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S01.E10: Championship Finale

FormerMod-a1

By FormerMod-a1
in Top Chef Duels [V]

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FormerMod-a1

FormerMod-a1

This is the epic showdown as the winners of each of the Duels plus the champion from the digital companion series "The Knockout" convene in the kitchen to crown a victor. First, all ten chefs must prepare dishes that are bright in flavor and black on the plate. The top two chefs move to the final Duel, while the remaining eight chefs compete for the last two spots by making dishes composed of all white ingredients. After the final four are announced, the ultimate Duel commences for a table of the culinary elite, in a salute to love, honor and pride. In the end, only one chef will earn bragging rights and win the $100,000 grand prize and a culinary adventure that will be featured in Food and Wine Magazine.

 

 

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Julia

Julia

First, all ten chefs must prepare dishes that are bright in flavor and black on the plate. The top two chefs move to the final Duel, while the remaining eight chefs compete for the last two spots by making dishes composed of all white ingredients. After the final four are announced, the ultimate Duel commences for a table of the culinary elite, in a salute to love, honor and pride.

 

In an hour?

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Julia

Julia

(edited)

It's 3 challenges in 1 hour. That's how it's been all along. Granted, this time it's more than 2 people in each challenge.

If the final challenge follows the usual three dish model, that's 30 dishes. Add in all the chef introductions, the guest judge introductions, Curtis' statutory lame pun, Wolfgang's leering reminder that he's not too old to be interested in sex and Gail's reminder that she's also a judge on the mothership, that's significantly less than a minute per. I don't know why they think people are watching this if they don't want to see chefs cook.

Edited by Julia
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FormerMod-a1

FormerMod-a1

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If the final challenge follows the usual three dish model, that's 30 dishes.
There's only 4 people for the final battle, so that would be 12 dishes.

 

Black dish challenge = 10 chefs

White dish challenge = 8 chefs

Final = 4 chefs

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FormerMod-a1

FormerMod-a1

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10 + 8 + 12, no?

No.

 

 

...After the final four are announced, the ultimate Duel commences for a table of the culinary elite, in a salute to love, honor and pride.

 

First - 10 chefs compete in Black challenge.  Top 2 move on to Duel.  Remaining 2 Duel spots are TBD by the White challenge.  The remaining 8 chefs from the Black challenge compete in the White challenge.  The top 2 there, join the first two for the final 4.  So Black challenge Top 2 and White Challenge Top 2 are the 4 that perform in the "ultimate Duel".  At least that's how I read it.

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Julia

Julia

Right, but those ten chefs make ten dishes, then the eight remaining chefs make eight, and the final four make three each. That's the part I don't get, how they can even acknowledge all that in fortyish minutes.

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stillshimpy

stillshimpy

Jeez, I want to be generous spirited and simply commend CJ on how much he has clearly upped his culinary game.  

 

He very clearly has and good for him.  I continue to dislike him so much that I cannot find it in my heart to be truly happy about it.  Or happy for him.  It was a good season, I thought, right up until the moment it became apparent CJ won.  It isn't even just that he's so emotionally unappealing that he sneered at the concept of loving anyone (apparently CJ loves peas?  That he then mashes? perhaps people are fortunate in his lack of fondness for them, after all), it's that he was literally the only person in the final group I was really hoping would be eliminated.  

 

Yup, even Blais and I've no love for the man, would have been a preferred because whereas he irks me, I also know he's a genuine badass chef, most of the time.  When it comes to CJ, I don't like him and I have a hard time buying he honestly beat friggin' Takashi at anything other than reaching things on a high shelf.  

  • Love 12
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stanleyk

stanleyk

Ugh. UGH. I had been actually enjoying the Duels format but the ultimate result certainly colors my view of the thing. CJ is my least favorite of all the chefs in this episode, and that includes Blais. I'd also like to be generous-minded and truly believe he's a vastly improved chef, but he's such a tool. I just can't move past that.

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mlp

mlp

 

When it comes to CJ, I don't like him and I have a hard time buying he honestly beat friggin' Takashi at anything other than reaching things on a high shelf.

 

LOL I was so sure darling Takashi would prevail that I was absolutely shocked when he was eliminated even though I didn't think his losing dish looked very impressive.  I don't care for CJ or Tiffani so I was pretty indifferent to who won in the end. 

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Tunia

Tunia

(edited)

At least it wasn't Mike Isabella.  And I hope Blais doesn't run his hands over his hair when he's cooking in his restaurant...just sayin'.

Edited by Tunia
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GaT

GaT

When did Tiffani win The Knockout? If I was supposed to watch online before this episode, it would have been nice if they let me know somehow.

 

CJ? That sucks.

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Julia

Julia

Well, then. I guess Tom and the kids at Magical Elves can relax now. They've finally made CJ happen, for some value of happening which includes announcing that CJ has happened, and he can go back to chasing food trends through the woods as a really truly appointed Top Chef. Hopefully getting his face in the same frame as Blais' at judge's table will prove to be more of a challenge and we'll be spared that.

  • Love 4
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cooksdelight

cooksdelight

I never in my life expected CJ to win this. Ever. But then again, his new restaurant is getting rave reviews for the food, so maybe he is a better chef now that he's spent all that time out in the woods foraging for things to cook with. Also, he brought some food with him, something green and something flowery that he took out of his knife case....was that allowed, I guess?

And I loved the look on Blais' face when Kevin was picked over him as the final challenger. The camera just loves that forlorn look. Also, even though Puck said he liked Blais' dish, I noticed him gulping down a big drink of water right after he tasted it.

Kevin losing with a dish he cooked a zillion times at Woodfire Grill in Atlanta. Damnit, I had hoped he'd prevail this time. That sad look on his face kills me every time.

Gail was kind of bitchy toward Tiffani's last course, commenting about her giving her another biscuit. Oh, the humanity! I wish they'd shown us the final showdown in Knockout to see what Tiffani cooked to win the thing. Maybe they will now that this drag of a show is over.

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Julia

Julia

I wonder how awesome his food is - his menu seems to be bog standard farmer's market-sourced bistro-with-pretensions and a few twigs of the scenery. Which he should really know how to do, because he apparently spent a few years serving jumped up pub grub before he went off to sit at the feet of the Maharishi, but even the positive reviews, both professional and Yelp, keep bringing up that the food is inconsistent and the more experimental dishes seem to be a list of fashionable ingredients and not dishes.

 

Honestly, I think CJ's great talent is marketing CJ, and he was smart enough to get a stage with a chef all the rock star chefs are in awe of and jump into the next wave food trend. 

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cooksdelight

cooksdelight

I usually love Gail, but not this time around. She was great on the TC desserts show she hosted, and they yanked that out from under her without even telling her ahead of time. Maybe she's still bitter, I have no idea, but she came off as unhappy with being there on this show. Or maybe it was the company she was forced to keep.

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stillshimpy

stillshimpy

(edited)
Gail was kind of bitchy toward Tiffani's last course, commenting about her giving her another biscuit. Oh, the humanity! I wish they'd shown us the final showdown in Knockout to see what Tiffani cooked to win the thing. Maybe they will now that this drag of a show is over.

 

I thought that was a ridiculous complaint on Gail's part, and I genuinely like the hell out of Gail.  I still do, I just felt like that was a) complaining to have something to criticize rather than just saying, "This is perfectly executed" b) Gail was ignoring the fact that a logical progression in presenting dishes would call for serving a dessert at the end of the meal.   In almost every iteration of Top Chef the contestants nearly wet the damn floor in spite whenever asked to make a dessert.  It ends up featuring things like Blais rotating in "banana scallops" ....which hardly anyone would order off of a menu.  "For dessert, I would like a grilled piece of fruit and if you could overcharge me for that, that would be swell!"  

So CJ essentially abandons any known menu structure and serves fish as his last dish  Tiffani steps up and executes something that can, and actually does, fail on occasion (unlike the much derided banana scallop, which you'd have to be trying to screw that up, baking is a lot trickier and more fickle).  It would also logically follow a full meal.  

It's okay that Tiffani lost and CJ won.  He really does seem to have decided that he wanted to achieve something and set about doing exactly that.  Good for him and yes, I am saying that with a clenched jaw, because I don't like the guy, but sincerely: it's fairly rare for someone to decide, well into their adult years, that they have room to grow and improve, then actually do so.  So yeah, okay, he beat Tiffani fair and square.  

However, Gail saying it pissed her off that Tiffani served her "another biscuit" was a rare "shut up, Gail" for me.  A perfect biscuit is something that actually takes skill and can't be knocked out with zero effort.  Like CJ's better, that's cool and fair.  Be pissed off that someone served a dessert at the end of a meal?  Come on.  How many foams has Richard Blais trotted forth?  How many nitrogen cracked whatevers and gizmo smoke whatzits? Don't kvetch just to have a sound bite, Gail, it's unbecoming.  

On that note, here's what my husband had to say about Richard's white dish, because to say it looked unappetizing would be way understating the fact: "Oh God, if they brought that to you in a restaurant you'd ask for it to be removed immediately.  That didn't look like Richard's dish.  That looked like the creature that ate and then puked up the dish Richard was supposed to serve."   

I'm repeating that verbatim because...seriously.  It looked like a tiny, white dead thing, lying in the viscous remains of its last meal.  Blergh.  

Edited by stillshimpy
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lambertman

lambertman

When did Tiffani win The Knockout? If I was supposed to watch online before this episode, it would have been nice if they let me know somehow.

 

As far as I can tell, the final battle of the Knockout was none of our business.

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AriAu

AriAu

Well. I feel like I just got punked. What about you?

 

That is how I feel about the whole series.

This episode, like most, was just no fun. It felt heavy....lacked the lightness and cleverness that has made Top Chef fun.

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Lamb18

Lamb18

Ugh CJ.  I wonder what's wrong with him.  He has such a broken look about him. It's like someone drove over him with a semi truck and he's still so broken from that he can't even really rejoice over winning Top Chef Duels. I don't feel particularly sorry for him but I did notice that about him.

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cooksdelight

cooksdelight

"Oh God, if they brought that to you in a restaurant you'd ask for it to be removed immediately. That didn't look like Richard's dish. That looked like the creature that ate and then puked up the dish Richard was supposed to serve."

I totally agree with your husband. I really wish the camera had lingered on Puck and how fast he gulped down water to help him swallow that mess.

He has such a broken look about him

It's all that time he's been spending in the woods. All joking aside, I noticed it too.

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Bella

Bella

So who is the Boston Rob of this franchise, CJ or Blais? The other one would correspond to that other Survivor tool they kept bringing back until he finally won.

 

Really, TPTB, it would be easier on the viewers if you just handed these folks the money and didn't make us watch them "earn" it.

 

This is another episode I will delete from my DVR without watching.

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PepperMonkey

PepperMonkey

(edited)

First of all, y'all are confusing me when you talk about Richard. Then I realize, OH! They mean DICK.

 

CJ looks like a former pro basketball player who didn't bother to study while in college, so after his first season, when he couldn't make it in the pros, he's homeless.

Seriously, some people can carry off the scruffy look, but not him. If I ate at a restaurant, then found out he was the chef after spotting him in the kitchen, I would be dipping myself in hand sanitizer.

I know he's overcome a lot, including cancer years ago, but dude, take a shower and shave, please.

Edited by PepperMonkey
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Julia

Julia

CJ looks like a former pro basketball player who didn't bother to study while in college

 

The funny thing is, the man got a beach volleyball scholarship to Pepperdine. You could not make that up.

  • Love 3
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JTMacc99

JTMacc99

Well, that happened. 

 

Here's to hoping that they don't do this again next summer. I suppose there might be a few more really good former Top Chef contestants who might want to give this a shot, but I think that given the look on the faces of the ones who ended up getting eliminated as we went through this episode, that it wasn't such a great experience for them.  And that if Bravo does decide to do this again, we'll be subjected a much lower level of competition.

 

Actually, now that I think about it, that might actually work better for me.  Top Chef Duels: The Losers.  Only people who got tossed out in the first four weeks. Maybe I'd actually be surprised to see one of them progress through this thing and make me think I missed out on something the first time as opposed to seeing CJ beat out Takashi.

  • Love 6
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AriAu

AriAu

Actually, now that I think about it, that might actually work better for me.  Top Chef Duels: The Losers.  Only people who got tossed out in the first four weeks. Maybe I'd actually be surprised to see one of them progress through this thing and make me think I missed out on something the first time as opposed to seeing CJ beat out Takashi.

 

But I am afraid they'd bring back Josie and other "losers".

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Julia

Julia

But I am afraid they'd bring back Josie and other "losers".

 

And think about this - Josie's first season was so spectacularly toxic that by comparison, Josie struck the producers as someone they'd like to see again. It's not like anyone from seasons 2 and 9 is likely to be particularly busy.

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JTMacc99

JTMacc99

But I am afraid they'd bring back Josie and other "losers".

I'm sure that's exactly the kind of person they would bring back, but that's not what I'm suggesting. I was shooting for Top Chef Duels: Losers, and not Top Chef Duels: Dickheads. Totally different things, but I can see how they would fail to see the distinction between the two.

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LotusFlower

LotusFlower

"I am proud that I have my own restaurant and it's doing great!"

"I am proud . . . that I cooked this fish."

That's exactly what I was thinking. He paid no attention to the challenge/theme, and he won?

Also, yet another mention from Richard that he's a "champion." Yes, Richard, you and LeBron James have so much in common. It will never stop bothering me how whiny and bitter he was when losing to Stephanie, and his "win" only came when they handed it to him on a silver platter. Ironically, he could learn something from LeBron about never blaming a loss on having an off day.

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The Solution

The Solution

I'm sure that's exactly the kind of person they would bring back, but that's not what I'm suggesting. I was shooting for Top Chef Duels: Losers, and not Top Chef Duels: Dickheads. Totally different things, but I can see how they would fail to see the distinction between the two.

 

Actually, I might watch Top Chef Duels: Dickheads. It'd be fun to see Ilan, Sam and Betty locked in a deathmatch.

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