S17.E10: It's All Gravy

[Drogo]

The remaining all-stars head to the dining room to be greeted by Gordon and a camel, before diving into the infamous Blind Taste Test Challenge—during which they must decipher spices with the risk of being blasted by mashed potatoes and gravy. Later, during a special dinner service, the restaurant hosts a private charity event for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Shane's Inspiration. Each team must prepare a five-course meal for the guests, including Mindy Sterling and actor David Koechner.

[backformore]

A camel?  a canon shooting mashed potatoes at contestants? Gravy being dumped on their heads?  

And then Elise screaming at people. 

And yet Elise is still there. 

[galaxychaser]

Finally Barbie went home.  

[Rap541]

And now I see why Barbie probably wasn't the much put upon victim of her castmates in her original season.

I also suspect that there was just no way to justify keeping both the drama makers, as in whether Michelle was sabotaging (possible but they usually show the evidence) or not, the problem was that both Elise and Barbie completely wigged out and then Barbie continued to lose it.

Barbie's drama with Michelle didn't help - as I saw it, Michelle realized she was committed to two different tasks and ASKED if she could be let off. When Barbie pitched a fit, she didn't refuse to do the original job at all. She told Dana? that she would try to help but was on garnish. 

A guess? Someone from the blue team is doomed next week so Elise can hang around. Her constant rantings are boring.

[Mystery]

Aw, nuts. (Not necessarily to Barbie leaving, but to Elise staying). I'm stopping my Tivo from recording, but I'll be back to gratefully read the reactions of those of you who have the stomach to watch! 

[Eolivet]

I thought Ramsay would have at least wanted to hear from Michelle. I couldn't tell who the playback of the initial conversation was supposed to help. Drama makers or not, it was a little uncomfortable to watch the three white women nominate the two women of color, especially when arguments could've been made that one of those three could've gone up just as easily. Just ... not a good look, guys.

I still have absolutely no memory of Michelle in her original season. I remember literally everyone else that came back this year except her.

[mlp]

I remember Michelle vividly from her season because I thought she was a smug little snot then and now I think she's an older smug little snot who hasn't matured much.  Her nemesis Elise seems to be a better cook.

I don't think color had anything to do with the women's choices for possible elimination.  Everyone watching knows and could see that both Barbie and Elise have issues and no interest in team cohesion.  Personally, I would have picked Elise and Michelle.  I think Barbie could be managed if someone stopped bitching and shrieking long enough to deal with her sensibly.

[spiderpig]

So Elise escapes again times infinity.  There aren't enough punchable monitors in the world.  Who produces this mess anyway?  The same bunch responsible for The Walking Dead?

The blue team was just background noise for this fiasco.  Gordon, I love you - but you are trying my last nerve.

[justawatcher]

wouldn't it be amazing if next season they stunt casted the usual suspects and then he started the first episode by saying "I am tired of all the drama. You make my brand look bad. Therefore, behave in an un-head -chef fashion and you're gone. I will move forward someone who is professional and cohesive over someone who cooks well but is loud and obnoxious. I don't want you" and then watch all the divas' heads explode.

[cooksdelight]

Nice dream, @justawatcher. :). I agree that if Elise were gone, Barbie probably wouldn’t be so crazy. I think Elise pushes all of Barbie’s buttons and now Barbie is gone. I didn’t watch yet, I’m not sure I can based on what I’m reading here. I will be pissed at Ramsay for wasting an hour of my life.

[BusyOctober]

I think I would have preferred getting pummeled with the potato cannon vs. eating some of those mashed potato concoctions.  Vanilla?? In cookies, yes. Potatoes, abosolutely NO.  And I haaaaate dill and red pepper.  But I learned that olive oil is a spice apparently.  

This challenge always surprises me when most of these chain smoking chimney contestants get even one item correct.  How they can taste anything beyond ashes, tar and nicotine is a mystery.  

Does Elise have children?  I’m too lazy to look it up, but if she does, I hope Child Protective Services in her home town is watching.  What a disaster of a human being.  

[xcrayon2215x]

Barbie, Michelle and Elise create tons of drama but Barbie was worse at cooking so that was a good decision. I think a Nick vs Benjamin final would be great, both have been great. 

[Rap541]

Quote

But I learned that olive oil is a spice apparently.  

The blind taste test is about flavors, not spices, Black truffle and cheese aren't spices either. 

[preeya]

11 hours ago, Mystery said:

Aw, nuts. (Not necessarily to Barbie leaving, but to Elise staying). I'm stopping my Tivo from recording, but I'll be back to gratefully read the reactions of those of you who have the stomach to watch! 

 

This is also my exact sentiment. Not watching, just reading until the E-bitch is gone.

3 hours ago, justawatcher said:

wouldn't it be amazing if next season they stunt casted the usual suspects and then he started the first episode by saying "I am tired of all the drama. You make my brand look bad. Therefore, behave in an un-head -chef fashion and you're gone. I will move forward someone who is professional and cohesive over someone who cooks well but is loud and obnoxious. I don't want you" and then watch all the divas' heads explode.

Unfortunately, this will never happen. Common sense aside, RATINGS RULE!

[OlfinBedwere]

12 hours ago, Rap541 said:

And now I see why Barbie probably wasn't the much put upon victim of her castmates in her original season.

To be fair, she kinda was - the thing to remember about S10 was that, while Barbie could be a bitch, all the other women (bar Christina and Dana) were even worse than her in terms of both temperament and cooking skill, while the men's team was the biggest collection of stunningly incompetent morons ever put together on the show. So, while Barbie would have come across badly in any other season, circumstances conspired to make her one of the most popular contestants of that year.

[illdoc]

Notice how Elise managed to escape being pummeled with mashed potatoes & gravy.

[Uncle Benzene]

3 hours ago, Rap541 said:

The blind taste test is about flavors, not spices, Black truffle and cheese aren't spices either. 

But in introducing the challenge, Ramsay specifically stated "you'll be tasting various herbs and spices."

[Rap541]

Quote

 while Barbie could be a bitch, all the other women (bar Christina and Dana) were even worse than her in terms of both temperament and cooking skill, while the men's team was the biggest collection of stunningly incompetent morons ever put together on the show. So, while Barbie would have come across badly in any other season, circumstances conspired to make her one of the most popular contestants of that year.

I disagree but I appreciate the spirit of your argument :)

Barbie was dishing it out pretty hard in her original season and got a lot of free passes because all the women were white and deemed racist (this was back on TWOP) including Dana, and the eventual winner Christina. Now, I never got a racist whiff off Dana or Christina, or even Robyn (who was pretty much as she is now) and I will allow that the early outs contestants did have remarks that made me question the source of their animosity.... but Barbie was also pretty fucking obnoxious. In her season, I wasn't surprised that she was final five - she was one of the more competent chefs, but I also wasn't surprised that she didn't win... and in a season where all the chefs are reasonably competant, she left right about the time I suspected - long enough to provide dramatics, more talented than some of the folks who left earlier (better than Van, for example) but not good enough, in this batch, for final five.

Quote

But in introducing the challenge, Ramsay specifically stated "you'll be tasting various herbs and spices."

You can let Gordon know about his incorrect phrasing ;)

The blind taste test has always been about flavor recognition. Usually there's actual food items for the chefs to taste and mistake for potato or chicken. 

[Crucial]

I'm not a fan of Elise.  I think she is a good chef but not the best of team player but her and Barbie did get screwed a bit and that was by Michelle.   Michelle should have been the one to go.  She messed up Elise's dish starting from the sauce.  And then Michelle also did Barbie in when she lied about going to help Dana.  Both Elise and Barbie were team players with the other dishes.  I think Ramsey should have  brought Michelle down to call her out on what she did.  She lied. Now I honestly I hope the only one from the ladies side standing is Elise.  Not one of them would admit what Michelle did.  I hope the final winner is Milly or the other men standing.  Disgusted by the women on the red team.

[mlp]

Quote

wouldn't it be amazing if next season they stunt casted the usual suspects and then he started the first episode by saying "I am tired of all the drama. You make my brand look bad.

That will never happen because the whole point of this show is the "drama."  Gordon loves it, especially if it gives him the chance to wade in and add to it.  A good example came from this episode.  He assigned Barbie to take the lead and Elise horned in generating a screaming match right in the kitchen witnessed by the diners.  He was right there and could have put a stop to it instantly if he'd chosen to do so.  Instead, he waited until he felt there had been enough public drama then sent them both to the pantry where he could slam the door and yell in front of the conveniently placed camera.  

[spiderpig]

1 minute ago, mlp said:

That will never happen because the whole point of this show is the "drama."  Gordon loves it, especially if it gives him the chance to wade in and add to it.  A good example came from this episode.  He assigned Barbie to take the lead and Elise horned in generating a screaming match right in the kitchen witnessed by the diners.  He was right there and could have put a stop to it instantly if he'd chosen to do so.  Instead, he waited until he felt there had been enough public drama then sent them both to the pantry where he could slam the door and yell in front of the conveniently placed camera.  

Yeah, I hope Gordon is self-aware enough to pull it in before he irrevocably cheapens his brand.  The man really can cook and is an excellent instructor.  If any of you saw the British version of The F Word, where he raised two pigs with his family to show where food came from, and then was crestfallen when he and the kids had to say goodbye to Susanna and the other pig - well, I think Gordon evolved at that point regarding his respect for food sourcing.

I'm glad he brought Christina back as sous, as she gives some gravitas to his judgement when it comes to assessing culinary talent in the real world.  

Meanwhile, I am a sucker and await Elise's inevitable smackdown.  I feel like the scene in the movie Airplane! where the woman keeps going hysterical, and the other passengers are lined up with baseball bats and brass knuckles, waiting to beat the tar out of her.

[AZChristian]

4 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

Meanwhile, I am a sucker and await Elise's inevitable smackdown.  I feel like the scene in the movie Airplane! where the woman keeps going hysterical, and the other passengers are lined up with baseball bats and brass knuckles, waiting to beat the tar out of her.

I'll be right behind you in line.  What an incredibly annoying person she seems to be.

[rubinia]

29 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I'll be right behind you in line.  What an incredibly annoying person she seems to be.

She won’t get beat down. It’ll be the same as in her original season—she’ll make it to the end and just not be the winner. It won’t be a satisfying elimination for her.

[Rap541]

You really think? Like Barbie, I can see Elise, in her original season, making it to the final two or three, because she is a good chef and therefore better than the mass of cannon fodder, but this is a season where everyone is is a relatively good chef. I'd peg top five right now as Nick, Dana, Michelle, Heavy Chick Whose Name I Forget, and Millie. Elyse in comparison to all of them is a whiner who blames everyone but herself, and is also somewhat inconsistent. She might stay for a few more episodes - Robyn is similar, inconsistent, and not as provoking, and Bemjiman - nice enough guy, nice enough chef, but blah. She can be kept around because she's not totally useless in the kitchen, but skill wise, she hasn't been impressing enough to justify keeping her  for finale five, let alone final two.

[backformore]

3 hours ago, Uncle Benzene said:

But in introducing the challenge, Ramsay specifically stated "you'll be tasting various herbs and spices."

right.  And I think that was part of the reason they got some wrong - at least initially.  If I tasted something that was clearly olive oil, but someone told me it would be an herb or spice, I would be trying to figure out what flavor was in the olive oil. 

This show has become unnecessarily mean-spirited to me.  shooting mashed potatoes at people, dumping gravy on them, making them eat/drink disgusting concoctions - it just seems like bullying, and it's not entertaining at all. 

[preeya]

53 minutes ago, backformore said:

right.  And I think that was part of the reason they got some wrong - at least initially.  If I tasted something that was clearly olive oil, but someone told me it would be an herb or spice, I would be trying to figure out what flavor was in the olive oil. 

This show has become unnecessarily mean-spirited to me.  shooting mashed potatoes at people, dumping gravy on them, making them eat/drink disgusting concoctions - it just seems like bullying, and it's not entertaining at all. 

 

Definitely not entertaining. However, I wouldn't call it bullying, but more along the lines of being childish or infantile.

[preeya]

Although I didn't watch episode 10, I saw a clip of the upcoming episode 11. Can't believe that Jennifer is colluding with the E-bitch for something sinister.

[spiderpig]

6 minutes ago, preeya said:

Although I didn't watch episode 10, I saw a clip of the upcoming episode 11. Can't believe that Jennifer is colluding with the E-bitch for something sinister.

Yeesh.  I'm beginning to wonder if you could trust any of these characters not to spit in your food if you looked at them crosseyed.

[tunajune]

Although Gordon is forever talking about respecting the food source, he continues to have his cheftestants toss around fish for grins.  Now he is playing catch with overcooked protein in front of his supposedly much-valued charity diners.  And then there's the tremendous waste of shooting food at people as part of a game.  But that's his brand now-- especially on Masterchef Jr. where it regularly rains food and the judges are soaked in product by rowdy kids.

[cooksdelight]

Not to mention all the food that he deems unacceptable that he slams into the trash. Or onto the floor. I cringe every time I see that, remembering a time when I could barely afford to pay my rent and would make the rounds of the various apt complexes in my area who had happy hours with free food and beverages. Gordon needs to be taken down a notch.

[spiderpig]

1 hour ago, cooksdelight said:

Not to mention all the food that he deems unacceptable that he slams into the trash. Or onto the floor. I cringe every time I see that, remembering a time when I could barely afford to pay my rent and would make the rounds of the various apt complexes in my area who had happy hours with free food and beverages. Gordon needs to be taken down a notch.

Scallops and salmon used to be somewhat affordable here, but not anymore.  $25 a pound minimum?  At Costco!

[rubinia]

On 16/12/2017 at 3:51 PM, Rap541 said:

You really think? Like Barbie, I can see Elise, in her original season, making it to the final two or three, because she is a good chef and therefore better than the mass of cannon fodder, but this is a season where everyone is is a relatively good chef. I'd peg top five right now as Nick, Dana, Michelle, Heavy Chick Whose Name I Forget, and Millie. Elyse in comparison to all of them is a whiner who blames everyone but herself, and is also somewhat inconsistent. She might stay for a few more episodes - Robyn is similar, inconsistent, and not as provoking, and Bemjiman - nice enough guy, nice enough chef, but blah. She can be kept around because she's not totally useless in the kitchen, but skill wise, she hasn't been impressing enough to justify keeping her  for finale five, let alone final two.

Honestly I really can’t believe Robyn is still there either. But yeah, I just doubt that Elise is going to get any real comeuppance.

[NowVoyager]

I couldn't enjoy watching that beautiful Hawaiian-fusion meal because of Milly's gross dingle-dangle braid. It reminds me of something nasty... but, I don't want to think too much about exactly what.

The Red Team's palate sucks & their energy is just toxic. Notice how Robyn has blossomed since she went to Blue. I actually thought Elise made a good point: she cooked well for others, but didn't get the same in return. It kinda seemed unfair to get punished for somebody else's bad performance. I mostly remember the burned fish--- I think the bigger lady cooked those---& the burned hockey puck potatoes---I don't remember who cooked those. I feel like those 2 chefs should have gone up for elimination.

That passionfruit souffle looked amazing!

[Rap541]

I think the problem was that Elise made the assumption that they were sabotaging her and lost her shit and didn't recover, all while loudly insisting how she cooked good for them but "they" all shit the bed for her. Nothing happened in that service that seemed out of the ordinary, ie no one was noticeably sub par. I do give Gordon credit for catching when a normally cook chef is screwing up intentionally so I don't think there was intentional sabotage and Elise got way too loud and hostile... instead of actually dealing with the problem.

[Skycatcher]

On 12/16/2017 at 3:12 PM, spiderpig said:

Yeah, I hope Gordon is self-aware enough to pull it in before he irrevocably cheapens his brand.  

Too late

[Cocoabean]

After seeing some of these people's behavior on screen, who would want to hire them? I have to FF through Elise and Michelle. I don't needs to see all the screaming. Just let them cook. Elise calling foul before her course even started? Get a grip, and get off my TV!

[Katy M]

On ‎12‎/‎17‎/‎2017 at 7:42 AM, cooksdelight said:

Not to mention all the food that he deems unacceptable that he slams into the trash. Or onto the floor. I cringe every time I see that, remembering a time when I could barely afford to pay my rent and would make the rounds of the various apt complexes in my area who had happy hours with free food and beverages. Gordon needs to be taken down a notch.

So much food is thrown out at most restaurants.