S03.E15: Taste Of Success

[DanaK]

Quote

In the semi-finals, the final four chefs face a tangy twist as they're tasked with showcasing one of the classic taste elements. With limited time on the clock, every dash, pinch or sprinkle could mean the difference between securing a coveted spot in the grand finale or facing the heat in a final elimination cook-off in the all-new "Taste of Success" episode of Next Level Chef airing Thursday, May 2 (8:00-9:02 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

 

[KeithJ]

First of all, what happened to Gabi’s arm.  It hasn’t been like that the whole season has it?

Secondly, this show really feels rigged and the fix is in for Zach.  Richard thought the vanilla on his dish was odd and the only negative thing about Jordan’s dish was the broken sauce.  I think Nyesha even had more compliments for Jordan’s than Zach’s.  Odd taste beats a broken sauce?

[Thalia]

I think you are right @KeithJ -- once again we have one chef from each team.  But apart of that, I can't imagine that anyone connected with this show wanted Jordan in the final.   He followed the same pattern.  Every.  Week.  His time management sucks, causing him to turn in a bottom 2 dish.  Then, he manages to pull it together for the cook-off.   There has to be some difference between the two environments that caused him to choke at one and excel at the other. 

Zach seemed destined to win this thing during the first 2/3 of the season.  I've been rooting for him all along, but I wonder if he can pull it together next week.   He needs to quit trying to outdo himself with every dish.  Multiple elements are nice, but not if it causes you to make simple mistakes elsewhere. 

[rlc]

Apparently I didn’t have to actually watch this episode to know that the two women would be on the top, and the two men would have to battle it out. Don’t care about the actual food- just glad that Jordan is off my tv. 

And if the fix is in, the nurse with the special needs child (and one of the most annoying voices I’ve ever heard) will win the season.

[mertensia]

Booooring.

 

[cameron]

12 hours ago, KeithJ said:

First of all, what happened to Gabi’s arm.  It hasn’t been like that the whole season has it?

Secondly, this show really feels rigged and the fix is in for Zach.  Richard thought the vanilla on his dish was odd and the only negative thing about Jordan’s dish was the broken sauce.  I think Nyesha even had more compliments for Jordan’s than Zach’s.  Odd taste beats a broken sauce?

Not sure what you mean about Gaby's arm.  Looked normal to me.

[KeithJ]

5 hours ago, cameron said:

Not sure what you mean about Gaby's arm.  Looked normal to me.

It's more her hand but it looks like she has some pretty good burns on it.  I don't remember them showing that happening.

[cameron]

5 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

It's more her hand but it looks like she has some pretty good burns on it.  I don't remember them showing that happening.

I'll have to go back and rewatch.

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, KeithJ said:

It's more her hand but it looks like she has some pretty good burns on it.  I don't remember them showing that happening.

They didn't. They only showed the oil popping, which hit Jordan on the arms, and Gordon in his face, before Gordon covered the skillet.  And of course him cutting "a chunk" of skin from his finger.

Could those just be the beets' juice on her hands? I just watched this awhile ago and there was no mention of Gabi burning herself.

And THANK YOU FOOD GODS. My national nightmare is ovah! Jordan is FINALLY GONE.

[KeithJ]

Just now, GHScorpiosRule said:

They didn't. They only showed the oil popping, which hit Jordan on the arms, and Gordon in his face, before Gordon covered the skillet.  And of course him cutting "a chunk" of skin from his finger.

Could those just be the beets' juice on her hands? I just watched this awhile ago and there was no mention of Gabi burning herself.

It's definitely not juice.  They are burns from what looks like splatter.  It wouldn't be from Jordan's though.  They weren't in the same kitchen and his splatter came during the elimination challenge.

[eclectcmoi]

If I'm remembering correctly Gabi burned her arm with splatter from her own cooking on the last episode.  I can't remember what it was she was cooking, but I do remember her holding it after it happened.  

[KeithJ]

39 minutes ago, eclectcmoi said:

If I'm remembering correctly Gabi burned her arm with splatter from her own cooking on the last episode.  I can't remember what it was she was cooking, but I do remember her holding it after it happened.  

I went back and checked.  It was actually episode 12 and she did it during the elimination challenge.

[blackwing]

Finally Jordan is gone!   For whatever reason, they chose to keep him on the show for so long at the expense of much better chefs like Von and Izayah.

On 5/2/2024 at 8:06 PM, KeithJ said:

Secondly, this show really feels rigged and the fix is in for Zach.  Richard thought the vanilla on his dish was odd and the only negative thing about Jordan’s dish was the broken sauce.  I think Nyesha even had more compliments for Jordan’s than Zach’s.  Odd taste beats a broken sauce?

I actually thought this show was a real competition during the first season.  In the second season, when one contestant from each mentor again made it to the final, it was looking more and more rigged.

This season, I am more convinced than ever that the show is rigged.  I thought from almost the start that Zack is the anointed winner.  He was on Richard’s team.  Richard is the only one who hasn’t won yet.  He is a guy.  Two women won the previous two seasons.

I fully agree with you that the comments about Zack’s dish were that some of the things tasted funny.  The vanilla didn’t work with the veal.   Jordan surprisingly got good comments, the only complaint was that the beurre blanc was broken.  But everything tasted great.  
 

I would have thought that the judges would assume that the fish was cooked by Zack, since he loves to play up that aspect of being in Hawaii and cooking seafood.   But somehow both of them chose the veal.  
 

I am convinced that whichever judge is supervising the cooking tells the other two in advance whose dish is whose.  They will decide in advance whether they will put the contestants’ dishes on the table in front of them, or whether they will have the orders switched.  Or maybe there is some kind of prearranged signal, like one scratch of the head means the dishes are straight on, two scratches means they are reversed.  There’s no way both of them would have picked the veal otherwise.  

On 5/2/2024 at 8:57 PM, rlc said:

Apparently I didn’t have to actually watch this episode to know that the two women would be on the top, and the two men would have to battle it out. Don’t care about the actual food- just glad that Jordan is off my tv. 

And if the fix is in, the nurse with the special needs child (and one of the most annoying voices I’ve ever heard) will win the season.

Too bad for her she got put on Nyesha’s team.  And yes, I truly loathe her voice.  It’s whiny and petulant and tremulous and unconfident.  

8 hours ago, KeithJ said:

It's more her hand but it looks like she has some pretty good burns on it.  I don't remember them showing that happening.

I thought it was last episode or the one before, where she got burned by the cast iron pan or something.  I remember her saying something about touching 500 degrees and it was going to leave a mark. 

[mertensia]

To expand on my comment: anti-climactic. The only surprise was what they were  going to cook.

I can't imagine going on this show and slowly realizing I'm just cannon fodder for the pre-chosen winner.

[potatoradio]

Man, I keep telling myself that Christina's obnoxiousness may be primarily from anxiety and a natural Type A competitiveness, but good lord, I think she needs to go home. The histrionics, the fake "oh my Gooooddddd, you LIKED it?! Oh my goooodddd....I can't believe how much confidence this gives me for my DREAM...." 

Stop, please just stop. You do NOT have a confidence problem, lady. Also, you maybe should stop saying that you have put your dreams on hold because of your special needs child. That is not coming across the way you think it is. Also, I'm not so sure I want to be a patient of yours if you're in the ICU constantly whining about how you'd rather be making a lamb chop. 

However, since the second drop always seems to benefit you, I would not be surprised if the magical elves liked your whining enough to fix this for you. Grrrrrr.

Should be Izayah, Von and Zach in the finale. Yeah, I know, I know, that would be all men. Sigh. This woman would actually be excited to watch the finale between those three instead of Zach and two very fretful, thirsty, nails-on-chalkboard-voiced people. 

[DanaK]

I can’t help but feel that when they get down to the last 4, no one should be in the basement

Eliminating Jordan was for the best. He definitely has poor time management skills. What kind of chef is he again, professional or home cook?

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, DanaK said:

 

Eliminating Jordan was for the best. He definitely has poor time management skills. What kind of chef is he again, professional or home cook?

I’m pretty sure he’s social media.

[blackwing]

On 5/4/2024 at 11:14 AM, potatoradio said:

Man, I keep telling myself that Christina's obnoxiousness may be primarily from anxiety and a natural Type A competitiveness, but good lord, I think she needs to go home. The histrionics, the fake "oh my Gooooddddd, you LIKED it?! Oh my goooodddd....I can't believe how much confidence this gives me for my DREAM...." 

Stop, please just stop. You do NOT have a confidence problem, lady. Also, you maybe should stop saying that you have put your dreams on hold because of your special needs child. That is not coming across the way you think it is. Also, I'm not so sure I want to be a patient of yours if you're in the ICU constantly whining about how you'd rather be making a lamb chop. 

However, since the second drop always seems to benefit you, I would not be surprised if the magical elves liked your whining enough to fix this for you. Grrrrrr.

Should be Izayah, Von and Zach in the finale. Yeah, I know, I know, that would be all men. Sigh. This woman would actually be excited to watch the finale between those three instead of Zach and two very fretful, thirsty, nails-on-chalkboard-voiced people. 

Fully agree about Christina.  And it is indeed convenient for her that the second drop often helps her immensely.  The week where they had to make sushi rolls and she didn't get any rice, and then somehow in the midround drop there is rice?  Yeah right.  The midround drop is supposed to be something that is added to the dish.  Nobody who had actually followed the assignment would have wanted to add more rice to their dish.

She seems a bit neurotic and anxious.  I wonder what her bosses think about watching her on this show.  Saying it's her dream to be a chef.  She's only stuck being a nurse because she isn't a chef.

I like your final of Izayah, Von and Zack.  Von and Izayah were my two favourites.  But I think a better final would have been Zack, Von and Gabi.  The judges seemed to like Gabi a lot more than Izayah.  This way it wouldn't have been all single sex, and at least one minority in the final.  Zack still would have won, as he had been handpicked from the start.  But we would have gotten a few exra weeks of Von's cooking.  I think Von was robbed.  He got kicked out early to clear the way for Zack because he was Zack's strongest competition.

[oliviabenson]

On 5/3/2024 at 2:53 PM, KeithJ said:

It's more her hand but it looks like she has some pretty good burns on it.  I don't remember them showing that happening.

She burned her arm in previous episode making something, steak maybe? 

Christina grates on my last nerve. She is supremely annoying. No one cares about her sob story. 
 

At least finally Jordan is gone. He is also annoying and useless.