S13.E05: Big Gay Wedding

[AndySmith]

I like Art better on the chunky side. Then again, I have a weakness for silver daddy bears.

[VintageJ]

Yes, Kwame is a star. And I loved hearing Wesley(?) say he envied Kwame's knowledge of more exotic flavors and that he needed to be more open to different countries and flavors. He showed that he's very aware and open to change. Hope he goes far.

I had no idea who the quickfire chef was but LOVED Kwame's reaction to her. Glad Isaac did so well. Love his personality. If I were on Top Chef, I could totally see us hanging out on the balcony cracking up and just being silly!

Gummy mashed potato sauce? Ummm, no. But I did appreciate him saying that was his intention. At least he owned up to his dish. But the loser talking about going out with her integrity in tact? I didn't see where her partner was all that wrong, she was trying to save herself and the lady asked questions it seemed like every minute! You are a chef, you should be able to add to the dish. Gail was right in her assessment. This is not Top Sous Chef!

And I saw no reason for the chef to add his two cents about Phillip's mashed potatoes. He was doing bad all by himself.

Edited January 8, 2016 by VintageJ

[Empress1]

I, too, was confused when Man Bun was like "Butter, salt, cream - it tastes just like mashed potatoes." I was like, "So ... mashed potatoes then? Huh?" I was also confused by Giselle being so mad that she wasn't making friends. There's something about her that I found off-putting so maybe they picked up on it too. And I was even further confused when Jason jumped in to trash the potatoes. The judges were already hating on it, they didn't need any help. So, overall a confusing episode for me, heh.

 

Chrissy Teigen so doesn't know anything about food. She kept saying "I've never had those flavors before" and giving very generic feedback. I'm indifferent to her generally (I love her husband's music but beyond that she's not really on my radar) but I found her annoying here, like she was trying too hard. "Did you do it that night?" Girl, hush.

 

I'm so glad Kwame is doing well. I like him. And Wesley is growing on me. He has a lot of self-awareness, which is a quality I tend to value in people. I also really like the one who made dirty rice - he has a kind of wry sense of humor that I dig, and that rice looked delicious.

[elzin]

I still haven't figured out this season yet. The contestants. It's not good enough for me to pay closer attention and usually by this point I have more of a grasp on names, faces, and personalities. So far I have Grayson (who's gone) and manbun.  I even tried rewatching the last one before the new one and it didn't help.

[Seelouis]

This show works best for me when I see folks like Kwame.  He may not win, but he is smart, clearly has skills, acts professionally, and will benefit from the exposure even if he ultimately is not the "top chef."  I like folks who understand that, unlike other reality shows, this one has the potential to launch your career to a new level.  Acting like a douche doesn't get investors to want to work with you.  Kwame is opening a restaurant in an up and coming area of DC and I would be shocked if his performance here doesn't help with that endeavor.  Same with Marjorie, Jeremy, and a few others who seem to want to show their skills, act like adults, and see where this takes them.  Nobody is going to want to take a chance on Angelina, Grayson, or Giselle after seeing their juvenile behavior.  

[Constantinople]

I haven't seen that many people get married simultaneously since the last Moonie wedding that was in the news.

[rillettes]

Anyone catch the subtle shade Philip threw at Kwame? It was when they were serving the judges, Gail remarked that Kwame had worked on two sauces, to which Philip replied, "Yeah, a saucier in Top Chef." 

Just nasty.

[Wings]

I haven't seen that many people get married simultaneously since the last Moonie wedding that was in the news.

 

Forget the wedding part. It was a gathering of gay people known to production, Art and the crew!   This wedding was much better.  No talking to the bride and groom, no cake, just a buffet for a bunch of people who could have be anyone.  More weddings like this please if you insist on having them.  

Edited January 8, 2016 by wings707

[hendersonrocks]

Man Bun has gots to go.

 

Kwame is my favorite, because he so clearly has a gift for cooking and because I also find him totally delightful. Marjorie, Jeremy, and Isaac are also in my top tier - consistently strong performances and a-okay personalities thus far. Everyone else just seems like fodder at this point (though I love Wesley's approach to yoga)...kind of wishing we could just fast forward a few weeks after tossing Angelina, Man Bun, and a couple of others overboard.

[FineWashables]

At least Giselle didn't complain that the judges' palates are too unrefined to understand or appreciate her food. She did keep whining that the other chefs didn't like her, but she didn't try to at tell us that this is because they're all threatened by her obviously superior skills.  I'm so tired of hearing those messages in exit interviews that I could puke, so I'll give her props for that. But yeah, how did she get on this show in the first place?

I predict that when ManBun goes, he'll tell the camera that the judges aren't sophisticated enough to "get" his food.  

[Julia]

Nobody is going to want to take a chance on Angelina, Grayson, or Giselle after seeing their juvenile behavior.  

 

But do they want to open restaurants or do they want to join the dead end kids on Spike or the Food Network?

[RCharter]

At least Giselle didn't complain that the judges' palates are too unrefined to understand or appreciate her food. She did keep whining that the other chefs didn't like her, but she didn't try to at tell us that this is because they're all threatened by her obviously superior skills.  I'm so tired of hearing those messages in exit interviews that I could puke, so I'll give her props for that. But yeah, how did she get on this show in the first place?

I predict that when ManBun goes, he'll tell the camera that the judges aren't sophisticated enough to "get" his food.  

Of course, only the most hip and sophisticated diners would understand gummy mash potatoes.  I'm not classy enough, as I only eat gummy bears....

[meep.meep]

Yes, Kwame is a star. And I loved hearing Wesley(?) say he envied Kwame's knowledge of more exotic flavors and that he needed to be more open to different countries and flavors. He showed that he's very aware and open to change. Hope he goes far.

I had no idea who the quickfire chef was but LOVED Kwame's reaction to her. Glad Isaac did so well. Love his personality. If I were on Top Chef, I could totally see us hanging out on the balcony cracking up and just being silly!

Gummy mashed potato sauce? Ummm, no. But I did appreciate him saying that was his intention. At least he owned up to his dish. But the loser talking about going out with her integrity in tact? I didn't see where her partner was all that wrong, she was trying to save herself and the lady asked questions it seemed like every minute! You are a chef, you should be able to add to the dish. Gail was right in her assessment. This is not Top Sous Chef!

And I saw no reason for the chef to add his two cents about Phillip's mashed potatoes. He was doing bad all by himself.

 

I definitely thought the right person went home.  Without Phillip's beef there would have been no main course.  And the potato sauce sounds horrid, but at least it was what he was trying to make and he stood by it.  Giselle had to be hand held constantly.   That's not Top Chef, it's not even Top Sous Chef, it's Beginning Sous Chef.

 

Was the pile on from the sidelines because they were all supposed to be one team working on the menu together?  Therefore those not on the bottom felt justified in commenting on those who were.  Or was this just what production had in mind when they started having everyone stay for the top and bottom discussions:  that sooner or later, someone would blurt out a comment and they'd be off to the races?

 

I think Chrissy Teigan was there because she's a fan of the show.  And I hated Padma's "hilarious" comment about how she's like dates.  

[cpcathy]

Am I the only one who doesn't hate Man Bun? He reminds me of people I know.

 

Wow, Jason, what a whiner!

 

Is it just me or is Chrissy Tiegen not that attractive? Is that not the point? She's just got a hot body, right?

[RCharter]

Was the pile on from the sidelines because they were all supposed to be one team working on the menu together?  Therefore those not on the bottom felt justified in commenting on those who were.  Or was this just what production had in mind when they started having everyone stay for the top and bottom discussions:  that sooner or later, someone would blurt out a comment and they'd be off to the races?

 

It was just confusing because it was SO unnecessary.  I understand fighting if there is a chance of going home, but Jason wasn't going home, he had immunity.  I understand fighting if someone is throwing you under the bus in front of the judges, but ManBun wasn't doing that.  I even understand speaking up if maybe you saw someone else trying to steal credit, but everyone knew that Kwame made the sauce that tasted good and that ManBun made the potatoes.

 

And I might get a personality conflict, but then why was Marjorie in on it?  

 

I could totally understand standing up for a chef that is about to be wrongly sent home for someone else's mistake too, but they straight up said that Kwame wasn't going home.  

 

Maybe they will explain it at the reunion, because I'm thinking there might be a contingent that simply doesn't like him.  

[Julia]

I think if I were competing on this show, and I was competing against a chef with connections to a past favorite who was getting a lot more respect and attention than they earned, I'd be trying to get rid of them too. It's not as if anyone's scared that the producers are going to give a free ride to Giselle or Angelina.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Julia

[Seelouis]

I think there has to be more to it than we saw, and it was just edited oddly for the drama.  Judging takes hours and there must have been a lot of conversation. So maybe manbun was trying to shift blame by saying "everyone agreed with what I was doing" and they felt compelled to counter that.  

[Regfan]

Very much enjoyed the episode. Can understand the decision to send Giselle home over Phillip and actually agree with it, as irritating as he is and as bad as his dish was at least he stood up and made decisions for a dish which can't be said for her at all.

Really hoping Kwame takes this competition home, read a fairly interesting article about him earlier;

 

http://newsaratti.com/from-subway-to-sous-chef-kwame-onwuachi-tells-his-story

[FormerMod-a1]

I think it was clear to the group that Man Bun and Giselle were the bottom two, and some folks felt the need to speak on that. So they brought up Man Bun not doing what he said, and that's also why Giselle made the comment about him, too vs her work with ?? on that dish.

[NYGirl]

That guy with the serial killer eyes told two different stories about his "date" night milkshake. First it was because his tonsils were removed. He changed it to wisdom teeth when he spoke to the judges. Never happened, I bet. And the "wife" is a plastic inflatable, obviously.

 

Not only did he change his story, but wasn't he the guy talking to his wife on the phone and wishing her happy anniversary?  If so he said that they were together since they were 10.  So did he cheat on her?

[Bastet]

I don't know if that was the same guy, but he said they met when they were ten (or whatever age it was), not that they'd been together since then.  So hopefully they dated other people somewhere in there.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Everybody's Getting Married!
Top Chef caters the biggest, gayest wedding on TV.

[meep.meep]

From the recap:

"Dates are sweet and succulent and sticky," Teigen says. "Like you," Padma adds. Then they both laugh at how naughty they are. I would laugh too, if watching them yuk it up together hadn't already caused me to die of embarrassment.

 

I die too.

 

And the thing with Jason and Angelina and the dolma?  And how it's "his" dish?  She's not winning this show, but he can back the fuck down on the intensity.  He looks like he's wearing those Ramona crazy eyes masks that Andy Cohen uses.

[leighdear]

I always liked Stefan. He had some humor and sarcasm to him. I loved during his original season his mad eel skills. 

I know!  The way he nailed that sucker to the wooden table top and stripped that skin clean off was pure mastery!

 

I will always absolutely adore Stefan, and I totally shipped his fake romance with lesbian Jamie!  *LOL*

[Wings]

Very much enjoyed the episode. Can understand the decision to send Giselle home over Phillip and actually agree with it, as irritating as he is and as bad as his dish was at least he stood up and made decisions for a dish which can't be said for her at all.

Really hoping Kwame takes this competition home, read a fairly interesting article about him earlier;

 

http://newsaratti.com/from-subway-to-sous-chef-kwame-onwuachi-tells-his-story

 

 

Wow. wow, wow.  He has done a lot in his short life!  I am very impressed.  I have liked him from epi one but this really kicked him to the top shelf in my book.  

[Lamb18]

I feel a little sorry for Phillip because he seems to be a nice and well-intentioned guy but he seems delusional in a Don Quixote type of way. One problem might be that he has too much time in these challenges to experiment.  On Food Network he just had 20 or 30 minutes to put out dishes. Three hours must seem like an eternity.

 

I didn't care for Jason chiming in either. He's the one who felt like an outsider in an earlier episode, right? Sometimes people who feel like outsiders feel the need to bash someone the "insiders" don't care for just so they can look good to the "insiders". Only I don't think there's an insider group here. Most of the chefs seem like professionals who are proud of what they do, want to cook good food and win. They aren't worrying if someone likes them or not (except for Giselle).

 

I hope Angelina goes next. After she goes, there's only two women left!

[Special K]

 

Is it just me or is Chrissy Tiegen not that attractive? Is that not the point? She's just got a hot body, right?

 

It is not just you.  I'd be wholeheartedly agreeing with you, if only...

 

 

From the recap:

"Dates are sweet and succulent and sticky," Teigen says. "Like you," Padma adds. Then they both laugh at how naughty they are. I would laugh too, if watching them yuk it up together hadn't already caused me to die of embarrassment.

 

 

I didn't also just die of embarrassment.

[Hero]

Jason seems like so much fun /s. His uptightness is very annoying and he always looks like he is brooding.

I really like Kwame and Issac. Both have a good sense of humor and don't take themselves to seriously.

[Pepper Mostly]

Not only did he change his story, but wasn't he the guy talking to his wife on the phone and wishing her happy anniversary?  If so he said that they were together since they were 10.  So did he cheat on her?

He said they met when they were 10, then reconnected years later.

 

I don't care one bit if it was his tonsils or his wisdom teeth or his appendix. Its all bullshit anyway. "cook something with dates, that reminds you of a memorable date". Sheesh. Make what you want and retrofit a story for it. They're not curing cancer, they're cooking a plate of food.

 

I like Carl a lot. He's my Boston homie and he's been consistently good, I think he's a dark horse. And if his wife is a plastic inflatable she's a top of the line model since she can talk, apparently. I was afraid he was going to go home since he had the Phone Call from Home, otherwise known in the Mostly home as "the Phone call of the doomed".

[biakbiak]

Not only did he change his story, but wasn't he the guy talking to his wife on the phone and wishing her happy anniversary?  If so he said that they were together since they were 10.  So did he cheat on her?

He didn't say it was their first date he just said he had gotten tickets to the ballet.

[VintageJ]

This show works best for me when I see folks like Kwame.  He may not win, but he is smart, clearly has skills, acts professionally, and will benefit from the exposure even if he ultimately is not the "top chef."  I like folks who understand that, unlike other reality shows, this one has the potential to launch your career to a new level.  Acting like a douche doesn't get investors to want to work with you.  Kwame is opening a restaurant in an up and coming area of DC and I would be shocked if his performance here doesn't help with that endeavor.  Same with Marjorie, Jeremy, and a few others who seem to want to show their skills, act like adults, and see where this takes them.  Nobody is going to want to take a chance on Angelina, Grayson, or Giselle after seeing their juvenile behavior.

Yeah! I'm in the DMV! Will be on the lookout!

[Julia]

And the thing with Jason and Angelina and the dolma?  And how it's "his" dish?  She's not winning this show, but he can back the fuck down on the intensity.  He looks like he's wearing those Ramona crazy eyes masks that Andy Cohen uses.

 

Not just that, he was wrong. Dolma is stuffed vegetables. I guess he thought they were just stuffed vine leaves, but it also covers stuffed cabbage and a number of other things. I think even Tom at his most recipe-pedantic would have allowed that.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Julia

[tenativelyyours]

This was definitely Top Chef Try Way Too Hard edition.

 

From Chrissy why-won't-she-go-away-already Teigen and cleavage Chilean miners could be trapped in, to Art Smith whose let's see if I can mine weight loss for commercial gain went the way of his waistline (he looked scarily like he had jumped to 'then comes baby carriage'), to a Moonie style wedding that's GAY (seriously for Top Chef I thought this was a step down considering how same sex wedding friendly the show has been historically --- I know I want to celebrate my equality to marriage rights by getting married by Padma with a bunch of strangers -- yay me?) to Isaac.  So tired of Isaac. 

 

I really like Kwame.  His youth shows, but in a good way since it also illustrates how centered and sensible he is.  This is a guy I want to try to keep track of as he progresses.  He is probably the only one that really excites me foodwise.   Others intrigue but are not consistently doing something I want to try.  And I note how annoyed he was at judges table and the wait during deliberation.  I think Philip really blew it with the way he did the whole revision thing.  Though to be fair, he also sounded a bit condescending to Kwame when they were cooking.  I think Philip knows Kwame has the goods and was trying to take a stronger stance; as if whatever Kwame did was to Philip's credit.  

 

Jason.  Another try to hard.  On one hand I am kind of glad he called Philip out.  Manbun was equivocating and maybe not exacty throwing Kwame under the bus but he was definitely trying to take credit for Kwame's dish and yet make Kwame complicit in the failure of the potatoes.   And for the record, if you don't rice those potatoes they aren't right in my book.  Riced then folded in heated cream and melted butter.  Or just really good melted butter if you get it just right.  But Jason is just so angry and ornery.  I did not like the way he was reacting and acting to everything.  If he can't enjoy this on some level beyond the accolades he can join Philip and Isaac on the people I don't want on my tv screen any long bus.

 

I feel for Karen in some ways.  Giselle really was out of her element.  A competitive tv show needs a certain level of confidence and she does not have it.  But I also think Karen needs to pull up her big girl britches.  Everyone should be professional.  But everyone has moments when life simply kicks you in the balls and says 'hey; here I am and today I suck'.  Karen needs to be able to accept that in others and if she is the chef she says she is, needs to be able to work with that.  I felt she really produced an underwhelming vision of a dish and then executed it poorly.  By the third question from Giselle how hard is it to realize that you need to step it up a notch and simply take charge.  Direct and anticipate what you will need her to do and tell her.  Instead there was this petty childish passive aggressive way of making Giselle lean further out and then you complain because she is worrying you about her precarious position.  Bullshit.

 

Kwame's win pleased me to no end.  But this is at least the second time that he gets a vague look at his Quickfire dish so I am hoping that does not indicate an edit meaning he does not win.  I'm still not rooting solely for him to win.  Jeremy I like.  And I like the dessert lady whose name escapes me.  Her intonation annoys me a little but I like how she approaches challenges and her flavors seem to be simple but highly effective.  Amar who I only remember because I saw him this time and saw his name and thought 'where did he come from?", did a nice job this time so I would like to see him a bit more.  But Kwame stands at the lead right now as to who I would like to see win it.  And his edit goes back and forth in terms of being profiled.  Little actual focus on his food during quickfires but then he has a strong narrative presence throughout the show when he wins elimination.  So I'm just hoping that is editing for particular episode storylines and not the full season.  I'm not sure the history of quickfire presence despite placement for the season winner.

[biakbiak]

I believe people spoke up against man bun because he implied that Kwame was supposed to come up with something more substantial than a sauce because his potatoes were the sauce.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Not sure how they came up with all those reasons why there were dishes that could have been worse than the whipped potato glue, but I'm pretty sure that's a conversation where they avoided discussing the whipped potato glue.

YOU DON"T MASH POTATOES IN A BLENDER OR A FOOD PROCESSOR.   EVER. PERIOD.  Of course they were gluey!  That's why you NEVER do it that way!  Yes, I'm yelling.  I feel just that strongly about mashed potatoes, one of the most heavenly foods on earth. Gluey mashed potatoes are unforgivable. 

http://www.thekitchn.com/food-science-why-mashed-potato-89228 

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/PotatoesMashed.htm

And then he Defended The Glue!  Jesus!  Surely Manbun's going to be gone soon.

 

Philip is lucky that Gail pushed hard to get rid of Giselle.

Especially since she was the only one we actually heard complaining about the gluey potato texture, more than once in fact.  I love Gail.

 

Giselle is delusional.  She kept talking abut how nice she is

I wish I hadn't erased the episode now - there was a scene in the car where Karen and Giselle were discussing the asparagus dish.  Giselle makes a point of saying, a couple of times, that she feels like a floater.  Then Wesley offered a suggestion for a roasted asparagus dish he makes in his restaurant that involves black fermented garlic and ricotta (I forget the rest, but it did sound good to me).  Giselle immediately turned around and started telling him how bad the whole dish sounded to her, what with using feta in a dish like that, how it made no sense to her.  Wesley shrugged and said, it doesn't use feta, it uses ricotta (which of course would make perfect sense, while feta would not).  So Giselle then turned around in a whatever, dude, kind of way.

How is this being "nice?"  The guy offers a suggestion - you don't have to take it, but just say something polite. Instead she right away challenges him on whether or not the recipe is any good, and as a plus she didn't even pay attention to what the actual ingredients were!  And then is huffy. And has no ideas of her own!   As Karen said to her, you're on Top Chef - you should be trying to compete.

Edited January 8, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[tenativelyyours]

^ re: biakbiak's comment

 

I also think there was stuff left out.  It was odd because at judges table Philip said that his potatoes were a sauce but also that he came up with what Kwame was meant to do, then flash to the kitchen scene and Kwame says what he will do.  So there seemed to be a back and forth as Manbun was trying to stay afloat.  What the judges liked?  Which was Kwame's part of the dish.  Was thanks to Philip's oversight and direction.  What the judges didn't like?  The potatoes.  Well that was because Philip was doing all the heavy lifting on the dish.  That at least was what I was getting from it.  But there was some vagueness in that regard.  I noted that Kwame seemed to be very much the supportive teammate even after he was told he was safe and was in no way at risk because they loved his relish.  But then by the time they sat down to wait while the judges deliberated, Kwame did not seem best pleased with Philip and actually a little pissed going by his body language and facial expressions when Jason was going off.  It seemed like Philip had pissed Kwame off by then.  Not Jason.

 

There was something about Manbun that reminded me of Mike Isabella trying to attach himself to Mike Voltaggio (sp?) when Isabella was at risk for his military picnic dish and the other Mike had knocked it out with the bacon tacos.

 

ETA: Wesley goes up and down with me, but agree strongly with the recognition he gave Kwame.   For me there is a huge element of seeing what others can do and appreciate it that goes a long way.  Especially in cooking shows.  Hearing someone go on about another chef's talent and skill makes me feel they get what professional cooking or really any effort to cook well for others is all about.

Edited January 8, 2016 by tenativelyyours

[hermias]

Did anyone else see Sandee from the Miami season (S3)? They featured her and her wife pretty heavily during the ceremony but they didn't include a little tag saying that it was her. I thought that was pretty odd considering that Top Chef usually ID's previous contestants/other notable chefs when they happen to appear in an episode.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

But then by the time they sat down to wait while the judges deliberated, Kwame did not seem best pleased with Philip and actually a little pissed going by his body language and facial expressions when Jason was going off.  It seemed like Philip had pissed Kwame off by then.  Not Jason.

This is what I was getting also.  We all know that we are only shown a fragment of Judges' Table, that it can stretch on for hours.  I suspect, but it's just a suspicion because we didn't see it, that the other chefs were feeling annoyed with Philip because he was claiming EVERYONE ELSE had been on board with his potato glue sauce from the jump - and in fact no one had understood that he intended to dump those poor innocent potatoes into a fucking BLENDER.  Which is also what we saw in the kitchen part of the episode, that he was saying he was going to do some very creamy mashed potatoes.

Edited January 8, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[cooksdelight]

I am friends with someone who was married during this episode, the ceremony was real. Padma wrote the vows, was indeed ordained to perform the weddings. I found the whole thing very touching.

Bye Giselle. Phillip, hope you're the next to go. I have tried to like you but so far, it's not happening.

[Wings]

I am friends with someone who was married during this episode, the ceremony was real. Padma wrote the vows, was indeed ordained to perform the weddings. I found the whole thing very touching.

Bye Giselle. Phillip, hope you're the next to go. I have tried to like you but so far, it's not happening.

 

 

Thanks for that info!  Good to know.  

 

I re watched the judging.  I do not like Jason, not even a little.   For me, I would like to see him go next.  Phillip does not bother me and he is certainly more personable.  

[VintageJ]

Am I the only one who doesn't hate Man Bun? He reminds me of people I know.

 

Wow, Jason, what a whiner!

 

Is it just me or is Chrissy Tiegen not that attractive? Is that not the point? She's just got a hot body, right?

I don't hate ManBun. People like that I just tend to ignore for the most part so I don't register half of what they say.

[biakbiak]

Did anyone else see Sandee from the Miami season (S3)? They featured her and her wife pretty heavily during the ceremony but they didn't include a little tag saying that it was her. I thought that was pretty odd considering that Top Chef usually ID's previous contestants/other notable chefs when they happen to appear in an episode.

Sandee actually works on the show now, she is the culinary producer.

[PepperMonkey]

I think Phillip DID mean to make "mashed potato sauce," because he was talking about the ingredients and then said it will taste LIKE mashed potatoes. I guess I salute him for saying it's what he meant to do, since I believe it IS what he meant to do, but he should have also added, "of course, I didn't mean for them to be gluey and taste free!"  At any rate, I've kind of taken up for him since show one and I, for some reason, have a hard time figuring out why everyone seems to hate him to the max. I think he's a little full of himself - he's a CHEF - and he can be annoying, but his attitude and demeanor are friendly and non-offensive. And honestly, he's so clue-free sometimes that I think he meant it as a compliment when he called Kwame a saucier. He did say "He's THE Top Chef Saucier", not something like being a saucier on Top Chef. Phillip is an idiot if he tries to denigrate Kwame in any way because Kwame is at the top of the field on the show right now and everyone knows it.

 

On the other hand, Jason, of the dour attitude and neon flowered shirt (I'm saying that in case there's another Jason), is horrendous, imho. I think he's rude and condescending. He called out Phillip when there was no need to beat him up MORE. As someone else mentioned, even Kwame didn't say anything else, and if anyone had a RIGHT to say anything it was Kwame. Jason acted like Phillip let them ALL down and he needs to stfu, now. I was sorry his dish did so well, because a. I don't like him and 2. it kept Angelina on the show for another week.

 

Kwame is still my favourite. Jeremy is close behind. I am growing to love Wesley and I never thought I would after the first couple of shows. He's such a genuinely nice and good person, how can you not like him? Phillip won't be a contender as the show grinds on, so he doesn't even worry me. There are none of the women I like as much as the men on this season. Marjorie seems extremely talented, BUT she's like an eeyore to me, and not in a "good Eeyore" way. Also, she's too fond of Angelina and thinks Angelina is talented and kick-ass, which makes me question her overall judgment.

[Wings]

PepperMonkey, I agree with your entire post.  Every word.  

[rose711]

Who is Art Smith?

[Wings]

Who is Art Smith?

 

He is a chef and probably known more for being Oprah's personal chef than other endeavors.  

[ratgirlagogo]

 

At any rate, I've kind of taken up for him since show one and I, for some reason, have a hard time figuring out why everyone seems to hate him to the max. I think he's a little full of himself - he's a CHEF 

I don't HATE the guy.  But while he may be a chef there is no fucking way that anybody who thinks mashing potatoes in a blender or a food processor is a good idea is any kind of a cook.  Mashed potatoes don't become gluey because you added too much butter or cream or whatever - it's that if you work them too hard in the mashing (as you will in a high speed blender or food processor with razor sharp blades, or even by hand for that matter if you are a maniac) you break down the starches and make paste.  He either doesn't know this, which, how could he not know this? or else he's convinced potato glue is the Next Big Thing, in which case, how and why?

[Julia]

I'm more confused by him than anything else. Because his skills so far have been pedestrian at best, but someone linked to the menu of his vegan restaurant and it was kind of brilliant. And, his wife seems to be a talented, attractive woman, but when he talks about her he sounds like the character Jon Lovitz used to play on SNL who was married to Morgan Fairchild. And he's absurdly young to have multiple restaurants, but he has enough money to put up billboards with his face on them. Also, Guy's Grocery Games. All of which makes me wonder, if he's that good, why is he so freaking desperate? 

 

I mean, it's not as if the person he describes can't exist. I just think he's really bad at playing them on TV.

[PepperMonkey]

Yeah, it's just not his thing, apparently. I have seen him be brilliant on GGG and Cutthroat Kitchen, so either that's fixed or he has a twin and he's the non-cooking twin OR Top Chef is just not for him.

 

And ratgirl, I get it. I was thinking the exact same thing: how could he NOT know they would be gluey?  If GLUEY is what he intended, then yeah, he needs to go soon. But I have a feeling he will go sooner rather than later, so he's just not bugging me that much.

Edited January 8, 2016 by PepperMonkey

[susannot]

Chrissy Teigen so doesn't know anything about food. She kept saying "I've never had those flavors before" and giving very generic feedback. I'm indifferent to her generally (I love her husband's music but beyond that she's not really on my radar) but I found her annoying here, like she was trying too hard. "Did you do it that night?" Girl, hush.

 

Actually Chrissy writes a food blog sodelushious. http://sodelushious.com/ Shehas also appeared quite a few times on The Cooking Channel and judges a food show somewhere.If anyone is interested I'll find it.

 

The most interesting thing about Chrissy was adorable Kwame's reaction to her.  Poor guy could hardly get words to come out of his mouth while speaking to her.I was really worried that he was going to actually faint from the wacky stew of hormones she was causing.

Edited January 8, 2016 by susannot