S12.E11: Sous Your Daddy

[Lura]

I felt sorry for Mei when Melissa won.  I, too, felt that Melissa had a loving mother at her side, while neither of Mei's parents were there or maybe didn't even care to be.  Furthermore, Melissa had her doting mother there to help her, while Mei was saddled with a brother who can't cook and was an irritant in Mei's life -- even though I liked her smiling brother.  I also felt sorry for Greg ,  who was overly concerned about his sweet sister that he let his fish overcook.  George and his father were fun to watch, and they had such admiration for each other.  All in all, I felt that Mei should have won this one.  I was also curious about what Doug's parents were like.  I can't say that this was my favorite episode since I was frequently bored.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Edited January 16, 2015 by Lura

[DHDancer]

Yay!!!!  Just watched LCK.  I'm sooooooo happy.  I won't spoil it for anyone as you can go watch for yourself :)

 

http://www.bravotv.com/last-chance-kitchen?clip=2838508

Edited January 16, 2015 by DHDancer

[Bastet]

Every time I look at this thread, I'm reminded of something: I hate the title of this episode.  A play on "Sue your daddy" wouldn't make sense, so they must be going for a play on "Who's your daddy," but since the S at the end of sous is silent, I'm annoyed.  "Sous your daddy" is only clever - to me, anyway - if sous is pronounced soos.  (And since only one of the family members brought in as sous chef was a father, they really should have done something with "family" in the title, but I could have overlooked that had it made sense.)

Edited January 16, 2015 by Bastet

[Wings]

So, does Melissa not compete next week, or does she compete with immunity?

 

She didn't win immunity.  She won her place in the finals.  Sounds like the same thing to me but they made a distinction.  They never said if she would be joining the others to cook, I think she will.  

[Julia]

I thought it was a play on The Time of the Season by the Zombies (who's your daddy?)

[In Pog Form]

"Sous your daddy" is only clever - to me, anyway - if sous is pronounced soos.

Look, it's not "Soos." Alright? It's Susie! My name is Susie!

Edited January 16, 2015 by In Pog Form

[cooksdelight]

Melissa is standing with the others in the previews, so I am assuming she will cook.

My delight was seeing Kerry Heffernan as a judge. I've gotten to know him well in the time since he was on TC All-Stars, and I so wish he'd won. The man loves to fish so it was a pleasure seeing him as a judge in a seafood competition.

Pog, good Seinfeld episode there!

[Simon Boccanegra]

I thought it was "Sous Is Your Daddy" (which literally was true for George), but the apostrophe-S placement would have made it read awkwardly, so they just did without. It worked well enough as a title for me.

 

I was kind of soft-hearted about the whole episode. I actually would say it was up there with my favorite Top Chefs ever; I didn't care about the non-elimination. I really enjoyed seeing all these different, apparently genuine family dynamics: the love between Melissa and her mom, the "He's the boss" respect of George toward his dad, the best-friends vibe between Gregory and his sister, and the pricklier sibling relationship between Mei and her brother. I am glad they captioned George's dad, because I would not have been able to get one word, although I think it was in English rather than Greek.

 

I didn't mind Mei. Siblings usually are more blunt with each other, and what they have obviously works for them. If I were working on a project with my brother, and I was the one who knew more and could take charge, I'd probably mince no words either; whereas if it were my mother, I'd be more tactful. I came away thinking she's fond of him and he looks up to her. To me, they were as sweet to watch in their way as Melissa and her mother were.  

 

It hit me. Mei and her brother: Intense control-freak chef who wants but doesn't get her parents' approval, golden-child brother who is a sweet dork...they're the Gellers! Harley should have brought his keyboard and played his "music." 

 

I'm liking this season. Not my favorite ever (that would be the one with the Volts, because the talent level was so high), but far from the pits of the one with Angelo and the "beast in the kitchen" dude who got eliminated early, and nothing in it is making me uncomfortable like S2 or the bullying of the season with Sarah and...Heather, was it?

Edited January 16, 2015 by Simon Boccanegra

[cooksdelight]

Yes, Sarah and Heather, the mean girls from hell.

I sort of "got" Mei and her brother's relationship. Sort of like mine with my brother, only he's not the golden child. He's the only son and named after my father.

[attica]

There was a tiny clip, easily missed, in the apartment, showing George without the Waterfall Of Product in his hair. It looked poofy! I swear! I am not making this up!

[Noreaster]

Interesting feel-good episode.  Like others have said, it wouldn't have felt right to eliminate someone on this family-based challenge. Though it's odd to me that the show is slowing down the pace. Why bother with all those quickfire eliminations and double eliminations earlier in the season?  Right, the drama.  

 

I seem to remember another family-based challenge that was a quickfire instead.  A fake wall was placed between the contestants and their family members.  They both had to make the same dish with the contestants telling their respective family members how to cook and plate.  The goal was to make the two dishes match as much as possible. Anyone else remember this?  I don't think there was an elimination involved, just a fun quickfire.  

 

I didn't have a problem with Mei this episode. It seemed clear to me that her attitude toward her brother in the kitchen was just her personality in general. She's bossy and direct toward everyone.  Mei was acting the same way in a team challenge earlier in the season. Her brother seemed to be used to it.  I don't know why I don't care for Mei.  She's cooking dishes that seem creative (like at the restaurant where she works), but I don't get the feeling that she takes much risk.  

 

It seemed that Gregory had the only bad dish of the night, and there were other problems besides the overcooked halibut.  He turned out to be so disappointing after his initial success on the show.  Again, I don't feel like he does anything particularly risky.  Except for that one challenge where he fumbled with the protein (maybe the Thanksgiving ep?).  Still not rooting for him. 

 

However, with the knowledge that there *was* another female winner recently -- I must've bailed out that season -- I'm thinking I might be over analyzing this and looking at it with a sympathetic chip on my shoulder for the very talented female chefs who always seem to be almost at the top, but who do not quite reach the brass ring.

FYI, Kristen was this second female winner, and she is the most deserving of an asterisk. In my opinion, she rightfully got sent home for her failed leadership in Restaurant Wars (although many viewers prefer to lay all the blame on someone else on her team), then re-entered the competition after a successful run on Last Chance Kitchen (gimmicky as hell with all sorts of bias with Tom as the only judge), and then won on a super-gimmicky final challenge (that resembled Iron Chef).  I wish the runner-up that season (Brooke, also female) won instead.  

 

I have to say though, the gender thing never really bothered me on the show.  It's a heavily male-dominated industry, but the show prefers to start off with an equal number of males and females.  So many of the females cast were not of the same caliber as the males. Just look at the resumes and the titles (executive chef, sous chef, line cook, culinary student, etc). Overall the men have been more qualified, and the judges on this panel also tend to favor the cooks that are more "creative" and more "fine dining".  Ergo, there have been more male winners. 

Edited January 16, 2015 by Noreaster

[eleanorofaquitaine]

 

I have to say though, the gender thing never really bothered me on the show.  It's a heavily male-dominated industry, but the show prefers to start off with an equal number of males and females.  So many of the females cast were not of the same caliber as the males. Just look at the resumes and the titles (executive chef, sous chef, line cook, culinary student, etc). Overall the men have been more qualified, and the judges on this panel also tend to favor the cooks that are more "creative" and more "fine dining".  Ergo, there have been more male winners. 

 

It bothers me intensely, as I generally think that the benefit of the doubt is usually given to male chefs over female ones.  It isn't just that TC has only 2 female winners, it is the fact that there have NO female winners on TC Masters or TC Desserts.  At some point, that's a pretty strong indication of systemic bias, in my view.  If it weren't for the fact that this season of TC was filmed in Boston, I wouldn't have watched it because I have become so bothered my the gender issues associated with the show.  If a woman does win this year - either Mei or Melissa - I probably will continue to watch the show.  But I was really put off by Nick winning last season, not just because he was Nick, but because it seemed such an indication to me that the playing field is tipped in a male chef's favor.

[Qoass]

Even Rocco's Dinner Party had seven men win in ten episodes.  There was no tension in the show because any time a woman would compete, you knew how it would usually end.

 

Bravo's shows remind me of an old riddle/joke:

 

Dave has to promote one employee.  The two top candidates, Mary and Susan, are identical in their qualifications but Mary went to Harvard and Susan went to Yale.  Who gets the promotion?  Answer:  Bill.

[Special K]

There was a tiny clip, easily missed, in the apartment, showing George without the Waterfall Of Product in his hair. It looked poofy! I swear! I am not making this up!

 

I saw it, and he looked a million times better without the oil and comb tracks.  We need a hair intervention, I believe.

[DarkRaichu]

I didn't mind Mei. Siblings usually are more blunt with each other, and what they have obviously works for them. If I were working on a project with my brother, and I was the one who knew more and could take charge, I'd probably mince no words either; whereas if it were my mother, I'd be more tactful. I came away thinking she's fond of him and he looks up to her. To me, they were as sweet to watch in their way as Melissa and her mother were.  

 

It hit me. Mei and her brother: Intense control-freak chef who wants but doesn't get her parents' approval, golden-child brother who is a sweet dork...they're the Gellers! Harley should have brought his keyboard and played his "music." 

 

No wonder Mei work(ed?) well with Michael Voltaggio.  Talented chef who is overshadowed by their sibling, doesn't that sound familiar ? ;)

Edited January 16, 2015 by DarkRaichu

[betha]

I'm honestly surprised so many people have warm feelings for Mei. She's been shown to be rude, snotty, arrogant, selfish.... Jerks have won this show before, and she has a chance to win, but I won't be cheering for her. I thought it was obvious her brother was going slow because he was terrified of messing up and getting her wrath. Couldn't she have asked him nicely to speed up? I am sorry if you feel like you were treated unfairly as a child; but you're an adult now. Grow up and treat people with respect.

Melissa completely deserved the win, even if she did get an advantage because she is so close with her mom.

 

I was distracted by the amazingly gorgeous scenery and the colors of the table, the ocean, the sky. Wow.

[locomoco]

I'm honestly surprised so many people have warm feelings for Mei. She's been shown to be rude, snotty, arrogant, selfish.... Jerks have won this show before, and she has a chance to win, but I won't be cheering for her.

I see a relatively quiet, confident chef... I haven't seen her to be rude (other than to perhaps her brother), and certainly not any of the other things you've said. There's a fine line between confident and arrogant, but I don't recall her displaying any contempt for other chef's abilities on the show, and I don't know where you would get her being selfish - especially after having all her clams stolen from her by Melissa.

[Julia]

FYI, Kristen was this second female winner, and she is the most deserving of an asterisk. In my opinion, she rightfully got sent home for her failed leadership in Restaurant Wars (although many viewers prefer to lay all the blame on someone else on her team)

 

In fairness, once he saw the footage, one of those viewers was Tom Colicchio. As a matter of fact, the only person on the judging panel who hasn't said that they would have sent Josie home if they'd known about her behavior was Padma, hardly an authority on the workings of a professional kitchen.

[Lura]

George is growing on me.  I really liked seeing an up-close look at him and his father, and together they were a happy pair.  George and the others seem to get along fine, and I no longer resent his coming back from TLCK.  I'm beginning to feel the same way he felt when he was first eliminated -- that he's a far better chef than that first episode showed.  This season is, by far, the best season in recent memory for me, in part because the cooking level has been so high.  My other favorite was the Napa season with the Volts and Kevin. 

 

Who was the woman who sat at the table beside where the cheftestants stood?  In fact, I think she addressed the group at one point.  I thought, despite her somewhat matronly figure, that she was absolutely beautiful!  She was also a guest judge, I think.  I'd like to look up a bio of her, but I don't know her name.  Anyone?  THANK YOU.

[mlp]

 

I seem to remember another family-based challenge that was a quickfire instead.  A fake wall was placed between the contestants and their family members.

 

I remember that they did that on Top Chef Masters.  Chris Cosentino and Kerry Heffernan and maybe a third person, can't recall, were involved but they were paired with culinary students.  I always thought Kerry should have won TCM (although I like Chris OK) so I was happy to see him this week.  Anyhow, I also recall them  doing this bit on regular TC and someone unknowingly screaming at a family member but I just can't remember who was involved.

 

I think the third person in the TCM challenge was Lorena Garcia.

Edited January 17, 2015 by mlp

[biakbiak]

They were paired with family members in a quickfire of TC Masters 3. They weren't told ahead of time that they were family members and had the barricade between them. Naomi was mean to her dad, Traci had her brother, Floyd his wife and I think Mary Sue had her sister.

Edited January 17, 2015 by biakbiak

[Julia]

I remember that they did that on Top Chef Masters.  Chris Cosentino and Kerry Heffernan and maybe a third person, can't recall, were involved but they were paired with culinary students.  I always thought Kerry should have won TCM (although I like Chris OK) so I was happy to see him this week.  Anyhow, I also recall them  doing this bit on regular TC and someone unknowingly screaming at a family member but I just can't remember who was involved.

 

I think the third person in the TCM challenge was Lorena Garcia.

 

There was an earlier version of the same challenge where Naomi Pomeroy (and wow, do I not Get what people see in Naomi Pomeroy) was absolutely foul to her father, not knowing he was her father.

[Archery]

I liked the no elimination twist. Each week we see chefs trying not to be the worst, but this week everyone was actually trying towards be the best in order to go straight to the finals. It changes the dynamic.

[Norma Desmond]

Aaand Melissa goes to the finale. Wow. I was not expecting that, especially because of their fawning over Mei's dish.

I love Melissa's mom though. And she's an aerospace engineer? Wow.

I love Gregory but he definitely lost some of his luster. Hope he makes it to the finale.

[Noreaster]

In fairness, once he saw the footage, one of those viewers was Tom Colicchio. As a matter of fact, the only person on the judging panel who hasn't said that they would have sent Josie home if they'd known about her behavior was Padma, hardly an authority on the workings of a professional kitchen.

That's true. Tom suggested in his blog that the judges may not have eliminated Kristen had they seen the taped edit. I would take his words with a grain of salt though. Tom writes these blog posts when the episodes air, months after filming ended. Huge potential for revisionist history. Intentionally or not, Tom was likely trying to justify some of his decisions (eliminating Kristen, then bringing her back via LCK).  

 

And anyway, what happened to "we don't care what happens behind the scenes; we just care about the front of the house and what's on the plate"?  That particular blog post was pretty hypocritical. Maybe Tom just changes his tune when talking about his favorites or to appease viewers.

 

I maintain that Kristen was the right person to go home in that challenge. That decision was consistent with prior Restaurant Wars eliminations on this show. It doesn't matter that Josie had an obnoxious personality or was not as good of a cook as Kristen. In that particular challenge, Kristen failed.  She was an ineffective leader.  Not even the heavy-handed editing in that episode (such as splicing of Kristen's exasperated faces with Josie standing around or walking away) could mask that.  

[Julia]

moved to General Discussion

Edited January 17, 2015 by Julia

[Bella]

Could we please take further pro/con on Kristen's win to the General Discussion thread? Thanks!

[Fostersmom]

Somehow I just don't believe Mei's brother is as completely unfamiliar with a kitchen as she made out. Is he a chef? No. But she said her parents own a restaurant, just like George's dad, and while it's not impossible, I find it hard to believe he never spent some time helping out in the family business like the majority of kids who grow up with parents owning a business needing general help for basic tasks and not specialized employees. Plus she gave him those oysters to prepare and he managed to get them all opened and cleaned on his own. 

[FormerMod-a1]

Even if he did help in the restaurant it wouldn't have to be in the kitchen or with cooking.  As for the oysters I thought they showed her showing him how to do and then he did all the ones for the appetizer.  Which I do think she and he should have got more credit for.  It's hard to do and even harder to do well.

[Lura]

Is anyone else thinking about Doug these days?  In the back of my mind, while I'm watching the show action, I think about Doug running himself crazy, cooking in LCK.  The poor guy has to put up with Adam's constant chatter and remarks all day long, I guess.  Anyone who can cook with Adam jawwing in the background deserves a medal, IMHO.

 

Anyhow, I was so surprised to learn on this episode that Doug is only 5'1" tall.  No wonder some people call him "Dougie."  He's a great example for other short men who let their height limit them in some ways.  Doug seems to be long past that.

[mlp]

 

Anyhow, I was so surprised to learn on this episode that Doug is only 5'1" tall.  No wonder some people call him "Dougie."

 

Doug himself uses douggieadams for Twitter so I guess the diminutive doesn't bother him.

[sunrisepink]

I'm in the group who thinks Mei was nasty to her brother. The reason it seemed mean-spirited and not just "they way they are" is because Harley never really gave it back to Mei, whenever she was nasty he just chuckled uneasily. It would be different if they had a back and forth banter, but it seemed Harley was a little intimidated by his older sister and really just sought her approval.

[Reo]

Thought it was a wee bit odd that George called his dad "Mr. Tony" repeatedly.

I had a restaurant family in that we all worked in them, not owned them.  At one point my son, my husband (his stepfather, not his father - although his real father was a chef), and I all worked in the same small incredibly busy diner.  Son was line cook, hubby and I both waited tables.

 

When orders were up, he'd yell the server's name - so I was Reo to him at the restaurant, until I was late picking up my food.  Then he would bellow "mom!" at the top of his lungs.  It was a weird time.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Reo

[biakbiak]

Doesn't mean he isn't bothered; means he is handling the situation with a sense of humor.

On the first challenge of the season he told the judges to call him Dougie.

[Statman]

Re Mei's attitude towards her brother....

 

I love my brother, but I am straight out blunt to him and love to tease him about anything and everything.  If that makes me a mean brother, then so be it.  I'd rather be able to have an honest and joking relationship with my brother (and my other siblings) than gush fake platitudes about how awesome they are and how I miss them so much.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Statman

[Vinstar]

I felt sorry not for Mei but for her brother for the incredible abuse he had to endure.

She is one nasty chick. I wouldn't wish a sister like that on my worst enemy!

 

The relationship she seems to have with her family members could be called dysfunctional at best

and the contempt she displays for them is ugly to see. I hope she gets axed soon I don't care how good a cook you are

you can't treat people like that especially not your own family members. Mei needs some professional help!.

[betha]

I see a relatively quiet, confident chef... I haven't seen her to be rude (other than to perhaps her brother), and certainly not any of the other things you've said. There's a fine line between confident and arrogant, but I don't recall her displaying any contempt for other chef's abilities on the show...

She was incredibly dismissive of and snotty toward Katie and Katsuji. She was paired with them during the second episode and was openly hostile and acted superior. No matter if she thinks she is a better chef, it was extremely rude.

I don't remember what made me think she is selfish... Regarding clam gate, She took the *entire bucket* of littleneck clams and clearly didn't need them all, just didn't want anyone else to have any. It really didn't bother me that Melissa took some back. Mei should have just taken what she needed in the first place. She just seems all out for herself, especially compared with the other chefs this season, who are so friendly.

Edited January 23, 2015 by betha

[Julia]

The relationship she seems to have with her family members could be called dysfunctional at best

and the contempt she displays for them is ugly to see. I hope she gets axed soon I don't care how good a cook you are

you can't treat people like that especially not your own family members. Mei needs some professional help!.

 

For whatever little it's worth, I don't think she's contemptuous. I think she's hurt. She clearly hero-worshipped her parents (as, witness she wants to do what they do), and her parents disapprove of her despite the fact that she's already far more successful than they were. And if her brother was the golden child, it's got to be hard for her that he can afford to be charming, because he's not starting from behind.