S14.E01: Something Old, Something New

[FormerMod-a1]

Eight new chefs face off against eight returning chefs in Charleston, S.C.; the new chefs enter the kitchen first to cook as many dishes as possible in one hour using a whole chicken; the veterans square off to re-imagine shrimp and grits.

[Pickles]

I already don't like Emily Hahn, one of the rookie chefs. Bad attitude.

[Primetimer]

It's veterans versus newbies as the show kicks off a new season in South Carolina.

View the full article

[The Solution]

Yeah, I'm still kind of in love with Brooke. Just something about her...

[Constantinople]

Casey,  the only cheftestant to be in Top Chef All-Stars and Top Chef Half-Stars.

[riverheightsnancy]

Yea Shirley! And NO bullying. 

[rustyspigot]

Who the hell is Amanda the returning chef? She has been wiped from my memory.

Is this casual wear Tom going to be a recurring thing this season?

My friend said Jim looks like Alyssa Edwards out of drag. We'll see if Jim starts tongue popping and doing death drops during a challenge.

Edited December 2, 2016 by rustyspigot

[milner]

My tape cut off before they revealed who was going home.  Can someone help me?   Thanks

[avecsans]

Agreed.  Chicago was my favorite season and I don't remember Amanda at all.  Of course they keep the obnoxious douche and let the nice guy go.  And I am already sick of the charleston chef with the attitude.  Boo to Casey because I still blame her for my beloved Carla losing in the finale.  I was glad to see Shirley, Brooke and Sheldon back.  Did any Harry Potter fans get a Professor Lockhart vibe from Sam?  "I was named one of People's sexiest men alive."  Shut up.

[rustyspigot]

1 minute ago, milner said:

My tape cut off before they revealed who was going home.  Can someone help me?   Thanks

Gerald a newbie.

[Tara Ariano]

1 minute ago, milner said:

My tape cut off before they revealed who was going home.  Can someone help me?   Thanks

Literally four posts above yours is a link to this site's post about the episode, which contains that information. But here it is again!

Top Chef Puts Charleston In Charge

It's veterans versus newbies as the show kicks off a new season in South Carolina.

[NowVoyager]

Soo...

The returning veteran restauranteur with a hidden stash of black truffles beat the newbie.

Shocking.

[le bordel chaud]

Amanda is from the Washington, D.C. season apparently. I have no memory of her either. But I guess her dish was good tonight lol. Still feels like a waste of a returnee slot.

An OK premiere. Happy to see Shirley and Sam. He made me LOL about John acting like they were of similar ages.

Edited December 2, 2016 by delicatecutter

[susannot]

Can't stand Amanda.  Agree about Shirley and Sam; also Katsugi is amusing.

[crayon78]

Even after watching the episode, I still don't remember ever seeing Amanda before.

I was just waiting for Emily to say, "I'm not here to make friends." Maybe next episode.

[mlp]

I wish the chefs had their names on their jackets.  It's hard to retain them all right at first.  The only ones I can put a name to so far are Sylvan, Silvia and Jim (my favorite newbie so far).  I hope the woman with the attitude doesn't last long.  She's deliberately obnoxious.  Silvia seems to know what she's doing.

Over the years, I've sometimes liked John Tesar and sometimes loathed him.  I never worked out how I really felt about him so I was a bit surprised to realize I was mentally cheering him on and hoping he'd survive the sudden death.  I was happy to see Katsuji who amuses me and Sheldon who I always liked but I doubt either of them will last very long.  

I'm very happy to see Graham Elliot in the position of respected judge instead of playing second fiddle to Gordon Ramsay.

Edited December 2, 2016 by mlp

[LotusFlower]

Shirley FTW!  I've always liked Brooke and Sheldon, too.  And I guess I should give the rookies a chance.  The Italian chef looks like an early contender.  But most importantly - no Richard!!  

[Lillybee]

I do wish that they brought back Issac from last season, After Carla he was my favorite chef.

[GaT]

Too many people to have any favorites (or dislike anyone) yet, but I found the episode kind of boring.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

Soo...

The returning veteran restauranteur with a hidden stash of black truffles beat the newbie.

Shocking.

Contestants have been able to bring a small number of special ingredients and tools for many, many seasons. I still wish John had list he and Katsuji the only two returning contestants I can't stand managed to be awful by themselves in one scene.

[candall]

9 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

Soo...

The returning veteran restauranteur with a hidden stash of black truffles beat the newbie.

Shocking.

It was shocking to me!  I expected a narrative where the earnest newbie with the "pure and simple" dish triumphed over the crafty veteran with the hoity-toity.

But Tesar prepared a rich oyster-y (strained!) broth and opened 15 oysters in 20 minutes.  Gerald made a rookie move to only prepare five oysters for five servings, and then he had to select, roast, open and plate five fresh ones in the last 4.5 minutes.  I'm thinking there was probably a flaw in there somewhere--under-cooked, shell grit, sloppy presentation--that the show didn't embarrass him by highlighting.

 

I am amused by Katsuji and his millions of ingredients, but he was a dick recommending Tesar "talk [Gerald] off his game." 

"I'm not saying be an asshole, but, you know, just make him sweat, you know?"  How is that not being an asshole?

.

Edited December 2, 2016 by candall

[Wings]

I adore Sam. Padma does, too. :^)

I don't like Casey for causing Carla to lose either.  Even though Carla made the choice to sous vide the beef. 

I hope this doesn't become us against them.

Tesar earned the win on those oysters. No contest. 

I am so glad this show is back. I feel like I have been waiting for years.  it is my favorite. 

[Constantinople]

I don't remember most of the Half-Stars, but Texas was the last season I watched from soup to nuts, so that's not surprising (though I watched enough of Seattle to know who Brooke is).

I too have no memory of Amanda from Top Chef D.C., but I guess that's appropriate for Top Chef Half-Stars.

I can't believe they brought back Sam, possibly the biggest sh*t stirrer from the worst season ever.

Graham Elliot's outfit made me question his sense of color coordination.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Constantinople

[Panda Bear]

I hate Sam. It might just be bad memories of season two, but he seems so smug to me. I've also never understood why people find him attractive. His nose takes up his entire face. 

This premiere was a little disappointing to me, because it felt like one endless Quickfire (I guess it was). I hope having an Elimination Challenge next time will help. 

[biakbiak]

14 minutes ago, Panda Bear said:

I hate Sam. It might just be bad memories of season two, but he seems so smug to me. I've also never understood why people find him attractive. His nose takes up his entire face. 

 

I always love the Sam 1 he was mainly removed from the Marcel incident by editing or not, I also found Marcel annoying so probably didn't take that entire situation and his role as serious as the show told me it should be or how serious it was, but in most situations he actually tried to help out other people to get things done and there was even a brief moment where Sheldon can't figure out how to deal with the immersion blender that wasn't working he causually offers a remedy when Sheldon is like it's battery operated,Sam stops what he is doing and tries to help Sheldon solve the problem.

Edited December 2, 2016 by biakbiak

[Panda Bear]

I did like how Sam helped Sheldon. Maybe my opinion on him will change as the season goes on. 

[tenativelyyours]

Loathe Sam.  I never liked how the one time I saw him in a gathering he made damn sure he dropped the whole one of NYC sexiest chefs bit and then tried to be all self-deprecating about it but in a way that wanted praise because he didn't take it seriously.  Even though he brought it up.  Best part was I was witness to two Victoria Secret Models giving him the dead-eye "don't give a shit look"  and see him slump away pouting (seriously did he think two scarecrows with lifted boobs gave a shit about a chef who didn't have his own tv show?)

Brooke started talking.  I think she was enunciating how being second the roughest place but all I really heard was: "Me."  "Me." "Me."

I pretty much wore out my "Shut the Fuck Up __________(insert returning chef's name here).

The good news is I was able to fast forward through a lot of the waste since they were so determined to milk the whole premise as if it was drama worth watching.  It was so pathetic and dull that I kept thinking Graham brought Gordon Ramsey along to started hoarsely screaming over nothing any minute.  

The production's narrative hopefully will shift to a more interesting (ie food oriented) focus but I might just find myself having more time to watch better tv (Masterchef the Professionals is on!) by simply fast forwarding to see the finished dishes. 

I'd love to watch this with the real working chefs in current top restaurants in major cities because I remember how much scorn a lot of the real up and comers had post Blais' given win.   In fact I know of two chefs in NYC who were actively approached to be on the show and refused.  I wonder just how well it really holds up among the professional chef crowd.    I think the show still draws people who see it as a way of elevating a career they know is based on skill but maybe hasn't been able to peek in the direction they want.  But I think more and more it is drawing on people who want to be tv personalities and see it as an entry to the various shows that tie to food more than are about the food. 

[jette]

9 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

The returning veteran restauranteur with a hidden stash of black truffles beat the newbie.

So now that Tesar has used his truffles, are they not available to him for the rest of the competition? Something he said made me question this, but 1) I don't really like him so I wasn't paying full attention to his smug and 2) it's been so dang long since this show has been on that I can't remember if this is a real rule!

[cooksdelight]

To jog your memories about Amanda, she had what looked like a cold sore on her lip that steadily grew with each episode. It was a funny topic of conversation. And she's gained a good deal of weight also. Didn't have bangs before. I almost didn't recognize her.

That woman who thinks she's all that and a bag of chips, the one who told Padma and Tom to stop talking... can't remember her name, but I already can't stand her.

I really don't mind any of the returnees. I know Katsuji personally so I will always have a soft spot for him, and I adore Brooke and Shirley.

Of the newbies, I like the guy with glasses who won the first quickfire. I'm bad with names until a few weeks into the season. I don't like the guy with the reddish beard, something about him puts me off.

[Wings]

On December 2, 2016 at 6:12 AM, Constantinople said:

I don't remember most of the Half-Stars, but Texas was the last season I watched from soup to nuts, so that's not surprising (though I watched enough of Seattle to know who Brooke is).

I too have no memory of Amanda from Top Chef D.C., but I guess that's appropriate for Top Chef Half-Stars.

I can't believe they brought back Sam, possibly the biggest sh*t stirrer from the worst season ever.

Graham Elliot's outfit made me question his sense of color coordination.

I don't remember Sam as a shit stirrer, I just remember liking him.

Jim is the newbie you are thinking of cooks. I like him, too. 

I wasn't bored at all!  I really love this show and look forward to seeing Hugh again, someone who I didn't like at first but now love.  

Edited December 3, 2016 by wings707

[riverheightsnancy]

54 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

To jog your memories about Amanda, she had what looked like a cold sore on her lip that steadily grew with each episode. It was a funny topic of conversation. And she's gained a good deal of weight also. Didn't have bangs before. I almost didn't recognize her.

 

Yeah, she has gained and the bangs make her look really different. Wasn't Amanda the one who was rumored to have done some hanky panky with the guy who won that season? They were on the couch together and were all lovey-dovey. What was his name? He won,  but I think that he is considered one of the worst winners of the entire series. Hosea-that was his name. 

[cooksdelight]

1 minute ago, riverheightsnancy said:

Yeah, she has gained and the bangs make her look really different. Wasn't Amanda the one who was rumored to have done some hanky panky with the guy who won that season? They were on the couch together and were all lovey-dovey. What was his name? He won,  but I think that he is considered one of the worst winners of the entire series. Hosea-that was his name. 

No, that was Leah. But she and Amanda look a lot alike. Or, they did once.

[riverheightsnancy]

4 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

No, that was Leah. But she and Amanda look a lot alike. Or, they did once.

What, that wasn't HER?! Now, I have no idea who Amanda is!! lol   She really is not memorable.

[Lizzing]

Try as I might, I still get Amanda and Leah confused.  And, even though I've watched TC religiously since mid S1, I cannot remember John Tesar on the show.  I remember the press around him being a giant douche in the Texas food world, but I cannot recall a single thing he contributed to the show, antics, food, or otherwise. 

The newbie group, save for a couple of them, did not impress since most only got one dish out in an hour.  That doesn't bode well for the future, shorter QFs.  But it does look like a decent season; I hope next week they go back to the traditional opening (unlike last season) so that maybe I'll remember the contestants' names before the end of Restaurant Wars. LOL!

[Corgi-ears]

12 hours ago, riverheightsnancy said:

 

Yea Shirley! And NO bullying. 

 

Are you thinking Shirley was bullied? Might you be confusing her with Beverly Kim from Season 9?

[cooksdelight]

Leah:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/photos/leah

Amanda:

http://web.poptower.com/amanda-baumgarten-top-chef.htm

They could be twins.

Edited December 2, 2016 by cooksdelight

[twilightzone]

I was sorry to see Gerald as the first to go.  He had an inspirational backstory.  My favorites of the newbies (so far) are Jim and Silvia.  Least favorite Emily.

Speaking of Sam, he hasn't aged well.  Can't believe he was ever one of People's Sexiest Men?

It doesn't look like Richard Blais is back.  Good.

Love seeing Shirley, Sheldon, Casey, Brooke.  Even Katsuji.

[candall]

Heeee, I liked the haughty one who was bragging about her 'tude.

 

I can go for a "Half-Star" season, although the South Carolina venue doesn't do much for me.  (Really, a plantation?   "So we may remember" AND party down?!  Woo hoo.  /s)

 

Are they going to keep the challenges for the two groups separate for awhile?  Because the veterans were awesome when they immediately slammed into high gear for their prep work and the newbies were like a bunch of little Bambis slipping around on the ice, which is to be expected.

.

Edited December 2, 2016 by candall

[Wings]

I have trouble with the venue, too.  I don't like locations that have a narrow focus.  Texas was the worst in this respect so far and New Orleans was a close second.  I like to see the chefs show us their individual style and not limited to regional fare.  Watching them struggle making jambalaya, a boring dish, not knowing how and using a recipe provided was terrible. 

[AriAu]

Quote

That woman who thinks she's all that and a bag of chips, the one who told Padma and Tom to stop talking... can't remember her name, but I already can't stand her.

And she is the one we see whining in the previews, so holding out hope she makes a quick exit!

 

I enjoyed having the show back and it really wasn't bad for a first episode. Got to know everyone a little, got to see the dynamic of old hands vs newbies when Casey stole the bedroom and the way they did their prep, but wasn't over the top. I think it would be a good idea to keep them separate for a few episode so that the newbies can figure it out since ......

Quote

the veterans were awesome when they immediately slammed into high gear for their prep work and the newbies were like a bunch of little Bambis slipping around on the ice, which is to be expected.

Edited December 2, 2016 by AriAu

[hula-la]

The Canadian dollar is at $.75 vs. the US, and I'm assuming that's why we didn't get the full episode up here. They just randomly switched to another show right after the sudden death tasting. Thanks to Previously for the recap article, so I know what happened! Even though we didn't get the full episode, it's nice to have it back. I was surprisingly happy to see some of the returning chef's (not that I recognised all of them).

[Wings]

47 minutes ago, hula-la said:

The Canadian dollar is at $.75 vs. the US, and I'm assuming that's why we didn't get the full episode up here. They just randomly switched to another show right after the sudden death tasting. Thanks to Previously for the recap article, so I know what happened! Even though we didn't get the full episode, it's nice to have it back. I was surprisingly happy to see some of the returning chef's (not that I recognised all of them).

Can you watch it on their site ?

[spiderpig]

Wow - newbie Emily sure comes across as thoroughly obnoxious.  Is TC going to keep her around Hell's Kitchen-style just for dramatic value?

I wasn't happy about keeping Tesar around either.  Gerald made mistakes, but I'd much rather have watched him than Mr. Glasses.  And maybe I'm reaching here, but I thought it was strange to schedule this particular sudden death at a plantation where they made a point of driving past slave quarters.

That truffle stunt annoyed me.  Wasn't it supposed to be an oyster roast?  Not an oyster barely poached. 

There seems to be a different vibe this season, but we're only on Ep 1.

[meep.meep]

Watched it - wished they hadn't brought back Tesar, and like everyone else, can't remember who Amanda is.

But, the newbie who cooks for the governor of Alabama, is such a dead ringer for Bill Irwin that I expected him to start juggling or  recite Beckett.

[pbutler111]

I'm not a fan of the past chefs gimimck. Whenever this show has relied on some kind of gimmick (remember the season with Marcel when the producers decided to play heavy with the interpersonal chow chow?) it's been a boring, frustrating disaster. Frankly, I'd much rather see an entire crop of fresh faces than a bunch of people who've already had a shot (or more than one) at this competition. Save it for All Stars.

[chiaros]

I'm glad John Tesar made it through. He seems fairly measured on this episode, as edited and shown. I didn't see "Angry John" as the recapper of this episode called him, and I don't see a douche-bag as others here are calling him. The interview given by him linked to by cooksdelight on another thread is also informative in this regard.  He has been around the block many times, and has said elsewhere that he is aware many people (especially younger folks) think of him as a has-been and/or still think of him as the Most Hated Chef in Dallas, but has also explained in some sense his thoughts on why he speaks the way he does.

And yes, cheftestants have been allowed to bring several items of their own for many seasons now, as biakbiak mentioned above, so it was entirely legitimate for John Tesar to have a stash of black truffles. His choice to bring along.

Odd, the chef with the attitude - as seen so far in this 1st episode - Emily Hahn - might even remind one of a version of John Tesar when he was much younger, but that may be stretching it. Amongst other things, her dismissal of all the former cheftestants was, in a way, indicative of arrogance much more than ego (which almost all chefs have anyway). But perhaps the portrayal of her will change as the season progresses.

Ah, Shirley Chung even in this 1st episode appeared to demonstrate what I believe tenativelyyours alluded to, and which (in my interpretation) I agreed with – piling on with the "family tradition" stuff, the "family-comfort" stuff, the "oh-my-family-blahblah" stuff. This was her schtick in her original season, pandering to Tom C - and it just got too much quite quickly. She should show us what SHE can do - not what her family, traditions, grandmother, etc etc did. (one thinks back to what Tom C accused Hung Huynh of - in that relevant season - that he (Hung) didn't cook "with soul" (i.e. in a "Vietnamese" style) with Vietnamese-Familial-Cliches-Attached, like his heritage might suggest to Tom, that is, instead of in the French manner that he (Hung) CHOSE to train in)

Katsuji Tanabe still seems not to be able to edit himself.

Brooke Shield's Shrimp Scotch Egg did look very good. I thought Sylvia Barban did very well in a cool, collected way under the circumstances - I look forwards to her advancing for quite a way, hopefully.

Edited December 2, 2016 by chiaros

[easypeasy]

16 hours ago, Pickles said:

I already don't like Emily Hahn, one of the rookie chefs. Bad attitude.

+1 and bad eyebrows. 

I also couldn't remember who Amanda was, and now that I know she's from the D.C season....I still don't remember her. I think my brain blocked out anyone from that season that wasn't Tiffany, Angelo or Kevin. John is 58?! He looks great, especially when you factor in the past drug and alcohol abuse.

[ratgirlagogo]

5 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

 

To jog your memories about Amanda, she had what looked like a cold sore on her lip that steadily grew with each episode. It was a funny topic of conversation. And she's gained a good deal of weight also. Didn't have bangs before. I almost didn't recognize her.

 

Yes, she looks very different and I was having trouble placing her too.  What I remember best about her is that she's the one who made chicken in a wine (!) sauce as her contribution for the school lunch (!) challenge.

29 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

newbie Emily [Hahn] sure comes across as thoroughly obnoxious.

I have to wonder what questions she was being asked that elicited those responses.  Also why on earth she thought it was a good idea to talk so much shit before the show has even gotten off the launch pad.  Does anyone know if she's related to the famous journalist Emily Hahn?

Edited December 2, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[riverheightsnancy]

2 hours ago, Corgi-ears said:

Are you thinking Shirley was bullied? Might you be confusing her with Beverly Kim from Season 9?

Yeah! Make that two people from this show I thought were OTHER people! Time to have my cognitive abilities checked! lol Still love Shirley though. 

[savingsanta]

What's the point of having an All-Star season if there's apparently a revolving door for past contestants? I wish they'd either do another All-Stars or keep it strictly to new contestants. No Stefan/Josie/CJ, no Grayson inexplicably being plopped back in, and no half-and-half. It's so weird to me, and it makes the All-Stars season a little superfluous.