Season vs. Season

[Maverick]

Hugh was also anti-Nick. He made a comment about how the poor service at Nick's restaurant (including Nick's profanity laced screams at his servers) factoring into the decision and Tom got this total WTF look. Emeril, oddly, sat there pretty quite without seeming either bothered by or engaged in the argument.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Maverick

[cooksdelight]

Jacques Pepin, bless his heart, didn't understand the rules of the game when he suggested that Nick quit. Stephanie agreed with him, knowing she was going to be the one going home. Saying she would quit if it were her with immunity ... yeah, right. I don't think so. Then Tom says "Well, we'll see if Nick resigns" when they were making their way back out.

That should have never been an issue, someone should have explained it to Pepin. Carrie didn't get treated like that when she had immunity and cooked broccoli at the campus competition. When she did go, Padma almost broke down in tears.

If the judges cannot remain objective, might be time for another gig. IMO

[Julia]

Jacques Pepin, bless his heart, didn't understand the rules of the game when he suggested that Nick quit. Stephanie agreed with him, knowing she was going to be the one going home. Saying she would quit if it were her with immunity ... yeah, right. I don't think so. Then Tom says "Well, we'll see if Nick resigns" when they were making their way back out.

That should have never been an issue, someone should have explained it to Pepin. Carrie didn't get treated like that when she had immunity and cooked broccoli at the campus competition. When she did go, Padma almost broke down in tears.

If the judges cannot remain objective, might be time for another gig. IMO

 

Not to mention that Tom was very indignant that anyone suggested he should have sent Josie home for serving bloody raw poultry because She Had Immunity (and how you manage to put a turkey in the oven and not have it cook is way beyond me). And (I know I've said this before, not sure if it was here) when a contestant in an earlier season tried to fall on his sword, they didn't let him. 

[Noreaster]

From the episode thread:

To clarify, I am not accusing the show of racism or sexism or any other kind of -ism.  I am merely expressing my preference for lots of diversity in the entertainment content I follow.

 

You unintentionally undermine your argument with this point.  55% white men / 45% everyone else in the world doesn't seem like a good ratio to me.  I have no opinion on whether Collichio has any race/gender-based biases.  I just found this argument funny given the numbers.  Of course, it may have been meant sarcastically, in which case, the joke's on me.

 

I think it's worth pointing out that the Top Chef cast is far more diverse than the actual restaurant industry. In real life, white males make up the vast majority of higher-level restaurant positions. 

 

According to the BLS, in 2013, the chefs and head cooks category was made up of 20% women, 13.7% Black or African American, 13.6% Asian, and 19.1% Hispanic or Latino.  If we were to narrow the industry to higher-end dining, the statistics indicate that female chefs are even less prevalent. According to Bloomberg, women make up 6.3%, or 10 out of 160 head chef positions at 15 prominent US restaurant groups.

 

Top Chef, the TV show, has tried to include more females and more minorities.  In particular, the show has tried to start off each season with an equal number of men and women.  In order to do that, especially in the earlier seasons, they have had to fill the female spots with more lower-level cooks, caterers and private chefs.  The males generally have had more experience and better resumes. Is it really any surprise that more men have won?

 

In later seasons, the quality of female contestants has improved a great deal.  My guess is the show has put more effort into recruiting experienced females and other minorities. The show may also be deliberately casting less-qualified males to even out the cast.  I don't know.  

 

Certainly sexism and racism exist in the restaurant industry in real life.  But I sometimes have a tough time following the accusations for this show. If we were to run through the bios, I think we would find that the contestants who advance far into the show share a lot of things in common that have nothing to do with gender or race. Job title, restaurant experience, cuisine type (New American, French, Asian, etc), cooking style (fine dining, casual).  

 

Ultimately we viewers can't taste the food so we have to rely on the judging panel's comments and the show's edit.  I think this judging panel has certain preferences. They tend to favor fine dining, the "cheffy" dishes, New American or cuisines with Asian influences, more bold flavors, very well-seasoned foods, etc.  I remember one season when Eric Ripert was the guest judge.  He disagreed a lot with the judging panel.  He preferred more classical preparations with subtle flavors.  I think Hugh Acheson on another season also disagreed with the other judges quite a bit.  

 

Tastes are subjective. I think this show has come down to who Tom likes the most.  Last Chance Kitchen gives him even more power.  And Gail's tastes seem to align pretty well with Tom's.  I wish the show would think about changing the judging panel and letting other judges/palates/preferences have an equal say in the vote. 

[Bella]

I like the thought you put into that comment, Noreaster.

 

It could also be that women who do enter the industry and make it far are cooking styles that do not fit the "fine dining, the 'cheffy' dishes, New American or cuisines with Asian influences" you cite and are therefore not going to do well on the show. That might not be a gender bias, it might be a style bias that also correlates to gender.

 

Related to that, I like the idea of making changes to the judging panel. If Tom is on LCK, should he also be on the regular judging panel, or vice-versa? I would give LCK to someone who has never met the contestants, but that's a whole other topic.

[Noreaster]

Bella, I agree.  Here's an older New York magazine article where several female chefs say the following:

 

Do women and men cook differently?

SJ: I think women cook different food, and I think women cook better food. It’s more from the heart and more from the soul. I look at this whole molecular-gastronomy thing, and I’m like, “Boys with toys.” They’re just fascinated with technology and chemistry sets. I think we make better-tasting food. I’m sorry, I know that’s politically incorrect.
RC: I have to agree. Women’s food is, for the most part, more accessible, it’s easier to understand, it’s friendlier, it’s more comforting, and it doesn’t get bogged down in all these nutty freaking trends.
SJ: I find there’s a lot of technique in male food.
AB: I have a friend from England who’s a cook, and he said the food that’s most moved him has always been cooked by a woman. Maybe because it’s comfort food or it’s very nurturing. JW: Or maybe he just liked the idea of a woman cooking for him.

[satrunrose]

I don't know... as a female, I find that article...at the very least aggravating in its suggestions about men and women. This season we've had a male chef go home because he really did not enjoy working with molecular gastronomy (Adam) and I think both Mei and Melissa would be fairly offended to have it suggested that being female means they cook with "soul" but not necessarily with "technique". Milage, obviously, will vary on this one.

[Julia]

I think whoever wrote it maybe missed the season where Kristen kicked Josh's ass.

[In Pog Form]

I don't know... as a female, I find that article...at the very least aggravating in its suggestions about men and women. This season we've had a male chef go home because he really did not enjoy working with molecular gastronomy (Adam) and I think both Mei and Melissa would be fairly offended to have it suggested that being female means they cook with "soul" but not necessarily with "technique". Milage, obviously, will vary on this one.

Completely agree. It's an unsubstantiated gender essentialist argument. Also known technically as "complete BS." It's unfortunate when people propagate such gender stereotypes.

[Noreaster]

FYI, those are well-regarded female chefs commenting in that 2007 article. They may not be right and they're not really saying that all men and all women act that way.  But I think it's interesting to read their perspectives given their experiences.

 

Tying it back to Top Chef, I can think of examples which support this view. The best thing to do is run through every contestant's bios and the dishes they cooked on the show.  But for now, just a quick run-through of some contestants that advanced far in the game:

 

For the women...Antonia has cooked really good-tasting food, but her dishes have come across as less creative than her male competitors. Same for Carla. People like Kelly Liken and Tiffany Derry may also fit into this category.  Kristen's style would seem to not fit this characterization.  But then again, she won against Brooke whose style does. I actually can't remember the food from Nina and Shirley that well even though it was only last season. But I do remember Shirley going on and on (and on and on) about how she was cooking from her heart. 

 

Looking at some of the male winners/finalists...Nick Elmi, Paul Qui, Richard Blais, Mike Isabella, the Voltaggios, Kevin Sbraga, Angelo Sosa.  They almost all fit the category of really creative cooking, at least in their final challenges. Based on these message boards, probably because we can't taste the food, it even feels like some viewers tend to favor the more technical, the more creative, the bigger risk-takers.  

 

Most importantly, in the context of this game, Tom cooks that way so it makes sense that he likes cooking styles similar to his own.  The contestants with longer LCK winning streaks like Nyesha, CJ, Kristen, and Louis Maldonado all cook that way too.  

[Julia]

I think any essentialist argument for excluding women which rests heavily on subjective arguments (look for words like "seem" and "appear") is inherently suspect. If line experience is what it takes to make a chef in the brigade system and women aren't offered line jobs, they're not going to learn the same skills. Occam's razor suggests that female incapacity is not the most obvious explanation.

It's also not unusual for members of an excluded minority who have made it within the system to defend the system.

Time followed up after their editor's painful mansplanation for excluding women from their chef issue with this, where they actually spoke to women chefs. They appear to have had different experiences.

http://ideas.time.com/2013/11/13/women-chefs-talk-about-that-time-gods-of-food-list/

On the other hand, one advantage of being an outsider is that you don't see anyone casually referring to Anita Lo's resting bitch face any more than they do Michael Voltaggio's.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Julia

[Noreaster]

I'm confused. Where is there "an essentialist argument for excluding women"? The interview where several female chefs are sharing their experiences?  My observations of a reality TV show?  I'm seriously confused and not trying to be snarky or argumentative or anything.  The Time link provided is not really saying anything different.

[cooksdelight]

The All-Stars season is running on Esquire today. I am not sure I can watch Blaise at his insufferable worst.

[cooksdelight]

They are doing the Jimmy Fallon birthday challenge, and Blaise got Ramen noodles as his ingredient. "It's rare that I focus on making something that's authentic....."

He really said that.

[cooksdelight]

"Waaaaahhhh waaaaaahhhhhh.... Mike Isabella won with my dish!!"

A dish he showed a sketch of to Mike. Richard will harp about that until the day he dies.

[Jobiska]

I'm having trouble finding any site listing where all the past winners are from--what I've found lists their current restaurants, but unless you know where those are or tediously click through, it doesn't compare locations.  Has anyone come across this info in a neat tidy package?

Full disclosure--I'm pleased to live in Philly where two former winners have restaurants (eating at Laurel's on my husband's and my to-do list--we need to call and reserve a million weeks ahead, I know).  I'm curious whether Philly has a disproportionate number of winners to its size.  

I'd love to see a season set in Philadelphia, and it occurred to me when I saw them shopping in Boston and picking out some wine as an ingredient at Whole Foods whether our antiquated state store setup is why they haven't.  But they could get around that by having wine etc. in the pantry.

Do folks think there'd be enough interest in a thread about the locations themselves (their cuisines, etc.) to start one?

[Lovecat]

Full disclosure--I'm pleased to live in Philly where two former winners have restaurants (eating at Laurel's on my husband's and my to-do list--we need to call and reserve a million weeks ahead, I know).  I'm curious whether Philly has a disproportionate number of winners to its size.  

I'd love to see a season set in Philadelphia, and it occurred to me when I saw them shopping in Boston and picking out some wine as an ingredient at Whole Foods whether our antiquated state store setup is why they haven't.  But they could get around that by having wine etc. in the pantry.

Philly (burbs) denizen here!  Good point re: our state store system.  That "wine kiosk" experiment a few years back was a big flop, but the thought of watching the chefs in Whole Foods trying to work one of them kind of cracks me up.  Philly's a great restaurant town; I'd love to see the Top Chef crew here.

[Julia]

I don't know if that would hold them back. You can't buy wine in a grocery store in NY either.

[Bella]

I'd love to see them do Philly.

[archer1267]

Interestingly, re: the discussion about women vs. men in the kitchen, differences in style, etc. I watched the S8 Finale of Mike Isabella vs. Blais. Gail commented that Mike's food had a "feminine quality" to it, and wondered if it was because of his female sous chefs. I'd no idea what Gail meant by that, and I doubt a guy like Mike Isabella (or maybe any male chef) would strive for that attribute. What does that mean, when a dish has a certain "femininity?" Delicate flavors? Subtlety?

[Qoass]

This article is primarily about Masterchef Junior but it really sums up how I feel about diversity on cooking shows.

[Bastet]

I don't watch that show, but I certainly agree with the underlying premise about why what we see - and don't see - matters.  And this is certainly true:

 

That these biases can be less overt doesn’t make them less dangerous. If anything, coded sexism, racism, and favoritism is far more damaging than if it's blatant, because it becomes so much harder to change—or even to call out at all. The feeling that something’s fallen prey to bias is uniquely frustrating; without concrete proof, it’s easy to dismiss unease as over-sensitivity.

[Noreaster]

From the episode thread:

 

Why is it on some season they have a top two at finale, and others a top three? How do they decide who is second and third? Why do some chefs have white coats and others black? What about that one gal in season two, was it, who had no coat at all? So many questions, too little time to sleep. I wish Mei the best of luck, but I think it'll be ok no matter who wins, finally, unless they bring someone back as a finale "twist" and then they have to cook in cauldrons or something. Anyone know what city is up next?

The show has done top two since season 8 (All-Stars) with a finale challenge of "run the restaurant of your dreams". Straight-forward, no real gimmicks. I like this format the most.

 

Seasons 1 and 2 also had top two.  Challenge was cook your best meal to a group of diners (judges plus a few guests). The contestants served their meals separately.

 

Seasons 3-7 had top three.  Finalists had to serve each course at the same time to a group of diners. So format was really head-to-head-to-head for each course.  There were some ingredient requirements, some last-minute twists, etc.  The judges didn't announce who placed 2nd and who placed 3rd.    

 

Oh, and season 10 was an exception with the wacky Iron Chef/banquet finale. Two contestants, head-to-head format. The finalists served their dishes to a massive group of diners at the same time. Some ingredient requirements. My least favorite format by far.

 

Next season is rumored to be Nashville because the show is holding a casting call there for the first time.  I don't think it's been confirmed.

[DarkRaichu]

I have watched every season since 5. However, when folks started to chat about Nick vs Nina finale of Season 11, I had to Google the pictures to help me jog my memory of that season.  I am going to call it season 11: the boring one

[JackiFL]

I've been binge watching Top Chef, beginning with season one. Currently nearly done season four and one chef is really ruining my enjoyment of the show - Lisa. Her attitude about the other chefs, the judges and judging process as well as her denial about her dishes....... Ugh, just ugh.

Edited February 7, 2015 by JackiFL

[cooksdelight]

Not many people posting here like Lisa so you're in good company. :)

[snakenax]

Lisa was the slightly less psycho PhiPhi O'Hara of Top Chef. She really did bring down what were otherwise excellent episodes.

[Mrs. P.]

Seasons 3-7 had top three. Finalists had to serve each course at the same time to a group of diners. So format was really head-to-head-to-head for each course. There were some ingredient requirements, some last-minute twists, etc. The judges didn't announce who placed 2nd and who placed 3rd.

I'm pretty sure that Season 6 (Las Vegas with the Voltaggios) announced all the places. Padma first called Kevin Gillespie's name, then told him he was not Top Chef. Michael and Bryan V. were left, and Padma announced Michael the winner, leaving Bryan in second place.

[cooksdelight]

Blaise's season did the same thing, him admitting he'd choked, with Lisa coming in second behind Stephanie.

[Noreaster]

For the Vegas season, I thought I read somewhere that eliminating Kevin first was for dramatic purposes to set up the final scene...brother vs. brother, who will win?  Not that Kevin was necessarily 3rd.  I could be wrong though.

 

For the other 3-person finals, I thought it was clear sometimes who did the worst, but the 2nd and 3rd place positions weren't explicitly named.  Like in season 3, Casey was definitely out of the running, and the decision came down to Dale L. or Hung.  

[CherryMalotte]

I have to say that I've really enjoyed this season, so much so that it's almost made me forget last season in New Orleans.  Almost.  Very little drama, decent enough challenges, and even Blaise didn't bother me as much as I thought he would.  An improvement for sure.  

[cooksdelight]

Texas is on today, on Esquire. It irritates me to no end to see Sarah and Lindsey being shitty to Bev. I absolutely cannot stand Sarah. At all.

[biakbiak]

I don't think the are they are nice to her but I always found Beverly to be a self-involved asshole.

[Bella]

I find that them being awful to Bev and Bev being self-absorbed are both true. Overall, I found that the least likable cast, or tied with Season 2.

[Julia]

Yeah, but nobody's as special as Heather, the woman with the House of Casa de la Chez Maison menu who goes all 1830s when faced with furrin food.

 

Sarah actually suggested that people disliked her after that season because they mistook her for Heather, is how bad that was.

[Bella]

I'm reciting Paul Qui's name to myself as a sort of mantra to blank out the rest of that season. Someday, I will taste his food - I hope!

[Special K]

I find that them being awful to Bev and Bev being self-absorbed are both true. Overall, I found that the least likable cast, or tied with Season 2.

 

I agee, but IMO bullying behavior in adults is more unseemly and indefensible than being self-involved and clueless.

 

ETA:  Moreover, I resent the bullies for making me root for Bev.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Special K

[JTMacc99]

I'm reciting Paul Qui's name to myself as a sort of mantra to blank out the rest of that season. Someday, I will taste his food - I hope!

When I was watching that season, I did a really good job at simply ignoring the jerks and rooting for Paul.  Also, I got my kicks out of being enraged by the idiotic challenges.  (Chip all of your ingredients out of an ice block!  Wee!)  Between the two, I found a positive and a negative to keep my interest that year, and I was able to block out the assholery almost entirely. Well, I did need to make good use of the fast forward button, but that's true for pretty much every reality show I watch.

[Noreaster]

Ah, the Texas season...so much lost potential.  That cast was so talented on paper after cutting something like half of the contestants early on (maybe from 30 to 15?).  So many were executive chefs, were working at top restaurants, and/or had James Beard recognition. Such a shame that the challenges were so team-oriented and gimmicky.  And of course all of that Mean Girls stuff.  

[Noreaster]

With the Boston season still fresh in my mind, here are my takeaways:

 

-I find the judging to be very consistent with past seasons. Close decisions followed the historical pattern. In the penultimate challenge (highlighting Mexican ingredients), the judges favored Mei over Doug as technique/creativity beat comfort cooking. In the last Boston challenge (innovation), the judges picked Gregory over George as perfect execution trumped challenge parameters. 

 

-The finale between Mei/Gregory unfortunately ended with Gregory choking. I would have liked to see the judges debate if Gregory had executed his menu as planned (i.e. not screw up the carrot sauce). Personal preferences and conceptual factors would have come more into play. Based on the edited judges' comments, I think Mei still might have won because her dishes seemed better conceived.  But I would have liked to see for sure.  

 

-The elimination order was fairly predictable. As in past seasons, contestants with the better pedigrees tend to go far in this game.  The culinary instructors and private chefs were out early. The ones who worked for well-known chefs stuck around longer. Gregory and Mei have great resumes. Doug works at a well-regarded restaurant. Melissa, who is currently a private chef, worked for a lot of big names in the past. The ones who arguably left too soon based on their resumes were George (whose initial exit was gimmicky) and Rebecca. 

Edited February 21, 2015 by Noreaster

[archer1267]

I'm re-watching Season 1, and a couple of things stood out to me with the judging:

 

1) When cheftestants are called in front of the judges, they take a seat at the table facing the judges.

2) Past performance is often brought up during judging - not just the latest challenge.

 

I think by Season 2, both aspects of judging were gone, along with Katie Lee (who has not improved upon second viewing).

 

The first season of any reality show has a certain charm that doesn't appear in subsequent seasons. I'd forgotten what a motley bunch the S1 cheftestants were, and it's almost shocking to see some of the dishes compared to the level of the competition in subsequent seasons. Like, when asked to present their signature dish, Andrea's looked like an assembly of things from the Whole Foods salad bar, and poor Candice clearly felt like she had to have a starch on her plate, and she garnished her chicken roulade with glazed cashews. Stephen made artistically appealing dishes that sounded anything BUT appealing from a eating point of view. I wish so much that Dave hadn't forgotten his third dish during the Cirque du Soleil challenge - I would have liked to see him in the Final 2.

[Julia]

Poor Candace indeed. As badly as I felt for her during her actual season, I feel even worse for her once I read a quote from Colicchio saying that they obviously chose her because she was nice to look at, not talented or skilled. I don't know if that needed to be said.

 

[archer1267]

Wow. I didn't know that, but agree that it didn't need to be said! She seems to be doing just fine though, in terms of finding her niche post-TC.

 

I remember that LeeAnn worked for the show for a season or two, helping to set up the kitchen for challenges. I always enjoyed her blogs and the insight she brought as a former contestant. I'd love to see her come back as a judge sometime, if she hasn't already.

[crazyirishlady]

Rewatching season 2. I find myself wishing Marcel had beaten Ilan. Hate is too soft of a word for how I feel about that man.

[biakbiak]

They did a marathon of the Boston season. Mei and Michael Voltaggio' s phone call when she tells him she won and he says "you're the chef now," and her wall breaks down might be one if my favorite moments on reality tv.

[Wings]

 

 

I remember that LeeAnn worked for the show for a season or two, helping to set up the kitchen for challenges. I always enjoyed her blogs and the insight she brought as a former contestant. I'd love to see her come back as a judge sometime, if she hasn't already.

 

 

I would love to see her back, too.  She did much more than just setting up.  She actually made every dish to be photographed; they didn't use one the chef made for the show in the 'beauty' shots. 

[weixiaobao]

This was an old post of mine (2 years old) so opinions may change.  For season 12, only the final 3 of Mei, Greg, and Doug are considered.

I posted this on the av club, and I remember getting into a debate with people who dismiss my champion season with a simple statement of "Nyesha or gtfo."

 

EDIT:just realize I made the post prior to Nick win season 12. 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Fantasy CHAMPION season (not all star), the number doesn't reflect on the favorite or strength of the chefs. 19 is the number of contestant in season 11.

1-2-3) Paul Qui, Michael Voltaggio, and Richard Blais. These 3 are usually debated among the Top Chef fans as the best of all time. People dislike Blais for keep saying he choke, Michael V. because he an asshole, and Paul Qui because some felt he is too boring. But I love all three of them. Of the three, Paul Qui has a James Beard. Richard Blais is the best molecular gastronomist on top chef and is a competitor at heart. While Michael Voltaggio is super artistic with his plating and Tom certainly dig his modernist palate.

4-5) Stephanie Izard and Kristen Kish- Well people don't usually mentioned female winners as the best of the best. Why is that? I don't know. Stephanie Izard is among the most successful chef post Top Chef. Like Paul Qui, she is one of the only 2 James Beard winners from the Top Chef regular season. I think she can best the like of Paul Qui, Michael V, and Blais on any of her good days. Kristen Kish is another accomplished chef. I am not sure how well she will fare against the Top Chef elites but she had more than proven herself in season 10. Though, it does seem she is really young in this crowd.

6-7) Bryan Voltaggio and Kevin Gillespie- Is season 6 really over represented here? But then again, how can you have a champion season without these 2. Bryan Voltaggio made the final twice and rank 2nd each time. If he can placed 2nd against the Top Chef Masters, then hell, he is more accomplished than half of the regular Top Chef winners. Then there is Kevin Gillespie. In term of top chef record, he is the most successful Top Chef contestant by winning the most challenges in a short amount of time. Though this record can only rival with another person (Shirley Chung). In a season with 2 Volt bros and Jennifer Carroll, Kevin G still dominated the competition. That spoke more volume than winning the title of Top Chef from some weaker seasons.

8-9-10) Brooke Williamson, Shirley Chung, and Nina Compton- Top Chef is very much a boy club until season 10 and 11. Even Stephanie Izard did not dominate her season. But the trend changed in season 10, as Kristen and Brooke destroyed their competitors. And in season 11, Nina and Shirley are so far ahead of their male counterparts. Brooke Williamson probably the only person that can boast she was never eliminated from season 10, something that even the winner Kristen cannot claim. Shirley, on the other hand, stay away from the bottom for the longest record time. Lastly, there is Nina who took season 11 with a whirlwind and dominated this season early on. Couple of time when things doesn't go her way, she transformed potential losing dishes into top performance dishes at the nick of time (I count at least 2 times).

11) Hung Huynh- He was the reason why I watched Top Chef in the first place and he is still among my favorite contestant. Season 3, however, is relatively weak season; CJ, Dale L, Casey, and Tre didn't do so well in their second go. Hence, I don't feel season 3 need two people in this champion round. Hung, himself, has a very mix record. He kinda slack off due to the lack of competition. But he is a competitive person, and with this crowd, it would ignite his fire. He is certainly not the favorite, because technique wise he will lose to some people on the list. Even for his forte of French cuisine, he got competition like Kristen and Shirley. On Asian cuisine, there are a lot of masters in this round too. Hung should really step up. But there is no doubt he is among the most talented competitors of all time.

12-13) Antonia Lofaso and Sarah Grueneberg- Antonia is awesome, not only she make the finale in two of the roughest season, she also did extremely well in both. She never was the favorite both times around because people felt that her dishes are kinda safe and not exciting. But her record is hard to dismiss. Then there is Sarah, who I don't really care for. But no one can deny her ability, and she had always been the second best chef in season 9.

14) Harold Dieterle- There is a case to be made that Harold doesn't deserve to be here. There are so many non winners that could easily win in season 1 (the weakest season of all time). Harold had been quiet and away from the spot light since his win. But it is nostalgic to see how well he will go up against his predecessors. In his season, he does seemed to be the third strongest chef after Tiffani Faison and Lee Anne Wong.

The rest of the spots are hard to decide. Only one of the two should be chosen.

15) Mike Isabella OR Dale Talde- I can't decide who to leave out. Mike I had come really far in two extremely tough seasons. But for both times, he kinda skates by for the most part. Mike I 2.0 in the finale of season 8 however is quite something. Then there is Dale Talde who placed 6th both times on the show. When he came back for All Stars, people felt that he is not worthy because he wasn't a finalist. But both time in the show, Dale dominated early on more so than the like of Tre Wilcox, Kenny Gilbert, John Tesar, etc. The dude won so many challenges when there are many competitors around unlike Mike I who only thrive when the herd thin down. But when Dale made mistake, he fell right down to the bottom.

16) Ilan Hall or Sam Talbot- People felt that Sam should have won season 2. But throughout the season, Ilan had always about the same level at him. Ilan Hall probably is the most undeserving winner. Not only that he cooked one type of cuisine, he just executed recipes from the restaurant he worked for (or so Mario Batali said). So there wasn't much originality from him but hey he is Top Chef season 2. Though is it me or he had the worst resume coming to Top Chef of all the winners. The dude was a line cook. Then again, Marcel Vigneron is pretty impressive on Next Iron Chef.

17) Kevin Sbraga or Ed Cotton- Remember how no one wanted Ilan Hall as their sous chef in season 7. So here we are in season 7, Kevin Sbraga is the worst Top Chef winner in term of record. He was on the bottom as many times as he was on top. But Kevin Sbraga can be argued as a better chef than Ilan, plus his final meal on Top Chef was exceptionally good (how much of that is credit to Michael V, we will never know). While Ed Cotton had quite the resume before entering season 7 but it didn't translate to how well he did. In the beginning of season 7, the dude struggled so much until he became a force to reckon with later in the season. By all account, he could have been the winner of season 7.

18) Angelo Sosa or Sheldon Simeon or Eddward Lee- the last of the season 7 trio is Angelo Sosa, tremendously talented and also a weirdo/creep (depend who you ask). I like Angelo a lot so never mind. All 3 are both masters of Asian cuisine and had done extremely well in their Top Chef run. Eddward Lee is 3 times James Beard finalist for the South East, a resume that only Paul Qui and Stephanie Izard beats.

19) Hosea Rosenberg or Carla Hall- Then we came to the last of the Top Chef winner, Hosea. Tom said Hosea would have placed 5th in season 6 and Stefan his biggest competitor placed 6th in season 10. So I don't know how good Hosea is. Like Ilan, Hosea is one of the two most loathe Top Chef winners/contestants for his on television cheating. In term of cooking, he didn't really stand out all that much in a relatively weak season. Then there is Carla Hall, who is quite a dark horse. She made the finale 2 times. Although, she is inconsistent but she sure can give people a run for money when the challenges are in her wheel house. I eliminated Stefan altogether considering how poorly he did in season 10. I meant even Joshua the breakfast dude kick Stefan's ass in couple of episodes. (Edit: after finding out that Stefan had like 5 restaurants and is a millionaire. hmmm... Stefan ftw)

Other contenders: Kelly Liken, Dale Levitski, Lee Anne Wong, John Tesar, Lindsay Autry, Jennifer Carroll, Marcel Vigneron, Stephanie Cmar, Carlos Gaytan, Tre Wilcox, Stefan Richter, and Nick Elmi.

Edited December 9, 2015 by weixiaobao

[AmandaPanda]

Rewatching season 2 for the first time since it aired. I have a whole new outlook on Marcel. He definitely is annoying at times. However, I think the real root of the problem was just that he had a completely different cooking style and method than everyone else did. He was super into molecular gastronomy when no one else on his season really was. Marcel actually offered to help people who were terrible to him. When they had the color-based quickfire, Cliff mentioned that Marcel offered to help him match colors since Cliff couldn't clearly see purple. Marcel always seemed to offer to work on plating as a team. During the seven deadly sins dinner, Marcel went out and served Sam's wine for the first course while the other six stood in the kitchen and made fun of him. Then Ilan got everyone to refuse to take Marcel's plates out until he apologized to Betty for snapping at her while she repeatedly yelled in his face over the course of the season.

 

I have now come to hate Ilan, Sam, Cliff, Elia, and Betty even more than I ever did before. I really liked Sam when I first watched the season. On rewatch, though, he's just as much of a bully as anyone else. The one who was the absolute worst for me, though, is Betty. She really strikes me as the popular girl in high school who just mercilessly teases the nerd. From the way it was edited, Betty seemed to be the ringleader of the hatred against Marcel. She was the one who freaked out on him in the TGI Friday's challenge and really started amping up the Marcel hate with everyone else.

[Julia]

Oh, Betty was just the worst. A weak cook and a crappy human being. After season 1, I was hoping Top Chef had escaped the reality freakshow curse, but hey, hello Season 2. It's pretty damn impressive that they managed to assemble a lineup so egregiously unpleasant that Josie - taking a break from her first sous chef job - didn't make an impression.

[Lillybee]

Season 9 was awful, aside from the mean girls.  The challenges were terrible including the chili and the bbq ones. I am surprised that more chefs didn't faint from the heat and the fact that they had to cook all night. 

 

I noticed that this season they were shilling Top Chef wines. I bought one at my local Grocery Outlet and it was god awful.

 

Has anyone else tried a Top Chef wine and if so what did you think of it?

Edited December 23, 2015 by Lillybee