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Tournament of Champions - Season 5 Discussion Thread

Mellowyellow

By Mellowyellow
in Tournament Of Champions

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Bastet
Bastet

The big finale: Antonia wanted this so badly, and she got herself into the perfect mental space once she changed her mind about coming back, really getting into her groove and staying there, so I

Bastet
Bastet

Are you referring to when he was in his trailer after watching the judging, while waiting to hear results were in, when he had "a moment" (got a little overwhelmed and teared up) and, in answering the

mlp
mlp

I agree about Maneet.  I've always liked her but she seems to have a much higher opinion of herself since she won TOC.  It's not flattering.  She once said she has her beautiful and undoubtedly expens

susannot

susannot

(edited)
56 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Spoil me please gang! I won’t get to watch this until a few days from now! I love spoilers!!!

Judges are Carla Hall, Geoffrey Zakarian, and Susan Feninger.  

Spoiler

Round One:  Jet Tila wins.  Round Two: Marc Murphy.

Spoiler

Round Three:  Britt Rescigno. Round Four: Mei Lin.

 

Edited by susannot
  • Like 3
Irlandesa

Irlandesa

1 hour ago, susannot said:

I'm confused.  They show Amanda in previews of next show.  Yet they are not explaining how she got there.

They're mixing up battles from separate brackets instead of doing a full bracket per episode.  I've only seen later round episodes of this tournament so I don't know if it's typical but we'll see if they eventually address her phantom win when they get to the round of 16.

  • Like 1
LizBug

LizBug

WOW!!  That went faster than I expected.  There were actually four rounds of competition with only one upset winner.  I'm glad to see some familiar faces as well as some returning contestants. 

That Wild Card category really threw in an unexpected twist ... canned sardines?  graham crackers?

And I was happy to see some new faces on the judging panel.

  • Like 3
Bastet

Bastet

Boo - episodes used to be up on Discovery+ Sunday mornings, and now it's not until Monday mornings (which was the case with this season's qualifying episodes, but I held out a little hope it would go back to normal when the season proper started), so I have to either watch with commercials or wait.  This week, I decided to wait.

Jet vs. Malarkey: I was rooting 100% for Jet, but while both dishes looked great but not mind-blowing, I thought Malarkey's would be the tastier of the two.  Indeed, he got one more point on taste than Jet did.  Thankfully, Jet got three more points than Brian on use of the randomizer.

Marc Murphy vs. Jose Garces:  I was rooting for Garces, because Murphy is one of the many chefs who've been sued for wage theft, but it turns out Garces got sued by multiple parties for fraud and I've never been excited for him, so I didn't really care who won this one.  Both dishes sounded good, but I was once again not wowed.  I would have liked the spiciness of Jose's, but Marc's overall appealed to me more.  I hope Britt beats him in the next round. 

Britt Rescigno vs. Jonathan Sawyer:  I loved her underdog victories last season, and I don't really know who he is (I vaguely remember he was on ToC before, but that's it), so was rooting for her.  Underwhelming dishes, both of them; of the two, I'd easily choose his, but that's based purely on personal preference as I liked his chosen ingredients a lot more than hers.  All four of her victory points came on flavor, so obviously she put hers together far better than he did.

Mei Lin vs. Michael Reed: Mei all the way, as I "know" her more, but after he won the qualifying round I looked him up (since he's an L.A. chef) and it turns out I've had brunch at his restaurant; it was quite tasty, but it was similar to a lot of restaurants.  More good but not exciting food.  I liked his plating much better (I agree with Carla saying hers looked like "a meat and two") and his creativity, but it seemed from the judges' comments she made her ingredients work better so wasn't worried for her.  (He got two more presentation points than her measly six, but she got three more points on presentation and two more on randomizer.)

7 hours ago, meep.meep said:

In at least one season, Simon always had the higher ranked contestant.

It had to be season one and/or two.  I started watching with season two (I somehow never heard of it in season one) and someone said then it seems like Simon always presented the higher seed, so in seasons three and four I tracked who presented what seed and there was no pattern.

  • Like 3
Stardancer Supreme

Stardancer Supreme

I am glad that Jet sent Shenanigans home. Maybe this will be the year that Jet takes it all the way! I was meh on Murphy and Garces.  I was jazzed to see all 4 TOC Champions competing this season and I especially liked the Championship rings.  I fast forward past Hunter and I am glad to see the caliber of chefs on this season. 

  • Like 7
Maverick

Maverick

 Editing / structure was weird.   Hunter didn't interview anyone from the third match (not that I'm complaining) and I think talked briefly to only of of the chefs in the fourth.   Britt and Sawyer got to watch Garces and Murphy since they would be taking on the winner, but why didn't Murphy get to watch the Britt / Sawyer match up?  And why were these two matches in the same episode when the other two weren't ones where the winners would face each other.  

 Zakarian is not that impressive of a judge.  When you have other Chopped judges (two who are winners) and Iron Chefs competing, the GZ isn't a wower when it comes to judging.  Ditto Carla.  Everyone seems to like her, but it was harder to muster up the 'OMG I can't believe she'll be eating my food'!

  • Like 5
desertflower

desertflower

16 hours ago, Westiepeach said:

I like GZ for some reason. He doesn’t bother me at all. Maybe because I watch him on The Kitchen and the other hosts low key mock him because of his pretentiousness. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yeah I like him well enough on the Kitchen, and I think it’s funny when he has to eat stuff like Katie’s no bake eclair cake made with *gasp* instant pudding. You know he’s dying inside but I bet he actually liked it. Lol!

I think at this point most people think of Carla as just a tv host/judge, but she made it to the finals on her season of Top Chef and it seemed like she made really good food.

I was glad to see Britt win her round, I like her a lot. I’d kind of like to see Antonia win this whole thing, but I also love Shota and can’t help but root for Jet to finally win. 

I can’t watch this live, I have to dvr it so I can fast forward through the same Little Caesar’s ad they show at every single commercial break. Ugh!

 

  • Like 3
Katie W

Katie W

On 2/19/2024 at 7:06 PM, Bastet said:

Jet vs. Malarkey: I was rooting 100% for Jet, but while both dishes looked great but not mind-blowing, I thought Malarkey's would be the tastier of the two.  Indeed, he got one more point on taste than Jet did.  Thankfully, Jet got three more points than Brian on use of the randomizer.

Marc Murphy vs. Jose Garces:  I was rooting for Garces, because Murphy is one of the many chefs who've been sued for wage theft, but it turns out Garces got sued by multiple parties for fraud and I've never been excited for him, so I didn't really care who won this one.  Both dishes sounded good, but I was once again not wowed.  I would have liked the spiciness of Jose's, but Marc's overall appealed to me more.  I hope Britt beats him in the next round. 

 

I didn't care who won the first matchup.  I really like Jet but I just ate at Malarkey's restaurant Herb and Wood and it was SO good.  Carlos Anthony is the Executive Chef there and was working the night we were there so I also have a soft spot for him so I'm bumbed he's competing against Shota in his first round. 

 

I've also eaten at Jose Garces restaurant The Olde Bar in Philadelphia. Very cool looking restaurant but the food was SO disappointing. I ordered the Steak and it came out cold.  They brought it back and must of put it in the microwave; causing my steak to be way overdone. The manager comped my meal and made a comment that leads me to believe this is a common problem. We also went to Morimoto's restaurant on that trip and it was amazing.  

  • Useful 4
Mondrianyone

Mondrianyone

Jet has always seemed like a very nice person, and he's obviously a terrific cook. But the last few seasons he's been coming across (to me at least) as increasingly whiny about having to win, as if it's his divine right or something, like he's being cheated of an entitlement that properly belongs to him. It's getting on my nerves. This is what happens when the judging is done blind--men don't automatically get handed the victory.

  • Like 11
Infie

Infie

(edited)

The battles this week were fun to watch, but it weirded me out to see the editing the way it was.  In at least two cases (Britt's battle and I think Jet's battle) they showed the chefs both with and without gloves in shots a few seconds apart.  It was to the point that I was wondering if they'd re-done some of the shots later or if the whole competition was just faked - it was SO distracting.  

Edited by Infie
added "gloves"
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Gramto6

Gramto6

3 hours ago, Infie said:

The battles this week were fun to watch, but it weirded me out to see the editing the way it was.  In at least two cases (Britt's battle and I think Jet's battle) they showed the chefs both with and without gloves in shots a few seconds apart.  It was to the point that I was wondering if they'd re-done some of the shots later or if the whole competition was just faked - it was SO distracting.  

Good eye! I didn't notice that at all.  Something else to keep an eye out for besides the cooking. 

  • Like 2
DEL901

DEL901

9 minutes ago, Gramto6 said:

I just came here to say the same thing!  Amanda better win or looks like Darnell will be shown until he loses. I'm shocked to tell the truth!

They kind of have to show the match(es) to be fair to the chef(s) he completed against, especially the one who beats him…hopefully sooner than later in the competition.    It would suck if he went far.  

  • Like 2
MerBearHou

MerBearHou

I was shocked to see Darnell — unless I missed it, they skipped the nice intros they’ve been doing for the other chefs — this time, they just went straight to Amanda vs Darnell and rolled the Randomizer.  With a “game show” of sorts with a great deal of money on the line, I can see why they decided they had to show the competition between Amanda and Darnell to be on the up-and-up, but they sure got lucky that Darnell barely lost. 

Amanda is a longtime favorite so I was very happy for her, but would have felt that way regardless of who she went up against.  

  • Like 4
Bastet

Bastet

I find Donatella useless as a judge, but enjoyed hearing from the other two.

Shirley vs. Mustache Joe - He bugged me a bit on Top Chef, while I liked her there, so I was glad when she beat him in ToC III, and glad she did it again.  Both dishes looked delicious, and I could see the techniques on her plate, while his I had to listen to the judges to know he'd been just as smart.  I'm not surprised they had such high scores again.  It's interesting presentation was the one area in which she didn't outscore him, as I thought hers was at least a point more visually appealing than his.  I love that she wanted a rematch with Brooke and wish she'd gotten it.   I like that she chose Sheldon Simeon's restaurant to get the money.

KBC vs. Tobias - I have had a soft spot for him since his anxiety attack (plus, as a football fan, I like that he's a former NFL player), but I "know" her better thanks to TC, so was hoping she'd finally make it out of the first round.  "It depends on where you're from" about that being a lot of butter was funny, but that's a lot of butter.  Her dish didn't particularly appeal to me, although his didn't, either, as I just wasn't into the combination of ingredients the randomizer landed on; I've realized from these cooking competition shows I am pretty picky about what lamb, especially ground lamb, gets paired with.  But if I had to eat one of the two, I'd have picked his, so I can't be bummed about the result.  Especially after Guy had such nice things to say about him afterward.

Amanda vs. Darnell - Wow, they showed this after scrubbing his bio from the show's page of the FN website as soon as he got arrested?  I was not expecting that.  I guess, since she won, they figured it would draw less attention to just air this and be done with him than to insert some explanation for how she turned up in the next round.  I'd have already been rooting for Amanda, but certainly once he got indicted for domestic violence and sexual assault!  I found this one too uncomfortable to watch, and just came back at the end to see the scores.  I wonder if they cut out his post-loss interview or if he took off without giving one; I assume the former, but editing made it look like the latter.

Brooke vs. Kevin Lee - I was heartily rooting for Brooke as I always do, so nervous from the previews saying this came down to one point.  Damn, damn, damn!  I'm not sure how I'd have worked in the tart requirement, but pork loin, cauliflower, and oats are such blank canvases, I guess there are a lot of options and they both had interesting ideas.  Her pork looked so wonderfully moist it was more appealing to me than his double fried preparation, and I did not care for his sloppy avant garde plating, but his combination of ingredients sounded really good, so I was not as surprised by this upset as I would have been coming in.  She still wins or comes in second in almost every competition, so I shouldn't be bummed, but I love her food and am fascinated by her mind as a chef, especially a competitive chef.

 

  • Like 4
susannot

susannot

Wow I was pulling for all 3 of the winners tonight!  I love Shirley because I have two packages of her souplings and I'm planning to make delicious soup with them tomorrow.  Amanda because...not Darnell.  Kevin because I love a new face and a good upset.  He is an awesome chef.  I loved it when Andrew said "I am in schnitzel heaven."  There is nothing better than a pork schnitzel.

mlp

mlp

(edited)

I was disappointed after round 1 because I really like Joe Sasto.  I liked him when he was on TC and I like him even more now that he's been on various shows and I "know" him better.  Shirley is good at what she does but she doesn't seem as well-rounded as many of the other chefs.  I found her annoying on TC because she never shut up.  Also, I've read that she's hard to work for (but not why).  She does seem quite impressed with herself but then many chefs do.

I was happy that Tobias won round 3.  I liked KBC when she was on TC and I was thrilled when she beat Bobby's Titans but I thought that Tobias needed the validation a lot more and he earned it.

Round 4 was a nail biter but I can't stand Brooke and I really liked Kevin Lee during the play in rounds so I was delighted to see Brooke and her smugness get taken down a peg.  She's clearly a fine, well-respected chef but she never seems to me like a nice person.

I love it when Ming Tsai is a judge.  He's such a class act.

Edit because I almost forgot about Amanda vs. Darnell.  Like everyone I suppose, I was surprised that the match was aired but that was probably the best solution.  Darnell's part was edited as much as possible and Amanda (whom I love) won fair and square.  No one now needs to mention Darnell again. Amanda legitimately advanced.  Yay all aroound.

Edited by mlp
  • Like 9
MerBearHou

MerBearHou

(edited)
22 minutes ago, mlp said:

I was disappointed after round 1 because I really like Joe Sasto.  I liked him when he was on TC and I like him even more now that he's been on various shows and I "know" him better.  Shirley is good at what she does but she doesn't seem as well-rounded as many of the other chefs.  I found her annoying on TC because she never shut up.  Also, I've read that she's hard to work for (but not why).  She does seem quite impressed with herself but then many chefs do.

I have such a fondness for Joe Sasto from both TC and seeing him on the FN more and more — like @mlp I too feel like I “know” him better than in the first days of TC.  Plus I don’t like it when anyone calls themselves the “queen” or “king” of anything as Shirley did by calling herself the Dumpling Queen more than once.  I was really hoping Joe would win, darn it.

I also very fond of Tobias and while I like Kelsey, I was rooting for him and so, so happy he won.  

 

Edited by MerBearHou
  • Like 6
TexasTiffany

TexasTiffany

First off, I'm glad this show is back. I love watching people shine doing what they do. Another plus is anyone from any background can compete and win. 

I have so many favorites that it's hard to watch any of them lose. 

27 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Well, the ending of the Amanda/Darnell match wax edited to the max. No sendoff for Darnell, just a quick shot of him running away. 

And that was the FN farewell he deserved. Good riddance. 

After all the speculation about FN maybe scrubbing Darnell out of the show completely, I was surprised to see Amanda and Darnell's segment when it aired tonight. I agree it looked like it was edited so we got the very short version. When Amanda won, we don't see Darnell hug Amanda or congratulate her or say anything. The edit shows him exiting out the door. Gone. FN handled it well. Don't hide it but don't embellish. 

 

 

  • Like 14
cameron

cameron

10 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Brooke looks a little faded. But maybe she didn't get her color touched up before the competition.

 

10 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

Brooke looks a little faded. But maybe she didn't get her color touched up before the competition.

Her hair coloring is definitely lighter than it previously was.  Too washed out looking.

Mellowyellow

Mellowyellow

  • Author
(edited)

Broooooke😭😭😭

Nooooooo 😭😭😭

Hopefully I’ll see you on Triple Threat!


I like Shirley but am a wee tad more fond of Joe S so this was not a good ep for me.

I am pleasantly surprised they aired the Amanda v Darnell portion. I was bracing myself for them to bury it in some weird way. I approve! He existed, he competed against Amanda, air it quickly and never refer to him again. It makes more sense than if they tried to bury it.

Edited by Mellowyellow
  • Like 11

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