Tournament of Champions - Season 5 Discussion Thread

[dleighg]

here's a link to the article previously mentioned

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2022/03/tournament-of-champions-food-network-behind-scenes-questions-answers/

[jcbrown]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

here's a link to the article previously mentioned

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2022/03/tournament-of-champions-food-network-behind-scenes-questions-answers/

That was really interesting (photo of Darnell aside), thank you for posting it!

[Ohmo]

On 3/11/2024 at 5:45 PM, Mondrianyone said:

I was glad Voltaggio won, both because (aside from the fact that he's clearly an amazing chef) of how kind I've seen him be to young chefs

This!  Ever since I watched Battle of the Brothers, my opinion of Michael has done a complete 180.  He was a fabulous mentor to the young chefs in that competition.  Been a fan of his ever since,

[Stardancer Supreme]

Episode 4: "The Good, The Bad, and The Random!"

The judges: Nancy Silverton, Marcus Samuelsson, Scott Conant

Matchup 1: Michael Voltaggio vs. Crista Luedtke - Michael Voltaggio wins!  I'm cool with MV winning because I don't like CL. His "work outfit" made me chuckle!

Matchup 2: Karen Akunowicz vs. Dale Tarde - Dale Tarde wins!  Randa did these two chefs dirty! I also didn't understand Nancy Silverton's comment about the canned green beans; ma'am, they didn't choose to use them! I didn't realize that this was "Angry Dale" from Top Chef!  

Matchup 3: Shota Nakajima vs. Carlos Anthony - Carlos Anthony wins!  My heart broke for Shota who lost by 1 point. I really don't like Carlos Anthony, so I am ever hopeful that Jet will knock him out of the bracket like he did twice before. 

Matchup 4: Tiffani Faison vs. Chris Scott - Tiffani Faison wins! Sweet T is growing on me. CS seemed a bit too cocky for this competition; Your dish has to be exceptional to knock out a champion! Tiffani scored the highest in this episode.

These new TOC competitors need to learn how to use Randa to the highest extent in these dishes.  

So only one former champion got knocked out in the first round. It's about to get hot in the kitchen!

[DEL901]

Michael vs Antonia 

Spoiler

She wins 84 to 82

Kevin vs Shirley 

Spoiler

He wins 90 to 86

Tobias vs Dale. 

Spoiler

Tobias wins.  Don’t know the score. 

 

Edited March 18 by DEL901

[MerBearHou]

@del901 thank you!  I saw the first round tonight and was so torn because I am very, very fond of both.  Didn’t want to see either go home.  

Missed the next 2 rounds; the other 2 winners you mentioned above, I am super happy about.  

Watching Eric A vs Maneet now — both have double-cut pork chops to cook in a short amount of time, and both are struggling with getting the pork fully cooked.  We shall see.  

 

[susannot]

KEVIN had the high score of the night with 90!

[Bastet]

Antonia vs. Michael - They got a good combination from the randomizer, and I wanted to devour Antonia's dish.  I'd have been quite happy to eat Michael's, too, but hers looked like the perfect brunch.  I'm thrilled she won, and would love for her to take it all this season, since it means so much to her. 

Shirley vs. Kevin - I like Shirley, and am still ticked Brooke lost in the first round thanks to Kevin, so I was heavily rooting for her.  "Cutting acorn squash is like wrestling with a dragon" made me laugh.  I really like it, but am not a huge fan of the fish, so I wasn't as excited by these dishes.  Bummer Shirley lost, but kudos to Kevin for the success he's having in this tournament, including highest score of the night.

Tobias vs. Dale - I have chronic anxiety (and depression), and have had attacks, so I developed a soft spot for Tobias two seasons ago when he had one on camera.  Tonight I felt for him getting so overwhelmed by not finding the kimchi that he just stood there and couldn't do anything.  So I was rooting for him, and loved Marcus calling his dish "Van Halen on a plate" because I was worried the judges were going to find his plate excessive (I did). 

Maneet vs. Eric - I wanted her dish more, and agree with the judges hers hit "decadent" harder, but both sounded absolutely delicious.  I was rooting for Eric, just because Maneet sometimes irritates me for vague reasons as I said before, while he's never done anything to bug me (that I've seen, anyway), but she didn't bug me today and showed her skill with the randomizer (that's where all her winning points came from; they tied on the others), so I am happy with her win.

[susannot]

Is there a new format on the board?  If so, I'm happy with the double cat avatars.

 

Antonia vs. Michael:  you cannot make a brunch dish without a perfect poached egg.

Edited March 18 by susannot

[ALittleShelfish]

35 minutes ago, susannot said:

Is there a new format on the board?  If so, I'm happy with the double cat avatars.

 

It's weird for me too - and my ad blocker isn't working on it so there's just so many ads now! 

[Salacious Kitty]

The mods are aware of the problem.

[Ohmo]

1 hour ago, Bastet said:

Antonia vs. Michael - They got a good combination from the randomizer, and I wanted to devour Antonia's dish.  I'd have been quite happy to eat Michael's, too, but hers looked like the perfect brunch.  I'm thrilled she won, and would love for her to take it all this season, since it means so much to her. 

Shirley vs. Kevin - I like Shirley, and am still ticked Brooke lost in the first round thanks to Kevin, so I was heavily rooting for her.  "Cutting acorn squash is like wrestling with a dragon" made me laugh.  I really like it, but am not a huge fan of the fish, so I wasn't as excited by these dishes.  Bummer Shirley lost, but kudos to Kevin for the success he's having in this tournament, including highest score of the night.

Tobias vs. Dale - I have chronic anxiety (and depression), and have had attacks, so I developed a soft spot for Tobias two seasons ago when he had one on camera.  Tonight I felt for him getting so overwhelmed by not finding the kimchi that he just stood there and couldn't do anything.  So I was rooting for him, and loved Marcus calling his dish "Van Halen on a plate" because I was worried the judges were going to find his plate excessive (I did). 

Maneet vs. Eric - I wanted her dish more, and agree with the judges hers hit "decadent" harder, but both sounded absolutely delicious.  I was rooting for Eric, just because Maneet sometimes irritates me for vague reasons as I said before, while he's never done anything to bug me (that I've seen, anyway), but she didn't bug me today and showed her skill with the randomizer (that's where all her winning points came from; they tied on the others), so I am happy with her win.

Antonio vs. Michael: I want to be at Michael's house for Christmas when Antonia comes over.  Sounds like they're great friends.  The first round was tough for me too because I like both of them.

Shirley: I also was rooting for her because I wish Brooke had  won.

Tobias: I was so happy for him!  I also have a history of anxiety, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd bolted off the set.  When an anxiety attack hits, the urge to run, to get out, to just leave is strong.

i wish Eric had won, but I agree that his dish didn't feel particularly decadent to me.  Decadent is like rich or expensive---big piece of chocolate cake, sauce with lots of butter.  Eric's dish seemed more light and fresh to me.

If one of the quys wins this year, I want it to be Jet or Tobias.

[bad things are bad]

Was rooting for Eric,  but his dish was definitely not in the decadent realm. 

So more Dancing Spice Queen.  Ugh.

Dear producers: please buy a dog training collar for Guy and zap him every time he calls someone "the one and only".

Thank you. PS: I am not a crackpot 

[DEL901]

So, for the final 8:

East A and West A are both male/female matchups 

East B will also be male/female as one bracket has 2 men and the other has 2 women. 

West B has one female/female match up and 1 male/female, Britt/Mark Murphy.  

Will be interesting how this translates to F4. Men have never had more than 2 spots and no man has ever reached the finals.  Jet has made the semis 3x and Tobias once.  (he who shall not be named is the only other male to make f4)

[roseslg]

I think Eric biffed it. He and Maneet tied in everything except for randomizer.  A salad is not decadent! I don't know what he was thinking.  He talked about decadent and high end, but dude, a salad is not decadent.  I was rooting hard for him.

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, roseslg said:

I think Eric biffed it. He and Maneet tied in everything except for randomizer.  A salad is not decadent! I don't know what he was thinking.  He talked about decadent and high end, but dude, a salad is not decadent.  I was rooting hard for him.

Same -- I am such a fan of Eric and very so-so about Maneet.  I think I'm just over her.  I do wish the former champs did not have to lug out that big belt every time.  It's fine and kinda fun to see at the beginning, but from then on, it's just cheesy.  Eric has to know he blew it on the decadent aspect.  Tied Maneet in the other ways.  He must be kicking himself!  

[LexieLily]

It sounded like Shirley didn't understand what 'Sunday supper' meant or was supposed to be; at least that's how editing made it come across.

[meep.meep]

She said repeatedly "That's what we eat on Sundays!"  She always bugs me.  And I hate acorn squash and runny eggs so I wouldn't have eaten any of this.

[susannot]

The two dishes with perfect eggs, Antonia's and Kevin's, won their respective matches.  I think chefs and judges always love perfectly cooked eggs.

[mlp]

I had very mixed emotions during the first round because I wanted both Michael and Antonia to win.  In the end, I think Michael handled the loss better than she would have and I was happy for her.

I don't actively dislike Shirley but I've found her annoying since TC and I like Kevin a lot so I was very happy when he won the second round.

I was also happy for Tobias.  I like him.

Round four was a disappointment but not a surprise.  I was rooting for Eric all the way, partly because I like him and partly because Maneet has become a bit arrogant since she won her belt.  There was nothing decadent about Eric's dish so I was fully expecting him to lose on that count.  I've always thought that he could have won TC if he had planned his dishes better and this was no different.

 

[dleighg]

2 minutes ago, mlp said:

I was rooting for Eric all the way, partly because I like him and partly because Maneet has become a bit arrogant since she won her belt.  There was nothing decadent about Eric's dish so I was fully expecting him to lose on that count. 

I agree on all points. And I do believe that when the judges see an Indian dish come out, they almost have to know it's Maneet. She is way too predictable on that account (I know, she has occasionally ventured outside that area, but not often). Maybe I'm not being fair, since there are lots of chefs who steer Asian, so maybe it's just harder to pin an Asian dish on a particular person. But she really does go down the Indian lane more often than impresses me as a broadly creative chef.

[Stardancer Supreme]

Episode 5: "The Super 16 Step Up!"

The judges: Marcus Samuelsson, Lorena Garcia, Scott Conant

Matchup 1: Michael Voltaggio vs. Antonia Lofaso - Antonia Lofaso wins!  I wanted both of their dishes, even though I am not a fan of donuts. Both chefs really rocked the Randomizer!

Matchup 2: Shirley Chung vs. Kevin Lee - Kevin Lee wins!  I think the judges were bugging just a bit about Shirley's dish; that was too elevated to feed your family for Sunday dinner? Looks like Kevin Lee may be this season's Cinderella story! He also had the highest score in this episode.

Matchup 3: Dale Tarde vs. Tobias Dorzon - Tobias Dorzon wins!  I felt for Tobias! I can't imagine what it is like to have an anxiety attack in the middle of a competition battle. Did he mention kimchi to Simon so that Guy knew to get some kimchi in the fridge? Yes, his dish was massive and I would eat every bit of it... 

Matchup 4: Maneet Chauhan vs. Eric Adjepong - Maneet Chauhan wins! I see that Maneet is somewhat polarizing in her TOC appearances; I was still rooting for her, though.  Yes, Eric dropped the ball on this dish. While it was elevated, it certainly wasn't decadent. Better luck next year!

Come on Randa! I have pork belly in my fridge and I was looking forward to seeing a different way of preparing it...

Edited March 18 by Stardancer Supreme

[Mellowyellow]

😭😭😭

I love Eric and don’t like Maneet so that was a doozy for me! That was probably more sad for me than the Brooke loss which bummed me out already. Anyways hopefully he’ll be back with Alex for another season of Alex vs America.

 I’ve only got Antonia and Amanda whom I like left. Everyone else I’m so so about. Boo to the Michael vs Antonia match. I like them both!

[roseslg]

Eric has a new show, Wildcard Kitchen that is pretty fun.  He has a very calm personality, but he needs someone to direct him during competitions. I felt that way in top chef when I was rooting for him. I think that was the season KBC won.  I think Maneet knows how to play the game better. She leans into the randomizer more than most because she has judged a lot and knows what they are looking for.

 

 

[Bastet]

22 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Tobias: I was so happy for him!  I also have a history of anxiety, and I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd bolted off the set.  When an anxiety attack hits, the urge to run, to get out, to just leave is strong.

Battling your own mind is profoundly difficult, and it's bad enough when it happens in front of people, especially strangers, but to know it is - again - happening on camera?  I like how those watching in the chefs lounge went from "What is he doing?" at him just standing there to finding it painful to witness once they realized why he'd frozen.  Kudos to him being able to regroup, period, let alone win.

[Yeah No]

On 3/10/2024 at 4:19 PM, Bastet said:

Has he tried it and noped out upon being yet again irritated by him, or just refused to even take a look because of Guy?  I ask because this is the only thing for which I will endure Guy as he gets on my nerves immediately in anything else, and I spend surprisingly little time rolling my eyes at him because of all the great stuff going on here.

Sorry to be so late to reply - I try not to look at the thread until I've seen the most recent episode.  I asked him and he said it's not just Guy that bothers him, it's the randomizer.  He says he thinks it's too much of a gimmick.  He doesn't like seeing them have to use weird combinations of ingredients or machinery.  He also said he doesn't feel like he learns anything from watching this show and if not for the randomizer he would probably put up with Guy.  He also doesn't watch GGG for similar reasons.  I get where he's coming from but I find I do learn something from both shows (and they're fun to watch) and I'm the one that does most of the cooking in our household so I guess I see these things differently.  And I don't mind Guy.  At one time he was seen as the symbol of the downfall of FN but I don't think he's as bad as all that. 

As for this episode, I too was a let down when Karen didn't win but I don't dislike the "new and improved" Dale so it didn't feel as bad as it could have.  I was also happy about Tobias' win as I've always liked him a lot.  I had a feeling Maneet would win and when I saw what Eric made I knew she would take it.  He really should have known know better.  I'm OK Maneet's win as I am pretty much neutral on either one of them.  And I was OK with Antonia's win too as I like both her and Voltaggio.  I liked hearing about what good friends they are in real life.  Something we never knew.  I wish they would do a holiday show together sort-of like the one Lidia Bastianich has done.

[Salacious Kitty]

The randomizer was apparently also Guy's idea. So whoever "he" is has yet another reason to dislike the carnival barker. 😃

[Yeah No]

28 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

The randomizer was apparently also Guy's idea. So whoever "he" is has yet another reason to dislike the carnival barker. 😃

"He" is my husband who I mentioned in my original post that @Bastet replied to.

I think the randomizer is kind of gimmicky, but at least it doesn't give them too many odd combinations (although there was one particularly bad one in this episode).  I've seen worse on "Chopped" and that isn't random and doesn't involve Guy at all, that I know of, anyway!

[Salacious Kitty]

LOL, I figured it was your husband, but didn't want to presume. I read your post as a stand-alone, hence my questioning. 

I pretty much agree with your husband. I watch in spite of Guy. 😀

[Lamb18]

I'm glad Antonia won. Michael V is OK, but I like Antonia better and she is really bringing it this year.

[schnauzergirl]

I apologize if this has been asked and answered, but why has Guy given Dale the nickname of Mr. Bogeyman?  Dale is new to me and from other posts I gather he's changed for the better from previous appearances on other shows.  Pray God Guy doesn't start giving the judges his crazy nicknames.

[Rammchick]

8 minutes ago, schnauzergirl said:

I apologize if this has been asked and answered, but why has Guy given Dale the nickname of Mr. Bogeyman?  Dale is new to me and from other posts I gather he's changed for the better from previous appearances on other shows.  Pray God Guy doesn't start giving the judges his crazy nicknames.

I wondered if it was "Bogeyman" or "Boogieman"?  The former is creepy, the latter is (somewhat) clever.

Edited March 19 by Rammchick

[mlp]

2 hours ago, schnauzergirl said:

Pray God Guy doesn't start giving the judges his crazy nicknames.

It's noticeable to me that Guy treats the judges with more respect than he does the competing chefs.

[schnauzergirl]

54 minutes ago, mlp said:

It's noticeable to me that Guy treats the judges with more respect than he does the competing chefs.

I think there's an invisible line in the sand here: the competing chefs have a vested interest in winning and/or being invited back, whereas with a few exceptions, the judges are beyond that.  I'm not expressing this as well as I wish, but having said that I would LOVE to see Nancy versus the Randomizer.

[Salacious Kitty]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

It's noticeable to me that Guy treats the judges with more respect than he does the competing chefs.

Guy did treat Tobias with kindness after his panic attack. 

[MerBearHou]

53 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Guy did treat Tobias with kindness after his panic attack. 

He did.  To me, Guy seems like a very kind guy.  He loves to kid around with the chefs he knows well and I think he feels the need to loosen up the tension the competitors might be feeling so he gives them nicknames and makes them feel welcome like "you're among friends here".  He's just loud, but I really do like him.

Oh yes, I'd love to see Nancy S vs. the Randomizer, but I would be shocked if she ever agreed to do it and be judged.

[jcbrown]

4 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

He did.  To me, Guy seems like a very kind guy.  He loves to kid around with the chefs he knows well and I think he feels the need to loosen up the tension the competitors might be feeling so he gives them nicknames and makes them feel welcome like "you're among friends here".  He's just loud, but I really do like him.

This is my take on Guy as well. I don't love the persona he puts on for a lot of his FN shows but I get the sense (plus from what I know of his charitable work cooking for disaster survivors here in Northern CA) that he is a genuinely good guy.

[Mellowyellow]

On 3/19/2024 at 10:43 AM, roseslg said:

Eric has a new show, Wildcard Kitchen that is pretty fun.  He has a very calm personality, but he needs someone to direct him during competitions. I felt that way in top chef when I was rooting for him. I think that was the season KBC won.  I think Maneet knows how to play the game better. She leans into the randomizer more than most because she has judged a lot and knows what they are looking for.

 

 

Thank you for this! I found his new show!!! Love it! Eric is a great host! Love his easy going manner.

 It’s actually so interesting that he’s made a career from hosting shows. He was never loud or crazy on Top Chef. I would not imagine him trying for Food Network Star but I enjoy his hosting very much!

[roseslg]

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Thank you for this! I found his new show!!! Love it! Eric is a great host! Love his easy going manner.

 It’s actually so interesting that he’s made a career from hosting shows. He was never loud or crazy on Top Chef. I would not imagine him trying for Food Network Star but I enjoy his hosting very much!

I had a dream about Eric last week. It was crazy. Lol. I need to pick up some hobbies.

[Harry24]

35 minutes ago, roseslg said:

I had a dream about Eric last week. It was crazy. Lol. I need to pick up some hobbies.

Hmm.  I think I’d consider dropping hobbies if it meant having Eric in my dreams.

[sugarbaker design]

On 3/19/2024 at 1:10 PM, Rammchick said:

I wondered if it was "Bogeyman" or "Boogieman"?  The former is creepy, the latter is (somewhat) clever.

I must be missing something, why is it (somewhat) clever?

[eclectcmoi]

The way I interpret it is a bogey is a someone who you don't see coming and then they take you out. 

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, eclectcmoi said:

The way I interpret it is a bogey is a someone who you don't see coming and then they take you out

that makes sense. I had forgotten that meaning. It's been too many years since I've seen Top Gun LOL.

[SHERMDOG]

On 3/18/2024 at 6:17 AM, roseslg said:

I think Eric biffed it. He and Maneet tied in everything except for randomizer.  A salad is not decadent! I don't know what he was thinking.  He talked about decadent and high end, but dude, a salad is not decadent.  I was rooting hard for him.

PLEASE!! ANYONE except Mateet for the win. Do NOT like her. And I'm not sure why!??? Lol..blech

[dleighg]

6 hours ago, SHERMDOG said:

PLEASE!! ANYONE except Mateet for the win. Do NOT like her. And I'm not sure why!??? Lol..blech

She comes across as very full of herself. I don't like her either.

[coffee drinker]

On 3/20/2024 at 6:39 AM, Mellowyellow said:

Thank you for this! I found his new show!!! Love it! Eric is a great host! Love his easy going manner.

 It’s actually so interesting that he’s made a career from hosting shows. He was never loud or crazy on Top Chef. I would not imagine him trying for Food Network Star but I enjoy his hosting very much!

I love Eric when he's hosting Alex G.'s show "Alex vs. America".  

[Grizzly]

JET! JET! JET! One step closer. And happy for Amanda. I thought her dish was more of a guilty pleasure. Hope she beats Britt. I would have happily eaten Marc's pasta.

[DEL901]

2 minutes ago, Grizzly said:

JET! JET! JET! One step closer. And happy for Amanda. I thought her dish was more of a guilty pleasure. Hope she beats Britt. I would have happily eaten Marc's pasta.

I’m an hour behind…are you saying Britt beat Mark?

[Bastet]

Tiffani vs. Amanda - I like them equally, so had no rooting interest coming in.  When watching each other's dishes being judged, I liked Tiffani's attitude better than Amanda's, so wound up rooting for her, but am happy for Amanda as she seems to lose a lot.  I'm not a huge fan of duck, so wasn't craving either dish, but would have liked to taste both of them.  I thought Tiffani's was more creative, but a delicious burger is one of the best guilty pleasures in the world of food.

Carlos vs. Jet - I like Jet, plus I found Carlos particularly annoying today, so I was 100% Team Jet.  Thank goodness the tie rules prioritize the flavor scores, as Carlos had beat him on randomizer (which surprised me, since Jet's was more of a weeknight dinner and he used more persimmon) and presentation.

Marc vs. Britt - Marc's employees sued him for wage theft, and I've disliked him ever since.  I thoroughly enjoyed Britt's winning streak last season, so was rooting for her.  Her dish looked absolutely delicious, the thing I most wanted to reach through the TV and eat tonight.

Mei vs. Lee Anne - I like Lee Anne, but I really like Mei (I love how serious she is), so was rooting for her.  They got a great combination from the randomizer.  I love Mei's concept of date night food -- something that doesn't make you so full you don't feel like having sex.  And I love how scared Jet is of going up against her again (like him though I do, I will be rooting for her).  The restaurant she gave the money to unfortunately closed down in December.  It had a rough go of things, opening in late 2019 so having very little time to establish a customer base before the pandemic hit.

Edited March 25 by Bastet

[DEL901]

So, the f8 are 3 men and 5 women.  Kevin has had a great run, but I hope Antonia wins.  The other two guys have both made f4 previously..Jet x 3.   It could be his year….but his scores have been lower than I remember….hopefully he is saving the best for last.  

eta, Jet and Tobias are going against former winners in the next round.  

Edited March 25 by DEL901