S22.E13: Viva Milano!

[ProudMary]

Airdate: Thursday, June 5, 2025

Synopsis:

For the chefs' last Quickfire Challenge of the season, they're tasked with creating a classic Milanese dish and the most feared dish by many Top Chef contenders: risotto. Then the chefs compete in a three-part, head-to-head culinary battle while receiving some help from Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

[rhofmovalley]

Darn...I really was pulling for Cesar, but I feel there's no way they will have an all male finale. 

Making it to the final four is pretty impressive. 

[rhofmovalley]

I was hoping to be wrong. But they just were not going to have it be all men. 

[MerBearHou]

Damn.

[Bastet]

I loved Kristen's emotion in this one, especially getting choked up before they even got to JT, knowing whatever decision they made, they were going to have to send home someone they like personally and who made a great dish. 

I appreciated Bailey's attitude about taking another stab at the brûléed gorgonzola -- I love it, and if I can't get you to love it and I go home, I can live with that.

Bailey was the right call to keep, as she showcased the cheese better, but if César had made the better dish I'd have been happy with that final three as well.  This should be a good finale.  I love the sous chef pairings showed in the promo for the next episode, but could definitely do without one of the judges.

They finally showed Tom doing his sniff & sneer through the kitchen, rather than just as outtakes on Kristen's show.

Twice in one episode with Tom calling something too salty is certainly a rarity, and having eaten at his restaurant I can't imagine how salty something has to be for him to say that.

"I made Black people risotto and won" made me laugh.

I don't like risotto (too starchy, and I don't like rice enough for it to be the focus of a dish), so I'd have preferred the two that used vegetables, but that was really quite a foolish thing to do.  At least they did it when the QF didn't have any bearing on the final decision.  I loved Tom's face each time he got served no rice. 

The Olympians were rather pointless, but I'm glad for that -- no one should have to have a non-chef actively involved in their cooking at this stage of the competition.

Edited June 6 by Bastet

[Pandora]

5 minutes ago, rhofmovalley said:

I was hoping to be wrong. But they just were not going to have it be all men. 

Who are “they?”

[Ellee]

I didn’t get to watch.  So Cesar.  I wanted him in final three. 
 

I hope the final three deserve to be in the final three because the cooked the best and not because they are male or female. 
 

What are the sous chef pairings?

[buttersister]

I was Team Tristen and still am, but now am also cheering Shuai on. They cook on a different level than Bailey, so based on tonight’s menu, this should be good.

[Quilt Fairy]

27 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I appreciated Bailey's attitude about taking another stab at the brûléed gorgonzola -- I love it, and if I can't get you to love it and I go home, I can live with that.

I think Bailey made a smart call focusing on the first and third dishes.  The first because you want to win and move on, and the third because if you're still cooking at that point it's ride or die. 

[Msample]

I knew it would come down to Bailey vs Cesar, because Trystan/Shuai were both the most consistent. Cesar swings for the fences, so when he misses, like tonight, it costs him.

[Mellowyellow]

Oh Cesar! 😭 I like all of them but adore him especially! He is a great, adventurous chef and the absolute cutest!

[LennieBriscoe]

Cesar was never going to be in the Finals, and not because of his gender. His dishes were the most criticized negatively and/or the most "different" recently. No-Rice Risotto. Polenta Cake. And others I can't recall. 

Shuai is a Shoo-In. 😉

[dleighg]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

The Olympians were rather pointless, but I'm glad for that -- no one should have to have a non-chef actively involved in their cooking at this stage of the competition.

Amen. They were certainly shoehorned in, weren't they. They helped...... shop?

What a setting for the QF overlooking the plaza through those huge windows! Anyone know where that was? A hotel?

Cesar's black walnut ice cream brought back memories for me. My late father LOVED black walnuts (and they are definitely an acquired taste-- rather earthy). He gave me some which he had laboriously shelled, which I had in my freezer for years. I made black walnut chocolate chip cookies for his memorial service.

Anyone notice the blurred out symbol in the cook kitchen? Maybe a SoBe lizard?

And seriously Bailey? Beet Salad? Isn't that kind of the most obvious thing to do with a beet?

ETA: they got to fly Delta Business Class! Nice!

Edited June 6 by dleighg

[cameron]

25 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Amen. They were certainly shoehorned in, weren't they. They helped...... shop?

What a setting for the QF overlooking the plaza through those huge windows! Anyone know where that was? A hotel?

Cesar's black walnut ice cream brought back memories for me. My late father LOVED black walnuts (and they are definitely an acquired taste-- rather earthy). He gave me some which he had laboriously shelled, which I had in my freezer for years. I made black walnut chocolate chip cookies for his memorial service.

Anyone notice the blurred out symbol in the cook kitchen? Maybe a SoBe lizard?

And seriously Bailey? Beet Salad? Isn't that kind of the most obvious thing to do with a beet?

ETA: they got to fly Delta Business Class! Nice!

Those Delta One suites are great.  Love the sliding door to keep out people.

[violet and green]

I love it when Shuai wins things and he goes all red and blotchy with shock and happiness. 

[jackjill89]

11 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

Darn...I really was pulling for Cesar, but I feel there's no way they will have an all male finale. 

Making it to the final four is pretty impressive. 

I don't think not wanting an all male finale (which has happened before) had anything to do with it. Bailey earned her place. Cesar, unfortunately, didn't make dish that was gorgonzola forward enough. 

I really disliked Bailey in the beginning of the show, but she's grown on me. I'd be happy with either Tristan or Shuai winning. Shuai is peaking at the right moment. Seems like momentum is in his favor. 

[tv echo]

I was hoping there'd be a twist (no elimination) and the judges would say that all four are headed to the finale.

Edited June 6 by tv echo

[dleighg]

36 minutes ago, jackjill89 said:

Bailey earned her place.

I agree. There's an ugly thing going around that DEI=Didn't Earn It. Bailey does NOT deserve this criticism, nor do other women and minorities who succeed, sometimes exceeding expectations.

[The Solution]

Poop. I was hoping Cesar would make it to the finals. And my two absolute least favorite teams in the NBA are in the finals this year. Bleh.

[Rai]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

I agree. There's an ugly thing going around that DEI=Didn't Earn It. Bailey does NOT deserve this criticism, nor do other women and minorities who succeed, sometimes exceeding expectations.

Top Chef viewers: Ya know, it's weird how often women struggle in this competition. Seems a little unfair at times.

Also Top Chef viewers: If Bailey makes it to the finals, it was producer interference!

I would've been okay with an all-dude finale -- which there have been plenty of on this show -- and I'm okay with Bailey in the finales as well. But I would like to see more blind tasting from the judges on this show, I think, and see if the women contestants do better than expected or not. If there's one thing I have to give credit to with Food Network and Tournament of Champions, it's their blind tasting and judgments. I really do think it levels the playing field in a refreshing way.

That all said, Cesar was a sweetie and endlessly creative, and even though his swings could be some big misses, I love that he always went for it. Pickle curd! He'll be remembered.

Edited June 6 by Rai

[meep.meep]

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

I agree. There's an ugly thing going around that DEI=Didn't Earn It. Bailey does NOT deserve this criticism, nor do other women and minorities who succeed, sometimes exceeding expectations.

It was Bailey, a white woman, vs. three men of color.  I don't think DEI is a factor.  They have had all male finales before.  They all earned it.

I was more struck by it being between Cesar and Bailey - the two who went to Last Chance Kitchen.  But Bailey did better than Cesar.

The Olympians were OK - at least they didn't make them cook.  Maybe it helped to have someone to bounce ideas off of and shop.  I remember Elana Meyers from when she was on What Not to Wear and she blazed through most of the budget on the first day and didn't have the problems finding things she liked so that Stacy and Clinton could save her.

And Ali from the world season!

[ALittleShelfish]

I'm okay with Bailey getting thru.  I did enjoy the weekly game of "What weird shit is Cesar going to try this week and how do I try it?!" we played at our house.  If he had a youtube series where he just made weird food for the hell of it, I'd definitely watch it.  I enjoyed listening to him talk about food, something about the way he described each element was so delightful.  He seems to really respect every element of what he puts on a plate.  

When Tristan mentioned a jollof-like risotto, I took notes.  Two of my favorite things right there.  It look delicious!

[dleighg]

20 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

It was Bailey, a white woman, vs. three men of color.  I don't think DEI is a factor.  They have had all male finales before.  They all earned it.

I think you missed my point. I'm sick of all the people saying that there was "no way they would have an all male finale, thus Bailey didn't earn it." I agree, they've had all male finales, and she DID earn it.

[sppy1]

 

15 hours ago, Ellee said:

What are the sous chef pairings?

Bailey & Lana
Tristan & Zubair
Shuai & Paula

Edited June 6 by sppy1

[Jodithgrace]

So Massimo never gets to go to Italy? Aww I’m sure he’ll get there on his own some day. 

[dleighg]

who the heck is Zubair? I have zero recollection LOL

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Rai said:

If there's one thing I have to give credit to with Food Network and Tournament of Champions, it's their blind tasting and judgments. I really do think it levels the playing field in a refreshing way.

And, with that blind judging on ToC, all the winners have been women. 

[30 Helens]

I wasn’t surprised by this outcome at all, and it had nothing to do with gender. Cesar has always been inconsistent. I get why his creative choices and charming attitude made him popular (I love him, too!) but I never saw him as a finalist. He was too avant garde for this show.

Bailey, on the other hand, was less flashy but more consistent. She may not have the personality to be a fan favorite, but she showed solid skills throughout. I also thought it was a smart move to do the blow-torched cheese again, despite Kristen’s wrinkled nose. It demonstrated growth and the ability to learn from mistakes, two things this show loves. She definitely earned her place.

I did like that the last two semi-finalists were both LCK returnees. They both had a tough journey to get there, and fought like champs all the way. I think that may have been the reason for a few of Kristen’s tears— she could relate.

[Rammchick]

Speaking of fan favorite, shouldn't we have had that by now?

Bleh -- Blais is one of the judges for the finale.

[rhofmovalley]

Cesar participated in the No Child Hungry bike ride last week. There's a link on his Instagram where people can donate.

And I will fully admit that being a fan of Cesar colored my perception of this episode and I unfairly indicated Bailey made it to the finale because the producers didn't want an all-male finale. That was wrong of me. She absolutely earned it. 

[ProudMary]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

And seriously Bailey? Beet Salad? Isn't that kind of the most obvious thing to do with a beet?

As she explained in her TH, her strategy was to focus on the first and third rounds, which was very smart. Something simple like a beet salad required less prep, less thought, and also allowed more of her food shopping expenditures to go toward rounds one and three. She achieved her goal and made it into the finale. Can't fault her on her choice.

1 hour ago, sppy1 said:

Bailey & Lana
Tristan & Zubair
Shuai & Paula

I can't wait to see just how many S22 contestants were flown to Italy for the finale. I think Tristen/Zubair is a great pairing, but I wouldn't have expected Zubair to be physically available to choose as he was eliminated way back in Ep. 3! It would seem that they brought everyone over to Italy?!? I'm happy for Zubair because he was someone who seemed to have been eliminated WAY too early. Bailey was certainly going have Lana as her first choice. No one was going to pick Massimo, and probably not Vinny, but I would have expected someone to choose César or Katianna. We'll have to wait and see how sous chefs were chosen/made available. 

I'm SO happy for Shuai! 

[tvfanatic13]

I do take issue with the judges saying that Cesar fought his way back from LCK. Bailey did. He did not- he had one cook. 

[whinewithwine]

I started the season rooting for Tristan since he's from my home town, but Shuai has really grown on me.  Bailey's voice is nails on a chalkboard to me, so no.  

I could happily live out my remaing years if I never saw Blais and/or his hair ever again.

 

 

[30 Helens]

4 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Bleh -- Blais is one of the judges for the finale.

With a predictably attention-seeking (yet hideous) haircut. 🙄🙄

So many great alums to choose from… why is it always this jackhole?

[Ms.Lulu]

9 hours ago, dleighg said:

I agree. There's an ugly thing going around that DEI=Didn't Earn It. Bailey does NOT deserve this criticism, nor do other women and minorities who succeed, sometimes exceeding expectations.

Agree.  And if you look at Tournament of Champions, which is judged blindly, no male chef has even made it to the finals--and male iron chef winners and male top chef winners have participated. 

Six female winners in a row and the gossip is they are toying with a men vs women bracket to try to get a man to the finals.

[Fostersmom]

21 hours ago, Bastet said:

The Olympians were rather pointless, but I'm glad for that -- no one should have to have a non-chef actively involved in their cooking at this stage of the competition.

They were there to pimp the next Winter Olympics... in Italy.....airing on NBC and Bravo. Now it's making so much more sense why they are cooking in Italy for the finals. I didn't piece it together until watching this episode. 

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

who the heck is Zubair? I have zero recollection LOL

I said the same thing about Paula. I at least vaguely remember Zubair's name if not him exactly, but..... there was a Paula???? This season????

Bailey and her up speak and constant aren't I so cute and quirky, faces, have driven me nuts all season and I haven't been impressed with her cooking at all, but hearing the judges comments on her and Cesar's final dishes, especially when Tom said they had to remember it was a gorgonzola dish, I knew she beat him. 

[ProudMary]

7 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

They were there to pimp the next Winter Olympics... in Italy.....airing on NBC and Bravo. Now it's making so much more sense why they are cooking in Italy for the finals. I didn't piece it together until watching this episode. 

Someone here on the forum (I'm sorry I can't recall who, but please stand up and take a bow for figuring it out 🙂) called the NBC connection to the Olympics a few weeks ago in one of the threads where we were questioning why the finale was going to be in Italy instead of in a city in Canada. 

7 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

I said the same thing about Paula. I at least vaguely remember Zubair's name if not him exactly, but..... there was a Paula???? This season????

Paula (pronounced Pao-la), whose restaurants are in Kentucky, is originally from Ecuador. You would most likely remember her as the Executive Chef for the “Nonna Pipón” family-style restaurant in this season's Restaurant Wars episode, for which she was eliminated.

Here's her photo from the Bravo site.

While I'm at it, here's Zubair's photo, too.

[Salacious Kitty]

28 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

They were there to pimp the next Winter Olympics... in Italy.....airing on NBC and Bravo. Now it's making so much more sense why they are cooking in Italy for the finals. I didn't piece it together until watching this episode.

I mentioned the tie-in when we learned the destination. Bringing in the Olympians just made it that much more obvious. 

Did you see how much the cheftestsnts didn't care, excepting Bailey, who admitted to watching figure skating. 

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

And I will fully admit that being a fan of Cesar colored my perception of this episode and I unfairly indicated Bailey made it to the finale because the producers didn't want an all-male finale. That was wrong of me. She absolutely earned it. 

We don't see enough of this kind of reflection and reevaluation, so this statement brightened my day; thank you for putting it out there.

[Yeah No]

I'm very happy for Bailey and I definitely think she deserved to go to the finale. No offense to Cesar as I like him too but I do think in general she was the right choice and it has nothing to do with her gender. I was never on board with the Bailey bashing. She is genuinely quirky and offbeat but there's nothing wrong with that. And from what the judges said it looks like her food also fits that description and it's also good.

At this point I'm OK with any of them winning.

[bravofan27]

Bailey is going to have an advantage here being the only one that specializes in Italian food. I think Tom really likes her as well. 

I didn't miss Massimo at all, I think his energy would have been too much for the finale. 

[paramitch]

I thought this was a lot of fun, and although I was sorry to see Cesar go, I absolutely think Bailey earned her win. Just from the tasting reactions alone, it seemed very obvious to me that her dish was superior, and everyone raved about it. Judging purely on that final round as a "Gorgonzola" round, it didn't even look close.

I'm glad Cesar made it to Italy, and accomplished a level to be proud of. I can't wait to see what he does next. He's one of those brilliant oddballs who make the world a better place.

But -- I'm gonna argue here -- so is Bailey. And in fact, the consistent feedback on her dishes from her LCK performance afterward has been that she comes up with some absolutely weird, inspired stuff and simply is totally unafraid to listen to herself. Time after time, she has come up with stuff that looked like it would crash and burn -- where Tom looked visibly dubious -- and then it didn't. I love that.

And I love that so many times, Tom has eaten Bailey's food and gone, "This is weird. But I can't stop eating it." I love that she is so absolutely willing to crash and burn because she believes in herself, and she lived that 100% again here. The moment she said she wanted to do this dish even if everyone thought she was nuts -- even if she went home -- and she would be proud of herself? I was rooting for her. And on a personal note, I think she's every bit as funny, smart, nerdy, and likable as Cesar. She has been consistently kind and affectionate with the other chefs, and I will be happy if she wins.

I love Cesar too of course, but I felt like he played the game badly here. Yet as with Bailey, I feel like he's comfortable with risk and that he was willing to roll the dice. I just felt bad because you could tell he didn't think he had done his best cooking here, and that's always a bummer.

I'll be happy if ANY of them win. I truly adore all the finalists this year -- wishing Tristan, Shuai, and Bailey luck.

 

On 6/5/2025 at 7:18 PM, Bastet said:

I loved Kristen's emotion in this one, especially getting choked up before they even got to JT, knowing whatever decision they made, they were going to have to send home someone they like personally and who made a great dish. 

I appreciated Bailey's attitude about taking another stab at the brûléed gorgonzola -- I love it, and if I can't get you to love it and I go home, I can live with that.

Bailey was the right call to keep, as she showcased the cheese better, but if César had made the better dish I'd have been happy with that final three as well.  This should be a good finale.  I love the sous chef pairings showed in the promo for the next episode, but could definitely do without one of the judges.

I love Kristen's emotion too. I really think she's just wonderful as the host, and that her time as an actual contestant adds this extra level of empathy to her interactions with the cheftestants that is really lovely.

I 100% agree on Bailey and Cesar, and love all three for the finale.

On 6/5/2025 at 7:49 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

I think Bailey made a smart call focusing on the first and third dishes.  The first because you want to win and move on, and the third because if you're still cooking at that point it's ride or die. 

This, exactly. I thought she was really smart with those choices -- and also brave for going all-out in the face of Tom's skepticism. She listened to herself and went for it.

On 6/5/2025 at 9:42 PM, Msample said:

I knew it would come down to Bailey vs Cesar, because Trystan/Shuai were both the most consistent. Cesar swings for the fences, so when he misses, like tonight, it costs him.

Cesar absolutely swings for the fences! But so does Bailey, and I often think she doesn't get as much credit for that as Cesar does.

17 hours ago, violet and green said:

I love it when Shuai wins things and he goes all red and blotchy with shock and happiness. 

I have really grown to adore Shuai and enjoy his personality so much. He is absolutely someone who would be a blast to hang out with.

15 hours ago, dleighg said:

I agree. There's an ugly thing going around that DEI=Didn't Earn It. Bailey does NOT deserve this criticism, nor do other women and minorities who succeed, sometimes exceeding expectations.

One thousand fricking percent. I hate the fact that she is evidently dealing with a lot of online ugliness and backlash. It really makes me sad.

13 hours ago, Rai said:

I would've been okay with an all-dude finale -- which there have been plenty of on this show -- and I'm okay with Bailey in the finales as well. But I would like to see more blind tasting from the judges on this show, I think, and see if the women contestants do better than expected or not. If there's one thing I have to give credit to with Food Network and Tournament of Champions, it's their blind tasting and judgments. I really do think it levels the playing field in a refreshing way.

I believe Tom when he says the blind tastings would be useless because they all know who cooked most dishes instantly anyway, but in that case, what would it hurt? I would like to see blind judging on the show, just because it would remove that question mark that remains at times.

9 hours ago, tvfanatic13 said:

I do take issue with the judges saying that Cesar fought his way back from LCK. Bailey did. He did not- he had one cook. 

This is a great point. I guess I'd say that Cesar "fought his way back" but it was a very short fight! Bailey fought a full-on series of battles.

3 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I was never on board with the Bailey bashing. She is genuinely quirky and offbeat but there's nothing wrong with that. And from what the judges said it looks like her food also fits that description and it's also good.

At this point I'm OK with any of them winning.

I agree with all this. And I really like that they're all such talented, visibly kind and positive people. I'd be happy with any of them winning, although I am hoping a little bit more for Tristan to win. Just a little, because of all he went through and how he managed to persevere with so much class and heart.

Also, who knew Tristan could do such a badass cartwheel? Especially for a heavy guy, that's impressive!

(I have never been able to do one. I was a klutzy kid. The most I did was forward rolls!)

[Tango64]

The look on Tom’s face when they served him rice-less risotto is the whole reason I watch this show. 

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, paramitch said:

I believe Tom when he says the blind tastings would be useless because they all know who cooked most dishes instantly anyway, but in that case, what would it hurt? I would like to see blind judging on the show, just because it would remove that question mark that remains at times.

What I would say to Tom is that the guest judges wouldn't be likely to know who cooked the dishes so his objection only goes so far. I too wish this show had more blind tasting after watching TOC for so many seasons where women have won with blind tastings.

10 minutes ago, Tango64 said:

The look on Tom’s face when they served him rice-less risotto is the whole reason I watch this show. 

LOL yeah, I loved that. Being an Italian American, I'm with him. You go to the risotto capital of the world and the word "rice" is even in the title of the dish and you don't use rice? That's even worse than being asked to make a Bolognese and using spaghetti squash. I understand that Americans often take liberties with the "rules" when it comes to Italian food, but when you go to Italy some things about food are sacrosanct. Same thing in France, too.

[Daisychain]

6 hours ago, Yeah No said:

What I would say to Tom is that the guest judges wouldn't be likely to know who cooked the dishes so his objection only goes so far. I too wish this show had more blind tasting after watching TOC for so many seasons where women have won with blind tastings.

Yes!! The guest judges don't know the wins and losses per chef! You are 100%.  It's one of a few things that has endeared Guy to me.  It's March Madness and whoever wins, wins.

[ProudMary]

I do believe that Kristen, Gail and Tom would be able to tell which chef cooked each dish, although not right away. They'd need a few challenges to get to that point. The guest judges certainly would not be able to know this and, as @Daisychain just mentioned, they also don't know the standings and things like how many times a chef has been top three/bottom three. I know the judges always say that they just judge the food in front of them, but they're also human and humans don't always realize inherent biases, say toward someone who's been on a a winning streak.

What really bothers me is that Tom is the *only* judge for LCK. That should always be blind, no sniff and sneer. Better yet, a second judge.

[Fostersmom]

10 hours ago, Tango64 said:

The look on Tom’s face when they served him rice-less risotto is the whole reason I watch this show. 

What I really found almost insulting was the justification rissotto is difficult to perfect and is the kiss of death on Top Chef. They had 2 weeks between Canada and Italy. They all should have been making 3 rissottos a day just to practice. Even if they didn't know exactly where they were going, assume they are going to task you to make a rissotto, a pasta from scratch, a sauce, a whole fish. You are going to Italy and the challenge is going to be an Italian staple. 

Edited June 7 by Fostersmom

[bravofan27]

I really like Tristen, don't get me wrong, I really do. And he is not only good at cooking, but a great chef in that he can command a kitchen and he isn't intimated by others. That actually was the first thing that impressed me about Tristen, is how effortlessly he took control, and was in charge. He's definitely a leader. It's rare to have someone on this show that can make amazing food AND command a kitchen and reign in a bunch of egos. Even Massimo was submissive to him. 

My one gripe that has nothing to do with his winning criteria. He was raised by a single mom his whole life. His mom didn't get married until he was almost 18. Yes, the man she married was his stepdad and clearly influential, but why doesn't Tristen give his mom any credit for raising him? I'm sure it was super super hard for her, and I'm sure he was influenced by her. It's like Tristen would rather credit his talent to a man than a woman. It just stings sexism to me. 

 

Edited June 8 by bravofan27

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

My one gripe that has nothing to do with his winning criteria. He was raised by a single mom his whole life. His mom didn't get married until he was almost 18. Yes, the man she married was his stepdad and clearly influential, but why doesn't Tristen give his mom any credit for raising him? I'm sure it was super super hard for her, and I'm sure he was influenced by her. It's like Tristen would rather credit his talent to a man than a woman. It just stings sexism to me. 

My assumption is that, rather than not crediting his mother, the reason we've heard so much about how supportive and proud his stepfather was has to do with circumstances, i.e. his stepfather dying in the middle of production. It was at the point where that happened that we started to see comments and talking heads from him about it. And comments in talking heads are always prompted by producers off camera, anyway.

[buttersister]

Agree. Tristen said he couldn’t wait to call his mom. Anything that leans towards his step—dad is based on his recent death and how Tristen kept going. No doubt Tristen gota huge and inspiring talk with his mom. Producers correctly left it out (or didn’t film it—there are limits.

ETA: Friend called to say she ran into Carlos at the farmers market this morning (the one near his restaurant).  Told him she was sorry he didn’t win, but glad we could eat at his place. He was charming, of course.

Edited June 8 by buttersister