S17.E01: It's Like They Never Left!

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

A challenge at the Griffith Observatory kicks off the fierce battle, where the Chefs compare each other to see how everyone has progressed since last competing and then, the first elimination challenge brings them to the beach to cook a seafood meal.

Original air date: March 19, 2020

[susannot]

I am so excited!

[SailorGirl]

Was Brian Malarkey THIS annoying in his season?

 I know people weren't fans, but he didn't bother me then. Now? Already feeling like he can PYKAG any time.

I love Marcus Samuelsson! 

[Thumper]

I’m still trying to figure out all the contestants.  Trying to place them; don’t remember them all.   Jenn is back again?

Edited March 20, 2020 by Thumper

[susannot]

Just now, SailorGirl said:

Was Brian Malarkey THIS annoying in his season?

 I know people weren't fans, but he didn't bother me then. Now? Already feeling like he can PYKAG any time.

I love Marcus Samuelsson! 

At least Brian is not wearing thick makeup like he did on The Taste.

[NowVoyager]

My mouth is watering from all this food! I don't know how the judges keep so many dishes straight.

[susannot]

So happy for the winner!!

[Bastet]

I wish they'd chyron the cheftestants' names more in this first episode; yes, they're all stars, and I recognize all of them by face, but there are a few whose names I don't remember.

I absolutely adore Stephanie.  I've liked watching almost all of them, but I have always really liked her on a chef and personal level.

I love the mise en place race (one of the few game-type things I like), so I was excited to start with that.  I am s-l-o-w at trimming an artichoke, so I was particularly impressed by that round.  With Tom snarking that you can tell who hasn't done prep in a long time, I wanted to see how he could do.

I LOL when Gail said Tom only asked who'd been named Sexiest Chef so he could point out he had, too.

The QF food all looked delicious, except I knew Joe's pasta and Lee Anne's tempura wouldn't eat right.  I don't like awarding to the team with the best individual component rather than the team with the best meal overall (which I think would have been the blue team).

The free-for-all grabbing of ingredients for the EC is not my cup of tea, but it's a small part of the show, so I go with it - it's just always something I have to get used to again at the beginning of each season.  The EC challenge is a hard one for the first - starting and maintaining a fire is its own skill, and knowing what to cook where and for how long over that fire is another, and not skills all chefs have.

I would have happily eaten all the EC food, but Karen's, Melissa's, Gregory's, Jen's, Erica's, and Stephanie's I really want.  Right now.  The yellow and blue teams seemed to have the most cohesive menus, especially the yellow, so I was not at all surprised to see them declared the winner.

I was surprised how many mistakes the red team made, and thus equally unsurprised to see them in the bottom.  Lee Anne's "I hope I don't have to swim home" was good natured in the midst of her frustration at making "dumb, technical" errors two days in a row.  I was glad to see Joe go over her; the flare-up wasn't the only problem with her dish, it would still have had some issues, but his dish would have had more problems than hers if they'd made the exact same thing indoors.  Right decision, and no shame in going out first among this group.

I am so excited for this season!

Edited March 21, 2020 by Bastet

[susannot]

I was also happy that Lee Anne survived.  I love my Hawaii chefs.

[NowVoyager]

This season is coming in hard with the challenges. It's interesting the guy who sort of took over & dictated to the others on the losing team was the only one safe. Soggy flatbread guy also had doughy pasta earlier, so probably the best choice for first out.

[buttersister]

Welcome back, most of you, chefs. 
Happy for Gregory. Was it wrong for me to chant, Go,Joe! at the TV? As in go home. (Nothing personal, I just like LeeAnn.)

Edited March 20, 2020 by buttersister

[avecsans]

I have been looking forward to this for so long. My favorites going in were Kevin, Gregory and Eric. Bryan had been in there too but I got a little too much Blais-like entitlement from him. I hope I am wrong because I really like him, usually.  So happy that Gregory won. I’m usually not a fan of salmon but that looked delicious. Of all the dishes, I thought Stephanie’s looked the best. I’m glad Joe was eliminated. Why do they constantly think they can make pasta in a short space of time? And his flatbread looked terrible.

 I will never, ever learn neck tattoo guy’s name. I must have a mental block.  Interesting that Lisa Fernandes was the last to be chosen for the quick fire team. She seems to be trying to redeem herself. We’ll see.

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm happy TC is back, but damn, I feel like I lose IQ points watching all the previews for the other Bravo shows. 

[ProudMary]

Great episode for the kick-off of the new season!

Fifteen minutes in, I was already ready for Jen Carroll to go, but that woman sure knows how to cook seafood. I couldn't argue with her skill there.

Kevin is one of my very favorites and his EC dish looked incredible. I was so disappointed (and worried for him!) that the taste didn't match the appearance.

The judges and the guest judges really looked to be enjoying each other's company at that beach dinner. It seemed like a fun evening.

I felt badly for Joe. He was the team Captain and yet he let Malarkey push him toward a flatbread on the open flame. Obviously, he was responsible for the overabundance of ingredients, but I think he should have relied more on his own instincts.

I want to eat both Stephanie's and Gregory's dishes. 

Right from the get-go, Lisa seemed to have eliminated the horrid attitude that we saw in her first season. She was talented; she was just SUCH a bee-yotch! I figured she'd be an asset to her team.  Food looked good.

I really thought LeeAnne was a goner, between charred fish and under fried tempura, but she'll always be a favorite of mine, so I hope she gets to stick around a while. 

There are SO many chefs I really like this AllStar season. I'm really looking forward to seeing this progress.

How ironic that as this new season of everyone's favorite culinary competition begins, we are at a time where most of us can't enjoy a dine-in meal right now. 😞

[PhoneCop]

What makes me happy: I'm amazed at how big a dent this cast makes in my wishlist of returnees. Which makes it hard for me to choose whom to root for, but I'll tentatively go with Bryan and Eric, with Gregory a close third.

What makes me sad: Brian came back and there's no Keckler to do TWoP recaps or keep track of his various personalities. (Which, IIRC, she named Brian, Bryan, O'Brien, and MALARKEY!)

[RebeccatheWriter]

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

How ironic that as this new season of everyone's favorite culinary competition begins, we are at a time where most of us can't enjoy a dine-in meal right now. 

Kevin has temp closed his restaurants and is selling at home meal components that can be picked up tomorrow. He has did he will feature a dish he did on the show going forward. I am curious. I may order something. 

[chabelisaywow]

4 hours ago, buttersister said:

Was it wrong for me to chant, Go,Joe! at the TV? As in go home. (Nothing personal, I just like LeeAnn.)

I would rather have had Brian go home - especially since he was the one who told Joe to do flatbread. (Note - never let anyone tell you what to cook). What a bunch of Malarkey! If Corey Haim could cook and had he lived - you have Brian Malarkey.

[spiderpig]

I was glad to see Gregory doing so well.  Was TC Boston really five years ago?

Her dishes were a hot mess, but I love Lee Ann and know she'll do better.

[Bossa Nova]

After 17 seasons......Padma is still  - pack up your knives and go - fucking annoying. 

[LennieBriscoe]

I'm getting all mixed up, watching this show, Ann's "Las Vegas Chef" competition, and Guy's "Tournament of Champions"! 

I never liked the Voltaggio Bros, and now both are back on my TV!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[candall]

Well, that must have been horrible for Lee Ann.  I think I remember she was employed behind the scenes on Top Chef for quite a while after her season.  She probably has a familiarity with some of the crew and production staff that no one else there enjoys, which would make it extra embarrassing to flame out on both challenges right off the bat.  😖

[Ellee]

I remember that Lisa was not a fan favorite in so many ways but what I can’t remember is how she got in the final 3 that season.  For some reason I’m thinking there was something that happened that was not necessarily based on her abilities. 
 

I am all for allowing people to show who they are now and how life changes have been made but I’m curious if there was something that did happen then. Anyone remember?

[ChiefWiggum9-1-2]

I only made it to the 42-minute mark before I had to turn this mess off. They barely showed any cooking, it was 90% testimonials with over-the-top Brian Malarkey hogging all of the screen time. 

This was certainly produced and edited differently than your typical Top Chef episode - show cooking for 10 seconds, then 2 minutes of Nini uptalking, then another 10 seconds, then 2 minutes of old clips  

Maybe it’ll get back to normal in later episodes. Until then, I’m out. 

[NYCFree]

2 hours ago, Ellee said:

I remember that Lisa was not a fan favorite in so many ways but what I can’t remember is how she got in the final 3 that season.  For some reason I’m thinking there was something that happened that was not necessarily based on her abilities. 
 

I am all for allowing people to show who they are now and how life changes have been made but I’m curious if there was something that did happen then. Anyone remember?

I have a vague memory that Lisa made it to the top three by having bizarre luck. There was always someone else who fucked up worse than her on any given episode. This meant that a more talented chef, that had a worse day than Lisa, would go home before Lisa did. This happened over and over.

On a different note, we once saw Jen Carroll cooking at Marcus Samuelson’s Red Rooster restaurant. She was just a regular chef, along with others. We only knew this because the kitchen is open and the chefs face the diners. This wasn’t mentioned at all last night and he was one of the judges. In the past they have mentioned when a contestant had a prior working relationship with a judge.

[rlc]

While I had visceral reactions to most of the contestants when I saw them, I found it difficult to remember what I really liked or disliked about most of them. I’m sure they’ll soon refresh my memory through their actions.

That said, I remember really liking Stephanie and Gregory, so pleased to see them both back and doing well.

Pasta Joe had no business being an all star to begin with, so glad he’s gone quickly.
 

It took about 30 seconds to remind me what annoyed me about Malarkey. 

Kevin was bacon guy, right? Guess he’s ventured into other regions of pork-land with his ill advised usage of chorizo in his swordfish dish.

[AttackTurtle]

I really like Leanne, but the caliber of the chefs in the first couple seasons (exception....Tiffany) were simply not as good as those that followed.  I still love season one (loathed two), but while Leanne was great in season one, I can see her struggling here.  
 

Kevin better up his game.  I can’t stand sword fish; hence I was worried from the get go.  
 

Jen Carrol was a legit contender in the Las Vegas season and I hope she keeps it together.

Lisa was perhaps the most unworthy finalist to ever compete.  To say she got there by pure luck is an understatement.
 

 

[AttackTurtle]

2 minutes ago, rlc said:

While I had visceral reactions to most of the contestants when I saw them, I found it difficult to remember what I really liked or disliked about most of them. I’m sure they’ll soon refresh my memory through their actions.

That said, I remember really liking Stephanie and Gregory, so pleased to see them both back and doing well.

Pasta Joe had no business being an all star to begin with, so glad he’s gone quickly.
 

It took about 30 seconds to remind me what annoyed me about Malarkey. 

Kevin was bacon guy, right? Guess he’s ventured into other regions of pork-land with his ill advised usage of chorizo in his swordfish dish.

Padma once answered “Kevin Gillespie” when asked which chef’s food she would choose over any other.  He was a beast in his season (the most talented Season in my opinion) and loves pork, but can do beautiful/refined food as well.  He actually took a pass on going to MIT to become a chef.  Sheldon is my favorite of all time, but a Kevin is a super close second.
 

[AriAu]

Quote

I have a vague memory that Lisa made it to the top three by having bizarre luck. There was always someone else who fucked up worse than her on any given episode. This meant that a more talented chef, that had a worse day than Lisa, would go home before Lisa did. This happened over and over.

Yeah, like 7 or 8 weeks in the row she was in the bottom including  to get to the final 3, just barely edging out someone worse than her. Go find her chart at Wikipedia-it is remarkable! And her attitude was awful...negative and mean and somehow she was able to be more unlikeable than Spike, which takes some work.

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Padma once answered “Kevin Gillespie” when asked which chef’s food she would choose over any other.  He was a beast in his season (the most talented Season in my opinion)

I know this isnt the Forum for it, but is there any doubt at all that this was the strongest season top to bottom. Beard noms were eliminated like in the first few weeks.

Have been pulling for Lee Anne since not only is she the OG, and had the altitude issue while pregnant in Colorado, but she was the culinary coordinator for many seasons and therefore I was shocked to see her make these types of mistakes. When she caused the flame up on the fire, it was one of those rare times when I could say..."Hey, I can do it just like a Top Chef!".

On the other hand, I was not surprised to see mustache Joe make those mistakes. He always seemed to bite off way more than he could chew.

Gregory continues to kick ass and with his current sucesses, I am not surprised to see him just roll on.

Edited March 20, 2020 by AriAu

[Straycat80]

I’m so glad this show is finally back. I don’t remember some of these chefs but I remembered Leanne, glad she didn’t get voted off. 

[SevenCostanza]

10 hours ago, susannot said:

I was also happy that Lee Anne survived.  I love my Hawaii chefs.

Me too.  She's one of my favorites and I want her to stick around for awhile. 

 

[Angeleyes]

I’m glad Top Chef is back. I’ve always been a fan of Kevin’s, so I hope he will go far. 
I see Malarkey all the time on Guy’s Grocery Games and that has made me more immune to his annoyance factor. I’m not necessarily cheering for him, but I don’t hate him. 
I’d also love to see one of the female chefs win this. I don’t have a clear favorite yet. Obviously, it’s hard to be a fan of Jen’s because of her prior behavior. Maybe she can show us she’s grown. 
 

The $250,000 prize money is going to particularly mean a lot to the winner this year given the current state of the restaurant industry. 

[Fukui San]

Malarkey was not this annoying his first time around.

I was aghast that Nini wasn't chosen until second to last. Did you not see her season?

I remember liking Joe his season. Too bad he's gone.

Some chefs need to jog my memory banks a bit.

[Rai]

In these times, it's great to have the TV equivalent of comfortable shoes back on. And with a nostalgia fest of folks, no less! I personally am rooting for a Karen/Lee Anne showdown at the end, but I hope Stephanie lasts as long as possible, because her interview segments are such a delight. I also would love Eric to go the distance. I know Bryan V. is the favorite coming into this season, but my heart wants what it wants.

I got so mad when Gregory mentioned he'd marinated his peaches in a curry sauce. OF COURSE HE DID. That was his one trick throughout his season, and it's hilariously infuriating that he's still on it. I guess it's his signature flavor profile, so bless. But honestly, dude.

Yes, Malarkey was always that extra, although he's not as lighthearted as he was on his season so far. But at least I can yelp "MALARKEY!" at my TV again, which delights my neighbors to no end, I'm sure.

Of all of them, Angelo does seem way more chill now, which is a surprise. Still oversharing! But I'm interested to see where his journey takes him this season.

And as for Lisa, I never found her villainous on the level of Tiffany, say (who I've ended up loving, actually. She definitely rehabilitated her image, and in retrospect, it's easy to see what a tough woman in the kitchen can have to be, given everything we have learned about the dynamics), but she was definitely the Wendy Pepper of Top Chef. Just skating by mostly when one person did just somewhat worse than her each week. But I've eaten from her food truck, and she was friendly as all get out then, and I think her rep as a VILLAIN seems way overblown. She's no Ilan, for example. A winner AND a villain. Hell, she's no Marcel either. Anyway, I hope she goes far enough to blow everyone's minds, but she's a definite underdog to me.

Yay food TV!

[Irlandesa]

7 hours ago, chabelisaywow said:

I would rather have had Brian go home - especially since he was the one who told Joe to do flatbread. (Note - never let anyone tell you what to cook). What a bunch of Malarkey! If Corey Haim could cook and had he lived - you have Brian Malarkey.

Doing flatbread wasn't the problem, though; it was putting everything under the sun on the flatbread.  The extra sauce might have made it soggy but I think if that were the only issue, LeeAnne would have gone home. 

[jmcd44]

I was actually sad to see Joe go-only because I so enjoyed his season & the chefs on it. I am rooting for Eric because he’s a “local” chef to me & he is fine (I’m shallow) but I want a woman to win-there are so many talented women on the show. And seeing Jenn reminds me of Isabella’s stupid face & comment about not letting a girl win. 

One of my favorite parts was Tom raising his hand when asked who had been named sexiest chef. I absolutely love Tom & his treatment of his employees (especially now) & charity. Plus-like I said-I’m shallow & he is also very fine. 

Edited March 20, 2020 by jmcd44
Spacing helps.

[wlk68]

Thrilled to see this back on tv. I agree with the others who say that the Las Vegas season was the best. The caliber of the chefs that season was just phenomenal. I loved Kevin, Jen and Bryan back in the day and hope they all do well this time around. 

[dleighg]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

The free-for-all grabbing of ingredients for the EC is not my cup of tea

Were there rules about who could grab food? Why was Lisa depending on someone else to get her scallops?

 

9 hours ago, PhoneCop said:

Which makes it hard for me to choose whom to root for, but I'll tentatively go with Bryan and Eric

Bryan is my TV boyfriend, so I'm rooting for him.

 

3 hours ago, ChiefWiggum9-1-2 said:

I only made it to the 42-minute mark before I had to turn this mess off. They barely showed any cooking, it was 90% testimonials

I'm guessing that this is because they needed to remind some of us exactly who these people were, and the ways they got eliminated (fairly or unfairly). I bet that will decrease going forward.

 

2 hours ago, Angeleyes said:

The $250,000 prize money is going to particularly mean a lot to the winner this year given the current state of the restaurant industry. 

I couldn't help but have a reaction when they said that the finale would be in the current Covid-19 capitol of the world.

[WendyM]

This is like the pilot of any show, so there's tons of exposition and I don't fault them for that. Even with all that exposition, I didn't remember a couple of people so I welcomed the additional clips (the guy who sacrificed his immunity? No memory of this at all). I also want the world to be reminded of how Stephanie went out in her season. Stupid immunity in team challenges--not a good idea.

It feels like a good group and I can't think of anyone I'm rooting against. So far...

I'm so glad Gail is back! But girl, please wear shoes you can walk in. Because you do have to walk in and out of the kitchen once in a while.

[Fostersmom]

2 hours ago, Angeleyes said:

I see Malarkey all the time on Guy’s Grocery Games and that has made me more immune to his annoyance factor. I’m not necessarily cheering for him, but I don’t hate him. 

I don't mind him. Like you said, I see him on GGG all the time and he seems jovial enough. But, I don't remember him from Top Chef the first time around, so maybe that plays into it. 

58 minutes ago, Irlandesa said:

Doing flatbread wasn't the problem, though; it was putting everything under the sun on the flatbread.  The extra sauce might have made it soggy but I think if that were the only issue, LeeAnne would have gone home. 

The shot of him adding even more sauce to it towards the end to make sure there was enough was funny in hind site. 

I never liked Pasta Joe, so I won't miss him. Sucks to be the first one out, but he served crap pasta and then over toppinged soggy flatbread. But honestly, even if Brian hadn't pushed him into the flatbread, my guess is he would have served crap pasta again. 

[joanne3482]

I did not remember that Kevin was way back in season 6 AND was with the Volt brothers and Jen. Now I'm trying to remember who I am mixing him up with. 

14 hours ago, susannot said:

I was also happy that Lee Anne survived.  I love my Hawaii chefs.

In theory, I have a trip to Hawaii coming up in late May. If we still get to go, I think I'll try to go to her restaurant since she is one of my favorites. 

[ProudMary]

4 hours ago, rlc said:

Kevin was bacon guy, right? Guess he’s ventured into other regions of pork-land with his ill advised usage of chorizo in his swordfish dish.

I think you may be confusing Kevin with Josh Valentine from (I think) Season 10, who was known as bacon guy. Kevin Gillespie is far from the "one trick pony" that Josh was.

Josh:

 

[TexasTiffany]

I was excited when I first saw the "All-Stars" description. There are a few people I expected to be on again but they aren't there. Not so excited to see Jenn again.

I liked Lee Anne in her season. I was very surprised though that she didn't oil the grill first before placing her fish on it. Then, she pours oil on it afterward but the oil is going into the fire. Not smart. As Tom put it "that's a rookie mistake". I like Lee Anne but if she's not going to bring her A-Game I need to prepare for her elimination earlier than expected. 

I liked Bryan Voltaggio the first time around. I already expect him to do well this season, I hope he doesn't disappoint. But, what the hey was he doing in the mise en place? He couldn't do the artichokes correctly that many times? Already tipping the annoying meter. I'm glad he's not standing in the shadow of his brother Michael this time, but he needs to get serious, focus, and execute. 

It's always good to see Marcus Samuelsson. More of him!

After the show I watched Padma, Gail, and Tom, on with Andy Cohen. They mentioned that Brian Malarkey is probably the most successful of all the cheftestants. Brian had many restaurants and sold them all. He was also on The Taste. He has changed quite a bit from when he was first on Top Chef. He's got a lot of mileage and experience on him. It will be interesting to see his progression this season. 

Edited March 20, 2020 by TexasTiffany

[Tess23]

I've watched every TC season at least 3 times, so this was like seeing old friends again. Clearly, I have no life because I remember way too much about them all. My gut says to root for Karen and Kevin - high talent level there.

We were having severe storm warnings in our area yesterday, and I was crazed at the thought of weather break-ins during the broadcast. I'm on day 8 of a 14-day self-isolation after a trip to NYC and was pretty much going to come unglued if the one highlight of my day was ruined. 

Gail's super skinny. Eat, girl!  

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

Why was Lisa depending on someone else to get her scallops?

Because he's taller and has longer arms - better able to reach over/through the crowd.

[kicksave]

You know, I was looking forward to this show as a distraction from all the crap that's going on right now but I found it mundane and dull. I ended up turning it off and watching something else. I've been watching Top Chef since day one but now it just seems dated and boring. It needs a refresh...maybe new judges and a new mentor...something. Padma...boring...Gail Collins...boring...Tom C....boring. Too many contestants and the same kind of challenges...I dunno...I'm going to get blasted for this opinion but I think after so many years of the same format and judges it just seems stale. And they really should have a limit to how many times a former contestant can be cast for this Top Chef competition...I mean Jenn Carroll again??? 

[AriAu]

Quote

You know, I was looking forward to this show as a distraction from all the crap that's going on right now but I found it mundane and dull. I ended up turning it off and watching something else. I've been watching Top Chef since day one but now it just seems dated and boring. It needs a refresh...maybe new judges and a new mentor...something. 

I like the comfort of seeing these familiar faces, and some of the challenges-the mise en palce is classic and fun...at least to me. However,  you are not wrong that it needs a jolt. and usually it comes from the locations and the challenges...and sometimes from a guest judge-Bourdain (may he RIP) was always good for bringing some snark. I think the challenges will get more interesting as the season goes on.

Personally, I just smiled at having some old friends back (chef-testants and judges) and something upbeat given the state of the world.

Quote

Gail Collins...boring...

Simmons, but whatever...and to me she is low key, but not boring. And, I think it is nice that these folks are all pretty nice to the chef-testants other than being honest and critical of the food.

YMMV

[ProudMary]

1 hour ago, TexasTiffany said:

After the show I watched Padma, Gail, and Tom, on with Andy Cohen.

I was actually going to post that if you have the opportunity to watch last night's episode of Watch What Happens Live either online or On Demand, do it. It was a very enjoyable episode. Normally, I avoid WWHL, but this was a good one. It also includes a short preview clip from next week's episode featuring Melissa. You can access it online from this page:

https://www.bravotv.com/watch-what-happens-live/videos

Edited March 20, 2020 by ProudMary

[FormerMod-a1]

I missed this show more than I realized.  So happy it's back on.  I have no idea who I want to win since there are so many past cheftestants I like so much.  

[TexasTiffany]

16 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

I was actually going to post that if you have the opportunity to watch last night's episode of Watch What Happens Live either online or On Demand, do it. It was a very enjoyable episode. Normally, I avoid WWHL, but this was a good one. It also includes a short preview clip from next week's episode featuring Melissa. You can access it online from this page:

https://www.bravotv.com/watch-what-happens-live/videos

ITA I stopped watching WWHL years ago. The only reason I didn't change the channel is Padma, Gail, and Tom were the guests. It was entertaining with the 3 of them. 

[nutella fitzgerald]

7 hours ago, rlc said:

While I had visceral reactions to most of the contestants when I saw them, I found it difficult to remember what I really liked or disliked about most of them. I’m sure they’ll soon refresh my memory through their actions.

Except Stache Joe! I remember hating him but couldn’t recall quite why. I just have this feeling that if you told me during his first season that he would be eliminated first on a subsequent All Stars, I would have been pleased.