Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, aquarian1 said:

Man, Brook's must have tasted incredible for the judge to ask for a doggie bag to take it home.

I laughed when she wanted to make sure she meant to-go bag, not poop bag. 

Watching the chefs watch the judges taste their food is one of my favorite parts of this show; these folks are quite accomplished, so to see them so nervous and giddy is fun.

I mostly only know the Top Chef people, and Brooke is one of my favorites, so I'm glad she won.  Is that the highest score so far?  I don't recall anyone else being in the 90s.  Antonia is another big favorite of mine, so that made me happy, too - especially since it meant I won't have to see Malarkey anymore.  I can handle Guy (if I've had enough wine), or I can handle Malarkey; I do not have the patience for both.

Next week is going to be tough: in the match-up of Amanda vs. Tiffani, I want both to win. 

[meep.meep]

I did not need to see Scott Conant eat off his knife.

[mlp]

I was conflicted a lot last night.  I like Antonia.  She's fierce but she's upfront about it and she isn't coy or snide.  I also like Malarkey but he can be a little much plus I thought Antonia's dish looked better so I was happy with the decision.  Marc Murphy has been a favorite of mine for a long time but I also like Darnell.  Based on the dishes presented, I thought Darnell was the right choice.  

I have never liked Brooke.  She always seems smug to me and showing up to be on TV in jeans with the knees torn out was just tacky.  I Like Nyesha and I was hoping she'd boot Brooke out of the competition.  The only chef in the line up whom I like less than Brooke is Tiffani so I hope Amanda trounces her next week.

[schnauzergirl]

I seem to recall Marc being eliminated on Chopped because he made the dish he wanted to, involving a lot of pantry ingredients, which over took the basket items.  This was a long time ago and I can't reference the episode.  

[Violet Penner]

I like cooking competition shows and I know and like many of the contestants, and I know I’m not the first to have this opinion, but oooh boy is Guy over the top annoying. He screams EVERYTHING and is constantly at an 11 and now his voice is hoarse. Guy, you have a mic. Please take it down a notch. 

And I’m also annoyed with all the acronyms and nicknames. I feel like I need a guide to keep up:

• Triple G
• TOC
• ICAG
• Chef Shenanigans
• Princess Warrior
• Ninja

He’s almost making the show unwatchable for me. Less Guy and more chefs/cooking/commentary please!

[dleighg]

9 minutes ago, Violet Penner said:

I like cooking competition shows and I know and like many of the contestants, and I know I’m not the first to have this opinion, but oooh boy is Guy over the top annoying. He screams EVERYTHING and is constantly at an 11 and now his voice is hoarse. Guy, you have a mic. Please take it down a notch. 

And I’m also annoyed with all the acronyms and nicknames. I feel like I need a guide to keep up:

• Triple G
• TOC
• ICAG
• Chef Shenanigans
• Princess Warrior
• Ninja

totally agree. Those of us who like, say, Top Chef, GBBO, etc., really don't appreciate the YELLING. I put up with it only because they have a really great suite of competitors. Why do the producers of this show think we actually want "pro wrestling"? We DON'T.

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, Violet Penner said:

And I’m also annoyed with all the acronyms and nicknames.

Ugh, yes!  He seemed to have a nickname for everyone, and I find it hard to believe those were all existing nicknames people in general refer to these chefs by; at least some have to be his "clever" takes on their names/personalities/cooking styles.  I've watched Brooke through two entire seasons of Top Chef (she came in second the first time and won the second time, so she was there every episode) and don't remember anyone ever calling her "B-Dub". 

[Ellee]

Nor Tiffany — Sweet T. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Ellee

[schnauzergirl]

And, Guy, please stop introducing contestants as "the one and only...."  Each of us is "the one and only."  For some reason this annoys me more than anything else.

[buttersister]

 

13 minutes ago, schnauzergirl said:

And, Guy, please stop introducing contestants as "the one and only...."  Each of us is "the one and only."  For some reason this annoys me more than anything else.

It’s air-filling nonsense speak, (like the nicknames) in the over-the-top style of a sideshow.  It’s empty, which tends to diminish the chefs, not build them up. But how many Michelin-starred, Beard Award-winners are playing, for example?

[candall]

Ack, I love this show so much.  I kept it on my "Record" list, just hoping it would plow through the pandemic and reappear.

 

Smart to string it out with the introductory rounds.  The last place "#8 seed" position was a little bit insulting last year and now they've patched up that little chigger bite in a very satisfactory manner.  "So many great chefs wanted to compete!"

 

I think the recap contributes enough fun facts to justify its existence.  Simon Majumdar thinks Darnell Ferguson is going to win the whole thing?  Wow. 

Justin Warner was right on the money when he said Marc Murphy looked down on the ingredient, didn't enjoy the restrictions imposed and so didn't do his best work.

I've been trying to see if there's an advantage to having either Simon or Justin be your spokesmodel, but they do equally excellent work with their descriptions.  Good casting.

I did not know until reading this thread who that pup was waiting in the hallway to interview the winners.

 

 

One more thing.  Right now I live where they have excellent fried catfish.  If I saw the bottom half of the filet looking as pink as the one Marc Murphy served, I'd send it back.  I rewound to double-check:  yikes.  No one eats catfish that still has a pink tinge.

 

P.S.  Big Elizabeth Faulkner fan.  Right here!  She cooks, she bakes, she's awesome.

[Grizzly]

My pet peeve is they don't show the chef comparisons on the screen long enough. You know, the one that says how long they've been a chef, how many restaurants they've opened etc. I can't read that fast and no, I don't have a DVR in order to freeze it.

[MerBearHou]

5 hours ago, Grizzly said:

My pet peeve is they don't show the chef comparisons on the screen long enough. You know, the one that says how long they've been a chef, how many restaurants they've opened etc. I can't read that fast and no, I don't have a DVR in order to freeze it.

Agreed.  And I need a smidge longer to see the final score comparisons. 

I’m enjoying this except Guy’s yelling like an circus ringmaster and his lame nicknames for nearly everyone.  It takes away from the show.  Better on mute when Guy is yelling his intros.  And I actually like Guy.  

I didn’t watch the Aftershow — they said that Marc basically tanked his cook because he didn’t like the catfish protein??  I agree totally that Simon and Justin are doing an equally great job in their roles (spokesmodels - ha!).  So different from each other but I like both.

I enjoy Brian Malarkey and he never, ever wins but what in the world with that mohawk?!?

Edited March 23, 2021 by MerBearHou

[candall]

On 3/15/2021 at 11:28 AM, bad things are bad said:

....

 As I observed last year, it's interesting how well the women do in a blind tasting format. Watch any episode of Chopped with one female contestant and lay odds on who gets chopped first. 

No kidding!  I binge-watched five hours of a $50,000 "Chopped Champions" showdown this weekend and the pattern was glaring.

Cherchez la femme . . . and chop her.

 

.

[jcbrown]

2 hours ago, Grizzly said:

My pet peeve is they don't show the chef comparisons on the screen long enough. You know, the one that says how long they've been a chef, how many restaurants they've opened etc. I can't read that fast and no, I don't have a DVR in order to freeze it.

I always have to pause my DVR for those. And I time my baths by assuming 120 pages = one hour so I definitely think they need to slow their roll there.

[dleighg]

6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

what in the world with that mohawk?!?

oh, yeah, that was sad. He doesn't have enough hair, and besides he's kinda old for that (I'm old too).

[Emkat]

If I never see Malarkey on my screen again it will be too soon. Why are they putting up with him?! His persona is awful and he dosen't even seem to be that good of a chef. He can't cook a zucchini medallion?! BYEEEEEEE!!!!!

[JTMacc99]

Guy is going to be Guy. He has genuine enthusiasm for food, for the challenge of the game, and for the chefs to do great things.  He's also got a bit of Rob Schneider's "Makin' copies" guy from SNL in him. He's a lot, but I do think that his energy generally adds to the experience for the competing chefs as opposed to draining it from them.

20 hours ago, Bastet said:

I mostly only know the Top Chef people, and Brooke is one of my favorites, so I'm glad she won.  Is that the highest score so far?  I don't recall anyone else being in the 90s.

I think that was the first 90 this season.  Brooke pretty much lived in the 90s in season one, which should be noted is pretty darn impressive with all blind scoring and rotating judges.

[Rammchick]

On 3/23/2021 at 5:44 AM, Emkat said:

He can't cook a zucchini medallion?! 

As soon as I saw it on the skewer with the pork medallion, I knew he was a goner.  There was no way that that thick a piece of raw zucchini was going to cook as fast as the pork, especially tenderloin, which dries out quick.  It's why you shouldn't pair onions/peppers/veg on skewers with protein, but put them on their own skewer, since they cook at very different times.

The way this whole tournament is set up is like NCAA basketball, so I guess the "sports motif" of Guy yelling and giving everyone nicknames is somewhat appropriate.  Annoying all the same.

Poor Marc Murphy.  Always the bridesmaid, hardly ever the bride.  But sadly, that's what you get for deciding to play the game your own way.  Farm-raised catfish -- which is what I assume this was -- is not muddy.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Rammchick
Because Marc Murphy spells his name like that, not Murphey

[Harry24]

I’m not a huge fan of Brooke’s personality, but I don’t dislike her at all.  However, it seems that she is truly an extraordinary chef.  My impression from having watched most seasons of Top Chef is that there are a few chefs who stood above the rest.  The ones who spring to mind are M Voltaggio, Kevin the southern guy (on his original season, at least), Brooke, Kirstin and Paul (who so sadly turned out to be an awful person - or at least became one when his substance abuse issues took over.). These chefs seemed to have a fairly consistent ability to blow the judges away.  There are probably others I’m forgetting.

But Brooke seems to be truly an exceptional talent.  Will I be rooting for her?  Probably not.  But I can’t believe how excited I am at the prospect of her going head-to-head with Antonia and/or Michael V.  I can’t remember how the bracket stacks up.

I must say I’m concerned that a former Chopped favorite, Madison, is likely going to be cannon fodder.  Has he even been cooking anywhere?  I’m rooting for him, but I have a feeling he will break my heart.

Another favorite of mine is now Darnell.  He seems delightful, and he is so adorable/sexy (my favorite combination with sexy!). I find it hard to believe he’s going to beat the stronger, motivated fine dining chefs, though.  Did Simon explain why he thought he’d win?

Edited March 24, 2021 by Harry24

[mlp]

20 hours ago, Bastet said:

Ugh, yes!  He seemed to have a nickname for everyone, and I find it hard to believe those were all existing nicknames people in general refer to these chefs by; at least some have to be his "clever" takes on their names/personalities/cooking styles.

To me, that's the Guy version of name-dropping.  He's not in the same class as any of them chef-wise so he uses the familiarity angle of nicknames to look like one of the cool kids.

4 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Farm-raised catfish -- which is what I assume this was -- is not muddy.

I grew up back east where we ate haddock, halibut and cod.  When I moved to the Midwest, I learned that fried catfish is hugely popular here.  To me, even after deep-frying, it always has a slightly off muddy/swampy undertone.  I am not at all a fussy eater.  If I went to someone's house for dinner and they served catfish, I'd eat it but I'd never order it on purpose.  

I was surprised, given the requirements of "fried" and "spicy," that neither chef made a catfish version of hot chicken.  That seemed like a no-brainer to me but maybe it would have been seen as too pedestrian.  I can't quite imagine what catfish would taste like without a deep-fried coating.

[Rammchick]

6 minutes ago, mlp said:

I was surprised, given the requirements of "fried" and "spicy," that neither chef made a catfish version of hot chicken.  

Wasn't that what Darnell made?

[meep.meep]

He made Nashville hot catfish.

Why do they even include catfish on this?  This is not Chopped.  Why not use high end ingredients to showcase the chefs great abilities?  Trout not catfish if you have to do a freshwater fish.  It would be even more fun if the Randomizer included Wagyu beef or foie gras or razor clams.

[Harry24]

6 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

It would be even more fun if the Randomizer included Wagyu beef or foie gras or razor clams.

IIRC, last season they constantly changed up the Randomizer.  Cross your fingers!

[mlp]

2 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Wasn't that what Darnell made?

Hot catfish^^^^^^^^^  I know he made a spicy catfish but I'm recalling that it was pan-fried as opposed to breaded and deep-fried.  Maybe I'm picturing it wrong.

[Grizzly]

4 hours ago, mlp said:

Hot catfish^^^^^^^^^  I know he made a spicy catfish but I'm recalling that it was pan-fried as opposed to breaded and deep-fried.  Maybe I'm picturing it wrong.

Marc pan-fried, Darnell deep fried.

[Machiabelly]

Anyone else th9nk ICAG was a little put out by being ousted in the opening round last year, and took her ball and went home?

[candall]

5 hours ago, meep.meep said:

...

Why do they even include catfish on this?  This is not Chopped.  Why not use high end ingredients to showcase the chefs great abilities?  Trout not catfish if you have to do a freshwater fish.  It would be even more fun if the Randomizer included Wagyu beef or foie gras or razor clams.

Because it requires greater abilities to produce beautiful, mouthwatering dishes with humble ingredients than extravagant ones?

 

I thought it was so interesting when Famous Chef Marc Murphy--classically trained/France+Switzerland/Mediterranean flavors--was presented with a simple piece of catfish and he biffed it.

He pooh-poohed the catfish right off the bat, then when one of the judges said the fish didn't meet the threshold for spicy, Murphy shrugged and responded, "That's not the way I cook."  Well, how nice for you, but are you really such a great chef if you can't adapt your skillset to less familiar ingredients and techniques?

 

To answer a question asked above, Justin didn't say Chef Murphy tanked his challenge on purpose, but more that he looked down on his main ingredient so he ended up not giving the challenge his best effort.  

 

[Bastet]

On 3/22/2021 at 5:55 PM, candall said:

I've been trying to see if there's an advantage to having either Simon or Justin be your spokesmodel, but they do equally excellent work with their descriptions.  Good casting.

I'm not familiar with Justin, and he bugged me in the post-game segment, but so far I've liked him just fine during the cooking portion.  I agree, they do an equally good job presenting the dishes to the judges.

13 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I think that was the first 90 this season.  Brooke pretty much lived in the 90s in season one, which should be noted is pretty darn impressive with all blind scoring and rotating judges.

I'm not surprised to hear that; she makes seriously impressive food in competition (and in her restaurants; I just mean that she's really good at quickly coming up with something as interesting as it is delicious in response to challenge requirements).

1 hour ago, candall said:

He pooh-poohed the catfish right off the bat, then when one of the judges said the fish didn't meet the threshold for spicy, Murphy shrugged and responded, "That's not the way I cook."  Well, how nice for you, but are you really such a great chef if you can't adapt your skillset to less familiar ingredients and techniques?

That attitude didn't surprise me from him.  Darnell also answered a big fat nope when asked if he likes catfish, but he rose to the challenge.  Marc Murphy doesn't bug me quite as much as fellow Chopped judges Scott Conant and Geoffrey Zakarian do (although, like the two of them, he got sued by his employees for wage theft), but I was not sorry to see him go out in the first round.

[Rammchick]

18 hours ago, mlp said:

Hot catfish^^^^^^^^^  I know he made a spicy catfish but I'm recalling that it was pan-fried as opposed to breaded and deep-fried.  Maybe I'm picturing it wrong.

If you recall, he even mentioned that this was his intent -- to do a riff on hot chicken.  But not to worry, I already couldn't remember which protein it was that Shenanigans and Warrior Princess used 😉

[bad things are bad]

Quote

To me, even after deep-frying, it always has a slightly off muddy/swampy undertone. 

Me too. Neither my husband nor I like catfish, and we're usually seafood/lake fish eaters. 

I will be happy to see Madison. Don't know why they didn't just give that man a show

[candall]

28 minutes ago, bad things are bad said:

Me too. Neither my husband nor I like catfish, and we're usually seafood/lake fish eaters. 

...

There's a town close to me with a population of 10,000 and seven places to get fried catfish, including the deli counter at the grocery store and "Fiddlers," named for the fiddler catfish they serve.

     One of those seven places, a steakhouse buffet, has DELICIOUS catfish--crispy, light as a feather, not at all muddy or greasy, perfect.  The other six offer catfish ranging from atrocious to decent. . .ish.  Three of them cook it into a dried out cuttlebone, two of them serve you a deep fried salt block.

     One time on the east coast, I was served a sad damp plank of catfish sitting in a puddle of water.  When I lived in Florida, I asked about catfish and someone wretched.

Give it another shot; it's not the easiest protein to prepare.  : )

 

 

This has been:   My Life in Catfish  

 

.

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by candall

[Bastet]

I grew up eating fresh-caught catfish from the California Delta when visiting family who had a cabin and boat there, and it was delicious.  But the few times I ordered it anywhere, I didn't like it.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Bastet

[Rammchick]

A lot of it is going to depend on what species of catfish it is and what they've been eating.  Channel cats (which is what are farmed) typically eat high in the water column on fish, so they probably don't have as much contact with the sediment as some of the other species (brown bullhead, etc.)

 

[Stardancer Supreme]

Thing is, most of these nicknames already come with the chef.  Guy gave Malarkey that nickname on Triple G.  The other chefs already had those nicknames that Guy annoyingly repeats over and over.

I was rooting for Antonia, Darnell, and Nyesha.   Marc Murphy is snooty and clearly didn't like the protein or his competition.  I'm glad Malarkey got knocked out and as soon as Nancy Silverman asked for a doggy bag, Brooke had won.  I assumed the judges get to completely eat the food they judged later; that's what I would do if I was a tasting judge!  "That was delicious! Pack that up for me to take home, please." 

 

[Ellee]

I think Marc Murphy is just ‘a body’ in these tournaments.  I don’t think he wants to win because that would mean he’d have to cook again. By doing things this way everyone sees him, knows him and he doesn’t have to ‘prove’ anything.  
 

It’s probably a very good payday too. 

[Leeds]

 

 

 

On 3/22/2021 at 11:07 AM, meep.meep said:

I did not need to see Scott Conant eat off his knife.

He's not the only judge on this kind of competition who does this and it bothers me every time I see it.  It's trashy-looking, not to mention stupid.

 

On 3/23/2021 at 8:22 AM, Rammchick said:

As soon as I saw it on the skewer with the pork medallion, I knew he was a goner.  There was no way that that thick a piece of raw zucchini was going to cook as fast as the pork, especially tenderloin, which dries out quick.  It's why you shouldn't pair onions/peppers/veg on skewers with protein, but put them on their own skewer, since they cook at very different times.

 

For my taste, the zucchini would be done before a protein.  In my experience, skewers are best cooked with each component on a separate skewer so they can be marinated and grilled according to that ingredient and still served at the same time.

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by Leeds

[HyeChaps]

I wonder if any of these competitors made a stink with the producers about their ranking.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

On 3/20/2021 at 1:31 PM, Ellee said:

Hunter is getting experience in all aspects of these shows.  Same way as Ryder will and/or is.   It’s experience any kid would be lucky to get.   
 

Any one of us would do this for our kids. 

Not true.  You need to earn it and Hunter has not.

On 3/24/2021 at 1:41 PM, bad things are bad said:

Me too. Neither my husband nor I like catfish, and we're usually seafood/lake fish eaters. 

I will be happy to see Madison. Don't know why they didn't just give that man a show

Madison has gotten rather full of himself.  Oh, he's earned the praise, but his 'new' attitude rubs me the wrong way.  But what do I know - I like Elizabeth Faulkner.  Hunter can go take 1,000 seats.  Come back when you've DONE something on your own.  And that mustache?  Yuck.

[candall]

For me, Cat Cora has always been a joy.  A confident powerhouse--talented, strong, beautiful.

So why is she wearing those ridiculous caterpillar eyelashes?  

Edited March 29, 2021 by candall

[Gramto6]

Sorry to see Cat Cora and Amanda Freitag go. Glad Jet Tila moved on.

[Rickster]

I’m always intrigued by the mechanics of the judging. Does one chef’s dish go in the warming oven while the other is judged, and how do they decide who is on hold? Or do they recook the dish for later judging, which would seem unfair if the original was under or over cooked.

If the randomizer gave us the same protein for two competitions in a night, would they go with 4 beef chuck dishes, for example, or edit and respin?

[Svafa]

I was rooting for Jet, Amanda and Cora. At least one of my picks made it through. I didn't like Tiffani on Top Chef and don't like her any better on Chopped. She is fingers on a chalkboard. 

Does anyone buy into the "Randomizer"? Everyone, name something you don't want so we can make sure the wheel stops on that item. At least in other competitions like Chopped or Top Chef they are intentionally giving the chefs something crazy or difficult. Here it seems they're lying to us by telling us it's random when it's not. 

Next week should be interesting, though I like both Jet and Antonia so I'm not sure who I'll be rooting for. 

[buttersister]

Getting nervous they’re going to show me more Tiffany than I want to see.

[MerBearHou]

1 minute ago, buttersister said:

Getting nervous they’re going to show me more Tiffany than I want to see.

Agreed — I do not care for Tiffani one bit.  Like zero.  Couldn’t believe she beat Amanda with that tofu.  I really wanted to eat every bite of Jet’s dish.  Again with the yelling and nicknames, Guy — take it down several notches.  

[Bastet]

I missed the first match, but I'm bummed to hear Cat Cora lost.  I was rooting for Jet simply because I'm not familiar with the other guy, so that one worked out for me.  And in the Tiffani vs. Amanda battle, since there can't be a tie, I was rooting for Tiffani; I like both equally, but the Tiffani hatred makes me pull for her.

I wish they'd just show more of each match to fill two hours or make this a 90-minute show, because the post-game segment is useless filler.

Edited March 29, 2021 by Bastet

[Ellee]

Can Cat Cora take Giada’s place?  
 

 

[candall]

6 hours ago, Rickster said:

I’m always intrigued by the mechanics of the judging. Does one chef’s dish go in the warming oven while the other is judged, and how do they decide who is on hold? Or do they recook the dish for later judging, which would seem unfair if the original was under or over cooked.

If the randomizer gave us the same protein for two competitions in a night, would they go with 4 beef chuck dishes, for example, or edit and respin?

I've always been curious about the mechanics of the judging, too.  Seems like a big advantage if the judges are eating your fresh hot dish versus your gummy room temp dish.  Maybe it just takes them so long to do the set-ups, none of the dishes are hot anymore.  I've been reading some "Behind the Scenes of Chopped" articles and, yeowie, each tv hour is winnowed out of a 12-hour day.  (The cooking times aren't rigged, but they do multiple takes, for example, of the cheftestants staring at their finished dishes.  Heh.)

 

On the other thing, I've noticed that once a protein on the randomizer has been used, it's replaced with something else.  Not sure about the other categories.

##########

I still enjoy the recap, wouldn't mind more.  Tonight Justin Warner said he could "eviscerate" the kimchi element of Tiffani's dish and you could tell he continued speaking, but editing moved on to another topic.  Interesting.  One dish was criticized for being inexact about curry, Samuelson objected to the purity of the "szechuan" in the description for another.  If Tiffani played fast and loose with traditional kimchi, let's hear it.  

 

Anyway, I think the 30-minute recap segment is only for the original airing.  The show from last week that preceded tonight's episode was 90 minutes.

[dleighg]

9 hours ago, Rickster said:

If the randomizer gave us the same protein for two competitions in a night, would they go with 4 beef chuck dishes, for example, or edit and respin?

I haven't verified it but I have a theory that once something has appeared from the randomizer, it is removed and something else takes its place.

[dleighg]

unlike others, I like Tiffani, but how on earth did she get a NINETY when a couple judges seriously complained about elements of her dish? Marcus must have given her 100 LOL (and I assume they add up the scores and divide by 3).