S14.E01: Something Old, Something New

[spiderpig]

I was fiddling with Xfinity On Demand and couldn't get CC to activate.  But something I wondered about those dependent on CC - do those giant promo splats that cover the bottom quarter of the screen interfere with your viewing of the CC text?  It drives me crazy when I'm trying to read actual program visuals (like names and ingredients) and Real Housewives march across the screen and pose over what I'm trying to read.  It happens all the time on Bravo and Food Network.

[Lura]

Is Shirley the name of the long-haired Asian girl?  Something happened with her that I don't understand.  The moment she came out "onstage," I had the most immediate feeling of negativity toward her.  That's unlike me.  What season was she on, and did she do something to cause trouble or hard feelings?  Thanks to anyone who can help me by refreshing my memory.

[wallflower75]

On 12/2/2016 at 5:25 PM, Writing Wrongs said:

Did no one see Amanda taste her dish and then taste it again with the same spoon? Ew.

I did and I was like, "Ugh!!"  Weren't the judges in there to see that?

 

On 12/2/2016 at 9:27 PM, seltzer3 said:

Surprised no one remembers Amanda. She did some pretty ridiculous things on her season.

One episode the chefs (split into teams) had to serve healthy cafeteria food. Amanda decided it would be a good idea to braise chicken in brandy as a dish (so many lawsuits could happen if this happened in an actual high school). Was really surprised she didn't get eliminated for that. She was known to put everything in booze.

And her defense for doing it was, "Well, they weren't drinking it!"  Lovely.

2 hours ago, Lura said:

Is Shirley the name of the long-haired Asian girl?  Something happened with her that I don't understand.  The moment she came out "onstage," I had the most immediate feeling of negativity toward her.  That's unlike me.  What season was she on, and did she do something to cause trouble or hard feelings?  Thanks to anyone who can help me by refreshing my memory.

Shirley was on Top Chef: New Orleans--a season I've worked hard to put out of my memory thanks to the winner.  The main thing I remember about Shirley is that she was part of one of that season's more controversial moments--her team-of-three was on the chopping block.  The reason they were was due to one person's mistake, and everyone knew it.  That person (the eventual winner, Nicholas) had immunity, which meant that either Shirley or the other girl, Stephanie, would be going home.  The guest judge suggested that Nicholas should give up immunity because he was the reason they were there.  He wouldn't, and Stephanie went home.  Not sure if that helped you figure out the negativity, but maybe it'll jog your memory. :)

As for tonight's show, I really like Jim--he seems like such a sweetie, but he also seems like he's way in over his head.  I don't look for him to last long.  I knew Gerald was gone the minute he started talking about his family--that's the way it always seems to go.  Emily can pack her knives and go anytime, kthanks.  The other newbies, besides the girl who almost cried about being mocked for her panzanella, are a blur to me.  As for the returnees, I'm seriously conflicted about Katsuji.  There are moments when I find him funny--the bow ties, his asking if they were going to subtitle what he was saying again, and his comical adding up of the number of ingredients he was using all had me chuckling.  But then he tells Tesar to psych Gerald out, and I'm all, "Jerk."  So...I dunno.  We'll see.  I'm still not thrilled about Casey turning up again--shouldn't two chances be enough?  I was thrilled to see Sheldon and Brooke--I'm rooting for both of them.

And because I'm a total Civil War movie geek, my first reaction when I saw Boone Hall Plantation was, "Holy crap, that's Mont Royal!!"

[JunebugTx]

3 hours ago, wallflower75 said:

And because I'm a total Civil War movie geek, my first reaction when I saw Boone Hall Plantation was, "Holy crap, that's Mont Royal!!"

What?  I'm going to have to go back and look at that again.  

Love Jim, out of the newbies.  I always liked Shirley on her season, and I'm liking Brooke.  I don't remember Amanda or John from their seasons, but I'm from Dallas, so I know who John is.  

[Quilt Fairy]

On ‎12‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 3:40 PM, lizajane said:

I guess it was more important for FN Canada to have multiple 4 minute commercial breaks throughout the show. I re-recorded it to watch later and added an extra 15 minutes, but doesn't sound like that will help. They better get this straightened out before the next episode.

I can't speak for the Canadian broadcast, but here in the US, if an original episode goes over time, generally only the first re-airing later that same night keeps the extended time. After that, it's edited down to 1 hour.  

[spankydoll]

On ‎12‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 11:22 PM, Constantinople said:

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

She is very telegenic - they will bring her back infinity!

So happy that Richard Blaise isn't on this year.

On ‎12‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 0:03 AM, NowVoyager said:

Soo...

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

Shocking.

And he is making dishes that he made before at other people's restaurants Why other being on the show? It's supposed to be about skill, creativity and being quick on your feet.

[spiderpig]

40 minutes ago, spankydoll said:

And he is making dishes that he made before at other people's restaurants Why other being on the show? It's supposed to be about skill, creativity and being quick on your feet.

That whole issue bugged me.  I've been to the coastal Carolinas a couple of times and was warned that the heat and humidity could not only be stifling, but "keep indoors" weather for elderly and people with health issues.  Since the season doesn't appear to be shot in winter, the last thing I'd want at an outdoor oyster roast would be a dollop of oyster at the bottom of a pool of heavy cream. (SC locals, feel free to share your views.)  The truffle thing was a stunt, pure and simple.  I expect more of Top Chef.

(A celebrity pastry chef was knocked off in the first round of Chopped for using a special chocolate he brought along in his pocket.  I wasn't aware TC had a special allowance for personal ingredients.)

[Wings]

Of course chefs will prepare favorites in their restaurants and all things familiar. Rules do not state you have to make something you have never created previously, though that does happen frequently. Sometimes  the parameters of a challenge force that outcome.

The judges just want good food. Tom says that when chefs question  what they are looking for. Philip did that all the time!  

Makes sense that they are allowed to bring special items.  Stocking the pantry would be difficult otherwise.

[ratgirlagogo]

15 hours ago, spiderpig said:

do those giant promo splats that cover the bottom quarter of the screen interfere with your viewing of the CC text?  

No, but on this show especially we'll rewind and turn it off when they're showing dishes with descriptions and lists of ingredients, since the CC is generally at the bottom of the screen.  The CC just marches over the marching Housewives when those stupid popups appear.

[ratgirlagogo]

23 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Of course chefs will prepare favorites in their restaurants and all things familiar. Rules do not state you have to make something you have never created previously, though that does happen frequently. Sometimes  the parameters of a challenge force that outcome.

Yes, and they don't have to indicate on camera that they've prepared a dish they have on the menu at their own restaurant, for example.  Someone like Tom is likely to already know anyway that it's a standard dish for that chef or to recognize a dish made famous by somebody the cheftestant worked for.  

Also I don't remember when it was first stated on the show that chefs could bring some of their own ingredients but it's been for a while now.  I believe you can also bring your own recipe notebooks, but not printed cookbooks IIRC.

Edited December 4, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[DidISayThat]

On 12/2/2016 at 6:25 PM, Writing Wrongs said:

Did no one see Amanda taste her dish and then taste it again with the same spoon? Ew.

Yes you did!  Gross!

Edited December 4, 2016 by DidISayThat
spelling

[chiaros]

I think practically everyone on TC has made dishes from their restaurants at one time or another, including the Volt brothers I believe. So let's not go overboard on this issue.  John T stated that he wanted to prepare a dish that many of his customers had liked - the shrimp "grits" with faux kimchi - so it wasn't as if he imagined that flavor combination out of thin air, and in any case it was to his disadvantage that the judge with the white-rimmed glasses disliked it (see: Tesar's customers liked a version of it) rather than that it was inherently nasty.

As for John Tesar using truffles in his QF elimination - why not? He was, as was everyone else, allowed to bring along a few items and was free to use them as he saw fit.

[Wings]

24 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Yes, and they don't have to indicate on camera that they've prepared a dish they have on the menu at their own restaurant, for example.  Someone like Tom is likely to already know anyway that it's a standard dish for that chef or to recognize a dish made famous by somebody the cheftestant worked for.  

Also I don't remember when it was first stated on the show that chefs could bring some of their own ingredients but it's been for a while now.  I believe you can also bring your own recipe notebooks, but not printed cookbooks IIRC.

Yes you can bring recipes but not into the kitchen,  they stay back at hotel. I remember someone stealing an idea from Blais note book and the guy won a challenge making it plus praise for such a creative idea!  Blais was furious and rightfully so. It was very unique, not casual steal. It was a chicken oyster sered in an oyster she'll if memory  serves, and more involved than just that concept. 

[chiaros]

10 hours ago, Lura said:

Is Shirley the name of the long-haired Asian girl?  Something happened with her that I don't understand.  The moment she came out "onstage," I had the most immediate feeling of negativity toward her.  That's unlike me.  What season was she on, and did she do something to cause trouble or hard feelings?  Thanks to anyone who can help me by refreshing my memory.

I don't know what would be the trigger for your dislike of Shirley. (Yes, that Chinese woman with the long hair is Shirley) (It might be an idea to be more specific than using the term "Asian" which could refer to an Israeli or Pakistani or Turkmenistani or Burmese or Japanese or Javanese etc etc) (Even Anthony Bourdain, as an exception amongst Western/European-fixated chefs, has stated that "Asia is a Big Place")

However, for myself the the reason for my dislike of Shirley I have already commented on in this post and this post...

ETA: In Season 11 she was listed as 36 years old so now in 2016 she would be around 39 years old. I somewhat think that does not lead one to think of her as a "girl".

Edited December 4, 2016 by chiaros

[mauras]

I don't like the concept of bringing back past chefs, period. But I am grateful that at least I don't dislike all of this crew. I can't stand Sam or Casey and would really prefer to never see either of them again, but the rest I can live with. Brooke was an all-time favorite of mine until late in her season, when she started to seem a bit too entitled and snobby. I still like her okay and think she's an excellent chef. Sheldon is good too. Katsuji, Shirley, and Tesar are annoying, but not the worst possible candidates for returning chefs. I now remember Amanda thanks to the posters who mentioned the booze in kids' food incident, but I don't think I felt much one way or another in her season, so I have no feelings about her return. 

Seems like there's some good potential among the new chefs, too. Silvia Barban is semi-well-known in NYC, and I'll be rooting for her, but I'' also intrigued by Sylva and Jim. I liked Gerald right away--too bad he was the first to go.

And best of all, NO BLAIS! I don't love Graham Elliot, but I'll very, very happily take him over King Smug.

[rho]

2 hours ago, spiderpig said:

That whole issue bugged me.  I've been to the coastal Carolinas a couple of times and was warned that the heat and humidity could not only be stifling, but "keep indoors" weather for elderly and people with health issues.  Since the season doesn't appear to be shot in winter, the last thing I'd want at an outdoor oyster roast would be a dollop of oyster at the bottom of a pool of heavy cream. (SC locals, feel free to share your views.)  The truffle thing was a stunt, pure and simple.  I expect more of Top Chef.

(A celebrity pastry chef was knocked off in the first round of Chopped for using a special chocolate he brought along in his pocket.  I wasn't aware TC had a special allowance for personal ingredients.)

Yes so gross!! And not apropos for the location.

I know Colicchio will go to his grave claiming he doesn't allow Bravo to influence the eliminations, but this one was bullshit. They couldn't even come up with a decent reason to eliminate Gerald. Whereas Tesar served raw oysters, which is great with a drizzle of lime and cilantro, but doesn't quite vibe with hot creamy broth. I wanted to punch him every time he said "lightly poached" but I think that's part of why he's back. I doubt John Tesar is going to win but I'm sure they only kept him around because he makes for decent camera fodder. 

I remember during one of the other seasons, they were granted one copy of a cookbook to share before the challenge and someone mentioned it's a big deal because they aren't allowed to bring cookbooks. I don't remember exactly, but I think they can only bring paper and write down their own recipes from memory. Something similar happened on Project Runway a few years back. A contestant was eliminated for sneaking in pattern books, or at last that was the story...

[Calamity Jane]

On 12/3/2016 at 11:43 AM, Constantinople said:

To be fair, the judges do seem to like a lot of salt in their food.

The issue of salt, or "seasoning," as they usually refer to it, has bugged me for years.  Some people like a lot less salt than others, so it has always seemed to me that the reasonable thing to do is to aim at those who prefer less and let those who prefer more add it on their own at the table.  Obviously this is heavily frowned upon based on what I see on these competitions, but I think sometimes the chefs are wondering the same thing, based on their expressions when critiqued about the amount of salt in their dish.  Some other flavorings are a lot harder to add ex post facto, but salt is pretty simple.  There's also the issue that there are judges (mostly on other shows, to be fair) who seem to have burned out their taste buds and criticize as bland any dish that doesn't have a lot of "heat," as if heat is the only thing that puts flavor into food, but that's another whole problem.  

[spiderpig]

10 minutes ago, Calamity Jane said:

The issue of salt, or "seasoning," as they usually refer to it, has bugged me for years.  Some people like a lot less salt than others, so it has always seemed to me that the reasonable thing to do is to aim at those who prefer less and let those who prefer more add it on their own at the table.  Obviously this is heavily frowned upon based on what I see on these competitions, but I think sometimes the chefs are wondering the same thing, based on their expressions when critiqued about the amount of salt in their dish.  Some other flavorings are a lot harder to add ex post facto, but salt is pretty simple.  There's also the issue that there are judges (mostly on other shows, to be fair) who seem to have burned out their taste buds and criticize as bland any dish that doesn't have a lot of "heat," as if heat is the only thing that puts flavor into food, but that's another whole problem.  

Having had high blood pressure since school days, I've always been advised to watch salt intake. Maybe the thinking has changed recently, but like you I'm intrigued about the continual comments about lack of salt.  I've heard that since professional cooking is a high-stress job, many chefs smoke, which alters their taste buds. I always found this odd - that so many would take up a habit that would specifically diminish the palate they need for their chosen career.

Just repeating what I've heard.  As far as the salt thing - I never need to add salt to anything I eat out, and I can't remember seeing salt and pepper shakers when I've "dined" (cough) at a higher-end venue.  It's been a long time since I've seen a low-sodium option on any type of menu.  Maybe it's just out of fashion (buh-bye salt issues, hello gluten).

Any cardiologist out there?

[Lillybee]

2 hours ago, wings707 said:

Yes you can bring recipes but not into the kitchen,  they stay back at hotel. I remember someone stealing an idea from Blais note book and the guy won a challenge making it plus praise for such a creative idea!  Blais was furious and rightfully so. It was very unique, not casual steal. It was a chicken oyster sered in an oyster she'll if memory  serves, and more involved than just that concept. 

That chef was Mike Isabella.

[Wings]

I make a point to eat out in good highly aclaimed restaurants several times a year. I am sensitive to too much salt, I just don't like it. I have never had anything overly salted these restaurants. 

I ate at the Olive Garden for the first time last year, not my choice. The entree was so salty I didn't finish it!  That never happens in good restaurants!!  

I find that the big franchise restaurants over salt the food. 

Edited December 5, 2016 by wings707

[Sai]

I thought the plantation was beautiful.  I saw nothing wrong with them going there.  It's a tourist attraction.  Neither of the two competitors took offense with it.  As a matter of fact, the guy who got the boot sad it made him feel peaceful.

I thought this was a good episode.  I enjoyed it.  I'm glad the show is back.

[Christina]

Tom is addressing complaints about the location on his Twitter feed. Gerald responded on his feed, which he seems to have just created. I think John Tesar deleted his comment, and retweeted one of Gerald's instead, but had tweeted something about the history of the area.

The links go to the feeds since there are several tweets. 

[cooksdelight]

Regarding salt, I've found the people who want more salt are usually drinkers, and those who smoke.  Just my experience, doesn't mean it's set in stone.

When production picked the location of the elimination challenge, they had no idea who'd be competing, so I didn't think too much about Gerald or what he might think. It could well have been the crying girl and the one who's bitchy. Either of which would have been welcomed on my screen as being up for elimination.

But, on the flip side, they didn't go to a plantation when in New Orleans, that I remember. Plenty of them there as well, sugar cane being a big crop there.

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

I don't like the concept of bringing back past chefs, period

I'm curious why some are against bringing back former contestants to the competition. In sports athletes show up in the same competitions every year. Why would it be bad in a cooking competition but ok in sport?

[Colagirl]

Quote

ince the season doesn't appear to be shot in winter, the last thing I'd want at an outdoor oyster roast would be a dollop of oyster at the bottom of a pool of heavy cream. (SC locals, feel free to share your views.)

I think they shot this in May/June - the oyster roast thing actually bothered me because in SC people don't have oyster roasts in warm weather months (rule of thumb: only months with a letter 'R' in them). Guess they wanted to include oysters in some way, though.

[cooksdelight]

Oyster Festival in Urbanna, VA is always in November. Never mess with oysters in the summer, which is probably why Gerald had crabs in his.

[racked]

16 hours ago, Calamity Jane said:

The issue of salt, or "seasoning," as they usually refer to it, has bugged me for years.  Some people like a lot less salt than others, so it has always seemed to me that the reasonable thing to do is to aim at those who prefer less and let those who prefer more add it on their own at the table.  Obviously this is heavily frowned upon based on what I see on these competitions, but I think sometimes the chefs are wondering the same thing, based on their expressions when critiqued about the amount of salt in their dish.  Some other flavorings are a lot harder to add ex post facto, but salt is pretty simple.  There's also the issue that there are judges (mostly on other shows, to be fair) who seem to have burned out their taste buds and criticize as bland any dish that doesn't have a lot of "heat," as if heat is the only thing that puts flavor into food, but that's another whole problem.  

I love Tom C, but he's the worst offender of this. I wonder sometimes if the Cheftastants could prepare his plate specifically with more salt.  There's just no way to please everyone when it comes to something as subjective as salt. 

I was sad to see Gerald go, he seems like a really sweet guy and didn't need any sob story backstory to be likable. To see him lose to Tesar, who is one of my least favorite contestants of all time, ugh.  

[swanjun]

I was happy to see Brooke, Shirley, Sheldon, and Katsuji again. (I actually find Katsuji strangely attractive. Way more so than Sam.) But in lieu of the others, I'd have rather had Lizzie from S10, Nina from S11, and Doug and Gregory from S12. Maybe some of them were asked but didn't want to return. Or else producers aimed for a split between "has a genuine chance" and "provides drama."

[Charlesman]

On 12/1/2016 at 7:50 PM, Pickles said:

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

She reminds me of Sherlock's girlfriend with Aspergers on Elementary

[cpcathy]

I know this is shallow, but I hope I don't have to look at John for too much longer. I can't stand his bloated lips and crooked teeth.

[jaync]

Almost all women in the top, and two men in the bottom? Wow.

Quote

And best of all, NO BLAIS!

Can't be said enough.

More than a dozen seasons later, and Padma still takes my breath away when she first appears.

[lh25]

19 hours ago, rho said:

Whereas Tesar served raw oysters, which is great with a drizzle of lime and cilantro, but doesn't quite vibe with hot creamy broth. I wanted to punch him every time he said "lightly poached" but I think that's part of why he's back. I doubt John Tesar is going to win but I'm sure they only kept him around because he makes for decent camera fodder. 

I agree, the dish doesn't sound good at all to me, and didn't seem to fit the challenge of an oyster roast.  But he does give good sound bites.

[AriAu]

Quote

I agree, the dish doesn't sound good at all to me, and didn't seem to fit the challenge of an oyster roast.

It didn't sound good until he added the truffles! It looked like he got some of the smoke by heating it up over the open flame, but as usual, they did not give us enough info on how the dishes were prepared....but this time it was ok since I am not going to be cooking at an oyster roast any time soon>

[heatherchandler]

On ‎12‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 5:27 PM, Pickles said:

Didn't it look like a lot of the guys were dripping sweat into their dishes? Yuck.

It was disgusting.  I am sure it happens, I don't want to see it in HD.

 

On ‎12‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 3:51 PM, chiaros said:

I think various people have indicated they knew who Amanda is.

I think it is funny that most people on the board don't know who she is.  I don't either, so I thought I maybe missed her season but nope, I saw it.

 

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 10:08 AM, RemoteControlFreak said:

I don't find this weird.  It's facing history head on, including the worst parts of human history, and showing how far we've come (with still a big distance to go) in that a black man who might have been a slave there 200 years ago is now competing as an equal.   Obviously the full redemption story line would have him winning.

Only cringey thing was John awkwardly trying to equate his mother's experience as an activist in civil rights movement with the experience of slavery.

That was super awkward, the answer that he gave.  All of it put a bad taste in my mouth, no pun intended.

[Nancybeth]

They say you should only eat oysters in months with the letter R -- so if they were filming between May and August and using local oysters (i.e., from warmer water and not imported) they probably weren't the best. 

Sam was definitely a shit stirrer...it came to a head in part one of their finale in Hawaii when he spoke up for the group and accused Marcel of not cheating, exactly, but being a dick.  And hilariously, the judging panel was all, "Who the fuck cares, grow up," and eliminated Sam AND Elia, leaving Elan and Marcel in the final 2. 

[quiltdog]

I thought Crazy Emily looked familiar.  I just saw a Chopped rerun with her in it. She competed (and lost) with her ex-boyfriend.  She seemed a little nutty then too 

[chiaros]

Oysters poached in cream is a widely cooked dish. Including "barely poached" oysters whether in a cream-like sauce or served with one. Ditto oyster stew, which is usually made with cream or milk in it. As another example of shellfish in cream sauce, how about SE Asian curry mee or laksa lemak - in many variations - which add raw cockles into the bowl of food with the hot broth (which is thickened and flavored with coconut-milk/cream) just barely poaching it in the process.

ETA: Oh, Waterzooi, as another dish, also often puts in shellfish (like mussels) to "just cook through".

Edited December 6, 2016 by chiaros

[chiaros]

22 hours ago, wings707 said:

I make a point to eat out in good highly aclaimed restaurants several times a year. I am sensitive to too much salt, I just don't like it. I have never had anything overly salted these restaurants. 

I have. Including at top-tier restaurants (like Achatz's places, and other nationally-well-known chef places).

 

11 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

Regarding salt, I've found the people who want more salt are usually drinkers, and those who smoke.  Just my experience, doesn't mean it's set in stone.

Yes, we talked about this elsewhere and before also. Sous chefs who smoke (who often prepare the dish you are going to eat that night) has been something I have personally noticed. Drinking, I understand it is a serious issue in the industry but can't say I have personally observed a heavy-drinker chef/sous-chef prepare my dish. Here's an old article that talks about the need to salt food, yes, but also - at the end - talks about the gross oversalting of food by professional chefs.

 

6 hours ago, racked said:

I love Tom C, but he's the worst offender of this. I wonder sometimes if the Cheftastants could prepare his plate specifically with more salt.  There's just no way to please everyone when it comes to something as subjective as salt. 

This. He is a serial offender in the need-for-salt department. His fellow TC judges seem to share much of his salt requirements also. There have been many cheftestants who salted adequately according to THEIR taste and that of their clientele but who were faulted for "lack of seasoning" by Tom C. Kelly Liken, Nick Elmi are two who spring immediately to mind. Kelly Liken tried to compensate for Tom C's need for salt in some challenges (eg. the Power Lunch at that D.C. steakhouse) but ended up going over the line because she was so unaccustomed to throwing SO MUCH salt into her food when she normally made it and which her customers liked. Ditto Nick Elmi - whose customers have consistently reported in reviews that his food was perfectly seasoned for them, ditto food reviewers who visited his establishment. There have also been times on episodes of Top Chef when guest chefs eating the food at the same table as Tom C & Co. (but not judges for the "Judges Table") have murmured that their food was seasoned perfectly while Tom C & Co. (especially Padma Lakshmi) were complaining about how underseasoned they found the dish to be.

Even in the last season of Top Chef - in the last episode of Last Chance Kitchen when Amar Santana faced off against Carl Dooley, my distinct recollection is that Amar S, right after they plated their dishes, said to Carl D - "Watch this" - and tossed a big pinch of extra salt onto his dish before Tom C sampled them. Tom C blathered on about a few extra grains of salt being the difference, while Carl D (in a brief snippet shown during the INITIAL release of that episode) said, after sampling the dish afterwards, said "Wow, salty". Perhaps I am remembering it wrongly, but if my memory is correct it would serve to illustrate that Tom C needs a lot of salt in his food, AND that at least some of the cheftestants (perhaps from viewing TC over the years) knew this.

Edited December 5, 2016 by chiaros

[cooksdelight]

Did anyone notice the camera zooming in on Padma holding her stomach in one scene? She was wearing the dark reddish-colored dress. Is she pregnant?

[biakbiak]

40 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Did anyone notice the camera zooming in on Padma holding her stomach in one scene? She was wearing the dark reddish-colored dress. Is she pregnant?

This was her a week ago, I am guessing no.

[spiderpig]

Don't know about Padma's possible pregnancy.  That woman will look fabulous when she's 86, and she's 46 now.  But she said in her book she never took precautions because due to treatment for extensive endometriosis, she never thought she'd conceive. Result: daughter by the Dell guy.

It's four days post-episode, and the only dish I remember (other than the oyster thang) is the chicken innards from Jim.  I hope he stays around for awhile.  He's such a peppy, sunny little guy.

[chiaros]

Perhaps I am not the right demographic, but I don't see what is so great about that Padma woman. Oh, she's a nice looking woman and I can admire that but she doesn't do anything special for me and I find it, um, eyebrow-furrying when folks have meltdowns over her.

[innocuouspuff]

Tom defending the elimination on twitter (not enough oyster flavour, he says) and the plantation locale (they will address race stuff better later in the season, he says) has been interesting. I like how he's always ready to engage with anyone.

When the Italian chef said she wanted to be the first Italian Top Chef, did anyone else yell, oooh, burn! I think she's shading you, Fabio.

[TaraS1]

On 12/2/2016 at 11:44 PM, Nidratime said:

Not only do I not have any memory of her, I don't have any memory of a Washington D.C. season and I live here!!! How could I have that completely wiped from my memory? Wish there was some way to see previous seasons again.

I have seen every episode since S1 and I too have no recollection of a DC season or of Amanda.  Although, after some folks mentioned it here, I do have a vague memory of a chef putting alcohol in their high school cafeteria food dish.

I don't like Tesar, but I hated Katsuji yammering on and on to him about how he should mess with Gerald.  I liked Katsuji fine on his season (as far as I can remember) but I'm not down with that little nasty side to him.

I hope Casey goes home soon just because I too shall forever blame her for Carla's loss.

Didn't Padma have the hots for Sam on his season?  Seemed like she was pretty happy to see him this time around, too.

[AriAu]

Quote

I have seen every episode since S1 and I too have no recollection of a DC season or of Amanda.  Although, after some folks mentioned it here, I do have a vague memory of a chef putting alcohol in their high school cafeteria food dish.

It was overall pretty forgettable other than Pea puree-gate. The winner was a good guy who has run successful restaurants....and they went to Singapore where Angelo got sick. The funniest tidbit is that they had on a congressman to judge a quickfire where they had to cook dishes served on a toothpick since that did not violate ethics rules and that Congressman (Aaron Schock) resigned over, you guessed it, violating ethics rules, and just got indicted!

And I still have no real recollection of Amanda.

Edited December 6, 2016 by AriAu

[discoprincess]

On 12/4/2016 at 6:58 PM, rho said:

Yes so gross!! And not apropos for the location.

I know Colicchio will go to his grave claiming he doesn't allow Bravo to influence the eliminations, but this one was bullshit. They couldn't even come up with a decent reason to eliminate Gerald. Whereas Tesar served raw oysters, which is great with a drizzle of lime and cilantro, but doesn't quite vibe with hot creamy broth. I wanted to punch him every time he said "lightly poached" but I think that's part of why he's back. I doubt John Tesar is going to win but I'm sure they only kept him around because he makes for decent camera fodder. 

 

I liked seeing John Tesar back because he's fascinating. He's also a complete jackass, but an entertaining one. 

I laughed out loud once it turned out that Tesar was going to have to do a cook-off with Gerald. I remembered how petty he was about the pickles in his talking head during the cook-off during his original season.

On another note, I only vaguely remembered Brooke, and I know she was also from Tesar's original season.

14 hours ago, biakbiak said:

This was her a week ago, I am guessing no.

I saw her at a farmer's market a couple of months ago. She definitely did not look pregnant. 

Edited December 6, 2016 by discoprincess

[Giselle]

14 hours ago, chiaros said:

Perhaps I am not the right demographic, but I don't see what is so great about that Padma woman. Oh, she's a nice looking woman and I can admire that but she doesn't do anything special for me and I find it, um, eyebrow-furrying when folks have meltdowns over her.

Boyfriend doesn't care for Padma either but he is a fan of Gail's rear end. I was looking for the helium tank every time Tesar spoke. I don't think he will make it to the end. I'll raise a hand of agreement for the happiness some posters have over Richard Blaise's absence. He's too full of himself. I hope Bourdain isn't on this season. In my opinion he is another one resting on his laurels as his latest cookbook attests and his schtick is getting  old as he gets long in the tooth.

I didn't see anything inspiring about the elimination two dishes. They should have both been taken out. Cream of Truffle soup in an oyster roast competition, come on. Tesar's dish reminds me of a "vermouth waved over the glass" martini. Highlight the oysters man! Is he gonna pull out his bag o' truffles at every elimination?

[Tara Ariano]

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

Top Chef Puts Charleston In Charge

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

[cherrypj]

My favorite part of this episode (and I'll caution you that I only remember Sam and Casey) was the beginning, when the returning chefs were watching and commenting as the new chefs were cooking.

I loved that. I'd pay to watch a show, like Survivor, where past players comment on the current players. Give me the inside poop. Tell me what Tom/Padme (or Jeffy P.) really mean when they do or say whatever. Tell me what's going through your head, since it's likely that's what happening to the new folks. 

Sure, sure, there are podcasts that offer this sort of thing. But those are not (usually) transcribed. Nor are they in "real time." 

Edited December 7, 2016 by cherrypj

[MelinaBallerina]

I have Xfinity too, but had no issues with the CC.