S15.E11: Cooking High

[cooksdelight]

Wings, get on a plane and ride with us. You know how to fly. :)

[Blonde Gator]

6 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Wings, get on a plane and ride with us. You know how to fly. :)

Absolutely!

And now, during the EC....Chris has lost his man bun, and has the curly short hair again.  Am I losing my mind?   During the QF, he had on the gray shirt, w/the white collar band, and a huge bun. 

Someone please just shoot me now!

11 minutes ago, Wings said:

Same here and I love yellow.  I use it in my decor though. 

What bun? :>

What does that stand for? 

Sister From Another Mother. 

[Wings]

4 minutes ago, Blonde Gator said:

Absolutely!

And now, during the EC....Chris has lost his man bun, and has the curly short hair again.  Am I losing my mind?   During the QF, he had on the gray shirt, w/the white collar band, and a huge bun. 

Someone please just shoot me now!

I can't remember where I put my gun.  We clearly have a contact altitude high.  We shall meet again at sea level in Kentucky.

12 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

Wings, get on a plane and ride with us. You know how to fly. :)

 No but I know how to get on a plane.

[Blonde Gator]

Reviewing the episode.  Some thoughts.

It seems that (judging by the shadows)....the food was served fairly quickly, the shadows don't change much from the first dish to the last. 

Then, it's obvious by the changing shadows that "Judges Table" took quite a while.  The "results" seem to be about 4 hours later.  Maybe with only 5 dishes, things were accelerated, but judging by the shadows during service...and then during "decision time".....I now have a much better understanding about how long and detailed the judging actually takes.

I still believe Adrienne should have won this challenge.  Granted, top 3 dishes were all delicious.  But who here wouldn't order "butter poached lobster with caviar and champagne" in a "fine dining" restaurant?  Maybe I'm not a sophisticate....I love duck, but I love lobster better.

About the convo at judges table.  It seems that this may be one of those rare episodes where Tom doesn't get his way.  Wiley Dufresne made the point that Carrie technically out-cooked Chris, and it seems as though he won that argument.  Gail said Chris's dish was clunky. 

I'm actually very surprised.  Usually Tom gets his way....but after the rewatch...it seems that he didn't carry the day.

[Brookside]

17 hours ago, LeighLeigh said:

Adrienne  was robbed of the EC win.

 

Love Carrie, but she should have gone home for playing it safe. 

I agree about Adrienne.

As far as Carrie and Chris, I don't see how Chris played it any less safe except for using quail, which he failed at.

[Wings]

31 minutes ago, Blonde Gator said:

Reviewing the episode.  Some thoughts.

It seems that (judging by the shadows)....the food was served fairly quickly, the shadows don't change much from the first dish to the last. 

Then, it's obvious by the changing shadows that "Judges Table" took quite a while.  The "results" seem to be about 4 hours later.  Maybe with only 5 dishes, things were accelerated, but judging by the shadows during service...and then during "decision time".....I now have a much better understanding about how long and detailed the judging actually takes.

 

Wow and you didn't notice Chris' man bun.  lol  

[Blonde Gator]

34 minutes ago, Wings said:

Wow and you didn't notice Chris' man bun.  lol  

Yeah, except for in the EC....NO MAN BUN.  He had short curly hair again.  SMH.  (maybe we can solve the mystery in KY this spring, heh...book your tickets soon!).

But hey, I'm from Florida, so I notice things like sun and shadows.  The started the meal on the mountain about noonish, sun was straight up....but it took quite a while until the end and PYKAG.  The ladies put their "covers" on.  But it was obviously warm and gorgeous as the meals were first served.

[tvfanatic13]

I guess they didn't have wine at service because of the altitude. I think this is the first time I have not seen wine served. 

[violet and green]

17 hours ago, Brookside said:

I'm not sure why everyone is so upset about Carrie doing toast twice, and I thought the male chefs' snide comments were mean-spirited.  The chefs were obviously impressed. 

How many times did Bruce make pasta?

It wasn't because she did toast twice, it was because she won for toast twice. Toast! Everyone is stretching themselves creatively and technically - and Carrie is making tasty toasties!

[AriAu]

I always feel badly when someone goes home for a  good dish and this was no exception.  However, this was not one of those times where it was a very good to great dish, which has happened in the past when they were splitting hairs.

On the other hand, I was bummed that at this stage of the competition they threw in a curve like baking at altitude. The only saving grace was that they did let them practice and ask some questions....the fact that they knew they were going to Top Chef COLORADO so they should have done some prep on the effect of altitude since it is not like they didn't know they were going to be in the mountains at some point.

Still feel like this is a group of good but not great chefs and cheftestants. Everything is very good, but very little is great or inventive. Butter poached lobster-where did that come from....duck with a cherry puff...never would have thought of that!

[Nordly Beaumont]

3 hours ago, Wings said:

What bun? :>

Possibly the hat he was wearing looked like a bun?

[carrps]

7 hours ago, Wings said:

Thanks.  That is a terrible think to do to anyone not going of their own volition!  I hate high altitudes.  

I got altitude sickness on Mt. Whitney, so I feel ya.

[cooksdelight]

1 hour ago, tvfanatic13 said:

I guess they didn't have wine at service because of the altitude. I think this is the first time I have not seen wine served. 

I noticed at the governor’s dinner he opted for beer. Several of them.

[April Bloodgate]

8 minutes ago, cooksdelight said:

I noticed at the governor’s dinner he opted for beer. Several of them.

He was a brewer/brewery owner before becoming governor. Still a big advocate for Colorado's beer scene.

[LeighLeigh]

Sister from another mother.

[LeighLeigh]

8 minutes ago, LeighLeigh said:

Sister from another mother.

Didn't see that this was answered above.

Padma really, really looked ill this episode.

[April Bloodgate]

47 minutes ago, LeighLeigh said:

Sister from another mother.

I've always heard "sister from another mister" and "brother from another mother". I like it because they rhyme. 

[Destiny74]

I liked Chris and honestly, his food is the most tasty sounding to me...non-fussy and not pretentious.  However, I don’t understand why they think Carrie did not stretch herself but he did.  He admitted while cooking that he made they dish often at home.  I thought it sounded delicious but he shouldn’t have gotten points for a stretch he didn’t have.

I’m glad Carrie won with toast.  

I hate sassparilla, the only time I tried it was when my family stopped at the Ponderosa on a vacation once.  My father loved Bonanza.

I find it interesting that Adrienne came on a show titled Top Chef with no real point of view of her own.    By the end of the episode I was kinda sick of hearing her tell us that she is finally finding her voice.  That sounds like someone who would make a great head chef.  They can cook wonders but it is all someone else’s vision.

I’m glad Joe Flamm is back.  I like him.

I think I’m rooting for Carrie.  But I wouldn’t be disappointed for anyone to win.

[bobbobbob199]

I'm calling BS on Paul's claim that he worked at 18000 feet in the Alps. The tallest point in the Alps is Mont Blanc, under 16000 feet. And surely he wasn't on the top of the mountain.

[djlynch]

For a brief moment while Padma was going on about feeling high and getting higher, I was certain that the elimination challenge was going to be at a marijuana dispensary rather than on top of a mountain. Where better to do a stoner food challenge than around actual stoners?

[biakbiak]

10 minutes ago, bobbobbob199 said:

I'm calling BS on Paul's claim that he worked at 18000 feet in the Alps. The tallest point in the Alps is Mont Blanc, under 16000 feet. And surely he wasn't on the top of the mountain.

He must be bad at converting from metric because Courchevel is less that 6,000 feet.

[bobbobbob199]

7 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

He must be bad at converting from metric because Courchevel is less that 6,000 feet.

Well that's surprising...he's been living in the US for 20 years now...

Anyways, surprised Joe Sasto won because his baked element seemed to be the worst of the bunch. I guess that speaks to how good the rest of the dish was. 

I love soul food, but at the end of the day, the message is--a top chef needs to have refinement in their food. 

Edited February 17, 2018 by bobbobbob199

[mlp]

Quote

I can't believe I didn't notice Chris's manbun until this episode!!!

I never noticed it at all.  Does anyone have a screen cap?  I did notice that he was wearing two shirts and a knit cap when Joe mentioned that it was a hot day and I could see that spectators were wearing shorts.  That seemed weird.  I was sorry to see him go.

[Lura]

This KY get-together is starting to sound like so much fun that I'm watching the mail for an invitation!

I was sad to see Chris go, and I thought that his exit words were super classy.  For some reason, I veered away from Carrie for the win and was pulling for either Adriane or Joe Flamm.  I like both of them and thought their dishes were impressive.  I disliked the writers adding altitude to the mix when the cooks were already under such pressure.  (Earlier, maybe).  I feel that Carrie has Tom in her pocket, but who's to say that she doesn't deserve it? 

This season may not make it into the TC memory book for its outstanding food, but it does deserve a few lines for its comradeship among contestants.  Very seldom has a cast been as supportive of and helpful to each other.  I remember no recent season in which the candidates were as encouraging of one another, especially in the kitchen.  They relied on each other for advice and for helpful criticism about their dishes, so much so that sometimes one forgot that they were actually in competition against each other.  I hope that the friendships formed during this season will continue for many years to come.

Edited February 17, 2018 by Lura
typo

[dleighg]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

He must be bad at converting from metric because Courchevel is less that 6,000 feet.

Yeah up thread I posted that once someone converted my TV's closed caption of "Kosha Val" to Courcheval I looked it up, and it's at 1800 meters, not 18000 feet. LOL. So he's thinking "what's the big deal about 12000 feet" when in fact it's twice as high as Courcheval!

[AZChristian]

12 hours ago, LeighLeigh said:

Sister from another mother.

I've always heard, "Brother from another mother" and "Sister from another mister."  

[chiaros]

18 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

I can't believe I didn't notice Chris's manbun until this episode!!!  I think I must be getting senile. 

 

18 hours ago, Wings said:

What bun? :>

 

18 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

And now, during the EC....Chris has lost his man bun, and has the curly short hair again.  Am I losing my mind?   During the QF, he had on the gray shirt, w/the white collar band, and a huge bun. 

 

16 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

Yeah, except for in the EC....NO MAN BUN.  He had short curly hair again.

 

14 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Possibly the hat he was wearing looked like a bun?

 

9 hours ago, mlp said:

I never noticed it at all.  Does anyone have a screen cap?  I did notice that he was wearing two shirts and a knit cap when Joe mentioned that it was a hot day and I could see that spectators were wearing shorts.  That seemed weird.

It was just the knitted cap he had on. No man-bun.

 

And, a bonus pic with the caption that supports what another poster commented on...

[chiaros]

Regarding the comments about the "baked element" on each cheftestant's plate: It seems to me that it wasn't the MAIN challenge of the EC, insofar as the parameters of the challenge was. It may have become the main challenge for the chefs themselves, but it was merely one element - albeit a required one - on each of their plates. Everything else that was on the plate, to make it a "high-concept, high-end" dish still needed to be there - taste, presentation, concept, balance, etc etc.

 

Here's a verbatim transcript of what was said or "thought" (by the cheftestants)  when the EC was outlined for them:

Padma: For your elimination challenge, you must create a high-concept, high-end dish to serve in the highest restaurant in North America.

Tom: Alpino Vino sits atop Golden Hills in the heart of the San Juan Mountains at 12,000 feet.

Wylie: Cooking at altitude is no joke. Everything from boiling water to baking is going to be a lot more difficult than what you’re used to.

Padma: Each chef will be required to have a baked element on your plate. You’ll also be judged by James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Liebrandt.

Joe S: (Voice-over) Oh man. Baking at altitude was going to be tough enough, but cooking for Wylie Dufresne and Paul Liebrandt…This is a doozy.

Padma: Today you’ll have the rest of the day to experiment at home.

Adrienne: (Voice-over)Yes!

Wylie: Normally on Top Chef you don’t get the opportunity to test recipes ahead of time. So use your time wisely, and have some fun.

Padma: All right, chefs. We’ll see you at the top.

 

The episode as aired did indeed show the cheftestants doing a lot of test-baking --- but, again, that was because it became a big challenge for them. But all the other aspects were just as important for their final plate, with far more components that ALL ALSO needed to be there, and needed to be cooked suitably at high altitude. Wylie Dufresne reminded them, when they were being charged with the EC, that everything (my bolding) is more difficult at high altitude, not just baking. Paul Liebrandt, when he was dispensing tips, also reminded Chris that frying will take longer.  Joes Sasto was asking about what temperature water boils. And so on.

[cooksdelight]

A fricken’ cap???? 

All this angst I felt over not seeing his man bun. For nothing.

[Rahul]

21 hours ago, HawaiiTVGuy said:

Did something happen in some markets that resulted in the episode not broadcasting?

No. I'm guessing you have a Tivo like me, which has had unreliable guide data ever since it was bought out by Rovi. You have to constantly check your To Do list for recordings that are not scheduled to record because of incorrect episode information now, or you can check this forum for Season Pass alerts.

[Totale]

1 minute ago, Rahul said:

No. I'm guessing you have a Tivo like me, which has had unreliable guide data ever since it was bought out by Rovi. You have to constantly check your To Do list for recordings that are not scheduled to record because of incorrect episode information now, or you can check this forum for Season Pass alerts.

Yeah, my Tivo missed it too, and it was five minutes in before I noticed the red light wasn't on and had to scramble to figure out the channel number and get it going.

[seacliffsal]

I don't think that making tasty toast is the same level of challenge and creativity of some of the other dishes, as the bread was already made so Carrie really only had to focus on the flavors that she put on top of the toast whereas the other chefs made the entirety of their dishes.  I know that I'm not explaining my perspective very well, but it just seemed like a less challenging dish even though it was creative.  I felt the same when she changed from making a Beef Wellington to steak and corn bread (using Chris' corn bread as an inspiration).  

And, interestingly, she won big money for her two tasty toasts.  I guess in my mind it just doesn't seem as Top Chefy as other dishes.

[snarktini]

I give Carrie more credit for her toasts BECAUSE they are so simple and not TC-worthy. How amazing and creative must her toasts be for her to win twice with them?! (Tho in the first ep, the "pot luck" she crashed and burned with bruschetta.) And in this case, Dufresne said the winner was who highlighted sarsparilla the best, so I imagine she did something special there. Plus she had a high degree of difficulty with no protein or real vegetables. 

It's like the win for a veg side dish (didn't mushrooms win once?) or a salad. It's rare, but speaks to how perfectly they were executed.

Really sad to see Chris go. His dish was just too homey, not fine dining enough. :(

[Blonde Gator]

2 hours ago, chiaros said:

 

 

 

 

 

It was just the knitted cap he had on. No man-bun.

 

And, a bonus pic with the caption that supports what another poster commented on...

Thank you, Chiaros, for your screen caps.  I couldn't get my TV to stop on exactly the pics, but in so many of them, indoors, that ski hat had a bump like a gigantic bun.  Looked like Adrienne's, only higher on his head.  I couldn't imagine such secure guy like Chris putting on FAKE hair (although I think Cali Phillip Lee would do that, LOL)....and it was so frustrating, not to be able to pause and actually figure it out. 

Kudos to you, Chiaros, your the board's Sherlock Holmes.  And thanks for straightening this out .... mind found again, thanks to you!

[rho]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

I don't think that making tasty toast is the same level of challenge and creativity of some of the other dishes, as the bread was already made so Carrie really only had to focus on the flavors that she put on top of the toast whereas the other chefs made the entirety of their dishes.  I know that I'm not explaining my perspective very well, but it just seemed like a less challenging dish even though it was creative.  I felt the same when she changed from making a Beef Wellington to steak and corn bread (using Chris' corn bread as an inspiration).  

And, interestingly, she won big money for her two tasty toasts.  I guess in my mind it just doesn't seem as Top Chefy as other dishes.

I think she's very whimsical and it can be hit or miss. Lucky for her, the toasts were always a hit. I think the other chefs need to be looking at their own food and trying to figure out why they can't make something that tastes better than fancy toast.

But I do agree that Carrie's toast would be more impressive if she actually made her own bread, or got creative with the crostini like using fried polenta or baked yucca. Anyone on a paleo diet can come up with a pretty decent version of fancy toast every week.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

3 hours ago, Rahul said:

No. I'm guessing you have a Tivo like me, which has had unreliable guide data ever since it was bought out by Rovi. You have to constantly check your To Do list for recordings that are not scheduled to record because of incorrect episode information now, or you can check this forum for Season Pass alerts.

Yup Tivo failed me, but they have the episode slated for next week so I just thought it was programming in my market.  And when I actually flipped to the channel live the rerun wasn't on it was the Bethany and Frankie show.  Ugh...next week spectrum is changing to digital requiring a set top box (instead of the analog I have now) so I might just have to catch things online now.

[chiaros]

13 hours ago, chiaros said:

Regarding the comments about the "baked element" on each cheftestant's plate: It seems to me that it wasn't the MAIN challenge of the EC, insofar as the parameters of the challenge was. It may have become the main challenge for the chefs themselves, but it was merely one element - albeit a required one - on each of their plates. Everything else that was on the plate, to make it a "high-concept, high-end" dish still needed to be there - taste, presentation, concept, balance, etc etc.

 

Here's a verbatim transcript of what was said or "thought" (by the cheftestants)  when the EC was outlined for them:

Padma: For your elimination challenge, you must create a high-concept, high-end dish to serve in the highest restaurant in North America.

Tom: Alpino Vino sits atop Golden Hills in the heart of the San Juan Mountains at 12,000 feet.

Wylie: Cooking at altitude is no joke. Everything from boiling water to baking is going to be a lot more difficult than what you’re used to.

Padma: Each chef will be required to have a baked element on your plate. You’ll also be judged by James Beard Award-winning chef Paul Liebrandt.

Joe S: (Voice-over) Oh man. Baking at altitude was going to be tough enough, but cooking for Wylie Dufresne and Paul Liebrandt…This is a doozy.

Padma: Today you’ll have the rest of the day to experiment at home.

Adrienne: (Voice-over)Yes!

Wylie: Normally on Top Chef you don’t get the opportunity to test recipes ahead of time. So use your time wisely, and have some fun.

Padma: All right, chefs. We’ll see you at the top.

 

The episode as aired did indeed show the cheftestants doing a lot of test-baking --- but, again, that was because it became a big challenge for them. But all the other aspects were just as important for their final plate, with far more components that ALL ALSO needed to be there, and needed to be cooked suitably at high altitude. Wylie Dufresne reminded them, when they were being charged with the EC, that everything (my bolding) is more difficult at high altitude, not just baking. Paul Liebrandt, when he was dispensing tips, also reminded Chris that frying will take longer.  Joes Sasto was asking about what temperature water boils. And so on.

Let me also append here a follow-on that I posted elsewhere:

Quote

 

As I also mentioned elsewhere here and others have also commented on, Joes Sasto's dish as a whole was so wonderful and the duck and sauces so good that the baked element was more-or-less shrugged off by the judges. Again, this wasn't a "Baking At High Altitude" contest; it was a "Make a High-concept, High-end Dish at Altitude" contest.

As for the judges asking the cheftestants about how their baking went for them – it seems to me that they were asking because they were aware that the baking-thing was a struggle for them, but – again– it was just ONE element on the plate, even if it was a required one.

IIn fact, insofar as Chris's plate was concerned, he did not seem to have fully fulfilled the EC challenge of making a "high-end dish", and appeared to have also failed at FRYING AT HIGH ALTITUDES (his quail), another component of "cooking at high altitude". (Again, this was much more than just baking – after all, his corn bread came out very good indeed, and if it were just a baking contest, his dish should have scored high marks.)  By comparison, Joe Sasto accomplished his frying of his duck – at high altitude – perfectly, according to the judges. And that was a big part of the equation.

And, just for laughs, here's a screenshot of the Elimination Challenge as notated by the show itself:

Edited February 18, 2018 by chiaros
Added screengrab

[catrice2]

I wanted Chris to stay, but the have been "prepping" for him to leave for some time now.  I have not enjoyed this show as much since they started Last Chance Kitchen...and since Tom's ego has gotten out of hand. 

[bobbobbob199]

Yeah, I wish guest judges were employed every week. There doesn't need to be a "head" judge picking his favorites over and over. The best way to be objective is to have a judge that doesn't know anything about the chefs other than the last dish they put out. Right now the guest judge is just a sacrificial famous chef who says some things about the food before being overridden by Tom, even though in many cases they are probably better chefs than Tom.

[The Solution]

Tom Colicchio is the reason why I've been watching this show for 15 seasons. Him and Padma. In fact, I love to ask my employees "Do you think that was... successful?"

[Lovecat]

On 2/16/2018 at 4:01 PM, Blonde Gator said:

Chris is, without a doubt, one of the "coolest" contestants on this show ever.  I am so sorry to see him go. 

I loved how, when the chefs were waiting for the judges to deliberate, he was so complimentary to the other chefs and the “grub” they had just put out! It takes a special kind of cool to refer to fine dining cheffy food as “grub” in the most casual, natural, and appreciative way possible.

[seltzer3]

10 hours ago, snarktini said:

I give Carrie more credit for her toasts BECAUSE they are so simple and not TC-worthy. How amazing and creative must her toasts be for her to win twice with them?! (Tho in the first ep, the "pot luck" she crashed and burned with bruschetta.) And in this case, Dufresne said the winner was who highlighted sarsparilla the best, so I imagine she did something special there. Plus she had a high degree of difficulty with no protein or real vegetables. 

It's like the win for a veg side dish (didn't mushrooms win once?) or a salad. It's rare, but speaks to how perfectly they were executed.

Really sad to see Chris go. His dish was just too homey, not fine dining enough. :(

I really don't get people complaining about Carrie making toast.  Its really only the second time she's make toast.  Also its not like she originally was going to make a toast.  Joe taking her pork really screwed a lot of things Carrie could do (and its a quickfire).

[Lura]

Is it my imagination, or is Gail standing alone this season in favor of Tom's and Padma's wishes and decisions?  Gail has never been a favorite of mine for reasons that might sound petty, so it surprises me that I am defending her.  I've noticed on a couple of other challenges along the way that Gail's criticisms and positive remarks are being overlooked (or ignored).  On this show, Gail stood up for one contestant's dish, claiming that it was her favorite dish of the show, then added "of the season." Yet again, her choice for winner didn't make it.

I realize that I am not there to taste the food, and even if I were, I am no certified critic.  However, Gail is -- and much more so than Padma.  Padma's role seems to have become one of supporting Tom in his decisions.  That much seems obvious.

I believe that the person up this page who suggested independent judges had a very good suggestion.  At this point in the season, Tom and Padma (and Gail) all have their favorites, based partly on personality.  Whomever they prefer is going to win this contest, barring some unforeseen problem.  Are Tom and Padma not supporting Gail because her choices don't fit with their preconceived winner?  It makes me wonder.

[dgpolo]

4 minutes ago, seltzer3 said:

Joe taking her pork really screwed a lot of things Carrie could do (and its a quickfire).

Not only that but Padma mentioned they had a very limited pantry for this challenge. Carrie was lucky they even had bread in there, let alone anything fancy.

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, Lura said:

Is it my imagination, or is Gail standing alone this season in favor of Tom's and Padma's wishes and decisions?  Gail has never been a favorite of mine for reasons that might sound petty, so it surprises me that I am defending her.  I've noticed on a couple of other challenges along the way that Gail's criticisms and positive remarks are being overlooked (or ignored).  On this show, Gail stood up for one contestant's dish, claiming that it was her favorite dish of the show, then added "of the season." Yet again, her choice for winner didn't make it.

I realize that I am not there to taste the food, and even if I were, I am no certified critic.  However, Gail is -- and much more so than Padma.  Padma's role seems to have become one of supporting Tom in his decisions.  That much seems obvious.

I believe that the person up this page who suggested independent judges had a very good suggestion.  At this point in the season, Tom and Padma (and Gail) all have their favorites, based partly on personality.  Whomever they prefer is going to win this contest, barring some unforeseen problem.  Are Tom and Padma not supporting Gail because her choices don't fit with their preconceived winner?  It makes me wonder.

 I always find the notion that they all have their favorites when viewers can't even decide who their favorites are interesting. This season Gail seemed on board with at least the person who was eliminated. I rewatched some eps tonight and on the eps she was on she regularly gave the harshest critique of the eliminated chefs. For instance her critique of Tu's wish up there with her egg issue and was what was shown was as stronger or stronger than Tom and Padma's.

Edited February 18, 2018 by biakbiak

[bravofan27]

I hated that Joe Flamm whispered to Joe Stash about Carrie's toast like a 12-year old girl. He did that same shit-talking whispering one other time which I thought was okay (cuz he was shit talking Claudette) but now I'm seeing he has some serious immaturity and is kind of a douche. Go home Joe Flamm.

Carrie would be more likable to me if she didn't seem so eager all the time. Her perkiness kind of comes off as invasive and exhausting. She seemed most real when she was talking to her dad. I don't think she's going to win though, because, as Chris learned, you really need the technical skill to get to the top top, which Adriene has. I think she may come out the winner. She loves fine dining and precision and making shit text-book perfect, and she's getting more creative, so she might be able to pull it off. She's the most methodological of everyone. 

Thank you to all who figured out Chris did not have a bun. I was wondering how I could have possibly missed something like that. 

Edited February 18, 2018 by bravofan27

[Norma Desmond]

The first challenge was so stupid. In what universe is having your protein taken and being left with only onions, lemon and honey fair?? Thank Buddah that Carrie KICKS MAJOR BUTT and won despite such a disadvantage. My hatred for Joe Sasto continues to escalate, especially when he showed such bad sportsmanship when Carrie won. At least Joe Flamm gave her a seemingly sincere hug and congrats. Sasto couldn't hide the sour face. I detest him so much.

The second challenge's main goal was a baked item and the judges said that both Carrie and Chris had the best baked goods, and both had delicous dishes, and still they lost. So, when is it important to stick to the challenge's guidelines and when is it not? Brother had a delicious dish and got the boot because he didn't meet the challenge's criteria.

I am not enjoying this season. Or, Top Chef and its shifty juging anymore.

[noveltylibrary]

They kept saying poor Carrie was left only with honey, onions and lemon but she had bread and cheese as well.  I really wanted to see what she would do with those three ingredients!  I would be annoyed toast keeps winning too.

[AZChristian]

5 hours ago, bravofan27 said:

I hated that Joe Flamm whispered to Joe Stash about Carrie's toast like a 12-year old girl. He did that same shit-talking whispering one other time which I thought was okay (cuz he was shit talking Claudette) but now I'm seeing he has some serious immaturity and is kind of a douche. Go home Joe Flamm.

I thought that Mustache Joe made the snide comment, and foodandwine.com agrees:

"Carrie is up next with her “top of the French onion soup” with sarsaparilla deglazed onions and beef stock. Some shade is thrown her way by the Joes who are caught on the hot mic trashing her approach—Mustache says “she can’t win twice with fucking tartines” and Joe Flamm replies “I know, right.” 

[Norma Desmond]

15 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I thought that Mustache Joe made the snide comment, and foodandwine.com agrees:

They are right, it was him.