S11.E05: The Perfect Match

[BusyOctober]

I have only watched the last 2 episodes and I gotta say I don't think any of these people would hold my attention for long if they had their own shows. Rue had potential, but the rest? Meh.

I remember watching this show way back in the early days and it bugged me then...the demand for personal stories every damn time they talk is OTT. It comes across as fake or phoney. I don't think it's necessary to chatter on with the oh so not funny family anecdote for every damn thing being cooked. "OMG! This celery stalk reminds of Thanksgiving 1983 when Great Gram got celery fiber tangled up in her dentures! True story!" The ocassional story is fine, but I don't plan on meeting your family, so please just give me cooking tips and introduce new methods or foods.

[Alapaki]

I think it's important to remember that the point of this show is to be this show.  They're going to keep the contestants who make the show entertaining and/or dramatic.  If they identify a bona fide "star", that's just icing on the cake.  

 

Accepting that reality makes the eliminations on this show much more palatable (no pun intended).  

 

And, we can add to the list of things you can do that won't get you eliminated:

 

* Make a presentation that literally consists of "Women . . . amirite?"

[Snarklepuss]

I think this episode made it clear to me that they like Jay, Emilia and Eddie.  I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up the final 3.  I suddenly had a huge anxiety attack this afternoon fearing that their real goal is to "replace" Cowboy Lenny with Jay and it's intentional that he reminds people of Lenny.  Only I hate to tell them it's not in a good way.  I sincerely hope I'm wrong about that.

[cooksdelight]

I remember watching this show way back in the early days and it bugged me then...the demand for personal stories every damn time they talk is OTT

Suzie was the one DEMANDING that they have some type of personal sob story. I think it's FN's mantra that unless you have a dead or dying realitive, you're out.

[Alapaki]

Suzie was the one DEMANDING that they have some type of personal sob story. I think it's FN's mantra that unless you have a dead or dying realitive, you're out.

 

They don't necessarily have to be dead or dying.  You can present Pop-Tarts as long as you have a story for how you learned to put them in toaster by watching your grandmother (bonus points if you can use an ethnic phrase like "baba" or "abuela").

[CMH1981]

 

I think this episode made it clear to me that they like Jay, Emilia and Eddie.  I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up the final 3.

 

After last night's episode for the first time I had a feeling that Emilia might actually win this thing.  She seems like the type of personality this network wants, someone who has no problem throwing in personal stories regarding family and yeah, her cooking might not be all that, but that can be taught before filming of her series.

[chessiegal]

After last night's episode for the first time I had a feeling that Emilia might actually win this thing.  She seems like the type of personality this network wants, someone who has no problem throwing in personal stories regarding family and yeah, her cooking might not be all that, but that can be taught before filming of her series.

FN doesn't need to teach a winner anything. They have  a full staff of pros working that can come up with recipes. See Miriam and Stephanie on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay". (Who, by the way, need their own show). They've got pros on staff full time. Their monthly magazine has recipes from show personnel, but also their staff.

Edited July 7, 2015 by chessiegal

[Madding crowd]

I actually don't mind Dom too much and even though he should have worked better with Michelle, she was indecisive and kept insisting he make all the decisions, only to monopolize the talking during the presentation. I also think he was trying to be funny with his corny joke, but every topic is off limits in this pc age (yes, I do get offended by some things, but not his silly joke). I was very surprised Rue got the boot and I wonder what that was all about. WIthout Bob and Susie to give us some details, we never really know.

 

I don't have any favorites this year although I usually do. I feel kind of bad for Jay, because we don't like him because he reminds his of Lenny. I do like Eddie, but I don't think he has enough point of view for the judges. I guess Emilia for the win??

[mlp]

Bobby Flay asked mumble mouth Aaron McCargo (Season 4) what a chipotle pepper was and he had no idea, yet he won that year. Knowledge of ingredients doesn't seem to be a high priority in choosing the winner.

 

 

In my mind, there's a big difference between Aaron not knowing that answer and Alex not knowing what's in something he's said is his favorite ingredient. 

 

Awesome. Just an outstanding retort. I absolutely adore everything about that sentence.

 

 

That comment had me ROTFL.  Summed it up nicely.

 

I didn't care for Rue so I wasn't sorry to see her go.  To me, she came across as highly impressed with herself.  I might have watched one show about African food but I'd never watch a regular program about food best eaten with one's hands.  I'm sure there's more to African cuisine but that's all Rue managed to get across.  Having said that, I would have preferred that they sent Michelle home first.  I was watching the other contestants when she threw her little hissy fit and walked out and I had the impression that none of them really cared if she came back or not.  I have a feeling she's either not very likeable or is really just as annoying as she seems to me.

 

I think the final three will be Eddie, Jay and Emilia and, at this point, I'm giving the edge to Eddie.

[HappyDancex2]

Dom's dickishness overshadowed how ridiculous Michelle was in her own right. First, her talking head in the ingredient switch challenge had her blaming eddie for telling her to be careful with the habaneros. She was exasperated that he led her astray. I mean eye roll!!!! It would have been bad if she didn't taste the habaneros but she tasted her marinade, called it hot and then didn't own it. Deluded.

Then I think she was overbearing in the kitchen with Dom. How much discussion do we have to have over the flavor profile of freaking risotto????? He's making a vehicle for flavor....pick your flavor. End of story. Her insecurity was an annoying as his dismissive tones. He wasn't kind but she wasn't confident. She ASKED him what flavors she should use..,,she is ridiculous. And the dumb sidekick.

They both fight dirty verbally. They went personal which makes them both unlikeable.

And Michelle makes a lot of shrimp. Add your own Top Shrimp comment here, ha.

Spice island woman with the hair bun uses Harissa in everything? Did she say it was the cornerstone of her spice POV? Weird.

There are a lot of "southeast Asian" cuisine references going on. Have they ever considered casting some Vietnamese or thai individuals instead of people who have traveled there as a visitor and use fish sauce, coconut milk, sesame oil or five spice as representative of any Asian culture?

[bluepiano]

To me, he's coming off as the stereotypical young, hipster foodie that took a trip, had a culinary "epiphany" about the culture and now is trying to make it a part of his "soul".  Next year it will be another trend or another country/culture that "transforms" his life and informs his cooking.  

 

Very well said. Thailand used to be the favorite foodie hipster country, but now it seems that Vietnam has overtaken it. In any case, it's still "exotic" SE Asia. Though I generally like him, Anthony Bourdain is the patron saint of this sort of thing. He once did an episode of his show called "Going Home" (or something similar) that was about a trip to Vietnam. What?? Last time I looked, Anthony Bourdain was a New Yorker. It's one thing to identify with another culture, but taken to an extreme it becomes kind of insulting to the people who are really from that country. (I bet AB himself would have choice things to say about someone who had only visited NY calling themselves a "New Yorker.")

 

Count me among those who are glad that the reduced role played by Bob and Suzie means a reduced demand for gratuitous personal stories. We still get a few, but it no longer seems to be a requirement. And I don't think we'll get a repeat of when that Mexican-American woman who had studied classical French cooking in France was browbeaten into cooking Mexican food and telling stories about her dying abuelo.

Edited July 7, 2015 by bluepiano

[rab01]

Personally, I liked it. In my view, she was shutting down Michelle's excuses (however valid) with "be a grownup and own the loss." Nothing bugs me so much as people blaming each other for screwing up a joint project. That's fine for the friends and family - but professionally I think it does more to harm your professional image than help it.

 

I loved the fact that this discussion, with Bobby chiming in, basically acknowledged that the current stars are not necessarily chummy, no matter what it looks like on camera.

I like it when judges cut into a contestant's BS to get to the point but I don't know why it was Michelle that got the treatment rather than Dom. Why was it more her job to work better with someone she dislikes than his job to work better with someone he dislikes? Her food was better than his and her presentation was better than his so why was it her problem more than his?

 

I have to admit that I also felt a little cheated by the interruption in that moment because if they'd let her go on longer, I think we would have seen more real drama between Dom and Michelle. I feel like they both thought that one or the other of them were about to lose so the knives were out. I don't think either of them are winning so I'm just interested in how entertaining they will be until they get canned.

Edited July 7, 2015 by rab01

[kstar821]

I hope I'm wrong, but with the amount of TH Michelle has had up to this point, it's hard not to think she's the predetermined winner.  Ugh.

[Snarklepuss]

I hope I'm wrong, but with the amount of TH Michelle has had up to this point, it's hard not to think she's the predetermined winner.  Ugh.

 

I still don't think they would show the winner walking out like she did in this episode and acting pissed off about having to work with Dom.  Usually the winner gets a flawless edit.  Aren't we not voting this season too?  So they would know who the winner is by now.  But even if she were one of the finalists they wouldn't do that either.  So there's still hope! 

[J-Man]

 

I'm still holding out hope for Eddie and Suzy Wong to take a food truck show on the road.

I'm thinking Eddie, Suzy and Dom in a remake of "To Wong Foo,Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar."

[Clanstarling]

I like it when judges cut into a contestant's BS to get to the point but I don't know why it was Michelle that got the treatment rather than Dom. Why was it more her job to work better with someone she dislikes than his job to work better with someone he dislikes? Her food was better than his and her presentation was better than his so why was it her problem more than his?

 

I have to admit that I also felt a little cheated by the interruption in that moment because if they'd let her go on longer, I think we would have seen more real drama between Dom and Michelle. I feel like they both thought that one or the other of them were about to lose so the knives were out. I don't think either of them are winning so I'm just interested in how entertaining they will be until they get canned.

I was probably watching it haphazardly, but I took Anne's rant to apply to both of them. I agree completely that it should apply to both of them.

 

I don't find that kind of drama entertaining. That's why I originally liked Food Network Star - back in the day everyone seemed supportive even while they were competitive.

[CoyoteBlue]

I totally get Rue dumping Dom for Arnold as well as Michelle taking charge of the presentation.  Time and time again we have seen that yes, Dom can cook, but in the end he is totally uncomfortable with speaking before an audience and presenting what he made.  The contestants don't want anything to do with him b/c they know this is a competition where yes, cooking matters, but so does being able to talk in front of people and not freeze up.  Dom is a sinking ship when it comes to that part and nobody wants to be in the bottom w/ Dom week after week b/c of that fact.

 

I think Michelle totally played it wrong by going first. Let Dom go first and talk about the ingredients, and you come in when he stalls with your folksy, human-interest stories. Leaving the end to Dom is just asking for your presentation to trail off weakly and erase anything you did do right in the first half..

[NikSac]

I think Michelle totally played it wrong by going first. Let Dom go first and talk about the ingredients, and you come in when he stalls with your folksy, human-interest stories. Leaving the end to Dom is just asking for your presentation to trail off weakly and erase anything you did do right in the first half..

 

I agree. Heck if she had let him go first all she really had to do was wait for him to take off running from the cameras, and then present whatever she wanted.

[cattykit]

I hope I'm wrong, but with the amount of TH Michelle has had up to this point, it's hard not to think she's the predetermined winner.  Ugh.

If that criterion applied, we'd have Sarah as last season's winner.  OTOH, anything, even Pageant Queen, would have been better than Cowboy Lenny.

[TomCorps]

This is my first time posting here, and I'm probably going to get stomped for saying this, but: what's with all the hating on Giada?  Personally, I thought her abs were the most impressive thing in this episode.  What's she supposed to wear, a muumuu??  She's a stunning woman with a petite figure.  As for those who pick on her the size of her teeth, the size of her head, the fact that she's "too old" for what she wears...  [snip]  

 

As for this week's episode, I wouldn't have thought it possible for anyone to make me feel sympathetic towards Michelle, but Dom (whom I've liked in the past) was such a jerk to her, I honestly felt bad for her.  The fact that he murdered the risotto as well (has anyone ever done well on a challenge making risotto??) was enough to have sent him home, IMHO.  Where Rue's concerned, I get the sense that speed is not her thing--and that doesn't necessarily make her a bad cook or an unappealing presenter.  She said repeatedly that the flavor profiles she works with (i.e., South African) need time to develop in the cooking process.  I don't know much about South African cuisine, but I'm inclined to believe she's telling it like it is, and in a full-show format, she'd have the time to allow her food to cook fully, and she'd be able to teach her audience about the time these foods require as well.  I don't know what Dom has to teach us, except maybe how not to treat a partner.

 

I'm glad Eddie and Alex won.  Although I don't see the need for another Sandwich Dude with Jeff Mauro on the network, I like Alex.  He kinda reminds me physically of one of the Campbell Soup kids (yes, I'm showing my age here), and he seems genuinely pleasant, which is more than I can say for a lot of the contestants this season.  

 

Eddie's awesome.  Emilia showed some true chops this week.  Arnold needs to be on a design show, not a cooking show.  And as for Jay....I'm so sick of him yelling everything to camera.  He seems to think he's getting judged by the decibel.  

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens from here.

[HappyDancex2]

Welcome TomCorps! No stomping from me....you are certainly entitled to your opinion if you think Giada is pretty and she dresses great! I'm not exactly sure what picking on the pretty girl refers to since this is a snark board and that would assume that anyone making a comment is perceivably "uglier" than she. If Bobby came out in white biking shorts that hugged his twig and berries, he'd be subject to board ridicule. As would showing his abs. Skintight tank top with a spray tan? Or wearing assless chaps....all within possibility yet he never seems to do it.

And the lighted vagina table is an equal opportunity offender!

I totally agree with you on the Jay yelling...frankly this episode had too much manufactured drama and raised voices instead of focusing on the cooking challenge. Sure there are some combative personalities this season but editing the worst out of some of these people has to make future contestants weary.

I actually like Anne in this role. She can come off surly but I thought she did a nice job.

[Snarklepuss]

This is my first time posting here, and I'm probably going to get stomped for saying this, but: what's with all the hating on Giada?  Personally, I thought her abs were the most impressive thing in this episode.  What's she supposed to wear, a muumuu??  She's a stunning woman with a petite figure.  As for those who pick on her the size of her teeth, the size of her head, the fact that she's "too old" for what she wears...  [snip] 

 

I think the reason people are picking on Giada is because she feels the need to vamp herself in order to look attractive when she's actually more attractive without doing that.  I don't know how much of her wardrobe is producer encouraged but I still think some of it looks kind of pathetic and out of place for both her age and her level of natural attractiveness.  She has plenty of natural attractiveness and form fitting outfits and makeup are quite enough without going so far as to look like all she needs is a stripper pole to make her outfit complete.  It's just going outside the bounds of the sophisticated taste one would expect from Giada, in my opinion.  YMMV, of course.

Edited July 8, 2015 by cooksdelight

[TomCorps]

Consider me educated!  I've actually never heard the term "snark board" before, but I get it.  Just seemed to me that Giada was taking a bit too much of a beating.  I mean, yeah....the boob window dress.  I get it.  But if I were going to pick on someone's fashion choices in this week's episode, it would've been Anne Burrell in that mismatched purplish schmatta.  She looked like a scarecrow escaped from a cornfield on 7th Avenue.  

 

Alas, I've snarked!

 

Thank you for your feedback and thoughtful commentary.

[Snarklepuss]

Consider me educated!  I've actually never heard the term "snark board" before, but I get it.  Just seemed to me that Giada was taking a bit too much of a beating.  I mean, yeah....the boob window dress.  I get it.  But if I were going to pick on someone's fashion choices in this week's episode, it would've been Anne Burrell in that mismatched purplish schmatta.  She looked like a scarecrow escaped from a cornfield on 7th Avenue.  

 

Alas, I've snarked!

 

Thank you for your feedback and thoughtful commentary.

 

ROTF!!!  Anne's appearance has been a topic before as I'm sure you can imagine, but you put it in the funniest terms ever!  I love that!  Welcome!

[smiley13]

Gee-Ahda catches most of the grief here because she is a permanent host and she just makes it so easy, lol.  She seems to have amped up her annoyance this season with her bad wardrobe choices.

 

The top this week was really tacky for a professional woman her age.

[JTMacc99]

It's interesting that Giada's wardrobe has been so noteworthy that we haven't really spent too much time evaluating what she's said so far this year.  I actually think she's been reasonable and a good judge so far.  As I noted above, I think she (and Bobby) got overruled on the Rue elimination this week, but other than that they've done a decent job eliminating the right people in the right order.  Giada also has the last minute Matthew elimination going for her this season. 

[cooksdelight]

Welcome TomCorps!

 

It is perfectly OK to snark/make fun of/chide people on the show. Not OK to do that to your fellow posters. :)

 

And as stated on page 2, we have a thread for Giada if you want to talk about her, her life or her wardrobe in general terms. The episode threads are for what happened in that specific episode. Thanks everyone, carry on!

[Surrealist]

If Bobby came out in white biking shorts that hugged his twig and berries, he'd be subject to board ridicule. As would showing his abs. Skintight tank top with a spray tan? Or wearing assless chaps....all within possibility yet he never seems to do it.

 

I didn't need any of these visuals.

 

I was bummed out to see Rue go home, but I felt as if she stalled. Or maybe we're supposed to think she did. I agreed with Bobby that Michelle has plateaued. I wonder when they're planning to eliminate her from the competition.

 

I was glad to see Eddie back on top, since he's probably the only person I'm rooting for at the moment. Luckily for him, being paired with Alex worked the second time around. I don't mind Alex too much either. His hair bugs me, but I think he's probably one of the better cooks. I appreciate his penchant for Asian cuisines, but where I side eye him is that he couldn't name the five-spice ingredients.

 

While I thought Dom was adorable in the very beginning, he's starting to grate on my nerves. I don't appreciate his comments. I don't care from which culture he comes. To me, that's irrelevant. A person who makes asshole remarks is an asshole.

[GoMocs]

Yall are fogetting something...they, the judges and Food Network had it narrowed down to 2 or 3 contestants after the first few days of filming. They knew who the finalists would be, unless something totally weird happens in the interim. So, we dont' understand why they are eliminating one contestant and keeping another. The answer is ratings/drama/etc They keep certain people around for multiple shows for viewer interest. Dom won't win, they, the judges/FN, knew that real quick just as they kney others wouldn't win either. You can usually guess the top 2 or 3 by the end of the second show. LBH gets to keep Dom around until its time to boot him, they know he won't win.

[aradia22]

Still recapping even though FN keeps screwing with me by not putting the episodes online. I used to think that starring on the Food Network wasn't as much of a quantifiable skill as say designing clothes (Project Runway) or just cooking (Top Chef) though there's of course subjectivity there as well. But yeah, I know it when I see and so far these guys have not got it. I think what's annoying me the most right now is just how bad they are at describing what the food tastes like. I don't care if you smile. If you can't give me a sense of what it tastes like I won't care what the ingredients are. 

[HyeChaps]

Yes, yes. Describing tastes and textures is paramount. Guy and Jeff are very good at this. Also

Look at the cast of The Chew.

[Aquarius]

I actually don't mind Dom too much and even though he should have worked better with Michelle, she was indecisive and kept insisting he make all the decisions, only to monopolize the talking during the presentation. I also think he was trying to be funny with his corny joke, but every topic is off limits in this pc age (yes, I do get offended by some things, but not his silly joke). I was very surprised Rue got the boot and I wonder what that was all about. WIthout Bob and Susie to give us some details, we never really know.

 

I don't have any favorites this year although I usually do. I feel kind of bad for Jay, because we don't like him because he reminds his of Lenny. I do like Eddie, but I don't think he has enough point of view for the judges. I guess Emilia for the win??

 

I no longer like Dom as I used to, but I completely agree that Michelle was a terrible teammate too, indecisive and useless.  She acted like Dom's souz chef, rather than a full partner.  Then went all martyr about it.  I think that's why she got the lecture from Anne.

 

I used to dislike Jay because of the Lenny similarity.  Now I just dislike Jay.  He's too loud and he doesn't seem genuine to me.  I can't even remember what he and Emilia made for the challenge, or what the judges' reaction was.  I am underwelmed by both of them.

 

While I thought Dom was adorable in the very beginning, he's starting to grate on my nerves. I don't appreciate his comments. I don't care from which culture he comes. To me, that's irrelevant. A person who makes asshole remarks is an asshole.

 

Indeed. 

 

I'm not exactly sure what picking on the pretty girl refers to since this is a snark board and that would assume that anyone making a comment is perceivably "uglier" than she. If Bobby came out in white biking shorts that hugged his twig and berries, he'd be subject to board ridicule. As would showing his abs. Skintight tank top with a spray tan? Or wearing assless chaps....all within possibility yet he never seems to do it.

EXACTLY! And as much as I enjoy Bobby, if he wore the male equivalent to Giada's wardrobe, I'd be leading the snark brigade about it here.

I'm thinking Eddie, Suzy and Dom in a remake of "To Wong Foo,Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar."

That would be awesome!

[Lura]

I am still confused about the early ads for this show, when the FN had Bobby saying, "This is the best group we've ever had," or something to that effect.  The ad made me think that this was going to be quite a horse race to determine which outstanding contestant would win.  To my surprise, while I enjoy several of them, I haven't felt that these contestants are quite as good or better than in other seasons.  I don't know whether I was expecting too much, or whether the FN needs a little reminder about truth in advertising.

[NewDigs]

IMHO Dom should be gone, not Rue. It seemed to me that he made more egregious mistakes PLUS was an ass during presentation. And I can't remember anyone on any cooking competition OVERcooking risotto!

Glad Arnold is still around but Jeff can go. His voice and mannerisms (stop with the hands!! Please!) seem over the top and tiring rather than exciting. Plus, he reminds me too much of Lenny and I didn't like Lenny, at all, even before the disturbing personal info became public.

[MerBearHou]

I thought Emilia and Jay were the example of working well together -- I really enjoyed them.

Michelle was so annoying and beyond passive-aggressive with her "my friend"-speak to Dom and walk-out drama (as I've thought before) and Dom was off-putting (I have not thought this before of him). His comment in the presentation about not getting a word in edgewise like in a marriage was a poor choice in this day and age!! I know he was trying to be funny, but it wasn't.

Not sad to see Rue go as I thought the judges were forcing her into a South African chef box in which she did not want to be. I get that -- she'd rather show a variety of abilities. But bottom line, I did not find her magnetic.

I like Jay -- I am not thinking of Lenny at all when I hear/watch him.

Eddie is a great presence and energy -- he needs to step it up in the cooking area though.

Emilia is definitely on the come-back trail from where she was a few weeks ago. I'm liking her more and more. The goofy stories about her brother are enough now -- 2 times are more than enough.

I think Arnold is warm and fun but his skills are not as strong as I thought they'd be.

Alex is ok.....I like him and he seems very genuine.

Anne Burrell is one of my faves so I was glad to see her this week. She'd be a great judge much more often.

This season Bobby is so very subdued. It's like he's read all the negative rumors about Giada and him that he'd trying oh-so-very-hard to seem serious and completely unattracted to Giada. Fine with me, by the way, in that respect,

I am watching this show in spite of Giada. Just cannot stand her for several reasons. Ugh.

Edited July 11, 2015 by MerBearHou

[eyechart]

Count me as another who wanted Dom gone over Rue.  I know Michelle is annoying, and her lack of restaurant skills were undesirable in this challenge, but he was a pure jerk who managed to make me sympathize with her.  And maybe he thought his "women, amirite?" joke was funny, but he didn't read the crowd at all.  And that was worse to me than Rue's inabilities.

 

She and Arnold managed to paint themselves into a corner by not giving enough time to cook and make sure everything was spot on.  I still want Arnold among the final three, along with Eddie.  I can't imagine a final three being all-male, so I expect Emilia to be the woman among them.

 

Not sure if someone at the show hates Anne, or if this is a coincidence, but the intro music they used for her when she walked out is the same as the British game show "Pointless" (the best game show anywhere, IMO).  Almost expected Bobby to say, "And now here's our pointless friend, it's Anne."  I personally love watching her, and would have her take Giada's place any day.

[DollEyes]

Observations:

 

*Re Dom & Michelle, I think they were both wrong. This was a team challenge, which meant that they were both supposed to work together, but Dom was too busy in the kitchen working on his own dish to worry about Michelle and her dish, while Michelle completely took over the audience presentation, barely letting Dom get a word in edgewise and then she briefly walked out. Their problems showed in their dish. I would've eliminated one or both of them over Rue.

 

*Poor Rue. At first, she had a good week when she won the Mini-Challenge, but the Main Challenge was her downfall. Instead of explaining the food and the flavors of South Africa and why she loves them, Rue wasted time talking about the so-called "joyful oneness" re her dish and her overcooking the meat didn't help, but at least IMO she has more potential than Arnold, who has the personality, but not much of the cooking skills to back it up, at least, not this week.

 

*Jay & Emilia did OK, but it was time management and improper cooking, re the meat, that killed them. I do give Emilia a couple of points for her snark re Dom & Michelle's fight, saying that it was more contentious than her divorce.

 

*Eddie & Alex were great. Alex may be a little too hipster sometimes, but I'll take Alex's hipster attitude over Matthew's any day and twice on Sunday.  As for Eddie, he did great with the Mini and the Main Challenge. In both cases, Eddie's food not only looked as good as he does, apparently it tasted even better. Looks like Eddie's bouncing back from his rough patch with a vengeance.