Top Chef in the Media

[dleighg]

I wonder if they'll get blowback given recent events in Texas. As for me, I just get flashbacks of that absolutely horrific Texas season for all sorts of reasons (ice block hacking, all night BBQing among them)

[CrazyInAlabama]

I really dislike they chose Houston for the next season.     Not only is it a large Covid area, but all of the other issues.   Plus, did anyone notice the awful weather over the past few years?    Houston has had repeated flooding, of massive amounts.       

If it wasn't for the guest judges from past seasons, I might not have thought about watching it. 

The Texas season was not my favorite for a lot of reasons, especially how they ignored bullying. 

Edited September 22, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[tv echo]

I'm glad that Top Chef didn't win any Emmys this year for its Season 18...
https://www.emmys.com/shows/top-chef 

It had been nominated for the following Emmys:

• Outstanding Competition Program - 2021*
• Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Competition Program - 2021*
• Outstanding Casting For A Reality Program - 2021*
• Outstanding Directing For A Reality Program - 2021*
• Outstanding Picture Editing For A Structured Reality Or Competition Program - 2021*

(* Won by RuPaul's Drag Race)

Edited September 22, 2021 by tv echo

[whinewithwine]

Just saw in the local paper that they are filming today in Houston.  The weather is glorious.  I live just north of Houston, and I really hated the Texas season.  It was the hottest summer in many years, and they avoided going anywhere near the coast.  It's not like we eat chili/barbeque every meal.

 

[dabbrusc]

Another Houstonian here. Please don't judge us for what's going on in the rest of the state. The city (and the whole county) is very blue, very diverse, and the reason why our governor is passing a lot of the backwards laws he is.

I'll be annoyed if it's all BBQ, cowboy hats, and horses.

[CrazyInAlabama]

According to this article, Gabe did not appear at the Apen Food and Wine festival, do any of the post win interviews, and has disappeared from all of the Top Chef websites.    

https://houston.eater.com/2021/9/22/22686426/top-chef-houston-gabe-erales-controversy

Padma put out a statement about starting filming, and is justifying shooting in Texas by saying that Houston isn't like the rest of the state.   

Edited September 24, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Msample]

In the list of guest judges for next season, no mention of Richard Blaise….thank god. Did see Hung Hyunh, who I look forward to seeing….maybe he’ll break down some chickens?

[CrazyInAlabama]

I'm hoping Hung does another homage to cheetos (or was it cereal ?). 

[Msample]

Hunt’s Smurf village:

 

 

[Vermicious Knid]

Disappointed in Padma. It's all very 'hate the sin but not the sinner.' Or in this case, hate the state but not the city. No, you are not absolved.

[Vermicious Knid]

Padma was on Watch What Happens Live, which is the only reason I watched it, and said they've finished filming except for the finale, and it's Voltaggio Brothers good.

[Quilt Fairy]

From the Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/padma-lakshmi-has-a-plan-to-de-tucker-carlson-america?ref=scroll

It's mostly about her show on Hulu, Taste the Nation, but also included this:
 

Quote

The announcement that the next season of Top Chef would take place in Houston—following a revelatory season 18 in Portland, Oregon, that tackled the impact of COVID-19, wildfires, and systemic racism on the food industry—coincided with the passage of Texas’ near-total abortion ban. And fans were not happy, practically begging the progressive show to pull out of the regressive state.

“I can tell you that we had made preparations to go to Houston long before there was any inkling of this law coming to be in Texas,” Lakshmi tells me. “And there are all kinds of different moving parts that go into where we’re going to shoot a season. It’s not up to me, to be frank. It’s up to my network and a bunch of logistics and budgetary concerns that I, frankly, am not even completely privy to.”

By the time the reality of the law became public, she says that pulling out of the state was no longer a viable solution. “We were hit with this surprise law, just like everybody else in Texas, so there was little to do,” she adds. “But there are so many complicated issues both in Texas and all over the country, about women’s autonomy over their bodies, voting rights and all sorts of things that, to politicize where we go for Top Chef, I think would be impossible because then where do you stop?”

 

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by Quilt Fairy

[stewedsquash]

Lol sigh Padma is tiresome already (again). 

[Msample]

Blaise has turned up on Gordon Ramsay’s NEXT LEVEL CHEF as a cohost, so maybe we’ll be spared his pompous ass for TC Houston.

[Rai]

Hope springs eternal!

[dleighg]

Lots of Top Chef alums in this upcoming series. BTW, does anyone know when Top Chef is going to be on the air this season?

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/shows/guy-fieri-tournament-of-champions-season-3

[LizDC]

 

[hula-la]

On 1/19/2022 at 10:26 AM, dleighg said:

Lots of Top Chef alums in this upcoming series. BTW, does anyone know when Top Chef is going to be on the air this season?

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/shows/guy-fieri-tournament-of-champions-season-3

Response is given above me. I need to learn how to read...

Edited January 26, 2022 by hula-la

[Yeah No]

Just an FYI, Eric Adjepong is hosting a series on FN with Alex Guarnaschelli entitled "Alex vs. America".

https://hollywoodmask.com/p/alex-vs-america-eric-adjepong.html

[Vermicious Knid]

Stephanie Izard expands her empire with a second location for Cabra in Los Angeles.

[Michichick]

Does anyone know if the upcoming season of Top Chef will stream concurrently anywhere? I canceled cable recently but would be willing to sign up for a streaming service if Hulu or someplace will be running the episodes shortly after they air on Bravo.

[emmawoodhouse]

7 hours ago, Michichick said:

Does anyone know if the upcoming season of Top Chef will stream concurrently anywhere? I canceled cable recently but would be willing to sign up for a streaming service if Hulu or someplace will be running the episodes shortly after they air on Bravo.

You'd probably have to go with Peacock which covers the NBC/Universal shows, which includes Bravo. They stream the day after airing on TV. 

[Michichick]

1 hour ago, emmawoodhouse said:

You'd probably have to go with Peacock which covers the NBC/Universal shows, which includes Bravo. They stream the day after airing on TV. 

Thank you! I have Peacock Premium because I get it for free with Comcast internet, so I hope they’ll have it. 

Not sure if they will have the new season of Top Chef, though. Peacock just added last season’s Top Chef to their platform the other day, they didn’t have it the day after last season. Peacock seems limited in which Bravo shows they keep current on, e.g. they air Below Deck and Project Runway the next day, but not Housewives or Million Dollar Listing.

[Lamb18]

21 hours ago, Michichick said:

Does anyone know if the upcoming season of Top Chef will stream concurrently anywhere? I canceled cable recently but would be willing to sign up for a streaming service if Hulu or someplace will be running the episodes shortly after they air on Bravo.

I always ended up buying the season from Amazon because Hulu didn't stream it and Bravo was erratic about posting episodes. Last year Amazon didn't even have the season for sale, but I saw it was on Sling and Fubo. I ended up getting Fubo and I can watch it when it airs.

[rhofmovalley]

I love the diversity of the chefs who will be competing. Plus a couple are from my area so it will be fun to see how well they'll do.

Not a fan of Texas overall but I certainly do not believe all Texans are exactly the same. They're as different there as anywhere else. It's just that the media is currently focusing on the asshat governor and his attempts to restrict all sorts of constitutionally protected rights. But again, he does not represent every single Texan.

Excited for the new season!

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'm so excited too.  It feels like the last season just ended.  I'm so happy.

[Gracie123]

Other than Padma, have any other judges (Tom, Gail, season judges), said anything about the "Gabe" situation?

[TakomaSnark]

23 hours ago, Gracie123 said:

Other than Padma, have any other judges (Tom, Gail, season judges), said anything about the "Gabe" situation?

Not. A. Peep.

[Vermicious Knid]

Funny you should mention this. Whatever happened to Gabe Erales the sex pest who won Top Chef season 18?
 

Quote

 

Season 19 of Top Chef premieres tomorrow, which is great news because I love to see those little James Beard award nominees whip up their veloutés and espumas. However, Top Chef is in a weird place, with a very large unresolved issue: last season’s winner was revealed as a sex pest, and Bravo has never acknowledged it....

So what happened after all this came out? Bravo handled this imbroglio terribly by basically not addressing it at all.

Okay. As far as I can tell, no investigation has happened. Nothing from judge/mentor Tom Colicchio or judge Gail Simmons. Bravo has declined comment to media inquiries. Gabe has not posted on Instagram since September. Last July, he issued an Instagram apology and then deleted it. He has not done any press for Top Chef...

Reality TV is not real life, but Top Chef is a microcosm of the food industry, which is rife with sexual assault and harassment. In some ways, it can only be expected. But still, they didn’t have to crown Gabe Top Chef, and at the very least could have handled the situation with some urgency and respect for the show’s female contestants. What a shame.

 

 

[EllaWycliffe]

48 minutes ago, Vermicious Knid said:

But still, they didn’t have to crown Gabe Top Chef, and at the very least could have handled the situation with some urgency and respect for the show’s female contestants.

I respect the feeling behind this comment (and I don't know why it says Vermicious Knid said it, I was quoting the article) but I have to ask... How were they supposed to NOT crown Gabe? Wasn't the show filmed before the situation at his workplace was discovered? Like, I don't want to downplay harassment but Gabe isn't under arrest and dumping the entire filmed season seems a bit much.

And I hate the prick and have absolutely no doubt that he's guilty of harassing a female coworker, and have no real problem with Top Chef bluntly stating "we didn't know he was a prick and now we regret this and we'll screen better in the future" but I don't see how simply dumping the entire season is fair to the other contestants... even though they lost.

[Vermicious Knid]

You didn't read the full article, because she explains why they didn't have to pick Gabe.

[EllaWycliffe]

I did read the full article. I don't see how they could have legally started an investigation against him and denied him the win based on behavior that occurred in a different work place, without facing a massive lawsuit in retaliation. If there was even a hint of bad behavior with Top Chef contestants that would be different.

They *should* vet the candidates better and across the board I think there's an atmosphere of men being assholes in the chef industry - but I can't see how Top Chef could have tossed Gabe for something that came out after filming was complete. 

[Rai]

I'm reminded of the season of Drag Race, which had a sex pest in the cast, and who made the top four. However, that show does have a few tools in place to work around a set winner being crowned, so that they can pivot. They ended up editing out the offender as much as possible, although it was hard to ignore just how talented they were when they were on camera. However, although they did place in the finale, the finale was done live, and only three queens competed for the crown (over zoom) then. It was a no-win situation in a lot of ways, and somehow, they really pulled it off.

Given all the circumstances under which the last season of Top Chef was filmed, I doubt they could've made that pivot, but perhaps the production crew should take a look at Drag Race and make some assessments about how to handle this crisis in the future.

[TakomaSnark]

11 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I respect the feeling behind this comment (and I don't know why it says Vermicious Knid said it, I was quoting the article) but I have to ask... How were they supposed to NOT crown Gabe? Wasn't the show filmed before the situation at his workplace was discovered? Like, I don't want to downplay harassment but Gabe isn't under arrest and dumping the entire filmed season seems a bit much.

And I hate the prick and have absolutely no doubt that he's guilty of harassing a female coworker, and have no real problem with Top Chef bluntly stating "we didn't know he was a prick and now we regret this and we'll screen better in the future" but I don't see how simply dumping the entire season is fair to the other contestants... even though they lost.

Since he was fired after filming but before the season began airing, Bravo should have run the season as-is and then - presuming they have a win-invalidating morals clause, which I can't believe they don't - in the finale, acknowledged his win. And then said the win was being rescinded because of personal behavior that came to their attention after production wrapped up, that could not be tolerated either as representative of Bravo or more importantly, of Top Chef. There is no way they were not aware in December 2020 that their upcoming newest winner was fired and all the bad press about him.

Then give Dawn and Shota a special one-hour cook-off, or let them split the title as runners-up.

[EllaWycliffe]

That works but I still see it leaving them getting sued depending on the nature of the morals clause. I can see a morals clause protecting them if the action took place on the show or if he was arrested for a criminal act after filming.... but he was fired from a job not related to the show production.

Please don't get me wrong. He's an asshole and doesn't deserve the win or any further success, I just can't see how Top Chef is on the hook for aiding and abetting when there's nothing they can do that doesn't open up a whole new can of worms.

[TakomaSnark]

Ah, look what popped up today:

Tom Colicchio Talks ‘Top Chef’ Houston and Harassment Allegations Against Winner Gabe Erales (thedailybeast.com)

Quote

Given that it has become this kinder environment in some ways, on the flip side of that, last season was tainted a bit by everything that came out afterwards about the winner, Gabe Erales, and the allegations against him. I know Padma [Lakshmi] addressed it a bit on Twitter, I don’t believe you have. And since you you’ve spoken out against sexual harassment in the industry before, I just wanted to know, how did you feel when you found out about his alleged behavior?

Well, I mean, you know, it’s in the past. But I’m not sure what we’re talking about because nothing’s really come out.

The story was about a relationship with someone who worked for him who was subsequently fired. And I think that was what people were pointing to as concerning.

Yeah. But I think what happens is, you know, something comes out and sexual harassment is talked about—this certainly didn’t rise to the occasion of some of the other chefs, some of the stuff that they were doing or allegations of rape and things like that. So I’m not saying any of it’s acceptable, but also, we never once heard from the woman who he had an affair with and it was a consensual affair.

Did it have any effect on the vetting process for the chefs on the show moving forward after that?

I’m not involved in the vetting process, so I’m not sure, but I’m sure it did. It’s a pretty lengthy process and there’s all kinds of evaluations that are done. And when we were aware of it, it was after the fact, so there wasn’t a whole lot we could do.

Of course. That’s why I'm asking whether it had an effect moving forward, but if you’re not involved in that part of the process, then I understand.

No, I’m not involved in that. But I think, the first season aside—we had some real difficulties with one of the contestants—after the first season they got much more strict. So we vet people very, very closely. So it’s unfortunate that allegations like this were made, because [Gabe] is a very talented chef and he won his season. You can’t take that away from him. And I’ll just say one more thing. You asked me if I spoke out against it. My wife worked for me and she was a server in a restaurant that I worked at. So we had a consensual relationship, we fell in love and got married. That said, personally, in my company, we have a non-fraternization policy. So when these allegations were made and we found out that Gabe was let go, my assumption was that the company he worked for had a non-fraternization policy. Originally, we were told he “broke policy.” What the hell does that mean? That’s all we were told.

It was very vague at first.

Until the day of our finale, then it was called sexual harassment. Prior to that, we were told he was fired for breaking violations, for breaking policy. That could be anything. So really, I have nothing to say, because a lot of it was just rumor and innuendo. I mean, he got fired. That’s between him and his boss, really.

Wow, my impression of Tom just went into the shitter. For years, he's stood as the authority on what it means to be a Top Chef and then this happens and he's as dodgy as all get out.

[Darian]

27 minutes ago, TakomaSnark said:

Ah, look what popped up today:

Tom Colicchio Talks ‘Top Chef’ Houston and Harassment Allegations Against Winner Gabe Erales (thedailybeast.com)

Wow, my impression of Tom just went into the shitter. For years, he's stood as the authority on what it means to be a Top Chef and then this happens and he's as dodgy as all get out.

"So it’s unfortunate that allegations like this were made, because [Gabe] is a very talented chef and he won his season."

Oh, yeah, the problem is that "allegations like this were made." Not the conduct. Not that it was known early enough that they should have caught it. Not that it was known early enough to address it. Poor Gabe, victim of cancel culture who won a (formerly?) prestigious competition show and seems unscathed. /s

Yeah, I share your reaction, and since you said better than I could have: Same!

[TakomaSnark]

As someone on Twitter pointed out, Tom doesn't get to say Gabe's relationship was 'consensual' since the only side he's bothered hearing from is Gabe's. 

Tom conveniently ignores the retaliation that Gabe committed and jumps right to, 'Well, it wasn't rape. Whaddya want me to say?'

 

[bosawks]

Wow, Tom just showed me who he really is.

And I don’t like him.

[CrazyInAlabama]

The affair, if it had been consensual wouldn't bother me that much.   However, from reports he had the affair, then retaliated against the partner, through work assignments, cutting hours, etc.    That looks to me as if he wanted to get the person to leave the restaurant, because he didn't want his cheating to come out, or if they broke up before the retaliation.   Hostile work environment is what it sounds like, and that's very wrong.   It's not the affair, because who knows what the agreements are in Gabe's marriage, but the actions after are despicable.    

Tom is taking the side that pays him the most money.   That's the same thing he did when the Marcel head shaving attempt came out in Season 2, (I think Season 2), when the finale continued.    

Edited March 4, 2022 by CrazyInAlabama

[Rai]

From that Daily Beast article as well:

Quote

It was very vague at first.

Until the day of our finale, then it was called sexual harassment. Prior to that, we were told he was fired for breaking violations, for breaking policy. That could be anything. So really, I have nothing to say, because a lot of it was just rumor and innuendo. I mean, he got fired. That’s between him and his boss, really.

NO, Tom. It's between Gabe and his staff. Gabe and the chefs he inspired on Top Chef. It's between every woman who worked in that kitchen under him, and I'm glad they have a boss boss who apparently has their back. Because attitudes like Tom's clearly will harm them. It feels like Tom is taking a little personally because he really came off as Gabe's big cheerleader on the season, and then to find out Tom met his wife through his restaurant? On the job? Methinks Tom doth project too much.

I hate this whole notion of "it has to be violent" to be called illegal or bad behavior. Even if the relationship was consensual (which we don't know about, and Tom's attitude seems to imply it's the victim's fault for not clarifying, and hey, fuck all the way off with that, Tom), the actions taken afterward come off as clearly retaliatory. And Tom, that is bad. Actually interfering with someone's livelihood? That's Bad, Actually.

Incredibly disapointing. I was heartened that Tom spoke out against Mario Batali, and when Top Chef edited out John Besh's and Johnny Iuzzini's appearances, but I guess the more subtle forms of sexism and harassment haven't quite registered yet. Get with it, Tom.

[Irlandesa]

There has always been a smugness about Tom which is fine when dealing with areas that are to his expertise but he really should not have given an answer on this because it's pretty clear he didn't even do a cursory read of what had been reported.

It wasn't just "sudden" around the finale.  That's when it blew up because Gabe won but it was known before. 

And he acts like Top Chef must have investigated and known this all along.  I doubt it.  Either just before or during filming is when the Instagram stories started coming out, I believe.  He wasn't fired until after filming, if I remember correctly.  If they knew, it makes their "family man" edit even worse.  Even if they didn't look at this beyond a "consensual affair," he was still a married man with a child at the time.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Irlandesa

[EllaWycliffe]

8 hours ago, Rai said:

I hate this whole notion of "it has to be violent" to be called illegal or bad behavior. Even if the relationship was consensual (which we don't know about, and Tom's attitude seems to imply it's the victim's fault for not clarifying, and hey, fuck all the way off with that, Tom), the actions taken afterward come off as clearly retaliatory. And Tom, that is bad. Actually interfering with someone's livelihood? That's Bad, Actually.

I agree but here's the problem - if its NOT violent, or illegal, then sometimes it becomes really difficult from an employer/onlooker standpoint to be fair to both sides in a harassment situation. I dealt with a harassment situation in the workplace where the male was "the aggressor" and had to be asked to stop behavior. Essentially he and the female were friendly outside of work, he asked her out thru email, she felt threatened and complained to HR, he was told to not use her personal email, and to not contact her at work, and was moved to a different team. Problem solved, right? 

Nope. The female still felt threatened because he was still working in the general proximity (its an office building there's only so many places he can go and he's done nothing violent or even offensive, she showed us the emails, he asked her out, she said no, he said ok) He's moved farther away but she continues to complain because his desk - its a cube farm - is two aisle over but he could theoretically be looking at her back while she is working and she feels threatened that she can stared at by this predator. She also starts telling everyone on her team that he's a predator and the company is doing nothing to protect her. He can't be moved to a different shift due to ride issues, she refuses to move because she's the victim, but he's actually done nothing actionable by the company. He's being watched like a hawk - I came into the situation filling in for his leader and was told I had to monitor where he want on break in comparison to where she - on a different team - was at all times and he was literally either hiding from her or eating his lunch at my desk because he was desperate to keep his job. Then the female started complaining loudly to everyone that enough wasn't being done and she was under super stress because he was allowed to continue to harass her... but aside from the initial email and the reality that he was in the building at the same time she was, he was doing nothing wrong. She was pointedly asked if he was trying to contact her outside of work in any way and the answer was no. He started complaining - after four months of this - that he was starting to feel harassed because she was encouraging her team and his team to call him a predator, when he rightly pointed out he hadn't spoken to her in months, and had no contact. She ultimately was moved to a different shift because legally the company couldn't punish him for how she was feeling and her own behavior had edged into a harassment situation (he had a facial disability that she encouraged others to make fun of) She went kicking and screaming that she was the victim.

Now I am not saying this is Gabe's situation at all but I will say you're asking Tom and Top Chef to make a public stink and to punish Gabe for behavior they didn't witness and don't have the details of because it didn't happen in their work place. If Gabe did smack someone around that at least might generate an arrest which could be pointed to.

I'm disappointed in Tom's response as well... but not shocked that Top Chef is basically taking the stance of "we're not involved in whatever Gabe did to his employee at his workplace that we didn't witness and didn't find out about until after we finished filming" After my own dealings in a harrassment case, I will honestly admit, I am leery of jumping on the band wagon until I have a firm grasp of the details. I'm comfortable joining in on Gabe in that I think his behavior is at best questionable and if he got fired for it, then good for his employer and I am sure it will negatively affect him going forward. I just get why Top Chef isn't pulling his win - he could then sue because none of this happened on their watch and they did vet the participants. 

[Rai]

My only point here is that Tom's response is deeply disappointing because it does fail to grasp the nuances of sexual harassment, and what we do know about Gabe's case is that he cut this gal's hours after they stopped seeing each other, which directly messes with her livelihood. Those are the facts, Gabe engaged in retaliatory behavior based on all public accounts so far, including his. Tom is definitely trying to walk a tightrope there, sure, partly to avoid legal complications, but also he comes off as defensive and protective of a guy who doesn't deserve it.

Since they didn't pull Paul Qi's title, I doubt they'll pull Gabe's title, and that's not even what I think most critics want from Tom here. I think they'd like an acknowledgment that he did a bad thing and it shouldn't be tolerated in the workplace. Having worked in a toxic environment with bad actors who ranged from the clueless to the actively predatory, I've gotten tired of defending someone on their talent. Plenty of talented people out there who know to be professional. Let's cultivate them instead.

[Gracie123]

After reading Tom's interview, I am done.  This was my favourite show.  Take your slimy ass and go suck all of the dicks of the restaurant world.

[rhofmovalley]

The network also doubled down by airing Gabe's winning episode just prior to the premiere of the new season.  They're not at all regretful or ashamed of awarding him the win.

I don't like Tom based on how he behaves on the show.  He has a permanent condescending smirk on his face, like none of the lowly contestants could ever come close to his awesomeness.  He's not all that, I bet many of the contestants could cook circles around him.  But he appears to think they're all below him in ability and stature.  And now I like him even less.

I'll keep watching because I enjoy watching the contestants and the food always makes me hungry.  I'll just ignore Tom when he's on screen.

[AriAu]

Lotttts of Top Chef Alums on James Beard list..Kevin Gillespie, Isacc Toups, Tiffany Derry, Tiffani Faison (all the way back to Season 1), Sheldon Simeon, Jamie Tran and  Beverly Kim's restaurant Parachute in Chicago is up for Outstanding Restaurant.

[dleighg]

37 minutes ago, AriAu said:

Lotttts of Top Chef Alums on James Beard list..Kevin Gillespie, Isacc Toups, Tiffany Derry, Tiffani Faison (all the way back to Season 1), Sheldon Simeon, Jamie Tran and  Beverly Kim's restaurant Parachute in Chicago is up for Outstanding Restaurant.

Dale Talde of Goosefeather in Tarrytown

[Fukui San]

Not actually Top Chef related, but YouTube's algorithm suggested this video about a Vietnamese Houston BBQ Pitmaster who applies Asian flavors to traditional barbecue techniques and it honestly made me a lot more interested in Houston as a food city and Top Chef city.  Tonight's episode highlighting the Asian influences in the city reinforced that a good deal as well.

 

[Vermicious Knid]

Parade is now apparently doing exit interviews for Top Chef: Sam Kang.

Quote

Time was running out, but I wanted to get as much done as possible on the first day. So I started boiling the potatoes. While the potatoes were going, I started packing the rest of my food. When I got around to my potatoes, all the containers in the kitchen were taken. So I decided to focus on my packing and to be set up for tomorrow and cook the potatoes day of.

I had asked for a grill because I wanted to use a grill as a way to hold all my food hot as equipment/space was limited. But the grill they gave me wasn’t the grill I thought I would get, and instead got an electric grill. So I thought it would be interesting to grill the potatoes instead of boiling them, because I thought certain people have already seen boiled potatoes on Top Chef....

Were you surprised you were eliminated over Ashleigh and Buddha?
From all the comments and feedback from the judges about Ashleigh and Buddha’s food compared to mine, yes, I was surprised.

This is just eye-rollingly ridiculous.

Quote

What compelled you to apply for Top Chef?
I’m on a mission right now to end world hunger. In order for me to accomplish this mission, I need to be hyper-focused on the cause, which means I need to live without regret or fear. It has been a childhood dream of mine to compete on Top Chef. And I did not want this dream to be an obstacle in the future but rather a stepping stone for me to become a better human.