S14.E14: Comida Final

[JES004]

Brooke's reaction on the compliment to Shirley on the dessert dish - I think she felt she lost the competition.

I loved the necklace Shirley was wearing when she hugged her mom.  

I would have been happy with either one winning.

[riverheightsnancy]

This is a competition. Why, why, why should anyone have to share an individually selected item? This is not a common item for all (like salt). If the kitchen truly made a mistake, wouldn't the producers have rectified it? (they film everything, they can verify if Brooke ordered it or not). Wouldn't they have made the playing field even? I cannot believe that they wouldn't in a competition like this with the high stakes.  On Project Runway, if there is a mistake they announce it and rectify it to make it fair within the parameters of the challenge.  That is like telling the NE Patriots, to give the Atlanta Falcons 5 yards, just to be nice because the refs gave them a penalty. Why is it that women always are pressured to "be nice" and "play fair" in order to maintain that they are a good person?

[JES004]

Who knows, Brooke's short ribs could have been so good that she could have gotten the 'W' for that course.  Shirley didn't need it, and Brooke still had to cook it.  I had Pork Belly for the first time at Harold Dieterle's first restaurant.  It was one of the most delicious things I have had.  I have had it several times after.  None have come even close.  So, Brooke could have just as easily had a miss with the pork belly, as a win (or a tie, as it turned out).

If I was Shirley, I would do the same.  

Edited March 3, 2017 by JES004

[TomTraubertsBlue]

Well, Padma and Tom were right in front of her, so they could have and probably would have chimed in had Brooke been lying about ordering the pork belly.  I've yet to hear one example of Brooke feeling entitled to Shirley's protein.  She asked, and anyone would have given it to the other chef in that situation.  Nobody wants to win that way.

Maybe it's because I would have been annoyed at Shirley's non-stop loud talking too, but I agreed with her about that.  Still like Shirley, but that can get on one's nerves and Brooke doesn't control what gets aired.  Somebody also made a comment that she should have thanked Shirley in front of the judges.  We don't know that she didn't.  Probably a tenth of what is said at Judges Table actually gets shown.

Edited March 3, 2017 by TomTraubertsBlue

[Jamie Satyr]

55 minutes ago, riverheightsnancy said:

This is a competition. Why, why, why should anyone have to share an individually selected item? This is not a common item for all (like salt). If the kitchen truly made a mistake, wouldn't the producers have rectified it? (they film everything, they can verify if Brooke ordered it or not). Wouldn't they have made the playing field even? I cannot believe that they wouldn't in a competition like this with the high stakes.  On Project Runway, if there is a mistake they announce it and rectify it to make it fair within the parameters of the challenge.  That is like telling the NE Patriots, to give the Atlanta Falcons 5 yards, just to be nice because the refs gave them a penalty. Why is it that women always are pressured to "be nice" and "play fair" in order to maintain that they are a good person?

Its one of the reasons Season 3 winner Hung is one of the most hated chefs ever! He didn't help anyone with preparation or the clean-up! He was a total jerk which I think matters regardless of talent which he had! Season 6 the last time I liked all the chefs and thought deserving! ;-)

Edited March 3, 2017 by Jamie Satyr
Added a line!

[RealReality]

Wow, I'm just so shocked to hear about this totally unexpected win!

Please excuse me while I grab my smelling salts so I don't faint from the shock.

What, no eyeroll emoji?

[HunterHunted]

This has nothing to do with the food. TNT has been running the Hobbit movies nonstop. When I saw Brooke's dad, I immediately thought that he looked like a hobbit. 

I love pork belly. I made a porchetta for Christmas and I sometimes will make some char siu, portion it, and freeze it to toss it into half assed ramen, but I've also learned how to make a decent tonkotsu ramen broth. The broth takes so long to cook that I don't know that I would have attempted it if I were Shirley. Even in a pressure cooker, I still needed to cook it for longer than Shirley had to develop her flavors.

[breezy424]

Sorry but I don't think Brooke in any way had a sense of entitlement as Richard Blais.  For me, there was no comparison.  Have we seen Brooke on every cooking compilation out there since she was on TC?  Nope.

And sorry, there was no pettiness on Brooke's part about Shirley being loud.  I get it.  Shirley is 'loud'.  It's freakin annoying.  Especially when you can't hear yourself think.  I can't stand 'loud' people. 

Edited March 6, 2017 by breezy424
I meant competition. Auto correct in action....

[spiderpig]

Sheldon was conspicuously somber during his limited face-time.  Very unlike him.

I was annoyed by the pork belly thing.  However you didn't get it, you didn't get it.  Go to Plan B like you did with the cold soup when the seafood wasn't fresh enough.  You won that challenge.  Yeesh.

The best part of the show for me was how lovely Gail looked in red and Padma in white at JT.  They must have filmed in summer, and the weather must have been blisteringly hot.  When Padma first appeared in the off-the-shoulder lacy white confection I kept thinking how fresh and cool she looked.  Anyway, both women looked drop-dead gorgeous.

[Lemuria]

I disagree with the comments that if Brooke had ordered the pork belly and it wasn't delivered, the show would have rectified the situation.  I remember episodes where the chefs were cooking in odd locales--outside, on the beach etc--and someone's grill or oven didn't work right and it screwed things up for them.  I remember thinking, "Wait.  The show provided this equipment; the chefs didn't have any choice about using what they were assigned.  If something wasn't working right, that's on the show, not the chef.  They should give them a pass."  Yet, they never did.

So I have no trouble believing the show wouldn't have done anything to even things out if the order was not delivered correctly.  And as has been pointed out, you can mess up any dish.  Merely have the pork bellies did not guarantee Brooke a win.  She still had to make a dish the judges liked.

[threebluestars]

I wish they'd institute a rule that if you fail to get an ingredient, other contestants are NOT allowed to share with you.

I was cheering for Shirley. I think that AV Club article put into words what I've been feeling about Brooke the last few episodes especially. She just seemed to want to win to make up for last time. It seemed like it was about the win more than the food. 

[Jamie Satyr]

36 minutes ago, arieswriting said:

I wish they'd institute a rule that if you fail to get an ingredient, other contestants are NOT allowed to share with you.

I was cheering for Shirley. I think that AV Club article put into words what I've been feeling about Brooke the last few episodes especially. She just seemed to want to win to make up for last time. It seemed like it was about the win more than the food. 

She said she had a backup protein; short ribs or something! I don't know what all this grumbling is about! I remember back in season 2, Marcel's incompetent sous chefs (Sam/Michael) left a protein behind and he served his salad without it and it wound up being fine! ;-)

[windtrix]

Wow Brooke, pigtails for your WWHL appearance? Not a good look.

Not to mention the bolo tie necklace with the deep V top. Yikes!

Edited March 3, 2017 by windtrix
Edit

[biakbiak]

Shirley was really bad about choosing sous chefs. She choose Casey to mess with Brooke which makes no sense because Sheldon has proven he can get shit done even if not in charge and has a similar cooking style to Shirley and is BFF with Brooke and they have shown they work well together and she choose Katsuji because he was Mexican but did a completely Asian menu and had no difficulties in the market.

I straight up don't get the great pork belly controversy. The only "pressure" was when they were joking back and forth and Shirley got to inspect and evaluate her chosen protein and was happy with it, she got to execute her ideal version of the dish they were in separate kitchens so going to ask if she had decided wasn't pressure because they seemed to give Shirley enough time and still have time to actually cook it.

I love Brooke's mom saying freely the dessert was her weakest dish and Brooke's faux "whaaaat?"

[vb68]

Yay Brooke! I was thrilled she won. I was worried for awhile because I thought she got a really bad edit for the episode. I think the show's editing probably made more out of the pork belly than was really there in actuality, but they wanted the drama.

The food looked simply scrumptious, especially the oyster, octopus, and Shirley's dessert. I want to try that dessert. It was so visually interesting as well.

I wish Jim had been selected as a sous chef. I really came to like him.

Just for me, I think it's harsh to ding Brooke too hard for wanting to win. Of course she did. But that doesn't take away from her skills.   

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Jamie Satyr said:

She said she had a backup protein; short ribs or something! I don't know what all this grumbling is about! I remember back in season 2, Marcel's incompetent sous chefs (Sam/Michael) left a protein behind and he served his salad without it and it wound up being fine! ;-)

It was actual Marcel who left the protein behind and Sam despite his cleary not liking Marcel calmed him down when it was discovered, got him to focus and it was Sam who created the replacement dish that got praised.

Speaking of Sam, I loved that Brooke in her talking head she mentioned he wasn't just a good chef he was so positive then cut later to them cooking and Brooke being so annoyed by how loud Shirley was talking that she screams at her to be quieter Sam says "on the plus side at least we know every dish she is making," it was so quick and it instantly got Brooke to laugh and relax.

[Richness]

That had to be one of the most tense and awkward final two I have ever seen. Brooke came across as a grade A bitch throwing shade, attitude, and side eye around everywhere. And Shirley shouted to high heaven and back for the entire time, tried gaming the sous chefs, and had an instance of "51%" shade.  With that said, I can't argue with the actual outcome. Brooke's food seemed to be better 3 out of 4 times. And in the final tally, that means she wins. Congratulations!

 

I can only hope TC never does a mixed newbies and veterans season ever again. Either all newbies, or all veterans, but not both. I also hope the real Top Chef, Sheldon, goes far. I don't think I've ever heard Tom heap the kind of praise on someone like he did twice on Sheldon.

[biakbiak]

6 hours ago, rustyspigot said:

I'm shocked. As in not at all. Can I have your pork belly, Shirley? How long do I cook the octopus, Sheldon? Top Chef.

Brooke wasn't clueless about cooking octupus, she asked Sheldon how he long he cooked the octupus four days earlier in the Patron challenge because he had just recently served it to the judges to good reviews (She might have said a few but she was clearly asking him because he just made it and Sheldon basically acknowledged his octupus wasn't on point to her because he said she should cook it 2 minutes less). We don't know how long she cooked it for and clearly she did more than he said because she finished on the flat top, she picked her team and was asking for advice based on a recent experience.

[LennieBriscoe]

Too aggressive appetizer. No-flavor dessert. Angry crossed arms at praise for Shirley.

Still----In. Like. Flynn. 

Raise your hand if you still doubt. 

[Snarklepuss]

Re: the supposed Brooke win conspiracy theory: When Daniel Boulud prefers your dishes to your competitor over and over again it gets hard to justify any claim of Tom bias towards Brooke.   So this "she's not as talented as Shirley" stuff is just sour grapes, IMHO.

Re: the so-called Brooke entitlement:  Notice how suddenly Sheldon looks depressed and not at all like a "sweetheart".  No one, not even "Saint Sheldon" is above feeling slighted at almost having something in the bag, then having the rug pulled out from under them.   From the puss on Sheldon's face a case could be made that he is not the most gracious loser under those circumstances either.  I wonder how he would act if he were on another season.  He'd be all "I almost won twice so I really want to show the judges I deserve to win".  The thing is, I don't even think there's anything wrong with that, it's human nature, not entitlement!  So this Brooke entitlement stuff is again, just sour grapes, IMHO.

Re: the so-called Brooke smugness/attitude/whatever:  I don't see it at all.  I think this is based purely on superficial things like facial expression, which when you're dealing with an introvert, is not the best test of their true attitude, IMHO.   But then again like someone else said upthread, it seems like anything she does or says is blown out of proportion.  I see nothing wrong with her having confidence in herself, she deserves to.  I also think this attitude towards her might even be sexist because if any man acted like her he would be called a "sweetheart".  She never boasted or talked smack or strutted her stuff around like the cock of the walk - far from it.  In fact she often seemed unsure of herself (but of course that is also used against her by the sour grape inclined as evidence of her so-called inferiority, so she can't win IMO).

I agree with @Lemuria that the show would definitely not care if the reason the pork belly didn't show up was not Brooke's fault.  Their attitude has always been, "You're a professional chef, it's your responsibility to deal with it if the equipment doesn't work or food isn't delivered".   I also don't see anything wrong with her asking Shirley for some of hers.  She took a real risk doing that, but she had a plan B so so what?  That whole exchange was made into something more than it really was by the show if you ask me.

As far as Brooke asking Shirley to pipe down, I am sure that given how loud and annoying Shirley was and how she just wouldn't STFU, Brooke's reaction there was actually very kind under the circumstances.

As far as Shirley choosing Casey to mess with Brooke, just shows she's not above using her advantage to attempting some sabotage.  Although she did come through with the Pork Belly, which shows she has a limit to any sabotage she would attempt.

I thought it was very telling when one of the judges (Tom?) said that Shirley's back stories on her food were more impressive than the food itself in some cases.  I think Shirley learned that being able to package her food in the context of her umpteen thousand childhood memories gave her an advantage, so she went even further with it at the end.  I was actually happy when Brooke came back with a heartwarming story about her mother making her flan (my mother made me flan too).  I'm sorry but after several seasons of "Food Network Star" where all the contestants got the judges' sympathy by using every dead grandmother story in the book to win them over, I am just so over this tactic.

[LennieBriscoe]

Snarklepuss, IMO, "sour grapes" applies only to the loser with a stake in the outcome, not to people rooting for the loser (I, for one, would rather have been proven a poor prophet, but there you have it). 

And each dish had various judges.

Maybe Brooke got a pass for her flan because hey, MOM is a flan champ! ;-)

[Snarklepuss]

10 minutes ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Snarklepuss, IMO, "sour grapes" applies only to the loser with a stake in the outcome, not to people rooting for the loser (I, for one, would rather have been proven a poor prophet, but there you have it).

I meant that it was sour grapes based on one's favorite not being the winner, which I thought was OK usage.  I don't think they have to be the loser for the phrase to be applicable, or at least I've heard it used that way all my life even if not correct.  People often identify with their favorite so it can feel like they lost when their favorite loses.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Snarklepuss

[hkit]

I have no opinion, good or bad, on either Shirley or Brooke. So I feel I can offer this without bias - I did not see the "entitlement" others are claiming around the pork belly, but I think Brooke did become frustrated with Shirley. What I did see was Shirley being unsure, hence her "51%" comment, and Brooke just wanting to know where she stood so she could prepare. To be honest, the whole "if you win, you need to share the title with me" would have gotten eye rolls from me too. Either share or don't, but the multiple comments would have been grating. 

[cooksdelight]

7 hours ago, NowVoyager said:

Brooke didn't publicly acknowledge Shirley's generosity

Of course not. She'd never thank someone for helping her win, the judges might think more highly of Shirley in the process for her generousity. Shirley, don't ever give someone an ingredient in a competition for a title and a lot of money. I can understand why she did it, it's in her nature. Would Brooke have done the same? I highly doubt it.

Shirley's mom made me cry. Brooke's tattoos look gross on an otherwise attractive woman. And she is bowlegged as hell.

I know they can't comment, but I would pay money to find out what the new chefs thought about being flown to Mexico just to have dinner. Knowing one of them could have been the chef preparing the meal. That had to bite.

[Ellee]

I didn't get as excited when the TC was named this year....not because I'm a believer 'that the fix was in' but because I would be happy for either contestant to win. 

Sheldon was in a tough spot ... he was friends with both ladies so he couldn't be a cheerleader for either....I imagine his own disappointment in not being a finalist played a part in his 'seriousness' too but hey, this was serious for both ladies and I think he handled himself well.  

Am I remembering incorrectly?  I thought at the end they usually showed all cheftestants congratulating the finalists.  Would have liked to seen it  

Would have liked to see Sylva be one of the ones chosen.

Katsuji did himself no favors by staying 'in character' during the show

Off to read how others perceived the finals.  

[mwell345]

10 hours ago, whinewithwine said:

Shirley, keep the pork belly!

I was yelling "Keep the pork belly" at my TV.   Not that it would have made a difference - I still believe it was pre-ordained.  Tom, especially, was very obvious.

Maybe because she was balanced out by all of the other chefs, but until this episode, I never realized how much Brooke whined.   Good grief.  And she did act like  she deserved the pork belly.  Wonder if the roles had been reversed, what she would have done.

[dleighg]

And to make a comment about the piglets that has *nothing* to do with giving, or not giving the pork belly:  All I could think of was that Shirley served shanks to everyone. So I have this image of dozens of little piglet amputees left over.

[Keely]

I have no issues with Brooke's win. My only complaint about the finale is that, for the first time, I was completely torn on who to root for. I've liked both since their original seasons. Brooke has a flatter affect than some. I can see it how influences how she comes across, but to me, she's not anywhere near Blaise in terms of attitude or entitlement. While she mentioned her loss a lot, the producers also ask them such questions during the THs, iirc. 

The pork belly sharing is actually one of the things I absolutely loved about Top Chef Masters. Whether it was because the chefs were older, wiser or more confident in their abilities, there were multiple times when someone was missing X ingredient. Whatever the reason why, another chef simply handed the needed ingredient over without batting an eye - and sometimes without even glancing up. Withholding due to it being a competitor didn't seem to occur to them. It was refreshing as heck to see. 

[Straycat80]

I was ok with either of these ladies winning. So congratulations Brooke! 

[TomTraubertsBlue]

Cooksdelight, Brooke did give Sam credit for the garlic chips, and they only show a fraction of what is said at Judges Table, so we have no idea if Brooke acknowledged Shirley for giving her the pork belly.  I'm amazed that people still don't seem to understand that the editors are telling a story and they pick and choose what to show to fit that story.  They can make jerks look kind and vice versa by what they show, when, the music behind it, juxtaposition, etc.

[Rammchick]

Every time the camera cut to Shirley's mother, she had the same stiff, blank expression.  Nice that she was proud of her in the end.  Frankly, I think gaining that may have been more valuable to Shirley than winning Top Chef, so they're both winners.

[Primetimer]

On the finale of the show's best season yet, Shirley and Brooke go head-to-head one last time.

View the full article

[cooksdelight]

59 minutes ago, dleighg said:

And to make a comment about the piglets that has *nothing* to do with giving, or not giving the pork belly:  All I could think of was that Shirley served shanks to everyone. So I have this image of dozens of little piglet amputees left over.

I'm hoping that the resort used what was left for dinner in their restaurant or wherever.

36 minutes ago, TomTraubertsBlue said:

I'm amazed that people still don't seem to understand that the editors are telling a story and they pick and choose what to show to fit that story

I understand it. I know how reality TV works, believe me. :) I have friends who have appeared on shows and are amazed afterward at how they came off due to editing.

[Snarklepuss]

35 minutes ago, TomTraubertsBlue said:

 I'm amazed that people still don't seem to understand that the editors are telling a story and they pick and choose what to show to fit that story.  They can make jerks look kind and vice versa by what they show, when, the music behind it, juxtaposition, etc.

Speaking of stuff like that, didn't Brooke say she loved Sheldon and that he was like her little brother or something on one episode?  I thought to myself, "Gee, it would have been nice for the editing monkeys to give us some evidence of that".   I don't think they realize sometimes that the story they're telling is not accurate or flattering enough to certain contestants.  Despite Brooke being the winner they may have inadvertently not given her the best edit.  Still, you can't account for how people receive someone.  What I think looks like a nice person to someone else looks like a villain.

[xandermaus]

Yeah, Brooke did win 3 out of 4 dishes, but the one dish she didn't win was the one dish of the whole evening that truly bombed. I thought that might put Shirley over the top. Oh well. My dream finale was Shirley vs Sheldon.

[tvfanatic13]

I for one am very happy. For some reason, Shirley has always grated on me. I think that Brooke is a very talented chef, and was deserving of the title.

[racked]

I still like Brooke, though sadly I like her a little less than I did at the beginning of the season. I think people are seeing entitlement when it came to the pork belly because Brooke was laser focused on it and seemed frustrated that she had to wait for an answer, rather than grateful. So maybe ungrateful is the right word, because she wasn't particularly thankful about it.

But this show is different from other reality tv shows in that the contestants actually go back to their restaurants and have to work among other chefs and remain colleagues with the people they competed against.  It keeps them from being too much of an asshole (not always, obviously, S2 makes that clear). So of course Shirley was going to give the pork belly to Brooke if she didn't need it herself. 

I think foodwise the result was probably right, but Shirley's story was so lovely and emotional it was hard not to root for her. And Brooke making a bad dessert was shocking, she was always known for her great desserts! It would have been fun if they'd brought Kristen back as a judge for this episode.

[laprin]

I checked the WWHL thread, but can't find any announcement about Fan Favorite. Did they announce it yet?

[riverheightsnancy]

10 hours ago, Jamie Satyr said:

Its one of the reasons Season 3 winner Hung is one of the most hated chefs ever! He didn't help anyone with preparation or the clean-up! He was a total jerk which I think matters regardless of talent which he had! Season 6 the last time I liked all the chefs and thought deserving! ;-)

I actually love Hung. He is one of my favorite chefs from Top Chef and I will always remember his mise en place performance from that season. Even though Hung is hated, I can 100% understand a competitor not giving another competitor something to help them win. Doesn't mean that I wouldn't help, but for me, it is a more gender socialized norm and women seemed to be held to that standard more often (MMV).

[NowVoyager]

1 hour ago, laprin said:

I checked the WWHL thread, but can't find any announcement about Fan Favorite. Did they announce it yet?

Sheldon won Fan Favorite. Shirley was second.

[Lura]

Welcome to Depressionville.  My attempts to write a comment at the close of the show were unsuccessful, so I determined to wait until my thoughts were unscrambled.  At this point, everything I might have said has been said by better writers than I, a lucky break for the readers.

If the truth were known, this season has been a non-season for me.  You won't believe me, but the moment I saw Brooke's name on the line-up, I knew what the ending would be.  The remainder of the episodes were merely an exercise in watching how the show played out.  Mercifully, it finally played out, but it was to mixed reactions and unanswered questions.  Even Tom and Padma have lost their earlier charm and shared laughter and have begun taking the show as a major problem facing the world, second only to global warming.

Top Chef is my favorite show.  I hope that future seasons will reflect some of the enjoyment of past seasons.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Lura
clarification

[TomTraubertsBlue]

Spot on AriAu.

[Mrs. P.]

I was rooting for Brooke from the beginning, so I should have been happy with the outcome. However, I found myself during the finale hoping that Shirley would win, just to disprove the conspiracy theorists.  I'm not convinced that the fix was in for Brooke, but her win would have been more satisfying without that spectre hanging over her victory.

[HappyDancex2]

I can do without last chance kitchen now.

i guess the first time with Kristen coming back, it felt more "justified" because her exit was facilitated by the whole Josie incident.  She fell on her sword during restaurant wars for better or worse, but she didn't get out cooked.  So her coming back and winning had a different story arc.

brooke got legit eliminated as sometimes good chefs have bad days or the entire group cooks great and you are the worst of the best.  However since she was eliminated in a way solely determined by cooking, it just feels different to me.  It's not redemption.  It's not that I would not root for her but like the other returnees, she's been there before, made a ton of dishes in this format, she was the worst one on a given day...for her to be given yet another chance seems ridiculous.  She just happened to pick the right day to suck...Sheldon didn't get another pass at cooking fish and Shirley didn't get to rework her ramen!

[sourpickles]

I'm not mad at Brooke winning, but I have to agree with people who said the whole newbies/vets casting was mishandled and really left no surprises and should have been another All Stars season. Overall though, despite the editing attempts of John and Emily (at least!) to derail it, I've enjoyed this season most in a while. I'll be watching next season.

[Madding crowd]

I agree with those who thought Brooke seemed entitled. It was something with the way she she told Shirley "I need the pork belly because I want to win." Doesn't she think Shirley wants to win too? And then her commits to Shirley on how she wants to cook better than Shirley. Yes, of course they both want to cook better than the other. Since Shirley's pork shank was described in glowing terms and her dessert was the best dish of the meal (according to Padma), yet  I still knew Brooke would win, means something to me. I told my husband before they started cooking that Brooke would win and he was actually surprised. 

[politichick]

6 hours ago, hkit said:

I have no opinion, good or bad, on either Shirley or Brooke. So I feel I can offer this without bias - I did not see the "entitlement" others are claiming around the pork belly, but I think Brooke did become frustrated with Shirley. What I did see was Shirley being unsure, hence her "51%" comment, and Brooke just wanting to know where she stood so she could prepare. To be honest, the whole "if you win, you need to share the title with me" would have gotten eye rolls from me too. Either share or don't, but the multiple comments would have been grating. 

I think Shirley was just joking when she made those snide remarks because she made it clear in her talking head that if she didn't need to use the pork belly she would give it to Brooke and didn't want to win by withholding from another chef. It may be Brooke's resting bitch face that makes her seem entitled. Also, I don't recall her expressing any gratitude to Shirley for that pork belly either to Shirley or in a talking head. Did I miss something?

[cooksdelight]

2 minutes ago, politichick said:

I don't recall her expressing any gratitude to Shirley for that pork belly either to Shirley or in a talking head. Did I miss something?

I had mentioned this earlier, I didn't see her thank Shirley or give her kudos.... could have been left out. But Brooke sent Sheldon to ask about the pork belly, so she certainly didn't thank her during the process of getting it.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I didn't think that Sheldon had a sour puss but rather that now that he wasn't "on" competing, he was bearing down to get the job done. I also wonder if he was still having issues with his back, but that is strictly conjecture. 

When they were picking sous chefs, Mr. Snap said he was surprised that Sylva was not chosen, but I am guessing that the "vanilla snafu" may have kept Shirley from picking him. I think he's been a great team player and thought her choice of Katsuji was just weird. I know she said it was because he spoke Spanish, but I can't help but think that even more it was because he might have more familiarity with Asian-inspired dishes.

I guess my theory that Brooke had an awful childhood (based on her apparent refusal to use "happy childhood memories" for a challenge and not to even be called out on it) was somewhat disproven by the presence of her parents there.

And count me in as having gotten visibly teary when Shirley's mom told her she was proud. That was right out of a movie. And HOW OLD IS HER MOM AND HER SISTER or did they just win the genetic pool? Also-also, still think Jimmy is the cutest thing ever ... hoping they can indeed start a family now (hoping Shirley is younger than she looks). 

[Ellee]

Another Brooke post ......

Instead of Brooke being likened to all these negative things.....isn't it possible that she was protecting herself from being hurt again? 

It would explain the 'I shouldn't have come back' (loosely said as I don't remember the exact words'.  It would explain Gail's comment when Brooke cried when eliminated about not interpreting it as weakness. 

Let the woman enjoy her success for a moment.