The Shows of 2014: Because They've Been Pureed in a Blender

[cooksdelight]

I was glad Miss Snotty Pants was eliminated first too. She did everything she made fun of in her intro, and she called a it Bahn mi when she should have just called it a sandwich. I had to rewind to make sure Pony Tail Lady actually grabbed eggs out of the 'fridge when she had a carton of beautiful eggs in her basket. Numbskull move. It was as if the judges wanted everyone to put a fried egg on top of whatever they made.

Bite-down. OK, Jeff, thanks for the new word.

I knew the two guys would be in the finale, but I am sorry Mr Nervous Chef didn't win. I liked what he made in each round. Mr Meatball slid by in the dessert round with a deep fried PB&J which to me wasn't really transformed. He was a deserving winner, though, because he made food that looked really delicious. It's been a while since I've seen food that I wanted to jump out of my screen and onto my TV tray.

[novhappy]

Hey, a good episode with minimal sob stories, interesting food, no injuries and two utter fails in the dessert round! Where was the dessert napolean?  i would have liked to hear the debate over whether that is a sandwich. Also, I don't watch that often anymore but it's not often that the judges actually say the an ingredient (green curry paste, in this case) just does not belong in the basket and may not be able to be worked in.

[40Love]

I did crack up at the one who was chopped first.  In her intro when she said in that smug way "when I watch at home I just hate when people keep doing things wrong" and she pretty much rolled her eyes like to say if you're that good you shouldnt ever do that, then proceeded to say how good she would be.. Then she goes on to make soggy polenta, mess up her Banh Mi (she who wants to open a Banh Mi restaurant no less) leave an item off the plate and get chopped first.  Good going! 

 

Oh that brought a big smile to my face.  Her intro went something like this: "If you can't do it right in the time allotted, you don't deserve to be cooking. I'm going to do it the right way, my timing will be perfect and I'm going to win." I immediately predicted her cocky ass would go home first! LOL! She would have probably gone to the next round though, if she had put that badly fried polenta on the plate. At least she would had all the ingredients. She expected to be rewarded for her 'integrity" of withholding the one ingredient. Heh!

 

I only wish the other lady could have pulled it together a little better. I think she was really nervous and overwhelmed that she made some silly mistakes. Seemed like a nice lady. IMO she didn't really need Chopped to prove she made the right choice between cooking and music. Having a successful restaurant business is proof enough to me. I never get that as people's reason for playing. "I want to prove I made the right choice." My thought when I hear that is:"Are you happy? Then you made the right choice." Yeesh! I think the producers just make the contestants come up with any shit motivation that pops into their head.

 

I knew the two guys would be in the finale, but I am sorry Mr Nervous Chef didn't win. I liked what he made in each round. Mr Meatball slid by in the dessert round with a deep fried PB&J which to me wasn't really transformed.

 

I liked both the guys... no trash talking or cockiness. So I would have been happy with either victory. If we have to put up with sob stories and forced motivations for winning, I think both men had legitimate back stories. Wanting to get your hands back into cooking again and facing your anxiety issues by playing a timed, nationally televised cooking competition IMO were both really good reasons to appear on Chopped.

[xaxat]

I get annoyed when a male chef identifies another male chef as his toughest competitor when there are also women competing. I'm sure that sometimes it is an honest and accurate assessment, but I'm also sure it happens because some chefs can't imagine losing to a "girl".

[cooksdelight]

I think he said that when they were working on their entrees, and based on that dumb mistake the remaining woman made, I can't say I blame him for that. The other guy was really putting together cohesive dishes. And, I have seen a man say that a woman was his biggest competition as well. Not often, but it happens. :)

[Bastet]

Her intro went something like this: "If you can't do it right in the time allotted, you don't deserve to be cooking.

 

I thought she said if you can't do it right in the time allotted, you should make something else.  Coming on the heels of saying she hated seeing things done wrong, I took her to mean something along the line of "Don't cut corners to make an inevitably inferior version of a dish that needs 45 minutes to properly prepare; make something that can be done right in 20 minutes."

 

I agree.  Of course, I would also extend this logic to say if you wind up without all the ingredients essential to a Bánh Mì, don't call your sandwich a Bánh Mì.

 

I fell asleep during the commercial before they announced who was chopped after the entrée round, so I'll have to try and catch this again -- I love a good sandwich.

 

I saw a new-to-me repeat where the judges had a hard time deciding between three excellent entrée offerings, and I wanted to reach through my television and sample them all.  I loved the chef who was chopped after that round saying he may not be leaving as a winner on paper, but having the judges say they want to come to his restaurant is all the victory he needs.  The guy in the dessert round who lost seemed like a gracious competitor ... right up until he lost.  He just walked away with steam coming out of his ears, saying nothing to his competitor or the judges. 

Edited December 17, 2014 by Bastet

[GHScorpiosRule]

I saw another redemption show last night and it made me cry at the end.

 

It was a return of Siggy and Chris (who competed on the same show)--Siggy was the one who was chopped first because one of the appetizer ingredients was rattle snake and she only managed to put together one plate.  I remember two of the judges were Chris and Alex, and Alex was the one that got the plate and shared it with the other two, and she said it was delicious and how could Siggy do this to them. Which I assume is it was so good how could she fail to plate them all. 

 

Chris was the arrogant, snooty chef, who was the youngest and put together all the fancy food, but with no flavor. I forget who won in that episode. 

 

The other two were Lance, the contestant who also was deeply religious, or if not that, believed in faith or something.  And then I forget the name of the other chef; she was French and she needed the money to visit her grandmother, who raised her, who lives in France.

 

All of these contestants, except for Siggy, lost in the dessert round.

 

And in this one it was down to Lance and the French chef, and Lance won.  BUT, during the entrée, French chef, got hot water on her legs, second degree burns, but continued on until she got all plates, and then went with the medical team. But returned.

 

And this made me love Lance. He won, but right after Amanda told French chef they had to chop her, he said "wait."  they had talked after they did their desserts and French chef said they were both winners, so it didn't matter who would get the money, even though you knew she really wanted it because her grandmother is sick.

 

So what did Lance do? He gave her the money so she could buy the ticket to see her grandmother! Or that he said he was going to give her the ticket. 

 

The judges were douchenozzle Geoffery, Amanda and Marc Murphy.  ALL of them, even douchenozzle, tearing up at what Lance said.  And had me crying too, unashamedly.  Lance was declared chopped champion, but what he did for Yohanne, I think her name was, wow. Just so selfless.

Edited March 6, 2015 by GHScorpiosRule

[cooksdelight]

That is my all-time favorite episode of Chopped. I have it on my DVR and I'll never erase it. I wish they could all be that good.

[Bastet]

It's Siggy.

 

That's one of the few episodes I clearly remember.  I remember Lance was annoying the snot out of me with all his religion talk, but then started growing on me by being a gracious competitor (which they all were besides that jerk Chris, who was thankfully dispatched with after the first round) who was probably just answering endless questions from the producers about his faith, since they'd chosen that as his storyline.  And then he busts out with, "I didn't expect to win, so I wasn't counting on the money - I'd like to buy your ticket."  If you'd have told me in the beginning that he was going to do that, it would have sounded like grandstanding, but based on those 40-something minutes with him it instead felt genuine.

 

I loved Yoanne's reaction, not really understanding what he was offering at first.  And then the judges tearing up.  Ninety nine percent of the time I want people to just shut up and cook, but this is an exception I can get behind.

 

Oops -- this should be in the Pre-2013 thread.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Bastet

[mlp]

The Lance episode and the British Invasion episode are my two all-time favorites.  I've often wondered if that plane ticket ever got bought and if Yoanne did get to see her grandmother.  I also wonder how Jun is doing with his restaurant. 

 

Lottie from the British Invasion and Siggy are two of my favorite female contestants along with Helen Park and a young woman named Kate who had messy hair and ball cap worn sideways, looked awful, but came across as intelligent and very pleasant.

[cooksdelight]

I am sure Lance kept his promise. I can't imagine him not doing so. According to Yoanne's Facebook page, she is now doing private catering. She closed her restaurant. :(

[GHScorpiosRule]

Thanks for the correct spelling for both Siggy and Yoanne. I've edited my original post! I hate when I get the names wrong!

[mlp]

 

I am sure Lance kept his promise. I can't imagine him not doing so.

 

Oh, I can't either but................... As I recall, Yoanne was trying to keep a struggling restaurant afloat at the time so I've wondered if she was able to find the time to make the trip before it was too late.

[Totale]

Can we all agree at this point that they've scraped through the bottom of the barrel of potential contestants, or can it still get worse?

[Bella]

Can we all agree at this point that they've scraped through the bottom of the barrel of potential contestants, or can it still get worse?

 

It's the Food Network, Totale. Anything is possible.

[cooksdelight]

There are a lot of good chefs out there who would do great on this show, and add to our entertainment value. But since FN makes them all pay their own expenses to fly to NYC, book a hotel, rent a car if needed, meals, etc.... chefs who are struggling to find money to pay their rent aren't going to be able to swing it. If FN would foot the bill for their appearance, we'd see a much more diverse group of chefs. Not the same old, same old people who make the rounds of the various competitions.

[blubld43]

Oh, I think Carnie Wilson trumped pretty much everyone for pretty much ever on Rachel and Guy with "I dedicate this individual appetizer, a two cup serving of oil-packed tuna with jar mayonnaise and half a bag of store-bought tortilla chips, to people who can't afford lap band surgery."

 

I always liked Carnie before but I hated her "charity".  Yes I guess it's a real thing, but only in America would there be a charity for people to eat less.

[Julia]

It's worse than that, though. There are people who need to lose the weight quickly because it's life threatening, and maybe some who need the psychological boost of having a before and after. Problem is, obesity has a lot to do with what you eat and not just how much. Which is why giving someone with poor nutritional habits surgery to permanently impair their ability to absorb nutrients without long term support and counseling is completely insane. Especially since if they think of it as a magic bullet and don't take changing their habits seriously (see: Wilson, Carnie) they could just as easily end up obese and malnourished.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Julia

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh Yuck. Saw "Ladies First", the episode with the arrogant, smug, Cara, from Alabama (she's the only Southerner I've seen thus far that sounds like a Yankee), who lost in the dessert round. I hate that they brought her back for redemption and she won.

 

Just such an unpleasant person/personality.

[cooksdelight]

I would like to see Cara, Lauren Van Der Poop, Tryg and Frank Whittaker, who just couldn't shut up about why he should have won. Let four unlikable chefs duke it out, and at the end tell them "Sorry, there's no prize, you don't get anything!"

Frank:

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52d82bfde4b050d4f4e01eb4/t/54aaf7c2e4b011420277e300/1420490698338/

[Julia]

I would like to see Cara, Lauren Van Der Poop, Tryg and Frank Whittaker, who just couldn't shut up about why he should have won. Let four unlikable chefs duke it out, and at the end tell them "Sorry, there's no prize, you don't get anything!"

 

Does the winner or the loser get to compete with Penny Davidi?

[cooksdelight]

Penny is the booby prize. No pun intended....

[NikSac]

I would like to see Cara, Lauren Van Der Poop, Tryg and Frank Whittaker, who just couldn't shut up about why he should have won. Let four unlikable chefs duke it out, and at the end tell them "Sorry, there's no prize, you don't get anything!"

Frank:

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52d82bfde4b050d4f4e01eb4/t/54aaf7c2e4b011420277e300/1420490698338/

 

ha, now that could be fun!  At first reading your post I was like "WHY? WHY would you want them all on one episode?"  (other than the possible benefit of getting them all out of the way at once) - but the surprise ending is excellent. I'd gladly FF through the whole show just to watch that.

[ElleryAnne]

the arrogant, smug, Cara

 

 

I just saw this one.  Someone needs to tell Cara that if she's going to say, "I have less flaws than she does," she should continue by saying, "but one of my flaws is that I'm grammatically incorrect when I inappropriately butt into a question asked to someone else."  She was insufferable.  

 

I haven't seen the Redemption episode that she won.  Did she tone down the smugness by then?

 

 

I would like to see Cara, Lauren Van Der Poop, Tryg and Frank Whittaker, who just couldn't shut up about why he should have won. Let four unlikable chefs duke it out, and at the end tell them "Sorry, there's no prize, you don't get anything!"

 

 

I would DVR this and watch it as a birthday present to myself. 

[cooksdelight]

I just saw this one.  Someone needs to tell Cara that if she's going to say, "I have less flaws than she does," she should continue by saying, "but one of my flaws is that I'm grammatically incorrect when I inappropriately butt into a question asked to someone else."  She was insufferable.  

 

I haven't seen the Redemption episode that she won.  Did she tone down the smugness by then?

 

No. She was worse, if that's possible.

[Bastet]

This "I healed myself with avocados/The only time I ever use something out of a can is to feed a cat/Stoves are trying to kill me/I've never seen a block of salami in my life" chef must be an absolutely perfect match for her client Gwyneth Paltrow.  The insufferable feeding the insufferable. 

Edited May 27, 2015 by Bastet

[Bastet]

Regarding the episode, which re-ran last night, where Scott flips his lid because a contestant dared touch a fish with tongs, his meltdown is so ridiculous it sort of obscures the other huge problem with that episode, which is the judges all acting like total assholes because that contestant had been hired as an executive chef after only four years.  Even Amanda is in on this nonsense.

 

It's not as if this woman went out, bought a restaurant and appointed herself executive chef despite not knowing her ass from a skillet.  Someone hired her to do that job at their restaurant.  And she was quite reasonable and honest about her experience and skills, so the judges needed to get over themselves.  So no one hired any of them as EC so early in their careers.  Maybe whomever hired the contestant as an EC at this stage of her career shouldn't have.  But they did, and the restaurant hasn't gone down in flames yet, so ... shut, up judges.  Just talk about what she put on the plate and save the bitterness for when you go get drinks after the show.

[Crucial]

Oh crap, I put my comment in the 2013 thread regarding the Scott flipping his wig on the fish with tongs.  I love what you posted Bastet, I wish I could give it more likes than just one.

[NikSac]

I can't even keep it straight what year the shows aired unless they're brand new ones anyway, I'm impressed anyone can.

 

Yes that fish thing was just insanely ridiculous. To me it made him look, frankly, stupid and kind of cruel. OKAY already, you don't like that she used tongs, big freakin' deal. How was the fish?  If it was bad, say that, explain why maybe once - some judges might even offer it as helpful advice ("the tongs changed the texture of the fish because it's so delicate") - but I felt like he wasn't going to back off until he made her cry or something.

 

And Bastet yes, absolutely, I couldn't believe them all ganging up on the fact that the one contestant was an executive chef after only 4 years. Well, if she's good, then she's good. Talk about what she did on THIS show, not her years of experience (or lack thereof). Maybe someone took a chance on her and it's paying off for goodness sakes.

 

I don't always love every Chopped episode but this is one of the few that had me way more angry than a cooking show should make me by the end.

[Christina]

They couldn't say the tongs did anything to the fish, because they didn't. Scott was insisting it was disrespectful. ALL the judges looked bad at the end of that episode, and she looked great. I wondered if they were going to let her win, since they were so offended by her.

[cooksdelight]

The fish is dead. DEAD, Scott. Once you're dead, Scott, you'll be horrifed at the tools used on you by the mortician.

[SpottedCoachDog]

Slight damage to the delicate fibers of a dead fish or potential blood contamination? I'm way more skeeved out by blood filled gloves myself.

[Bastet]

I can't even keep it straight what year the shows aired unless they're brand new ones anyway, I'm impressed anyone can.

 

I get the year from my satellite provider's program guide while I'm watching.  So if I post about it within a day or two, I can put it in the right thread.  After that, forget it – it’s long gone from my mind.

[xaxat]

If Conant wants to talk about respect, he should turn to the man next to him and tell Zakarian to respect the employees he cheated out of their wages.

[SpottedCoachDog]

Except he can't talk. Twenty former employees of Scarpetta in New York have filed a lawsuit for low pay and withheld tips during the time Conant was owner. So go bite a raw red onion, dude.

And I also get the original air date from my satellite description. Very helpful.

[xaxat]

I didn't know about that case. Wage theft is rampant in the industry, but God forbid we disrespect a dead fish.

[buttersister]

WTAF? Korean-American chef plates gorgeous shrimp appetizer, a riff on a dish from her (owned) restaurant. Alex and Arun dump on her for (AG) not seeing her in the dish (?!) and (AS) not cooking from her roots. So she takes “Alex’s comments to heart” and out comes the soy sauce. JFC. Iirc, she wins, so I don’t blame her for playing the game, but WTF is that game? 

Yeah, my lack of love for those two goes way back.