Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[mlp]

2 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

It was also a toss up for me on Karen vs Christian.

I was reading comments on another forum and someone said she/he was at the taping for this show and the judges didn't like either of the dishes (Karen vs Christian) and that they had many more negative comments than positive ones.  Obviously, we saw mostly good ones after editing.  I suppose no one wants to embarrass any of the competitors on TV unnecessarily.  I do wonder how they both ended up with scores in the 80s just like some of the winning matches if that was the case.

I was very happy that Shota won his round but I also like Antonia so I did feel bad for her.  I wish she had been paired with someone else.  

I like Joe Sasto and Tobias so I'm glad they both prevailed.  

I guess I don't really understand how seeding brackets works.  Tobias competed once and didn't win overall.  How did he get to be #1?  How is Maneet #2 seed when she did win?  Antonia hasn't won either and she was seeded #1.  She has competed on shows numerous times and won many.  Maybe that bumped her up there.  I don't get it.

[Bastet]

8 minutes ago, mlp said:

I was reading comments on another forum and someone said she/he was at the taping for this show and the judges didn't like either of the dishes

That seems rather improbable given we've seen scores in the 70s, yet they both received scores in the 80s.

[Ellee]

@Ohmo Thanks for your spoilers!

[JTMacc99]

Tobias is really good at this stuff. He's got a great competitive streak, is super creative, and has an obvious ability to pack flavor into his meals. Leah did a fine job with her return to competitive cooking, but she ran up against a chef who is tough to beat.

I would have been fine with any of these matches going either way.

Christian and Karen watching the other battle from their room was enjoyable. I'm not sure why I like watching the other chefs watching. 

[Maverick]

 Was this filmed around Halloween?  Because Justin looks like he had to run off to a party as Dracula after the show. 

 I kind of feel bad for Elizabeth Falkner.   She doesn't handling losing well.  But unlike the arrogant Christa, I think she feels like she doesn't fit in and not getting the respect of the judges just amplifies that.  

 Antonia probably lost her shit after the show.  I like her but she is super, super competitive.   She's up there with Anne Burrell on how she takes losing.   At least she hasn't let it stop her from trying so far.

 Seems like there are a lot of 1 point differences this season.   Not sure what to make of that.

[Guest]

28 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 Seems like there are a lot of 1 point differences this season.   Not sure what to make of that.

It means it's THE MOST DYNAMIC FIRST ROUND IN TOC HISTORY!!!, according to Guy.

Bummed about Leah losing, but it was expected, unfortunately. Hope she comes back. I always thought she got unfairly tarred during her Top Chef season; the showmance didn't help, but still. Nice to see her compete just being herself. Though they said this was her first competition in years, I guess since Top Chef - but she did compete on last year's Beat Bobby Flay holiday competition. I guess  a one-off like that doesn't count?

[JTMacc99]

52 minutes ago, Maverick said:

Was this filmed around Halloween?  Because Justin looks like he had to run off to a party as Dracula after the show. 

Hee!

I did notice, and like, the purple jacket. Not sure why I decided that I liked it. Maybe it was just a "good for you wearing something not boring."

[roughing it]

I do wish the contestants would get dinged more when they cheap out on their use of the equipment.  I think it was Karen, who used the ricer just to drain something, yet she scored higher than Chris on that element.  And last season or more, it was Brooke who used some kind of grill (maybe a panini press?) to toast some peppercorns, yet they kept rolling off and to my untrained eye didn't really get toasted.

[dleighg]

57 minutes ago, roughing it said:

I think it was Karen, who used the ricer just to drain something, yet she scored higher than Chris on that element. 

That was ridiculously weak. I mean, you can drain a can of chickpeas using your hand, or by not fully taking the lid off. 

[Maverick]

 I wish they'd get rid of the equipment wheel.  It was a bad idea when they introduced it late in Iron Chef America's run (as the Culinary Curve Ball) and it's just as bad here.   The expectation is to not use the equipment in the way it's intended, but with most--if not all--of these items there's no way to use them differently that adds anything meaningful to the dish.   Like what else are you supposed to do with skewers other than cook with them?   In later rounds they usually put on a type of cuisine, which makes much more sense as alot of chefs run to what they're most comfortable with (Jet to Asian, Christian to Italian, etc).

[DEL901]

26 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 I wish they'd get rid of the equipment wheel.  It was a bad idea when they introduced it late in Iron Chef America's run (as the Culinary Curve Ball) and it's just as bad here.   The expectation is to not use the equipment in the way it's intended, but with most--if not all--of these items there's no way to use them differently that adds anything meaningful to the dish.   Like what else are you supposed to do with skewers other than cook with them?   In later rounds they usually put on a type of cuisine, which makes much more sense as alot of chefs run to what they're most comfortable with (Jet to Asian, Christian to Italian, etc).

I think that part of the problem is the expanded number of chefs.  Guy has said that when something is used, it comes off the wheel.   They need a LOT of options with 32 chefs in the first round. 

[Rammchick]

Shota!!! Very excited in Seattle!

[Ellee]

There is just something about Shota!  Think Antonia didn’t mind losing as much to him.  There seemed to be a genuine connection.      Now next time ….

Did Shota actually tear up after his win was announced?  
 

@Ohmo  don’t remember if I thanked you for your spoiler post  I for one truly appreciate it   so thank you

 

Edited March 14, 2023 by Ellee

[JTMacc99]

55 minutes ago, Ellee said:

There is just something about Shota!

He manages to pull off confidence and humility at the same time. 

[Tippi]

Shota really is a breath of fresh air.  Just delightful.  I hope he goes far!

I imagine Guy will add him to his collection of Top Chef/GGG/Food Network Star  talent that pops up on so many Food Network shows.  That is one of the nice things about Guy--he has created so many opportunities for these accomplished chefs.

[DEL901]

14 minutes ago, Tippi said:

Shota really is a breath of fresh air.  Just delightful.  I hope he goes far!

I imagine Guy will add him to his collection of Top Chef/GGG/Food Network Star  talent that pops up on so many Food Network shows.  That is one of the nice things about Guy--he has created so many opportunities for these accomplished chefs.

When he was on Beat Bobby Flay, he was so excited to be going against Bobby that he blurted out his dish and Bobby teased him for getting ahead of the process.  

[kirklandia]

5 hours ago, Ellee said:

 

There is just something about Shota!  

 

Shota is such a lovely antidote to the rampaging egos on TV competition shows in general and among "cheftestants" (even my annoying spellcheck agrees that this is a bogus word) in particular.

A real palate cleanser!

Edited March 14, 2023 by kirklandia

[MerBearHou]

3 minutes ago, kirklandia said:

Shota is such a lovely antidote to the rampaging egos on TV competition shows in general and among cheftestants (even my annoying spellcheck agrees that this is a bogus word) in particular.

A real palate cleanser!

And I love his laugh!!

[MyMaui]

On 3/12/2023 at 10:12 PM, Bastet said:

 

I liked Shota on his season of Top Chef, but Antonia is a long-time favorite, so I'm really bummed by her loss.  

I liked Shota too.  He was better for sure.  I really like Antonia too but I am kinda glad she lost.  Only for the fact that I think she thinks she is a bigger deal than what she is.  Or maybe it's a sense of entitlement with her.  Either way I'm glad she has to wait until next year.  But that's just me.

[Catfi9ht]

2 hours ago, MyMaui said:

Only for the fact that I think she thinks she is a bigger deal than what she is.  Or maybe it's a sense of entitlement with her. 

I don't see this in Antonia's personality at all. Just before the randomizer spin, she was giving Shota pointers. "Don't talk to the randomizer. It listens. Just say hello." She also grabbed his hand when Guy said "Go" to make sure they both started together. It seemed warm and welcoming help shake off nerves.

What I have noticed is she's come out of her shell in the last couple of years. She's more personable and talks more frequently when she used to be more stoic.

[MerBearHou]

26 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

I don't see this in Antonia's personality at all. Just before the randomizer spin, she was giving Shota pointers. "Don't talk to the randomizer. It listens. Just say hello." She also grabbed his hand when Guy said "Go" to make sure they both started together. It seemed warm and welcoming help shake off nerves.

What I have noticed is she's come out of her shell in the last couple of years. She's more personable and talks more frequently when she used to be more stoic.

I so agree with this.  Something in Antonia has changed in the last couple of years and I really enjoy her in everything she does now — I used to feel the exact opposite when watching Antonia.  She’s still a fierce competitor and can realllllly cook under pressure, but she was helpful in such a cool way to newbie Shota.  I also liked that she said, right out of the gate, that she won’t retire from TOC until she wins the belt.  It’s been such a topic to the eliminated chefs — are you coming back — and I cheer on the ones who immediately say “hell yeah” in some form or fashion.  

Edited March 15, 2023 by MerBearHou

[buttersister]

Yeah, I shouldn't hold it against her that Guy stuck her with that stupid Warrior Princess label. (STFU, Guy.) I don't recall Tom Colicchio calling Shota a ninja. (STFU, Guy.)

[Stardancer Supreme]

On 3/13/2023 at 1:07 AM, mlp said:

I guess I don't really understand how seeding brackets works.  Tobias competed once and didn't win overall.  How did he get to be #1?  How is Maneet #2 seed when she did win?  Antonia hasn't won either and she was seeded #1.  She has competed on shows numerous times and won many.  Maybe that bumped her up there.  I don't get it.

What I found on another site: First off, in what universe does Antonia Lofaso deserve a No. 1 seed? Jet Tila, sure. He has shown how good he is year after year, but Lofaso? In Season 2 she didn’t make it to the quarter finals and last year she was bounced by Joe Sasto in the first round. Not No. 1 seed material.

Then in the East Coast you have Tobias Dorzon as the No. 1 seed along with Season 3 winner Tiffani Faison. Now, according to the rules set forth by Fieri, the four semifinalists from the previous tournament are automatically the No. 1 seeds the following season.

Episode 4:

The randomizer has lower seed respin, higher seed respin, and Guy's Choice! I like that it is not the same options every week.

The judges: Nancy Silverton, Ming Tsai, Jonathan Waxman

Tobias Dorzon vs. Leah Cohen -  I'm rooting for Tobias!  I am unfamiliar with Leah Cohen. The randomizer gives Guy a choice to respin; the chefs couldn't come to a consensus on various spins, so Guy chooses to respin equipment which was the panini press.  Guy respins, and the randomizer hears Leah go panini press, and grants her wish! Heh. Leah makes a venison Larb and Tobias makes a venison curry dish.

Tobias wins! The judges really liked his dish better and scored the 2 points more on his presentation. 

Joe Sasto vs. Elizabeth Falkner - I'm not high on either of them.  Her hair looks wild and Joe's mustache is not even; we don't want hair in the food, chefs!  Audience choice replaces Guy's choice on the randomizer. Lower seed respin is in effect, so Elizabeth respins the equipment; toaster becomes metal skewers! Joe makes a butter chicken with rutabaga noodles and Elizabeth makes Turkish chicken skewers with rutabaga hummus. I did chuckle at Guy telling Elizabeth to get up off the floor.

Joe wins! That one point difference is a killer, which was scored in Taste. Pretty decent for a chef who never made butter chicken before.

Karen Akunowicz vs. Christian Petroni - Again, I am not high on either of them. Wait, she has a baby 9 weeks ago? I have to give her props for that!  The randomizer substitutes the seed respins for moving up or down. She stays on these chefs necks! Audience choice pops up, so they choose to respin protein; turkey drumstick becomes pancetta! Christian makes a free form lasagna with pancetta bechamel sauce and Karen makes a pancetta chickpea stew. I like both dishes!

Karen wins!

Antonia Lafaso vs. Shota Nakajima - I'm rooting for Shota!  Antonia is coming in hot; "When I beat Shota..." May Guy never call Shota "The Ninja" again.  Guy called Antonia "The Princess Warrior".  Is "Warrior Princess" copyrighted? Heh. Antonia explains the randomizer to Shota, much to Guy's chagrin. "She will hear you and give us what we don't want!" LOL! I guess she wanted an even playing field by pulling Shota along as soon as Guy said go; I'm sure he would have figured things out as soon as he sees you run off. She just took all of Guy's fun away! The randomizer ends on Move One Up; the chefs choose to move up the equipment.  Nobody wanted to mess with a toaster, so it becomes a blow torch! Antonia makes Moroccan Spiced Short Ribs and Shota makes Herb Forward Teriyaki Short Ribs.

Shota wins, knocking Antonia out of the competition!  Next week is going to be awesome!

 

[Ellee]

What matchups are this week?

I can’t find anything anymore I tell you. ☺️

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Ellee said:

What matchups are this week?

I don't think that's been announced; the episode description says the Sweet Sixteen are all there, and then Guy announces which eight will be competing in this game.

[Rammchick]

On 3/14/2023 at 3:37 PM, kirklandia said:

Shota is such a lovely antidote to the rampaging egos on TV competition shows in general and among "cheftestants" (even my annoying spellcheck agrees that this is a bogus word) in particular.

A real palate cleanser!

And easy on the eyes as well.  There's just something adorable about him.

[Ohmo]

Episode 5 spoilers
 

Spoiler

Britt, Jose, Adam, and Jet won.  I was majorly bummed that Darnell lost.  I like Jose, but I was also disappointed that Eric didn't advance.  I've liked Eric since he was a judge on Soul Food Cookoff.  Jose did make two different items to Eric's one, so it wasn't unexpected. Jose did nachos plus and Arctic Char slider.  They had gameday food.  Eric did doubles (which excited Justin).

Adam was sorta cocky.  He said he put on a clinic for reinventing a classic.  He reinvented a dish from Nobu.  Adam wasn't off the obnoxious scale,  but he was cocky.  I think he wanted to beat Shirley since he used to be her boss. Shirley reinvented ramen

Very happy to see Jet advance.  I'd like to see him win it all.

Radomizer has two proteins tonight: a surf and a turf.  Clock is now 35 minutes.

Judges: Waxman, plus two people that I'm unfamiliar with: Michelle Bernstein and Daniela Soto-Innes. 

As a panel, I thought these judges were tough.  Scores averaged mid-70s to mid 80s.  The 90s weren't in play at all for this episode.

 

[Salacious Kitty]

Spoiler

Michelle Bernstein used to make more appearances on food teevee. IIRC, she hails from Miami. Don't recall her cuisine. 

Just in case, although I don't think this spoils anything. 😃

Edited March 19, 2023 by Salacious Kitty

[Ohmo]

On 3/14/2023 at 9:38 PM, MerBearHou said:

I so agree with this.  Something in Antonia has changed

I think it's because Antonia's been a host.  She's seen the other side of competition, and I think she wants to be helpful and mentor-ish.  I completely think she wanted to help Shota even though they were competing against each other.

@Salacious Kitty, don't forget your spoiler tags!

[Salacious Kitty]

49 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I think it's because Antonia's been a host.  She's seen the other side of competition, and I think she wants to be helpful and mentor-ish.  I completely think she wanted to help Shota even though they were competing against each other.

@Salacious Kitty, don't forget your spoiler tags!

Nothing I said was a spoiler. I didn't talk about the episode. 😃

[Grizzly]

I swore out loud when Darnell lost. But honestly, I didn't like his dish. I didn't think he used enough lobster and it didn't look like brunch, champagne or not. Wasn't impressed with Britt's hash either. She rubs me the wrong way, hope Jose takes her out. Eric should be proud they tied in taste. Happy for Adam and Jett. They should have an epic battle.

[sugarbaker design]

I'm happy for Britt, Jett and Jose, but Adam Sobel wins this week's Pompous Asshole Award.  I don't know who his next competition is, but I hope they take him down in flames.

[Guest]

29 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

I'm happy for Britt, Jett and Jose, but Adam Sobel wins this week's Pompous Asshole Award.  I don't know who his next competition is, but I hope they take him down in flames.

I believe he will face Jet next. So, if I wasn't already rooting for Jet, this seals it. Vengeance for Shirley!

Edited March 20, 2023 by tracyscott76

[roseslg]

Adam was a total dick. I was sad when Eric lost. Michelle is a tough judge.

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, roseslg said:

Adam was a total dick. I was sad when Eric lost. Michelle is a tough judge.

I was amused during the judging of the Eric/Jose match when Michelle said, about Jose's dish, "I'm not sure why he ground up the fish, I guess to make it into a burger" and Jose, watching on the monitor, was like "well yeah!" and made this sort of "duh" gesture 😆

[dleighg]

I thought Britt did a much better job with the lobster and steak. Who puts nice steak through a meat grinder for an elegant challenge? I thought the middle judge (whom I've never seen before) was way off-base saying that she should have used the grinder for the proteins. That is NOT the way this game works, and would have been a travesty besides.

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

Adam Sobel wins this week's Pompous Asshole Award.

he sure did

 

[roughing it]

See, I saw it differently in that I took Shirley was being the pompous asshole.  When Guy set it up that Shirley was competing against her former boss, she did everything she could to NOT say he was her former boss.  Adam kept quiet and didn't engage.  His dish was more involved and more inviting.

As tired as I was of seeing Nancy Silverton and her tweeness, I'd rather have her than whoever this middle judge is.  

[JTMacc99]

55 minutes ago, roughing it said:

See, I saw it differently in that I took Shirley was being the pompous asshole. 

I'm going to need to go back and watch this one again.

All I've noticed about Adam as far as personality is that he acts like somebody who hasn't been on a lot of TV, which makes him different than everybody else. 

Everybody else has had a chance to watch themselves, and has dealt with whatever feedback has been given to them both publicly and privately. I'm not sure how much, if any, of this Adam has been through prior to this show.

[RockShrimp]

in general I think there's a disconnect between what chefs think the cuisine types are and what normal people would... Reinvented Classic conjures up very Americana things for me but Shirley's ramen made more sense than "this is a classic chef dish most people haven't heard of or eaten"

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

I'm going to need to go back and watch this one again.

All I've noticed about Adam as far as personality is that he acts like somebody who hasn't been on a lot of TV, which makes him different than everybody else. 

Everybody else has had a chance to watch themselves, and has dealt with whatever feedback has been given to them both publicly and privately. I'm not sure how much, if any, of this Adam has been through prior to this show.

Guy said this was the first time Adam had done competitive cooking. 

Edited March 20, 2023 by Salacious Kitty

[Ellee]

I liked Adam.  Felt he was competing.  More with himself than anything.  He’s competed twice. Never before this. 

[Bastet]

I was at my parents' house last night and we watched this, but not as closely as I would at home.

I haven't seen Michelle Bernstein on anything in a while, so that was a treat.  I liked how "Oh, wow, okay, they're bringing it" everyone was upon seeing her come out as a judge.  She's a big deal indeed.

I like both Britt and Darnell, but was rooting for her as the underdog, and thought she did a notably better job (putting that ribeye through a grinder was a crime, while using it on the vegetables was the smart way to go -- love that she got it from Alex), so was very pleased for her.  I hope she beats Garces next round, although that will be profoundly difficult to do.

I was rooting for Eric against him (I don't dislike Jose, I just really like Eric), but knew that was going to be a tough one.

I was Team Shirley all the way, so am bummed about that one.  I would have taken randomizer points away from Adam for reinventing a "classic" that is a signature dish of just one damn restaurant.  But he did seem to have the better dish overall, unfortunately.

With Jet vs LeeAnn, I like both, and normally would have rooted for her, but ever since I found out my mom knows Jet's mother-in-law, I feel I have to root for him other than when he's up against a favorite of mine.  He was a clear winner in this match-up, so I was happy for him.

[dleighg]

15 minutes ago, Bastet said:

With Jet vs LeeAnn, I like both, and normally would have rooted for her, but ever since I found out my mom knows Jet's mother-in-law, I feel I have to root for him other than when he's up against a favorite of mine.  He was a clear winner in this match-up, so I was happy for him.

How she thought "I really like mayonnaise" was a winning plan is beyond me.  Your proteins on a pool of mayo?

[mlp]

I was happy with all four rounds this week.  I like Britt and I thought her dish looked like a clear winner.  I really liked Darnell when he first started appearing on shows.  He seemed modest and cooked well.  As he's become more popular, he's also become louder and louder and more flamboyant.  That stupid mask makes me take him a lot less seriously.

I was torn between Jose and Eric because I like both of them.  I would have been happy with either winning.  Jose had the best dish.

I'm impressed with Adam Sobel.  He's a bit cocky as are many chefs but he really knows what he's doing.  I don't dislike Shirley but I've found her annoying since she was on Top Chef because she never stopped talking.  She has every bit as much of an ego as Adam does but expresses herself differently.  Her demeanor after losing wasn't anywhere near as bad as Crista's but she wasn't exactly gracious about it.  I wasn't familiar with Adam's dish but it's apparently on every menu in the Nobu restaurant group so that's my problem.  Shirley just made a different variety of ramen.  Meh.

I've seen LeeAnn on a number of shows.  I've always liked her but she's always seemed sort of middle-of-the-road to me as far as her cooking goes.  I'd love to see Jet win the whole thing this year.

[Maverick]

 What the hell is Go To Takeout.  Was it supposed to be To Go Takeout, which is refunded (and what Guy said) but at least makes some sense.  

 Glad Darnell and his mask are gone.  He's another one guy lauds as a force to be reckoned with but hasn't done particularly well since his first season. 

 I didn't like Shirley or Sobel.  Shirley clearly wasn't going to acknowledge she worked for him no matter how hard guy tried.  Sobel seemed confident at first but moved to arrogant by the end.  Shirley has an bit of arrogance about her too. 

 I'm not sure if Michelle bis too rough of a judge or if all the others temper their complaints because they know the caliber of the chefs, but she was definitely a one of these things does not belong.  Like most others I have no idea who the other female chef was and didn't find her commentary particularly useful or enjoyable.  

[susannot]

Agree about Darnell.  He is good looking and a good chef and all but I hated that mask.  And anyone who would grind up prime rib for a dish does not deserve to win.

Edited March 21, 2023 by susannot

[Ciarrai]

Very glad to see the back of Shirley. She comes across as incredibly arrogant, and friends who have worked for her have said she's pretty horrible to her staff.

[Ellee]

They all say something or do something to be talked about though I was surprised that it was said ‘I left to build my own empire.’  
 

ETA. Count me in with those that say Guy has to stop with the nicknames. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by Ellee

[Maverick]

So are we to assume Britt wins the whole thing?   It was apparently Britt Nite on Food Network, with her play in episode of GGG, her battle with Tiffani (just that half hour portion, not the whole episode) and her Beat Bobby Flay episode all airing back-to-back.  

[Bastet]

5 minutes ago, Maverick said:

So are we to assume Britt wins the whole thing?   It was apparently Britt Nite on Food Network, with her play in episode of GGG, her battle with Tiffani (just that half hour portion, not the whole episode) and her Beat Bobby Flay episode all airing back-to-back. 

I don't take it as a spoiler, just as FN hyping their programs -- she's in ToC in the first place as a "play-in winner" from a show they air incessantly, GGG.  I don't watch it, but Guy is - unfortunately - a network staple, so with an underdog selected from his signature show winning twice to place in the ToC's Elite Eight, it's not surprising for a network to capitalize on that.  It is a pretty quick turnaround, but I still don't read anything more into it.  I don't watch a lot of FN; have they done that kind of saturation with anyone else?