S17.E12: Lucca

[mlp]

I also was confident that Bryan had the winning truffle dish based upon the remarks at the judges' table so I was shocked and more than annoyed that they gave the win to Melissa.  I like Melissa but she's made congee several times and they did criticize her dish.  

I have liked Kevin less and less as the show has gone on and now I'm to the point where I actively dislike him.  He deserves credit for fighting through serious health problems (which he keeps playing up) but they shouldn't be a factor in who wins a cooking competition.  I hope Tom isn't letting that influence his decisions.  

I was sorry to see Gregory go but I wasn't surprised after all the focus on his back problem.  He certainly wasn't at his best.  I wonder if he'll come back as one of the sous chefs in the finale.  

I really want Bryan to win.

[Yeah No]

22 minutes ago, mlp said:

I also was confident that Bryan had the winning truffle dish based upon the remarks at the judges' table so I was shocked and more than annoyed that they gave the win to Melissa.  I like Melissa but she's made congee several times and they did criticize her dish.  

I have liked Kevin less and less as the show has gone on and now I'm to the point where I actively dislike him.  He deserves credit for fighting through serious health problems (which he keeps playing up) but they shouldn't be a factor in who wins a cooking competition.  I hope Tom isn't letting that influence his decisions.  

I was sorry to see Gregory go but I wasn't surprised after all the focus on his back problem.  He certainly wasn't at his best.  I wonder if he'll come back as one of the sous chefs in the finale.  

I really want Bryan to win.

This, word for word.  I have gotten that feeling with Tom too, that he's letting Kevin's health difficulties influence his decisions about his food.  I have felt a Tom bias in other seasons with other chefs for other reasons as well. 

As for Kevin, I actively dislike him now too, although something always bugged me about him and I didn't know why.  Was it last week that he mentioned something about his grandfather or father being an executive with some big company?  It explained for me that he probably comes from a more privileged background than he came off as coming from in his original season.  Not that this in and of itself makes me dislike him - not at all - a few of my best friends come from money but are sweet and not entitled or full of themselves at all.  But it does help to explain something I'm seeing about Kevin this season that I didn't really see before to this degree, and don't like at all.

Go Bryan!!

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Was it last week that he mentioned something about his grandfather or father being an executive with some big company? 

It was last week's QF, where they had to make a first class airplane meal - he said his grandfather was an executive for one of the airlines, so he always got to fly first class.

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

That was the impression I got too.  Bryan's dish was excellent but it was "classic" while Melissa's was more unusual. 

That, and I think also that she didn't use any cooked truffle in her dish.  No one else seemed to know white truffle really ought to only be used raw.

The only thing that makes truffles feasible given their expense is how little you need to use per dish.  To see Gregory using huge amounts of white truffle and still have a dish that didn't taste like truffle was really something, and speaks to the fact his dish just wasn't a good idea - a delicious bowl of food, but definitely not something that's going to win a truffle challenge.

Edited June 5, 2020 by Bastet

[biakbiak]

6 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Speaking of their plane ride on American, did it seem to anyone else that the chefs were the only passengers in first class?  They also seemed to be the only people in the first class lounge as well.  Those scenes almost felt like the chefs filmed them in an empty plane for a commercial.  

That was business class not first. And the Admirals Club is not only for first class passengers (also the food at that one sucks). That said it was so long and drawn out I kept expecting Padma to pop up and announce they had to do a QF either at the Admirals club or on the plane.

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

That was business class not first

For someone who flies coach (to Europe or Asia for vacations every once in awhile, so I know I shouldn't complain) it looked like FABULOUS class.

[carrps]

37 minutes ago, dleighg said:

For someone who flies coach (to Europe or Asia for vacations every once in awhile, so I know I shouldn't complain) it looked like FABULOUS class.

Yeah, I've only ever flown steerage (and not all that often, either), but it looked pretty sweet to me.

[marybennet]

It always seems to me as if Bryan V. is a superior technician but, in general, less good when it comes to interesting flavors.  People describe his plates as beautiful, his technique as impressive, but I hear people love the taste of his food only rarely.  And when they do, as some others have been suggested, it seems to be about classic dishes.  Compare that with Gregory; I'd have still loved to eat his stew from last night's episode, even if it didn't taste enough of truffle, because the flavors sound fantastic (and he doesn't have to meet the rules of the challenge for me!).  And Melissa is technically proficient, but what makes her different from Bryan and different from herself in her original season is that she's also (mostly) really inventive with flavors.

On another subject, I was in Rome for a conference a few years ago and, on my last night, ate truffle risotto, which was astoundingly good and really memorable (good last-night-of-your-trip fare).  So, yeah, I agree that the simple base is probably the way to go to let the truffle shine. 

[MerBearStare]

Regarding first class, the first time I flew first class was a couple of years ago (no executives in my family). It was only $100 more than economy class so I decided to treat myself. I was sort of meh on it. The service was better, but I didn't need the extra leg room or any of the other perks. Then last summer I was booking a flight on one of the planes that has the first class seats that can fully recline, like the ones in this episode, so of course I had to try it. OMG IT WAS AMAZING! It was only a two hour flight, but being able to sit, or more accurately, lay, in a comfortable position for the whole flight was worth the extra cost. Definitely treat yourself to the fully reclining first class if you can.

I was also bummed to see Gregory get eliminated this episode. I like Stephanie as a person and I do think she's talented, but I think Gregory is more talented, so I would have preferred to have her leave instead of him.

It's interesting with Kevin. I don't have an issue with him as much as other people do, but I get why he rubs some people the wrong way. I wonder if he's changed since his season or if that season was filled with such dicks - Mike Isabella, Eli (I think that was his name) - that his flaws weren't noticed because they were nothing compared to those assholes.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, MerBearStare said:

It's interesting with Kevin. I don't have an issue with him as much as other people do, but I get why he rubs some people the wrong way. I wonder if he's changed since his season or if that season was filled with such dicks - Mike Isabella, Eli (I think that was his name) - that his flaws weren't noticed because they were nothing compared to those assholes.

also, while the brothers V were clearly among the most talented, Michael V was kind of an ass. So Kevin seemed like a mensch. He does seem a lot more entitled this time around. 

[mlp]

3 minutes ago, MerBearStare said:

I wonder if he's [Kevin] changed since his season or if that season was filled with such dicks - Mike Isabella, Eli (I think that was his name) - that his flaws weren't noticed because they were nothing compared to those assholes.

That's a very good point and I'll bet you're right.  

[becauseIsaidso]

I am hoping for Melissa  - I have not been able to get over the Voltaggio season since Michael won, mainly because it was unabashedly telegraphed from the get-go that one of the 'brothers' was ABSOLUTELY going to be the winner.

I am hoping (most likely futilely) that it will be Melissa or Stephanie (VERY surprised she got this far knowing the TC penchant for glorifying any and all male chefs over the females (why else would Tiffany in her first season and Lisa F in her first and All Stars challenges get such a crappy edit when their respective behaviors have not been any worse and actually MUCH better than certain male contestants ( aka the win-at-all-costs-Hung for anyone and  Dale [iirc] for Lisa). 

In any event, it will likely be the token female who loses to the 'macho, macho' man, Kevin, which seems to be the set up since the first episode. And it will be Oh So Sad that brother Voltaggio just couldn't quite cut the mustard. Boo Hoo. Not.

Can we please have a season of newbies? I know I would not like another All-Stars season of anything (self-fulfilling prophecy and all that notwithstanding) but some really new newbies would be quite refreshing.

The only positive thing about this season: who knew Padma was fluent in Italian?!??!!??!?!?

[dleighg]

14 minutes ago, becauseIsaidso said:

The only positive thing about this season: who knew Padma was fluent in Italian?!??!!??!?!?

Her Italian sounded absolutely lovely to me. Which reminds me-- the guest judge spoke only in Italian but they only subtitled it-- I assume there was a translator off-screen? Gail and Tom don't speak fluent Italian do they?

[wlk68]

3 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't think selecting who wins a challenge is favoritism unless we're talking the finale.  Who loses?  Yes but not who wins.  I thought Bryan would win too but I knew Melissa and Bryan would be the final 2. 

I'm probably not going to explain this correctly but I still think favoritism is possible. Or rather, reverse favoritism. If, as a judge, someone has a favorite contestant could they perhaps scrutinize the others more harshly? Be more nitpicky about minor mistakes? Even if it might be subconsciously?  

The only way I could see this being completely impartial is if the dishes are judged blind. And even then, some chefs tend to have a very specific style. It's as good as a fingerprint.  

[becauseIsaidso]

19 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Her Italian sounded absolutely lovely to me. Which reminds me-- the guest judge spoke only in Italian but they only subtitled it-- I assume there was a translator off-screen? Gail and Tom don't speak fluent Italian do they?

I wondered about that too. All I could come up with was creative editing to make it look like either each cheftestant understood Italian, or the native-speakers were suddenly fluent in English.

[Impalace]

8 hours ago, Yeah No said:

ITA with you and the others on this - It was especially obvious in this episode that Bryan is still there because they HAD to admit his dish was superior to the others, begrudgingly, because they obviously favor Melissa over him.  Melissa wins serving congee yet again plus after getting told never to cook salami again?  Seriously?  Then Kevin gets told his dish just didn't work at all, but he too is safe?  I'm also surprised about Steph because one off tasting ingredient (which she knew was a misstep but served anyway) is usually the kiss of death.  I think the perfect pasta saved her.  I get it that Gregory's dish didn't highlight the truffle well enough but at least they loved the dish itself. 

So who really should have gone home here?  A few dishes with one "off" issue or one that just completely didn't work all the way around between dish and truffles (Kevin's)?

I think I have my answer:  Kevin should have gone home.  But then again I have been thinking for some time now that the fix is in for him to win this season.

Kevin looked very nervous to me. His eyes were darting around. I don't really like him any longer. 

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, mlp said:

He deserves credit for fighting through serious health problems (which he keeps playing up) but they shouldn't be a factor in who wins a cooking competition.  I hope Tom isn't letting that influence his decisions.  

Unfortunately I feel quite sure that is exactly the case — I think TPTB think we viewers would just loooove for Kevin to win after recovering from his very scary cancer (which I respect was all too real for Kevin).  But nope, that doesn’t make me want him to win over the others.

Bryan V for the win!!

Edited June 6, 2020 by MerBearHou

[tvfanatic13]

9 hours ago, Rammchick said:

I do live in the Pacific Northwest.  You're welcome to come visit any time!

I am curious, is there a Northwest that is not the Pacific Northwest? I ask because I always see the region referred as such and I always wondered. 
On topic- great editing out of the translators, who must have been present throughout. Was this the first time there was no break before the final episodes  for the chefs? 

[Rahul]

It was a bit hard for me to enjoy the beauty of Tuscany because I was on pins and needles waiting for the other shoe to drop regarding my home girl Stephanie. I've really grown to love her so much over the course of this season, so seeing her in Italy was a wonderful vicarious experience.

Poor Gregory. Not only did he have to endure a hike with his bad back but there seemed to be some heavy lifting involved this week as well. 

This week was such a mindf*ck. From the feedback we got about their EC dishes, it seemed Kevin's dish was the worst of all--ingredients that fought with one another and no truffle flavor at all, despite him claiming to have used the white truffle 3 to 4 different ways. I feel like the only reason Kevin is still in the competition is because Tom absolutely refuses to let him go (which pisses me off). I also thought Bryan was the clear winner from the commentary, since Melissa made a faux pas with the salami.

I'm a fan of all the remainder contenders except for Kevin, who just rubs me the wrong way. I was initially touched with his story about over coming cancer, but aside from that I think he's revealed himself to be a condescending, entitled prick. 

21 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

It seemed like Gregory was barely hanging in there for most of this - he seemed to be in a lot of pain and/or pretty out of it. I am still shocked he went home, though. One of the strongest, most consistent chefs all season and I thought there was zero chance he'd be out before the end. If anything, it makes me respect the judges for what I'm guessing is not the decision they wanted to make. I'm sure it would have been MUCH easier for the to let Stephanie go.

I have to firmly disagree with this. Both Padma and guest Chef Tomei said of the three bottom EC dishes, they would prefer to eat Stephanie's dish again, despite the awful radicchio puree. (Why girl?! Why!)

That being said, I'm relieved Gregory could finally relax considering his spasming back one the prospect of winning was gone. Really unfortunate circumstances but he was a pleasure to watch again this season.

[Corgi-ears]

23 hours ago, Bastet said:

Melissa’s was the one I most wanted to eat, even with the salami, so I was very glad to see her win.  (And her having to joke about being ostracized by “ew, what’s that smell?” kids about her unfamiliar lunches really hit me.)

Coincidentally, on the current-running season of Masterchef AU, two Asian-Australian contestants related very similar stories. Judging by some of the reactions on this very thread to congee, some things haven't changed. 

[Fukui San]

Upon thinking of this truffle challenge more, I wonder if tofu would be a good pairing. Being bland it wouldn't compete against truffle and I think it'd be very unexpected for Italian diners. I truly love a Chinese deep fried tofu, piping hot, usually served with a soy sauce dip. Maybe serve that with shaved truffles instead of soy sauce?

[HighQueenEB]

2 hours ago, tvfanatic13 said:

I am curious, is there a Northwest that is not the Pacific Northwest? I ask because I always see the region referred as such and I always wondered. 
On topic- great editing out of the translators, who must have been present throughout. Was this the first time there was no break before the final episodes  for the chefs? 

Way back in the late 18th century and early 19th century, after the end of the Revolutionary War, the US gained the territory that now comprises Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and the eastern 1/3 of Minnesota.  This was formally called the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio but colloquially known as the Northwest Territory.  That is, I believe, a major reason why, when the Pacific Northwest region became part of the US it was called Oregon Territory, so as to not create any further confusion.  It's also the reason why Northwestern University in Chicago is named Northwestern.  😉

And thus ends the history lesson for the day from another native PNWer.  

I'll join the "damn those editing monkeys!" club in thinking that Bryan had this EC won and was surprised when Melissa was declared the winner.  I was scared to death for Stephanie until the judges all said they'd eat her pasta again, then I knew it was down to Kevin or Gregory.  I was rooting for Gregory but sensed he was a goner when Gail pointed out that he failed to highlight the truffles in any way with his dish.  

Speaking of Gregory, I just read an article on The Oregonian's website earlier today that mentioned his future plans - he still plans on opening his Haitian restaurant here but it has been delayed until 2021 due to the pandemic.  😪

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Chef "Meatballs" Kevin gets to stick around. Ugh.

Alright Melissa, all my hope rests with you. I'd be okay with Stephanie. Even Bryan would be more palatable than Chef MeatballsCountryCaptain Kevin.

[biakbiak]

50 minutes ago, HighQueenEB said:

It's also the reason why Northwestern University in Chicago is named Northwestern.  😉

And why the Michigan fight song refers to them as “Champions of the West”.

Still so sad about Gregory. I hope they don’t make him be a sous with his back issues.

[kirklandia]

1 hour ago, HighQueenEB said:

when the Pacific Northwest region became part of the US it was called Oregon Territory, so as to not create any further confusion.  It's also the reason why Northwestern University in Chicago is named Northwestern.  😉

As a Northwestern University alum, I just need to point out that it is in Evanston - not Chicago.
(After I graduated in 1974, I moved to the Pacific Northwest - Kirkland WA, home of Northwest College.)

[ProudMary]

4 hours ago, LucindaWalsh said:

How many more episodes? Is it going to be next episode final four, next episode final three but only two really make it to cook which would make it final two during that episode? Or will there be a third episode with the final two? I don't like it when they do LCK because it takes away from the dwindling down of chefs in an orderly fashion, episode wise. I want it to be final four, finale three, final two head to head. It is annoying to me watching when it is final three and one is eliminated during the episode and doesn't get to cook the final meal at the end of the same episode.

I'm sitting here watching Sweet Home Alabama on Bravo (for the umpteenth time) and there was a pop-up in the bottom corner that said "Watch Part 1 of the two-part Top Chef finale starting Thursday at 10."

[sweetandsour]

Sad to see Gregory go, especially since it was on a down note for him.  I hope he fully recovered quickly.  What a bummer.

I love Melissa, and I hope the final two are Melissa and Bryan.  I'd love for Bryan to get the win in his third finals, but I won't be too sad if Melissa wins, either.  That said, I am so here for Bryan and everything Dad about him.  I love all of the dad jokes and his laugh, where his eyes seem to always flick to the side or somewhere else.  We all know that the phonetic representation of laughing is "hahahaha," but Bryan laughs like an android who wasn't programmed how to laugh, so he taught himself how to based on what he read on a piece of paper.  And I could not be more here for it!!!

I also love his even temperament and congeniality towards his competitors.  Of course he helped Stephanie (I believe it was her voice thanking him) by carrying something large/heavy for her at the staging for elimination.

[dleighg]

7 hours ago, LucindaWalsh said:

Bryan is just a hot dork.

Ha Ha so true. I love him.

[caitmcg]

Interesting that so many are complaining that Melissa’s made congee more than once in the competition, but no one is put out that Stephanie just made stuffed pasta shapes twice in back-to-back elimination challenges. 

[rhygirl720]

musings:

Lucca! you are now on my must travel there soon list! Wow! Simply gorgeous!

Bryan: let your inner dork fly!  HIs dish sounded really good so like others I was surprised that he didn't win. Right now he is my favorite to win!

Melissa: I think she won because she was the only chef to not cook the white truffle but seriously if she wins a challenge with another congee I'm giving the judges a side eye. 

Kevin: won the quickfire  but enough with the meatballs. I do think Tom has a soft spot for him.

Stephanie: that pasta must have been amazing to offset the radicchio blobs.

Gregory: sigh!  sad to see him go. Great dish just not a great dish for the truffle.

Padma: love your Italian!

 

 

[Bboppy]

Kevin gets this squinty defensive look of disbelief when he is criticized. I too find him insufferable. It’s clear he is a favorite of the judges. Given the BlackLives Matter protests, it will be very poor form for Top Chef to crown someone who glorifies “plantation cooking” as their winner. 

[Quilt Fairy]

I really appreciated the into that Tom filmed for this episode.

I'm sure Padma's jacket was considered unbelievably chic, but to me it looked like something a girl in junior high would wear.  And speaking of clothes, Gale looked like she was going from a Top Chef competition straight to the Sturgis bike rally.  

[dewelar]

So, I finally broke down and watched this episode while eating lunch today. Someone upthread said the episode lacked life, and I agree -- and not just because of my missing Malarkey. Gregory being obviously off his game didn't help -- I had to laugh at him putting what had to be several hundred dollars worth of truffle on each plate and his dish was STILL missing truffle flavor! Will miss him, though, as he was my second-favorite after Melissa.

20 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Unfortunately I feel quite sure that is exactly the case — I think TPTB think we viewers would just loooove for Kevin to win after recovering from his very scary cancer (which I respect was all too real for Kevin).  But nope, that doesn’t make me want him to win over the others.

Indeed. If anything -- and this may make me a bad person -- whenever they highlight someone's inspirational (or, often, "inspirational") story, I immediately begin rooting against that person. Beyond just feeling manipulated, it immediately makes me think that someone's thumb is on the scale for that person, and I would prefer to believe people win these competitions on merit (even if it's not true).

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 6/5/2020 at 10:25 AM, MerBearHou said:

My thoughts exactly -- I think dissolved rice aka congee sounds a lot like oatmeal.  That consistency is not impressive nor appetizing to me unless I'm sick and only want oatmeal for breakfast. 

Or, one could think of it as being akin to risotto, since it is a rice dish.  An Asian cousin of risotto, which could explain why the white truffle worked with it.  

I do agree, however, that it is time for Melissa to lose the congee recipe for the remainder of the challenges...and Kevin- no more meatballs!

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

I have to firmly disagree with this. Both Padma and guest Chef Tomei said of the three bottom EC dishes, they would prefer to eat Stephanie's dish again, despite the awful radicchio puree. (Why girl?! Why!)

I meant it would be easier to send Stephanie home because Gregory has been the stronger chef all season, notwithstanding their food in Lucca - I think that's pretty clear, no? And it also seems like they adore him and his food while she's been a totally charming but very dark horse the entire season up until these last two episodes.

I was honestly convinced that Padma's gleeful "You're Top Chef" announcement from the teaser they've been showing all season was to Gregory because it seems like she genuinely loves him that much.

[ChiefWiggum9-1-2]

Was Tom contractually obligated to wear that snow suit when he first appeared on camera? The chefs are in shirt sleeves but Tom looked like he just stepped off the slopes at Cortina d’Ampezzo, stupid hat and all. 

Edited June 6, 2020 by ChiefWiggum9-1-2

[theatremouse]

On 6/5/2020 at 11:19 AM, ProudMary said:

They usually travel separately to the finale destination as there's a break between the initial competition and the finale. I'm glad that wasn't the case this season because had they waited a few weeks for the finale, they might have been in the middle of the pandemic in Italy, postponing the finale and we might not be watching S17 right now, which has been a bright spot in a dark time.

Didn't Tom say they were there the end of October/early November? The first confirmed cases in Italy were end of January...it was probably there undetected in December, but the show avoided the pandemic by a couple of months.

2 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

Or, one could think of it as being akin to risotto, since it is a rice dish.  An Asian cousin of risotto, which could explain why the white truffle worked with it.  

And Tom basically said that, I think, when they were eating it? Something like "we know it works with risotto so of course it works with congee".

 

I thought the edit seemed to suggest Kevin would go home for sort of the same reason Malarkey went: they said it was two dishes on one plate that didn't play nice. Only difference was Kevin wasn't even calling it a duo. It was on purpose together as one dish and didn't work. Clearly they edited heavily on both the winner and the loser to seemingly telegraph one outcome and then surprise us with the other. I don't think I like that. Sure edit it to keep us guessing, but this went too far in the direction of "huh,why?"

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, theatremouse said:

Didn't Tom say they were there the end of October/early November?

They filmed the second week of November. 

[Eolivet]

Adding my voice to the chorus of "what was up with the editing?"

Until we got to Judges Table, I was under the impression Stephanie's radicchio was so bitter, it brought down the dish. You even had a shot of Padma saying, "what is that?" after she took a bite. They all said the radicchio was bitter and bad-tasting, then suddenly at Judges Table, it's, "if I had to eat one dish again, it'd be Stephanie's."

Meanwhile, you had the Italian chefs saying there was a lot of spices, and the truffle got lost in Kevin's dish, but they'd eat the meatball and the onions separately from the truffle (I remember them numbering the components they liked, independent of the truffle). Then suddenly at Judges Table, it was "the dish was really disjointed and a bad use of truffle" and it's between him and Gregory to go home.

I never would've guessed in a million years Stephanie was not in the bottom 2 based on what the Italian chefs said when they were eating her food. I thought Kevin had the not-great-but-safe dish. Until Judges Table flipped it on its head.

[Ellee]

Anyone think that the majority of the editing was directed at having Stephanie being eliminated as that was the plan.  It might have changed due to Gregory’s back issues or maybe, just maybe Stephanie really did pull off a better dish than Kevin or Gregory.   
 

If Gregory’s back was truly that bad, neither he or the show could take a chance on continuing on even if ‘the plan’ was to send Stephanie.  Even a Top Chef title wouldn’t be worth permanent back damage. 

Edited June 7, 2020 by Ellee

[Ashforth]

9 hours ago, Eolivet said:

Adding my voice to the chorus of "what was up with the editing?"

Until we got to Judges Table, I was under the impression Stephanie's radicchio was so bitter, it brought down the dish. You even had a shot of Padma saying, "what is that?" after she took a bite. They all said the radicchio was bitter and bad-tasting, then suddenly at Judges Table, it's, "if I had to eat one dish again, it'd be Stephanie's."

Meanwhile, you had the Italian chefs saying there was a lot of spices, and the truffle got lost in Kevin's dish, but they'd eat the meatball and the onions separately from the truffle (I remember them numbering the components they liked, independent of the truffle). Then suddenly at Judges Table, it was "the dish was really disjointed and a bad use of truffle" and it's between him and Gregory to go home.

I never would've guessed in a million years Stephanie was not in the bottom 2 based on what the Italian chefs said when they were eating her food. I thought Kevin had the not-great-but-safe dish. Until Judges Table flipped it on its head.

I thought the Italian judge's comment on Kevin's dish was that he would prefer no meatball at all, just the onion with some cheese and the truffle. I think it was the dislike of that meatball (and the quality of her pasta) that kept Stephanie in the safe spot.

[Bunnyette]

2 hours ago, Ellee said:

Anyone think that the majority of the editing was directed at having Stephanie being eliminated as that was the plan.  It might have changed due to Gregory’s back issues or maybe, just maybe Stephanie really did pull off a better dish than Kevin or Gregory.   
 

If Gregory’s back was truly that bad, neither he or the show could take a chance on continuing on even if ‘the plan’ was to send Stephanie.  Even a Top Chef title wouldn’t be worth permanent back damage. 

Exactly!  Gregory looked to be in a lot of pain and didn’t look too upset at being eliminated.  I think Melissa won because her dish was different.  I was in Verona last October one night we ate in a little hole in the wall.  I had the best dish of polenta with mushrooms.  So simple but delicious.  If you can showcase an ingredient perfectly, you are a true chef.  I feel that the truffle was the star of her dish.  However, I think she needs to stop with the congee now.

[cameron]

14 hours ago, ChiefWiggum9-1-2 said:

Was Tom contractually obligated to wear that snow suit when he first appeared on camera? The chefs are in shirt sleeves but Tom looked like he just stepped off the slopes at Cortina d’Ampezzo, stupid hat and all. 

Actually thought that Tom looked good in that hat and jacket that he was wearing.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Ellee said:

Anyone think that the majority of the editing was directed at having Stephanie being eliminated as that was the plan.  It might have changed due to Gregory’s back issues or maybe, just maybe Stephanie really did pull off a better dish than Kevin or Gregory

Not really since they would have known the outcome before they began editing, they don’t do it real time.

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, Bunnyette said:

I think Melissa won because her dish was different.

I agree, I think that Bryan V's dish was classic, while Melissa's was more inventive. The Italian judge didn't know of her congee history, LOL.

At this point in the competition, I think it's pretty common for the judges to reward the chefs who push the envelope and give them something rather unique.

Not to trigger those who dislike Michael Voltaggio and Guy Fieri (sorry, y'all) but Michael V has been on Guy's Ranch Kitchen and he is doing some really different techniques that seem to transform traditional dishes to modern and still delicious. Bryan V seems kind of stuck in the traditional or in concepts that were fresh ten years ago; if he isn't, he needs to let his freak flag fly for the next challenge. I like him and hope he does well (I so prefer him over Kevin) but he needs to bring it.

[snarktini]

On 6/4/2020 at 8:06 PM, Bastet said:

I cannot believe how most of them fell short at highlighting the ingredient, especially that ingredient!  They all made great food, but most didn’t make great truffle dishes.

It seemed like they genuinely didn't understand how to use white truffle, and how it differed from black truffle. Not something they've had much access to, maybe? When there is so much failure, that tells me challenge was not set up well.

Gregory seemed particularly off-base with his choice. I cringed when he said he had this vision of a dish and he had no idea if it would work with truffle -- just hearing him describe it I suspected it would be a disaster. I love him and didn't want to see him go, but the decision made sense. I didn't find the editing deceptive or the PYKAG surprising.

On 6/5/2020 at 7:21 AM, backgroundnoise said:

The appetizers were supposed to be eaten with two fingers (the guest judge even held up two fingers to show us).  Somehow everyone but Stephanie interpreted this as "make something you need to put in a bowl and eat with a fork."  Sigh.  Even the judges forgot that part.

That really really bugged me. But only the one station was given bread, one of the easiest ways to create finger food, so I guess it must not have been an actual requirement. Then why make such a big deal out of introducing the aperitivo that way?

On 6/5/2020 at 7:48 AM, Tess23 said:

Tom isn't going to let Kevin PYKAG, no matter how badly he flubs the challenge.

I'm sure they have favorites and biases (especially cuisine biases) and that affects judging, but I guess I just don't believe Tom or any of the judges would go that far.

On 6/5/2020 at 11:13 AM, backgroundnoise said:

I read somewhere that they never film instead actual planes, so scenes like them flying are always staged.  Something to do with security.

That makes sense. Wonder how Amazing Race does it then?

On 6/5/2020 at 4:00 PM, becauseIsaidso said:

I wondered about that too. All I could come up with was creative editing to make it look like either each cheftestant understood Italian, or the native-speakers were suddenly fluent in English.

I was very impressed by this editing. They must have done a great job of filming and avoiding crosstalk so they could cut it so cleanly.

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, snarktini said:

That makes sense. Wonder how Amazing Race does it then?

They film on planes all the time on Bravo as well as for other shows. There were also other passengers in business class on the flight. You can see them when they pull back for the wide shot that it was almost if not completely full with one or two people in the restroom or part of the crew. 

4 hours ago, snarktini said:

But only the one station was given bread

The only person I didn’t see bread on their station was Gregory and it’s probably just  because of the angles they showed his at. Melissa and Bryan had bread on top of their ovens and Stephanie and Kevin’s were in baskets on their back table on the opposite side of their ovens. 

Bryan even used bread in his dish as his base was a panzanella salad. 

Edited June 8, 2020 by biakbiak

[snarktini]

16 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

The only person I didn’t see bread on their station was Gregory and it’s probably just  because of the angles they showed his at. Melissa and Bryan had bread on top of their ovens and Stephanie and Kevin’s were in baskets on their back table on the opposite side of their ovens. 

Bryan even used bread in his dish as his base was a panzanella salad. 

 

Missed that, then, thanks for the correction!

[jcbrown]

On 6/4/2020 at 8:06 PM, LucindaWalsh said:

Padma is the only one who could wear that darn ridiculous fluffy coat.

It was ridiculous but somehow she made muppet pelt work.

[GreyBunny]

How nice of the producers to plant a bunch of truffles in the dirt to make them easy to find.

I bet Gregory was thrilled to risk hurting his back even more tromping around in the woods to fake-hunt for them. 

[wlk68]

3 hours ago, GreyBunny said:

How nice of the producers to plant a bunch of truffles in the dirt to make them easy to find.

I bet Gregory was thrilled to risk hurting his back even more tromping around in the woods to fake-hunt for them. 

Stunt Truffles!