Season 21: Last Chance Kitchen

[ProudMary]

Last Chance Kitchen starts tonight for this new season. Here's a Season 21 thread so we can discuss it along with a first episode trailer.

 

[Msample]

How this 16th chef missed the initial casting cut but asshole hat dude made it eludes me. And why didn’t asshole hat guy even show up for LCK ?

[Tess23]

1 hour ago, Msample said:

How this 16th chef missed the initial casting cut but asshole hat dude made it eludes me. And why didn’t asshole hat guy even show up for LCK ?

1000% this. He's clearly more talented than half the chefs in that kitchen.

[marybennet]

Yes to what’s been said so far. And, unlike some, I do believe in the integrity of Tom’s judgment about food, but doesn’t it feel as if this system is set up for the guy to win for a while?  And why would anyone want to do LCK if it’s not set up as a last chance but as a gladiatorial contest?  

[Thumper]

Hat guy never showed up to compete in LCK???   ( I don’t watch)

[mlp]

30 minutes ago, Thumper said:

Hat guy never showed up to compete in LCK???

I could easily be remembering wrong but it seems to me that LCK never started until a few episodes in.  Either way, I didn't miss hat guy.  He wouldn't have stood a chance against Soo.  I liked Valentine (except for the awful beard) but the other dish looked better.

[Salacious Kitty]

LCK has started in Episode 2 for several seasons now. It runs in two tiers. Although from what Tom said, 5 wins gets them back in the main competition. Well, four now.

Edited March 28 by Salacious Kitty

[NowVoyager]

1 hour ago, Thumper said:

Hat guy never showed up to compete in LCK???   ( I don’t watch)

No mention of first eliminated hat guy.

 

 

[PhoneCop]

Nice start for Soo, but why wasn't he just thrown in the pool along with the others? Was his application delayed by a technicality that the producers decided to waive at the last minute? If he makes it to the main competition, people who don't watch LCK will question his presence and have no reason to invest in him. If he doesn't, then this whole exercise was pointless. It just seems so sketchy.

That said, I didn't miss David either, ha!

[sugarbaker design]

Could someone let us know who won LCK?

[CrazyInAlabama]

It was Valentine vs. Soo (Soo is the 16th contestant, who just went into LCK).  No mention of the first eliminated contestant from TC episode 1 (David).    Soo won easily.   I'm very confused about what happened to the episode 1 contestant, since he never appeared.  

Since I have a scheduling conflict and am watching My 600 lb Life instead, I didn't watch the episode 2 yet, so I know who was eliminated.   However, it lets me watch what the eliminated person did to get them eliminated. 

Edited March 28 by CrazyInAlabama

[Rammchick]

8 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

No mention of first eliminated hat guy.

It seems that that's why they brought Soo in.  He just missed the top 15 for whatever reason, and then David either couldn't or wouldn't compete in LCK.

[Fukui San]

Soo mentioned he just got married. Maybe he couldn’t make it to the main filming because of that? The timing of LCK was always a bit fuzzy to me. Do they film them all in one chunk just before the return episode? Or spread out as they are eliminated?

I hope if Soo doesn’t make it into the main show they cast him to Top Chef proper in a future season. 

[Salacious Kitty]

I thought Soo said he got married something like 4 months prior. 

As for filming, Tom has to be available for main judging, so I assume they.filmed LCK on quickfire days. 

Edited March 28 by Salacious Kitty

[Ms Lark]

Seems no one, including Tom, wanted to deal with  asshole hat guy!

Valentine would have beat him easily. Im sure the whole story about Soo will come out soon.

[CrazyInAlabama]

It was very odd.  I watched the last few minutes of episode 1, and Tom didn't say that the person would be going to LCK.   Though he did at the end of episode 2.   So, maybe the three chef cookoff was kind of episode 1 of LCK?    Or something really strange happened, so they didn't do LCK episode 1?    

[Salacious Kitty]

LCK doesn't normally start until episode 2, because you need two PYKAG cheftestants. Weird that they didn't start with Soo and David in Episode 1, since Soo was already there. 

I wonder what happened with David. Did he pitch a fit and leave? Would that be allowed?

[dleighg]

13 hours ago, marybennet said:

Yes to what’s been said so far. And, unlike some, I do believe in the integrity of Tom’s judgment about food, but doesn’t it feel as if this system is set up for the guy to win for a while?

I had exactly the same thought. Weird that they didn't explain more.

[Rai]

Oh, interesting. If David the Hat didn't show up, my guess is Soo was meant to be an alternate for the main show, and this was the adjustment they made. Maybe I'm talking out of my (much prettier) hat! But that's the theory I'm going to muse about.

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Fukui San said:

The timing of LCK was always a bit fuzzy to me. Do they film them all in one chunk just before the return episode?

I remember reading somewhere that's indeed how they do it, but now I can't find that.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm wondering if Soo was always to be LCK competitor, and David was supposed to show up, and didn't for some reason.   Maybe illness, or some other reason, and that meant they had to pivot to the episode 2 eliminated chef against Soo. 

 

Other seasons, if I recall correctly (which often isn't right), they had LCK start after week two to get two chefs competing.  However, since Soo was waiting to compete, I'm guessing they originally decided to have an episode 1 of LCK with Soo and David

I think David was always supposed to be the first episode of LCK, but that changed for some reason. Because there is no mention of LCK when David was eliminated.  Tom always has a spiel about see you at LCK, and you may come back, but not this time.  

Edited March 29 by CrazyInAlabama

[caitmcg]

I did expect to see a three-way contest for the first LCK episode (David, Valentine, Soo), but a) I didn't miss annoying David and b) given how badly he flamed out in the sudden-death cookoff in ep. 1, I don't think he had the headspace for it. If he'd survived a few episodes he might have got the hang of QFs, but you can't slide by in LCK.

17 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

LCK has started in Episode 2 for several seasons now. It runs in two tiers. Although from what Tom said, 5 wins gets them back in the main competition. Well, four now.

I don't think that's much shy from the first opportunity to slide (back) into the main show since they started doing the two tiers a couple or three seasons ago.

[kirklandia]

IIRC, in previous seasons of LCK, they kept the losing chefs around to form a peanut gallery for the subsequent cook offs.  So, the peanut gallery grew as the season progressed.

I'm not sure if that would support  any particular theory of when/how the LCK episodes were filmed.

Maybe they just keep them on ice for the entire season?

 

 

 

[caitmcg]

28 minutes ago, kirklandia said:

Maybe they just keep them on ice for the entire season?

If you mean the chefs, the eliminated chefs (main show and LCK) are kept around while the entire season up to the destination for the finale is filmed, sequestered so that no one outside knows who and in what order they were booted.

[AnnaBaptist]

On his Instagram, David Murphy said "I wasn't allowed to participate, beyond that I can't say anything else...NDAs"

He is doublefastdave

[stewedsquash]

I'm not saying that Tom decided not to allow him to participate but I think someone in charge maybe wouldn't let him participate because of how he twice treated Tom in an aggressive way. The hat comment and then the fucking shrimp comment. I mean, to go weird angle here, the guy did seem a little off towards Tom.

Or they could have decided that he was "role playing" as a way to sabotage the season? He was kind of weird with Kristin with his parting comment also.

[Quilt Fairy]

From the Milwaukee Journal:

Quote

David Murphy, who was the first cheftestant eliminated, was not in the episode, and "Last Chance Kitchen" did not explain why Murphy was not back in the kitchen.

 

[ProudMary]

It certainly seems as if David was shown the door. If he was sick or had some type of personal or family emergency that would have made it impossible for him to participate in LCK, I think something would have been mentioned. Then, to have him say, "I wasn't allowed to participate" on his Insta doesn't give the impression that it was his choice.

We've seen many assholes on Top Chef over the years and we've seen their antics play out on screen. Only one contestant was ever asked to leave; Cliff Crooks in Season 2. Even then, they showed us what he did on camera. For whatever reason David wasn't allowed to compete in LCK, I don't think it was because of anything we were shown on screen. JMO, of course. I think the reason will eventually come out. It's a pretty big unanswered question. Some entertainment reporter is out there sniffing around, I'm sure.

As for the LCK challenge: Really Valentine, corn puree again? Why risk it when no one was happy with it in the main challenge? Also, a seafood boil has actual corn in it, usually still on the cob. While I don't think it needed to be served that way, just incorporate corn kernels into the dish.

We'll have to see if Soo has five wins in him, to make it to the mothership. 

 

 

 

[Irlandesa]

I don't think Soo is an alternate.  Since this show lives on streaming, they could have easily waited until the third week to start it. 

I suspect Soo was the plan all the long to do something different and it's why I expect him to show up in week 5 or 6--just to see the chefs go "who's that?"

[dleighg]

is anyone familiar with the product that Soo used to coat his lobster? Pearl rice or something like that? I've never heard of it.

My thought on his dish was that it looked very colorless. Plus those fried rice noodles don't really taste like anything. I guess you can dip them in the sauce he made.

[ALittleShelfish]

7 hours ago, ProudMary said:

as for the LCK challenge: Really Valentine, corn puree again? Why risk it when no one was happy with it in the main challenge?

 

We were yelling at the television with that.  Like sure, LCK usually Tom throws a challenge related to what someone was PYKAG'd for, but to be the guy who VOLUNTARILY does it?  At no point did Tom do the usual "Valentine, in the challenge you effed up toasted corn and so now this challenge in LCK, you'll be making a dish consisting of nothing BUT toasted corn nuts.  And include a beverage."  Valentine, you got in your own way. 

[Fukui San]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

is anyone familiar with the product that Soo used to coat his lobster? Pearl rice or something like that? I've never heard of it.

My thought on his dish was that it looked very colorless. Plus those fried rice noodles don't really taste like anything. I guess you can dip them in the sauce he made.

Looks like it might be this:

https://shop.pacgourmet.com/products/rice-pearls-for-tempura?variant=43597495959809

A rice cracker but in teeny, tiny bits.

[mlp]

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2024/03/top-chef-wisconsin-episode-2-recap-last-chance-kitchen-chef/?utm_source=realityblurred&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=reality-blurred-newsletter-issue-376

[stewedsquash]

@mlp That article cleared up several things about this episode. Especially about how this challenge was set up as a progressive meal but wasn’t really done that way.  I hope if there will be weekly recaps like above that you will post them each time. 

[KristenR]

I wonder if David didn't get to do LCK because, in a way, he already had? He got a second chance in the TC episode and failed at that as well.

ETA: Seeing the post below with Tom's statement, clearly my theory is incorrect!

Edited March 29 by KristenR
I was WRONG.

[ProudMary]

8 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

I don't think Soo is an alternate.  Since this show lives on streaming, they could have easily waited until the third week to start it. 

I suspect Soo was the plan all the long to do something different and it's why I expect him to show up in week 5 or 6--just to see the chefs go "who's that?"

I agree with you on this, but in my opinion, it opens up a whole new can of worms. If they're trying to "shake things up" by bringing a completely unknown contestant into the main competition this way, doesn't that compromise the legitimacy of LCK? Do any of the next four chefs eliminated from the main competition have a true opportunity to get back in, if the producers' goal is to bring Soo into the main show this way?

When you pair this with the producers being tight-lipped about the reason Hat Guy David isn't competing in LCK, it's a bad look.

[caitmcg]

Interesting...

 

[Rai]

The mystery deepens! If he did opt out, I would feel like my theory was supported. But Tom's and David's accounts seem pretty contradictory.

[ProudMary]

Now we have Tom saying that David "opted out" while the contestant says he "wasn't allowed to participate."

There's something fishy going on here.

[stewedsquash]

Both could be true. If David was given parameters, behavior/cooking/rules, etc, that he did’t agree with, after his elimination/LCK territory,  he could feel as if he “wasn’t allowed to participate”. And Tom saying “he opted out” is true if David didn’t want to follow what was laid out. 
eta @ProudMary all that to say that yes, I agree, something happened. Something came up after the elimination. 
 

Edited March 29 by stewedsquash

[carrps]

Eh, sounds like David is hiding behind his NDAs. 

[CrazyInAlabama]

Yes, the 16th contestant, Soo, is in LCK against the chef eliminated from episode 2.  Soo only appeared when LCK started.  Tom said Soo has to beat five other chefs to make it into TC.    

No hint of why David disappeared at the end of episode 1, never to be seen again.   

[ratgirlagogo]

On 3/28/2024 at 11:31 AM, Fukui San said:

The timing of LCK was always a bit fuzzy to me. Do they film them all in one chunk just before the return episode? Or spread out as they are eliminated?

An answer from (again!)  Andy Dehnart from the excellent Reality Blurred:

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2022/04/top-chef-last-chance-kitchen-filming-survivor-torches-flint-fire/

I miss the days when there were so many websites doing recaps.  Nowadays websites don't want to pay anybody to do anything, and/or they've switched over to long exhausting podcasts.

[Yeah No]

23 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

Both could be true. If David was given parameters, behavior/cooking/rules, etc, that he did’t agree with, after his elimination/LCK territory,  he could feel as if he “wasn’t allowed to participate”. And Tom saying “he opted out” is true if David didn’t want to follow what was laid out. 
eta @ProudMary all that to say that yes, I agree, something happened. Something came up after the elimination. 

Something is indeed fishy here and I like your train of thought.  I think he may have been told he would be competing against Soo and would likely lose so he had the choice of whether to stay and lose or just leave of his own accord.  They may have even given him a bonus if he left.  In his mind he wasn't allowed to participate but in their minds they gave him a choice.  I don't really see that as much of a choice, though.  It's a typical way of strong-arming someone out of a contract or company. 

BTW, this is the way companies get rid of their older employees and get around being accused of "age discrimination".  They give them the option of staying or taking a rather large "buyout" package that would make staying stupid because it would be more money than they would make if they just stayed and worked till retirement age.

As to why this guy was strong-armed out, my guess is maybe he pissed off Tom, perhaps even worse off camera and he just wanted him gone.

About Valentine, yeah, he was stupid to do another too-thick corn purée but he also probably got screwed because if he had competed against David he might have had a chance.  I liked him and am sorry to see him go.

About Soo, I am not loving the concept of a 16th contestant fighting their way into the competition.  I agree with others that feel like this is some kind of gimmick and that he has the edge on getting back into the competition.  I don't like to think that way and prefer to believe this show is above those types of gimmicks, but it is hard not to wonder.

But here's another possible twist - If after whoever wins after the 5 competitions leaves LCK to go into the regular competition, will they bring in another "new" contestant who will compete against the next person eliminated or will they go back to the old format? Maybe they'll surprise us and bring David back then!  So that would explain why he said he wasn't allowed to compete.  They may have given him the choice to compete then against Soo or wait until the second part of LCK to come back and compete against whoever was eliminated next and that's why Tom said he "opted out".  Perhaps he did but only temporarily.  

Confused yet?  I suppose this is not any more confusing than it already was, LOL 🤪

[caitmcg]

32 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

About Soo, I am not loving the concept of a 16th contestant fighting their way into the competition.  I agree with others that feel like this is some kind of gimmick and that he has the edge on getting back into the competition.  I don't like to think that way and prefer to believe this show is above those types of gimmicks, but it is hard not to wonder.

Didn't they do something similar several seasons back in the second half of LCK, bringing a group of past contestants in to compete and have one try to win their way into the main contest?

51 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I think he may have been told he would be competing against Soo and would likely lose so he had the choice of whether to stay and lose or just leave of his own accord.  They may have even given him a bonus if he left.  In his mind he wasn't allowed to participate but in their minds they gave him a choice.  I don't really see that as much of a choice, though.  It's a typical way of strong-arming someone out of a contract or company. 

This scenario seems pretty unlikely to me, that the producers would tell him, "you'll probably lose, so if you want to save face you might want to just bail." 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Didn't they do something similar several seasons back in the second half of LCK, bringing a group of past contestants in to compete and have one try to win their way into the main contest?

Yes, in the Colorado season Marcel, Kwame, Jenn, and Lee Anne competed in LCK and Lee Anne wound up joining the regular competition.  I remember it happening, but not any details; according to what I read in a brief internet search, the timing - of how many LCK competitions before joining the main competition in progress - seems to have been the same as what's going to happen this season.

Edited March 31 by Bastet

[ProudMary]

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I think he may have been told he would be competing against Soo and would likely lose so he had the choice of whether to stay and lose or just leave of his own accord.  They may have even given him a bonus if he left.

 

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

About Valentine, yeah, he was stupid to do another too-thick corn purée but he also probably got screwed because if he had competed against David he might have had a chance.

@Yeah No I hope you don't mind that I've cherry-picked two quotes from your comments a few posts up. I agree with both of them and I chose them because each possible scenario fortifies something I had mentioned upthread. It really seems to me that LCK's legitimacy is being compromised here by the actions (inactions?) of the producers.

Considering the checkered history of game shows in the US, dating back to the 1950s, this is NOT a good look. They absolutely need to come clean about what really happened here; the sooner the better.

Also, I can't believe that I'm having to "defend" David the Hat Guy, because I wanted him gone from his first appearance on screen, as I mentioned in my early post in the S21, Ep.01 thread, but the manner in which this is being handled is not cool!

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Didn't they do something similar several seasons back in the second half of LCK, bringing a group of past contestants in to compete and have one try to win their way into the main contest?

They may have, I don't remember.  But if they did I'm sure I didn't like it then either.

3 hours ago, caitmcg said:

This scenario seems pretty unlikely to me, that the producers would tell him, "you'll probably lose, so if you want to save face you might want to just bail." 

I've been on 2 so-called reality shows, I can totally see this happening especially if they didn't like him!

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

 

@Yeah No I hope you don't mind that I've cherry-picked two quotes from your comments a few posts up. I agree with both of them and I chose them because each possible scenario fortifies something I had mentioned upthread. It really seems to me that LCK's legitimacy is being compromised here by the actions (inactions?) of the producers.

Considering the checkered history of game shows in the US, dating back to the 1950s, this is NOT a good look. They absolutely need to come clean about what really happened here; the sooner the better.

Also, I can't believe that I'm having to "defend" David the Hat Guy, because I wanted him gone from his first appearance on screen, as I mentioned in my early post in the S21, Ep.01 thread, but the manner in which this is being handled is not cool!

No, I don't mind at all and I couldn't agree with you more about everything.  I don't know if they're ever going to want to be honest about it depending on what the real reason was.  I agree about David - I wanted him gone too but still think he should have been allowed to compete in LCK.  I want to believe him that he wasn't allowed to compete but I don't know if we'll ever know the truth.  He could be lying too.  I'm sure that whatever happened there must have been some friction between him and the show that lead to this situation.  And knowing what a jerk he probably is I don't know if he can be believed.

[Salacious Kitty]

Wouldn't he have an NDA that prohibits him from discussing such behind the scenes scenarios?