S22.E10: From Dep Till Dawn

[ProudMary]

Airdate: Thursday, May 15, 2025

Synopsis:

Comedian Punkie Johnson tests the chefs' creativity when they're asked to create a dish using only items found in a Canadian convenience store. The chefs pay homage to the four seasons using only produce from Montreal's rooftop gardens.

[Bastet]

Kristen saying the guest judge was "standing in for Tom" when he made the glass ceiling joke made me laugh.  As did Vinny saying "That's creepy" about Massimo's laugh.

César's QF dish was the hands-down winner due to the creativity.

While I thought Shuai was the clear winner in the EC, I like how Massimo and Bailey both went for it -- he broke his own rule about doing something for the first time because he believed if it worked it would be a great dish, and she made something she knew would be polarizing because she believed those who liked it would love it.  And they were both right.

Vinny's consomme sounded truly terrible.  I rolled my eyes when he said he "didn't get" to show who he is as a chef; no, dude, your stupid mission statement was to cook for your mentors, and that's all you did -- you chose not to show who you are as a chef, because you have no idea.

[Thumper]

Did anyone else notice that two of the guest judges at the end had sour looks on their faces through most of the judging?   It was very strange!

I think Tom swayed the judging on Bailey’s dish!  lol. I’m happy she and Lana are still in, though.

[bravofan27]

Wow, it seems like Tristen doesn't like Massimo either. Not sure what triggers Tristen about Massimo, but it seems a little obsessive and not too healthy.

I loved Gail's pink jumpsuit. So cute.

I have no idea who Punky Johnson is. I'm not sure how they went from Punky (whose from NY and not French) to connect to bodegas. It was a stretch. She had to cook in her dressing room from bodegas? Not sure about that, because NYC has a million all night markets with pretty much anything you need/want.

Loved Lana's racoon hands. Very exactly like raccoons when they are eating something.

Weird they went from ultra processed food challenge to sustainable food challenge.

 

 

 

[Daisychain]

 

Quote

Did anyone else notice that two of the guest judges at the end had sour looks on their faces through most of the judging?   It was very strange!

Yes, one of them constantly looked like she was eating f-rts very dramatically!

I couldn't place Punkie Johnson, but I must have seen her in many SNL skits - it kept bugging me while I was watching.  I thought she had good comments.  

[dleighg]

9 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

Weird they went from ultra processed food challenge to sustainable food challenge.

and I noticed one of them (can't remember who) when preparing food in the "chef house" put PB and J just in the center of a piece of bread and then cut all the crust away with a glass. Wasteful, wasteful, wasteful!

Glad it wasn't Tristan getting sent home. I'm guessing it wasn't as close as they made it seem.

Making mozzarella out of cheese curds. Clever!

[paramitch]

Wow, this one was a nail-biter because I hated seeing Lana and especially Tristen have to fight it out so hard to win through from the bottom dishes here. And I felt bad for Tristen because he had no idea there was no blender until right when he needed it -- which seemed weird to me -- the bodega had a pressure cooker and other appliances, but no BLENDER? But it was great to see Cesar excel -- whether or not he wins this, Cesar is obviously brilliant and unique and will do great things. He's also adored -- it was charming to see how thrilled people were that he was back.

However, I was really happy for Schwai, who (as with Vinny) hasn't really felt like he made his mark yet. But this felt so accomplished and personal, and it was lovely to see the support from his wife when he needed it. I also got a kick out of the fact that Schwai was the one who "whooped" with the girls at being top 7! Really cute and funny.

Speaking of "cute," Bailey, I've grown to like you, girl, but you gotta find another word than "cute" to describe things. (It doesn't help that she says it almost exactly like Alexis in "Schitt's Creek," with this affected kind of "keeyuu" where the "t" is barely there.) But it was great to see her take such a huge creative leap here, and I loved that Tom championed her dish. She and Lana are also visibly, genuinely supportive of each other, which I love to see.

Vinny? It's weird because I went from feeling like Vinny was a ginormous tool in the first episode to kind of being swayed by his obvious talent... to thinking he was a tool again... then somewhere around three episodes ago, I kind of found a soft spot for him. The fact that he was grieving the loss of his mentor and that he seems genuinely kind to the other cheftestants got to me, and in spite of his skills and superlative experience, he also visibly has a lot of self-doubt. I also like that he's openly cried several times on the show -- I always wish more guys would do that.

Unlike with Ilan, who I just felt sneer-walked his way to a win with the Casa Mono menu in his pocket, I wasn't mad at Vinny for cooking too derivatively, I just felt a little sorry for him. It's obvious he has the makings of a creative chef, but he is still very obviously learning how to mix that with technique and training. I appreciated that he himself expressed that it was right for him to go home and he exited like a class act. I'll be rooting for him going forward in life.

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

While I thought Shuai was the clear winner in the EC, I like how Massimo and Bailey both went for it -- he broke his own rule about doing something for the first time because he believed if it worked it would be a great dish, and she made something she knew would be polarizing because she believed those who liked it would love it.  And they were both right.

Vinny's consomme sounded truly terrible.  I rolled my eyes when he said he "didn't get" to show who he is as a chef; no, dude, your stupid mission statement was to cook for your mentors, and that's all you did -- you chose not to show who you are as a chef, because you have no idea.

Beautifully put about Schwai and Bailey. I agree, and it's always fun to watch chefs find that inner confidence and do something genuinely creative.

On Vinny, I felt differently once I realized that he was focused on honoring his mentor who had just passed away recently. It made it less about ego and more about respecting someone who had given him a chance, and that moved me. Even if it was frustrating to see him never quite do what he's obviously capable of.

In the end, I really think Vinny wasn't making excuses so much as acknowledging his weakness. He was the one who didn't let himself show who he is, and I liked that he exited expressing openly that now is job is to find out who he is, what he wants to cook, and to then express that.

10 hours ago, Thumper said:

Did anyone else notice that two of the guest judges at the end had sour looks on their faces through most of the judging?   It was very strange!

Oh, my GOD, yes, that one woman just had stankface the entire time! She didn't look like she liked anything, and she was by far the nitpickiest. She's the classic example for me of a food critic who has forgotten to simply enjoy the food they are critiquing -- something I think Tom and Kristen are able to do, for instance, very well. She was so unpleasant to watch. Ugh.

28 minutes ago, dleighg said:

and I noticed one of them (can't remember who) when preparing food in the "chef house" put PB and J just in the center of a piece of bread and then cut all the crust away with a glass. Wasteful, wasteful, wasteful!

It was Vinny! Which made me laugh. I've seen cutting the crusts off, but that circle meant that he actually only ate half the sandwich! Sheesh! In an episode about consumption, that was pretty ironic.

[sugarbaker design]

10 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

Wow, it seems like Tristen doesn't like Massimo either. Not sure what triggers Tristen about Massimo, but it seems a little obsessive and not too healthy.

Tristan mentioned during the walk on the edge that Mass was uncharacteristically quiet.  Mass seems like a small doses person, they're fine in small doses but for long periods of time they're insufferable.  Tris just seems annoyed, not obsessive.

[tvfanatic13]

45 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

Tristan mentioned during the walk on the edge that Mass was uncharacteristically quiet.  Mass seems like a small doses person, they're fine in small doses but for long periods of time they're insufferable.  Tris just seems annoyed, not obsessive.

I’m annoyed as well. Lol. I can’t imagine living and working in close quarters with him. 

[rhofmovalley]

Maybe Massimo never stops talking? My brother's former wife spoke constantly. I used to wonder how she managed to stay alive because it seemed she never breathed in.  I would also find it annoying that Massimo claims to be knowledgeable about pretty much everything. 

3 hours ago, paramitch said:

Schwai

Interesting spelling! I guess it's phonetic?

[The Solution]

Basically everything (except maybe Cesar's dish) in the QC looked disgusting, but that wasn't their fault.

Again, I would have been happy to eat everything (except maybe Vinny's dish) in the EC. Yes, even Bailey's dish although I still wish she came with a volume control. Lana's dish actually sounded really good to me and I don't normally like that kind of food. The judges made the right decisions today.

[bravofan27]

10 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Tristan mentioned during the walk on the edge that Mass was uncharacteristically quiet.  Mass seems like a small doses person, they're fine in small doses but for long periods of time they're insufferable.  Tris just seems annoyed, not obsessive.

This is what Tristen said, "Massimo is my biggest motivator. And this is going to come out bad. In a way, he represents everything I'm cooking against. Him always in my face about Italian cuisine and French cuisine, I want to top that so badly."

Sounds like it's more than he talks too much. And not to get to DEI, Massimo has a right to be himself and not bullied because someone doesn't like him or triggers them. He hasn't said anything critical about anyone. Let the man be himself. I'm not sure why Tristen hates him so much-- but I do think something triggers him and he IMO, needs to just focus on his own cooking, and not trying to one-up Massimo. It's a toxic head space to get into.  

Edited Saturday at 12:04 AM by bravofan27

[Daisychain]

I watched this episode when I had insomnia last night, and then tried to sleep on my opinion - I've reached maximum Massimo tolerance.  I think the producers like him more than I do, because I feel like he's constantly on screen with talking heads or as the focus of the antics in the kitchen.  I realize he's put out good food, but the loudness.  Shhh.  Do, don't say.

[Bastet]

7 hours ago, paramitch said:

It was Vinny! Which made me laugh. I've seen cutting the crusts off, but that circle meant that he actually only ate half the sandwich! Sheesh! In an episode about consumption, that was pretty ironic.

Yeah, my first thought was "Really, you eat that way at home?" but then my second was "Why not just make half a sandwich rather than wasting bread?"  Or, if it was about making sure the PB&J went all the way to the edges of the bread, then just do that normally (that's a big thing for me -- I hate sandwiches where there's an outer square of plain bread).

[Colorado David]

the one judge had RFF (resting fart face or resting frowny face, whichever you prefer.)

[dleighg]

I think he (like a toddler) doesn't like the crust.

[AnnieBananie]

I fell asleep during the second half - I just couldn't get invested in it.

The chefs were out of luck if they couldn't speak French!

[dleighg]

56 minutes ago, AnnieBananie said:

The chefs were out of luck if they couldn't speak French!

I took one semester of French so I know a tiny bit. But if you are around food, like these people are, I would think they absorbed quite a bit. I know my French food words from cooking/eating out, not from my one semester.

[Quilt Fairy]

28 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I took one semester of French so I know a tiny bit. But if you are around food, like these people are, I would think they absorbed quite a bit. I know my French food words from cooking/eating out, not from my one semester.

Right, one guy said he didn't know that "fromage" was cheese!  C'mon. 

WRT Vinnie's PB&J, I thought it was a throw-back to the uncrustable sandwich he made in the QF. 

[MerBearHou]

I just now saw the episode.  Sorry to say bye to Vinny who I think is a good chef and a caring fellow, but definitely unsure / unconfident.  I hope that will come to him because he’s got skills.  

Tristen is my favorite but having said that, he was clearly so “off” this week.  He has to be filled with grief and I wonder if he’s going to be able to enjoy the rest of the season or just merely endure and finish what he started, especially to honor his parents.  

Tristen’s comments about Massimo came off, to me, as petty about the Italian and French cuisine.  Tristen has a strong cooking POV and no one ever says a word against it, but for him to be critical of Massimo’s leaning into French and Italian just came off as criticizing someone who is different (boisterous and “a lot”) from Tristen’s manner.  

Oh dear God, stop with the word “cute”.  Now I don’t feel like I can even say it without sounding trendy.  Bailey and Lana said it wayyyy too much.  No, it’s not cute.

I was so thrilled for Shuai.  What a good night he had.  

The judge named Finson was a supreme grinch and it bugged me that once she said something, Tom just glommed onto it.  I hope to never see her again.

Punkie was fine but honestly, unless someone is a trained chef, I don’t feel they should be judging something that is really, really important to these chefs.  I guess come and enjoy if they’re hometown favorites, but their vote on the food should not have weight.  

I thought this episode was just too gimmicky — same as last week with the mission / stunt.  Didn’t do it for me.  

[caitmcg]

Kudos to the producers on their restraint, I guess; when they announced a "four seasons" theme, I was sure they'd lean harder on Vivaldi than the one brief snippet they used.

In the QF, they either leaned hard into specifically local brands of packaged foods not sold outside Quebec, or were a bit disingenuous in the labeling in service of upping the ante. My understanding is that any packaged goods sold nationally must be labeled in both English and French, and the only goods that can be labeled only in French are those both produced in and not sold outside of Quebec. 

[Salacious Kitty]

The food wasn't in its original packaging. It was amateur night boxes in French. 

[caitmcg]

8 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

The food wasn't in its original packaging. It was amateur night boxes in French. 

Yeah, like I said, they were being disingenuous. That kind of food is mass-produced.

[HappyDancex2]

I’ve figured out what is bugging me about this season, besides the lackluster casting.  It’s like they felt like they had only one shot of filming in Canada so they are trying to jam all of Canada into one season.  The local restaurateurs are shown in groups, any high end judge just isn’t given the time and edit for the gravity of who they supposedly are and every episode has some historical component or forced story to ram down my throat and I still don’t feel like I have a good sense of the regions themselves.

This feels like a completely different show runner to me.  They didn’t do justice to Canada IMO.  
 

[dleighg]

5 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Kudos to the producers on their restraint, I guess; when they announced a "four seasons" theme, I was sure they'd lean harder on Vivaldi than the one brief snippet they used

And I only barely noticed that they changed the table decor for each season. I bet the person who spent a lot of time curating all that felt a bit let down by how little visual impact it actually had once on TV.

There was a throwaway comment from one of the guest Canadians of how the best part of winter in Canada is going to Florida. I wonder if they'd say that now with all the drama between the countries.

[NowVoyager]

6 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Kudos to the producers on their restraint, I guess; when they announced a "four seasons" theme, I was sure they'd lean harder on Vivaldi than the one brief snippet they used.

In the QF, they either leaned hard into specifically local brands of packaged foods not sold outside Quebec, or were a bit disingenuous in the labeling in service of upping the ante. My understanding is that any packaged goods sold nationally must be labeled in both English and French, and the only goods that can be labeled only in French are those both produced in and not sold outside of Quebec. 

Yeah, I thought that was odd as well. I haven't been to Montreal in years, but I distinctly remember being at ease as an English speaker. Everything was in both French & English, from street signs to product packaging. The locals would initially speak in French, once they heard my voice they would switch to English.

I've seen the comedian on YouTube & TikToc, so I guess she was their nod to social media. It made sense for her to be there for the bodega challenge.

[cameron]

Thought the Canadian guest judges for the most part were overly critical in their judging.  More so than in past seasons.

[ProudMary]

17 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Right, one guy said he didn't know that "fromage" was cheese!  C'mon. 

I got the impression that he knew he was getting "cheese," but it was unspecified what variety of cheese it was. I thought the way it was labeled was deliberate and sort of mean to the contestants. JMO

[carrps]

19 hours ago, dleighg said:

I think he (like a toddler) doesn't like the crust.

I don't care for crusts much either. They're dry. And they're extra calories! But I take a sharp knife (I'm sure Vinny has one) and carefully trim just the barest amount possible. Then, my first bite isn't into nothing but dry bread.

Massimo is still working my last nerve. He "fell in love" with Calgary? Maybe. But it sounded phony and disingenuous. And every chef who walks out he has to gasp and call them the greatest geniuses? Reminds me a little of Dan from Wisconsin who was buddies with everybody. I don't like brown nosers.

And he's still dragging his hands through his greasy hair. Yuck!

[Colorado David]

20 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Right, one guy said he didn't know that "fromage" was cheese!  C'mon. 

WRT Vinnie's PB&J, I thought it was a throw-back to the uncrustable sandwich he made in the QF. 

i know right?? surely you've heard the term 'fromage' if you been trained as a chef, that's so basic. does he know 'coq au vin'? 'croissant'? 'bechamel'? cmon dude!!!

i know its basic kids' food but i dont mind a good pb&j and i am an old fart. the combo just works, tho i wouldn't cut the crusts, i don't mind those.  heck when i was young we would eat peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sammiches. talk about your sugar rush!!

[heatherchandler]

On 5/16/2025 at 2:30 PM, bravofan27 said:

This is what Tristen said, "Massimo is my biggest motivator. And this is going to come out bad. In a way, he represents everything I'm cooking against. Him always in my face about Italian cuisine and French cuisine, I want to top that so badly."

Sounds like it's more than he talks too much. And not to get to DEI, Massimo has a right to be himself and not bullied because someone doesn't like him or triggers them. He hasn't said anything critical about anyone. Let the man be himself. I'm not sure why Tristen hates him so much-- but I do think something triggers him and he IMO, needs to just focus on his own cooking, and not trying to one-up Massimo. It's a toxic head space to get into.  

I think Tristan is kind of a jerk.  He may be talented but he really likes to dole out the unrequested criticisms, first to Vinny and then Massimo.  He should keep his opinions to himself, he’s not doing it to help them.  

[Quilt Fairy]

4 hours ago, Colorado David said:

heck when i was young we would eat peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sammiches. talk about your sugar rush!!

Isn't that known as a fluffernutter? 

[bravofan27]

4 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I think Tristan is kind of a jerk.  He may be talented but he really likes to dole out the unrequested criticisms, first to Vinny and then Massimo.  He should keep his opinions to himself, he’s not doing it to help them.  

Tristen in general is very likeable and a great chef. But he does think he is better than everyone, and that's really coming to light. At least he thinks he is better than Massimo.

[catrice2]

Oh, things never change. The need to have certain people "make nice" or perform a certain way is still present. 

Last I checked Top Chef was still a competition show, not a popularity contest or summer camp.  Not every chef will agree with each other's style or point of view about food, and for sure not everyone will be best friends.  As long as they are not up to Marcel/Ilan/Cliff antics surely it is fine. 

If one person appears to be confident in their knowledge and relatively even keeled we must  search to find an issue with them, similar to how Budda (sp) was treated.  Also considering said person is going through a loss in the family and trying to handle those emotions while still competing I would image all emotions are running high. We have no idea if is family member was ill when he came or at least I don't because I don't watch closely. 

Tristan knew that they would chop it up and things would be taken out of context, which is why he made the disclaimer.  I took it as though it is possible that Massimo has a lot to say about chefs that are not classically trained in certain cuisines and if so he is not the first chef on this show who has exhibited what may be perceived as a dismissal of others who do not lean into that style of cooking.     In fact that has been a Top Chef downfall they have tried to correct....learning more about and "glorifying" cuisines that are not the "traditional/classical" ones.  This dismissal fuels his desire to show that his way/style of cooking is just as good...maybe wanting to highlight that food as meaningful more than himself. 

 Massimo is also always rolling his eyes,etc. but that is brushed off as him being a "character" or having a "jovial" personality, etc.   As a former teacher I felt the same way about those who would say they were only in the profession because they wanted summer vacations or the same holidays as their children....as opposed to others who really wanted to educate or work with students.   Neither view was wrong it is just an acceptance that your view and motivation is not the same as someone else....which is basically  what he did  acknowledged that their approaches/motivations are different and just saying he doesn't want to have Massimo's approach.  That is not putting his down, just saying he wants something different for himself because it is not who HE wants to be.  It is always interesting to me how people are described differently when they are pretty much doing similar things....nerdy vs. arrogant, aggressive vs passionate.. excited vs loud or obnoxious. 

I am not an obsessive watcher, but Tristian strikes me as someone who has a lot of book and technical knowledge and is just very matter of fact which can be interpreted as arrogance but I have never observed a scene with him being rude or above it all.   I sincerely doubt that he is obsessing about anybody, except maybe his deceased family member that he can 't see.  I've not noticed him being overly defensive and for the most part understands where he makes his mistakes, unlike some others who seem to be surprised or slighted when someone does better than they do.

When he goes home.....and he will go home because this is Top Chef.😏....hopefully he can have a great career because losers on this show typically do a whole lot better than the chosen one. 

 

 

[Souris]

20 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I’ve figured out what is bugging me about this season, besides the lackluster casting.  It’s like they felt like they had only one shot of filming in Canada so they are trying to jam all of Canada into one season.  The local restaurateurs are shown in groups, any high end judge just isn’t given the time and edit for the gravity of who they supposedly are and every episode has some historical component or forced story to ram down my throat and I still don’t feel like I have a good sense of the regions themselves.

This feels like a completely different show runner to me.  They didn’t do justice to Canada IMO.  
 

Exactly my thoughts! I feel like they have utterly wasted being in Canada. For all we have seen of Canada, they could have filmed it in Buffalo and just been talking about Canada a lot. There has been no real local culture vibe IMO. I got far more from Wisconsin. How can you not showcase an entire other country well??

And so much doing elimination challenges in the kitchen! It has made it feel cheap and insular. Just a really lackluster and generic season. I was so excited for them to film in Canada and I've been so disappointed.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The only Canadian parts I saw were the trips to the restaurants for Sous Chef episode, the Niagara Falls trip, and that tower walk stunt which made me want to cry (I'm very afraid of heights).     Calgary sounded good, but it doesn't look like they're going to be anywhere interesting for that either.  

[Daisychain]

On 5/16/2025 at 11:21 PM, HappyDancex2 said:

I’ve figured out what is bugging me about this season, besides the lackluster casting.  It’s like they felt like they had only one shot of filming in Canada so they are trying to jam all of Canada into one season.  The local restaurateurs are shown in groups, any high end judge just isn’t given the time and edit for the gravity of who they supposedly are

Yes @HappyDancex2, I agree!  First, they did have Janet Zuccarini and Erin Grinshpan in judge roles.  I know them because sometimes I watch Top Chef Canada (i.e. Canadian) on YouTube, but for whatever reason it's hard to find entire episodes or seasons on the web and I don't believe they're aired here.  Of the episodes I've watched, they're great because they're very local on ingredients.  If any one can advise I'd be happy to hear it.  

Second, your larger point - why do they give us guest judges (whether pleasant or the rather spectacular sour-faced one) and not explain who they were and what are their perspectives, why should we be listening to them?  I was watching Top Chef World All-Stars, and for example, Clare Smyth was a judge.  Ok, that explains itself - but if you give us something new tell us about it!  I am thinking about that Wisconsin episode when all the foods were indigenous and the guest judges were educating the chefs and were fabulous and interesting.  

[carrps]

15 hours ago, Souris said:

There has been no real local culture vibe IMO. I got far more from Wisconsin. How can you not showcase an entire other country well??

4 hours ago, Daisychain said:

but if you give us something new tell us about it!  I am thinking about that Wisconsin episode when all the foods were indigenous and the guest judges were educating the chefs and were fabulous and interesting.  

Yes, to both. I did get a real sense of Wisconsin -- a state I've never been to. I'm not getting that same sense of place in this season. Is it really difficult to film in Toronto for some reason? I agree, it doesn't seem like they've expanded into their location much at all.

 

[Colorado David]

agreed, not getting a real canada vibe, more just northern states. where's the poutine contest? or a hockey joust for ingredients?? cmon now. 

[dleighg]

8 minutes ago, Colorado David said:

where's the poutine contest?

What about Episode 2? Not authentic enough?

Quickfire Challenge: The chefs were given 30 minutes to put their own spin on poutine. They were allowed to take their dish in any direction, as long as it included a starchy vegetable base, a cheese, and a sauce.

[Colorado David]

oh! i missed that one i guess. what other traditional canadian dishes are there? educate this ignorant american :) 

Edited 18 hours ago by Colorado David

[dleighg]

my knowledge begins and ends with poutine and maple syrup (and I've never even had poutine). But I agree that a lot of the show seems like it could have been filmed in New York, for example, minus the New York vibe LOL.

[violet and green]

I was really pleased for Shuai. I am watching this season on fastforward, as to me it is very dull. Does the winner of the elimination challenge get 10K every week or just some weeks? I hope he gets some money, too.

[hula-la]

4 hours ago, Colorado David said:

oh! i missed that one i guess. what other traditional canadian dishes are there? educate this ignorant american :) 

A number of the episodes have highlighted Canadian ingredients/dishes. I would recommend that you go back and re-watch them.  As someone who lives in Canada, and has watched all the seasons of Top Chef Canada, the fact that they’re travelling to Calgary is better than the Canadian version of the show, where they exclusively film in Toronto (and shop at a grocery store owned by one of the judges). 

[Norma Desmond]

On 5/17/2025 at 4:41 PM, heatherchandler said:

I think Tristan is kind of a jerk.

 

On 5/17/2025 at 9:27 PM, bravofan27 said:

Tristen in general is very likeable and a great chef. But he does think he is better than everyone, and that's really coming to light.

Yes, and yes.

I am probably the only person here who likes Massimo, he really grew on me. Like a fungus. I couldn't stand him at the beginning and now I'm all, well done Massimo! I'm so happy he's putting out some good food that the judges like.

As for Vinny, oh well. The advice Tristen gave him a few weeks ago was spot on. He never really showed who he is as a chef, and citing Nomad every time was annoying and pointless.

 

I don't really dislike any of the chefs, though I am rooting for Massimo. The one I like the least is Bailey. And I was ecstatic that Shuai got a win, it was about time. Lana is adorable, but I think she may (or should) go home next.