S12.E08: Can You Please Pas-Ta Sauce?

[Drogo]

The remaining recruits take charge during "Remote Control Chef" by tasting a dish put in front of them and describing it so Tyler and Anne can recreate it. For the main dish challenge, recruits attempt the task of making pasta from scratch with help from Italian nonnas who have years of pasta-making experience. The top recruits earn a spot in the semi-finals.

[biakbiak]

I think this is the worst both teams have done in the "Remote Control Chef" segment that was bad they both should have lost!

Not that any season has been particularly impressive but only Steven and Sharon seeming almost competent which is hardly high praise.

I really don't like Lacey and her thinking everything she tastes or touches is disgusting.

I liked Anne and Tyler during the exchange about whether Shatima added whole eggs. 

There was no way Shatima's dish was even close to good. 

[justjen]

So it appears I have a lot of feelings on this show. Guess I watch it closer than I thought. That being said, Anne's reason for getting rid of Lacey (even though I definitely did not like Lacey) was that "[she] didn't have enough time with [her]," which is ABSOLUTELY not Lacey's fault. Production switched her to Anne's team! Asaf (of the gross hair needs) too much attention and I don't think he could get anything done without it, last week he didn't know a measuring cup from a measuring spoon - even *I* know that difference!

[Brookside]

22 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I really don't like Lacey and her thinking everything she tastes or touches is disgusting.

There was no way Shatima's dish was even close to good. 

The two reasons I came here to post!

The only reason Shatima got anything close to pasta was because Tyler rescued her abomination.

Lacey hadn't really bothered me before, but she was obnoxious tonight.  She claims to have grown so much but can't even handle a tomato?

Shatima - - I can't even go there.

Edited February 27, 2018 by Brookside
The spellcheck elves like Shakira better than Shatima

[Rammchick]

Nutten-egg??  Titi, so glad you and that face you kept making are gone.

But who didn't guess that Asaf would be safe?

[justjen]

1 hour ago, Rammchick said:

Nutten-egg??  Titi, so glad you and that face you kept making are gone.

But who didn't guess that Asaf would be safe?

It's the greasy looking hair...he just slides by! (sorry not sorry)

[mlp]

I'm beginning to wonder if Asaf will end up as one of the final two.  I'm inclined to think that a lot of his floundering around is an act because he seems to do fairly well with the dishes he presents to Anne.  Also, they get lessons behind the scenes so he surely knows the difference between a cup and a spoon.  I won't be very surprised if it comes down to Asaf and Sharon - an all-Israeli finale.

What I'd really like to see is a final cook off between Sharon and Steven but that isn't going to happen.  

[spiderpig]

Shatima was an insult to any sentient being.  That act closed out of town in the 19th century.

That said, Lacey should have her state citizenship revoked for repeatedly saying "we don't have /whatever/ in Oklahoma.  It's Oklahoma, not Antarctica.  I'm sure there are many food-knowledgeable folks in OK, and if you choose not to be one of them it's all on you.  To be offended by a tomato?  Puhleeze.

This show is rescued from my worst FN show Razzie by virtue of Bakers or Fakers being more tedious.  At least we get to see Anne and Tyler do some demos on this fiasco.

[theatremouse]

Some of Asaf's verbal blunders struck me as more of a not-his-first-language-mixing-up-the-terms situation than a not-knowing-what-the-words-mean situation. That sort of made me feel icky about them editing it for laughs, save for his own admission about getting muddled by all the abbreviations. Shatima was just making up words and made no sense. But, for example Asaf's whole ducks-storks thing was obviously a language barrier.

I interpreted "didn't have enough time with you" as "I don't trust you to do what I want in the finale", which is a legitimate concern given the nature of the game.

[Rahul]

Nutten-egg? Really? It took me a good minute to figure out what the hell Shatima was referring to. This girl really is going for broke with the sthick.

Cannot believe Asaf has made it this far. I was similarly astounded by his inclusion into the top 20 of SYTYCD some years ago because he's a very mediocre dancer. This guy must have some kind of side arrangement with the producers, for sure.

[mme ginger]

On 2/26/2018 at 1:39 AM, biakbiak said:

There was no way Shatima's dish was even close to good. 

OMG, right? At what point did that pasta get saved from the giant, sticky mess it was into something that tasted good, per Tyler? I’d also like to see a Steven/Sharon final, but since it won’t be that, I’d kind of like to see Hazel, not Asaf, but I guess Asaf will be it. Oh well...

[grisgris]

I'd love to see a Stephen vs. Sharon finale, too. I was so hoping that at some point during the season that one of them would have to switch teams to make that possible.

I don't know if Tyler just got fortunate with his pick of recruits or if he's really that good of instructor. Sharon may not cook but he definitely must eat out a lot as he has a much more sophisticated palate than the rest of the group.

I am always bewildered and annoyed by the "Ewww ... GROSS!" attitude and am just amazed by how many people haven't tried something as common as shrimp or calamari. Hell, you can get the latter deep-fried at OLIVE GARDEN!!!

I would have no patience.

I don't care if it's either Stephen or Sharon representing Tyler in the end, but I'm leaning slightly towards Sharon making the final cut.

Anne has a dilemma on her hands.

IMO, Assaf doesn't deserve to be in the finale. I believe he is a professional reality competition show contestant. His dumb-jock immigrant schtick is as old as what-was-her-name and her tiara and tutu. "Oy, vey ... my head ... it's hurts from so much measuring and maths ... " "Pasta is bad for muscles," while flexing his bicep beneath the strap of the wife-beater shirt. GMAFB.

OTOH, there is Hazell. I believe that she is the more competent of the pickin's remaining for Anne, but I question whether she has the health/stamina to take the literal heat (and stress) in the finale. She always seems to get very winded and exhausted halfway through the show and physically struggles to finish.  Anne's gloves definitely come off in the finale. However, one time Tyler's contestant was built similar to Hazell and she was slow but I remember she badly burned her hand during the final cook-off but gamely pulled through -- but lost. Anne was being abrasive and borderline gloating and Tyler lost it with her. (Yay! Tyler!) I've noticed since then, that's Anne's calmed down the aggressiveness and competitive streak during the finales.

I honestly believe that Anne is the type of woman who just feels more comfortable with men. Many of her finalists have been male and I have seen the same pattern on Celebrity WICA. She just seems to relate better to men and has an easier time instructing them.  So even though Anne has been successful in breaking the glass ceiling herself in the culinary world, she's not the best at mentoring/helping other women follow her path. (Not that any of these people would ever ever reach rock-star chef status, but just saying ....)

[Ms Lark]

2 hours ago, grisgris said:

Sharon may not cook but he definitely must eat out a lot as he has a much more sophisticated palate than the rest of the group.

I am always bewildered and annoyed by the "Ewww ... GROSS!" attitude and am just amazed by how many people haven't tried something as common as shrimp or calamari. Hell, you can get the latter deep-fried at OLIVE GARDEN!!!

Seriously! I think they must draw most of their contestants from a base that thinks Chipotle is "too exotic." I know a lot of people who can't cook, but have fairly discerning palates! Glad Lacey is gone, I guess she must feed her family lunchables and cold spagettios. And Titi -- that tutu was a fire hazard looking for a place to happen. I'm surprised they let her in the kitchen wearing it. ?

[Rahul]

Am I the only one who feels like Sharon and Steven are secretly dating?

[Eliza422]

17 hours ago, Ms Lark said:

Seriously! I think they must draw most of their contestants from a base that thinks Chipotle is "too exotic." I know a lot of people who can't cook, but have fairly discerning palates! Glad Lacey is gone, I guess she must feed her family lunchables and cold spagettios. And Titi -- that tutu was a fire hazard looking for a place to happen. I'm surprised they let her in the kitchen wearing it. ?

I think I made that point last year - these idiots might not cook, but they certainly eat, so many of these ingredients and dishes shouldn't sound like Klingon dishes from Star Trek. That kind of deliberate (and/or fake) ignorance disgusts me.

[Nessie]

On 2/26/2018 at 7:57 PM, theatremouse said:

Some of Asaf's verbal blunders struck me as more of a not-his-first-language-mixing-up-the-terms situation than a not-knowing-what-the-words-mean situation. That sort of made me feel icky about them editing it for laughs, save for his own admission about getting muddled by all the abbreviations. Shatima was just making up words and made no sense. But, for example Asaf's whole ducks-storks thing was obviously a language barrier.

I interpreted "didn't have enough time with you" as "I don't trust you to do what I want in the finale", which is a legitimate concern given the nature of the game.

Agreed.  A lot of his antics were deliberately over the top, but there was a real language barrier there too.  This kind of hit home for me when they showed a close-up of his book and I noticed all his hand-written notes were in Hebrew.

On 3/1/2018 at 7:05 PM, grisgris said:

IMO, Assaf doesn't deserve to be in the finale. I believe he is a professional reality competition show contestant. His dumb-jock immigrant schtick is as old as what-was-her-name and her tiara and tutu. "Oy, vey ... my head ... it's hurts from so much measuring and maths ... " "Pasta is bad for muscles," while flexing his bicep beneath the strap of the wife-beater shirt. GMAFB.

He is not the only one, as evidenced by Shatima's "this isn't the last you'll see of me".  I'm used to that in competition shows with professionals like Project Runway or Top Chef, but these people are supposed to be home cooks.  Why should I see her again, unless it's around "Hampton Roads" - which, btw, still makes me giggle (and my son decided she is from Portsmouth due to some expression she used on one of the episodes he watched with me)?

[Jaded]

Yesterday, I watched some episodes from last  season with Anne/Rachael during a marathon Cooking Channel did. It really showed how much the show cut down on actual cooking and teaching between then and now so they could put even more focus on stupid antics.