S19.E08: Restaurant Wars

[Rai]

Tom specifically asked Chris why he ceded the executive chef responsibility when he got to choose the team, so it has been raised as an expectation before. I think of all the way back to season 3 when Brian Malarky was the executive chef of the boat party challenge, and he made a big deal about how there was no other choice, that's why they're all there. That's the attitude Tom seems to encourage, and it makes sense as a way to stand out in the competition.

[dleighg]

16 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

I don’t remember if this was the case in season 15, but I don’t think it would have been fair to expect Nick to be executive chef just because he happened to randomly draw a numbered knife

If I'm remembering correctly, often the EC gets the job because of some previous win. Like you said, here it was a numbered knife.

[sugarbaker design]

53 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I like Damarr (and would love to know what exactly is "carrot caramel") but he has a very strange mannerism of always sort of pointing his head down and then raising his eyes up from that position. 

One person's very strange mannerism is another person's very adorable affectation.

When Monique and Damarr teamed up in a challenge, Monique did the cutest imitation of Damarr, stressing the down-turned face and upturned eyes.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Poor Padma and that slipping dress she was wearing.   She had to yank it back up several times.    That's a miserable feeling.

It might not have gone so bad for Jackson and his awful FOH performance, except Buddah did an exceptional job of cooking, and hosting, and was perfect with the judges, and the diners.     I really liked how the one waitress stepped up with the judges, when Jackson was neglecting them. 

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Jackson's made one mistake that I can think of so far.  One!

He made like six big mistakes in Restaurant Wars, though, and that was more than enough to send him packing. It was brutal to watch but absolutely the right call.

[vibeology]

14 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Were there no menus?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?  I am HORRIFIED that Jackson's team refused to tell the chefs what they were eating.  HORRIFIED.  And I'm Asian and I eat that kind of food almost every day and yet I'M HORRIFIED.  What the fuck?  I have so many food intolerances and allergies.  I'm so glad that Buddha introduced each dish and explained what the judges were eating but that's STANDARD. BEHAVIOUR.  Who goes to a restaurant and doesn't know what they're eating?  There's a restaurant here in my city that gives everyone the experience of blind eating.  It's pitch black, and you can't see.  And you eat your food that way.  That's what Jackson's team's horror show reminded me of.  I would have refused to eat.  There's just no way.

I do think there were menus. It's how Tom figured out that they were being served multiple courses at the same time. How much description was on each menu is hard to say but I think they had at least something to go off of. Still, it does not excuse Jackson ignoring the judges table. Telling the judges what you made and why you made it is the most basic part of being on Top Chef.

I really cannot understand what happened here. He's seen the show. He offered to be FoH. Why did he blow of the judges like that over and over again? Did his long-lost brother show up as a random guest and he couldn't pull himself away? Did he have to pee at the exact moment the judges arrived and every time they were served? Was he trying to get sent home? I don't get it.

[VintageJ]

3 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

Same here.  I fully expected Buddha to win the week.  Yes, Ashleigh's food was delicious and she led the kitchen just fine, but Buddha's FOH and stellar Parker House rolls and butter were truly impactful on the overall Matriarc experience and their impressive Restaurant Wars.

I like all the contestants and Ashleigh is a favorite so I was fine with her winning but I can definitely see the case for Buddha and I would have been just as happy if he’d won.  He was a calm, focused and attentive FOH and his bread and butter was a huge hit and he would have completely deserved to win as well.

I think Ashleigh won because, except for the timing issue at the beginning, overall the kitchen seemed to be a relaxed, well run kitchen and there seemed to be no other blips.  They even mentioned later that the timing issue had been resolved and noted how quiet and focused it was.  I think one of the reasons the kitchen ran so smoothly is that at least three of the contestants, not sure about Buddha, seem to be a little more reserved anyway so they weren’t the frantic type.  There would not be a lot of running around in the kitchen or being excitable. When Demarr got stressed, he just focused even more.  So I think that worked in the team’s and Ashleigh’s favor because the judges noted how calm, organized and focused the kitchen seem to be.  They put that on the executive chef which was Ashleigh and that’s why I think she won.  Deservingly so.  

But Buddha was equally deserving for his bread and butter, front of house excellence, and I believe his decision to turn all of the tables toward the kitchen.  I almost said that had the judges known that it was Buddha, I believe, who suggested turning all of the tables toward the kitchen, maybe he would have won, but then I remembered that judging table is hours long and we only see a second of it. I am sure that they asked whose idea it was to turn the tables toward the kitchen because they really like that so they would’ve asked about it.  So with all that knowledge, they still chose Ashleigh.

Heck, they could have given it to Nick for picking such an awesome team.  He knew the type of restaurant he wanted and picked the team for it.   Buddha is just a beast so he was able to take his strength, his love for FOH and his study of past RWs, combine it with his skill as a chef, find the PERFECT way to blend his style with everyone and do the damn thing.  

This and last year’s RW are my two favorites I think.  Can’t remember any others I’ve liked so much.  Oh wait.  To round out my top three RWs, Gregory’s, I think, when they had to pitch their ideas a couple of seasons ago.  

And WTH Jackson?  You present to the judges and describe your dishes EVERY CHALLENGE, including quick fires.  Why is this so damn hard?  It’s not like this is something new or that damn special.  You don’t have to sit at the judges table.  You just have to greet them, describe each course, check on them to make sure they are okay and schmooze them some.  Cater to them!  If you had just done the basics of greeting them and describing the dishes, you might not have gone home.  But I like Luke so I’m glad he’s staying.

And the fact that there was $40,000 on the line for the team and you still did not disclose the fact that you had tasting issues due to Covid makes me glad you’re gone. I realize that after taxes and splitting it it really wouldn’t have been a lot of money, certainly not $10,000 apiece, but after two years of restaurants closing due to Covid and everything that the restaurant industry has been through, that money means a lot. They were very excited at the chance to win some cash. I’m not sure if it’s the fact that you initially hid your lack of taste and smell or if it is about your timing to disclose it. As one poster said the time to disclose it was before RW.  I can even understand when you were in a group challenge before, maybe, but this money could really help, no matter how much it is, and I just think it was selfish.  

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by VintageJ
Because apparently I had a lot more to say.

[seacliffsal]

Like many others I just don't understand Jackson's reasoning for ignoring the judges.  He told them he wanted to just treat them like any other diner, but we saw him give much more attention to other diners than to the judges.  This decision made him stand out but maybe not in the way he intended.  I also understand they were going for a more relaxed environment but that does not necessarily mean family style or serve two dishes at once.  I liked Jackson until this episode but he was just too arrogant or overconfident this episode and thought that every single idea he had was a good one (including writing a sloppy 'welcome' note).  

And, I know I'm old...., BUT I want words to be spelled correctly-"matriarc" will never look right to me and it's the kind of thing upon which I will fixate (yes, I know).  However, that isn't even much of a criticism when compared to all that went right with that team.

[PhoneCop]

4 hours ago, AriAu said:

5. Is Luke the worst chefestant (not the worst chef since you dont get the position of sous at the best restaurant in the world if you are anything less than a GREAT chef) to make it this far-maybe Robin in the Vegas season. Lisa Fernandez in Chicago? Talk about not out-running the bear.

Certainly the most avoidable single challenge flameout. Kristen Kish getting knifed  by Josie is still #1, but that was not avoidable-she had Josie as a teammate! He just made terrible decisions as FOH-he intentionally chose to focus on the guests and not the judges-not sure what he was thinking-was it COVID fog. How does he not introduce the dishes and how they are intended to be eaten is all on him. He doesn't need to suck up or spend all his time there while "Rome is burning", but how do you not great them with wine etc.... Inconceivable. Loved how Gail kept grabbing him and basically asking him to do his job in the nicest/Gailest way possible.

Adrienne was a chronic bottom-surfer who made it to the Colorado finale, outrunning Carrie, Chris Scott, and Joe Sasto. 

I always suspected that Tom let Kristen fall on her sword because LCK was still shiny and new and he probably thought she could bounce back strongly and still be a credible winner, therefore validating LCK's existence. /tinfoil hat

[HurricaneVal]

I have never seen someone flame out as spectacularly as Jackson did last night.  Now I remember why I didn't like him in the first place.  The Jackson that showed up last night was the Jackson I disliked in the beginning.  The self-sabotage was off the charts, and I can't help but think he did it either on purpose, or unconsciously on purpose.  I think he gave up, ran out of "how to hide my COVID lack of taste and smell" ideas.  He shot his wad with the bloody footprint, and had no more gas in that tank.  And now he can blame the famous Top Chef Front of the House curse for having to pack his knives.

Except.....the FOH curse is usually because the entire team is in the weeds and the visible reflection of that is the flop sweat and chaos on the restaurant side.  This time, it seemed both kitchens were running well, no panics, no interruptions of service.  Jackson wasn't behind, trying to fix things, or appease hungry diners.  He was actually actively avoiding the Judges Table.  He had to be reminded by Evelyn to introduce his dessert dish--he was literally running away when she caught his arm, spun him around, and made him talk to the judges.  It was like he owed them money or something.

His confession felt "off" to me as well.  As others mentioned, it was very passive/aggressive and it felt kind of defensive at the same time.  I wonder if he was thinking about his telling the panel and to his other team members that after tasting Luke's dish he proclaimed it was too salty.  Everyone else said it wasn't seasoned enough, and maybe he felt guilty that Luke might not have failed so hard if he hadn't said that.  I dunno.  Either way, Jackson has no one to blame but himself for having to pack his knives and go.

Buddha did an amazing job at the FOH position.  I did not think he had that in him!  He was warm and professional, humorous and classy.  Nicely done.  I also don't know what the big deal was over plating the salmon tartare.  It seemed to me that Ashleigh was just standing there while Demarr struggled.  Was she hanging back because she was being passive/aggressive about not touching the tartare she didn't want on the menu in the first place?  Or did the camera just capture a moment when she paused, and she was legit busy with something else and not able to help?

[mlp]

Wow, just wow.  Jackson has been one of my favorites since the beginning but, by the end of RW, I wasn't a bit disappointed to see him leave.  He made bad decisions (which should have been overruled by the executive chef), totally failed as FOH and didn't even make a good dessert.  I thought they might save him because he's done so well so far but he deserved to be eliminated.  

Buddha did great as FOH and made a great dish.  I thought he should have won partly for those reasons and partly because I don't like Ashleigh at all.  I wondered why that team even picked her to be executive chef as her track record so far hasn't been impressive.

I also wondered if they hired people with serving experience this year instead of random wannabe actors.  There is usually at least some footage of problems with service and we saw none at all.

[Souris]

8 hours ago, Mountainair said:

Ashleigh lost me when she said people don’t come to Asheville to eat. I live here and we have such a great restaurant scene! Amazing food here! In fact she used to work at one of the top restaurants in the area under a James Beard nominated head chef. I have no clue why she left but she only does little pop ups out of a food truck now and it seems to be only once a few months that she does them. 

I had the same Whaaaaat? reaction. People absolutely do go to Asheville just for the food — I’m one of them! My friends and I plan our trips there around all the different places we want to eat and how many we can fit in. It is such a foodie city.

I’m happy for Ashleigh but would have given Buddha the win. I REALLY want his Parkerhouse rolls. And I don’t like carrot cake, but I’d like to taste Demarr’s.

Edited April 22, 2022 by Souris

[Ms Blue Jay]

50 minutes ago, vibeology said:

I do think there were menus. It's how Tom figured out that they were being served multiple courses at the same time. How much description was on each menu is hard to say but I think they had at least something to go off of. Still, it does not excuse Jackson ignoring the judges table. Telling the judges what you made and why you made it is the most basic part of being on Top Chef.

Would have been nice to see it on camera.  I saw nothing on camera, hence my assumption.

4 minutes ago, Souris said:

I’m happy for Ashleigh but would have given Buddha the win. 

Me too.

[MaggieG]

16 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Except.....the FOH curse is usually because the entire team is in the weeds and the visible reflection of that is the flop sweat and chaos on the restaurant side.  This time, it seemed both kitchens were running well, no panics, no interruptions of service.  Jackson wasn't behind, trying to fix things, or appease hungry diners.  He was actually actively avoiding the Judges Table.  He had to be reminded by Evelyn to introduce his dessert dish--he was literally running away when she caught his arm, spun him around, and made him talk to the judges.  It was like he owed them money or something.

I was thinking the same thing and I was also confused about what Jackson was doing for this reason. Usually FOH fails because of problems with the wait staff or the kitchen being backed up or tables not get turned over fast enough. They had none of these problems. And even if you do have these problems, you don't ignore the judges. I understand he didn't want to neglect the other diners but serving the judges and telling them what they're about to eat takes maybe a minute tops. It was very odd.

I want Damarr's carrot cake. I love carrot cake.

Poor Luke just seems lost.

[caitmcg]

23 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Would have been nice to see it on camera.  I saw nothing on camera, hence my assumption.

I definitely saw menu cards at the tables on the Matriarc side, so I assume No Nem had them, too, even if we didn’t see them.

[dleighg]

2 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

One person's very strange mannerism is another person's very adorable affectation.

 

oh I definitely meant "strange" in an affectionate way. And I remember Monique's spot-on imitation as well!

[dgpolo]

51 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Or did the camera just capture a moment when she paused, and she was legit busy with something else and not able to help?

I definitely remember Ashleigh asking Buddha for a ticket so she could -look- busy while Damarr was struggling to plate the salmon.

45 minutes ago, mlp said:

Jackson has been one of my favorites since the beginning but, by the end of RW, I wasn't a bit disappointed to see him leave.  He made bad decisions (which should have been overruled by the executive chef),

This. Why didn't Evelyn shut down the dumb ideas (the note, serving two dishes at once etc) and tell him to get his act together regarding the judges.

[Tango64]

I think if the judges had turned over Jackson’s sad little sign they would have seen his real message: Please send me home. Please!

Hard to believe all of that was unintentional. 

[caitmcg]

21 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Why didn't Evelyn shut down the dumb ideas (the note, serving two dishes at once etc) and tell him to get his act together regarding the judges.

I doubt she even knew about the note, and once she was alerted that he was ignoring the judges, she asked that he be brought into the kitchen so she could tell him to schmooze the judges. Yeah, he still did a shit job of it, but she tried, even making sure he delivered the dessert course in person. I think the only person we saw voice doubts about serving family style and pairing courses was Buddha, so evidently she didn’t think it was a dumb idea.

[heckkitty]

7 hours ago, dgpolo said:

I was wondering a bit about that. Was there a reason Ashleigh couldn't help Damarr plater -her- salmon? it seemed like she was looking for something to do to appear 'busy' to the judges while they were waiting, could she not have plated for a minute or two?

I'm guessing it was because she was expediting - she had to pay attention to all the tickets coming in, know who needed what, etc.  I think that takes a lot of attention and plating that salmon appeared to as well - don't want to divide your attention too much.

[Leeds]

 

 

9 hours ago, AriAu said:

 

7. I get that she was Exec Chef on the winning team, but not sure how Ashleigh was the winner. That gumbo must have been incredible.

 

 

Incredible tasting at least, because it looked (to me) like sick.

How do you make fish "with integrity" Gail?

[ProudMary]

7 hours ago, Rai said:

Nick chose his team members well, and the whole concept came together pretty organically. It's interesting that Nick was content to take a backseat role and that Tom didn't come for him on that. Perhaps if they had been the losing team, that point would've come up, like on season 15 when Chris picked the team and then had Claudette be the executive chef. I've been rooting for Nick though, and it was great to see him come through with such a focused dish that sounded incredible.

It's already been mentioned in this thread, but just because a cheftestant picked the knife that allowed them to choose who was on the team doesn't mean they had to be the Executive Chef. Even if they had been the losing team, had Nick put that same dish on the plates, he wasn't going anywhere. He made a delicious steak and potatoes dish, clearly elevated it and then topped it off with his oxtail marmalade which was one of the night's highlights in the judges' opinions. 

5 hours ago, VintageJ said:

Heck, they could have given it to Nick for picking such an awesome team.  He knew the type of restaurant he wanted and picked the team for it.

Nick has been one of my favorites from the start of the season, but I have to admit I questioned his order of selection. I had no problem with him selecting Damarr first as he's my co-favorite this season and I assumed Nick was thinking about stacking the team with the chefs who, like him, were consistently putting out quality, elevated Southern cuisine. (I think Nick and Damarr are the two sleeper candidates who could potentially win it all 🤞, although Buddha and Evelyn are probably the odds-on favorites now.) Where I disagreed with Nick's selection order was his not picking Buddha second. Ashleigh had already been eliminated once and had landed in the bottom several times. She would most likely have still been standing when Nick got to make his final pick. You've got to pick Buddha in that round, unless it was already known among the chefs that Jae wasn't happy working with Buddha. I know Jae said something about not being all that happy about having to work with him after selecting her team, but we in the audience hadn't seen any indication of that prior to. Perhaps the other chefs knew though and that's why Nick felt safe letting Buddha pass to the next round. Buddha's proven himself to be able to cook just about anything successfully. He's certainly no one trick pony. But, Nick's selection order worked perfectly.

As to former Restaurant Wars' kitchens that clicked on all cylinders, the two that come to mind for me right away are Top Chef: Boston, with Doug Adams at the helm and Top Chef: California, with Isaac Toups as EC.

[nokat]

23 minutes ago, Leeds said:

Incredible tasting at least, because it looked (to me) like sick.

When judges commented on how delicious and colorful it was, I was like I'll take your word for it.

[ALittleShelfish]

23 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

...but then Jackson didn't really succeed at any of the numerous things he did. He seemed awkward and uncomfortable when he was trying to interact with the guests.

Someone else mentioned how awkward Jackson was while interacting with guests (so so so awkward!).  I was yelling at my television, "Stop talking! Stop talking now!" a la Chandler Bing, and "WHY ARE YOU TELLING DINERS YOU CAN'T TASTE?" It was so so bad.  I think the editing monkeys had a field day, and I'm now SUPER curious what was left on the cutting room floor.  

I, too, feel he mailed it in and basically said "Meh, send me home. I'm good." and I had the same feeling about Jo last week.  I think she was spent and fine with leaving when she did.  At my last job, I felt like I had to last longer than a terrible coworker I hated.  Like, if I quit before he left, would people see me as "worse" than him?  Was there an element of that with Jo? Did she just want to outlast someone? LOL I'm also 2 beers deep into the evening so my tinfoil hat has come out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[nokat]

5 hours ago, MaggieG said:

I want Damarr's carrot cake. I love carrot cake.

His carrot cake looked delicious. I also like the generic carrot cake with cream cheese icing. I'm easy. Of course I've only tasted home made.

[nokat]

2 minutes ago, ALittleShelfish said:

LOL I'm also 2 beers deep into the evening so my tinfoil hat has come out. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It's a Friday, so many cocktails are in the future. I may have to rewatch this episode. When I heard the comments on Matriarc I knew which team won.

Tom looked miserable again until he started eating.

[bugsmum]

That was some spectacular self-sabotage by Jackson.  I was sure he’d go very far, probably to the finale, but boy did he deserve to pack his knives after that performance. 

Matriarc’s food looked amazing, although I can take or leave losing that H at the end of the name. Steak and potatoes, gumbo, carrot cake - all of those dishes can be pretty everyday, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In the hands of these chefs those dishes sang.  

[roctavia]

7 hours ago, caitmcg said:

I definitely saw menu cards at the tables on the Matriarc side, so I assume No Nem had them, too, even if we didn’t see them.

When Gail made Jackson stop and tell them who made what dish for the first course... and I assume she was hoping for some actual info on said courses, he pointed at the menu card that was on the table next to her, telling her who made which part on the menu... so they did have menu cards, but again... who knows how much was on them as far as details. 

Though I'm pretty sure the judges don't have any foods they wouldn't eat/have allergies/sensitivities to need all the details.... but Jackson really screwed up by not explaining the dishes at least a little.

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, bugsmum said:

Matriarc’s food looked amazing, although I can take or leave losing that H at the end of the name. Steak and potatoes, gumbo, carrot cake - all of those dishes can be pretty everyday, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In the hands of these chefs those dishes sang.  

I'm with you there.  Nothing about it sounds inviting.

34 minutes ago, roctavia said:

When Gail made Jackson stop and tell them who made what dish for the first course... and I assume she was hoping for some actual info on said courses, he pointed at the menu card that was on the table next to her, telling her who made which part on the menu... so they did have menu cards, but again... who knows how much was on them as far as details. 

Thank you!  LOL - that's so rude of him.  As a chef --- do you not enjoy food?  Do you not enjoy discussing it?  Do you not want the patrons to like what you're serving them?  LOL it's so funny to me!!!

Edited April 23, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[Yeah No]

On 4/21/2022 at 11:55 PM, Jodithgrace said:

And then his belated midnight confession. I heard him telling one of the diners about his condition, and then saying that he didn’t tell the judges because he didn’t want to be sent home. I mean, he does know this is all televised, right? 

 

16 hours ago, lgprimes said:

I honestly wonder if the producers whispered on the judges’ ears not to eliminate Luke. They (or at least Jackson) could have had a lawsuit in their hands.

Quote

I really cannot understand what happened here. He's seen the show. He offered to be FoH. Why did he blow of the judges like that over and over again? Did his long-lost brother show up as a random guest and he couldn't pull himself away? Did he have to pee at the exact moment the judges arrived and every time they were served? Was he trying to get sent home? I don't get it.

I have to think that something was going on behind the scenes in this episode that the show whitewashed out of it.  Jackson being so nervous may have had to do with him getting wind that his handicap might have gotten back to the judges.  And he was showing cracks in his façade, making big sloppy mistakes and stressing out about it, then admits it to some of the diners first then the team because he was afraid they might find out at the judges' table and wanted to beat them to the punch.  And maybe he confessed it to the judges himself during the judging and the show decided not to air that and made it look like they sent him home for poor performance instead.  His performance was bad but that alone may not have sent him home if they really would have sent Luke home instead.  Maybe they wanted to save his reputation even though they made him pay the price for what he did.  The footage they showed made it look like Luke was the one going home, but that may have been before Jackson either confessed or they found out another way about him hiding his affliction.

In his talking heads Jackson made a point to say that he could taste salt, but I think he was trying to justify what he did and I'm not necessarily buying it.  If the judges questioned his ethics in tasting and giving his opinion on Luke's food when his sense of taste was compromised he may have used that excuse with them but they may have thought it was BS and that's the main reason he was sent home.  I think Luke dodged a bullet there.  The final judges table scene looked like it could have been a reenactment, very hastily done.  They must have made Jackson pay for what he did, but liked him enough not to want to make a public issue out of it and ruin his reputation.  That would make sense out of all of this.

That said, I'm another person disappointed in Jackson as I liked him and was rooting for him.  Now I'll root for Buddha.  I was in love with the way he presented the food to the judges and couldn't believe Jackson wasn't doing similar.  Jackson should know better, which is why I think he was actually avoiding the judges out of fear and guilty conscience that they "knew".  And even Tom said it looked like he was deliberately avoiding them.

Edited April 23, 2022 by Yeah No

[Norma Desmond]

I looove Jackson, but yeah, I would have been pissed if he was not eliminated. Wtf was he thinking. Bad dessert, bad decisions, bad front of the house performance. He brought the team down. I don't get why Evelyn went along with all his bad choices.

[Rai]

In case there's any confusion, I'm not saying that having the numbered knife means you HAVE to be executive chef. But it is a question that Tom has asked in multiple seasons, so people being prepared to answer it doesn't seem like a bad idea. Always be preppin'.

Also, why pick Ashleigh over Buddha? Nick clearly wanted to work with people who had similar flavor profiles to him and said as much. Ashleigh cooks more in Nick's wheelhouse than Buddha does. Really no way to judge how he'd fare in an southern American food context. Buddha's incredibly talented and a strong contender for the win, but he's had his stumbles too.

[Domenicholas]

With regards to other strong Restaurant Wars, there was Nick Elmi's in Season 11, Dale Talde's in Season 8, and Sheldon's in Season 10. I think because of the latter, Tom was really upset at Sheldon for not taking the EC role even though he was the knife picker. In that case at least, I believe it was less because he drew the knife and more because he won his own Restaurant Wars, yet delegated the running of this restaurant to Jon (who didn't even make Restaurant Wars in his season) and Katsuji (whose restaurant lost).

That's the only time I can remember Tom criticizing a knife picker for not having a more active role.

[nokat]

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

That said, I'm another person disappointed in Jackson as I liked him and was rooting for him.  Now I'll root for Buddha.  I was in love with the way he presented the food to the judges and couldn't believe Jackson wasn't doing similar.  Jackson should know better, which is why I think he was actually avoiding the judges out of fear and guilty conscience that they "knew".  And even Tom said it looked like he was deliberately avoiding them.

I liked Jackson until this episode. What the hell was that FOH? He was definitely nervous and avoiding the judges and him being sent home was the correct action. Buddha was great as FOH so that was a tough act to follow, but Jackson was painful to watch.

When Jackson "admitted" he couldn't taste or smell, my bullshit meter went off. He saved the reveal to save his own ass and now I don't believe him. He was rightly told to pack his knives. Last chance kitchen, I might have to watch.

[dgpolo]

10 hours ago, Rai said:

Also, why pick Ashleigh over Buddha? Nick clearly wanted to work with people who had similar flavor profiles to him and said as much. Ashleigh cooks more in Nick's wheelhouse than Buddha does.

And the stated reason that he had her be the EC was because the whole idea was the influence of women in Southern cooking, honoring their mothers and grandmothers etc. and since Ashleigh was the only woman on the team they wanted her in that position to get in the 'woman's perspective' or whatever.

[sharifa70]

14 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Where I disagreed with Nick's selection order was his not picking Buddha second. Ashleigh had already been eliminated once and had landed in the bottom several times. She would most likely have still been standing when Nick got to make his final pick.

Nick said he wanted Damarr and Ashleigh specifically because the three of them had Southern roots and he was looking for a cohesive cooking theme. Although I was surprised that Buddha wasn’t chosen sooner, I understood his thinking.

[Ms Blue Jay]

5 hours ago, nokat said:

When Jackson "admitted" he couldn't taste or smell, my bullshit meter went off. 

I have to admit I've been finding it suspicious since the beginning only because he was doing so well in the competition!  If this is how well he cooks without senses, imagine him with?

I think he is supremely awkward.  I'm not exactly angry with how he handled things, but I wouldn't blame his team of chefs for being angry!

Edited April 23, 2022 by Ms Blue Jay

[The Solution]

11 hours ago, Rai said:

In case there's any confusion, I'm not saying that having the numbered knife means you HAVE to be executive chef. But it is a question that Tom has asked in multiple seasons, so people being prepared to answer it doesn't seem like a bad idea. Always be preppin'.

I think that's a really fair point. Especially at this point in the season, if you draw the knife and you don't believe you're strong enough as a chef to be EC, then why are you there?

[stacyasp]

21 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Like many others I just don't understand Jackson's reasoning for ignoring the judges.  He told them he wanted to just treat them like any other diner, but we saw him give much more attention to other diners than to the judges.  This decision made him stand out but maybe not in the way he intended.  I also understand they were going for a more relaxed environment but that does not necessarily mean family style or serve two dishes at once.  I liked Jackson until this episode but he was just too arrogant or overconfident this episode and thought that every single idea he had was a good one (including writing a sloppy 'welcome' note).  

And, I know I'm old...., BUT I want words to be spelled correctly-"matriarc" will never look right to me and it's the kind of thing upon which I will fixate (yes, I know).  However, that isn't even much of a criticism when compared to all that went right with that team.

I’m confused did they spell it wrong or was it just another of trying to be edgy quirky whatever? It was soooooo distracting to me.  Jackson seemed more interested in getting some credibility with the servers instead of focusing on the judges!  He really was the worst.  I believe Buddha was more responsible for the other team’s win.  He made FOH look so easy and effortless.

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, nokat said:

When Jackson "admitted" he couldn't taste or smell, my bullshit meter went off. He saved the reveal to save his own ass and now I don't believe him. He was rightly told to pack his knives. Last chance kitchen, I might have to watch.

What I will simply not believe is that it did not come out at the judges table since Jackson revealed it to his team right before the judging.  He also revealed it at the worst possible moment, right before the judging when others could use it against him and tell the judges if their team wound up on the bottom.  It would make sense if someone who had reason to use it as an excuse to defend their dish to the judges (most likely Luke) revealed it to them then.  They didn't swear to take an oath of confidence and I could see why Luke in particular would be pissed off that Jackson tasted his dish and told him it was too salty.  It's a perfect reason and time to throw him under the bus.  That's one reason I think we saw a "whitewashed" judging.  Jackson saying in a talking head that he could taste salt was total BS, and maybe what he said to the judges at the judging table in his defense.  Maybe he could taste it, but if that's all he could taste, he might taste it out of proportion to anything else.  And so him not telling Luke that at the time he gave his opinion wasn't right and reason right there to send him home.  I still think this is probably closer to what actually happened and the show for whatever reason, didn't let us see it.  

 

[susannot]

13 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

What I will simply not believe is that it did not come out at the judges table since Jackson revealed it to his team right before the judging.  He also revealed it at the worst possible moment, right before the judging when others could use it against him and tell the judges if their team wound up on the bottom.  It would make sense if someone who had reason to use it as an excuse to defend their dish to the judges (most likely Luke) revealed it to them then.  They didn't swear to take an oath of confidence and I could see why Luke in particular would be pissed off that Jackson tasted his dish and told him it was too salty.  It's a perfect reason and time to throw him under the bus.  That's one reason I think we saw a "whitewashed" judging.  Jackson saying in a talking head that he could taste salt was total BS, and maybe what he said to the judges at the judging table in his defense.  Maybe he could taste it, but if that's all he could taste, he might taste it out of proportion to anything else.  And so him not telling Luke that at the time he gave his opinion wasn't right and reason right there to send him home.  I still think this is probably closer to what actually happened and the show for whatever reason, didn't let us see it.  

 

Agree with every word.  I do not recall either of the other team members telling Luke that his fish was too salty.  Only Jackson.  And Luke specifically said he cut back on his seasoning because Jackson said his fish was too salty.  Jackson's act could certainly be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to sabotage Luke.

[Cheyanne11]

Jackson and his "I've got a secret" has bothered me all season, so I'm not sad that he basically knifed himself this episode.  Still waiting for him to have his LCK comeback, because this show does love that kind of thing.

Conversely, I've only been 'meh' on Buddha, but he was charming as all get out as the FOH. 

[Yeah No]

9 minutes ago, susannot said:

Agree with every word.  I do not recall either of the other team members telling Luke that his fish was too salty.  Only Jackson.  And Luke specifically said he cut back on his seasoning because Jackson said his fish was too salty.  Jackson's act could certainly be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to sabotage Luke.

Yup, exactly.  I think they told him it needed more salt but he didn't add that much after Jackson said it was too salty. 

Even if it wasn't deliberate sabotage Jackson should have at least told Luke to take his opinion with a grain of salt.

I'll see myself out now....

[theatremouse]

On 4/22/2022 at 1:40 PM, dgpolo said:

I definitely remember Ashleigh asking Buddha for a ticket so she could -look- busy while Damarr was struggling to plate the salmon.

I might be remembering a different bit, but I thought this exchange was Buddha saying he needed X number of salmon and Ashleigh saying "ok but I don't have a ticket for that, so I'm going to write one now" - in other words, not to look busy, but that he was asking for something and the ticket was missing. In order to not mess up the expediting system, she calmly wrote up the ticket. Like, the opposite of what usually happens in RW.

22 hours ago, susannot said:

Agree with every word.  I do not recall either of the other team members telling Luke that his fish was too salty.  Only Jackson.  And Luke specifically said he cut back on his seasoning because Jackson said his fish was too salty.  Jackson's act could certainly be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to sabotage Luke.

It played to me like Jackson couldn't taste any of the other stuff - only the salt - hence he thought it was overseasoned, while the rest of them thought it was fine. I think sabotage unlikely. Didn't Luke say something like he normally wouldn't second guess something like that so if the guy told him it was too much, it had to be waaaay too much and that's why he changed it? Something like that when they were in the kitchen.

[caitmcg]

Meh. It wasn’t just the under-salted fish they didn’t like, they also thought the curry was too sweet and lacking heat. Evelyn, who “taught” Luke to make it, tasted the sauce and apparently thoughts it was fine. Luke’s been just skating by the past few episodes, but he got lucky this time. Jackson’s epically bad FOH performance and lame dessert were plenty enough to tank him. His confession came when they were all in the stew room waiting for the verdict. I suppose the others could have barged in on the JT to tell them about Jackson, but it seems improbable. I’m not as partial to tinfoil hats as some, however. 

i had grown to like Jackson somewhat, but I had a feeling the taste impairment would come back to bite him in the ass. Turns out it wasn’t the issue that got him booted, rather he just fucked up badly in a situation where he could have easily done otherwise. 

[Leeds]

If the editors think we want to see footage of Padma hitching up her dress, then I want to see Tom adjusting his jock strap.

[Nordly Beaumont]

I just thought that Jackson told because he knew he was going to be knifed. And as someone who was in the top six times and won a quick fire and two elimination challenges, he wanted to make sure the chefs had a chance to be amazed that he did that without those senses. They didn't really have that reaction though, or much of a reaction at all.

[bravofan27]

3 hours ago, Cheyanne11 said:

Jackson and his "I've got a secret" has bothered me all season, so I'm not sad that he basically knifed himself this episode.  Still waiting for him to have his LCK comeback, because this show does love that kind of thing.

Conversely, I've only been 'meh' on Buddha, but he was charming as all get out as the FOH. 

Buddha is adorable. I love him.

Jackson-- never liked him, and his total lack of personality, combined with douchiness, was really on full display as FOH. Thank goodness his gone. 

Dmarr ALWAYS looks like he is being scolded. I don't like the way he folds his arms in front of him, cocks his head, and scowls. I don't think it's cute-- I think it's immature and annoying.

Just me. 

[GeorgiaRai]

Jackson screwed up, but I liked him before... and still like him! I found this interview really interesting.

Top Chef Jackson talks dumb restaurant wars loss

[caitmcg]

41 minutes ago, GeorgiaRai said:

Jackson screwed up, but I liked him before... and still like him! I found this interview really interesting.

Top Chef Jackson talks dumb restaurant wars loss

I’ll never understand people who come on competition shows like TC without boning up on them beforehand. Especially now, with so many seasons behind TC. So he made all these bone-headed FOH errors, in contrast to Buddha, who'd watched and absorbed lessons from RW and used them from his and his team’s advantage.

Definitely interesting about his claimed agreement that Luke's fish was initially over-seasoned.