Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[spiderpig]

12 hours ago, mlp said:

I was pretty happy with last night's results although I would have preferred to see Marc beat Christian.  I have never liked Elizabeth Falkner and her karate moves and kicks and I love Amanda so I was delighted that she won.  I don't mind Richard Blaise but I really like Beau so I was also happy with that result.  

This show must have been a huge amount of work to put together.  Coordinating the schedules of all those busy people and getting some world-class chefs like Marcus and Ming all in one place at the same time had to be a real challenge.  

I agree with you on your choices in the three challenges.  I love Marc and his deadpan style, and he really can cook.  Falkner tries too hard to be edgy all the time.  I tire of watching her very quickly.  I like Blais well enough when he's self-deprecating and funny.  Not so much when he's whining (like about being 5th seed).  Beau seems to be a good guy to be around.  He's on Guy's Ranch Kitchen a lot and the other chefs rave about his food.

So next week we have two more heats and then a quarter final?

[jlc]

43 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

I agree with you on your choices in the three challenges.  I love Marc and his deadpan style, and he really can cook.  Falkner tries too hard to be edgy all the time.  I tire of watching her very quickly.  I like Blais well enough when he's self-deprecating and funny.  Not so much when he's whining (like about being 5th seed).  Beau seems to be a good guy to be around.  He's on Guy's Ranch Kitchen a lot and the other chefs rave about his food.

So next week we have two more heats and then a quarter final?

I remember Eluzabeth Faulkner when she would compete on the old Challenge shows. She is also a pastry chef, but everytime she would compete, she would have some big disaster and then would end up with the worst cake or no cake. I used to think she was incompetent! 🤪🤪

[JTMacc99]

6 hours ago, spiderpig said:

So next week we have two more heats and then a quarter final?

Yeah, I think that's going to be how it works if they want to keep up with the format of three per show. Click off the first quarter final episode next week and then the other three the following week. Maybe one episode for both semi finals and then one big show for the final?

I am not sure if I'm more disappointed that we don't get to see more of Marc cooking or that I now have to listen to the other guy for another 20 minutes.  I do hope that eventually he dials it down to like a 4 or a 5 and just talks about what he's cooking when he's on a show like this one. He's not there yet, though.

I really don't care who wins between Rocco and Maneet as long as that person promises to beat Christian. 

I also don't know who is going to win the Brooke/Michael competition, but I am still kind of hoping that person wins the next one and ends up against Antonia for what would be a really fun semi-final.  Of course, Antonia herself has to get through Beau, which is no small task.

[GaT]

On 3/13/2020 at 7:49 AM, JTMacc99 said:

I really don't care who wins between Rocco and Maneet as long as that person promises to beat Christian. 

I found Maneet so annoying on Chopped that I want her to not just lose, I want her to lose big time. I hope the judges find stupid things to criticise about her food just like she does on Chopped.

Edited March 16, 2020 by GaT

[dewelar]

I can't help but notice that thus far, half the higher seeds have won, and half the lower. Number 1 seeds are 1-1, the one #2 and one #3 have each lost, but both the 4 seeds won their rounds. It's almost like the seeding is random or something 😉.

[kirklandia]

Looks like Tournament of Champions is the only sporting event left for us to watch.

Edited March 13, 2020 by kirklandia

[suebee12]

21 minutes ago, kirklandia said:

Looks like Tournament of Champions is the only sporting event left for us to watch.

And for me that is sad! I was really looking forward to March Madness. This year's SEC men's teams were pretty equal and on a good day anyone could  have won their game. And I was hoping that our (Mississippi State)women's team could get everything together and finally beat South Carolina!!! Baseball and Softball had just begun and both of our teams were looking good. I know that the cancellations and postponements are necessary but I do feel sorry for the seniors who will miss the end of their college careers. My son is a professor and is scrambling to get his classes set up for online teaching. He has done it before but it has been a long time so he has his work cut out for him.

[Rammchick]

On 3/12/2020 at 3:31 PM, mlp said:

I thought it was gochujang.  If so, it's not really uncommon any more.  I've seen it on several shows and I actually have some in my refrigerator.  I can believe that it was available.

It wasn't.  Gochujang is Korean, this was a fermented condiment from China.

[TexasTiffany]

On 3/13/2020 at 2:41 PM, GaT said:

I found Maneet so annoying on Chopped that I want her to not just lose, I want her to lose big time. I hope the judges find stupid things to criticise about her food just like she does on Chopped.

I didn't want Maneet and Rocco to be matched. I want both of them to be eliminated. Instead, one of them is going to win at least their first round. Rocco was a major ass 20+ years ago and hasn't changed. I don't like seeing his smug face if he wins. I've never seen Maneet win. She shouldn't be so full of herself. Of the two, I'd rather Rocco lose but I doubt that will happen. 

I wanted Marc to win, but I like Christian, too. I was surprised that Blais lost and so was Blais. It's good for him to see he's not a god in the kitchen. Where is Stephanie Izard? Why isn't she on this show? I haven't seen her since she became an iron chef. 

The blind judging and new format have me wanting more. Are you reading this FN people? Yes, I like this show and want you to do more. Keep bringing in new faces and talent to mix with our favorite veterans. 

On a side note - Something I'd like to see is FN do a series of 1 hour episodes each showcasing chefs/bakers at their best. Elizabeth Falkner comes to mind. I'd like to see her bake something and have plenty of time to do her flavors, her techniques, her detailing/decorations, whatever makes her shine. Others I'd like to see for a 1 hour showcase are Marcus Samuelsson, Ron Ben-Israel, Jet Tila, Eric Greenspan, etc. (Please omit Alex G. and Anne Burrell. They're on too much as it is.)

[jlc]

1 hour ago, TexasTiffany said:

I didn't want Maneet and Rocco to be matched. I want both of them to be eliminated. Instead, one of them is going to win at least their first round. Rocco was a major ass 20+ years ago and hasn't changed. I don't like seeing his smug face if he wins. I've never seen Maneet win. She shouldn't be so full of herself. Of the two, I'd rather Rocco lose but I doubt that will happen. 

I wanted Marc to win, but I like Christian, too. I was surprised that Blais lost and so was Blais. It's good for him to see he's not a god in the kitchen. Where is Stephanie Izard? Why isn't she on this show? I haven't seen her since she became an iron chef. 

The blind judging and new format have me wanting more. Are you reading this FN people? Yes, I like this show and want you to do more. Keep bringing in new faces and talent to mix with our favorite veterans. 

On a side note - Something I'd like to see is FN do a series of 1 hour episodes each showcasing chefs/bakers at their best. Elizabeth Falkner comes to mind. I'd like to see her bake something and have plenty of time to do her flavors, her techniques, her detailing/decorations, whatever makes her shine. Others I'd like to see for a 1 hour showcase are Marcus Samuelsson, Ron Ben-Israel, Jet Tila, Eric Greenspan, etc. (Please omit Alex G. and Anne Burrell. They're on too much as it is.)

I think you are my spirit sister!!! Everything you said is EXACTLY what I think 100%, but you said it much better than I ever could!

[mam418]

The condiment was Doubanjiang, a salty fermented bean paste.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doubanjiang

[Ashforth]

On 3/16/2020 at 11:03 AM, TexasTiffany said:

Where is Stephanie Izard? Why isn't she on this show? I haven't seen her since she became an iron chef. 

She seems to have stepped back from tv chef competitions after opening several successful restaurants. Sending well wishes to her and the staff of her restaurants in this national crisis.

[GaT]

Happy Brooke won, sad that Maneet did too.

[biakbiak]

Does Rocco have health issues? Not my business but he sort of looks like he has prednisone face (I know from experience).

[Rickster]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Does Rocco have health issues? Not my business but he sort of looks like he has prednisone face (I know from experience).

Don’t know about health issues, but someone gave me a cookbook he did on healthy Italian cooking a while ago, and I saw him early last year on TV promoting  it, and he was a lot thinner than he is now. However, the blurbs on the book said he had lost 40 pounds with his new mode of cooking, so maybe this is just the typical failed diet rebound.

Edited March 19, 2020 by Rickster

[Rammchick]

Apparently the camera person doesn't know the difference between fennel and radishes -- when Fieri said radish, the shot showed fennel.

[LexieLily]

I don't have Bravo and have never seen Top Chef, so this was my first exposure to Brooke Williamson and Michael Voltaggio. Is he always so intense?

[dleighg]

41 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

I don't have Bravo and have never seen Top Chef, so this was my first exposure to Brooke Williamson and Michael Voltaggio. Is he always so intense?

Yeah, pretty much. He seems though to have more tattoos every time I see him. I've always preferred his equally talented older brother Bryan, who's got more of a "nice guy" personality. And if you can find season 6 of Top Chef on Netflix or wherever it lives these days, it's one of the best! That's the one with the brothers.

Edited March 19, 2020 by dleighg

[spiderpig]

Dang that food looked purty!  And I'm holed up sheltering in place (Bay Area) with limited culinary resources.  (Plenty of stuff in the pantry, but fresh is hard to come by.)

Antonia's on a roll and might take this thing if she doesn't end up in traction from falling off her dressing room chair.

I'm really liking this show.

[Ashforth]

3 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Antonia's on a roll and might take this thing if she doesn't end up in traction from falling off her dressing room chair.

I know! Last week she peed a little and this week she full on fell, taking the chair down on top of her. I'm betting on her for the win!

[dewelar]

Well, the seeding gimmick seems to have fallen flat. It's one thing when there are a couple of upsets, but when upsets are the norm -- which I'd say is true when five of the top six seeds lose in round one -- then everyone (except Antonia) is an underdog, and that takes some of the fun out of it.

Edited March 20, 2020 by dewelar

[WritinMan]

LOL, Rocco. There has to have been someone better that could have taken that spot.

[Christina]

I guess you only have to be in the process of moving the plates to the pass when time is up, because Voltaggio didn't make it, either. The light went off and his plates were not on the table. Like Alex, he didn't win, so I guess it's not any big deal. 

[candall]

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, let's hear it for blind judging.  Top Chef started tonight, with a slew of returning participants, and I was factoring their personalities and histories into their odds.  I'm not saying anything is rigged, but just . . . how can you help it?

I love that the judges on Tournament don't even know who's competing.  (I think it's fairly obvious that Anne Burrell, on the Vegas show, develops a first impression and it's bloody hard for anyone to change her convictions.)

[JTMacc99]

10 hours ago, dewelar said:

Well, the seeding gimmick seems to have fallen flat. It's one thing when there are a couple of upsets, but when upsets are the norm -- which I'd say is true when five of the top six seeds lose in round one -- then everyone (except Antonia) is an underdog, and that takes some of the fun out of it.

Yeah, it was for sure a gimmick. They could have just set up the matches without numbers.  I wouldn't have blinked an eye if we were just supposed to think that people like Antonia, Alex, Mark and Michael were marked as "favorites" by putting them in the corners of the brackets and were facing the people marked as "underdogs" in their first match. 

Of course, Brooke is a materially better chef than Christian and there is no way she's a 7 if he's 7, so that was dumb.

But all of the 3-6 seeds could have just been drawn out of hats for what number they got 20 times, and I doubt I would have thought any result was more right or wrong than another.

[TexasTiffany]

Simon Majumdar has never heard of zoodles before? Zoodles have been a thing for years now. I am surprised. 

[GaT]

21 hours ago, dewelar said:

Well, the seeding gimmick seems to have fallen flat. It's one thing when there are a couple of upsets, but when upsets are the norm -- which I'd say is true when five of the top six seeds lose in round one -- then everyone (except Antonia) is an underdog, and that takes some of the fun out of it.

Or the criteria they used for seeding was flawed. I'm pretty sure that the more a chef has been on FN, the higher they were seeded. 

[Harry24]

I found this recent episode very entertaining.  For that I am thankful.

[dewelar]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

Or the criteria they used for seeding was flawed. 

I'm pretty sure that much was evident from the beginning 😄.

[FormerMod-a1]

I just found this show and I love it.  I, too, wish Marc had made it, but that's a small thing compared to my overall enjoyment of the show.  Looking forward to next episode.

[LexieLily]

I hope this little show gets good enough ratings that they decide to do a second season. FN has more than enough chefs that they could create a whole new lineup.

[chessiegal]

Looks like it's doing fairly well.

Quote

FOOD NETWORK RATINGS FOR ORIGINAL PROGRAMS (March 9-15, 2020)
Source: Showbuzzdaily

(Rank/Show/Timeslot/# of Viewers/Demo rating 18-49 in parenthesis)

1---THE KITCHEN---Sat 11:00AM---1,354,000 (0.23)
2---PIONEER WOMAN---Sat 10:00AM---1,257,000 (0.22)
3---BUDDY VS DUFF (Season Premiere)---Sun 9:00PM---1,191,000 (0.32)
4---GIRL MEETS FARM---Sun 11:00AM---1,182,000 (0.27)
5---SPRING BAKING CHAMP. (Season Premiere)--Mon 9:00PM--1,131,000 (0.24)
6---DELICIOUS MISS BROWN---Sun 12:00PM----1,075,000 (0.22)
7---GIADA ENTERTAINS---Sun 12:30PM---1,067,000 (0.23)
8---TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS---Wed 10:00PM---1,053,000 (0.27)

 

[TexasTiffany]

Giada Entertains? Really? That's the only show on that list that I turn the channel immediately. 

[TexasTiffany]

I just finished watching the episode "Round One Continues" again. I looked up at the screen at the end of the show in time to see a "In Memory Of" screen. Did anyone else see that and who is mentioned? I don't remember seeing that the first time I watched it. Did they just add that? Did someone else pass away? 

[Ashforth]

36 minutes ago, TexasTiffany said:

I just finished watching the episode "Round One Continues" again. I looked up at the screen at the end of the show in time to see a "In Memory Of" screen. Did anyone else see that and who is mentioned? I don't remember seeing that the first time I watched it. Did they just add that? Did someone else pass away? 

I saw it, it was quick. I think it was an art director, for sure it was a "behind the scenes" person. Condolences to his family and friends.

Edited March 22, 2020 by Ashforth

[TexasTiffany]

9 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

I saw it, it was quick. I think it was an art director, for sure it was a "behind the scenes" person. Condolences to his family and friends.

Thanks for the info.

That is sad. I'm still remembering Guy losing his friend, Carl Ruiz. 

[Ashforth]

It's still jarring to see Carl Ruiz, so funny and talented and alive, on reruns. I like to think of it as a great legacy, but it's still so sad.

[Brookside]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, "unctuous" does not mean delicious or rich or anything positive.  This time my ire is aimed at Ming, who used it at least three times when describing Antonio's risotto.

Edited March 23, 2020 by Brookside
Clarification

[Yeah No]

I'm late to the board on this but have been watching all through.  I love this little show too and I didn't think I would.   I don't even care that they're ripping off all sorts of other shows.  Although I do think they're going to have to rethink the stupid "seeding" because it definitely does put more weight on those that have won more FN competitions.  How stupid, like these people's real world accomplishments don't count that much?  I'm LOL at how the "underdogs" are winning a lot.  Well, DUH.  Although I'm loving seeing ICAG and Blais getting cut down to size.  Very refreshing.  I had a feeling Darnell had a chance even though he was up against Alex.  His abilities should never be underestimated.

So I went from seeing one Voltaggio brother here and then Brian on "Top Chef" in one week.  That's a record.  I love the blind tasting (shades of the long defunct "The Taste").  The wheels are dumb and I don't believe they're really "random", but I don't really care,  LOL.  Speaking of "Top Chef", I've noticed some ads for that show appearing on FN in the past few days, and given all the exchange here with former TC candidates, perhaps the two networks have joined forces to promote each other.  Not a bad idea.  I could have sworn I saw Stephanie Izard's face flash by in the coming attractions - perhaps she'll be a guest judge on a future episode?  Oh - and I'm still looking for a thread for Anne B.'s Vegas Chef Showdown.

[Harry24]

Quote

Yeah No wrote: The wheels are dumb and I don't believe they're really "random", but I don't really care, 

I like the wheels but only if they are actually random.  But, come to think of it, have we had any repeats yet?  Hmm.  

[chessiegal]

I haven't counted how many possibilities there are on each wheel (will pay attention next time). but with 4 wheels (my statistics are too rusty to calculate), I'd say there are way more possibilities than they've shown, and the chances of getting the same 4 is slim.

[kirklandia]

On 3/22/2020 at 5:00 PM, Ashforth said:

It's still jarring to see Carl Ruiz, so funny and talented and alive, on reruns. I like to think of it as a great legacy, but it's still so sad.

I can't bear to see Anthony Bourdain in any rerun. It is still too raw and painful.  I have a boxed set of A Cook's Tour -  I don't think I will ever watch it.  

Edited March 24, 2020 by kirklandia

[dewelar]

20 hours ago, Harry24 said:

I like the wheels but only if they are actually random.  But, come to think of it, have we had any repeats yet?  Hmm.

I don't think so (other than cooking time, anyway). My theory has been that if something was picked by the wheel, it was removed and replaced with something else -- and if that's true, I approve.

[TexasTiffany]

22 hours ago, dewelar said:

I don't think so (other than cooking time, anyway). My theory has been that if something was picked by the wheel, it was removed and replaced with something else -- and if that's true, I approve.

I want to see --> southwest, geoduck, bundt pan.

[GaT]

47 minutes ago, TexasTiffany said:

I want to see --> southwest, geoduck, bundt pan.

plus flambe, & 17 minutes.

[Squee Bastard]

I've been a big fan of Darnell's since seeing him on Guy's Grocery Games several times. I really like Amanda Freitag, but I'm rooting for Darnell to do well!

[Gramto6]

I left the room for a minute and missed who won!! 😞 Amanda or Darnell??

[ShortyMac]

3 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

I left the room for a minute and missed who won!! 😞 Amanda or Darnell??

Amanda, by four points, 82 to 78. If Darnell had plated his fry bread, he would have won.

[Gramto6]

5 minutes ago, ShortyMac said:

Amanda, by four points, 82 to 78. If Darnell had plated his fry bread, he would have won.

Thanks! Step out a moment and miss it all.

[MerBearHou]

I can’t believe Jet didn’t win that round.

I disagreed with every decision tonight (although I get why Darnell lost his points).