S12.E08: Clean Up In Aisle 2!

[Nutjob]

This whole episode made me angry, from the "twist," to Melissa taking all of the clams from Mei, to Padma spilling fish all over the floor for someone else to clean up, to Adam getting eliminated over Melissa. Just... no to the whole thing. Well, except Doug winning, because I want him to win the whole stinking thing.

[phoenix780]

I’m surprised there isn’t a rule against removing stuff from somebody elses station after the whole pea pureegate incident a few seasons ago.

 

That's a good point about rules.  If there is no rule, there's really no need to race to the food pile.  Let others take it, get your additional ingredients, and then take it off their station when they walk away.

 

The whole thing made me like Mei more, because I would want to tattle to the judges.  Or deck the person who took my stuff.  Mei just went with it and bitched a little in an interview. 

 

About Isabella- I just rewatched his original season and didn't find him as offensive as I did the first time.  Maybe my expectations are lower from too much reality tv.  

 

Just out of curiosity, do you think Tom C. asked the eliminated chefs to vote for George? I can't see that being the case. 

 

I don't think you'd have to explicitly ask.  You plant the seed and let the contestants run with it.  I can see someone in production doing that easily as they explained to the contestants what would be happening.  Offer it as an example of how to decide which contestant should participate, imply that it's the nice thing to do, people will do it if for no other reason than to look good.  Even people like Aaron who didn't seem to excited about it.

 

I think people will often follow an example baked into a question rather than make their own decision, too, especially if they don't have time to think.  That's my experience anyway (I'm a trainer, I see it a lot in getting-to-know-you type activities.  Once one person answers, people follow that lead).  It's just easier sometimes to echo others than choose for yourself.

 

I didn't think it was because of the Isabella connection, though.  It was just one of their best story options.

 

I wonder why they didn't just feed LCK into this kind of process?  That could actually make me like LCK more, to have one final battle to get to rejoin in the form of a sudden death quickfire.

[rozen]

Melissa is such a slimy person. I haven't liked her all season, she's always being kind of a jerk, but keeps that big smile plastered on her face so no one notices. Adam asked to split the clams, multiple times, to make sure it was ok. Wth is she to just waltz up there and take them? And you know she saw she only left 3, effectively dicking Mei over, and still did it. I would have pulled a Padma and 'accidentally' knocked themto the floor. It's Top Chef, not Survivor. 

 

I dislike the EC because the judges are too different. EC is where the chefs should be able to settle down and do their best, either with black box ingredients (available to all), or stuff they selected themselves. Gregory probably would not have been in the top if stuck with Richard, and Adam may have been safe with Tom's pantry. Tom had no ego and shopped to his chefs strengths and gave them lots of options. Gail also thought about chef preferences, but guided them a little in her choices. Padma happened to align with her chefs in her own tastes, otherwise they might have been doomed. And Richard...didn't seem to consider his chef's cooking styles at all. His stuff was usable, but was all clearly his ego. 

 

Stacey should have come back. But, surprise, surprise, it's a dude who gets a bs free entry ticket to the competition. And Isabella's minion at that. I'd rather have Aaron back.

Edited December 11, 2014 by rozen

[LoganTheHuge]

While I'm glad Dougie won again (and I would like him to win this whole shebang), this episode pissed me off. I don't want two eliminated losers coming back! And I certainly don't need to see Jersey Shore castoff/Mike Isabella "protege" back on my screen. I know Isabella is now a successful restauranteur but he's no Eric Ripert and the way all of the chefs said his name in hushed reverential tones annoyed me. George kept saying he got a "raw deal." NO, dude, you LOST in a quickfire competition AND in the sudden death challenge. You lost TWICE. That's not getting a raw deal. That's just sucking.

 

 

Re Melissa and the clams:  That was a really sh*tty thing to do.  Even if she thought Mei had hogged a whole bucket, she had to know how few she left her after grabbing them.  Bad form.

Agreed. Also, isn't is "snooze you lose" and if you grab the whole bucket (even if you don't need it all), it's yours? At least Adam asked her if he could have some, and she shared with him. It definitely wasn't cool of Melissa to do that, but we all know she's not going to last anyway. It's not Top Salad.

 

 

I wish more of the chefs would step out of their wheelhouse.  How predictable to get curry chowder (Gregory), Thai chowder (Melissa), etc.  At least Adam stepped out for both QF and E

Yes, all of the food looked pretty unexceptional through the screen. I felt bad for Adam (and a little bit for Katie) for taking a risk and getting knifed for it. It's no wonder these cheftestants are playing it safe. Although you could say that Dougie stretched himself and pulled it off. Seems to be about execution more than concept. I thought George/Isabella Jr.'s dish looked REALLY boring (although everyone said it tasted good). Like Pepper Mostly said, you can get lamb kebobs at every strip mall across America and it'll still taste pretty good.

 

Lastly...Richard's hair! WTF! That hair was ten inches too high.

[theatremouse]

I wondered a bit if the returnees were told in advance that they'd be voting for only one of them to do the head to head, and then the rest go to LCK. Beyond not being able to vote for themselves, if they knew in advance, I also wonder then if they got to discuss among themselves. If they did, I can imagine that some, although still sequestered, may have been to some extent relieved to be out of it. Some may not have so much enjoyed the experience in the way they might have. So, if they were talking to each other about how they might vote, some might have specifically asked others not to vote for them. Also since LCK were still on the table, although it's a gamble (just beat Katie to get back in vs beat EVERYONE to get back in) the LCK winner gets back in an episode later (or maybe even farther down the line). So some might have preferred to be battling the losers and show up for final five or however many, than to get straight back into the main game earlier. Just spitballin'.

[ChelseaNH]

Melissa should understand the danger of setting a precedent.  She'd better watch her station for the rest of the season.  I'd like to see all the other chefs pick it clean while her back is turned.  And then laugh.

[bluepiano]

Following up on my original lengthy angry post about the unprecedented move to put the first eliminated chef back into the competition at a late stage, and because someone asked, YES, I absolutely think that the whole thing was contrived, including the previously eliminated chefs being told to pick George. Why else would they care about so much about a chef who was legitimately the first one eliminated?

 

I think if they really had a choice, they would've picked someone who had stuck around long enough to make friendships and really impress the other chefs with their cooking. I don't buy for a second that they thought he deserved another chance because he's a protégé of the culinary God that apparently Mike Isabella has suddenly become. I mean, Mike Isabella, ferchrisakes, not Eric Ripert, or even one of the Voltaggio Brothers. Every time one of the contestants said something like, "we have to worry about George, he worked for Mike Isabella," it sounded totally scripted and unconvincing.

 

How I imagine this played out is that Mike Isabella has been badgering his pal Tom Colichhio since that first epidose, "Tommy, you gotta get my guy back on the show. Help me out, paisan." It should be pointed out that chefs with personal and/or professional connections to Tom C. have benefitted from some very questionable judging over the years.

 

And as someone else posted earlier, the fawning over George's kebabs with mint-cucumber sauce, the most standard Greek dish you can cook, was ridiculous on an episode where other chefs were criticized for staying in their comfort zone. Not a good sign of things to come.

Edited December 12, 2014 by bluepiano

[trudysmom]

Agreed.  So Mei, with her connection to Voltaggio, isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  She seems very middle of the road to me, and yes to the 'resting bitch face'!

[biakbiak]

I think if they really had a choice, they would've picked someone who had stuck around long enough to make friendships and really impress the other chefs with their cooking

 

Because many of the people voting spent more time with George than they did with other chefs who were eliminated, so there is a good chance they are closer friends with him than chefs who were eliminated later. 

[MortysCleaningLady]

I love  Jasper White!  The Summer Shack used to be one of my favorite expensive casual restaurants. 

 

I trust his food opinion, unlike next week's preview -- Gronk and sausage.  Oh good gravy!  I think Jerry Remy might have made a bit more sense.  Gronk could have helped Padma shop at Whole Foods while riding in a motorized cart:

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/2014/04/04/rob-gronkowski-apparently-loves-food-shopping/c29kMvJEAcHRFT6M25SMrL/story.html

 

 

[Happytobehere]

 

I knew Katie was going to go home during the Sudden Death and I wouldn't have voted for George since he got eliminated during the 1st sudden death and that was on him. He didn't get a raw deal as some may think he has.

I agree. What I remember was an entitled douche, much like Mr. I who, for reasons known only to him thought Gregory would be easy pickings. Instead he got his ass handed to him and whined about it.

If anyone deserved to come back, it was the female chef who was sent packing on the episode where are the food was good.

[Misslindsey]

 

Because many of the people voting spent more time with George than they did with other chefs who were eliminated, so there is a good chance they are closer friends with him than chefs who were eliminated later.

True. In the other Sudden Death QF's didn't the person that had the least liked dish get to pick who they went up against? So in a non-twist Sudden Death QF, Katie would have gotten to pick who she went up against, but with this twist the eliminated chefs chose for her. If I was Katie that would irritate me. She should have been able to choose from the eliminated chefs herself, than have them pick for her. Not sure who she would have picked or if the outcome would have changed, but it would not have felt so hinky to me.

[biakbiak]

, for reasons known only to him thought Gregory would be easy pickings.

To me picking Gregory made the absolute most sense, he didn't know anything about his cooking and George and Gregory got into it over who would filet the mackerel with Gregory winning out and than not doing a very good job of it and George struggling with the clams. I don't think it's really fair to say that George made a dumb decision when basically the only thing that he knew about him was that he wasn't that great at filleting mackerel. 

 

This twist was clearly planned well before they knew who would be eliminated and if for some reason they wanted George to succeed because of his connection with Mike, something I do not remotely believe, they could have simply voted his dish the best of the day and both he and Gregory would have stayed. 

Edited December 12, 2014 by biakbiak

[Mooncake76]

George kept saying he got a "raw deal." NO, dude, you LOST in a quickfire competition AND in the sudden death challenge. You lost TWICE. That's not getting a raw deal. That's just sucking.

 

Agreed. Also, isn't is "snooze you lose" and if you grab the whole bucket (even if you don't need it all), it's yours? At least Adam asked her if he could have some, and she shared with him. It definitely wasn't cool of Melissa to do that, but we all know she's not going to last anyway. It's not Top Salad.

 

I'm also bothered that they randomly let some eliminated chef back in, not based on any culinary skill, but what amounted to a popularity contest.  I don't doubt that George would have lasted longer than many of the chefs already eliminated had he stayed in the competition, but it was his own stupid ego that caused him to choose Gregory - arguably the strongest chef this season - as his cook-off opponent.  He might not have deserved to go based on his culinary skill, but he definitely deserved to go based on making a dumb decision.  Sure, he didn't know the skills of the other chefs yet, but he knew what kind of experience everyone had.  He should have gone for a Keriann.      

 

Melissa should understand the danger of setting a precedent.  She'd better watch her station for the rest of the season.  I'd like to see all the other chefs pick it clean while her back is turned.  And then laugh.

 

As to the Melissa thing, I kinda forgot about it until I started reading the posts here.  I felt like the show basically glossed over it.  They should have made her put the clams back or disqualified her dish because taking ingredients from other chefs without their permission is BS.  It would be chaos and become a free-for-all atmosphere if they let things like that slide.  I'm actually really surprised they allowed it.  The only thing I can think of is that when Adam shouted "share share share!!" when Mei grabbed the clams and she agreed to let him take some, Melissa took that as an invitation to grab whatever she wanted also.       

[cooksdelight]

I guess schoolyard picks have always bothered me from way back because the same people would be picked first, the same picked last. That is probably what bothered me the most about George getting a free pass to play again.

[avecsans]

I wonder if they had already arranged for that walking talking gas bag Mike Isabella to appear on the show late in the season and having his minion eliminated in the first episode ruined their plans. Maybe they wanted them to cook together? Hard to believe that anyone would want to see that because they are both physically repellent and Isabella is a confirmed asshole.

[Noreaster]

My logic might not make perfect sense, but I loved that George got back into the competition.  

 

I absolutely hate LCK for the reasons that some have stated.  But I loved that George got back in because I think the sudden-death quickfire is one of the most stupid gimmicks ever.  It doesn't even make sense. The person who loses the quickfire has to go head-to-head against someone who's not invested in the head-to-head at all. Who the hell designed this gimmick? If the show must do quickfire eliminations, then it should be bottom two of a quickfire facing each other in a cook-off with the loser eliminated. Or just eliminate the person with the worst dish of a normal (not gimmicky, not a specialized skill, some actual cooking) quickfire.

 

And that first sudden death challenge was completely unfair.  A mise en place team challenge with zero actual cooking?  George got a really raw deal.  I'm glad that he got back in just to get some exposure on the show. I do hope though that he gets eliminated before the finals, as it's really not fair to the remaining contestants who had to endure many regular challenges.  But that was a horrible screw job early on for George, and this rectifies it a bit in my mind.

 

I also don't hate Mike Isabella in case that matters.  

Edited December 12, 2014 by Noreaster

[Bastet]

How was it a screw job?  He lost the QF, and then lost a head-to-head cook-off to be the first one booted. 

 

Someone had to be the first to go, and since everyone is qualified to be there, that means a good chef is going to be eliminated before even getting to unpack their bags.  That's a bummer, but I don't see how it amounts to getting screwed.

 

I do understand the sentiment in giving George a second chance, since he, unlike others, didn't have multiple chances to show what he can do.  But, as I said, I'd be far more prone to give a second chance to Stacy, who made her way through a series of challenges and went out with a great dish that was simply the least great of the night.

 

Like someone above, I wonder if the eliminated cheftestants knew LCK was on the horizon and, if so, how that influenced their voting for this inaccurately-named "Sudden Death" QF (that I really hope winds up a one-season experience).

[Noreaster]

Because the QF had nothing to do with cooking and was heavily dependent on team factors. Past mise en place challenges had everyone working on the same things.  Here they split up the different types of foods to prep.  So It's not even comparing apples to apples across the contestants.  And then it depended on how teammates did.  A super slow person could have been saved by a super fast person on the team. There were so many things wrong with the QF itself.  

 

And then randomly, pick someone else to go head-to-head.  Not someone who did poorly on the QF but just a random person. Not based on experience or skill set or personality or whatever, because this was the very first challenge and people didn't really know much about each other. (George was incredibly unlucky to have picked one of the better contestants.)  And that random other person has zero risk of going home so he/she could go high risk/high reward with no downside. 

 

I really don't get this twist at all.  Just typing this up is making me annoyed. (I did a marathon first-viewing of the season this past weekend so it's somewhat fresh in my mind.) So stupid.  

[FormerMod-a1]

I do understand the sentiment in giving George a second chance, since he, unlike others, didn't have multiple chances to show what he can do.  But, as I said, I'd be far more prone to give a second chance to Stacy, who made her way through a series of challenges and went out with a great dish that was simply the least great of the night.

 

And that's exactly whey I would NOT pick her.  Why would I want to bring back a known good competitor.  It would make it harder for me to win.  I might pick the first out thinking they might be easier to beat.  It could be a bad bet, since it could just be a fluke they were eliminated first - bad day or something.  However, I also probably wouldn't say that's why I was picking them. 

[Lura]

This episode bothered me on several levels.  I detest Last Chance Kitchen and have been against it since it started.  I hate it because, IMO, it just isn't fair!  I had all the sympathy in the world for George, but to bring him back after the others have slaved and toiled through many tough battles seems ridiculous.  It places George among the finalists.  He could actually win this thing!

 

The business with Melissa angered me.  What she did was downright theft, and whatever gave her the idea that she could rob someone's station is beyond me.  She should have been kicked out for doing it.  I wonder whether Mei could have stopped the action cold if she'd protested.  Mei is a gutsy person, and she should have stood up for her rights instead of settling for inferior clams.

 

Go Greg and Doug!

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

 

[Bastet]

And that's exactly whey I would NOT pick her.  Why would I want to bring back a known good competitor.

 

Well, I wouldn't pick her if I was Katie, or someone else left in the game picking a competitor.  But if I was an ousted cheftestant with seemingly no chance at a Mulligan unless others voted for me, who was deciding to whom I'd award a second chance, she's who I'd vote for.  For me, this brings up the LCK thing again -- if they didn't know that was forthcoming, the votes for George seem based on sentiment.  If they did, it may have been strategic.

 

Who voted for Joy?

[mlp]

Loved the recap.  It and the above comments summed up pretty much everything I've been thinking.  I hate gimmicks like LCK bringing back someone who has been eliminated because it always feels unfair to the others and adding a second come back just made me mad.  I suppose that Tom C. and the other PTBs sit around trying to think up ways to make the show "fresh" after numerous seasons but I wish they'd cut it out.  I seriously think that most of us were happy with the original format.

 

I went to the website to look up Rebecca because I couldn't remember who she was and I noticed that Doug uses "Douggie" in his contact address so he must be OK with the diminutive.  I was relieved when Rebecca was permanently eliminated.  From the looks on her face, I'm guessing she hires out as a hit man (hit person?) on her nights off.  Mean looking woman!  It struck me as odd that Tom told her to "exit the kitchen" when the other losing chefs were all sitting right there.  Maybe she scared him too.

 

Keriann is delusional. Good grief.

[goddessintraining]

Who voted for Joy?

 

Stacey. And Joy voted for Stacey in return.

 

As for Mike Isabella, I'm still not convinced he's Tom's favorite. He was PYKAG'd before ROBIN during is original season. Robin.

 

I didn't see the first episode this season. How would George have known Gregory's skill level at that time? In response to a post above, Aaron wouldn't have looked happy voting for anyone but himself. And I can't see Aaron saying anything he doesn't want to say due to a mere suggestion.

[LexiconDevilOne]

I'll say this, mostly because I am Greek, I'm glad to see more of George (although, I am NO fan of Mike Isabella, at all.)

That said, A Greek cooking lamb is far from out of his wheelhouse. And, for the record, none cook it better than my Mother. He has yet to show his cooking chops.

Edited December 12, 2014 by LexiconDevilOne

[MangoFed]

I think the conspiracy theorists are looking hard for something that isn't there. From the chef's perspective, George did get a raw deal. He lost a team-dependent challenge, was unlucky to choose a really good competitor, and turned out a good dish that wasn't as good as Gregory's. I can see them being sympathetic.

[Archery]

I liked LCK original variety because it gave a second chance to chefs who may have been eliminated on a fluke, or because a bad partner had immunity or some thing beyond their control. And the tournament style meant that whichever chef came back participated in the same number of elimination challenges, either in the main competition or in LCK, as everyone else. This version seems more like people jumping the line.

 

I have to say, I really enjoyed the judges' approaches to shopping, except for Blais, who is immature. The other three chose stuff that their contestants would likely excel at. Tom went the "widest variety, widest choice" route, as you would expect a restaurateur to do, while Gail and Padma, both foodies, thought about what they would like to eat, if cooked well. I liked that twist.

Edited December 12, 2014 by AmandaPanda
fixing html tags

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I can't stand Mike Isabella, but George isn't Mike Isabella, and so I am not going to judge him because of who is employer is.  And I think that TC has absolutely no reason to want to bring him back because of Mike Isabella. 

 

Like I said, I didn't have that much of a problem with this twist because I do think that sometimes good chefs go out early.  Not sure I loved the popularity contest element to it, but at the end of the day, George won the cook off between Katie fair and square, so I think he proved he should back in. 

[backgroundnoise]

I can't get too upset over things like George going out partly due to his slow teamates, or coming back due to the latest gimmick.  This show, and others in the same vein, have been on long enough for the contestants to know they pull stuff like this all the time.  This isn't the Pillsbury bake-off, where it really is all about the food.  They know, or should know, what they have signed up for.  I roll my eyes more when chefs complain about the all nighters other things they throw in there.

[larapu2000]

Richard irritates me, but he did have 2 pretty great talking heads this episode:  The first, when he says Tom used a Jedi mind trick to scam the lamb racks out from under him, and the second, when he said shopping at Whole Foods was like high school all over again with hot girls picking on him.  I do think his shopping was all about himself, versus about the contestants.  

 

I think they literally found the only Top Chef viewer that would rate Texas as the best season. 

[cooksdelight]

I think they literally found the only Top Chef viewer that would rate Texas as the best season.

I was wondering if there were two Texas seasons and I missed the good one. :)

When Richard went running off with his shopping cart, I think he forgot he was a judge and he was once again a contestant.

[beaker73]

Regarding the "Sudden-Death QF cook-off" as well as LCK:  I found it interesting that Michael Patlazhan was NOT included amongst the cast of previously-eliminated cheftestants.  I wonder if his exit interview comments got him specifically barred by Colicchio or someone else, or if he refused to participate.

 

In any case I am pleased, in a way, that George Pagonis made it back into the main competition.  I think he deserves the second chance and quickly showed he can cook, both in the cook-off and in the EC.  Whether he was "fresh" (an advantage) or "unused to the time constraints or pressure" (a disadvantage) is subject to debate.

Did I have a stroke?  I have no idea who Michael is.  I even looked him up and I don't remember him at all.  What did he say in his exit interview?

 

To me picking Gregory made the absolute most sense, he didn't know anything about his cooking and George and Gregory got into it over who would filet the mackerel with Gregory winning out and than not doing a very good job of it and George struggling with the clams. I don't think it's really fair to say that George made a dumb decision when basically the only thing that he knew about him was that he wasn't that great at filleting mackerel. 

 

This twist was clearly planned well before they knew who would be eliminated and if for some reason they wanted George to succeed because of his connection with Mike, something I do not remotely believe, they could have simply voted his dish the best of the day and both he and Gregory would have stayed. 

Agree with all of the above. 

 

Look-- I despised Mike I. in his original season and while he's still obnoxious, I found him less offensive in All-Stars and whatever the fuck that last thing was that Top Chef did (Duels??).  I do love his restaurants and I was planning on rooting for George as he's my hometown guy.  Naturally, I was disappointed that he went out in the first 15 minutes of the season on the SD QF (which by the way I find is bullshit).  Yes, someone has to be the first to go, but for Pete's sake let them actually cook for an EC first.  I have no doubt that the plan of the producers was to have the chefs vote George back in--not because they are praying at the altar of Isabella, but because it makes for a better story. I don't know, I just think that George should be judged on himself and his skills and not the fact that he's partners with/works for a former contestant that's unpopular.

[larapu2000]

I was wondering if there were two Texas seasons and I missed the good one. :)

When Richard went running off with his shopping cart, I think he forgot he was a judge and he was once again a contestant.

 

The other judges laughed at him, too!  It was awesome.  Then later they said it was clear he had been a contestant, because he went straight to the meat!

[biakbiak]

Then later they said it was clear he had been a contestant, because he went straight to the meat!

 

Though that didn't actually help him because as a former contestant he didn't have the balls to tell Tom to suck it when he said he wanted the lamb.

[The Real Chon]

It wasn't so much that Padma's pants were distracting; it was that stilted dialogue at the pre-Judges Table table that really was jarring. As if Padma and Gail would clean the TC kitchen.

[chiaros]

Did I have a stroke?  I have no idea who Michael is.  I even looked him up and I don't remember him at all.  What did he say in his exit interview?

 

 

Michael Patlazhan was the first cheftestant to be eliminated in the first EC in the first episode.  In his exit interview he severely questioned Tom Colicchio's (TC's) palate, declaring that he thought the chili/hotness etc of his dish was just fine to him and there was something wrong with TC's palate.**  He also declared with certainty that he didn't care what Colicchio thought, and basically told TC to take a flying f*ck.

 

** Mind you, I myself question TC's ability to judge anything else other than US-American and American-Italian food, and doubt his ability to properly assess cuisines like Chinese (in all it's regionalities) amongst various other non-Western cuisines.  Ditto José Andres, for that matter, even if he fancies himself as an "Asian Food" interpreter.  Their notions of what "Chinese" or "Asian" food is is deeply suspect to me as judged by their reactions to stuff that traditional consumers of the cuisines (like a Chinese Embassy staff member) had declared as "authentic" and "very good" but which they panned (amongst various other declarations of theirs); and which was also just wrong to me (as regards TC and JA) from my perspective of eating such cuisine for much of my life.  (However, TC is the head judge; and the show really should be called "Who Wants to Cook for Tom Colicchio & Friends")

Edited December 12, 2014 by chiaros

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Did I have a stroke?  I have no idea who Michael is.  I even looked him up and I don't remember him at all.  What did he say in his exit interview?

 

I am totally with you - I have no recollection of him, either.  But it appears that he lost the Museum of Science challenge - here's a video of his exit interview.  It isn't like he trashed the show in his exit interview, but he did say he was having panic attacks and didn't think that competition was for him.

 

 

Michael Patlazhan was the first cheftestant to be eliminated in the first EC in the first episode.  In his exit interview he severely questioned Tom Colicchio's (TC's) palate, declaring that he thought the chili/hotness etc of his dish was just fine to him and there was something wrong with TC's palate.**  He also declared with certainty that he didn't care what Colicchio thought, and basically told TC to take a flying f*ck.

 

 

That isn't the exit video on their Web site, but it is hazily coming back to me.  I doubt, however, that is the reason why he isn't there.  There's been no shortage of cheftestants who have questioned the judges' palates. If I had to guess, based on what he said above, I suspect he took himself out of the competition and the producers let him go because what good is guy having panic attacks.

Edited December 12, 2014 by eleanorofaquitaine

[Constantinople]

I didn't like this new twist of letting someone back in who's fresh, rested and hasn't been up late nights, competing, hustling, etc. That's a unfair advantage, to me. And now one mass LCK with everyone competing ONCE to get a second chance against Adam and Katie? That just seems so skewed.

 

My feelings exactly. I could live with LCK because at least they were still working for it the whole way through, and whoever came back would have spent through some of their recipes etc. the entire time. But this? Booo-ooo-ooogus. And I thought it was a little too pat that Mike Isabella's protege just happened to be the one that all of the chefs wanted back - yes, he was the first knifed, but I wonder if there was some nudging behind the scenes to get them all to choose him.

I have mixed feelings about LCK, but this is ridiculous.

I'm glad I skipped the season until Restaurant Wars, and now I wish I skipped that as well. Why bother watching when everything that went before is now meaningless? It's the Top Chef equivalent of Pamela Ewing waking-up and seeing Bobby in the shower.

Sometimes I wish the standard used for elimination wasn't the worst dish, but, of the bottom 3, which 2 do the judges most want to see cook again. It might avoid these shenanigans, and at least would prevent someone from second-worsting their way to the finals (Lisa in Season 4).

[larapu2000]

Though that didn't actually help him because as a former contestant he didn't have the balls to tell Tom to suck it when he said he wanted the lamb.

But didn't Gail say Richard cleaned out the mussels?  

[Rambler]

How I imagine this played out is that Mike Isabella has been badgering his pal Tom Colichhio since that first epidose, "Tommy, you gotta get my guy back on the show. Help me out, paisan." It should be pointed out that chefs with personal and/or professional connections to Tom C. have benefitted from some very questionable judging over the years.

 

The problem with your theory is that the shows are taped months before they are aired so there would be no way for Mike I. to know that George had been eliminated before this episode was filmed.

[Nutjob]

I don't think there was any Isabella-related conspiracy to get George back in (and I can't stand Isabella, so...). I just think they had all been sequestered together, and George might be a nice guy, and they all pitied him for getting booted first. That said, I don't think it's fair to bring back someone who didn't have to at least compete in LCK, when other cheftestants who made it much farther will now have to fight their way back in. Not cool, TC.

[ChelseaNH]

Now I'm wondering, if George had gotten the boot this episode, or if he gets the boot soon, does he go into the LCK pool or do they say, "Well, you had your chance, g'bye"?

[cooksdelight]

They should have had to go into a little closet, with a light bulb dangling above their head.... vote on a piece of paper and put it into a stock pot. Then Tom would "go tally the votes" and the person voted back in would be announced. Padma could be dressed up in a skimpy costume to lend atmosphere.

[Maverick]

Not only do I not remember Michael, worse I have no clue who Rebecca is.  She clearly made no impression on me.

[NewDigs]

I was willing to suffer the contrivances of this episode and to even accept that stealing ingredients from another competitor was aok. That was not easy. I guess tptb have me well trained.

I did, however, cringe and even groan a little when George, in service to what he seemed to think of as his deserved win, deemed his earlier ejection a "raw deal." An arguable point but why, at that stage of the game, argue it?

Humility looks good on everyone.

[Noreaster]

I don't know if this was posted elsewhere, but I'm catching up on the show's cast blogs. Here is what Richard Blais had to say about George's sudden death quickfire in the season premiere (http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-12/blogs/richard-blais/richard-goes-from-player-to-announcer ):

But a lifeline emerges. George gets to pick another chef to battle to save himself and he picks Gregory. I thought about why he made that choice a lot that night, I bet he did as well, but it makes sense. At that point, they don't know each other. They haven't broke bread or talked at all before they walked into the kitchen. George's only interaction is with Gregory as they wrestled verbally for who was going to cut the mackerel. Might as well pick him. Any other pick would be blind. The devil I know. . .

 

When we tasted both dishes I knew automatically what had really happened here. These were two of the better cooks in the competition, two heavyweights. Both dishes were solid, really Boston strong. With a larger sample size, there's no way George would be going home. His dish was excellent. But Gregory's was a little better. Gregory's food that day reminded me of one of the best ever to compete on Top Chef, Angelo Sosa. Bright, clean, acidic, fresh, spicy. Delicious. I rambled on about a first kiss, and what I was saying was the flavor was unforgettable.

 

How bout dem apples, or, errr, clams. A competitor is packing their knives before unpacking their suitcase. Hard. Core.

 

[Totale]

From Noreaster's Blais quote above

 

 

These were two of the better cooks in the competition, two heavyweights. Both dishes were solid, really Boston strong.

 

Ugh to the blecch.  What an incredible dipshit this man is.

[bluepiano]

The problem with your theory is that the shows are taped months before they are aired so there would be no way for Mike I. to know that George had been eliminated before this episode was filmed.

 

I am totally not following your logic. Sure, the shows are taped in advance of being aired, but they are taped in sequence. So no matter how tight the shooting schedule may be, there was certainly a gap in time between the taping of episode 1, in which George was eliminated, and the taping of episode 8, the return of George. I'm betting that Mike knew that his friend/partner/protégé George had gotten PPYKAG within 20 minutes of when it happened. Leaving plenty of time for him to lobby Tom and whoever else to give George another chance. Even if Top Chef is taping 2 episodes a week, there still would've been time.

 

On another note, I thought it was pretty funny that Adam predicted that Richard would add agar to the pantry he was providing his chefs, and sure enough he did. As well as all the other molecular gastronomy tricks that Richard loves, even though they did not fit the style of either of the chefs he was shopping for. I think that showed Richard's dual ego/insecurity. It's like he needed to remind everyone, yet again, that he is this show's resident Mr. Science. When Richard Blais is involved it has to always be about Richard Blais.

Edited December 13, 2014 by bluepiano

[biakbiak]

So no matter how tight the shooting schedule may be, there was certainly a gap in time between the taping of episode 1, in which George was eliminated, and the taping of episode 8, the return of George. I'm betting that Mike knew that his friend/partner/protégé George had been eliminated immediately after the taping of that first episode. Leaving plenty of time for him to lobby to give George another chance. Even if they're taping 2 episodes a week, there was still a gap of about a month.

 

The contestants are sequestered and not allowed to tell anyone when they were eliminated. I seriously, don't think Mike Isabella is that significant to either the show or Tom that they would bend over backwards to get George back in the competition. This twist was clearly planned from the beginning because otherwise they wouldn't have held LCK for so long.

Edited December 13, 2014 by biakbiak

[MangoFed]

I am totally not following your logic. Sure, the shows are taped in advance of being aired, but they are taped in sequence. So no matter how tight the shooting schedule may be, there was certainly a gap in time between the taping of episode 1, in which George was eliminated, and the taping of episode 8, the return of George. I'm betting that Mike knew that his friend/partner/protégé George had gotten PPYKAG within 20 minutes of when it happened. Leaving plenty of time for him to lobby Tom and whoever else to give George another chance. Even if Top Chef is taping 2 episodes a week, there still would've been time.

 

On another note, I thought it was pretty funny that Adam predicted that Richard would add agar to the pantry he was providing his chefs, and sure enough he did. As well as all the other molecular gastronomy tricks that Richard loves, even though they did not fit the style of either of the chefs he was shopping for. I think that showed Richard's dual ego/insecurity. It's like he needed to remind everyone, yet again, that he is this show's resident Mr. Science. When Richard Blais is involved it has to always be about Richard Blais.

This doesn't pass the sniff test. As others have mentioned, contestants are sequestered and there are NDAs that cover telling people what happened. And since when do Tom and Mike have such a relationship that this is even possible? And how does Tom get this idea through production, and all the other people who have input in the show (he doesn't call 100% of the shots). Does he just say "We're doing this to help my buddy, and the rest of you can suck it", and no one raises a complaint? Also, 'competition' shows are actually regulated pretty heavily for this exact reason. I mean, the fact that they didn't start LCK until AFTER this twist is more evidence (delaying production schedules is expensive, so it's a safe assumption that they didn't audible that). This just seems like an Ocaam's Razor type of thing. You can either believe there's a conspiracy, and find weird and creative ways to justify the thousands of flaws in that argument, or you can believe that it was a twist that was planned that George happened to benefit from.

 

As for the Blais thing, I don't get how he 'made it about him'. It's not like he required the use of those ingredients. He added them so people could use them if they were inclined. The fact that Doug won despite not using any of them showed that there were solid pairings within the basket, and he (like Tom) was just giving them multiple directions to go into.

Edited December 13, 2014 by MangoFed