Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[MerBearHou]

Helluva semi-final and final — hard hard cooks and these final four were incredible.  

[FormerMod-a1]

Go Tiffani!!!  

A Brooke vs Tiffani final was my dream.  I love them both so would have been happy with either winning.  Brooke has proven to be a beast in the kitchen.  I wonder if she'll transition to judging at some point - make way for someone else to win the West bracket.  :P  Not saying I want that, I'd love for her to take it one more time.  Just spitballing here.

LOVE that they got Morimoto for a final judge. 

[emmawoodhouse]

8 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

Go Tiffani!!!  

A Brooke vs Tiffani final was my dream.  I love them both so would have been happy with either winning.  Brooke has proven to be a beast in the kitchen.  I wonder if she'll transition to judging at some point - make way for someone else to win the West bracket.  :P  Not saying I want that, I'd love for her to take it one more time.  Just spitballing here.

LOVE that they got Morimoto for a final judge. 

Brooke has judged on GGG and Chopped.

[FormerMod-a1]

2 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Brooke has judged on GGG and Chopped.

Thanks, I know,  I was referring to this show.  If she is a judge on this show, that would leave room for someone else to win the West bracket.  But as I also said I'd like her to take the whole thing one more time first.  

[Grizzly]

Happy that Tiffani won only because Brooke didn't. This is one show where guys need not apply. How interesting that men are thought of as great chefs but they can't get into the finals.

[MerBearHou]

Tiffani’s edit was all about redemption and feeling better about herself after her last two very tough years.  She can never talk about “always being 2nd; never winning the big prize” again.  

Tobias can feel very proud of his semi-final cook.  I was so sad for Jet - he’s my fave - but Brooke’s dish was indeed better.  I wanted to eat Tiffani’s semi-final dish immediately - it looked so delicious.  

Brooke’s tears after she lost were so real.  That competition must take everything out of you.  

Very happy, though surprised, that Tiffani beat out that entire group of chefs.  Huge accomplishment.  

Simon and Justin are the best.

Fun, impressive season!

[Harry24]

Really enjoyable season.  This is the best, most entertaining format for televised competitive cooking I’ve yet seen.

Just as a fan, I prefer both Jet and Tobias.  But Brooke and Tiffani were clearly superior.  Tobias should be incredibly proud to be cooking on this level.  I don’t know the man, but I’m proud of him. 

Unfortunately Brooke’s win over Jet was telegraphed by the talking head where Jet’s eyes were puffy and raw looking.  That must have been devastating for him.  But it goes to show what’s at stake for a lot of these chefs.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Harry24

[Ohmo]

58 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Brooke has judged on GGG and Chopped.

She's also I judge on BBQ Brawl (Flay vs. Symon vs. Jackson) which I'm catching up on on Discovery+.

[emmawoodhouse]

3 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

She's also I judge on BBQ Brawl (Flay vs. Symon vs. Jackson) which I'm catching up on on Discovery+.

I missed that, as I typically avoid anything with Flay's name attached to it. 😄

[Rammchick]

I turned it off after 

Spoiler

Jet lost

☹️

[dleighg]

shallow comment: does Morimoto's hair (specifically the part meeting his forehead) really look like that, or is it some sort of hairpiece? It seemed oddly sharp and straight.

I was happy Tiffany won; Brooke has won enough IMHO. 

And I have no desire to ever, ever, try natto. It looked gross.

[LouiseIndy]

I've been wondering about the audience.  Where do they get those people?  They look like the audiences on some infomercials--like they're being paid to sit there.  And what's with the empty seats?  Can't find enough people who want to watch?  Although to sit there and watch 3 or 4 matches would make a long day.  

[FormerMod-a1]

This was filmed when there were still restrictions on audience size and what not.  Look at last year, even fewer audience members and they all had masks.  I suspect next year will look more like the first season - aka more "normal". 

[chessiegal]

8 minutes ago, LouiseIndy said:

I've been wondering about the audience.  Where do they get those people?  They look like the audiences on some infomercials--like they're being paid to sit there.  And what's with the empty seats?  Can't find enough people who want to watch?  Although to sit there and watch 3 or 4 matches would make a long day.  

I'm guessing these were filmed during COVID (heck, it's still COVID) and it would not be a great idea to pack people in. Looks like the same stage they use for Beat Bobby Flay. I think they usually have friends and family in the audience for that show.

[Maverick]

 Beat Booby Flay is filmed in NY.  Guy is West Coast-based so I think this show is shot there.  Regardless, I remember either hearing on the show or reading it online that this is supposedly the hottest ticket in town and it's a very select group that gets to be in the audience.  But of course, that's from the Guy Hype Machine, so grain of salt and all that.

 Natto comes up and they happen to have Morimoto as a judge.   Yeah, still side eyeing you,"Random"izer.  

 Of the 4, Jet was the only one I wanted to win so I was out of interest after the first battle.

 Brooke may be that good, but watching her win is boring.   In fact, the whole West bracket is boring.  Hasn't is come down to her and Voltaggio then her and Jet every season?   I think Antonia was in there one year, but it's basically the same few every year.   At least the East bracket has some variety both in who's competing and who wins.  I don't know if that means they need to bring in better chefs for the West or for the East.   

[mlp]

I wanted Jet to win and I was hoping for an upset by Tobias so I was disappointed that the two chefs I like least ended up in the final round.  I don't know if Tiffani is really more pleasant than she used to be or if she just presents herself better but she came across well so, of those two, I was glad she won.  

I knew the fourth chef was Morimoto as soon as I saw the split second shot of him coming out of his trailer.  Because of the hype, I was sort of expecting Thomas Keller or some other major player not usually seen on FN.  

Scott Conant is such a self-involved ass.  Better him than Giada I guess.

Natto looks disgusting.  

[jabRI]

I've never been a fan of Brooke.  I thought she came across as quite entitled on Top Chef, just a bad vibe.  Or maybe she has some social awkwardness?  Other chefs seem to like her, so maybe it's just her persona.  So good to see Shirley again, she's one of my all time favorites.

[buttersister]

Quote

But it goes to show what’s at stake for a lot of these chefs

Or he needed the $100k. I was hoping Jet would win, but the hype of this show gets to be a bit much. "Sir" Simon?? Flavortown doesn't have a king, Guy. Also, when everyone is The One and Only, does that mean anything anymore? Not here--again, it's Guy's Glitter Machine in overdrive. Credentials? Of course. BS? Pass.

3 hours ago, mlp said:

I knew the fourth chef was Morimoto as soon as I saw the split second shot of him coming out of his trailer.  Because of the hype, I was sort of expecting Thomas Keller or some other major player not usually seen on FN.  

LOL! Yeah, I forgot for a moment where I was--on FN or real life.

[GaT]

I've been wondering if all the chefs get paid at least something for their appearance, & if it's like Survivor, the longer you last, the more you get paid.

[Stardancer Supreme]

I was hoping for a Jet Tila win.  Tiffani had it in the bag once Natto was chosen as an ingredient and Iron Chef Morimoto was chosen as the 4th judge. 

Onto TOC IV!

[meep.meep]

On 4/18/2022 at 8:17 AM, LouiseIndy said:

I've been wondering about the audience.  Where do they get those people?  They look like the audiences on some infomercials--like they're being paid to sit there.  And what's with the empty seats?  Can't find enough people who want to watch?  Although to sit there and watch 3 or 4 matches would make a long day.  

There was a guy in the front row in full Sir Simon Majumdar outfit, complete with color coordinated hat.  They were trying not to include him in the shots but sometimes had to include him.  Reminded me of that creepy kid in the Morimoto outfit.

Being from Northern California, they just aren't attracting the real super chefs to compete in this - no Keane, Kinch, Keller, Tyler Florence, Brandon Jew, etc.  Weren't Dominique Crenn and Tracy Desjardin judges this season?

[eelpout]

22 hours ago, Maverick said:

Natto comes up and they happen to have Morimoto as a judge.   Yeah, still side eyeing you,"Random"izer.  

I'm quite sure the Randomizer, which I'm convinced is the Tiny House where Hunter is forced to live in in Guy's backyard, is not as random as we are meant to believe.

[dleighg]

On 4/18/2022 at 8:51 AM, dleighg said:

shallow comment: does Morimoto's hair (specifically the part meeting his forehead) really look like that, or is it some sort of hairpiece? It seemed oddly sharp and straight.

yeah must have been a hairpiece, or plugs or something. This is an earlier view of his forehead

[Yeah No]

11 hours ago, eelpout said:

I'm quite sure the Randomizer, which I'm convinced is the Tiny House where Hunter is forced to live in in Guy's backyard, is not as random as we are meant to believe.

Yep, I've been saying that too.  And when Guy listed the alternatives on each drum there were only 4 or so on each so at least some of them have to appear twice.  Makes me wonder if some appear more than others and it's a "stacked deck".

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

And when Guy listed the alternatives on each drum there were only 4 or so on each so at least some of them have to appear twice. 

I think they all appear twice - once on the half of the drum we see, and a second time on the back half we don't, presumably repeated in the same order.

[Yeah No]

34 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I think they all appear twice - once on the half of the drum we see, and a second time on the back half we don't, presumably repeated in the same order.

Right, I didn't want to assume the drum had 8 sides but it would make more sense that way.

[Yeah No]

On 4/18/2022 at 5:57 PM, jabRI said:

I've never been a fan of Brooke.  I thought she came across as quite entitled on Top Chef, just a bad vibe.  Or maybe she has some social awkwardness?  Other chefs seem to like her, so maybe it's just her persona.  So good to see Shirley again, she's one of my all time favorites.

I hear you, but go over to the Top Chef thread and that opinion seems to be very unpopular.  Go figure.  Despite that I kind of felt bad for Brooke losing at the very end 2 years in a row.  I'm not a big Tiffani fan either (still scarred from "I'm not your bitch, bitch" on Top Chef) so I wasn't invested in either one winning.

[jabRI]

2 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I'm not a big Tiffani fan either (still scarred from "I'm not your bitch, bitch" on Top Chef)

I'll never forget that! She seems to have come on a redemption arc since then, but yeah, always surprised to see her so well loved on these shows.  Guess people can change, and come back from a bad first impression.

[MerBearHou]

Fun tonight to see four of the Season 3 TOC chefs on Guy’s Grocery Games — Joe Sasto, Tiffani Faison, Justin Sutherland and Carlos Anthony.  It references Tiffani’s “got the belt” so they’re fresh off of TOC-Season 3.  Super good natured competition.  

Simon, Antonia and Aarti are the judges.  It’s like a bunch of pals.  

Carlos sticks out a little as SUCH the newbie in the group, but he’s certainly an enthusiastic addition, I’ll give him that.

Edited April 21, 2022 by MerBearHou

[Daisychain]

I've watched too much food tv.  I like Brooke a lot because she's highly competent, and no one has to apologize for that.  She's an introvert for sure, so sometimes you don't get the warm fuzzies.  Tiffani lost in Season 1 of Top Chef, many years ago, and clearly saw some negative aspects and has spent years amending her ways.  To be praised, not to apologize for.  You can see her positive personality mixed with the ways she still doubts herself.  All this is human and I appreciate it.  And, according to the producer's interview, the judging is truly blind and we've had a lot of highly accomplished women do well.  I really like this show.

[Daisychain]

PS I also really love Simon and Justin!

[eelpout]

On 4/19/2022 at 10:53 PM, Yeah No said:

Right, I didn't want to assume the drum had 8 sides but it would make more sense that way.

The one thing I was glad was clarified is that someone made the offhand comment (in the viewing space with Hunter) that once an item is used in a round, it wouldn't be used again; I was wondering about that. That also means that they likely have to re-spin on occasion when an item comes up again and they edit that sequence out for TV.

[dleighg]

9 minutes ago, eelpout said:

That also means that they likely have to re-spin on occasion when an item comes up again and they edit that sequence out for TV.

I wonder whether they have a new card to slide in to replace the one that's been used.

[Mondrianyone]

13 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I wonder whether they have a new card to slide in to replace the one that's been used.

This is what I've assumed from the beginning. It doesn't make any sense to waste even a minute reshooting for a duplicated item if all they have to do is replace a used one in the slot.

[Yeah No]

36 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I wonder whether they have a new card to slide in to replace the one that's been used.

A new card, but what's on it?  Is one of the other options repeated making it easier to land on?

[dleighg]

10 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

A new card, but what's on it? 

I would assume a completely new protein or whatever. 

[Yeah No]

43 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I would assume a completely new protein or whatever. 

But doesn't he let us know what the protein choices are at the beginning of the challenge?  I would assume it would have to be one of the ones still left because I don't remember seeing any new ones come up on subsequent spins.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Yeah No

[Bastet]

That Reality Blurred interview with executive producer Brian Lando discussed several times in this thread touched on this:

Quote

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.

 

[bad things are bad]

On 4/17/2022 at 10:16 PM, Grizzly said:

How interesting that men are thought of as great chefs but they can't get into the finals.

How interesting that women do quite well in blind judging.  

[ALittleShelfish]

In the finale, Tiffani's comment upon seeing Morimoto was the final guest judge:

"I just cooked Asian food for Morimoto....

I'm just going to go now."

that made me chuckle but I also yelled out to the tv "But Evelyn made curry that Padma liked last week!  You got this!"

[magenta]

On 4/11/2021 at 7:42 PM, dleighg said:

watching it "early" on AppleTV (don't know why it was early) but (no spoilers) has *anyone* said anything really nice about Rocco the judge? Tiffany could only bring herself to say "he's been around the NY restaurant scene forever." Faint praise indeed!

I guess we can all see what Rocco did during covid munching on his mother's meatballs

[Mondrianyone]

2 hours ago, magenta said:

I guess we can all see what Rocco did during covid munching on his mother's meatballs

His mother died in 2013, so those would've been some fairly old meatballs. He says that his weight ballooned after he had surgery for chronic sciatica and was immobilized for a year afterward. He seems to have lost some of that weight in the last couple of months, so good for him.

[Yeah No]

4 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

His mother died in 2013, so those would've been some fairly old meatballs. He says that his weight ballooned after he had surgery for chronic sciatica and was immobilized for a year afterward. He seems to have lost some of that weight in the last couple of months, so good for him.

Thanks for that, I was wondering why he had gained some weight.  I saw him on another show recently and he did look a bit slimmer.  Getting older sucks.  Stuff like this happens and then it's a bitch to lose after 50.  And people are quick to judge.

[Ohmo]

On 4/29/2022 at 10:58 PM, ALittleShelfish said:

In the finale, Tiffani's comment upon seeing Morimoto was the final guest judge:

"I just cooked Asian food for Morimoto....

I'm just going to go now."

that made me chuckle but I also yelled out to the tv "But Evelyn made curry that Padma liked last week!  You got this!"

Back when I first saw Tiffani on Top Chef, I was seriously Team Howard and thought Tiffani was a nasty bitch.  Not overconfident or cocky like I find Elizabeth and Christa.  I thought Tiffani was nasty.  Mean.

I'm glad to see that life has seemed to make her more compassionate.  Her ambition is ambition, not meanness.

[Ohmo]

I couldn't find a forum for it, but it's TOC adjacent.  Antonia's hosting Beach Brawl.  It's a team of chefs led by Brooke (West Coast) vs. a team of chefs led by Tiffani (East Coast).  Both Brooke and Tiffani picked their teams.  These are chefs that own or work in restaurants, but they aren't big names.  (At least they aren't people whom I recognize.)  I'm enjoying the series, though.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Ohmo

[Bastet]

16 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I could find a forum for it, but it's TOC adjacent.  Antonia's hosting Beach Brawl. 

You're right, there isn't one, but it would be a single topic, rather than a multi-thread forum, so you can just create a topic in Competitive Reality & Game Shows rather than needing to request a forum from the administrators.

[Ellee]

33 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I could find a forum for it, but it's TOC adjacent.  Antonia's hosting Beach Brawl.  It's a team of chefs led by Brooke (West Coast) vs. a team of chefs led by Tiffani (East Coast).  Both Brooke and Tiffani picked their teams.  These are chefs that own or work in restaurants, but they aren't big names.  (At least they aren't people whom I recognize.)  I'm enjoying the series, though.

I was just looking for discussion on Beachside Brawl too.  I really like to read people’s opinions. 

[Ohmo]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

You're right, there isn't one, but it would be a single topic, rather than a multi-thread forum, so you can just create a topic in Competitive Reality & Game Shows rather than needing to request a forum from the administrators.

Thanks Bastet.  I created a thread.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Ohmo

[dleighg]

7 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Antonia's hosting Beach Brawl.

so it's on food network?

[Salacious Kitty]

4 minutes ago, dleighg said:

so it's on food network?

Yes, Sundays at 10.