Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[MerBearHou]

I suspect there is also pressure brought by FN to include Alex, even when she isn't the first on anyone's invitation list.  She often feels "shoehorned in" to me.  

Guy's Ranch is one of my favorites of all FN shows.  Talk about kitchen porn and they always seem to be having a great time.

I would love to have been in the audience of TOC.  

Edited April 3, 2020 by MerBearHou

[roughing it]

28 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I suspect there is also pressure brought by FN to include Alex, even when she isn't the first on anyone's invitation list.  She often feels "shoehorned in" to me.

Speaking of being shoehorned in, now Alex is on The Kitchen as well.  They have a good dynamic with the 4 of them, don't know why they added Alex (unless she will be filling in for Katie when she goes on maternity leave). 

[jlc]

6 hours ago, roughing it said:

Speaking of being shoehorned in, now Alex is on The Kitchen as well.  They have a good dynamic with the 4 of them, don't know why they added Alex (unless she will be filling in for Katie when she goes on maternity leave). 

Yes, I noticed Alex is there, most likely as you said to fill in for Katie, but since I was never a big fan of the kitchen because there is a lot of talking over each other and that really gets on my nerves, I feel with Alex there it will only get worse, so I will never watch that show again!! I know, it is stupid, but I REALLY dislike Alex Guarnaschelli!!

[Ashforth]

10 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

It's probably because he really does love food, talking about food, and he's genuinely enthusiastic about talking to the people making the food.

I think for me, it took me a little time to get used to his energy, and at the same time, he's definitely dialed down the schtick while not actually losing any of that energy.

Resistance is futile LOL

[librarianbeck]

I would be happy to never see Antonia on my TV again. I've never liked her and I'm glad she didn't win. I think Amanda's ok but I find her kind of boring to watch 🤷🏽 I didn't watch Brooke's Top Chef so I didn't have a strong opinion, but she's clearly very talented. 

I actually like Maneet. And those chef jackets were amazing! Though I think she cheated making chicken tikka masala - how could anything have been more delicious?

I do hope there's a second season. This show was really fun.  

[LexieLily]

Do you guys think the second season will have any returnees, or fifteen new chefs plus Brooke?

[MerBearHou]

45 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

Do you guys think the second season will have any returnees, or fifteen new chefs plus Brooke?

I definitely think there will be several returnees who will want to avenge their loss!  I'd love to see many of them return and give it another go.

I was surprised how emotional some were when they lost (i.e., Antonia) -- it must be much, much more stressful than it shows on TV (which is already a lot).

[FormerMod-a1]

I wonder if Brooke will return as a judge rather than contestant. 

[LexieLily]

38 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I definitely think there will be several returnees who will want to avenge their loss!  I'd love to see many of them return and give it another go.

I was surprised how emotional some were when they lost (i.e., Antonia) -- it must be much, much more stressful than it shows on TV (which is already a lot).

I'd love to see Antonia, Jet and Amanda return. 

[Sew Sumi]

9 minutes ago, aquarian1 said:

I wonder if Brooke will return as a judge rather than contestant. 

Guy asked if she would be back to defend her title, so I see her in that role, set up as a #1 seed. 

I can also see Voltaggio and Alex coming back, among others. Probably Antonia since she's a FN darling.

[LexieLily]

10 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Guy asked if she would be back to defend her title, so I see her in that role, set up as a #1 seed. 

I can also see Voltaggio and Alex coming back, among others. Probably Antonia since she's a FN darling.

Some of the first round upsets will probably return, along with a few newbies. Symon, Flay, Conant, Zacharian, etc.?

[FormerMod-a1]

I'd love to see all newbies.  Let's get a couple of rounds in before bringing folks back for a 2nd chance.  

[dewelar]

2 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Guy asked if she would be back to defend her title, so I see her in that role, set up as a #1 seed. 

Or, alternatively, a whole new bracket of 16, with the winner facing Brooke for the title.

[Sew Sumi]

Just now, dewelar said:

Or, alternatively, a whole new bracket of 16, with the winner facing Brooke for the title.

I was thinking about that as well. But there will definitely be some people back for redemption.

[dewelar]

5 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

But there will definitely be some people back for redemption.

Oh, no doubt. I didn't mean 16 new chefs necessarily, although that would be cool. I fully expect Antonia back, and Paper Chef AG, and probably some of the competition junkies like Falkner and Greenspan.

[Stardancer Supreme]

8 hours ago, librarianbeck said:

I actually like Maneet. And those chef jackets were amazing!

I covet those chef jackets! They were so beautiful.

[MerBearHou]

1 hour ago, dewelar said:

Paper Chef AG,

Paper Chef AG — good one!! 😉

[Maverick]

 No way Flay does this.   I don't think he's ever competed in an elimination-style show.   It's always one-on-one.   If they don't suddenly develop amnesia about Top Chef, I expect to see more chefs from there.   They probably can't resist another Volt brothers face off and FN already tried to make Spike happen so I wouldn't e surprised to see him pop up.   I can't stand Blaise and Rocco so hope they don't come back.   And if we are cursed with their presence again they're an 8 seed and lose in the first round. 

 I don't dislike Brooke, but I don't like her either.  There's something inherently off putting about her personality.   It's not her cockiness because Antonia has that too and I like her ok in spite of it.   

 I'm ok with Alex as a TV personality but I can see her not being the nicest person you meet on the street.   I think she's popular with other chefs because they're in the same business she is and she has respect for them.   By all accounts she is a really good chef.  She knows ingredients and can generally adapt to the crazy challenges.  I think it was Bobby Flay who got her started on Alex's Day Off as her entry to Food Network.   She has definitely become less humble since Iron Chef.   I blame some of Guy's ICAG boot licking.

Between there being no Tournament this year and FN surely not wanting to wait a full year to do any of these (I predict this will get the Worst Cooks treatment for seasons per year) I wonder what tweaks they'll make to it.

[LexieLily]

34 minutes ago, Maverick said:

Between there being no Tournament this year and FN surely not wanting to wait a full year to do any of these (I predict this will get the Worst Cooks treatment for seasons per year) I wonder what tweaks they'll make to it.

Oh, please, let's not have a Celebrity version of this Tournament come around!

[TexasTiffany]

I'm kind of surprised this show came and went so fast. These type of competition shows are usually drawn out so long that I get tired of it. TOC came on fast and boom, it's over.

When they bring it back, they should consider more brackets or only showcasing 2 battles in an hour format. They've got tons more chefs that I wouldn't mind seeing again. 

Edited April 5, 2020 by TexasTiffany

[jlc]

9 hours ago, Maverick said:

 No way Flay does this.   I don't think he's ever competed in an elimination-style show.   It's always one-on-one.   If they don't suddenly develop amnesia about Top Chef, I expect to see more chefs from there.   They probably can't resist another Volt brothers face off and FN already tried to make Spike happen so I wouldn't e surprised to see him pop up.   I can't stand Blaise and Rocco so hope they don't come back.   And if we are cursed with their presence again they're an 8 seed and lose in the first round. 

 I don't dislike Brooke, but I don't like her either.  There's something inherently off putting about her personality.   It's not her cockiness because Antonia has that too and I like her ok in spite of it.   

 I'm ok with Alex as a TV personality but I can see her not being the nicest person you meet on the street.   I think she's popular with other chefs because they're in the same business she is and she has respect for them.   By all accounts she is a really good chef.  She knows ingredients and can generally adapt to the crazy challenges.  I think it was Bobby Flay who got her started on Alex's Day Off as her entry to Food Network.   She has definitely become less humble since Iron Chef.   I blame some of Guy's ICAG boot licking.

Between there being no Tournament this year and FN surely not wanting to wait a full year to do any of these (I predict this will get the Worst Cooks treatment for seasons per year) I wonder what tweaks they'll make to it.

I agree with about 90% of this!!! I disagree with some of the Alex stuff, but for the most part we are soul mates! 😂😂. 

[Ranger Bob]

On 4/4/2020 at 11:46 PM, TexasTiffany said:

I'm kind of surprised this show came and went so fast. These type of competition shows are usually drawn out so long that I get tired of it. TOC came on fast and boom, it's over.

 

I doubt they had a choice given the star quality of the contestants.  These people aren't able/willing to take 4 weeks off from their other responsibilities.  I wouldn't be surprised if this whole thing was shot in 3-5 days.

 

Like many others I really liked this and am looking forward to S02.  The blind judging needs to be used on all shows going forward.  In every single battle we can be sure that the judges picked the best plate of food and not their 'good friend'.  

I would like to see one small change for the finale.  Dump the wheel and let the chefs prepare whatever they wish a la Top Chef.  

[RealityCheck]

New Seaon Of TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS Premieres Sunday, March 7th at 8PM With 90-Minute Episodes

Quote

 

"This year, the stakes are even higher because every time a chef wins a round, we are donating $10,000 in their name to their favorite local restaurant that is in need," said Guy Fieri.

Chefs representing the East Coast are Madison Cowan, Maneet Chauhan, Darnell Ferguson, Amanda Freitag, Marc Murphy, Christian Petroni and Bryan Voltaggio.  Chefs representing the West Coast are Cat Cora, Antonia Lofaso, Brian Malarkey, Aaron May, Jet Tila, Michael Voltaggio, and Brooke Williamson.  For the last bracket slots on the East and West Coast, Guy has invited eight chefs to prove their worthiness.

Simon Majumdar and Justin Warner deliver real-time play-by-play.  Deciding who advances in each round is a rotating panel of expert judges including, Scott Conant, Giada De Laurentiis, Traci Des Jardins, Rocco DiSpirito, Marcus Samuelsson, Nancy Silverton, Ming Tsai, and Jonathan Waxman.

The tournament concludes with a two-hour episode on Sunday, April 18th at 8PM.

 

When I read the list of chefs competing, I could see the show producers salivating at the possibility of a Brian V vs Michael V final.

[Ashforth]

5 hours ago, RealityCheck said:

New Seaon Of TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS Premieres Sunday, March 7th at 8PM With 90-Minute Episodes

When I read the list of chefs competing, I could see the show producers salivating at the possibility of a Brian V vs Michael V final.

I thought the last one was really fun, and even though we'll be seeing a lot of the same chefs, I'm looking forward to this! 

On a mean note, I'm happy that ICAG isn't in the lineup. I'm tired of her. I could do without Petroni, but at least they aren't wedging Sandwich King/Kitchen Crash Jeff Mauro in there (FN seems to be trying to make him happen).

Even though, not sure what this means...

Quote

For the last bracket slots on the East and West Coast, Guy has invited eight chefs to prove their worthiness.

 

[LexieLily]

Madison! I've always liked him. Side note: seeing Madison in the lineup made me think of Lance. I wish they could have gotten him, too. 🙂

[MerBearHou]

Sounds fun!  On the list, the only one I cringe over is Giada.  Ugh.

[Ashforth]

40 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Sounds fun!  On the list, the only one I cringe over is Giada.  Ugh.

Yeah, I wish they would make her cook. Ha!

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

Sounds fun!  On the list, the only one I cringe over is Giada.  Ugh.

My favorite quote (which I'm sure I saw here) was that "she gets paid by the tooth." 🙂

Edited January 29, 2021 by dleighg

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

My favorite quote (which I'm sure I saw here) was that "she gets paid by the tooth." 🙂

Don't forget "Little Big Head" 🤣 An old favorite nickname from TWoP.

[Ellee]

Any rumors out there as to what 8 chefs will compete for the 2 spots open?

Wondering if there are anymore chefs from Top Chef.  
 

ETA  Who would you like to see?

Edited January 30, 2021 by Ellee

[Harry24]

21 hours ago, LexieLily said:

Madison! I've always liked him. Side note: seeing Madison in the lineup made me think of Lance. I wish they could have gotten him, too. 🙂

I had just the same thought.  It looks like he’s on the faculty at CIA, while still at the Camp-in-the-Woods.  It would be great to see him do or judge one of these competitions again.  

[LexieLily]

20 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

I had just the same thought.  It looks like he’s on the faculty at CIA, while still at the Camp-in-the-Woods.  It would be great to see him do or judge one of these competitions again.  

It would be awesome if he was one of the eight for the play-in slots!

[roughing it]

Looks like the next season will only be on Discovery +.  Those who don't subscribe get to watch endless reruns of Chopped and DDD and GGG on Food Network. 😠

 

[Maverick]

 I think it's airing on Food Network.  D+ is showing the "extended" premiere.  Even for shows that air on FN they seem to be doing extended episodes or after shows to try and drive people to D+. 

[emmawoodhouse]

It's definitely on FN. I have it set to record the two hour premiere on Sunday.

[srpturtle80]

I didn’t realize this was coming back until Jet Tila posted about it on his FB page. I am so thrilled! I really enjoyed the first season. And so glad that ICAG is not competing this time. I’ll be rooting for Jet. And also Darnell, who I just adore. 

[FormerMod-a1]

So glad this starts tonight! 

[MerBearHou]

Watched the first episode.  Impressive cooking!!!  

[Grizzly]

Nyesha was very impressive, she instinctively knew how to play the game. Come on Phillip, when have you ever gotten mashed potatoes as takeout? He's been on GGG, he should know better. I like that Justin had the winner all 3 rounds. Lucky charm. I hope Bobby can take the East next week.

[mlp]

1 hour ago, Grizzly said:

Come on Phillip, when have you ever gotten mashed potatoes as takeout?

I get mashed potatoes at Popeye's Chicken all the time.  KFC has always had them too.  Phillip's problem was that he tried to make a fine dining version of take-out chicken and it just didn't work.  I did like his new hairstyle.

I like Chris Oh so I was sorry he was up against Nyesha because I wanted them both to win.  

Simon looks like he's put a few pounds back on - thank goodness.  He was looking absolutely cachectic for awhile.  He's a great favorite of mine and I was worried about him.

[Maverick]

 When the chefs were introduced, Nyesha was my first choice to win then Chris.  So of course they were pitted together first.  They are wading deep into the Top Chef pool this year.  I'm kind of surprised to see Cliff there.  Is Marcel on again this season?

 Just how pretentious a chef do you have to be to not know what a hand mixer is.  

 The randomizer still seems more rigged than the slot machine on Cherries Wild.  I don't know what they would replace it with, but the equipment reel needs to be swapped out.  It's a first cousin to the Culinary Curveball (added late in Iron Chef America's run, much like a precocious youngster to an aging sitcom) and it was equally lame there.  I mean a box grater?   So a chef grates some cheese to melt into a cheese sauce.  How does the box grater add to the difficulty or uniqueness of the dish vs. a food processer or pre-grated cheese.  Same with using it to scrap the "char" (FYI, pretentious chefs, we know char is code for burnt) off a piece of toast.  How is that any different than using a knife to scrape it off.  

 Guy straight up calls out the judging on these shows is usually not impartial.  Surprised FN let that comment stay in.

 Ugh, Giada and Rocco on the same judging panel?  Smug overload.  And I'm sure some of these chefs were a bit annoyed at having to be judged by Giada.  And as if those two weren't bad enough, up pops Hunter.   Like, are you fucking kidding me?  I mean the nepotism has just reached gross levels at this point.   It might be different if he were any good or at least mildly interesting, but he's a douchy poser with negative charisma.  

 Overall I'm glad the show is back, albeit with some annoyances.  But the judging panel rotates so that helps.  Hunter's here for the duration I'm sure but at least his segments are brief.  I wonder if he'll be competing in season 3 or if they'll wait until season 4.  

[dleighg]

I thought Nyesha's nacho dish looked good, but it had my biggest pet peeve-- not enough chips! (I always feel the same about pita with humus, or toasts with pate-- you gotta give enough dippers!). I know they aren't actually going to eat that whole bowl of cheesy hamburger, but it was unbalanced!

When Chris C. got eliminated-- i thought it was idiotic that Guy said "We're going to be seeing a lot more of this guy" as if he's some up-and-comer. I mean seriously he won Top Chef MASTERS nearly a decade ago.

And Hunter Fieri????? I agree with above that he has negative charisma. Good way of putting it. He popped up on some other show set in his (father's) restaurant as if he's some great restaurateur. (Anyone remember what show that was? I can't remember) No, he has a job at his dad's restaurant.

I didn't get the comment that Philip's dish "didn't work as takeout." What does that mean? Do you have to eat it after it's been sitting in a cardboard box for 20 minutes?

Edited March 8, 2021 by dleighg

[FormerMod-a1]

I don't mind Hunter, I think he's improved over the past few months in these pandemic shows.  Also, for a show like this it probably helps keep the bubble smaller, since I think he still lives at home (or moved back after college). 

I was surprised Chris C was out first.  I also thought the "we'll be seeing more of him comment" was odd, but then I wondered if he'd appear later in the competition as a judge or something or if Guy was going to have him on some of his other shows (whether ones he hosts or ones he produces only) - he does like to add his chef friends to the shows to help them out. 

[HyeChaps]

Wasn’t Chris on a show with Aaron Sanchez about eating very spicy food?

[mlp]

6 hours ago, aquarian1 said:

I don't mind Hunter, I think he's improved over the past few months in these pandemic shows.  Also, for a show like this it probably helps keep the bubble smaller, since I think he still lives at home (or moved back after college). 

I do think he's improved and I haven't minded him on the home version of GGG but he was totally unnecessary on this show.  They didn't have a "roving reporter" last year and didn't need one this year.  His little "interviews" added nothing but awkwardness.  If Guy weren't his dad, he wouldn't be there at all.

2 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

Wasn’t Chris on a show with Aaron Sanchez about eating very spicy food?

Yes.  I remember the show from years ago, long before Chris won TC Masters I think.  I don't recall the name of it though.  In my memory, Chris carried the show and Aaron was a jerk.

I wonder why Guy keeps calling Simon Majumdar "Chef."  I'm sure Guy knows that Simon is primarily a travel writer who focuses on food and I've heard Simon himself say that he's not a chef on other shows.  I love him and, based upon what he posts on FB, he seems to be a really good cook but a chef he is not.  

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by mlp
correct something

[dleighg]

13 minutes ago, mlp said:

I do think he's improved and I haven't minded him on the home version of GGG but he was totally unnecessary on this show.  They didn't have a "roving reporter" last year and didn't need one this year.  His little "interviews" added nothing but awkwardness.  If Guy weren't his dad, he wouldn't be there at all.

exactly! When he popped up I just rolled my eyes. He added nothing. 

[Maverick]

2 hours ago, HyeChaps said:

Wasn’t Chris on a show with Aaron Sanchez about eating very spicy food?

 Yes and no.   Sanchez was on a show with Roger Mooking about spicy food.   Chirs and Aaron were on a show called Chefs vs. City where they went to different cites and performed food-related tasks against a team of local chefs.   It was a little like The Amazing Race for food.  

[schnauzergirl]

For some reason Season #1 was totally off my radar, so I was looking forward to #2 even though a little Guy Fieri goes a long way for me.  It's good to see chefs who aren't on FN every other week.  Justin Warner was a huge surprise.  I've had a strong aversion to him since Next FN Star and have intentionally not watched programs where he was involved.  He seems much more mature and measured without being stuffy.  I see Tiffani is competing even though she wasn't listed in the original lineup.  As for the judges, Giada and Rocco are so full of themselves.

[Stardancer Supreme]

I didn't realize that was Hunter Fieri! All I knew is that he didn't belong. Heh.

Nyesha Arrington was my pick to win.  She's awesome. Shame she had to knock out Chris Oh.

I don't mind Rocco and Giada since Marcus was there to balance out the smug.

I have Sling TV just for Food Network and Cooking Channel plus other food shows.  I will not be bullied into buying another streaming service!

[biakbiak]

On 3/8/2021 at 12:53 PM, Maverick said:

Chirs and Aaron were on a show called Chefs vs. City where they went to different cites and performed food-related tasks against a team of local chefs.   It was a little like The Amazing Race for food.  

But in the still in the yes column; it was was a running joke on Chef vs. City that Chris was responsible for the challenges that involved spicy food because Aaron was such a lightweight. Though actually Chris took the lead in nearly every single challenge. 

Edited March 13, 2021 by biakbiak