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Season 21: Spoilers And Spoiler Discussion

TakomaSnark

By TakomaSnark
in Top Chef

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TakomaSnark

TakomaSnark

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I don't think this speculation is truly spoilery, but wanted to err on the safe side from putting it elsewhere.

I have seen it suggested in other forums that having a ringer come barnstorming out of LCK seems like a reference to Kristen and would obviously be even moreso should he win. I hope that TC would not resort to such an obvious attempt at a planned narrative but given the overall mediocrity of this James Beard-nominee heavy crowd, it's hard to shake.  It would be one way to make sure the first post-Padma season clearly has put Padma in the rearview mirror by making it so much about Kristen and her history.

(On a side note... I'm starting to wonder what the value of a Beard Award or nomination is anymore. Perhaps they give out too many.)

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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

Top Chef season 21 episode 6 preview: The Bear star stops by!
April 19, 2024
https://cartermatt.com/649753/top-chef-season-21-episode-6-preview-the-bear-star-stops-by/ 

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For starters, let’s remind you of the twist from Last Chance Kitchen. There are actually two contestants coming into the competition. One of them in Kaleena is familiar to everyone in the competition at present; the other in Soo is a total surprise, given that he’s never been in the actual show at all. What he did to make it to this point is legitimately impressive and he could be a serious force to be reckoned with.

Now, let’s move on to the next thing — guest stars! Christina Tosi, well known for Milk Bar as well as being a one-time MasterChef judge, is going to be a big part of the Quickfire. The synopsis below indicates that further:

  • The chefs receive a shock with a Last Chance Kitchen surprise that alters the game; Kristen is joined by Christina Tosi of Milk Bar for a sweet Quickfire in which the chefs must make a dessert that contains dairy.

Meanwhile, at some point in this episode, you are also going to be seeing The Bear star Matty Matheson (who is also a chef) stop by for a challenge that seems to be all about chaos. After all, isn’t that something pretty synonymous with his show? (Matty plays Fak on the Hulu / FX sensation.)

Edited by tv echo
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ProudMary

ProudMary

11 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

I have seen it suggested in other forums that having a ringer come barnstorming out of LCK seems like a reference to Kristen and would obviously be even moreso should he win. I hope that TC would not resort to such an obvious attempt at a planned narrative but given the overall mediocrity of this James Beard-nominee heavy crowd, it's hard to shake.  It would be one way to make sure the first post-Padma season clearly has put Padma in the rearview mirror by making it so much about Kristen and her history.

My main issue with any online speculation about this being some type of homage to Kristen's Top Chef  journey is that Kristen was not a producer-created ringer! She won her season legitimately. She just happened to do it by returning fron LCK and being the first person to do that. I have no problem with a chef coming back from LCK to win. That's organic; but this whole idea that Soo is "Contestant #16" only his competition began in LCK is absolute BS, in my opinion. I'm fine with the other changes in the "we're going to shake things up" department, but this doesn't sit well at all. Also, this bad look was compounded by the whole "What happened to David the Hat Guy and why isn't he competing in LCK?" situation. It all just smells funny.

I like Soo and he certainly seems to be a chef that will be a contender for the title. He seems stronger than at least half of the remaining chefs in the main competition, but if he goes on to win, I think it will always seem as if there needs to be an asterisk after his name. 

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TakomaSnark

TakomaSnark

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I don’t mean to suggest that Kristen’s win was engineered but I absolutely believe the Magical Elves would love a parallel path to success for someone in Kristen’s first year of hosting. I think Tom very much wants this LCK twist to work and that’s why there was little question Soo would win five straight to go into the competition. Otherwise, why do this? Viewers would have no incentive to root for a random chef brought into LCK going up against chefs we are asked to be interested in on the show, especially if the former would be knocked off in one or two LCK challenges.

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Yeah No

Yeah No

17 hours ago, TakomaSnark said:

I don’t mean to suggest that Kristen’s win was engineered but I absolutely believe the Magical Elves would love a parallel path to success for someone in Kristen’s first year of hosting. I think Tom very much wants this LCK twist to work and that’s why there was little question Soo would win five straight to go into the competition. Otherwise, why do this? Viewers would have no incentive to root for a random chef brought into LCK going up against chefs we are asked to be interested in on the show, especially if the former would be knocked off in one or two LCK challenges.

Thank you for posting all this, I agree with you and have written my opinion about it in the current episode thread.  First of all I think Soo was deliberately on a higher level than the people he competed against in LCK so that was step one to ensuring he'd go on to the main competition.  Step 2 was in conveniently not eliminating two people twice and of course he was one of them.  It just felt so obviously contrived and pre-ordained.  And I'm not loving that.  If they want people to think the show is fair that kind of stuff isn't going to help.  They may think what they've done with him isn't changing the way things would have worked out anyway but I somehow doubt that.  I would have had no issue if they brought him straight into the regular competition cold like any other contestant.  I also just don't like the deception, it doesn't feel right on a show like this.  It feels like cheap reality show crap and this show should be above that stuff if it wants to continue to be taken seriously.

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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

Next week's episode (airing May 1) is titled "Sausage Race"...

https://m.imdb.com/news/ni64551590/?ref_=nws_nwr_li 

Quote

Joining Kristen in the kitchen is Bryan Voltaggio, who will help judge the chefs’ abilities in flambé and charring techniques. But that’s not all – the competition heats up as Amar Santana brings a unique twist to the challenge by incorporating the famous Milwaukee Brewers racing sausages into the mix.

Set at the iconic American Family Field, the chefs must create mouthwatering dishes with a focus on sausage. With the pressure on and the clock ticking, the contestants must impress the judges with their creativity and execution.


Go to link if you want to watch this preview (6:45 min.):
Burn the Competition [VIDEO]
https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-21/videos/burn-the-competition 

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Top Chef Master and All-Star Bryan Voltaggio oversees the 20-minute Quickfire Challenge of putting the pots and pans to the test ... with $10,000 up for grabs.

Edited by tv echo
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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

Watching that preview for the Quickfire Challenge, at one point it looks like Laura took a drink directly from one of the wine bottles (probably to sample its flavor). Then it looks like she capped it and put the bottle back. If so, her back wash is going to be in the rest of that wine. So her villain edit continues.

Edited by tv echo
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CrazyInAlabama

CrazyInAlabama

2 hours ago, tv echo said:

Watching that preview for the Quickfire Challenge, at one point it looks like Laura took a drink directly from one of the wine bottles (probably to sample its flavor). Then it looks like she capped it and put the bottle back. If so, her back wash is going to be in rest of that wine. So her villain edit continues.

She was crouched down, took a huge swig, and put the cap back on.    I'll have to watch and see if she takes it with her, but that's still icky.   I'm not liking her a bit.  She can say that she's getting a bad edit, but they can't show what doesn't happen.   

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ProudMary

ProudMary

I like this change, too. I wonder if they will do this every season moving forward?

I think the judges are giving themselves some additional info upon which to make their decisions because none of the remaining S21 cheftestants have pulled away from the pack. All of the chefs who have won challenges have also ended up bottom three in others. It's been a weird season, especially following the past two seasons where Buddha completely dominated.

I've said elsewhere on the TC forum, that I think Savannah's a sleeper to make the final four. Michelle's my favorite, but I like what we've seen from Savannah, even though she's been mostly under the radar.

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tv echo

tv echo

(edited)

Whoa...

Check Out a Sneak Peek of This Week's Episode of 'Top Chef: Wisconsin'
MIKE BLOOMUP   MAY 21, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/top-chef-wisconsin-episode-10-exclusive-clip-all-star-alumni-fish-boil 

Quote

... But they're met by much more than host Kristen Kish and judges Tom Collicchio and Gail Simmons. Also staring them down are six Top Chef alumni. The group includes Gregory Gourdet (Season 12 finalist & Season 17), Shota Nakajima (Season 18 finalist), Mei Lin (Season 12 winner), Sara Bradley (Season 16 finalist & Season 20 finalist), Justin Sutherland (Season 16), and Jeremy Ford (Season 13).

Edited by tv echo

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