season one, by the time it stopped spinning, they [the wheels] were all unaligned, so Guy would have to manually align them.”

That’s no longer the case, because the randomizer prop was fixed: “All we did was put in a weight so when it’s done spinning, it snaps back to where it was between the lines,” Lando said.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Bastet

[JTMacc99]

Michael and Brooke’s reaction to what Jet and Shirley plated for their Grasshopper-Tapioca-Paella challenge is and probably always will be my favorite thing that happened on this show. 

[MerBearHou]

10 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Yes, it was covered in the interview with the executive producer linked upthread:

So interesting.  Thank you!

 

[Ohmo]

37 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

So from Michael and Brooke’s comments, some the items on a previous Randomizer are taken away for the next chefs’ Randomizers.  Michael said he was glad the protein cooked by Jet and Shirley “would be taken off” and Brooke questioned why their time was still on the Randomizer when the chefs right before had the same time to cook.  Y’all may have known this, but this was news to me.

I can see why the food is one and done, but the time isn't.  The time isn't a perishable commodity.  If you had a truly "random" cook, that means there would have to be four sets of every type of food.  Each battle only cooks one type, so that would be a tremendous waste of food.  By taking a set away after one pairing cooks with it, everything gets used and nothing is wasted.

[Bastet]

Yes!  I was rooting for Karen and Shirley, too, but all that really mattered to me tonight is for Tiffani and Brooke to win, so I'm a happy camper.

The only match-up I've had a chance to watch so far was Tiffani vs. Maneet (in which I was a little torn, as I really like both of them, but Tiffani winning pisses some people off, which makes me laugh and laugh, so I pull for her).  I loved Tiffani's hesitation when Scott Conant threw his fork down upon taking his first bite of her dish - is he angry about something screwed up (no red onions for him to pitch a snit fit about) or excited it was so damn good?  They were both so discouraged after mixed feedback from the judges, I knew either one was going to be as relieved as they were thrilled to walk away with the win.

(In that match, Simon did not present the higher-ranked chef's dish, for those keeping track of how frequently he does so.)

[MerBearHou]

Apparently I focus on random things, but Tiffani’s hair in her talking heads was in a totally different style from when she was cooking.  So how long after they finish cooking do they film the talking heads?  Anyone know?

Tobias’ anxiety attack made me teary and I am so, so glad he overcame it and cooked very well.  I like Karen a great deal so I was sorry one had to take the other out.  

I wish Michael had beaten Brooke - I don’t dislike Brooke but I am ready for someone to beat her, and especially wanted it to be Michael.  So darn close.

I was glad for Tiffani.  I like Maneet OK but prefer Tiffani.

Jet Tila all day, every day for me!

 

[Grizzly]

In the Jet/Shirley battle, did I see both of them take a bite of something and then put it back in the pan? Please tell me I didn't see that. 

I wasn't aware Scott had a James Beard award. I know he's a jerk but I do find him to be sexy. That was a pretty tame outfit for Nancy. Guess she didn't want to clash with Cat. When Guy went outside to talk Tobias off the ledge, he took his jacket off! I was so amused.

[Ohmo]

57 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I wish Michael had beaten Brooke - I don’t dislike Brooke but I am ready for someone to beat her, and especially wanted it to be Michael.  So darn close.

I like Michael.  I like when Michael or Bryan does well.  But I also like Brooke.  She's not over the top like Christa or Elizabeth or Mularrkey and Christian on the side for the guys.

I keep thinking about the accolades that she would get if she were a man.  How her confidence seems off-putting to some, but it would likely be received differently if she were a man.  That's why I really respected how both she and Michael cooked.

It was my sense that there was mutual respect there.  Neither talked unnecessarily.  They just both cooked, and as disappointed as Michael was, I think he also genuinely respected the outcome.

I have zero issues with Brooke continuing to win.  All the other chefs are free to do something about it if they don't like it. Brooke has withstood all challenges except from Maneet last year.  Good for Brooke, IMO.  And I still like Michael as well.

[susannot]

I knew Tiffani would win when she pan seared a piece of her pork, which was described as the most delicious pork in the world.  Maneet grinding it all up was a mistake and her plate looked messy.

I am happy to have some new blood in the competition and beyond happy for Tobias.

Brooke vs. Jet next week should be epic.  I feel that it is Jet's year this time around.  Jet and Shirley were truly screwed by the grasshoppers (ugh) but he managed to overcome it.

 

[GaT]

6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

So from Michael and Brooke’s comments, some the items on a previous Randomizer are taken away for the next chefs’ Randomizers.  Michael said he was glad the protein cooked by Jet and Shirley “would be taken off” and Brooke questioned why their time was still on the Randomizer when the chefs right before had the same time to cook.  Y’all may have known this, but this was news to me.

I was just wondering about this

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

Yes, it was covered in the interview with the executive producer linked upthread:

I can't find the interview, is it behind a spoiler tag?

[Mellowyellow]

@Ohmo thank you so much for the spoilers!!!! I love spoilers and I can't access the show until a few days later so spoilers are much appreciated 🥰

[cameron]

9 hours ago, Grizzly said:

In the Jet/Shirley battle, did I see both of them take a bite of something and then put it back in the pan? Please tell me I didn't see that. 

I wasn't aware Scott had a James Beard award. I know he's a jerk but I do find him to be sexy. That was a pretty tame outfit for Nancy. Guess she didn't want to clash with Cat. When Guy went outside to talk Tobias off the ledge, he took his jacket off! I was so amused.

Thought that Nancy's out fit was really nice.  Now wish she would do something with those stupid barrettes  she wears in her hair.  Too old to pull off that kind of hairstyle.

[MsMalin]

The whole Tobias thing brought tears to my eyes. So happy for him.  I have also gained a lot of respect for Guy with his support of chefs.  He seems to be a truly good person.

[sugarbaker design]

2 hours ago, cameron said:

Now wish she would do something with those stupid barrettes  she wears in her hair.  Too old to pull off that kind of hairstyle.

It's part of her signature look.  Barrettes forever!

[cameron]

18 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

It's part of her signature look.  Barrettes forever!

 She hasn't always worn those barrettes; needs to get a new look for her hair.  At age 67, doesn't need a signature look (think Julia Child). She actually looked really nice in what she wore today (clothes wise).  

Edited April 11, 2022 by cameron

[sugarbaker design]

3 minutes ago, cameron said:

She needs to get a new look for her hair.

Couldn't disagree more!  Nancy without her barrettes, would be like Medusa without her snakes.

[Maverick]

 Their explanation about no repeats is the simplest and most logical answer....except we've seen items on later spins.   Maybe they're showing some battles out of order but the commentary seems to lean away from that.

 I also noted Tiffani's hair change during her commentary.  It was a pretty drastic change...she went from braids to aping to Brooke's Ewok Ears look.

 I noticed Shirley had 'Dumpling Mafia Queen' on her T shirt, so was this some nickname she came in with or did she coordinate with carnival barker Guy?  

 Other than Jet, I was really blah on last night's battles.   So wanted Michael to take out Brooke.   She may be just that good, but 3 seasons in it's getting boring.   I knew Maneet wasn't going all the way this year.  She's just been off this season.  Even when she wins it's low scores.   Same with Karen.   

[dleighg]

for the paella challenge, I gave a WTF about Shirley doing noodles? Why on earth didn't she do rice? She seemed to be saying that some versions of paella use noodles? I've sure never heard of that.

In the recipe I use for bibimbap, crunch on the bottom is an important part of it, as is a "pretty" presentation of different components around the bowl. Michael got the first part of that; Brooke the second. I certainly think her presentation was more effective.

I thought it was interesting when I realized that the chefs "up next" don't know who the judges are until they are done cooking (even though they are allowed to watch the cooking before them). It makes sense, since you don't want them to skew their cooking to please particular judges (no raw onions for Scott, obviously); I just hadn't thought about it.

[Bastet]

12 hours ago, GaT said:

I can't find the interview, is it behind a spoiler tag?

No, but it's a couple of pages back now:  Reality Blurred interview with executive producer Brian Lando

[GaT]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

No, but it's a couple of pages back now:  Reality Blurred interview with executive producer Brian Lando

They explain about the Madison DQ if anyone is interested

Quote

Why was Madison Cowan disqualified and Christian Petroni was not?

Tournament of Champions 3 had a first: Madison Cowan was disqualified because he didn’t have everything plated when time ran out.

A few weeks later, Christian Petroni forgot a randomizer ingredient, parsley, but he was not DQed.

The issue, Lando told me, was that “Madison didn’t have half an entire dish [plated, and only], three-fourths of the randomizer” items on those plates he did finish.

“In Christian’s case—and it happened also in season one with Darnell [Ferguson]—if there’s one element left off the dish … there’s enough there to be judged, but obviously it’s really hard to overcome missing a randomizer ingredient, as you saw, and he lost because of it,” he said.

 Maybe it's the way it's stated, but my brain just isn't getting it.

[candall]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

for the paella challenge, I gave a WTF about Shirley doing noodles? Why on earth didn't she do rice? She seemed to be saying that some versions of paella use noodles? I've sure never heard of that.

...

Yeah, you'd better not be substituting in an "interpretation" for the element that establishes a dish as that particular dish.  "Have some of this egg salad between cucumber slices--it's my interpretation of a ham sandwich."

 

Porcelet?  Years and years ago, it finally soaked into most of the national consciousness that "milk fed veal" = torture.  Are we now doing the same thing to piglets?

[Catfi9ht]

8 hours ago, Maverick said:

I noticed Shirley had 'Dumpling Mafia Queen' on her T shirt, so was this some nickname she came in with or did she coordinate with carnival barker Guy?  

It looked like it said "Dumpling Mafia NFT" to me. She wore it during an earlier round too. Guy originally called her the Dumpling Queen. I noticed he added Mafia after she wore that shirt.

I also noticed Eric Adjepong's chef jacket said Chef Pong on it the last round he cooked in.

I assume Guy gives people the option of picking their own nicknames.

I find it annoying but it's part of his schtick. Guy is less annoying than the other male hosts on FN for me. The other male hosts mansplain or display toxic masculinity too much.

With Guy's hair, jewelry and wardrobe, it would be easy for him to fall into that trap too, but I don't get that vibe, just lots of loudly voiced catch phrases.

I realized I forgot to comment on this episode. I'm glad Jet won. I did notice the show completely edited out the judges' comments regarding his dish. I guess they had too because he beat Shirley by 9 points on taste alone. Selective editing is fine but skewing to the opposite is pretty lame.

I'm glad Tobias won. He seems really nice. I'll probably root for him to win the whole thing but the odds are not in his favor.

32 contestants was a good number. I hope they stick with it.

Edited April 12, 2022 by Catfi9ht
Forgot to comment on this episode

[Stardancer Supreme]

I was rooting for Jet Tila.  Oh, so Shirley's nickname is "Dumpling Mafia Queen". She had "Dumpling Mafia" on her shirt at this battle!  (Wait. It is a Dumpling Mafia NFT shirt. I hope Shirley gets a cut. LOL!) Okay, I can apologize to Guy for thinking he was being extra THIS ONE TIME.  When will the chefs learn not to vocalize their issues with the Randomizer? I don't do bugs of any kind, but I really wanted to eat Jet's dish.  He made a paella type dish.  Shirley is an awesome chef and hopefully she will be back next year!

I was rooting for Brooke Williamson.  Michael Voltaggio just turns me off.  I see the theme of the night is to try to game the Randomizer. I know Voltaggio is so sick of losing to Brooke.  I'll admit that the fried pheasant would have won me over, but his dish wasn't as fulfilled as Brooke's dish.

I was rooting for Tobias Dorzon.  I appreciate that Guy cares about the chefs and for him to talk Tobias through his anxiety attack was awesome.  The judging throughout this episode is nerve wracking, though. First, if you make your dish in the style that the Randomizer asks for, it isn't the actual dish. Then, if you make your dish exactly like the Randomizer, it's too literal.  So which is it, judges? 

I was rooting for Maneet Chauhan.  I don't feel it for Tiffany Faison either.  Loved how Guy was looking at Tiffany like, "Please don't burn my kitchen down."  Okay, how does Maneet lose against undercooked pork?  So these judges liked undercooked, under seasoned pork? Gah.  

 

[Ohmo]

5 hours ago, GaT said:

 Maybe it's the way it's stated, but my brain just isn't getting it.

GaT, try thinking of a puzzle.  Christian forgot one piece of the puzzle,  but the judges could look at the puzzle, and say, "That's a puzzle of a ___________.  It has a piece missing, but we know it's a puzzle of a ___________.  We can judge it as a puzzle with one piece missing."

Madison was missing three-fourths of his puzzle.  He has a few pieces, but not really enough that it was a true puzzle.  The judges wouldn't be able to figure out what it was.  When put next to Amanda's completed puzzle there's no doubt that hers would have won because she had more pieces.

[Rammchick]

I must be the only one, but I think Karen was robbed.  Tobias is a great guy, but why on earth would you make chicken too when the star of the dish was supposed to be stone crab claws?  I'm even more surprised at the judges for rewarding that, given that stone crab is sweet and delicate, and it didn't look like very much was on the plate.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it also looked like it was still in the shell.  That's fine at Joe's Stone Crab in Florida but not so much for fine dining.  Oh well.

As soon as Maneet ground up that porecelet, I knew she had lost.  Grinding up a very expensive product like that is "disrespectful of the protein", and will definitely get you Chopped 😏

[roughing it]

14 hours ago, Ohmo said:

20 hours ago, GaT said:

Maybe it's the way it's stated, but my brain just isn't getting it.

GaT, try thinking of a puzzle.  Christian forgot one piece of the puzzle,  but the judges could look at the puzzle, and say, "That's a puzzle of a ___________.  It has a piece missing, but we know it's a puzzle of a ___________.  We can judge it as a puzzle with one piece missing."

Madison was missing three-fourths of his puzzle.  He has a few pieces, but not really enough that it was a true puzzle.  The judges wouldn't be able to figure out what it was.  When put next to Amanda's completed puzzle there's no doubt that hers would have won because she had more pieces.

I look at it this way - when you are done plating and are ready to present to the judges, hands go up, signaling "I'm done".  Which Christian did.  Madison did not, because he wasn't done, he ran out of time and thus was disqualified.

[Fig Newton]

Personally, I would like to see more of the chefs who are not Food Network darlings. I am tired of Antonia, Maneet, Christian, Michael etc. I have however enjoyed watching any of the chefs that do not saturate Food Network 24/7. 

Tobias won the night for me. I think exposing his anxiety and being so vulnerable in such a bright spotlight was admirable. He even mentioned he didn't want to break down on camera. I think it was handled respectably and admirably.  Ultimately, I think it gave him the extra jolt to win his round with coq au vin and crab legs....which by the way , looked delicious. 

[Bastet]

I finally had a chance to watch the other three rounds, and Jet's "It's not okay" about their randomizer outcome was perfectly delivered.  I'd have had no earthly idea what to do.  I really like Shirley, and her food (I love me a good dumpling, and Ms. Chi is a great place for them), and thought they both had great ideas; I loved Brooke and Michael's reactions throughout.  But as it went on, I thought Jet's dish was coming together better.  Shirley seemed clearly to know, when standing there with Jet and Guy, she'd lost, so this seems an example of editing the judges' comments to create a suspense that simply didn't exist in reality.

I know Jet is hoping the third time is the charm, he'll finally beat Brooke, and I won't be mad if he does, but I'm hoping she emerges victorious.

Brooke vs. Michael was a great match.  I'm glad the pattern held - season one, she beat him in the first round, season two, she beat him in the second, and now she beat him in the third - but it was a fantastic battle.  "So close; I can't see you could have done anything different"/"Move to the East coast" was a great exchange. 

Tobias vs. Karen, I was rooting for Karen since I'm so much more familiar with her.  But when her dish didn't come together the way she wanted, I was worried.  And, indeed, she lost, but by two points total, one each in two categories -- nice showing for her first time in ToC.

I have chronic anxiety (and depression; life's fun here), which I found out following a battery of tests after I wound up in the ER years ago with what turned out to be a massive anxiety attack.  Through a variety of therapies, my full-on attacks are uncommon and less severe, but the day-to-day anxiety and the little to moderate spikes are themselves a challenge to live with.

So I recognized Tobias's face, that moment when you're afraid the regular jitters anyone would have in the same situation are about to become something different, because your baseline is different -- we can have a flat-out attack without any obvious external reason, so our heightened reaction to a situation that would trigger anyone's nerves can really be something.  I sympathized with him not wanting to freak out on camera, and I don't know what they didn't include, but he spoke about it afterward in a talking head interview, so I hope he was comfortable with the balance of what was included, and commend him for showing that (I know he ultimately had no choice, but I have to think the respect that permeates this thing means if he'd asked none of it be shown, it wouldn't have been).

Props to him for winning under those circumstances.  Plus, he's a football player, and I love football.  And can I please be invited to his house, if he uses truffles every day?  I'm rooting for Tiffani in the next round, but Tobias is impressive.

And now that I've seen all four match-ups, this episode's answer to the "Does Simon always present the higher-seeded chef's dish?" is only once (the fewest since I started tracking).

[Bastet]

On 4/3/2022 at 11:38 PM, Maverick said:

I know the producers make her carry that ridiculous belt around, but it's annoying and I get the feeling she likes playing into it.

 

On 4/4/2022 at 2:51 PM, YupItsMe said:

I wonder why it’s important for her to still be carrying it around? She was the winner the first season and not the current defender. A few more seasons and each contest will be carrying a belt.

 

On 4/5/2022 at 8:40 AM, schnauzergirl said:

Having said that, what I get from her is a sense of entitlement which is re-inforced every time she totes the winner's belt into the kitchen.  Brooke is not the current champion, it's Maneet, so in my traditionalist way, I'm put off by that.

There isn't one belt that gets passed like a torch from one season's winner to the next; Brooke has and will forever have the 2020 championship belt (the engraving is shown right there on all the close-ups), Maneet has and will forever have the 2021 championship belt (the engraving is shown right there on all the close-ups), and whoever wins ToC will forever have the 2022 championship belt (the engraving will be shown right there on all the close-ups in future seasons, which I expect there to be).  Both have done bits in subsequent seasons where they bring their belt on stage; as recently as Maneet's latest match-up, in which she lost to Tiffani, she brought out her belt, so it's not a Brooke thing, it's a ToC thing.   

Edited April 13, 2022 by Bastet

[schnauzergirl]

3 hours ago, Bastet said:

There isn't one belt that gets passed like a torch from one season's winner to the next; Brooke has and will forever have the 2020 championship belt (the engraving is shown right there on all the close-ups), Maneet has and will forever have the 2021 championship belt (the engraving is shown right there on all the close-ups), and whoever wins ToC will forever have the 2022 championship belt (the engraving will be shown right there on all the close-ups in future seasons, which I expect there to be).  Both have done bits in subsequent seasons where they bring their belt on stage; as recently as Maneet's latest match-up, in which she lost to Tiffani, she brought out her belt, so it's not a Brooke thing, it's a ToC thing.   

I understand all that.  Unfair as it may be, I find Brooke off-putting, thus my reaction.  

[MyMaui]

I really wanted Michael to win this round. I hope Jet takes it next round. I'm tired of Brooke.  She is not arrogant and is a good cook but I'm ready for someone to beat her.  I hope Jet makes that happen.

Maneet just didn't seem like she was into this season, at least to me.  I was so glad she won last year but this year seems off.  

The final 4 will be a great match up.  I can't wait to see what they have to cook.  I'm rooting for a Tobias v Jet finale

 

[DEL901]

This probably isn’t the right place to put it, but earlier it was mentioned Marc Murphy wasn’t competing and that he is now in Poland with Jose Andes’ World Central Kitchen cooking for the refugees. 
https://people.com/food/ray-donovans-liev-schreiber-helps-cook-for-ukraine-refugees-in-poland-in-honor-of-passover/

[Ohmo]

Let's do this!

Brooke vs. Jet
 

Spoiler

 

Winner: Brooke (2 point spread)

blowfish tails, salsify, combi oven, quennelle, 50 minutes

Judges: Silverton, Connant, Cora (although I think Guy's got a different judge for the final.  He hinted at a big surprise.

I think Nancy helped do Jet in.  She didn't like his quennelle.  He made it out of the blowfish and possibly the salsify.  He made a Japanese dachi broth, and the quennelle soaked up the liquid.  Nancy did not like that.

Brooke made blowfuish tales with a sofrita thad had a bunch of ingredients in it, including the salsify.  Her quennelle was like a garlic cream similar to an aoli.  Nabcy liked that much better.

Jet spent time making his own noodles.  Guy, Justin, and Tiffani (watching from the pantry) all commented that Jet should have bailed on the noodles.  He made them twice.

Simon was sweating about Brooke's quennelles.  She formed them with 15 seconds to go.

Brooke spoke personally about what the money would mean to her.  She said (if she wins) she plans to use it to create financial stability for her child since the restaurant industry is unstable.

 

 

[Ohmo]

More on Brooke vs. Jet
 

Spoiler

 

Jet told Brooke she cooked the better dish.

The audience stood and applauded Jet.

He teared up a bit backstage.

 

 

[Ohmo]

Tiffani vs. Tobias
 

Spoiler

 

Winner: Tiffani (7 point spread)

goose, bergemant, liquid nitrogen, velvety, 45 minutes.

Tiffani cooked goose breast but also made a stock that included other parts of the goose.

Her velvety component was a cauliflower, brie, and cream puree that Simon said if he ever were to leave his wife, it would be for that puree.

Tobias also did goose breast (jerk goose breast) with pickled carrots (pickled in bergemant).  Hi velvety was mashed potatoes ans a pea puree.

Cat Cora came down hard on both of them for not "wowing" her with the liquid nitrogen.  Tiffani created bergemant peel and something else for garnish.  Parsley maybe, I forget.  Tobaias used the liquid nitrogen to shock his peas for the puree.

Tiffani talked about how she came up through the restaurant industry.  Tobias seemed very calm and seemed to be cooking well.   Both Guy and Justin commented on that.

Tobias seemed happy with the way he represented himself.  I was happy for him.

 

 

[Ohmo]

The champ of TOC III is...
 

Spoiler

 

Tiffani (2 point spread)

Radomizer included rabbit, natto, anti-griddle, ingredient three ways, and 60 minutes.

The fourth judge was Morimoto, and there was one day between the semi-final and the final.

Tiffani cooked rabbit in Chinese, Thai, and Japanese ways.  A skewer, a Thai variation, and fried rabbit.

Brooke did a rabbit ragu with lentils, rabbit with persciutto and melon, and rabbit with sunchokes.

Based on the judging alone, I would have thought that Brooke was the winner.  The judges seemed more critical of Tiffani's food to me.

Food Network telegraphed this.  Tiffani mentioned coming in second in her career a couple of times.  I thought to myself "For that to be in there multiple times, she has to have won."

Also interesting that she talked about being married to her wife for eight years, but they got divorced within the past year.

 

 

[DEL901]

Thank you, thank you thank you Ohmo.  
 

Spoiler

So… season 1, 4 women in the semi finals   Last season 3.   This season 2 men make the semis but still no man has made the final.   And true blind judging since the judges don’t know who the chefs are.   Gonna have to retire that trope that men are the better chefs.

 

[MerBearHou]

Watching now.  It’s almost insulting to see an ad for “Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition” during this TOC show of incredible chefs — talk about opposites.

[Bastet]

Heading into the final round, I was so happy; it was exactly what I wanted -- Tiffani to win East and Brooke to win West, so I'd be thrilled with whoever took home the belt.  I'd have loved to see Brooke get another one, but I also wanted to see Tiffani get her first championship.  I was mostly just excited to see what they made, but was rooting for Tiffani just a little bit more.  I'm so happy for her.

I know Brooke really wanted it, and feel her disappointment, but to reach the finals all three times (and in both of her Top Chef appearances) is incredibly impressive.

Great final -- 92 vs 90 is how it should be in the end.  I don't even like rabbit, but I still found it very interesting to see all they made.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Bastet