Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[Grizzly]

7 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

 I do wonder how far Guy would go as a participant in TOC..

That is an interesting question. Anytime I've seen him cook on GGG, people love his food.

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Anytime I've seen him cook on GGG, people love his food.

all I can think of is the absolutely brutal review his NYC restaurant got in the NY Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

all I can think of is the absolutely brutal review his NYC restaurant got in the NY Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/dining/reviews/restaurant-review-guys-american-kitchen-bar-in-times-square.html

True.  And the restaurant had a very short life.  It closed.

[chessiegal]

I think Guy's failed NYC restaurant speaks to a failure of running a business. I don't think it's related to his cooking skills. I've always had the sense that Guy's culinary skills are not up to the same level of these competitors. But I could be wrong.

[pdlinda]

9 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I think Guy's failed NYC restaurant speaks to a failure of running a business.

I think I recall the most vicious comments from the reviewer being about the quality of the menu items.  I'm sure Guy had something to do with their selection but I doubt he did the cooking.  Insofar as running his restaurant in NYC I can certainly understand that would present its share of challenges.

I have seen him cook on his Sunday Ranch cooking show and his skills and repertoire are impressive!

[chessiegal]

I consider serving quality food is part of making a restaurant a successful business. Poor quality food = poor business practice.

[roseslg]

I think for the judges on guys show, they know where their bread is buttered. They're not going to diss his food. It's usually a lot more 'low brow' than want the judges usually serve.

I did eat at the restaurant in Time Square. It was pretty meh. he had some kind of delivery partnership here, where is Cesar side solid was $14. Ridiculous.

[Mellowyellow]

Loved that Eric won. I've always been a fan of his and was mega upset that he was randomly eliminated in top chef before he could cook his full final meal. That was an asshole move.

Love him and Alex on Alex vs America.

***

The dude that used to chemicals. I was like "noooooooo." Never a good idea! Unless you are Michael V but then Michael V is not that chemically in his cooking.

***

I'm not a fan of Lee Anne. She doesn't strike me as genuine despite how "nice" she comes off. I was cheering for Malarkey (who is nuts but amusing) despite knowing he was unlikely to win. He's always got too many things going!

***

I miss Brooke! I'm fascinated by how good she is! I wanted to see her participate and keep winning. She's so gifted.

 

[JTMacc99]

I wish this show wasn't a two hour block. It would be more in my wheelhouse if they broke it into hour long shows and dropped them like Sunday and Wednesday. Once I get into the third and fourth competitions, I find myself wanting to just get to the judging. 

[dleighg]

8 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

Once I get into the third and fourth competitions, I find myself wanting to just get to the judging

yeah I barely paid attention to the third competition (were there actually four?)

[Daisychain]

Ok, complaint - why doesn't this show have its own channel, so to speak, with separate threads for each episode, and media, and chefs outside the show, etc.  Isn't this season 4 of a quite popular show?

I have never minded Guy - it's poss he's not the most talented chef but he is definitely shepherd-of-chefs.  They all like him.  This is a show in which judging is blind and women chefs have done great - which is why I join others in saying I wish Brooke was back!

Even so, so many great chefs - I live just outside Chicago so Stephanie Izard is our person.  I've been to 3 of her restaurants more than once, and I think she has a 4th?  My favorite was bringing my Mom (failing with dementia) to Stephanie's nostalgic Chinese restaurant Duck, Duck, Goat - my mom loved it so much - ate every mushroom in every dish :-)

I also loved the Portland episode of Top Chef (my son lives in Portland), so hoping Shota does very well.  Unforch he's against Antonia LoFaso, who is admirably a powerhouse competitor with big flavors, while Shota's tend to be Japanese and therefore subtler.  Too bad he can't do the smelt and rabbit dish from Top Chef.  Anyhoo, enough from me. :-)

[Rammchick]

10 hours ago, Daisychain said:

Ok, complaint - why doesn't this show have its own channel, so to speak, with separate threads for each episode, and media, and chefs outside the show, etc.  Isn't this season 4 of a quite popular show?

I have never minded Guy - it's poss he's not the most talented chef but he is definitely shepherd-of-chefs.  They all like him.  This is a show in which judging is blind and women chefs have done great - which is why I join others in saying I wish Brooke was back!

Even so, so many great chefs - I live just outside Chicago so Stephanie Izard is our person.  I've been to 3 of her restaurants more than once, and I think she has a 4th?  My favorite was bringing my Mom (failing with dementia) to Stephanie's nostalgic Chinese restaurant Duck, Duck, Goat - my mom loved it so much - ate every mushroom in every dish :-)

I also loved the Portland episode of Top Chef (my son lives in Portland), so hoping Shota does very well.  Unforch he's against Antonia LoFaso, who is admirably a powerhouse competitor with big flavors, while Shota's tend to be Japanese and therefore subtler.  Too bad he can't do the smelt and rabbit dish from Top Chef.  Anyhoo, enough from me. :-)

Recently, Stef and Shota worked together and Shota posted pictures of it on Instagram.  I couldn't help but chime in about how they're two of my favorite people 🙂. They also just faced off against each other on that new Grudge Match show.

[Grizzly]

6 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Recently, Stef and Shota worked together and Shota posted pictures of it on Instagram....They also just faced off against each other on that new Grudge Match show.

I think Darnell pronounced Stephanie's last name 2 or 3 different ways. What is the definitive way to say Izard?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

I think Darnell pronounced Stephanie's last name 2 or 3 different ways. What is the definitive way to say Izard?

In this video she pronounces it EYE-zard, with the "ar" in "zard" pronounced like the "ar" in "hard".

https://firstwefeast.com/video/chef-stephanie-izard-the-meals-that-made-me

[Ohmo]

Episode 2 spoilers
 

Spoiler

Tiffani is OUT!  She lost by one point to Britt, who was so happy.  They had eggs, and the judges liked both their dishes.  They were sorry that both could not advance.  Judges were Alex G., Scott Connant, and Ming Tsai.

Darnell, Tiffany Derry, and Mei Lin also advanced.  Was very happy that Mei Lin beat Christa.  Also happy that Darnell won.  He made fried jicama boxes with squash puree inside that the judges seemed to like. 

I was fine with Tiffany Derry winning, but I liked Viet Pham.

Guy said he was sorry to see Tiffani go.  It's too bad she couldn't stick around as a mentor because she's really grown in that role.  What she said to Britt as they hugged was lovely.

Britt said "I can't even talk."  Tiffani said "Take a breath.  Welcome to the fam."

From Episode 1: I'm glad Mularkey lost.  He's too much talk for me.

 

[Ohmo]

On 2/21/2023 at 3:31 PM, Grizzly said:

That is an interesting question. Anytime I've seen him cook on GGG, people love his food.

I want to see Justin and Simon cook on TOC---against each other.

I understand Brooke wanting to take a year off, but I do miss her.

I also miss the Voltaggios, but Mei Lin has cooked with Michael, so that's Voltaggio adjacent.

[DEL901]

57 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I want to see Justin and Simon cook on TOC---against each other

They cooked against each other on Darnell’s Grudge Match show last week…which looks like it is filmed on the same set. 

[Ohmo]

10 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

They cooked against each other on Darnell’s Grudge Match show last week…which looks like it is filmed on the same set. 

Thanks!  That's on my lists of shows to watch!

Quote

I have never minded Guy - it's poss he's not the most talented chef but he is definitely shepherd-of-chefs.

I agree.  That's the vibe I get from Guy too---that he wants to use his fame to help people advance in the culinary world.

ETA:

Quote

I wish this show wasn't a two hour block.

This is where Discovery+ is a beautiful thing.  No commercials makes it move in a more seamless manner, IMO.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Ohmo

[Stardancer Supreme]

Episode 1:

That randomizer looks awesome. I like the Wild Card element! Haven't the chefs learned by now not to say what they don't want out loud? Heh. Then to have the randomizer say to the chefs, "Naw heaux, I want you to use what was chosen!" twice when the seeds re-spun it? Love this.

The Judges: Alex Guarnaschelli, Nancy Silverton, Andrew Zimmern.

I wouldn't have taken this show seriously if KBC won against Jose Effin' Garces.  I felt for her a little, but no way was she going to beat an Iron Chef! At least she managed to make the jicama work; I'm sure that jicama and celery root taste wildly different.

I'm rooting for Eric Adjepong! I always want to eat his dishes. The judges kinda gave a backhanded compliment foe his dish; they didn't hate it, it seemed too simple for them.

Please let Lee Ann Wong take out Malarkey. I just can't rock with Chef Shenanigans in any way, shape, or form. While LAW was stuck on the cauliflower, her dish was first class. Thank goodness she sent Malarkey packing.

Oh, Carlos Anthony lost to Jet Tila last year? Well, he's gonna lose to Jet Tila this year as well. Heh. I want the Red Deer Miso Ramen...  The Xantham Gum took Carlos out! Nancy Silverton can taste everything in a dish! 

I want to be a judge! That food looks so good!  Andrew managed to eat the entire dish twice. You can't fake excellent food.

 

[Ohmo]

8 hours ago, DEL901 said:

They cooked against each other on Darnell’s Grudge Match show last week…which looks like it is filmed on the same set. 

@DEL901 Since there's no Superchef thread and it's related to TOC, I'm sticking this here.  Thanks again.  I just binge-watched 4 episodes of Superchef to see Justin vs. Simon. I also like that Darnell has a hosting gig.

Patiently waiting to see what others will have to say about Episode 2of TOC.

[proserv]

This is one of the few such shows that make generous mention of their competitors. Mentioning Top Chef, Chopped, Iron Chef and others gives context to many of the chef.

[Lamb18]

Christa Luedtke says she was robbed and judges were wrong. I think Mei Lin made a better dish. I was cheering for Mei Lin.

Eggs, lima beans, metal skewers, smothered. Metal skewers changed to spiralizer. This is Tiffany F vs Britt something.

[Grizzly]

I was rooting for Darnell so hard. I don't watch Top Chef so I have nothing against Ilan (Guy couldn't come up with a nickname). But Darnell is my guy. And am rooting just as hard against Britt. She rubs me the wrong way.

Edited February 27, 2023 by Grizzly
Spell the guys name right.

[Salacious Kitty]

Christa is a whiner. This isn't new for her. I wish Guy would stop trying to make her happen. 

[Lamb18]

Justin looks better with his hair all fluffy curls instead of slicked back.

[Lamb18]

Holy cow, Britt beat Tiffani! Actually I liked her better listening to her comments during the judging. 

11 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

I was rooting for Darnell so hard. I don't watch Top Chef so I have nothing against Ihan (Guy couldn't come up with a nickname). But Darnell is my guy. And am rooting just as hard against Britt. She rubs me the wrong way.

Ilan is a Top Chef season 2 jackass. He won, but he's still a jackass and I'm glad Darnell won.

[MerBearHou]

Who won in the Viet v Tiffany Derry contest?

[FormerMod-a1]

Wow, Christa was a sore loser.  I wasn't expecting that.

I also wasn't expecting Tiffani F to lose.  I am surprised Brit beat here.  Not a huge Brit fan so this really sucks for me.  I don't hate her or anything, I'm just "meh" with her.  I am a huge Tiffanii F fan, on top of it.  So this was a downer of a ending for this episode for me. :-/

 

[Grizzly]

10 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Who won in the Viet v Tiffany Derry contest?

Tiffany Derry won. The point spread was bigger than I expected from the judges' comments.

[MerBearHou]

10 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

Tiffany Derry won. The point spread was bigger than I expected from the judges' comments.

Thank you.  I like both of them and would have been fine with either winning.  

[FormerMod-a1]

On a positive note, I am very happy Tiffany D and Mei Lin won!  I thought they'd win, but you never know how these things go. 

Ilan Hall seemed more... mellow?  something. Granted it's been many years, so maturing would be expected.  That said, I'm still glad Darnell won.  Darnell is one of my faves, too. 

[Gramto6]

I was happy Britt beat Tiffany F. Tiffany already has her belt, I'd rather see the new blood get into the competition and show their stuff and progress from year to year. One belt should be enough for anyone...

[Bastet]

I can't stand Scott Conant, but I love Alex Guarnaschelli from the numerous things I've seen her on and like Ming Tsai from his show on PBS, so the judging was still quite enjoyable.

I know I should not hate Ilan this much based on one season of Top Chef eons ago, but I despised him then, because of his personality and that he remains probably the least-talented chef to ever win on that show, and hadn't seen him since, so that's how he remains in my mind.  So, while he didn't bug me this episode, I was rooting hard for Darnell and very happy he won.  I liked his attitude after the judges's commentary, saying his creativity and technique were recognized, so if he goes home because Ilan's pork was better, he'll still be happy his work was properly appreciated.  I found those jicama boxes quite interesting.   

I loved Tiffany on Top Chef and the things I've seen her on since and Viet annoyed me on the episode of Bobby's Triple Threat he won, which I just recently watched; I might not root against him in another setting, but against her and with that fresh in my mind, yes, even though he didn't bug me at all this time.  The randomizer gave them a really easy combination.  I don't generally care for ground beef other than as a cheeseburger, but I love Swiss chard (I hate it - and all greens - braised to death, so appreciate they both lightly cooked it), and I'd have happily tried both dishes, especially hers. 

I liked Mei on her season of Top Chef (and was bummed the pandemic forced her to close her restaurant here in L.A. before I'd had a chance to try it) and only vaguely remember Crista from her previous ToC appearance (I don't watch GGG), so that was the third match in a row that went my way.  Button are my least-favorite mushrooms (because they have the least flavor), but I make so many combinations of chicken and mushrooms I was particularly excited to see what they did.  I would have enjoyed both dishes, I'm sure, but Mei's sauce got me the most excited.  I don't harshly judge losing competitors' reaction in the heat of the moment, but "robbed" when she already knew from judges' comments and the scores just two points apart is just plain inaccurate on Crista's part.  Also, Mei's struggle to get her parents to respect her career choice was a theme of her TC season, so it's sad to see her still looking for their validation.

I'm not at all familiar with Britt (I know she won on Beat Bobby Flay, but I don't watch all the episodes and her winning dish didn't trigger any memory, so I either didn't see that one or did and forgot all about it) and Tiffani is one of my favorites, so I'm disappointed that's the one match that didn't turn out the way I wanted.  But I cannot complain about the result; that was a great round -- the highest scores thus far in season four, and a one-point win.  As part of that, Ming said it was, bar none, the best of the day and Alex said she's sorry one of the two has to be eliminated, so it made for a terrific nail-biter where I can't be mad when it doesn't go my way.  To go from winning one season to being eliminated in the next's first round is huge, but Tiffani was one of the most gracious losers I've ever seen.  Kudos to both.  (I love egg whites, but hate yolk and lima beans, so I didn't want to eat either dish, but was interested in what they did; both dishes looked great, even though I'd take a hard pass.) 

[mlp]

Darnell is beginning to annoy me.  I've always liked him except for the Superchef bit which seems presumptuous when he's associating with well-known and well-respected chefs who have been around a lot longer than he has.  I didn't mind his jazzed up chef's coat but that bedazzled mask was OTT and childish.  And pointless.  Having said all that, I'm glad he beat Ilan.

Years ago, I saw Viet on some show and I recall him saying that his parents were boat people who fled Viet Nam after the war and his mother named her sons Viet and Nam so they would always remember their roots.  I like him a lot but I also like Tiffany so I would have been happy with either winning.

I didn't care for Mei Lin's personality when she was on Top Chef but it was obvious that she was really good and deserved her win.  I was delighted that she beat Crista especially after Crista's display of poor sportsmanship after she lost.  She has been on GGG umpteen times, both as a contestant and a judge, and I've disliked her every time and wondered why Guy has championed her so much.  On that tally card they show, it said she'd won 8 or 9 competitions.  I think most of those, if not all of them, have been on GGG which IMO doesn't begin to compare with winning Top Chef.

I've seen Britt only a couple times and don't know anything about her but she seems like a nice person so I was happy she beat Tiffani who does not.  I love lima beans but they did seem like a whammy ingredient.  Both chefs did a great job with them.

Scott Conant is a jerk.  He's good-looking but his ego and theatrics are a real turn off.  I adore Ming Tsai.

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, mlp said:

I adore Ming Tsai

I agree with pretty much everything you wrote, but especially this. He is so classy, isn't he? 

That egg dish that Britt did must have been seriously orgasmic for the way the judges reacted!

[MyMaui]

Wow is Crista delusional.  You weren't robbed, you lost because you deserve to lose.  I am so glad she lost too. Take down that huge ego of hers. Mei was incredible.  I loved her thought process on the dish too.

It was such joy I had to see Ilan lose in his round.  He is the most undeserving winner of Top Chef.  I hope Darnell goes far in this competition.  I really like him.  

Tiffany D is incredible.  I love her thought process and how she creates the dishes. Her knowledge is amazing.

The best round of the night and for me in some of the seasons too was this match up with the eggs and lima beans.  What each chef did was incredible.  I'm shocked Tiffany lost but she lost in such a great match.  You can throw out there are no losers but for me there were no losers.  One person advanced.  Both were winning dishes.

 

[Bastet]

42 minutes ago, mlp said:

I've always liked him except for the Superchef bit

On last night's episode, I finally learned why that's his nickname -- because his restaurant is superhero themed, called Superchefs.  They'd probably explained it before in introducing him, but I never caught it.

[mlp]

18 minutes ago, Bastet said:

n last night's episode, I finally learned why that's his nickname -- because his restaurant is superhero themed, called Superchefs. 

I didn't know that either.  That makes the nickname a lot more palatable.

[Ohmo]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I was delighted that she beat Crista especially after Crista's display of poor sportsmanship after she lost. 

I do not like Christa.  Full stop.  I'm thrilled when anyone beats her, and she was even more unlikable with these comments.

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I've seen Britt only a couple times and don't know anything about her but she seems like a nice person so I was happy she beat Tiffani who does not. 

I was happy about Britt, but I will say that I think Tiffani has mellowed in a good way, so I was sad to see her go.  I used to really, really, not like Tiffani, but she was a great team leader on Boardwalk Brawl, and I believe she was genuinely being kind to Britt.

[Bastet]

18 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I was happy about Britt, but I will say that I think Tiffani has mellowed in a good way, so I was sad to see her go.  I used to really, really, not like Tiffani, but she was a great team leader on Boardwalk Brawl, and I believe she was genuinely being kind to Britt.

I never disliked Tiffani; during her original season of Top Chef, I understood why many people did, I just didn't do so myself.  And I've really liked her in all the things I've seen her in since, so she's one of my favorites.

[Salacious Kitty]

Dislike Tiffani, strongly dislike Crista, and openly hate Icklan, so last night was a good night. 😀

[Katie W]

14 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I do not like Christa.  Full stop.  I'm thrilled when anyone beats her, and she was even more unlikable with these comments.

 

While watching Sunday's episode I told my boyfriend I have an irrational dislike for Christa. I couldn't point to a reason why; but usually root against her. After she behaved poorly after losing; I told him I know had a rational reason! She's such a poor sport. 

[Lamb18]

You'd think Christa would take more care in how she portrays herself on the show. The losers still get a lot ofbexposure just from being on the show, and being gracious will attract more people to her restaurant than being a sourpuss.

[meep.meep]

They still had Simon handle the higher seeds and Justin the lower ones.  Interested to see if they flip that next week.  You would think that the judges could tell by the fourth match.

You could not pay me to eat runny eggs and lima beans!

[roughing it]

The only way Christa would have been robbed would be of a subjective bias of some sort.  There is none of that here because of the blind judging.  The judges do not know who cooked what, and the chefs do not know who is judging, so that they cannot cater to a judge's taste preference.  The only thing the judges have to go by is the plate in front of them - how does it look, how does it taste, and how effectively were the randomizer requirements used.  So sorry, Christa, your plate of food was beat out by a better plate of food.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, meep.meep said:

They still had Simon handle the higher seeds and Justin the lower ones.  Interested to see if they flip that next week.

The week before they mixed it up like they usually do; it's uncommon for the same one to present all four higher-seeded dishes in one episode.  Back when I used to track it to see if it was a pattern, it was all over the place, so nothing the judges could rely on for a reliable hint even if they were seeking to.

[FormerMod-a1]

Plus the judges don't even know who "chef A" and "chef B" are.  They don't know it's Tiffani and Britt, for example.  For all they know it's Jet and Viet, or Christian and Maneet.  So they're not going to have a clue as to seeding, or any expected/known styles - which I love!  This is what makes this competition so good, imo.  

AND, the cheftestants not knowing who the judges are is big, too.  They can't cater the style, seasonings, or whatever and just have to cook what they think is best.  

[dleighg]

Yeah I don't think there's any way the judges would suss it out, even if they wanted to try. 

[Ohmo]

21 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

and openly hate Icklan

Can someone give me a brief version of what the beef is with Ilan?  I didn't watch his season of Top Chef.  Is it behavior like Christa now and Tiffani in S1 of Top Chef?

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

Can someone give me a brief version of what the beef is with Ilan?  I didn't watch his season of Top Chef.  Is it behavior like Christa now and Tiffani in S1 of Top Chef?

Not sure if you're familiar with Marcel, who also appears on these shows sometimes, but he was on Ilan's season and in truth was pretty pretentious and weird, but ultimately harmless. The others, including Ilan, were put off by him but it turned into isolation, bullying, weak attempts at sabotage and general dickery on their part, and Ilan was a main ringleader.

It culminated with an incident when there were only 5 left. One of them, Cliff, decided he was going to shave Marcel's head and physically dragged Marcel out of bed and held him down, all while Ilan and the others laughed and egged him on. Marcel avoided the head-shaving and hid in the bathroom, as I recall. The others then proceeded to laughingly shave each other's heads until Tom Colicchio showed up to give Cliff the boot. Except the show edited it so that the voluntary head-shaving appeared to happen before the involuntary assault on Marcel.

So yeah, Ilan was way worse than Tiffani in S1 or Christa now. No idea what he's like these days and he seemed inoffensive enough, but that's his legacy that is leading to the hate now. I'm pretty sure there was a write-up of it on this website somewhere, if you look for Top Chef articles.