Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[Bastet]

19 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

This was filmed months ago. It will be interesting to see how they edit out Superchef.

Yep.  On the show's page of the FN website, they took down the original announcement for this season (which said it was starting 2/28); in fact, there's nothing about season V there anymore.  They may still be figuring out how to handle this.

(And, in the sections for his previous seasons, they still have the group photos up with him included, but they've removed his individual photo and blurb from the slideshows of competitors.)

20 hours ago, Grizzly said:

And now Guy is having a whole TOC  qualifying tournament. Nothing about it on the FN page but I've seen commercials. Starting Feb 7th. 

Interesting; I wonder if that's something they scrambled to put together as part of how they're going to edit him out.

[Bastet]

22 hours ago, Grizzly said:

And now Guy is having a whole TOC  qualifying tournament. Nothing about it on the FN page but I've seen commercials. Starting Feb 7th. 

Oh, something I just came across in scrolling through old posts: Britt was in last season's ToC as the winner of a "play-in tournament" of Guy's Grocery Games (where the winner got a slot on ToC).  I don't see anything about it on the GGG page of the FN site, but maybe that's what this is again?

[Grizzly]

I don't know. But the commercials don't show/mention GGG.

[schnauzergirl]

16 hours ago, dleighg said:

At some point I put it in my calendar for Feb 28. Probably from reading it here somewhere, as that's the only way I would know.

I posted that date, taken from the FN website.  Like others, I haven't been able to find a rundown of competitors for Season #5.

[Yeah No]

No wonder I couldn't find it, the news came out within hours of my search:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/shows/guy-fieri-tournament-of-champions-season-5

The premiere date is Sunday, Feb. 18.  Darnell is not in the lineup:

Quote

The chefs representing the East Coast are: Eric Adjepong, Karen Akunowicz, Kelsey Barnard Clark, season 2 champion Maneet Chauhan, Tobias Dorzon, season 3 champion Tiffani Faison, Amanda Freitag, Jose Garces, Stephanie Izard, Marc Murphy, Britt Rescigno, Jonathon Sawyer, and Dale Talde. The chefs showing off their chops from the West Coast are: Carlos Anthony, Shirley Chung, season 4 champion Mei Lin, Antonia Lofaso, Crista Luedtke, Brian Malarkey, Shota Nakajima, Joe Sasto, Adam Sobel, Casey Thompson, Jet Tila, Michael Voltaggio, season 1 champion Brooke Williamson, and Lee Anne Wong.

Perhaps this means they didn't have to do any editing.

[DEL901]

21 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

No wonder I couldn't find it, the news came out within hours of my search:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/shows/guy-fieri-tournament-of-champions-season-5

The premiere date is Sunday, Feb. 18.  Darnell is not in the lineup:

Perhaps this means they didn't have to do any editing.

Nice seeing all four previous champs competing.  

[Yeah No]

This is also from the article:

Quote

Before the new season begins, fans can get even more competition on Tournament of Champions: The Qualifiers, on Wednesday, Feb. 7 and Feb. 14 at 8|7c, as 16 chefs go head-to-head to win four coveted 8th seed slots in the tournament bracket. Plus, on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 10|9c catch up on all the action from last year in an hour-long special Road to Tournament of Champions V.

 

[Bastet]

When the news of Darnell's arrest first broke, I immediately checked if he was listed for season V and he was.  But I don't remember if it was in that FN announcement of the date that has since been removed (in which case, being an official source, he did compete and they had to edit him out), or posted by an outside source (in which case they could have just been speculating on who'd be in season V and it's possible producers never had to scramble after all).

[Yeah No]

I bet a lot of people are going to be looking for any evidence to show that he could have been edited out.  With the bracket format it would be hard to do that without some signs of it, especially if he got very far in the competition.

[JTMacc99]

13 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I bet a lot of people are going to be looking for any evidence to show that he could have been edited out.  With the bracket format it would be hard to do that without some signs of it, especially if he got very far in the competition.

Oh, I hope it's comically obvious.  Like just pixelating over his face in the group shots.

 

 

[Gramto6]

If it is all in the can already, it is going to be a real challenge for FN to edit him out. It would depend on when he loses his spot. If it is first round, they could just say a "technicality" disqualified the contestant and give the person he was going against a pass on to the next round. Anything after that gets tricky. I don't envy FN the task!

[libgirl2]

Imagine if he actually made it to the final 2. Oops. 

[Gramto6]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

Imagine if he actually made it to the final 2. Oops. 

If that had happened, I don't know what options FN would have. It would be really stupid to pixelate him out that long. This series may end up not being shown at all in that case. 

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

If that had happened, I don't know what options FN would have. It would be really stupid to pixelate him out that long. This series may end up not being shown at all in that case. 

I agree, it will all depend on how far he goes and he is a really good chef. 

Edited January 25 by libgirl2

[schnauzergirl]

If anybody can pull off the fallout of this situation, it's Guy.  No idea what that will look like, but too much is invested and as they say, the show must go on.

[sugarbaker design]

They could superimpose an emoji over his face.  It could be Chef Tiffani Faison vs. Chef Wink Smiley!  😉

[dleighg]

I guess the qualifying rounds started last night? I'll have to check on the app.

Tune in to the two-hour premiere of the TOC Qualifiers on Wednesday, Feb. 7 @ 8|7c and the Season 5 premiere of @GuyFieri's #TournamentOfChampions on Sunday, Feb. 18 @ 8|7c!

[MerBearHou]

The qualifying rounds did start last night.  I barely tuned in -- I am baffled by some of the chefs I'm seeing who have to qualify to get into the tournament.  They are very, very accomplished but I guess they are being really good sports about the competition aspect and getting into the TOC game.  

[SpottedCoachDog]

I just checked both Discovery+ and Max and it’s not there. Which really sucks if the qualifiers won’t be on streaming. 🤬

[dleighg]

It's streaming on the Food Network app on my Apple TV Device. (Food Network is part of my cable package). I know, not the same as pure streaming.

[dleighg]

so Guy has his son doing the explanation of the dishes so they can be judged blind. Stop trying to make him something, Guy!

I was impressed that the puri worked so well in the air fryer! 

[Salacious Kitty]

I love Nini so I was glad to see her knock out Ilan. But I also like Leah, so I was sad for her. 

I missed who won the West slot. 

[Mondrianyone]

3 hours ago, SpottedCoachDog said:

I just checked both Discovery+ and Max and it’s not there. Which really sucks if the qualifiers won’t be on streaming. 🤬

According to my Dish onscreen guide, the qualifiers are re-airing on 2/14, starting at 3 pm. So you can still catch them if you're patient.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

so Guy has his son doing the explanation of the dishes so they can be judged blind. Stop trying to make him something, Guy!

 

Yea, I saw him and thought "of course he is there". 

[Salacious Kitty]

2 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Yea, I saw him and thought "of course he is there". 

Well, he has to support his blow up doll fiancee. Guy will always be there if Hunter is running low on cash. 

[mlp]

I didn't recognize Maria from TC at all (first round).  Does anyone remember which season she was on and where she placed?  I was glad she didn't go further.

I didn't know there is such a thng as a pressure cooker for microwaves.  I think I'd like to have one.

I hope Maneet doesn't lose any more weight.   She's a beautiful woman and she's beginning to look gaunt.

I was happy that Ilan and Leah were eliminated.  

 

 

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Well, he has to support his blow up doll fiancee. Guy will always be there if Hunter is running low on cash. 

He has what??? I didn't see that. Must look that one up! 

It just seems everything Guy does, Hunter is there. I don't think the exposure is furthering his career because he does nothing without his dad there. 

Edited February 8 by libgirl2

[Salacious Kitty]

11 minutes ago, mlp said:

I didn't recognize Maria from TC at all (first round).  Does anyone remember which season she was on and where she placed?  I was glad she didn't go further.

I didn't know there is such a thng as a pressure cooker for microwaves.  I think I'd like to have one.

I hope Maneet doesn't lose any more weight.   She's a beautiful woman and she's beginning to look gaunt.

I was happy that Ilan and Leah were eliminated.  

 

 

I remember Maria from TC. It wasn't that long ago, and she went pretty far. I didn't like her much. Too abrasive. 

[dleighg]

19 minutes ago, mlp said:

I didn't recognize Maria from TC at all (first round).  Does anyone remember which season she was on and where she placed?  I was glad she didn't go further.

I think she was on the pandemic one that took place in Portland? Looks like she finished 5th. I did recognize her. There were a lot of Top Chef talent there (Ilan not included LOL). And the ladies do well AGAIN.

[Bastet]

24 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I think she was on the pandemic one that took place in Portland? Looks like she finished 5th. I did recognize her.

I haven't watched this yet, but when I saw Maria + Top Chef written here, she's who came into my mind, as I enjoyed her (and I don't remember any other Maria's on TC) -- Portland season, came from Tucson where she runs a taco restaurant, Jamie tried to go out in her place when she was eliminated.

[susannot]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I love Nini so I was glad to see her knock out Ilan. But I also like Leah, so I was sad for her. 

I missed who won the West slot. 

Chef Kevin Lee.  He was really good.  He knocked out Bruce Kalman, a Top Chef alum from Colorado, I think.  Bruce has lost 90 pounds and was unrecognizable.

[Grizzly]

I'm wondering if the cheftestants who are in the audience get escorted out before the judges come in? If not, they could figure out who'd be judging them and the judges could see who will be competing.

[mlp]

6 hours ago, Bastet said:

(and I don't remember any other Maria's on TC) -- Portland season, came from Tucson where she runs a taco restaurant, Jamie tried to go out in her place when she was eliminated.

Ah.  I recall clearly when that happened but I didn't recognize Maria at all.  I guess she just looks different from the way I remember her.

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

Ah.  I recall clearly when that happened but I didn't recognize Maria at all.  I guess she just looks different from the way I remember her.

That's weird. I remembered her right away from the previews. Confirmed when I heard her talk. She has a distinctive voice.

Edited February 9 by Salacious Kitty

[Ohmo]

On 2/8/2024 at 12:52 PM, SpottedCoachDog said:

I just checked both Discovery+ and Max and it’s not there. Which really sucks if the qualifiers won’t be on streaming. 🤬

I watched the first two qualifying rounds on Discovery+ via Amazon channels.  If they're on Amazon, I'm sure they've got to be on the Discovery+ site.  Try hunting around for them.

One thing Guy mentioned last might was they had alternates in case a chef had to bow out. Even though the show was filmed months ago, could they possibly called one of the alternates as soon as the Darnell story broke and refilmed that part of the competition until that person was eliminated?

Not ideal (and there's the question of judging, but there seems to be a group of chefs on stand-by.  Maybe FN turned to them in some way.

Edited February 9 by Ohmo

[Ohmo]

Also, if Darnell lost in the first round, FN could record Guy saying that Chef X competed against Darnell in Round 1 and Chef X advanced.  Here are Chef X's highlights from the battle.  Clip the footage to show Chef X's preparation, judging, and scores, and then move on.

If Darnell won, then redo the battle with one of the alternates. The alternate will get to compete and the chef who lost would get another opportunity.

Pricey, I know, but I think there are ways to address the situation.

Edited February 9 by Ohmo

[HyeChaps]

Yay!  Ilan and Leah, two of my least favorite Top Chef people are out!

I'm still on the fence about Tiff, but she is well ensconced in Food Network.

[SpottedCoachDog]

9 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I watched the first two qualifying rounds on Discovery+ via Amazon channels.  If they're on Amazon, I'm sure they've got to be on the Discovery+ site.  Try hunting around for them.

One thing Guy mentioned last might was they had alternates in case a chef had to bow out. Even though the show was filmed months ago, could they possibly called one of the alternates as soon as the Darnell story broke and refilmed that part of the competition until that person was eliminated?

Not ideal (and there's the question of judging, but there seems to be a group of chefs on stand-by.  Maybe FN turned to them in some way.

I finally found it on Max! It’s buried under Extras in the show tabs. 
 

Hunter Fieri is the human equivalent of a mildewed dish cloth. He has no discernible personality and he stinks. I’m not going to be happy if he replaces Simon, Justin or God forbid both. IDGAF if he’s the producer’s spawn. Write him a paycheck but stop acting like he has a future in television. 
 

I liked both Kevin and Nini. I did spend a lot of time staring at the blurred names and there is one in Maneet’s bracket that is long enough to be Darnell Ferguson. This has to have been taped before his arrest. I do find it interesting that Kevin brought up being an alternate and Guy mentioned it as well. Going to be interesting how this plays out.

[dleighg]

4 hours ago, SpottedCoachDog said:

I did spend a lot of time staring at the blurred names and there is one in Maneet’s bracket that is long enough to be Darnell Ferguson.

love the detective work!

[mlp]

15 hours ago, SpottedCoachDog said:

I do find it interesting that Kevin brought up being an alternate and Guy mentioned it as well. Going to be interesting how this plays out.

My first thought was that the bit with Guy's comment was edited in as a prelude to whatever the producers decided to do about the Darnell problem.  Could certainly be wrong.

[Salacious Kitty]

. I did spend a lot of time staring at the blurred names and there is one in Maneet’s bracket that is long enough to be Darnell Ferguson. This has to have been taped before his arrest.[\quote]

It was probably Bryan Voltaggio. (First name that came to mind that is reasonably long.) 😀

[roseslg]

I see tournament of champions five in my HBO Max, but whenever I click on it, it only shows the four seasons. This is so annoying.

[DEL901]

So, what’s the over/under on a male chef finally making the finals?   Of it happens, I hope it is Jet.  

[jcbrown]

On 2/9/2024 at 9:00 PM, SpottedCoachDog said:

Hunter Fieri is the human equivalent of a mildewed dish cloth. He has no discernible personality and he stinks. I’m not going to be happy if he replaces Simon, Justin or God forbid both. IDGAF if he’s the producer’s spawn. Write him a paycheck but stop acting like he has a future in television. 

I agree. Hunter sucks the charisma out of any room he is in. And he mispronounced a lot of culinary terms in the first battles. One job, dude. He had better be benched after the qualifying rounds.

[Mellowyellow]

On 2/10/2024 at 4:00 PM, SpottedCoachDog said:

I finally found it on Max! It’s buried under Extras in the show tabs. 
 

Hunter Fieri is the human equivalent of a mildewed dish cloth. He has no discernible personality and he stinks. I’m not going to be happy if he replaces Simon, Justin or God forbid both. IDGAF if he’s the producer’s spawn. Write him a paycheck but stop acting like he has a future in television. 
 

Up until now I have disliked him less than the majority of people on this board but he was AWFUL in the two qualifying episodes! He mis pronounced terms, sounded like he had zero interest in being there and simply did not even try which I find extremely offensive.

I'm with you! Pay him! Pay him as much as they want to, go nuts with the nepotism, but do not put him on our screens and inflict him on us!  

[libgirl2]

10 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Up until now I have disliked him less than the majority of people on this board but he was AWFUL in the two qualifying episodes! He mis pronounced terms, sounded like he had zero interest in being there and simply did not even try which I find extremely offensive.

I'm with you! Pay him! Pay him as much as they want to, go nuts with the nepotism, but do not put him on our screens and inflict him on us!  

Maybe he doesn't want to be there and doesn't really care. It could be the classic case of the father wanting him to follow in his foot steps or a dead beat son who needs a job, so dad finds him one. There are people who would just love to get the job. 

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

Maybe he doesn't want to be there and doesn't really care. It could be the classic case of the father wanting him to follow in his foot steps or a dead beat son who needs a job, so dad finds him one. There are people who would just love to get the job. 

And would do a whole lot better than Hunter!

Edited February 13 by Gramto6
typo

[Salacious Kitty]

12 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Up until now I have disliked him less than the majority of people on this board but he was AWFUL in the two qualifying episodes! He mis pronounced terms, sounded like he had zero interest in being there and simply did not even try which I find extremely offensive.

I'm with you! Pay him! Pay him as much as they want to, go nuts with the nepotism, but do not put him on our screens and inflict him on us!  

Someone is paying him well. He sported thousands in jewelry alone at the Super Bowl. Not to mention the price of admission for him and his blowup doll fiancee.

[libgirl2]

8 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Someone is paying him well. He sported thousands in jewelry alone at the Super Bowl. Not to mention the price of admission for him and his blowup doll fiancee.

Dad pulled the strings at FN to get him a solid paycheck. Either that or he is giving  him an allowance in addition to what he is "earning".  Nepo baby. 

[Salacious Kitty]

His appearances on GGG and TOC aren't paying for what appears to be a pretty lavish lifestyle. I think that all comes from Guy.

Nepo baby indeed.