Tournament Of Champions - General Discussion

[buttersister]

Quote

the show is pushing a specific narrative and not an actual competition show. There really isn't a way the scores would be identical other than to cheat the system.

I definitely accept some fantasy aspects of reality shows but don't insult my intelligence.

Saw a promo earlier (and this may be in the intro, I skip it) in which Guy calls this something like the world's pre-eminent or most difficult (or something) cooking competition. I could hardly hear it over the loud laughter of the Bocuse D'Or.

[Ellee]

So any chance it is Jet vs Darnell???

[Grizzly]

As I thought, you can see the belt on the counter during judging. So if they watched the show last year, they could presume when they are tasting Brooke's dishes.

I love Justin's outfit tonight. I'm captivated by the shirt, I want it. He really stepped up his style for this show. Too bad Guy didn't.

Edited April 19, 2021 by Grizzly

[FormerMod-a1]

I felt so bad for Brooke when she saw her sauce was broken at plating.  It's not like she had time to make a new one, plus it had langostine in it so she couldn't ditch it.   (Plus I'm sure it completed the dish).  However, at the beginning of the final battle I realized I'd be happy with either of them winning.  Both these women are incredible chefs.  I am very happy for Maneet. 

[Svafa]

39 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

I love Justin's outfit tonight. I'm captivated by the shirt, I want it. He really stepped up his style for this show. Too bad Guy didn't.

Speaking of style, Maneet has the most amazing chef jackets. Everyone else looks so plain in comparison. 

[buttersister]

Tuned in for the finale with some tasty-looking food. Maneet the FN judge with a nickname vs. Brooke, reigning champion. LOL, love the idea of blind tasting, especially when one of the judges uses Indian flavors.

 

[Grizzly]

2 minutes ago, Svafa said:

Speaking of style, Maneet has the most amazing chef jackets. Everyone else looks so plain in comparison. 

Darnell's chef coats have also been out of the ordinary. He can't pull off the sparkle of Maneet. But he does stand out.

[susannot]

OK Maneet Chopped Judge has proven that she can really cook.   Sorry that Brooke's hollandaise sauce broke.  Hive mind, how could she have fixed it?

 

Maneet is a very attractive woman but I hate those long fake eyelashes.

[TexasTiffany]

Everyone is focusing on the cooking (and rightly so)... but how about that odd dress that Susan was wearing at judging? She was dressed for a costume party. She went as a corn husk wrapped tamale. At least it was food related.

I felt bad for Darnell. His dish was innovative and playful, but it was just too deconstructed in my opinion. I did enjoy watching him cook though.

[MerBearHou]

I missed tonight.  Did Jet and Antonia cook?

[emmawoodhouse]

1 minute ago, MerBearHou said:

I missed tonight.  Did Jet and Antonia cook?

Yes. Jet won by one point.

[MerBearHou]

29 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Yes. Jet won by one point.

Thank you!  Great to hear - love Jet.  I’m not planning on seeking this finale out On Demand — this season didn’t do it for me at all.

Edited April 19, 2021 by MerBearHou

[Bastet]

What great food we've seen on this show!  So many high scores and close matches.  I somehow missed its existence last season, but the caliber of chefs and judges have been so impressive this time around I could tolerate Guy Fieri.

I "know" the Top Chef contestants best, so with me liking everyone's food and liking what I know of their personal conduct, I was open to any of the Final Four taking the prize.  In the end, I was kind of rooting for Brooke - because I've eaten more of her food than anyone else's and also because I laugh pretty damn hard at how her victories piss some people off - but also kind of rooting for Maneet since Brooke had already won.  Bottom line, I was just very happy to have 1 vs 2 consist of two fantastic female chefs competing for the title; three cheers for blind judging!

It's a bummer Brooke's hollandaise sauce broke; I hate to see one dish with a technical error rather than two stellar dishes going head to head with one being slightly better.  But that didn't seem to have been definitive; it was still close.  And Brooke has now competed twice on Top Chef and twice on this show, and of those four battles through elite competition, she has twice won and twice come in second; that's quite a record.

Your main ingredient three ways in less than an hour - that's a proper final challenge.  I love langoustine, so I was drooling over the dishes.  They both used a couple of ingredients I don't like just as a matter of personal preference, but they also both did such wonderful things that I wanted to eat all the food, to the extent I was jealous of the judges getting to eat even things I wouldn't have ordered.

Fundamentally, I love how much money this competition generated for struggling restaurants.  I like that both their picks got $10k in this round.

I'll be back next season, but if FN could switch hosts (and useless host spawn), I'd be even happier about it.

[Gramto6]

Yay for Maneete glad she won

[candall]

Nobody's winning any grand finale prizes with broken hollandaise.  : (   Too bad, I was rooting for a Brooke win--she's been battering for 20 years against people who thought she was too young (and too xx) to be good enough.

It was funny, though, when first-time judge Ming Tsai tried to be gentle about the hollandaise being "a little bit broken" and old-hand judge Marcus Samuelson having none of that bullshit.

 

In other news, if there's a "spherical" requirement, I'd better be seeing something dug out with a melon baller or an ice cream scoop and not some stupid PEAS served on a round plate.

[schnauzergirl]

So glad that Maneet won.  For some reason I've never warmed to Brooke, although she's obviously a fantastic chef.  What I'm happiest about, though, is that Jet beat Antonia even though it was only by one point.  She's fingernails on a blackboard for me.  And how she carried on about Guy not spinning the time panel on the Randomizer.  

[cameron]

Love Marcus's over the top clothes pairings; he can certainly pull it off.  Sorry, can't say the same about Nancy Silverton's choices.  Think she is a little too old to carry this.

[roughing it]

11 hours ago, TexasTiffany said:

how about that odd dress that Susan was wearing at judging? She was dressed for a costume party. She went as a corn husk wrapped tamale.

She should have lost execution points for that outfit (see what I did there ;), when she found she couldn't really bring the utensil to her mouth without hitting the collar.  I noticed she kept patting it down after the first judging.

[dleighg]

14 hours ago, Svafa said:

Speaking of style, Maneet has the most amazing chef jackets. Everyone else looks so plain in comparison.

as I'm a practical person, all I can say is "she has to dry-clean that jacket every time she uses it!" I prefer the more utilitarian look, myself. The judges, on the other hand, can dress as crazy as they like, though Nancy's was not my type. Ming must have felt a bit underdressed compared to Nancy and Marcus (though he always looks elegant)!

 

10 hours ago, candall said:

In other news, if there's a "spherical" requirement, I'd better be seeing something dug out with a melon baller or an ice cream scoop and not some stupid PEAS served on a round plate.

Plus there seemed to be SERIOUS misunderstanding what SPHERICAL is. It is NOT THE SAME AS CIRCULAR I kept yelling at the TV.

[dleighg]

I have some random musings.

How do they keep the second dish "fresh" while the judges are eating the first one (before the final round, when they got both dishes at essentially the same time)? Particularly Darnelle's "savory ice cream."

Also, do we REALLY think that they had platters of ALL THOSE unusual, and often expensive ingredients stashed back stage? Makes me think that the spinner is "destined" to fall where it does. 

[FormerMod-a1]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

Also, do we REALLY think that they had platters of ALL THOSE unusual, and often expensive ingredients stashed back stage? Makes me think that the spinner is "destined" to fall where it does. 

I think they probably use it twice.  Once pre-production, to get all the needed ingredients, and again for filming.  So it is random the first time, but not for filming.  That said, I don't think the chefs know ahead of time, just the production crew and Guy.

[Stardancer Supreme]

We know that the Randomizer is set to whatever they feel like throwing at the chefs.  I just don't need Guy breaking the fourth wall with his hamming.  We don't need Hunter creeping backstage either for Season 3. 

I knew Brooke was toast as soon as her hollandaise sauce broke.  She is an awesome chef nonetheless. 

Yay for Maneet!  I also love her chef jackets. They are so beautiful!

[mlp]

I was very happy that Maneet won but I do feel a bit sorry for Brooke because of the broken Hollandaise.  That's the kind of thing that you keep going back over in your head and thinking "if only I had........" over and over.  I think it would be easier to lose just because the judges liked your opponent's dish better.

Marcus always looks great in whatever he wears no matter how outlandish.  I loved the blue hat.  Nancy Silverton OTOH................ Good Grief!  Her outfit looked more like a Halloween costume gone awry.  Ming Tsai Looked handsome as usual.  I'm happy to see him any time, anywhere.

Before the next season, I hope someone tells Guy to tone it down.  He sounds like he's barking for a carnival or introducing a wrestling match.  He must realize that he yelled himself hoarse.  Simon and Justin are playing it exactly right.  

 

[cameron]

2 minutes ago, mlp said:

I was very happy that Maneet won but I do feel a bit sorry for Brooke because of the broken Hollandaise.  That's the kind of thing that you keep going back over in your head and thinking "if only I had........" over and over.  I think it would be easier to lose just because the judges liked your opponent's dish better.

Marcus always looks great in whatever he wears no matter how outlandish.  I loved the blue hat.  Nancy Silverton OTOH................ Good Grief!  Her outfit looked more like a Halloween costume gone awry.  Ming Tsai Looked handsome as usual.  I'm happy to see him any time, anywhere.

Before the next season, I hope someone tells Guy to tone it down.  He sounds like he's barking for a carnival or introducing a wrestling match.  He must realize that he yelled himself hoarse.  Simon and Justin are playing it exactly right.  

 

Nancy's outfit reminded me of the Red Queen outfit in the original Alice in Wonderland movie but in a different color.

[KayVeeTeeVee]

3 hours ago, mlp said:

I was very happy that Maneet won but I do feel a bit sorry for Brooke because of the broken Hollandaise.  That's the kind of thing that you keep going back over in your head and thinking "if only I had........" over and over.  I think it would be easier to lose just because the judges liked your opponent's dish better.

Marcus always looks great in whatever he wears no matter how outlandish.  I loved the blue hat.  Nancy Silverton OTOH................ Good Grief!  Her outfit looked more like a Halloween costume gone awry.  Ming Tsai Looked handsome as usual.  I'm happy to see him any time, anywhere.

Before the next season, I hope someone tells Guy to tone it down.  He sounds like he's barking for a carnival or introducing a wrestling match.  He must realize that he yelled himself hoarse.  Simon and Justin are playing it exactly right.  

 

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by KayVeeTeeVee

[joanne3482]

19 hours ago, mlp said:

Before the next season, I hope someone tells Guy to tone it down.  He sounds like he's barking for a carnival or introducing a wrestling match.  He must realize that he yelled himself hoarse.  Simon and Justin are playing it exactly right.  

And enough with the ridiculous nicknames! No Dancing Spice Queen, Warrior Princess, Great Hamboni! They're too much and seriously almost enough to make me drop the show. 

[MerBearHou]

I did watch this On Demand just through the Jet-Antonia cookoff (so glad Jet won).  Have to say -- I'd vote for Ming Tsai as the next James Bond.  Goodness, he looked so debonair and gorgeous in his suit.  When he walked out (after Nancy and Marcus), wow...

[candall]

On 4/19/2021 at 9:39 AM, cameron said:

Love Marcus's over the top clothes pairings; he can certainly pull it off.  Sorry, can't say the same about Nancy Silverton's choices.  Think she is a little too old to carry this.

Nope.  At a certain age, a few grandes dames aside, most have to choose between eccentric old broad, or invisible.  I admire the EOB's.  I myself find it's interesting to skit about like a ghost.

Probably Nancy Silverton's only regret is that her bra strap was showing inside her neckline during the first judging.  Black lingerie from now on, Chef.

 

 

[Harry24]

3 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

 Have to say -- I'd vote for Ming Tsai as the next James Bond.  Goodness, he looked so debonair and gorgeous in his suit.  When he walked out (after Nancy and Marcus), wow...

Agreed to a point.  But ... what do you think about his dyed hair?  I wish he’d get an expert stylist who would guide him into a more natural color situation.  Then he’d be off the charts suave and handsome.

But then I also enjoyed Nancy’s dress, mostly because I loved the neckline (didn’t notice the bra sitch), and wish Marcus would tone it down just a touch.  I love his bold colors, but the over accessorizing borders on cartoonish.  He’s a small man and he verges into elf territory, when he could be just as attractive as Ming.

[schnauzergirl]

3 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I did watch this On Demand just through the Jet-Antonia cookoff (so glad Jet won).  Have to say -- I'd vote for Ming Tsai as the next James Bond.  Goodness, he looked so debonair and gorgeous in his suit.  When he walked out (after Nancy and Marcus), wow...

I agree about Ming Tsai 100%.  I fully support people wearing what they choose, but for me Nancy and Marcus are wearing costumes and it's tiresome.  I do like each of them as judges.  Ming Tsai stole that particular fashion show.

[buttersister]

17 minutes ago, Harry24 said:

I wish he’d get an expert stylist who would guide him into a more natural color situation.  

Ming, let Eric Ripert's hair be your spirit animal. 

[srpturtle80]

I actually haven’t had a chance to watch this yet but was dying to know who won so I hopped on. I am bummed it wasn’t Jet, but happy that Brooke didn’t repeat. Good for Maneet, she is obviously very talented. 
 

Also, reading this board makes me realize I’m probably the only one not bothered by Guy as host. The loudness and the nicknames, etc. - that’s just who he is. Of course, I watch a ton of GGG and I wouldn’t do that if he bothered me. He does a tremendous amount of good for his community and it’s apparent that he has great relationships with many extremely talented and well respected chefs. I have zero issues with him! 
 

Sure hope we get a third season! I love this show!! 

Edited April 21, 2021 by srpturtle80

[bad things are bad]

It there is a third season, I'd like a little more diversity in the contestant pool, meaning some chefs that we don't see frequently on FN. And especially no Christian Jabroni Hamboni, please. 

[pdlinda]

1 hour ago, bad things are bad said:

It there is a third season, I'd like a little more diversity in the contestant pool, meaning some chefs that we don't see frequently on FN. And especially no Christian Jabroni Hamboni, please. 

Would you please be more specific?  

[Grizzly]

3 hours ago, srpturtle80 said:

Also, reading this board makes me realize I’m probably the only one not bothered by Guy as host. The loudness and the nicknames, etc. - that’s just who he is. Of course, I watch a ton of GGG and I wouldn’t do that if he bothered me. He does a tremendous amount of good for his community and it’s apparent that he has great relationships with many extremely talented and well respected chefs. I have zero issues with him.

You are not alone. I agree 100%. And I think Guy is an executive producer so he isn't going anywhere.

[FormerMod-a1]

I like Guy, too.  He's a bit "over the top" but I think it's fine for his shows. 

[pdlinda]

40 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

You are not alone. I agree 100%. And I think Guy is an executive producer so he isn't going anywhere.

I admire Guy because he "puts his $$$ where his mouth is," as the old saying goes...

[Rammchick]

6 hours ago, srpturtle80 said:

Also, reading this board makes me realize I’m probably the only one not bothered by Guy as host. The loudness and the nicknames, etc. - that’s just who he is.

Keep in mind, too, that this show is structured like NCAA basketball or WWE.  All those trappings are part of these sports competitions.

[Stardancer Supreme]

Hopefully Bryan Voltaggio will come back.  Michael will probably come back since Brooke was knocked out. He was so intense, so he'll need to relax and have fun. 

Jet Tila is a joy to watch. Maybe a few more of the current Iron Chefs, even though they didn't fare so well in the TOC kitchen. 

[Ellee]

It was so great to see Cat Cora again. I so hope that she comes back next year - win or lose.     Just to have Cat Cora on our screens.   At minimum - a judge. 
 

I guess I’m really bad because I can only think of certain ones I don’t want to see in the completion or as judges.  

[HyeChaps]

Stephanie Izard

 

[Maverick]

 With a lot the chefs in this competition, I end up liking them to varying degrees.   I used to really like Marc Murphy and I still do but he really came off a little dickish with his approach to the challenge.  I really liked Antonia when she first started with Food Network but after all her wins she has a little bit of  sore loser vibe and comes off a little more ultra competitive the longer she does these types of shows (she's a lot like Alex in that regard).  Darnell came off as kind of arrogant, especially when talking about Maneet.  Brooke's shock at Jet showing up was a bit of a slight.   Even Amanda who is probably one of my top Food Network favorites was a little salty about her loss.  And almost all of them were less than humble when listening to the judges criticism.   "How could they say that about my awesome dish?"  "Is s/he crazy?"  "They just don't understand my cook."   

 I agree they need to mix things up if there's a season 3.  I think from the semis on, everyone had been on last season and was a top finisher.   They're obviously all good chefs, but if you have the same people and the same matchups every year it gets boring. 

 Stephanie Izzard was someone I thought I'd like to see on here.  I'd like to see Anne Burrell.  Yes, she's hypercompetitive and a sore loser but she makes no pretense about it.  Maybe put her against Robert Irvine to see her mop the floor with him.   I think Alex not being on this year was a good thing but I'd like to see her back to see if the Darnell thing was a fluke or if she'd go far.  Ming Tsai is cool as a judge but I'd like to see him compete.  Michael Symon would probably do well.  Please don't bring back Malarkey, Petroni, Murphy or Brooke.

 

[FormerMod-a1]

I'd also like to see Stephanie Izard.  And maybe some other Top Chef alums like Kristin Kish, Melissa King, Hung Huynh, Shirley Chung.  Non Top Chef chefs - Michael Symon, Masaharu Morimoto, Jose Garces.  There are lots of chefs I like outside of Top Chef and Iron Chef, but I was trying to think of chefs with competition experience, even if just a season or so.

[Rammchick]

14 hours ago, Maverick said:

 I really liked Antonia when she first started with Food Network but after all her wins she has a little bit of  sore loser vibe and comes off a little more ultra competitive the longer she does these types of shows (she's a lot like Alex in that regard).... 

I'd like to see Anne Burrell.  Yes, she's hypercompetitive and a sore loser but she makes no pretense about it....  

The thing is, these chefs are sore winners as well as sore losers.  

[meep.meep]

Having finally seen the whole thing, I'm left with an overwhelming fascination for Nancy Silverton's barrettes.  

[eelpout]

On 4/16/2021 at 3:24 AM, Ellee said:

Did anyone watch ‘Chef Boot Camp’ with Cliff Crooks?  

I’m about to watch now.  

I think there is a reason you won't find (at the time of this post anyway) this show being listed here on the forums. My wife and I found the first ep a tough watch and won't be watching again. Not that Crooks was bad, it was just a bit hard to see the "chefs" under pressure like this and then a snap decision being made about their job within a few days. But maybe that's just us.

This may have been in the can for a while as one article I read said some filming was done in 2019.

[pdlinda]

Would someone please tell me what happened to this show?  I had it on auto record and nothing has happened in at least 2 weeks???  No shows.  Did I miss something???

[dleighg]

5 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

Would someone please tell me what happened to this show?  I had it on auto record and nothing has happened in at least 2 weeks???  No shows.  Did I miss something???

it ended a week or two ago. You can probably watch it on the FoodNetwork app or site. I usually watch it on my AppleTV

[pdlinda]

31 minutes ago, dleighg said:

it ended a week or two ago. You can probably watch it on the FoodNetwork app or site. I usually watch it on my AppleTV

I can't figure out how I missed it except I recall there were 2 hr shows and I only watched the first hour because I thought the second hr was a discussion of the episode!  I bet that was my mistake.  I'll try the app or On Demand.  Please note:  I didn't ask who won😆

[pdlinda]

20 hours ago, dleighg said:

it ended a week or two ago. You can probably watch it on the FoodNetwork app or site. I usually watch it on my AppleTV

I finally watched it at "on demand" on my cable.  Had to endure many banks of commercials; however, in the end, it was worth it to see Maneet win!  What an incredible chef who did so much for her colleagues during this difficult time for restaurants.