Season 15 Last Chance Kitchen

[RealityCheck]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

Have to take issue with Tu's comment that you can't be a great chef and cook with crap.  Au contraire.  Anyone can cook beautiful food with deluxe ingredients.  It takes a truly great chef to elevate the not so deluxe into beautiful food.

Agreed. Tu should watch the scraps invention test on previous seasons of Masterchef, the Professionals.  It's a challenge but doable.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Have to take issue with Tu's comment that you can't be a great chef and cook with crap.  Au contraire.  Anyone can cook beautiful food with deluxe ingredients.  It takes a truly great chef to elevate the not so deluxe into beautiful food.

Thank you for this comment as it reminded me that I greatly appreciated how both Claudette and Brother responded to the challenge, not by trashing the less-than-optimal produce but instead by talking about how when you're struggling economically you figure out how to make it work with what you've got. I thought both of their reactions - rooted in their personal experiences - were really refreshing.

[dleighg]

16 minutes ago, hendersonrocks said:

Thank you for this comment as it reminded me that I greatly appreciated how both Claudette and Brother responded to the challenge, not by trashing the less-than-optimal produce but instead by talking about how when you're struggling economically you figure out how to make it work with what you've got. I thought both of their reactions - rooted in their personal experiences - were really refreshing.

I cook every night at home and it's often a matter of thinking of creative uses of the leftover veggies or whatever in a new way-- it's kind of a continuous process, one night leading to the next, leading to the next. I have the luxury of being retired so I can spend time thinking about this! I didn't use all the mushrooms, so what am I going to do with them, and I've got a quarter of a roasted chicken, etc. (I've always thought that if I ever did a food blog - which I'm not going to do - it would revolve around that continuous process thinking). I sometimes cringe at watching the chefs portion lovely little rectangles of fish or whatever. I know that's "restauranty" but I sure don't do that at home!

Edited January 27, 2018 by dleighg

[cooksdelight]

3 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Have to take issue with Tu's comment that you can't be a great chef and cook with crap.  Au contraire.  Anyone can cook beautiful food with deluxe ingredients.  It takes a truly great chef to elevate the not so deluxe into beautiful food.

I hope he never goes on Chopped. One gummy bear skull and he’d faint.

[raven]

19 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I hope he never goes on Chopped. One gummy bear skull and he’d faint.

Or leftover pizza and a half eaten hamburger!

2 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

I thought both of their reactions - rooted in their personal experiences - were really refreshing.

I liked this as well, how they were both like "I've got this".  I think the time constraint of LCK really forces people go with their first reaction, rather than brood on what they have to do. 

[April Bloodgate]

4 hours ago, Rammchick said:

Have to take issue with Tu's comment that you can't be a great chef and cook with crap.  Au contraire.  Anyone can cook beautiful food with deluxe ingredients.  It takes a truly great chef to elevate the not so deluxe into beautiful food.

I agree that a great chef can make poor ingredients into a gourmet meal, but I disagree that anyone can turn good ingredients into a good dish. I've seen some terrible cooks. If you don't have a basic understanding of what to do in a kitchen, you'll ruin great ingredients.

[Rammchick]

On 1/27/2018 at 5:34 PM, April Bloodgate said:

I agree that a great chef can make poor ingredients into a gourmet meal, but I disagree that anyone can turn good ingredients into a good dish. I've seen some terrible cooks. If you don't have a basic understanding of what to do in a kitchen, you'll ruin great ingredients.

I do agree with this.  If you can't cook, it doesn't matter the caliber of the ingredients, you'll still have a miserable outcome.  However, in the context of Tu's comment, which is what I originally responded to, he was talking about chefs with at least some measure of talent.  Or so I assumed.

I have a personal pet peeve about wasting food, so this challenge warmed my heart. 

[hendersonrocks]

Joe F. and Brother win the taco bar challenge; Fatima is sadly felled by a too large piece of steak.

I was rooting for Joe and Fati, and especially his “cute as fuck” Korean taco bar. Her Pakistani taco flavors sounded amazing and I love that she got to go out cooking what she loves.

[spiderpig]

There's an obvious bias toward keeping Brother.  Didn't Tom say Brother's approach was entirely traditional and Fatima's was unique with wonderful flavors?  But she sliced her steak too big.  Oh c'mon, Tom.

[Kaiju Ballet]

13 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

There's an obvious bias toward keeping Brother.

Brother looked downright murderous standing next to Tom. Joe and Fatima were lighthearted in comparison, and it was great to see a cheerful Tonya in the chefs gallery! Both Brother and Joe mentioned that Tom didn't eat all of the items offered, did Tom skip anything of Fatima's?

[LeighLeigh]

Quote

 

 

He skipped Fatima's avocado cream.

[dleighg]

I'm a bit behind so was watching Claudette and Brother's "bad veggies" episode. I'm sorry, but Claudette was cutting up a perfectly nice avocado, and black plantains are the way they are SUPPOSED to be. And what was wrong with Brother's leeks? I've never really seen them "go bad". Maybe the tops are limp, but you don't usually use the tops for anything but stocks. I mean, those veggies could have been much worse than they were and still be usable!

[holly4755]

the problem with the steak being too large was that when tom bit into it the steak flopped out and he had to eat a big steak without as much as the fixing. he didn't bite through the steak, that indicates tough to me. 

 

so why are two going on?  i missed that part of the explanation. 

[rho]

1 hour ago, holly4755 said:

the problem with the steak being too large was that when tom bit into it the steak flopped out and he had to eat a big steak without as much as the fixing. he didn't bite through the steak, that indicates tough to me. 

 

so why are two going on?  i missed that part of the explanation. 

Because this is Last Chance Kitchen and there are literally no rules.

[April Bloodgate]

On 2/1/2018 at 9:12 PM, hendersonrocks said:

Joe F. and Brother win the taco bar challenge; Fatima is sadly felled by a too large piece of steak.

I was rooting for Joe and Fati, and especially his “cute as fuck” Korean taco bar. Her Pakistani taco flavors sounded amazing and I love that she got to go out cooking what she loves.

I loved when he called it “cute as fuck”. I didn’t think much of Joe F. until these last two main episodes. Now I’m totally rooting for him in LCK. So bummed Fati didn’t move on with him.

Edited February 3, 2018 by April Bloodgate

[bobbobbob199]

My main issue with LCK is that there is no accountability...Tom C gets to pick whoever he wants. In this case, since Tom feels that he didn't have a say in Joe F's elimination, I feel like he actively wants Joe Flamm to come back. I wish there was varied judges each week..that way, I feel like the results would be very different, and there wouldn't be as many "streaks". I'm sorry, but it is extremely unlikely that chef A makes a better dish than chef B 8 times in a row. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by bobbobbob199

[cooksdelight]

I’ve always thought LCK was a rigged-up event so that Tom could have whichever chef was his favorite back in the game. And then go on to win.

[LeighLeigh]

Agreed. I believe that Joe F.'s front of house performance blew Tom away. Brother had a good run, but Tom wants Joe back in the competition. 

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I’ve always thought LCK was a rigged-up event so that Tom could have whichever chef was his favorite back in the game. And then go on to win.

That's only happened twice and both Kristen and Brooke extremely talented and I think on both seasons Tom preferred Sheldon. 

[cooksdelight]

I know it’s only happened twice, but I think that is always Tom’s wish.

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I know it’s only happened twice, but I think that is always Tom’s wish.

To me he seeemed to me to prefer Sheldon to both Brooke and Kristen so I don't agree that was his plan.

[LeighLeigh]

Was Sheldon in LCK in his original season? I don't remember him there in season 14.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, LeighLeigh said:

Was Sheldon in LCK in his original season? I don't remember him there in season 14.

No but the quote I was responding to was for his favorite to comeback from RW and than because they are his favorite win it all.

Edited February 4, 2018 by biakbiak

[Special K]

If they wanted to make LCK even appear to be fair, they'd bring in guests judges -- people that don't already have opinions about the contestants.

[LeighLeigh]

Sort of like the final round in Beat Bobby Flay?

[cooksdelight]

2 hours ago, Special K said:

If they wanted to make LCK even appear to be fair, they'd bring in guests judges -- people that don't already have opinions about the contestants.

That’s what I’ve been begging for since the first season of this Tom C. Circus.

[rho]

4 hours ago, Special K said:

If they wanted to make LCK even appear to be fair, they'd bring in guests judges -- people that don't already have opinions about the contestants.

They could have all the reject judges do a blind taste (or not blind, whatever stirs up drama)

[The Solution]

4 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

That’s what I’ve been begging for since the first season of this Tom C. Circus.

Tom Colicchio is why I continue to watch this show, even with a burning dumpster full of cheftestants like this season. I talk to my employees the way Tom talks to the cheftestants.

[Jextella]

On 1/12/2018 at 11:03 AM, chiaros said:

Even LCK seems to be in a state of "jumping the shark" whilst reinforcing the image of it being a reality teevee game show.

Sigh.

I was thinking the opposite the other day.   Once Top Chef introduced non-cooking competitive elements, it completely jumped the shark.  LCK is what the show used to be. 

 

49 minutes ago, The Solution said:

Tom Colicchio is why I continue to watch this show, even with a burning dumpster full of cheftestants like this season. I talk to my employees the way Tom talks to the cheftestants.

Agreed.  I don't know the man, of course, but Tom seems like a straight-shooter.  A firm, but overall good guy (famous last words, right?!)

My feeling is that he enjoys LCK because it is without stupid games that have nothing at all to do with cooking.  

[JES004]

5 hours ago, The Solution said:

Tom Colicchio is why I continue to watch this show, even with a burning dumpster full of cheftestants like this season. I talk to my employees the way Tom talks to the cheftestants.

Tom Colicchio and Gail are my reasons to watch.  The only contestant I can remember thinking he didn't get a fair shake was handsome Jeff from a few seasons ago (and maybe I am only remembering how vocal his fans were), but when I saw a montage of some of the dishes he prepared, I wasn't surprised he was knifed.  He sure was cute, though.

[cooksdelight]

This Jeff? He left his wife and hooked up with Janine, also from his season (I think)

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/2013/10/02/top-chef-takeover-jeff-mcinnis-lands-in-nyc

[Special K]

15 hours ago, Jextella said:

My feeling is that he enjoys LCK because it is without stupid games that have nothing at all to do with cooking.  

I actually enjoy watching LCK, sometimes more than the show itself.  I like the vibe, the focus on cooking, and the camaraderie between the contestants and the other (eliminated) chefs.  It feels like a party.  Tom is relaxed, everyone seems to be having fun.

Perhaps they could do it with a different prize, like a cash prize or something.  To avoid tainting or seeming to taint the outcome of the original show? Of course, that lowers the stakes, so maybe it wouldn't be as competitive.

[chiaros]

16 hours ago, Jextella said:

On 1/12/2018 at 12:03 PM, chiaros said:

Even LCK seems to be in a state of "jumping the shark" whilst reinforcing the image of it being a reality teevee game show.

Sigh.

 

I was thinking the opposite the other day.   Once Top Chef introduced non-cooking competitive elements, it completely jumped the shark.  LCK is what the show used to be. 

Perhaps.  But what I was thinking about when I made that comment was the gimmicks that LCK was bringing in at that point - the former cheftestants, the duking it out with the new cheftestant losers, the two-fers vs one-fers (somewhat capriciously), the piling-in of the surviving cheftestants of the current season to ogle (and I mean OGLE) LCK and the "shock value" squeezed out of it for all it's worth, the "suspense" for the **immediately returning cheftestant** ... then the suspension of and resumption of LCK in the season ("Will They? Won't They???")  I would call these things "non-cooking competitive elements", for that matter, IMHO.

The LCK sequences before this current season I agree would be much closer to the straight-up cook-offs that you say the show used to be. 

Edited February 7, 2018 by chiaros

[biakbiak]

8 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

This Jeff? He left his wife and hooked up with Janine, also from his season (I think)

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/2013/10/02/top-chef-takeover-jeff-mcinnis-lands-in-nyc

Different seasons, Jeff was on season 5 in New York, Janine was on season 11 in New Orleans.

[cooksdelight]

8 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Different seasons, Jeff was on season 5 in New York, Janine was on season 11 in New Orleans.

Thanks, I couldn’t remember and it wasn’t important enough for me to look up. :). I guess they found each other anyway!

[Blonde Gator]

Oh my, a twofer this week.

I am pulling for Joe Flamm.....I think his dish looked the best.  I hate it when we have to wait a week to see who actually wins, but I know who I'd have picked.   Should be a great finale!

Anyone have any idea why the finale is going to be in Telluride and not a destination farther away?  I suppose this finale took place immediately after the regular competition, which is not what they usually have done in the past...or am I mistaken? 

Anyway, excited, I think the finalists are all fine, not one that I'd be unhappy to see win, so it's all good!

[hendersonrocks]

I have a hunch Brother is the unanimous winner is based on the preview for next week’s episode, but maybe the magical elves are just fucking with me. I really want it to be Joe based on both personality and what I can see (but obviously not taste) of their food.

[LeighLeigh]

I thought that the finale will be in Aspen? (After passing through Telluride).

[Wings]

I am curious about the finale being in CO, too.  It is disappointing.  

[cooksdelight]

This show, among many others that have aligned themselves with people (in the past) who are now in the news for misconduct.... it’s hard to get advertisers to pay for the big budget destinations.

[rho]

Another fucking barley risotto! From now on, they should send them home just for thinking of it. 

[LeighLeigh]

Brother redeemed himself. 

He did help his competitor find something that they were looking for. If he was a genuine trickster, the LCK finale would be the time to look for an advantage.

I stand by the fact that editing hurt Brother's reputation in the battle against Tu. Bravo ran with it as headlines on their social media. I believe that they were manufacturing drama in an overly-friendly season.

It is my belief that Brother was robbed of the "We'll miss Brother, what a good dude" comments that we would have gotten in the stew room at the beginning of the episode after he was eliminated.

The drama of fake sabotage got Bravo clicks. Having the remaining chefs laud Brother's positive attributes wouldn't jive with the social media story being spread.

Last night, Brother got a decent edit highlighting his community work with troubled youth, his cooking skills, and his sportsmanship.

Hopefully, we can all let the negativity towards him go, and finally see Brother as a good man, a great chef, and a wonderful addition to this season's cast. Thank you. 

[limecoke]

Ok, they showed us two votes of the eliminated chefs and both were for Joe.  So either they gave it away or it's a giant fake-out and Brother wins.  I tend to think Tom favors putting Joe back in and he usually gets what he wants in LCK.  At least they let the other chefs and the guest guy have somewhat of a say in the outcome.  I hate waiting to find out.

I don't have a problem with Brother because I don't think he did anything wrong in his battle with Tu and wrap-gate was added for sorely needed drama.  Whatever.  He's certainly not the most heinous person to show up on Top Chef.  

Porridge???  Really??

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

This show, among many others that have aligned themselves with people (in the past) who are now in the news for misconduct.... it’s hard to get advertisers to pay for the big budget destinations.

The season was long in the can before those allegations so would have had no bearing on filming this season. 

[dleighg]

1 minute ago, limecoke said:

Porridge???  Really??

Don't they usually do a riff off of whatever the most recent auf'd chef screwed up? So I figure they did porridge because of Bruce's bad barley risotto.

[cooksdelight]

12 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

The season was long in the can before those allegations so would have had no bearing on filming this season. 

I’ve worked in advertising for many years. Once the news is out, sponsors started pulling ads before the episodes aired. The finale, as you and others have pointed out, is filmed after everything else is done, closer to “live” time.

[Blonde Gator]

14 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Don't they usually do a riff off of whatever the most recent auf'd chef screwed up? So I figure they did porridge because of Bruce's bad barley risotto.

That....and the Three Bears. 

What did Goldilocks eat?  (Remember one of the cheftestants asking Tom if he was going to put on a blonde wig for the judging?)

[biakbiak]

1 minute ago, cooksdelight said:

I’ve worked in advertising for many years. Once the news is out, sponsors started pulling ads before the episodes aired. The finale, as you and others have pointed out, is filmed after everything else is done, closer to “live” time.

That hasnt been the case for the last few seasons. Last year there was only a week between the main filming and going to Mexico amd the two seasons before that was only a month, which also would have been before allegations and no sponsors were acrually pulled from the John Besh epislde. I imagone this year there just wasnt a break because the clips are clearly from May/June.

[LeighLeigh]

Porridge redemption: The three bears cooked porridge on Harry Connick Jr.'s show recently.  They also cooked it at a James Beard House dinner. You can check Tyler or Bruce's Instagram for more details.

[marybennet]

Someone up above (maybe Limecoke?) said that they showed two votes from the eliminated chefs and both were for Joe, but I just watched, and the two votes I saw were Tanya's for Brother and Fatima's for Joe.  So the producers were teasing us, I think, in that time-honored way, developed on things like Survivor.