S13.E07: Back In The Day

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I also used to like the version at the flagship 2nd Avenue Deli, although (don't know if this matters) as an observant friend used to say, they're certainly busy on Saturday. If that's a consideration, B&H has an interesting celery-heavy vegetarian version.

We're not Jewish and don't keep kosher, so it's not a necessity.  I do like the B&H one, but Mr Rat does not.  My favorite chicken/matzoh soup at 2nd Ave Deli was always the Chicken in a Pot, which is pretty expensive now but we may just give it a try again, just to see.

[holly4755]

Did I miss Michael V's personality when he was a contestant.  He seemed so much brighter than I remembered him! 

 

bravo used to have after hours in the chef house videos on their site, maybe still do. I watched during the Vitaggio year and the brothers has so much fun with others at night, I think that Michael takes his cooking very serious, but can cut loose when not working and the show concentrated on his cooking. I grew to like him a lot watching the videos. . 

[PamelaMaeSnap]

RatGirlAGoGo et al I officially invite you to come to dinner at my house if you feel like schlepping to Montgomery Village, MD ... I can say with ZERO bias that my husband makes THE best chicken matzoh ball soup I've ever tasted in my 50-plus years of growing up in midtown Manhattan. In fact, I managed to eat about a vat of it over the last 48 hours thanks to waking up Wednesday morning with a burgeoning cold from hell and getting over to Wegman's just before the pre-blizzard storm and buying up all the chicken, carrots, celery, dill et al. Right down to his nine homemade matzoh balls. All he had to do was make it for me <3 True love.

 

I actually used to like my grandmother's CMBS even though she was the worst cook in the world perhaps because she was the world's first anorexic (though she made great ice cream sodas with Cotts Diet Coffee Soda) ... but she made great matzoh balls. You could play handball at the Men's Athletic Club with them.

 

I'm totally not a fan of Katz's ... it has nothing to do with the deliberately surly service. I just thought it was really overrated and not worth the hype. I DID like 2nd Avenue a lot (all of this is what I call "back in the day," say, the mid 70s?) ... Carnegie was good for sammiches.  Hubbie liked Wolfie's more (spelling?) ... and if any of you iived on the Upper East Side or thereabouts in the 60s/70s, my favorite was actually the Madison Avenue Deli for matzoh ball soup, the best turkey sandwiches (the party platters at every awkward teenage dance party I had through jr. high/high school which would make a good sitcom actually) and the chocolate pudding with whipped cream.

 

But just give me hubby's soup and I truly believe I could get it verified as Jewish penicillin and get a prescription for it. 

 

Now that they've taken the chefs down trips down hellish memory lane this week (well, some of them, anyway ... I won't bore you with what MY 10 Years After dish would have been had I been 25 like Kwame, but at 15 it would have involved a big bowl with a mash-up of Miss Grimbles Cheesecake and Baskin Robbins Jamoca Almond Fudge Hot Fudge Sundaes that I was the designated eater for when people brought them to my terminally ill mom's hospital room in hopes of getting her to eat something/anything ... Everything was shoveled/shuffled off to me, the fat teenager, in the chair next to her bed to inhale so no one felt bad when they came back and their gifts were uneaten. Why yes, I DID gain 50 pounds that year.) ... 

 

I'd love to see them cheer them up again by having them create an awesome dish based on their perfect comfort foods. Kwame deserves to cook happy this week.

 

PS I know my husband could/would never make it on Top Chef but there are times I think if he had the desire he could do something on Masterchef. He's the best cook/chef I know. And he grew up in the kitchens of some of the top restaurants in NYC in the 60s and 70s. Meanwhile, I am the lucky recipient on his rare nights off.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

RatGirlAGoGo et al I officially invite you to come to dinner at my house if you feel like schlepping to Montgomery Village, MD ... I can say with ZERO bias that my husband makes THE best chicken matzoh ball soup I've ever tasted in my 50-plus years of growing up in midtown Manhattan.

Well, DAMN girl, while we are not so much into travelling as once we were, do NOT think that you can dangle a promise like this over our heads and have us NOT show up on your doorstep.  Quite without warning.  I congratulate you - a good man or woman who knows how to cook is indeed hard to find.

[Mmazeo]

Mei couldn't even get a proper intro? Boooooo

[ProudMary]

Yes he does think being a high school drop out is cool. I've known some people like this. Here's the thinking. You drop out because you're too smart for the grunt work, people don't "get you" because you're so talented, creative, edgy etc. Rather than it being a mark of your inability to get an education, or to get along with others, it becomes a badge of honor because you're so special and unique, you were too much of a special snowflake to be one of the silly worker bees with no creativity and no special drive to be so unique and special.

I completely agree that he doesn't have a clue that he's grating and arrogant as fuck about his skills and doesn't realize he's been straight up rude to the judges, but I disagree that the judges are there to teach and provide instruction. This isn't Masterchef Jr. or Masterchef for that matter. Philip is presenting himself as being a culinary master in a competition to be number one Top Chef. He's an adult in an actual competition of skill and the time for learning and coaching and teaching is past. If Philip or any of the chefs for that matter, need instruction, then they have already lost in my opinion.

I am in no way defending Phillip as I am more than ready for him to pack his knives and go but this post reminded me of a video I had seen earlier today where Mei and Antonia were (among other things) discussing how much they appreciated the criticism as they learned so much from the judges' comments.  Antonia went as far as to say that after specific criticism, she never made that same mistake again.  I got the impression that she was not only talking about the competition.  I think that the wise chefs take the judges' criticism very seriously and make changes going forward.  Phillip does not strike me as wise!  Life is a learning experience; IMO the only truly ignorant people are those who think they have nothing new to learn.  

Edited to add the link to the video:  https://www.facebook.com/TOPCHEF/videos/10153924848819612/

Edited January 24, 2016 by ProudMary

[RemoteControlFreak]

I like Richard and broccoli is not only tasty, but it has more iron than steak, so nutritious.

Steak has more than four times as much iron as the same weight of broccoli.

Edited January 26, 2016 by RemoteControlFreak

[Richness]

While I would have preferred Man Bun going home, I'm fine with Jason's departure. I wanted to like him, but his constant whining about not fitting in grated every last one of my nerves. He seems to need a hug and some therapy. I'm just thankful Kawme survived his first major stumble.

 

I liked the Quickfire Challenge immensely, but I despised the Elimination Challenge. I really dislike the "cook your memories/background" challenges because I usually don't care about the backstories of the contestants. Remember to focus on the cooking, show.

 

I've never been on the Voltaggio bandwagon, even during their season. Michael *KNOWS* he's a great chef, and has the cocky, pompous attitude to match. I recognize Michael's skill, but his personality grates.

 

Speaking of horrid personalities, Man Bun continues to be a delusion douche. I've never seen his performance on other shows, but I think that's what's getting him into trouble here. His success there isn't automatically translating into success here. At least he's entertaining to watch, and doesn't make me uncomfortable like Jason, or nauseated like Messley.

 

It was interesting to see Tom's facade crumble a little as he got choked up over Amar's discussion of Gerry Hayden. And the memorial dedication at the end of the episode was nice.

[AnnieBananie]

Did we ever find out why those earpieces were so prominent? They were particularly obvious in Michael Voltaggio's and Gail's ears this episode. Do the judges usually wear them?

Edited January 24, 2016 by AnnieBananie

[Giselle]

RatGirlAGoGo et al I officially invite you to come to dinner at my house if you feel like schlepping to Montgomery Village, MD ... I can say with ZERO bias that my husband makes THE best chicken matzoh ball soup I've ever tasted in my 50-plus years of growing up in midtown Manhattan. In fact, I managed to eat about a vat of it over the last 48 hours thanks to waking up Wednesday morning with a burgeoning cold from hell and getting over to Wegman's just before the pre-blizzard storm and buying up all the chicken, carrots, celery, dill et al. Right down to his nine homemade matzoh balls. All he had to do was make it for me <3 True love.

 

I actually used to like my grandmother's CMBS even though she was the worst cook in the world perhaps because she was the world's first anorexic (though she made great ice cream sodas with Cotts Diet Coffee Soda) ... but she made great matzoh balls. You could play handball at the Men's Athletic Club with them.

 

I'm totally not a fan of Katz's ... it has nothing to do with the deliberately surly service. I just thought it was really overrated and not worth the hype. I DID like 2nd Avenue a lot (all of this is what I call "back in the day," say, the mid 70s?) ... Carnegie was good for sammiches.  Hubbie liked Wolfie's more (spelling?) ... and if any of you iived on the Upper East Side or thereabouts in the 60s/70s, my favorite was actually the Madison Avenue Deli for matzoh ball soup, the best turkey sandwiches (the party platters at every awkward teenage dance party I had through jr. high/high school which would make a good sitcom actually) and the chocolate pudding with whipped cream.

 

But just give me hubby's soup and I truly believe I could get it verified as Jewish penicillin and get a prescription for it. 

 

Now that they've taken the chefs down trips down hellish memory lane this week (well, some of them, anyway ... I won't bore you with what MY 10 Years After dish would have been had I been 25 like Kwame, but at 15 it would have involved a big bowl with a mash-up of Miss Grimbles Cheesecake and Baskin Robbins Jamoca Almond Fudge Hot Fudge Sundaes that I was the designated eater for when people brought them to my terminally ill mom's hospital room in hopes of getting her to eat something/anything ... Everything was shoveled/shuffled off to me, the fat teenager, in the chair next to her bed to inhale so no one felt bad when they came back and their gifts were uneaten. Why yes, I DID gain 50 pounds that year.) ... 

 

I'd love to see them cheer them up again by having them create an awesome dish based on their perfect comfort foods. Kwame deserves to cook happy this week.

 

PS I know my husband could/would never make it on Top Chef but there are times I think if he had the desire he could do something on Masterchef. He's the best cook/chef I know. And he grew up in the kitchens of some of the top restaurants in NYC in the 60s and 70s. Meanwhile, I am the lucky recipient on his rare nights off.

 

 

All this talk of matzo ball soup makes me want to dig out the box of Streit's  Matzo Ball Mix and make some. It's not a from scratch recipe but I don't have a CMBS recipe to go by. Wanna share your hubbie's recipe?

 

Sadly in my area of So. Cal. there aren't  many delis. The closest would be Katella Deli in Los Alamitos. They make huge matzo balls that are as light as can be.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Giselle

[Calamity Jane]

All this talk of matzo ball soup makes me want to dig out the box of Streit's  Matzo Ball Mix and make some. It's not a from scratch recipe but I don't have a CMBS recipe to go by. Wanna share your hubbie's recipe?

 

Sadly in my area of So. Cal. there aren't  many delis. The closest would be Katella Deli in Los Alamitos. They make huge matzo balls that are as light as can be.

Katella Deli!  My family lived by there.  Went in there once in high school with a friend when they were in the old center (it's Polly's Pies now), and the lady behind the counter told us we didn't look at all Jewish!  Made me chuckle. She was right, but now my son's family is. 

 

I'm going to go look in my pantry - I think I have some of that matzoh ball soup, and it's reallllly cold this evening.

[Maysie]

I read through the thread before I watched the episode this evening, so I knew the outcome. In some respects, that's a good way to watch because i found I paid more attention to facial expressions, mannerisms, etc., instead of focusing more on what the chefs were doing in the kitchen.

 

I had come to dislike Jason, and that didn't change this episode - I'm happy to see him go - but I thought Tom really hit on something at the judge's table: Jason seems to have no joy in his work. I have to wonder what exactly his joy is, aside from the partner he mentioned in an early episode. He was obviously uncomfortable/unhappy with the group dynamic (and it's my bet that it would have been that way no matter who the cheftestants were and where they were). His memories didn't seem particularly pleasant and he mentioned expressing himself through the way he dresses. The kicker was that he said he left his restaurant two months before Top Chef, which seemed a little weird to me. I sense that Jason is really struggling with who he is or how he sees himself ("I dress strangely/outlandishly and I don't care what people think about it" vs. "I don't fit in with this group;" and dude, yellow pants aren't really all that far out there, at least down here in Nola.). I wonder if he entered the competition to get new life/passion/whatever for his chosen field. I think Tom nailed it: Jason seems to have the skills/talent, but he doesn't really seem to like what he was doing. That sucks and I feel kind of bad for anyone who invests so much of him/herself into a profession that isn't doing it for them.

 

Kwame's facial expressions through the entire episode were very telling (tip: do not play poker, Kwame). I have no idea what his issues with his father were/are but have no doubt that they are real and difficult for him to deal with. I felt badly for him and hope that he can rebound from his poor showing. He is so young and seems like a sponge, absorbing everything around him; he seems so genuine.

 

Tip of the hat to Isaac for doing a gumbo in two hours, and not just gumbo, but a good gumbo. I think Tom understood what an accomplishment that was.

 

Marjorie always has something to say about her competitors, and while I think her "Isaac doesn't know refined food" was a bit snarky, I figure it's in response to whatever questions are being lobbed at her. She may simply give the best television. I don't know if Isaac can't or can't do refined, but I'd hazard a guess that ten years with Emeril must have taught him something about it.

 

So far, liking Kwame, Arman (is that right?), Jeremy and Isaac. Man bun is just kind of pitiful right now. Chad's more interesting to me, as I learn more about him. Carl seems a bit bland, while Karen and Marjorie vary wildly, from impressive, to vaguely annoying to meh.

[Julia]

Is there a chat thread for this show? Because I feel as if it would be popular.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

Half-Hearted Flashback
Some chefs remember who they were ten years ago; some forget how to cook.

[Special K]

i would love to see Phillip as front-of-house in Restaurant Wars!  I bet he would manage to be both obsequious and insulting at the same time!
 

[LennieBriscoe]

I don't like Marjorie for the same reason I dislike many people on "Top Chef": Her very (to me) off-putting monotone accompanied by dead eyes. Padma has it; TC has it. Blais and the Voltaggios had it, but RB and MV seem to have become more human in their speaking voices.

 

ManBun's comment about altering his food and thus his strategy was awesome! One rarely hears such raw truth on a "Reality" show! (He is still deluded, though.)

 

For all its airs and graces, I find "Top Chef" to be one of the, if not the, least interesting cooking-competition shows.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I think I have his recipe typed up somewhere (though he's one of those "a little of this and a little of that" guys!) but if I do, I don't want to post it until/unless I have Tara Ariano's permission because it might be veering TOO much off topic and I do NOT want to tick off one of my idols!

 

But I will add that he definitely works from the Streit's mix box for the matzoh balls.

 

Oh, and because I neglected to mention this before, I've been happily blown away by the number of good delis in my daughter's neighborhood (ETA: That would be Los Angeles, first WeHo for three years and now technically Beverly Hills but on the orthodox neighborhood line on the 90211 side).  She's lived there for almost five years now, first in walking distance from Canter's -- turkey sammiches from there made her first move-in day much more dealable, especially when we had to put together an IKEA Hemnes daybed -- now to walking distance from Factors. We always stock up the fridge in our Marriott Residence Inn room with bags and bags of deli!

 

Finally, because I DO want to stay on topic and have been thinking about this anyway, I don't really mind some of the more "vague" challenges as long as they don't become TOO frequent ... but occasional challenges like this one I think give the chefs a little room for creativity, to showcase some of their specialties, etc. that they might not otherwise get a chance to make ... providing, of course, they can come up with a way to BS around it with their stories to make it work (Kwame, sadly, did not go that route). 

Edited January 25, 2016 by PamelaMaeSnap

[Special K]

I think competitive cooking is such a different thing from regular restaurant cooking.  There are chefs who are probably really great in their restaurants who cannot perform well on the fly and under pressure and on camera.  I think this was true of Wesley (and probably countless other chefs on TC).  Finding ways to work around yet within the parameters of a challenge in such a way that you can showcase what you're best at -- when you only have an hour or even a half hour.  To me that's a  different set of skills than meticulously testing and perfecting a dish over time like you might do in a restaurant.

 

I think the show does these kind of memory challenges because it allows them to tell us something personal about the chefs (and show all the old-timey photos they have gathered from them).

 

The interesting chefs to me are those who freak out when there are NO restrictions.  I can't think of any off the top of my head, but it happens on Project Runway all the time.  With no guidelines, some of them choke.  And that's a similar thing -- just because you can make a dress out of rolls of toilet paper in two hours, doesn't mean that you're such a great designer. It does mean you are flexible of mind and creative, maybe.

[Kelda Feegle]

maybe slightly off-topic but ... this will have finished filming already yeah? I'm heading to the States for a road trip that will encompass some of the areas the chefs are from and thinking of incorporating a visit to their restaurants - particularly Isaac for Cajun.

[ProudMary]

Tip of the hat to Isaac for doing a gumbo in two hours, and not just gumbo, but a good gumbo. I think Tom understood what an accomplishment that was.

Isaac discusses his gumbo in this week's installment of an ongoing series he's doing for the N.O. Times-Picayune.  Quite an accomplishment.

http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2016/01/top_chef_isaac_toups_2.html

 

 

 

What went into your duck gumbo, which you cooked for the Elimination Challenge?

People don't realize that I straight-up made duck stock, dark roux, duck cracklings, crispy jasmine rice cakes, cooked out the roux in the duck stock and made duck charice sausage all in two hours. I thought it was a damn near miracle that I got it all worked out in two hours.

You didn't win, but the judges sure seemed satisfied with your gumbo.

I definitely decided to pull out one of my guns. I knew nobody else was going to bring gumbo to the table the entire competition. I pulled out the big shotgun. Boom.

[RCharter]

Isaac discusses his gumbo in this week's installment of an ongoing series he's doing for the N.O. Times-Picayune.  Quite an accomplishment.

http://www.nola.com/dining/index.ssf/2016/01/top_chef_isaac_toups_2.html

 

I want that gumbo!!!!

[Lamb18]

Phillip is the only real asshat on the show; Phillip is the only cheftestant with a man bun. Coincidence? I think not.

Maybe an ass hat is a man bun.

[pbutler111]

I don't see why conduct can't be a consideration. Tom is _extremely_ insistent that being a chef requires a very different skill set from being a cook, and this is not top cook.

A chef is supposed to be able to work effectively with and at the head of a brigade. They're supposed to develop recipes their kitchen can effectively reproduce in a cost-effective manner. Most importantly, they have to recognize that the customer may not always be right, but the customer always wins because they're paying for the food. Even if they have palates like flannel, the chef has to own creating a dish they can't sell to their customers and adjust. They owe that to their investors, their staff, and their customers.

Tom Colicchio got to be Tom Colicchio running the kitchen of an expense account restaurant in Manhattan. I'm pretty sure you have to eat a peck of dirt to pull that off, without losing authority.

So, yeah, I don't think they would have sent Eeyore home for a good dish over someone else's bad dish, but do I think the poor impression he gave was weighed against Kwame's drive to excel and Phillip's ability to project (unearned) self-confidence and got him sent home over worse dishes? Sure do. And I don't think that's necessarily invalid.

Looking forward to watching it get Phillip sent home.

 

Remember in Season 1 when the finalists were Tiffani and Harold?  According to the judges, their final decision to choose Harold came down to the fact that no one on Tiffani's team had a good experience working with her, and most, if not all, said they'd support Harold for the win.  I think Tom's argument at the time is that you couldn't be a top chef if you couldn't command the loyalty of those working under you.

[needschocolate]

Morose, joyless Jason insisting that he's a vivacious, fun guy was some intense cognitive dissonance.

 

Hmm, maybe this isn't the season of the carrot after all, perhaps it is the season of delusion. Jason and his happiness delusion.  Manbun and his multiple delusions.  The woman who forgot to plate even have other people deluded into thinking she was a great cook.

[Giselle]

Phillip reminds me of second season's pain in the ass Marcel, not only in attitude and personality but in that he also made the rounds on competitive cooking shows.

[RCharter]

Hmm, maybe this isn't the season of the carrot after all, perhaps it is the season of delusion. Jason and his happiness delusion.  Manbun and his multiple delusions.  The woman who forgot to plate even have other people deluded into thinking she was a great cook.

....who forgot to plate the most delicious tacos that would have definately not been in the bottom.  In spite of the fact that almost everything she made was on the bottom.

 

Marjorie's delusion that Angelina is a "beast" in the kitchen.  Giselle and Angelina's shared delusions that there was some epic battle of greatness between the two of them that anyone was was interested in....

[Julia]

It's possible that Marjorie was just trying to give Angelina the support she either did or didn't get when she was starting out as a young woman chef. She doesn't strike me as either a delusional or particularly generous woman in general. It could just be her trying to pay it forward.

 

Interesting series of articles in Lucky Peach (other links at the bottom) about the culture of the kitchen and how it has to change.

[RCharter]

It's possible that Marjorie was just trying to give Angelina the support she either did or didn't get when she was starting out as a young woman chef. She doesn't strike me as either a delusional or particularly generous woman in general. It could just be her trying to pay it forward.

 

Interesting series of articles in Lucky Peach (other links at the bottom) about the culture of the kitchen and how it has to change.

I think its great to pay it forward, but it means nothing if you do it blindly.  Pay it forward to someone who actually appears to have the talent, and not just the ego that goes with actual talent.  If you just blindly support another chef for any reason other than their talent then I don't think you're doing anything particularly great.  Especially if you're just supporting another chef of middling talent just because she is another female, to me that cheapens the entire thing.  Because how can anyone trust your opinion if you're calling someone "a beast" mostly because she is a woman and not because of her talent?  There are, I am certain, tons of very talented female chefs out there, don't back a loser just because she is woman.  There are the Mei's and the Kristin's, the Carla's and the Tiffani's of the world....back those women who have talent, don't throw away your support on someone who has shown challenge after challenge that she can't cook.

[tenativelyyours]

I think Marjorie can be both right, pay it forward and yet put forth an analysis of Angelina that does not fit the reality show image we saw.  Angelina can be a beast in the kitchen.  She can have great knife skills, best fast and precise and cook well and still be a horrid contestant.  It takes an odd skill past what is considered great in a regular professional kitchen to thrive with cameras, the schedule, the pressure and the weird parameters of a challenge.  Angelina is a poor chef in terms of TC competition.  That does not mean that she is poor in regular work life.  And part of that might be what Marjorie might appreciate.  Marjorie does have an idea what a young woman still might have to face to get where Angelina has.  I hardly think TC is the metric for overall professional performance.

 

And I also think on the show that was Angelina had shown was a lack of maturity.  Not just that she was younger than most but she did not have that aspect of "getting it" that, say Kwame seems to have for the most part in terms of professional comportment and attitude.  And she might never get that.  I'm not dinging her in that regard.  I know plenty of people her age that I would say are just fine and probably lack even her drive to get where she is. 

 

And again.  Her results were poor I definitely agree.  But the results don't show all the components that might have led to some or all of Marjorie's appreciation.  Putting out a great dish is the needed result yes.  But I think a good chef can recognize and praise the efforts as being done right and even impressively and yet due to the restraints of the whole contest still come up wanting. 

 

I'm glad Angelina went.  It was past due when she did in my opinion.  But I also don't think Marjorie has to be off by Angelina's performance on the show  to appreciate someone that, even taking the show out of consideration as a metric of quality, has a resume for her age that speaks of hard work and skill.

[Bastet]

Plus, it's not as if Marjorie was giving Angelina an undeserved promotion, she was just talking her up on a TV show more than was probably warranted.

[RCharter]

I can only go by what I see on the show.  Nothing on the show singled out Angelina as "a beast" in the slightest, she wasn't even really close to being competition and managed to slip by because someone did something slightly worse or she was paired with someone who displayed some talent.  To call someone "a beast" because they are a female chef and not because they have displayed any talent, to me, only makes it look like there may be a greater agenda at play other than someone's talent as a chef.  And that is unfortunate because I actually think that does more harm for female chefs than it does good.  If you're just praised for having an innie and not an outie and no one is really talking about your level of talent when calling you a "beast," I don't think that particularly says anything great about the chef that is being called "beast" or the chef that is calling someone a "beast."  Save the praise for someone who is actually putting out good food, and there are plenty of female chefs doing that. 

 

And, I wonder if this isn't part of her undeserved attitude and impression of greatness that she seems to have that no one on the show seems to have.  Perhaps she has been constantly told she is great, and a beast because she is a female chef and this is why she isn't pushing herself harder, but why she seems to have this attitude that she is some epic chef.  So, I think all of that could possibly be hurting her.  

 

I guess everyone who does poorly on the show can say that we just really didn't see them at their best, in which case, I'm sure everyone is a "beast."  

[Julia]

What we've mostly seen is her being bad at creating and executing her own dishes. That doesn't mean she's not badass on the line when she's cooking someone else's dishes. They're such wildly disparate skill sets. Granted, that means she's not much of a chef at this point, and this isn't Top Sous, but if it were she might be doing just fine.

She didn't impress me much, and I think that probably (as Tom admitted about Candice Kumai ten years ago) she was chosen at least partly because she's young and easy to look at. But I really don't think they'd've kept her around so long if that as all she had. JMO, of course.

[tenativelyyours]

I can see judging Angelina by what we see.  I guess though that jumps the logic train to then decide that Marjorie can only judge her by what we see.  If Marjorie was the sole production staff member editing Angelina's storyline I could maybe understand that.  But for me, I have no problem giving Marjorie two seconds of having an opinion of someone she knows, has worked with and beside and has a similar professional C.V. down the same position at the same establishment.  It doesn't make me like or laud Angelina more but it hardly drags Marjorie down because her insight is not the same as mine as a viewer of a few moments on screen at the end of the day. 

 

And Marjorie worked with Angelina in one team challenge.  Her assessment, if based on that, calling Angelina beast would in no way make me think that everyone is automatically a "beast" but mileage varies.  Again i think Marjorie can have a valid opinion that the show in its editing of hours and days into minutes might not deliver in terms of storytelling or even the judging result.  And of course Marjorie can find things about Angelina or anyone else that are laudatory professionally and it doesn't mean that she thought Angelina was without a single doubt a better chef dish by dish as those that remained. 

[Jesse]

Remember in Season 1 when the finalists were Tiffani and Harold?  According to the judges, their final decision to choose Harold came down to the fact that no one on Tiffani's team had a good experience working with her, and most, if not all, said they'd support Harold for the win.  I think Tom's argument at the time is that you couldn't be a top chef if you couldn't command the loyalty of those working under you.

 

And Tiffani has said she learned a lot from that experience! So there's hope for all of these guys, too.

[The Solution]

Phillip reminds me of second season's pain in the ass Marcel, not only in attitude and personality but in that he also made the rounds on competitive cooking shows.

I never thought Marcel was especially delusional; just a little foamy. He remains one of my all-time favorite Top Chef characters (along with Spike). Phillip, not so much.

[kittykat]

I hope Phillip doesn't make it to Restaurant Wars because I would feel bad for the other three members who wouldn't deserve having to deal with him.

[Bugfrey Von]

Bye Jason! Goodness is he ever unlikable and sour. Maybe he pissed off a producer or editor, but oh boy, he just looked absolutely joyless. I get being yourself, and I think thats great, but you can't be aggressively yourself all the time and then be surprised when you don't fit in with "everyone else" that you don't want to be like. And proudly talking about how he would "chew someone out" for this or that....ick. I'll bet he has eaten his fair share of spit. I think the flash of him going to LCK might have been the first time I've seen him smile at all.

Oh my God! I have to agree with almost your entire post, except for the part about carrots - only when they're raw!

Jason such a bitter beer face the entire time he was on the show! Oh! You wear different types of shoes and clashing colors? How different and original of you! Maybe you could try being a nice person. Or even smiling every once in a while. Even though he was worlds more pleasant during last chance kitchen, he couldn't help but make a nasty comment about Angelina's food not being as good as his. Dude, a little humility goes along way. Really hope he doesn't last much longer.

[paramitch]

I have not cared for Jason in other episodes, but I felt sorry for him in this one. He might say he's fine with not fitting in, but I bet it bothered him. Watching him stand off to the side while the others all laughed and talked at the table broke my heart. I thought he was going to cry at the judge's table. I am glad Tom caught on and mentioned how tightly wound he seemed. I think Jason is suffering from some type of depression, and I hope he gets better so he can find joy in life.

 

My suspicion is that Jason is in fact a pretty cool, offbeat person in real life, and that he was very surprised both by this experience and by his reaction to it. So many times when he wasn't taking part, he not only seemed shy and unsure, but surprised at his own reticence. I didn't think he was a horrible guy, just a little shell-shocked and not really cut out for "Top Chef." I liked his honesty and hope he can relax and decompress after this (and after what sounds like a real run of unfortunate luck).

 

I enjoyed seeing Antonia; she is one of my favorites.  She owns 2 restaurants, on Restaurant Start Up, and often a judge on Cutthroat kitchen.  She is very busy and I would like to see her more front and center on this show and other better shows.  I adore that woman. She is articulate and knows food.  She would be good on Masterchef replacing Tosi. 

 

I have always loved Antonia. She just always radiates this kind of calmness and joy that makes her fun to watch, and she also has a sneaky sense of humor that gets in there as well. She's terrific fun on "Cutthroat Kitchen" (and seems to have a real rapport with Alton) and "Restaurant Startup," and her restaurants are evidently amazing. Couldn't happen to a nicer person.

 

bravo used to have after hours in the chef house videos on their site, maybe still do. I watched during the Vitaggio year and the brothers has so much fun with others at night, I think that Michael takes his cooking very serious, but can cut loose when not working and the show concentrated on his cooking. I grew to like him a lot watching the videos. . 

 

I loved the after-hours videos during the Volt brothers season! For one thing, you got to see everyone having so much fun bonding, but also, it showed that Bryan could be really hilarious -- my favorite moments were the snake in the house and the chips pursuit. Michael was HILARIOUS during the snake escapade, so if those are still up, they're well worth a watch. I'll always love the Voltaggios (and Bryan is on my list of permanent TV crushes).

 

Morose, joyless Jason insisting that he's a vivacious, fun guy was some intense cognitive dissonance.

 

But what if it was just the "Top Chef" experience that made him so? I really thought he was flummoxed at his whole reaction to the entire thing. I definitely think he was happy to leave, poor guy.

 

And Tiffani has said she learned a lot from that experience! So there's hope for all of these guys, too.

 

I adored Tiffani, and always felt she got a bad rap in season one, so I loved her returns, when she showed herself to be a kind, funny and thoughtful person after all. She had definitely calmed down and seemed to have centered herself.

 

I never thought Marcel was especially delusional; just a little foamy. He remains one of my all-time favorite Top Chef characters

 

I loved Marcel, and still do. I think he's always been more self-aware than he seemed, and I've been happy to see him find additional success in the years since Top Chef. The thing with Philip, however, is that he seems to have no self-awareness at all. The expressions of the judges when Philip was rambling about having to cook to their tastes (versus "good food") were one of the best and funniest moments in Top Chef history for me. Even funnier as you kind of see Philip trying to somehow backpedal but he can't seem to stop talking.