S12.E12: The Final Battle Of Bean Town

[FineWashables]

Yeah, CalamityJane.  It's the same reason they make us watch Alyssa Milano visit the NASDAQ for QVC instead of actually showing the design process on Project Runway All Stars.

[Norma Desmond]

Oh Gregory, I love you but you really are struggling. It kinda pisses me off that he was so great throughout the whole competiton only to stumble in the final episodes, while Melissa was mediocre and skating by and suddenly she's making killer food. But then I remember the guy that won last year that was awful troughout the season and had 2 good dishes near the end and ended up winning over Nina.

I kinda love Mei and her bitchface, If Gregory doesn't win, then I would love for her to.

[sourpickles]

Is this season done yet? I thought NO went on forever, but now, it is like casting twice over...I just want to see the finale and move on to the next city they're going to decimate. I hope Mei wins, just cause I thought from go she was great but Gregory and Melissa have done well, especially lately. I'm disappointed overall, and I can't quite put my finger on why just yet. I will swear though, that seasons previous have been much better, up through all stars or so, and I can't figure it out yet, but I know I'm more willing to watch dvr than the actual show. Burnout? Maybe.

[Mmazeo]

Oh Gregory, I love you but you really are struggling. It kinda pisses me off that he was so great throughout the whole competiton only to stumble in the final episodes, while Melissa was mediocre and skating by and suddenly she's making killer food.

Stumbled in just the final episodes? Gregory has been pretty bad for like the last 6-7 weeks. He's really not very good.

[Noreaster]

Someone mentioned during the show that it's possible to create a truly innovative dish, but only after you try it out a hundred times, fine tuning as you go along.  Given an hour to ponder and limited to the Whole Foods venue, what could anyone possibly offer these judges that would make them sit up and say, "Well, there's something I've never thought of!" 

 

"Molecular gastronomy" comes to mind as a whole new ballgame, but I don't think Wylie Dufresne plated up the result the first time he poured the liquid nitrogen.  (Or whatever he did that made him famous.)

I think another key place where George fell down was that he didn't make the successful part of the dish, his Hrissa, the star. He had too many unnecessary distractions on the plate. A key part of innovation is editing. You've got to be able to recognize what's working and what isn't and adjust for that.

I agree with the two posts above.  It's difficult to be truly innovative within the limitations of a Top Chef challenge.  I think that was George's mistake.  He tried to do too many new things in an effort to push himself, but didn't have the time to edit his dish as he would in real life.  Chefs usually spend a lot of time testing a new dish before putting it on the menu.  

 

The "smarter" strategy on this show is to cook something you know you can pull off, but market it in a way that makes the dish fit the challenge.  Gregory's mistake is he made a dish that seemed too safe. Innovation is of course in the eye of the beholder, but tom kha soup and adding salmon and chicken skins to a dish?  Even I don't think that sounds particularly unique or out-of-the-box and I don't have the breadth of dining experiences that this judging panel has.  

 

I think Melissa mentioned doing walnut miso was entirely new to her so kudos for that. But she could afford to take a bigger risk since she had immunity. For Mei, I can't remember if she was actually doing anything new for her, but the concepts in her dish certainly sound creative.  Which probably shouldn't be a surprise given that she works in a restaurant where that is exactly the style of cooking.  

[Noreaster]

Is this season done yet? I thought NO went on forever, but now, it is like casting twice over...I just want to see the finale and move on to the next city they're going to decimate. I hope Mei wins, just cause I thought from go she was great but Gregory and Melissa have done well, especially lately. I'm disappointed overall, and I can't quite put my finger on why just yet. I will swear though, that seasons previous have been much better, up through all stars or so, and I can't figure it out yet, but I know I'm more willing to watch dvr than the actual show. Burnout? Maybe.

I am feeling this myself and I posted about it last week or the week before. This show is getting boring.  I think All-Stars was the last season that I truly enjoyed.  I guess the Texas season was entertaining too, but seeing all the team challenges, the gimmicks, and the Mean Girls edit ended up being kind of a turnoff.  

 

Since then, there is far less drama on the show. Contestants are much more aware of their on-screen behavior. Challenges are more open-ended, enabling the contestants to stay in their comfort zones and not really take risks. The judging panel with Tom as head judge is getting stale. We viewers can't taste the food, so the show needs to find ways to entertain us! The latest gimmicks (Last Chance Kitchen, Sudden Death Quickfires) aren't really working in my opinion.

[Jobiska]

Re none of the chefs making a version of Boston baked beans in the Quickfire, Padma said something during the description of the challenge like "now you don't have to actually make baked beans, just showcase the beans...." and when she says something like that, I usually read it as "you gosh darn better not just make baked beans unless you make the best baked beans ever to grace the face of the earth."

[BC Mama]

This is the first episode I have had negative feelings towards George. I thought he was being a bit of hypocrite for calling Gregory out for sticking to Asian flavours, where in his short time back in the competition, George has been rocking out the Greek cuisine. As the judges pointed out, he's done octopus a thousand time. And, while his dish was certainty more complicated than Gregory's, it didn't strike me as particularly innovative. Preparing a protein in two different ways is nothing new.

Honestly, I think the most innovative dish of the competition was Mei's literary interpretation earlier in the season.

[WearyTraveler]

I'm not sure how it's a mystery. Mei picked up a basket of clams, and shared them with another contestant who asked. Then she walked away and Melissa came over and took all but a very few of what was left and walked away without telling Mei that she'd done it. This was accompanied by a talking head from Melissa saying that she wanted those particular clams and that she was done being nice. 

 

We can debate whether what Melissa did was appropriate (my view is that it wasn't), but there's no question what it was.

 

That's how I remember it.  And, in my opinion, it wasn't appropriate at all.  It makes me see Melissa's comments about being besties with Mei that much more hypocritical.  No professional chef would consider, even for a nanosecond, that it is ok to take something from someone else's station, and no regular person would do that to someone they referred to as a friend.  So, yeah, I tend to not trust Melissa that much and I take everything she says with a huge grain of salt.  

 

I admire Mei for letting that go and moving on.  I'd have a hard time forgetting, let alone forgiving, anyone who basically stole something from my kitchen, in a competition setting, no less.  But, maybe Melissa apologized off camera and that helped build the relationship she now has with Mei.  Or maybe Mei is just waiting for the right time to strike back and taking advantage of a helpful (perhaps out of guilt) Melissa.  Who knows.

 

If they can get along after that, I'm fine with it, but I will always hold clam-stealing as a negative mark on Melissa's professionalism.  I'd rather see someone who plays the game honestly win than someone who relies on tricks take the prize.

 

I've liked Mei's cooking from the very first episode and I think she would be a worthy winner.  If she won, she'd be the first woman to win "untarnished", and what I mean by that is that there would be no possible doubt as to her abilities and no asterisk attached to her win.  I'm sure Stephanie is a great chef, but there's always that little doubt about her win: what if Richard had not choked? Would her best have won against Richard's best? We'll never know.  I wasn't very happy when Kristen was eliminated in the RW challenge in her season and was happy to see her comeback from LCK, but there will always be people who say her win was unfair because she didn't face the same challenges in LCK as the other competitors.  Mei, OTOH, got the finale on her own, facing every single challenge they threw at her  and consistently being in the top.  So, there would be no room for doubt as to her abilities.  As an added plus, she has played the game straight and relied only on the quality of her food.  No gimmicks, no stealing, no backstabbing.  I like her all the more for that.

 

This episode highlighted the one thing about the judging that I don't like.  I'm always pretty much ok with their decisions because we don't taste the food, so, I have to trust those who actually eat it, but I don't understand why they have challenges if not meeting the challenge doesn't mean an immediate elimination.  What I mean is if the challenge is "cook chicken" and someone cooks the best salmon dish to ever grace the Earth, I still think that person has to be eliminated.  In my opinion, if you're going to spend the time thinking about and designing challenges, then the judging should be:

 

1) Does this dish meet the challenge? If yes, move on to criteria number 2; if no, the person is in the bottom.

2) Is this the best tasting dish of all the dishes that met the challenge? If yes, the chef wins the challenge; if no, the chef is safe.

 

Based on that, I think George should have stayed, but I don't like how he was brought back into the competition, although I don't think that's his fault.  So, I'm a little torn on this one.  Also, Gregory playing it safe is not to my liking at all.  I love Asian flavors and Tom Kah is one of my favorite dishes, but I don't want a safe chef to win Top Chef.  It's called Top for a reason, I hope.  There are thousands of chefs executing safe dishes perfectly everywhere, that's not a reason to give them a title or catapult them to fame. Again, IMO.  I expect a competition to crown someone who is far superior to others in the same field and that means being better than the rest, not doing the same thing others do every day.

 

I'm hoping for a Mei - Doug finale, as I think those two are the best cooks, the most consistent, the most risk taking and the most professional of the bunch we got this season.

Edited January 24, 2015 by WearyTraveler

[Totale]

I'm sure Stephanie is a great chef, but there's always that little doubt about her win: what if Richard had not choked? Would her best have won against Richard's best? We'll never know.

 

I disagree.  We the viewers have no evidence, even conjectural, that Richard "choked" or that what he served was less than his best except for his obviously self-serving statement that that was the case.  From my point of view as a viewer I have to assume they both did their best and hers was better than his.  There's no asterisk beside Stephanie's name for me - in the season up to that point, she and Blais had both won four challenges, while she had been in the top three for six and he for three - he'd been in the middle of the pack five times, she never was.  I see no reason to think he was as good in that contest, let alone superior or in any way "robbed".

 

ETA: but this belongs in another thread so let's take it there.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Totale

[WearyTraveler]

I disagree.  We the viewers have no evidence, even conjectural, that Richard "choked" or that what he served was less than his best except for his obviously self-serving statement that that was the case.  From my point of view as a viewer I have to assume they both did their best and hers was better than his.  There's no asterisk beside Stephanie's name for me - in the season up to that point, she and Blais had both won four challenges, while she had been in the top three for six and he for three - he'd been in the middle of the pack five times, she never was.  I see no reason to think he was as good in that contest, let alone superior or in any way "robbed".

 

ETA: but this belongs in another thread so let's take it there.

 

I don't want to enter into this discussion, as I think the rules for the show were respected in that decision (the person who cooked the best dishes that day won), nor do I have an opinion as to who is better overall (Richard or Stephanie), I just mentioned this as something some people still say about Stephanie's win, much as some others hold LCK against Kristen's win.  My point was that the only two women who have won had circumstances around their season that make some people question their win and that if Mei won, there wouldn't be any such circumstances surrounding her win.

I don't want to delve into whether those circumstances are strong enough to question either win, I'm just pointing out that they exist.

Edited January 24, 2015 by WearyTraveler

[Julia]

My point was that the only two women who have won had circumstances around their season that make some people question their win and that if Mei won, there wouldn't be any such circumstances surrounding her win.

 

I think that people who want to object to a winner will find a reason to object (and in Stephanie's case, I think those objections rest pretty solidly on sour grapes from Richard, whose subsequent career hasn't borne them out). Personally, I would consider Melissa's Hosea-like pedestrian performance for most of the competition to have earned her a Hosea-like asterisk if she wins. AAR, I don't think it's a really solid excuse to push for a Melissa win (and I don't think you or anyone else who supports a Melissa win needs one).

Edited January 24, 2015 by Julia

[WearyTraveler]

I think that people who want to object to a winner will find a reason to object (and in Stephanie's case, I think those objections rest pretty solidly on sour grapes from Richard, whose subsequent career hasn't borne them out). Personally, I would consider Melissa's Hosea-like pedestrian performance for most of the competition to have earned her a Hosea-like asterisk if she wins. AAR, I don't think it's a really solid excuse to push for a Melissa win (and I don't think you or anyone else who supports a Melissa win needs one).

 

I don't support a Melissa win.

[cooksdelight]

Personally, I would consider Melissa's Hosea-like pedestrian performance for most of the competition to have earned her a Hosea-like asterisk if she wins.

I couldn't agree more. She herself has said she planned to fly under the radar. That isn't a winner, to me. That's someone afraid to show their talents, afraid of failure.

[Noreaster]

This is the first episode I have had negative feelings towards George. I thought he was being a bit of hypocrite for calling Gregory out for sticking to Asian flavours, where in his short time back in the competition, George has been rocking out the Greek cuisine. As the judges pointed out, he's done octopus a thousand time. And, while his dish was certainty more complicated than Gregory's, it didn't strike me as particularly innovative. Preparing a protein in two different ways is nothing new.

I don't remember George doing that much Greek.  There was the one challenge where Padma purchased Greek ingredients and then the bean dish in this episode, but what else?

 

I don't find George to be hypocritical at all because he was right. This was a challenge specifically about pushing one's boundaries, and Gregory even said himself in a talking head that he was going to play it safer and stick to Asian flavors. His "innovation" was texture.  Meanwhile, George clearly tried to do new things. It wasn't just about the protein. No one was innovative about that. Salmon, chicken, duck?

 

I don't want to enter into this discussion, as I think the rules for the show were respected in that decision (the person who cooked the best dishes that day won), nor do I have an opinion as to who is better overall (Richard or Stephanie), I just mentioned this as something some people still say about Stephanie's win, much as some others hold LCK against Kristen's win.  My point was that the only two women who have won had circumstances around their season that make some people question their win and that if Mei won, there wouldn't be any such circumstances surrounding her win.

I don't want to delve into whether those circumstances are strong enough to question either win, I'm just pointing out that they exist.

I see your point about Stephanie in that she didn't win against Richard's "best" (this isn't conjecture when all the judges were saying it too).  Though I think it's happened often enough across seasons that, for me, there's no asterisk needed.  Plenty of contestants have choked in the finale like Carla, Kevin, Casey, Angelo (well not really choking but he got sick).  I think it's more rare when all the finalists (whether it's 2 or 3 people) are performing at the top of their games.  The ones I can think of are Paul/Sarah, Blais/Isabella, maybe Nick/Nina last season.

 

As for Kristen, I think her win does deserve an asterisk for reasons that I beat to death last week. Brooke, who lost against her, would have had a clean win.  

Edited January 24, 2015 by Noreaster

[Julia]

I don't support a Melissa win.

 

Yeah, I get that. I think I put myself badly. I understand you to be saying that Mei's win would be positive because nobody would be able to say that there was some reason a woman who won didn't deserve it. I think that suggests that of the two, Melissa would have an asterisk. And while I could make a case for that, if nobody ever won except chefs everyone agreed should win, the only winners in the history of this show would be (at least in my view) Harold, Stephanie, and Hung, and the rest of the seasons would be a teetering pile of draws.

[Calamity Jane]

Wasn't Paul head and shoulders above the rest of them in his season?

[Julia]

I'm sure he's on a lot of people's lists. I'm embarrassed to say that I periodically turned off the tv in disgust that season so I don't have a really complete idea of his work. I had the same problem with season 2, although it didn't take long to figure Ilan out.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Julia

[Corgi-ears]

 

It's difficult to be truly innovative within the limitations of a Top Chef challenge.

 

The show could set a more modest, but more concrete challenge: "Select a specific culinary rule, and cook us a dish that breaks it."

[Julia]

That would be great, and even better if they served Tom twelve plates of seafood with cheese.

Preferably unsalted, since there's salt in the cheese.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

This is the first episode I have had negative feelings towards George. I thought he was being a bit of hypocrite for calling Gregory out for sticking to Asian flavours, where in his short time back in the competition, George has been rocking out the Greek cuisine. As the judges pointed out, he's done octopus a thousand time. And, while his dish was certainty more complicated than Gregory's, it didn't strike me as particularly innovative. Preparing a protein in two different ways is nothing new.

Honestly, I think the most innovative dish of the competition was Mei's literary interpretation earlier in the season.

 

George's dish may not have been "particularly innovative," but it was definitely more innovative than Gregory's.  I mean, Gregory himself knew he was skating on the innovation portion of his challenge.

 

As for a potential Melissa win being an asterisked win, I don't really understand that. I think some are essentially ignoring the fact that Melissa has been cooking consistently very well since the Thanksgiving challenge, which is basically half the season.  Hosea never had that kind of run, not that I remember.  And yes, there were allegedly asterisks with Stephanie and Kristen (I don't agree with them, but they are there to some) but I generally think that people can always find a reason to devalue women's accomplishments, and IMO, any assertion that Melissa potentially winning would be asterisked comes from an inherent social sexism.  She's proven she can cook, and she's proven she deserves to be in the final.

[WearyTraveler]

I'm a woman and I don't like how Melissa has played the game.  Twice in the competition she talked about her dish being about her showing her technique, which basically involved her ability to cut vegetables.  Tom had to tell her they (the judges) knew everyone's "technique" was perfectly fine and that they were judging on the flavor of the dish for her to get it.  

 

She can obviously cook, as she has proved the past 4 episodes, but she did herself say her plan was performing on average levels (flying under the radar) and pouncing at the end.  Some may think that's smart, but I think it's lazy and dishonest, but I guess that's par for the course for someone who calls herself a professional chef and doesn't follow simple rules of etiquette in the kitchen, such as not taking something that is on someone else's station, without their permission.  I personally like contestants whose objective is to win every single challenge, and cook with that objective.  You shouldn't work so hard that you burn out by the end of the season, but it's not OK, IMO, to aim for the middle of the pack.  How underwhelming.  So, for me, she's not as deserving as some of the other chefs who have left everything on the line in order to actually be the Top chef every challenge.

 

It's one thing to try and fail, it's completely different when you don't even try.

Edited January 25, 2015 by WearyTraveler

[sourpickles]

NorEaster...I hear you. All Stars I liked to a point, though I did think some of the eliminations were in the wrong order. I'm totally in the minority here, but I enjoyed the Texas season. Lindsay and Sarah drove me NUTS, but Paul pulled it together in the end, so all was well. To whoever said he got it together in the end, that is right. He floated and then killed it in the last five or six episodes. Good for him. I LIKED him. Maybe that is my issue now. I don't genuinely like anyone, sudden death isn't and last chance is a big fat fraud. Or, I'm also a bitter woman who is a good cook but would come in dead last on a show like this. Ya'll decide.

[ZoloftBlob]

I'm sure Stephanie is a great chef, but there's always that little doubt about her win: what if Richard had not choked? Would her best have won against Richard's best? We'll never know.

 

Sorry, no.

 

We know exactly how Richard performed. He *lost*. He had the same opportunity Stephanie had and he *shit the bed. There was nothing unfair about his loss. No one stole his clams or his pea puree, no one killed his dog, his dad or mom didn't die. He was under exactly the same pressure as Stephanie and he LOST. Yes, he whines and moans how he choked for no apparent reason, but he was afforded a completely fair competition and he let his nerves get to him and NO, that doesn't mean he was somehow not treated fairly. He was given an equal opportunity to succeed and he failed. If the opposite had happened and Stephanie had lost and played the "I choked" story - we'd all be pointing fingers at her for being a weak little whiny bitch because she had a fair shot and lost. Richard had a fair shot and lost - that is the story - he had the chance to put up his best and he lost. That was his best he could do - that he persists in insisting he somehow was unfairly treated is all Richard being a weak whiny bitch.

 

eta - I *wanted* Richard to win that season- he did an awesome job but that final episode, his head wasn't there and he lost fairly and I tire of hearing how Stephanie didn't fairly win when she absolutely did. It was Richard's competition to lose and he LOST fair and square.

Edited January 26, 2015 by ZoloftBlob

[Noreaster]

And yes, there were allegedly asterisks with Stephanie and Kristen (I don't agree with them, but they are there to some) but I generally think that people can always find a reason to devalue women's accomplishments, and IMO, any assertion that Melissa potentially winning would be asterisked comes from an inherent social sexism.  She's proven she can cook, and she's proven she deserves to be in the final.

Not everything has to be because of sexism. Some people just don't like Melissa. That's all.  In the past, some viewers have said that contestants like Hosea and Nick didn't deserve to win.  Personalities play a role.  The contestants' trajectories play a role.  

 

I think if any winner deserves an asterisk, it's Kristen because of LCK.  I don't think I'm being sexist. 

 

She can obviously cook, as she has proved the past 4 episodes, but she did herself say her plan was performing on average levels (flying under the radar) and pouncing at the end.  

I missed Melissa saying this, but could this be an edit thing?  Did she actually say this was her plan or was she just recapping her trajectory on the show?

 

Maybe that is my issue now. I don't genuinely like anyone, sudden death isn't and last chance is a big fat fraud. 

Yep, I think it's the same for me. I don't like anyone either. Am favoring Mei and Melissa for the win, but that's more process of elimination than anything else. I don't really care for Mei's stank attitude when she worked with other people (the team challenge earlier this season and dealing with her brother).  For Melissa, she was wholly unimpressive earlier this season where I felt like she wasn't even trying.  But I feel better about her than Gregory at this moment.  

 

That was his best he could do - that he persists in insisting he somehow was unfairly treated is all Richard being a weak whiny bitch.

I don't remember Richard saying he felt unfairly treated. He was just always very hard on himself.  I thought that was pretty clear on the All-Stars season. No matter what, he would look at his own dishes pessimistically. Fellow contestants were constantly pointing out this trait of Richard. I agree that Richard comes across as whiny and a sore loser, but he never claimed anything was unfair or Stephanie didn't deserve to win. 

 

I prefer the classy way Angelo lost in his season.  In interviews, when asked about getting sick in the finals, Angelo simply answered that Kevin did a great job and deserved to win. Although many viewers probably would agree that Angelo would have won if he was able to perform at his best.  

[DarkRaichu]

Re: "clam gate"

 

It looked like Mei already let that go.  She was gaining a "big sister" out of the show, which was far more valuable long term than winning a quickfire.  Plus, I did not think Mei was the type that hold grudges, because all of her anger was mostly already spent on her own family

[cooksdelight]

Maybe this visual will help with the final countdown before the finale, as to who did what and when.

 

[Noreaster]

Thanks for posting that chart cooksdelight.  Looking at Gregory's path, he won 4 elimination challenges in a row, but 3 times as part of a team.  Do you remember if they announced individual winners?  

 

On a separate note, have there been any prizes given out this season?  I remember a decent amount of cash prizes and cars in past seasons.

[cooksdelight]

Gregory was the individual winner where he got green. I don't remember a whole lot of prizes like they've done in the past.

[Noreaster]

Episodes 2, 4, and 5 have a few people highlighted in green.  

[bluepiano]

Cooksdelight, thanks for the visual. What it confirmed for me, looking at the long grey bar next to George's name, from episode 2 through 8, is how unfair it is that George was "Final Four," and as far as we know to this point, still has a chance at winning the whole thing.

 

He appeared in six episodes and was eliminated in two of them, a one-third fail rate. Statistically, that's a pretty poor performance. Put another way, his "success rate," with success meaning avoiding elimination, was only 67%. The three known finalists had a success rate of 100% over all 12 episodes. Prior to the advent of LCK, that's what it meant to be a finalist. Zero failure. But at least Doug, the other LCK contender, made it through 10 episodes before being eliminated, a 91% success rate.

 

Hell, even Keriann, who I think was generally perceived as being in over her head, made it through 6 episodes before being eliminated, an 86% success rate, sill much better than George's.

 

I'm having a bit of fun with these numbers, but my point is that the above chart really drives home the unfairness to the other contestants of George's return so late in the game. And after being eliminated for a second time, no way should he have gone into LCK. He'd already gotten his second chance. So now he has a third chance? How can a contestant who has been eliminated from the main competition twice then win just once on LCK and be in the final? It makes a mockery not just out of the main competition, but even of LCK.

 

Given the arbitrary playing around with the rules to create drama, I have a sinking feeling that Tom C. will put George into the finals.

 

If they'd really felt that George deserved another chance based on his elimination in a quick fire somehow being unfair (despite the fact they invented that scenario), then the "fair' thing would've been to make him one of the first two contestants when they started LCK. If he then battled his way through to the finals via multiple head-to-head challenge wins, he could have a claim to being a legitimate contender. Instead of a contender for the world's biggest asterisk next to his name.

[cooksdelight]

Episodes 2, 4, and 5 have a few people highlighted in green.

You're absolutely right, I guess I kept remembering them call his name a lot.

[sourpickles]

If we're still talking this season, here we go.......I honestly did not remember Melissa or Gregory until epi 2 or 3. And I don't know if it matters now, since top three is Melissa, Mei, and Gregory. And whoever they want to bring out. Anywho. I don't think clamgate or knifework 14.0 matters anymore...after all they are still there. As for Blais, people were asking (wishing?) where he was a few weeks ago and then there was a show on Cooking Channel (I think, didn't watch it). Eat St.? He was there with one other chef and the only thing I could think was he was overdoing it a bit. If I posted this before, sorry. Snow, kids, mental moments.

[Lura]

If sweet Gregory doesn't stop licking his lips every time he doubts himself, he's going to give me an emotional breakdown.  Almost from the beginning, I latched onto Gregory as the perfect "rags to riches" story, and as he began piling up wins, I began investing all of my hopes into him.  While he fell on his sword last week, indicating that he isn't the most versatile chef, he still seems like the most gifted chef of the bunch -- at least to me.  Just at the very moment when I'm convinced he's about to win another challenge, there goes the lip action!

His self doubts have crept in for all the world to see -- including the judges!  The other chefs deal with knees knocking, but who can see their knees?  With Gregory, it's all apparent on his face.  Out comes the tongue, and the lip licking begins. Worse, it's too late now to drop him an email and tell him to bite his tongue to keep it still!  So, on he licks, and on I tremble.

 

Mei is the master at hiding her doubts.  She may be worried, or she may be experiencing hidden delights over whatever she has created, but she keeps that one, serious look on her face and gives away nothing.  I dare anyone to read her mind.  If she doesn't have nerves of steel, you could fool me.  It's ironic:  Gregory cooks Asian, but he hasn't mastered the "inscrutable Asian" expression  (and I don't mean this statement as a stereotype by any means}.  And speaking of Mei, if I were in her place, I'd still be resentful about those clams!

 

Doug may come back and win the whole shebang, which would please many viewers including my husband, but Gregory stole my heart, and I'm stuck with it.  If he hadn't stolen it, his sister would have.  What a sweet twosome they are, each with a single purpose, unlike the unfortunate relationship between Mei and her brother. 

 

With so many factors playing into the decision, how do the judges ever determine the final top chef?

 

 

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Not everything has to be because of sexism. Some people just don't like Melissa. That's all.  In the past, some viewers have said that contestants like Hosea and Nick didn't deserve to win.  Personalities play a role.  The contestants' trajectories play a role.  

 

 

It's perfectly fine to not like Melissa, to not like her style of cooking, and not want her to win. What I think is based in sexism is the idea that she doesn't "deserve" to be there or that there would be an asterisk next to her winning.  (And that somehow there is an asterisk next to both of the other female winners).  There are always people who believe that a woman who is excelling at some task is doing so at the expense of some man, and IMO, that explains some of the idea that Melissa doesn't deserve to be in the final.

 

If she's out-cooked in the final, then she is out-cooked.  And if you don't like her, then you don't like her.  But I see no reason to deride her abilities or to proclaim that there is some sort of asterisk next to her name, at least as part of the finale.

[Calamity Jane]

I love Gregory, too, Lura!  His Urkel-esque expressions just tickle me to no end. I am hoping that once he has rested up a little he will show up in Mexico ready to show his best again. I've been hoping for a Greg/Mei finale for weeks.  And I would love to see Doug be the LCK winner and do well thereafter.  Actually, Melissa, Doug, Mei, or Gregory -- any one of them would be an acceptable winner to me.  Just not George!

[Noreaster]

It's perfectly fine to not like Melissa, to not like her style of cooking, and not want her to win. What I think is based in sexism is the idea that she doesn't "deserve" to be there or that there would be an asterisk next to her winning. (And that somehow there is an asterisk next to both of the other female winners). There are always people who believe that a woman who is excelling at some task is doing so at the expense of some man, and IMO, that explains some of the idea that Melissa doesn't deserve to be in the final.

If she's out-cooked in the final, then she is out-cooked. And if you don't like her, then you don't like her. But I see no reason to deride her abilities or to proclaim that there is some sort of asterisk next to her name, at least as part of the finale.

I don't know. It seems like stretching a bit to make it about sexism. When really it seems that some people don't think Melissa deserves to win because she was skating by for a good portion of the competition and also partly because of her clam-gate behavior. Pretty similar to past complaints about contestants like Hosea and Nick. Should people refrain from criticizing Melissa just because she's a woman?

I think a case for sexism could be made if someone felt that Stephanie, Kristen, and Melissa all deserve asterisks and no one else does. But is anyone really suggesting that? A Stephanie-asterisk would probably need to be accompanied by at least a Kevin-asterisk (DC season). A Melissa-asterisk would probably need to be accompanied by a Hosea-asterisk or a Nick-asterisk. A Kristen-asterisk is more stand-alone, in my opinion, and that's the only one I would apply. But I also think all other LCK-returnees (and George this season) should get asterisks if they win.

Edited January 27, 2015 by Noreaster

[Jobiska]

why was Padma wearing a Victorian sailor's ditty bag as a dress during the challenge and judging?

[WearyTraveler]

I don't know. It seems like stretching a bit to make it about sexism. When really it seems that some people don't think Melissa deserves to win because she was skating by for a good portion of the competition and also partly because of her clam-gate behavior. Pretty similar to past complaints about contestants like Hosea and Nick. Should people refrain from criticizing Melissa just because she's a woman?

I think a case for sexism could be made if someone felt that Stephanie, Kristen, and Melissa all deserve asterisks and no one else does. But is anyone really suggesting that? A Stephanie-asterisk would probably need to be accompanied by at least a Kevin-asterisk (DC season). A Melissa-asterisk would probably need to be accompanied by a Hosea-asterisk or a Nick-asterisk. A Kristen-asterisk is more stand-alone, in my opinion, and that's the only one I would apply. But I also think all other LCK-returnees (and George this season) should get asterisks if they win.

 

Pretty much this.  My original point was that 2 out of 2 female winners have asterisks next to their names (deserved or not) while only 2 out of 9 male winners have asterisks.  I think it would be nice if at least one female winner didn't have an asterisk attached to her win.  If Melissa won, I'd put an asterisk next to her name, because, in my humble opinion, she hasn't earned it because she has been purposely under performing for most of the competition and because she doesn't have the same code of ethics the great chefs have when it comes to kitchen etiquette (clam-gate: you don't take anything from someone else's station without their permission). 

[Julia]

The thing is (and I'm sorry if this is circular), I don't believe that Stephanie has an asterisk. I think that Richard would like people to believe that Stephanie has an asterisk, but that in fact Stephanie won fair and square and Richard is a whiny sore loser.

 

And bluntly, I don't think he'd be getting nearly as much play from that particular story if it weren't that Stephanie is extremely successful and really doesn't need this franchise any more. Richard, on the other hand, would apparently damp mop Padma's apartment before parties to get on TV. 

Edited January 27, 2015 by Julia

[mlp]

 

The thing is (and I'm sorry if this is circular), I don't believe that Stephanie has an asterisk. I think that Richard would like people to believe that Stephanie has an asterisk, but that in fact Stephanie won fair and square and Richard is a whiny sore loser.

 

I don't think Stephanie has an asterisk either.  I also don't think that Richard implied that she didn't deserve to win.  I thought he was saying that he was better and would have beat her if he hadn't choked - which isn't the same thing.  IMO She would deserve an asterisk only if it had been apparent that she won only because Richard had a bad day and I don't think that's the case at all.  AFAIC Kristen deserves an asterisk but not Stephanie.

[larapu2000]

In regards to the bean Quickfire, I feel pretty sure I spotted pre-cooked beans in plastic deli containers.  Perhaps the people that stocked the kitchen made a few varieties of beans for the chefs to work with? I think maybe you can cook beans in a pressure cooker in an hour, too.  Maybe?  I'm not sure.

[BC Mama]

I'd take melissa over Hosea any Day!

[WearyTraveler]

The thing is (and I'm sorry if this is circular), I don't believe that Stephanie has an asterisk. 

 

I don't either, and that's not what I'm saying at all.  I'll say this one last thing about this subject and then drop it.  My point is that some people question Stephanie's win and some people question Kristen's win, while nobody questions most of the males winners.

 

I think Stephanie outcooked Richard in their finale, and that got her a well deserved win.  But because not only Richard, but also the judges, have stated that Richard did not perform to the best of his abilities, there will always be some people that wonder if Stephanie would have won had Richard cooked his best.

 

I think Kristen was the best of her season (the woman made such a good sponge cake using only aluminum foil as a cooking vessel that she won that quickfire, I'll never forget that).  She fought hard in LCK and got back in, and I think there shouldn't be an asterisk next to her win at all.  I thought she was head and shoulders about her competition that year and she deserved to win.  But, because of the LCK gimmick, there will always be some people that consider her win unfair.

 

Meanwhile only two of the male winners, out of the total of seven have won in situations where some people question their win (Hosea and Kevin).  I don't think anybody questions Harold's win, for example.  Another example is Michael V.  He was arrogant, pretentious, downright rude sometimes, and yet, I haven't found anyone who thinks he didn't deserve to win on cooking skills alone.

 

That's 100% of the female winners versus 29% of the male winners with circumstances were some people feel an asterisk should be added.

 

I would like for us to have a female winner whose victory was undeniable, for once, and I feel that Mei could be that winner, not Melissa, because I would put an asterisk next to her name if she won, and so would others.

 

In regards to the bean Quickfire, I feel pretty sure I spotted pre-cooked beans in plastic deli containers.  Perhaps the people that stocked the kitchen made a few varieties of beans for the chefs to work with? I think maybe you can cook beans in a pressure cooker in an hour, too.  Maybe?  I'm not sure.

 

Yes, there were pre-cooked and canned beans available to the contestants, George said he'd used canned for a part of his dish.  And yes, you can cook beans in an hour or so in a pressure cooker, but that would not have been enough time to prepare the dishes they made, which required further work on the beans after they were cooked.

Edited January 28, 2015 by WearyTraveler

[Noreaster]

The problem with Kristen's win is that we'll never know what would happen if she wasn't eliminated from the regular competition. It's as if Gregory this season was eliminated in the Thanksgiving episode. Because he was winning so much up to that point, many viewers would probably claim he is by far the best chef this season and deserves to win. Now, he doesn't look so hot.

 

And then of course, LCK has its problems. It's basically a series of quickfires. With only one judge. Tom's track record on judging LCK is somewhat suspect.  How likely is it that a contestant, no matter how good he/she is, would win many head-to-head challenges in a row?  But it's happened so many times.  Just look at the past two seasons.  Louis, Janine, Kristen, CJ.  Things that make me go hmmm.

[Lamb18]

I don't understand why this asterisk discussion is in the episode thread.

[Veruca Assault]

Let's move all discussion on past winners and their validity to the past seasons' thread. I understand the want to compare this season to last ones, but there's a better place for it than the current episode thread. Thanks!!