S11.E03: Trendy Dinner

[cooksdelight]

The finalists create and photograph tiny foods, and then whip up a buzz-worthy five-course meal.

[Rick Kitchen]

Ugh.  "Trendy"?

[GaT]

They have to photograph food? What do their photography skills have to do with anything?

[NewDigs]

It could maybe help them better visualize platings and backgrounds etc.?

I very quickly skimmed the episode description and assumed they just prepped for the camera. Isn't the "tiny food" concept enough?

And "Trendy"?

How zeitgeisty.

[latetotheparty]

This episode is already hitting my embarrassment squick hard.  Ugh.

[Lamb18]

I liked this episode. The food photos were interesting because how your food looks on TV is important. For example, Rue's dish sounded really good but it looked nasty in the picture. She should have tried to angle the shape of the fruit against the plate. No winning team--that was the right decision and it was time for Sita to go. I'm glad Emilia is opening up, not so Stepford this week.

[roseslg]

Did we ever doubt that it would be Sita?   

[NYGirl]

I couldn't take another minute of Sita's babbling. Goodbye Sita.

In other shocking news Eddie is on the bottom. Perhaps it's because of his multiple marriages in this very forum?

I forgot he was on this show and I was looking for him on Master Chef this week. Lucky I didn't embarrass myself by asking in that forum.

Everything looked pretty good food wise tonight. I'm glad Dom is improving. I like him. I actually like Rosa and find her funny.

[cooksdelight]

I didn't expect MY boyfriend Eddie to be in the bottom. Whew.....

Alex wasn't thinking with that sandwich. He needs to get OFF the sandwich thing and think outside his box head.

Glad Sita is gone. Rosa can go next. And Michelle, I don't like her at all for some reason. She is just unlikeable on my screen.

[latetotheparty]

I didn't expect MY boyfriend Eddie to be in the bottom. Whew.....

Alex wasn't thinking with that sandwich. He needs to get OFF the sandwich thing and think outside his box head.

Glad Sita is gone. Rosa can go next. And Michelle, I don't like her at all for some reason. She is just unlikeable on my screen.

 

Michelle is Melissa d'Arabian Jr.  I can't stand her.

[TiffanyNichelle]

I'm trying to root for Dom because he's a fellow NYer but man those nerves have got to get straightened out.  I was really nervous for Rue but good thing Sita can't help but messing up all the time.

[Brooklynista]

i need for my man Edfie to tighten up. I mean, he's already tight (YASSS!) but I can't have any more near misses.

[KBS1607]

Sita, we hardly knew you. In fact, we still don't know her real name. Eddie should have put sections of the grilled oranges on the salads.

Edited June 22, 2015 by KBS1607

[LittleIggy]

Those "trends" sound stupid.

[Gbb]

No winning team was the right call, but I still say shenanigans. From the way they discussed the food, it was clear to me the women's dishes (as a whole) were better this week. But there's no one on the men's team they're ready to give up on yet, so it had to be a split decision.

The women were right to pick a theme, but I cringed a bit when they went right to "sexy." 'Cause they're women. Ugh.

Still it was better than the "these are my bros, we're a great team" theme.

And what was with MY Eddie's um, um ummig?? Get your pretty head in the game!

Michelle must come across way better in person than on screen. I'm sure she's a lovely person but I just don't like her. Same with sandwich boy. He just seems so ... blank. Like nobody's home.

Still loving Arnold, but he did not have his presentation A-game tonight.

Jay should not have tried to make gumbo in 45 minutes.

Bye Sita. It was time. (And stop trying to make Mama Sita happen).

ETA

Eddie should have put sections of the grilled oranges on the salads.

YES!! I thought the same thing. Why on earth didn't he?

Edited June 22, 2015 by Gbb

[cooksdelight]

Jay's gumbo looked like something I scoop out of my cat's litter box when they've gotten into the greens.

[CMH1981]

 

Did we ever doubt that it would be Sita?

 

I agree about Sita considering Matthew smirked up her departure from last week.

 

 

No winning team was the right call, but I still say shenanigans. From the way they discussed the food, it was clear to me the women's dishes (as a whole) were better this week. But there's no one on the men's team they're ready to give up on yet, so it had to be a split decision.

 

The women were the clear winners, but they couldn't choose them b/c they wanted to be rid of Sita, so they decided to call no winners.

 

 

Was anyone else shocked that there wasn't a Rue cutaway after they applauded Michelle on the brilliance of using the octopus as slimy?  I was so waiting for Rue to roll her eyes and then we get a sarcastic "you're welcome."

 

I loved how all the women pitched in on Sitas dish to make it somewhat presentable.

 

Dom has to be gone in the next few episodes.  Yes, he can cook great food but the being afraid of the camera and backing away the judges while presenting you can't fix that.  I do love his "are we done / am i done?" after every presentation.  Almost Dom...almost.

Edited June 22, 2015 by CMH1981

[leighdear]

Rue keeps referencing Africa and a few ingredients, but nothing makes any sense in a style context. Is she only going to be cooking African food? 

 

Michelle needs to say "Mediterranean" a few thousand more times.  I don't think we quite get what she's going for, 

 

I adore Arnold, but agree he was not on his game tonight, personality wise.  His food continues to rock the house.  

 

That "gumbo" of Jay's would embarrass any native of LA.   I can't believe he put that sludge in front of the judges.  

[Lamb18]

A Cutthroat Kitchen rerun just started and here's Jay!

[Lillybee]

If that is trendy food, I am glad that I don't have to eat it.

[candall]

A Cutthroat Kitchen rerun just started and here's Jay!

Thanks!  I'm 18 minutes behind, but I read this, flipped over and there's Jay's big happy Yogi Bear face filling up my screen.  Hee.  The sweatband is a nice touch.

[anniebird]

I need my TV chefs to be smart enough to know what incendiary means.

[howmanywords]

Everytime Alex talks about how sandwiches are his thing and then he goes and does something stupid like putting the bun on top for a presentation challenge..well all I can say is dude you are no Jeff Mauro. 

 

I'm actually kind of glad Eddie got a bottom scare.  Maybe it will give a push to give what he's fully capable of.

 

That gumbo when it was being stirred looked like some type of unappetizing paste. What the hell? That looked flat out gross.

[The Bullpen]

Seriously!  What's so hard about incendiary?? Oy vey.

[joanne3482]

No, Michelle, slimy is not sexy, not in the least. I agree Cooks, I don't like Michelle and Rosa. I can't put my finger on why.

 

I thought it was interesting that tonight on Guy's Grocery Games there was a guy who did a fennel with oil similar to Rosa's for the exact same reason - palate cleanser.

 

Every time Emilia describes herself I find myself thinking that the word she is using does not seem to mean what she thinks it means. Nothing about her indicates she's a "spicy" personality.

 

Also, glad Sita went home. She bugged.

[HyeChaps]

Dom's talking head commentary was smooth and adorable.  Methinks the nervousness is an act.  As weeks go by, he will gradually improve.

[xaxat]

I am just smelling producer interference all over this episode. Boys versus girls. The Eddie "um" edit. Dom's redemption edit. . . 

[Lillybee]

I couldn't take another minute of Sita's babbling. Goodbye Sita.

In other shocking news Eddie is on the bottom. Perhaps it's because of his multiple marriages in this very forum?

I forgot he was on this show and I was looking for him on Master Chef this week. Lucky I didn't embarrass myself by asking in that forum.

Everything looked pretty good food wise tonight. I'm glad Dom is improving. I like him. I actually like Rosa and find her funny.

 

 

Eddie was on Masterchef, the season that Luca won.

[Rick Kitchen]

Michelle is Melissa d'Arabian Jr.  I can't stand her.

 

I've been saying that all season.

 

The women deciding to go "sexy" was disturbing.

 

I hadn't noticed Rue's accent before this.

 

This whole task was ridiculous.  Slimy?  Stinky?  Who wants to eat that crap?

 

Emilia's presentation was spot on.

 

Arnold is obnoxious.

[niklj]

It was interesting that for some reason everybody's "POV" took a backseat for the challenge this week.

 

Sandwich Guy really needs to drop his shtick because it seems so forced. He made a CRUDO f'heaven's sake. His best dish seemed to have been his street-food-inspired dishes, I think that's a more interesting concept.

 

Dom, why are you making it so hard for me to root for you?

[Brookside]

 

Was anyone else shocked that there wasn't a Rue cutaway after they applauded Michelle on the brilliance of using the octopus as slimy?  I was so waiting for Rue to roll her eyes and then we get a sarcastic "you're welcome."

 

 

I thought it was very classy of Rue not to roll her eyes over the octopus comment, and classless of Michelle not to acknowledge her.  It then really pissed me off that she won because of it.

[GaT]

So what the point of the photography? Is that a part of FN hosting duties now? 

 

Was anyone else shocked that there wasn't a Rue cutaway after they applauded Michelle on the brilliance of using the octopus as slimy?  I was so waiting for Rue to roll her eyes and then we get a sarcastic "you're welcome."

 

 

I was, & when it didn't happen, I thought she was going to be the one who went home, but I'm glad it was Sita 

[Lillybee]

I think that Eddie may wind up in the bottom three at least one more time, so that he can get the redemption arc.

[mlp]

 

Glad Sita is gone. Rosa can go next. And Michelle, I don't like her at all for some reason. She is just unlikeable on my screen.

 

I wouldn't be unhappy if they eliminated all the women in a row before they started on the men.  I don't like any of them.  Actually, I don't actively dislike Emilia but I think she's just meh.  I wanted to like Rosa but she's loud and sort of coarse.  Can't stand Michelle.  And I suspect that Rue is more than a little impressed with herself in real life. 

 

The contestants must have known what the challenge would be before the photo exercise or at least have been given some input into what they'd cook next.  Otherwise, I have a hard time believing that FN keeps their refrigerators stocked with bizarre little eggplants.  I'd never even seen those before.

[biakbiak]

I was distracted by the fact that Rue and Sunny were wearing the exact shade of ugly purple lipstick. Luckily for Rue the makeup artist didn't give her the hideous blue eye shadow Sunny was wearing.

Geoffrey ignoring Sunny' s high five for an uncomfortable long time might be my favorite moment in the history of the show.

Edited June 22, 2015 by biakbiak

[HappyDancex2]

I don't think Dom should have been the photography winner...it looked like translucent glob on top of something gelatinous...no thanks.

What? No microgreens? Eye roll.

[cooksdelight]

I need my TV chefs to be smart enough to know what incendiary means.

I really expected someone to have something on fire. You know, an updated take on Baked Alaska or something for the dessert course. Or cherries jubliee.

But since this bunch didn't know what it meant, they would probably have set the place on fire if given matches.

[cooksdelight]

If only Suzy Wong had come out with this dessert drink, flame torch in hand for the marshmallows... Arnold would have won hands down. I sometimes think that his alter ego is where all of his dynamic personality is stored up.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=61rwVeAjS0c

[Wings]

I've been saying that all season.

 

The women deciding to go "sexy" was disturbing.

 

I hadn't noticed Rue's accent before this.

 

This whole task was ridiculous.  Slimy?  Stinky?  Who wants to eat that crap?

 

Emilia's presentation was spot on.

 

Arnold is obnoxious.

 

Yes, every word. 

 

Sita, go to Baltimore and announce that crab is stinky.  I dare you.   

 

I liked the look of Rue's tiny food and would have chosen that above meatballs. They are only slightly above a fast food burger at best.  

 

I like Dom and expect to see him in the finals.  He is engaging; they will get him comfortable with the camera.    

 

Emilia improved a lot.  Shocking.

 

Rosa ,zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  I have had enough of your mob wife schtick.  And you weren't sexy, you were creepy.

 

Sandwich guy is next out, followed by Arnold.  

 

I liked Jay at first but he is no longer interesting to me.  The common New Orleans food is just as overly done as Italian at this point.  Good gumbo is just okay at best.  Jambalaya, meh.  Crayfish have no flavor.  

 

Where is Thai, Vietnamese, Asian fusion, French, German, Indian?  And they choose Italian and sandwiches?  

 

Come on Eddie, shape up and give us some bright, fresh, good food.  You can do this.  

 

This challenge was too restricting and ridiculous.  Let them cook their own specialties; that is what their show would be.  

[biakbiak]

I find Arnold's inability to give presentations weird giving his other career as a performer and being on camera with TC. I am a natural shy lady but no one who has none me for more than a week believes me because they see me as outgoing and over the top so I am always asked to give speeches and host events, on the inside I am quaking and stuttering but I suck it up and do it well, so I have to think that both Dom and Arnold are playing a role; Dom forgets his awkwardness when it matters and a seasoned drag queen freezes up when talking to 2-4 people. Both of them top five at least with one of them getting a redemption arc in Star Salvation!

[Christina]

Rue's photograph did not do her food justice, which is a shame since it was different. It looked incredibly unappetizing in the photo, but not so much when she was prepping it.

 

Going into this episode, I thought that someone would have to do horrible to save Sita since she had negative reviews in the past. This show is so predetermined that it's easy to guess and no fun. :( I did wonder for a minute because the women seemed to have higher praise in both the food and presentation portions, but alas, the judges chose neither team, so that they could send Sita home.

 

I agree with whoever said that sandwich guy (forgot his name) should do street food instead. It's like Eddie finally getting that Cheat Day was not going to happen. Although I don't remember anyone on the show suggesting that he drop sandwiches for street food, just the people who post here, possibly because the winner had been decided before the show started, and they knew they weren't going to use him. But I see see conspiracies constantly in this show and Master Chef.

[vibeology]

Every time Emilia describes herself I find myself thinking that the word she is using does not seem to mean what she thinks it means. Nothing about her indicates she's a "spicy" personality.

 

I really feel like the moment you start telling me what your personality is rather than being personable and open during presentations and letting me decide what sort of person you are is the moment you fail. The more Emilia tells me about how I should perceive her, the more I look for things that go against what she's saying. That she got praised this week for her presentation shows just how weak so many presentations were. 

 

#Douchetag must have been so sad he missed the social media challenge!

 

The food tonight was not great. The desserts looked good. Dom's chicken looked good. That's really it. I was happy to see Dom crack a few jokes but I get the sense he's one of "those guys" who wasn't going to work with the women unless the show forced it.

 

I didn't get the sense that the guys had worse food. They loved the crudo, the chicken and the dessert but I think the salad and jumbo were some of the worst dishes of the night. The women had a good soup and good dessert. Rue's was bland, Stia's was a total mess and Rosa's wasn't great either. I think the women lost but they wanted the drama of frontrunner Eddie in the bottom and he coasted enough that it made sense to do it.

[ari333]

So what the point of the photography? Is that a part of FN hosting duties now? 

 

Yes. THIS. And the next challenge will include horseback riding. :)

[smiley13]

Michelle is Melissa d'Arabian Jr.  I can't stand her.

Not at all.  Melissa is charming and adorable and Michelle is just annoying.

 

Melissa was poised and cooked good food during her season, Michelle is not.  Michelle grates on my last nerve.  And why doesn't she pull back that mop of hair when she is cooking?

[cooksdelight]

Yes. THIS. And the next challenge will include horseback riding. :)

Next week it's the Fourth of July. No horses in the fray, but we'd better see some fireworks.

[leighdear]

I just assumed when Emilia made that remark about her "fiery" personality, she was joking with the judges.  A nod to their previous comments about her stoic demeanor. 

 

I absolutely thought Eddie's scallop photo should have been the winner.  It was perfect.  But that would have messed up his "arc". 

 

And the stinky/burned/incendiary crap is just some pretentious, hipster "foodie" need to throw something new into the culinary scene.  Stinky is the new kale.

[smiley13]

Also, were they just ignoring the first challenge where they loved Eddie and only going by the second one when they put him in the bottom three?  He did not deserve to be at the bottom at all.  I wish they had sent Rosa home instead of Sita.  Rosa comes across as obnoxiously loud and crass as has been stated here.  She is totally Kaye Ballard from The Mothers In-Law.

 

I am still pulling for Eddie and Jay, with Dom as a close third.  I liked his boys vs girls choice for the teams.  None of the women are impressive at all, so why not load your team with the best people?  Well, I do like Emilia, but overall the women are weaker this season.  

 

Rue should have spoken up when annoying Michelle stole all the glory for the octopus.

Edited June 22, 2015 by smiley13

[AnnaBaptist]

So glad Sita is gone. She was so needlessly loud all the time and got on my nerves with her overacting. I could also not think of a more unappetizing concept for "stinky" than crabmeat. Garlic and onions are stinky, yes. Some cheeses are stinky. But if your seafood is stinky, you shouldn't eat it.

 

That said, it was a pretty silly challenge. Maybe I'm a bore, but I don't want my restaurant food presented to me as burnt, stinky, or slimy.

[BusyOctober]

I'm late to the party, and I probably won't be staying long...I don't like a single one of these people.  I mostly can't stand Giada but I hit the mute button when she shows up.  Anyway... sorry if this has been covered but what's up with Sandwich Guy??? Does he not understand that FN already has that niche filled?  I know Jeff M. is doing other things for the network, but do they really want another show based on sandwiches? 

 

Although the way FN works, they clone a lot of their shows and keep recycling stupid premises.  For example: 1) DDD looks like it's getting a new sibling with Michael Simon's burger joint show 2) Paula got into trouble so they found another "folksy" grandmaw type with that horrendous Farm Lady 3) The Diner Do-Over show is another twist on Robert Irvine's rescue show.  And I lost count of how many "Best of the Mostest Sweetest/Spiciest/Whackiest/Top in the Country Food Stuff You've EVER Seen!!!" shows they have.  So it always kills me when the network big-wigs  criticize these cooks for being "unmemorable" or "not original/unique" enough.

[Wings]

I don't believe the winner is chosen ahead of time, not for a minute.  There is no point to that; it doesn't serve them to do this.  They give the winner a short stint on a Sat morning and if they don't work out, that is it.  If they are successful, we see them interwoven as judges or mentors here and there and a renewed contract for another 3 month run with their show.   No skin off their teeth if the winner does not succeed and a bonus if they do.  

 

They are getting revenue and ratings with the reality show itself, mission accomplished. 

 

They didn't put Eddie in the bottom, he made one of the worst dishes.  No burned anything and a tasteless vinaigrette.  He is a favorite of theirs and they hope he will do better.  

Edited June 22, 2015 by wings707