S15.E12: Nut Allergy

[biakbiak]

4 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

LOL, go look closer, she was rocking more than just a "little" cleavage.  At one point I was afraid that her entire right breast was going to pop out at any moment as all that was left to the imagination was pretty much the nipple!  I've seen her with ample cleavage before and it hasn't bothered me but for me this was just a little OTT.  I also suppose it looks larger than life on a 65 inch screen too!

I looked closely and still don't see an issue, I thought  her breasts looked beautiful and didnt feel they were about to pop out, to each there own. I liked it but more importantly Padma liked it and that's all that actually matters to me. 

Edited February 24, 2018 by biakbiak

[Yeah No]

11 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

I looked closely and still don't see an issue, I thought  her breasts looked beautiful and didnt feel they were about to pop out, to each there own. I liked it but more importantly Padma liked it and that's all that actually matters to me. 

 

OK, whatever, but I'm not the only person that thought this.  See upthread.

ETA: Her breasts may be beautiful but I'd prefer not to have to see so much of them at the dinner table with everyone's parents and grandparents there.  I like Padma but I am sure she is not above making a poor wardrobe decision once in a while.  At my house my 20 something nephews froze the screen to go "wow" at her breasts, and a family discussion ensued.  Even they thought it was a little too much exposure for the situation despite ogling her!

Edited February 24, 2018 by Yeah No

[cooksdelight]

@Yeah No, I saw what you saw. Each season, Padma is always trying to be the one person or thing everyone is staring at. :)

[spiderpig]

Padma, you are a gorgeous woman with a fabulous body for any age.  But I found myself looking at your boobage and thinking WTF?  You're in the Rockies, not the Bahamas.

In fairness to people of all persuasions, we should have been treated to Tom in a pirate shirt open to the waist so we could admire his manly pecs.

[biakbiak]

9 minutes ago, spiderpig said:

You're in the Rockies, not the Bahamas.

Around the time they were filming this it was in the upper 70s and 80s in Aspen.

Tom did have at least two buttons undone!

[Lura]

Hmmm.  I edited this thing, but the original stayed posted, so I cut it.  When I cut it, the edited version disappeared, too. Sorry about that.  Padma probably monkeyed with it.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Lura
cut

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, Lura said:

Now, Bryan is another matter.  I didn't realize I had so much competition for his affection until I saw all of the remarks.  I guess I'll have to get in line.

Beware he also has a ton of tattoos, he has gotten a few more since the article.

[spiderpig]

30 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Tom did have at least two buttons undone!

(races to hit "replay")

[jaybird2]

On 2/22/2018 at 11:25 PM, Blonde Gator said:

It was fantastic to see the Voltaggios again.  My favorite is Brian....I'm just sorry we didn't get enough of him to hear that fabulous laugh of his.  I thought all of the judges gave on-point feedback this week in the EC.  You could tell Tom was happy with Flamm's dish when he used "gravy" for the tomato sauce, that's a dead give-away for him. 

The QF challenge was just kind of gross, a half an hour for a duo dish seems like too much to do with too little time and an unfamiliar ingredient.  The surprise of going in the cabin after Flamm thought he'd have to fight BEARS was fantastic.  Just the break for lunch with their family members was just what the doctor ordered, I'm sure.  It was fun to see each of the chefs with their loved ones.  Grammy Flamm was adorable.  I miss my Gram. 

I knew Carrie was in trouble with that pasta dough.  The key to pasta is to let it rest enough, and to make it on the wetter side, rather than on the drier side.  She didn't have a hope in Hell with that dry pasta.  It ate up her time, and her raviolo appeared to be falling apart on the edge facing the camera.  Carrie was a surprising contestant, always upbeat, friendly, and helpful (remember that camping cake?)....I'm glad she went much farther than she ever expected, she left the show with great class and on a high note.  I wish her all the best.

I'm not one of the Sasto haters, it was interesting to see him, usually so hipsterish and not-a-care-in-the-world, get so into his own head and his family history to the point of almost breaking down.  His father was as sweet as can be.  "Best kid ever" cracked me up. 

Finally, woo hoo Adrienne!  Her mommy told her the same thing....cook your own damned food!, and her take on a long-cook dish of gumbo was positively brilliant, and perfectly executed.  That dish was total Adrienne on a plate, elevated fine dining but with her own flavors.  I'd definitely order that dish in a restaurant.  She slayed this challenge, and at the perfect time.

This was one of the better late, late season challenges (and episodes) in the history of the show, IMO.  Excellent.  

beautifully stated and right on target!

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Around the time they were filming this it was in the upper 70s and 80s in Aspen.

That helps to know, I didn't realize that, thanks.  I think something else was going on with her given how much she was perspiring. She's a little young for hot flashes but I've known women her age that have had them.  I can cut her a little slack seeing how uncomfortable she looked.

6 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Padma, you are a gorgeous woman with a fabulous body for any age.  But I found myself looking at your boobage and thinking WTF?  You're in the Rockies, not the Bahamas.

In fairness to people of all persuasions, we should have been treated to Tom in a pirate shirt open to the waist so we could admire his manly pecs.

LOL!

[Yeah No]

6 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

@Yeah No, I saw what you saw. Each season, Padma is always trying to be the one person or thing everyone is staring at. :)

You're probably right but I'm sure you'd agree that Padma doesn't have to try that hard to be the person everyone is staring at.  She is such a beauty she stands out in any room.  And it amazes me how she looks better and better as she ages, too!

[jaybird2]

On 2/23/2018 at 12:11 AM, LeighLeigh said:

I only discovered Top Chef during Manbun's season so my Voltaggio experience is limited. Having said that...where has Bryan Voltaggio been all my life and how do I get more?

he was very nice as well. michael could be, and was at times a real jerk!  as i recall that season there were jerks worse than michael.  very, very conceited and bryan very humble.

[biakbiak]

18 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

can cut her a little slack seeing how uncomfortable she looked.

Again everyone sees things differently but I didn't see her looking uncomfortable but as for hot flashes she famously suffers from very severe endometriosis where hot flashes/sweating can be part and parcel of other both the disease and the treatments. 

6 minutes ago, jaybird2 said:

he was very nice as well. michael could be, and was at times a real jerk!  as i recall that season there were jerks worse than michael.  very, very conceited and bryan very humble.

Bryan was often equally a jerk jus lowerkey to everyone except for Michael where he turned it up, they frequently fought like what they are, siblings.

Edited February 24, 2018 by biakbiak

[Wings]

I believe there is s stylist for all the judges.  In an interview Tom made reference to that when he received many compliments for something he wore .

I would not be surprised to learn that she is dressed with the male viewers in mind.  Happens all the time.  She always looks fabulous to me, stunning woman. 

At the family gathering she wore a white shirt with little clevage showing. This is the outfit straight out of the old Banana Republic catelog. 

Edited February 24, 2018 by Wings

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Again everyone sees things differently but I didn't see her looking uncomfortable but as for hot flashes she famously suffers from very severe endometriosis where hot flashes/sweating can be part and parcel of other both the disease and the treatments. 

I figure that anyone sweating that much has to be uncomfortable.  I knew there had to be another issue making her that sweaty - Again, I had no clue about her condition, thanks for cluing me in!

[LeighLeigh]

Do you think that the producers fed Sasto the line about Padma not being able to put all of his meat in her mouth?

I still see him as young and eager to prove himself as well as eager to please.

Remember in the cheese challenge, he was telling everyone to clean their station because Tom was coming?

In interviews with kicked out contestants, I learned that Sasto made them all breakfast smoothies and made them sandwiches for lunch. They never knew when, or what, they would eat, so Joe took care of them.

He is growing on me and I like him more than "this is Top Chef, not Top Crudo" Jeremy from ManBun's season.

[LennieBriscoe]

Don't worry, Carrie; as with Paris, we'll always have Cake-in-a-Can!

Michael V. looks sickly, as in, "I don't want to look at him" sickly.  Never liked the bros. It seems that everyone who wins and returns has adopted Padma's annoyingly affectless speaking voice.

Speaking of Padma: From her opening Middle School "humor" (do people not realize anymore that slang vulgarisms are not euphemisms?), though the challenge itself was pretty unseemly (I've eaten lambs' and cows' brains, so it's not like I'm squeamish), to her dinner-with-the-family-members outfit of  "I know it's 'Time's Up,' but for me it's 'Push Up'!"---I found her particularly off-putting this episode.

And from the "What---Meatloaf AGAIN?!" Dept:

Anyone note that of the Final Four, the 3 Pastas lost? ;-)

[Wings]

I am pretty sure all of Padma’s talks are scripted and rehearsed.   She does not ad lib the challenge introductions.  

[chiaros]

43 minutes ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Anyone note that of the Final Four, the 3 Pastas lost? ;-)

;-) 

[chiaros]

Regarding Mike Voltaggio: some screen shots, with a few of Bryan as well. To me, Mike looks more gaunt than previously - but I wouldn't quite say that he is SICK or conclude just from these pictures that he is on drugs. He has always been a skinny guy. His pics in this season range from, yes, gaunt --- to "normal looking".

And compared with Season 6, he does seem less "fleshed out", but that is on a skinny-frame to start with; but people will need to point to specific info on whether he is sick or not rather than rumors. He is also 8 years older.

Bryan, OTOH, has put on weight (and padded out from TC6).

Edited February 24, 2018 by chiaros

[chiaros]

11 hours ago, Yeah No said:

At one point I was afraid that her entire right breast was going to pop out at any moment as all that was left to the imagination was pretty much the nipple! 

Like here?  :-D 

 

And...here's a Padma vs Adrienne's Mum comparison in the cleavage department.  ;-)

 

HEH.

Well, I would be interested in what posters here say when a male cheftestant or guest or whoever turns up next on TC wearing skin-tight jeans or trousers (or even spandex) with a PROMINENT crotch bulge.  :-D

[jaybird2]

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Again everyone sees things differently but I didn't see her looking uncomfortable but as for hot flashes she famously suffers from very severe endometriosis where hot flashes/sweating can be part and parcel of other both the disease and the treatments. 

Bryan was often equally a jerk jus lowerkey to everyone except for Michael where he turned it up, they frequently fought like what they are, siblings.

i disagree re bryan and the other chefs but i do agree with you re bryan and michael.  i think this was alsom the season with jen carolle and mike isabella.  mike isabella was the worst.

[cooksdelight]

19 minutes ago, jaybird2 said:

mike isabella was the worst.

I cannot stand that twerp.

[jaybird2]

On 2/23/2018 at 11:30 AM, AriAu said:

Can we all just agree that Bryan Voltaggio NEEDS to be a full time judge. He asked great questions and had great comments all the way through. He gave more insight in one episode than Graham has given us all season and probably more than we got from any of the past guys in the 4th seat other than Emeril.

And can we all just agree that Michael Voltaggio's neck tat was disgusting and made it hard to focus on anything else. And for the record, he won fair and square that season-Bryan was a tiny bit stronger overall, but they both turned out memorable dishes (I still talk about Bryan's guacamole/corn chip meringue thing), but on that day in Napa, Michael won.

Been thinking about this and I think that there are so few villains/bad guys/bizarre people, that he was basically all they had to work with for creating some type of bad guy narrative. Throw in being a little cocky and the Snidely Whiplash mustache (and him not being one of the bears) and that is who they gave the villain edit....that usually goes to someone who clearly deserves it like Phillip., Stefan, Josie,, etc....

The dishes looked and sounded great and the judges were clearly pleased and impressed...which is what we should get at this stage of the game.

 

NOT EVEN CLOSE. Jen Carroll and  Isabella and Eli and half the early eliminated guys would wiped the floor with these guys and that is before we get to the Volt Bros and Yukon/Kevin

By the way, the only Season that I think comes close to Vegas is Chicago-Stephanie Izard, Blais, Dale Talde, Antonia, Spike (How could I leave him out on my list of villains)

i loved stefan! love stephanie....disliked spike and dale

[The Solution]

1 hour ago, chiaros said:

;-) 

So the bears really are gone...

[Drumpf1737]

This show has lost its charm for me.

The hipster-ness. The obvious edits to push us to like/dislike a cheftestant. Michael V looking like a crackhead on my TV.

Also still a little salty over last season's trip to a fucking plantation and the only person to be asked what they're feeling is the lone Black contestant.

[cooksdelight]

Just now, Drumpf1737 said:

This show has lost its charm for me.

The hipster-ness. The obvious edits to push us to like/dislike a cheftestant. Michael V looking like a crackhead on my TV.

Also still a little salty over last season's trip to a fucking plantation and the only person to be asked what they're feeling is the lone Black contestant.

Wish I could like this one thousand times.

[Blonde Gator]

14 hours ago, Yeah No said:

OMG, I thought exactly the same thing, except that it was skimpier than a bathing suit top.  I thought it was more like a skimpy underwear cami that comes with a thong from Victoria's Secret.  I'm no prude either but it was seriously inappropriate for the time and place.  I get it that she didn't look well and was beaded with sweat the whole time but still.

I almost didn't recognize Michael Voltaggio.  He gave me creepy MacCaulay Culkin addict vibes.  I'd take Bryan over him any day of the week even if he is a douche, which he probably isn't knowing the way these shows misrepresent people.

Sorry to see Carrie go, she had grown on me but in the end I prefer Adrienne or Joe Flamm in the finale anyway.  If Joe Sasto doesn't go home next I'll be surprised.  He's really not a bad guy but not my preference.  At this point if Adrienne won I'd be very happy.  I prefer her over Flamm but if he won I wouldn't hate it either.

ETA:  So sorry for everyone's loss that posted of it on the thread.  I may not love Sasto but I felt for him losing his mom so young.  My dad lost his mom at 22 and I lost mine at 42, which is a little older but still too young to lose a parent.  I could imagine if I were cooking in this episode I'd have been a mess too thinking about my mother, who was a wonderful cook.

This.  I lost my mom 2 years ago at almost 93, and it still hurts.  However, I'm cooking her favorite lasagna right now, nothing but smiles here, I just wish she were still around bugging me about "when is it going to  be ready?"....but I really feel for Joe S. and the memories her lasagna stirred up.  I wanted to hug him.  His pics as a kid were positively adorable, those sparkling little eyes full of mischief.  He was a cutie!  And I think underneath the bluster and Hipster nonsense there's still quite a bit of that sweet little boy.

Can't wait for next week to get confirmation on the Final Two.  This is the first season I looked at spoilers, not sure I want to do that again.  But I'm all good with the final three.

[Blonde Gator]

3 hours ago, chiaros said:

Like here?  :-D 

 

And...here's a Padma vs Adrienne's Mum comparison in the cleavage department.  ;-)

 

HEH.

Well, I would be interested in what posters here say when a male cheftestant or guest or whoever turns up next on TC wearing skin-tight jeans or trousers (or even spandex) with a PROMINENT crotch bulge.  :-D

I thought the dining room was quite lovely in this Ep.  Loved the big painting that was behind a couple of the diners, with the huge pop of orange.

[Eulipian 5k]

20 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

Also, for me, dude has a punchable face. This is of course the most YMMV of all reflexes/observations, but I think even if his early episodes edit had been different I would still roll my eyes at him.

LOL. Is that you Nell, trying to get back at Snidely over that “incident at the RR tracks”?

However, Joe Sasto’s “hipster“ attitude and “my meat” joke that so many may groan at is a little ironic given all the double-entenderizing with the quickfire’s protein.

[Eulipian 5k]

The whole family lunch/dinner concept was carried well thru the episode. Padma and the editors carried the cabin gathering moving well to each family. And at the dinner: Padma’s a Star, and she dressed like one: it’s  TV show, not Granny’s dining room.

As for hipster Joe, if my Daddy had a full beard, no one can talk about me having the bestest moustache ever!

[carrps]

4 hours ago, Blonde Gator said:

I thought the dining room was quite lovely in this Ep.  Loved the big painting that was behind a couple of the diners, with the huge pop of orange.

Me, too. I thought it was a very pretty restaurant. But, for the life of me, I couldn't remember the owner who was a former TC cheftestant.

And, I've never seen Rocky Mountain oysters on a menu, and I've been to crap ton of restaurants.

[Jazzhands]

8 hours ago, cooksdelight said:

I cannot stand that twerp.

Same. However, I did get the recipe for and make the pepperoni sauce that was such a hit, and it was awfully good. 

[Calamity Jane]

My parents grew up in the Depression, and this episode got me remembering all the crazy stuff they would eat when we lived in France because they were raised to consume any part of an animal.  Sweetbreads (ris de veau), quite often; tongue; head cheese and other terrines that looked very suspicious to me; heart; calf brains; my dad would eat horse meat; and of course liver, escargots, raw oysters, sea urchin - all everyday to them.  I'm sure there's much more I'm not thinking of.  My dad enjoyed steak and kidney pie when he had to go to London, too.  Myself, I never touched any of it.  

[Jextella]

On 2/23/2018 at 7:07 AM, AttackTurtle said:

If you can, watch the season with the Voltaggio brothers.  I still consider it the most talented group ever on TC.  Kevin will forever be my favorite from that season, but it’s one of the few seasons that I can vividly remember the actual dishes prepared by the chefs.

I really liked Carrie and am sad to see her go, but I would’ve been sad to see any of them go last night.   Adrienne had me at “king crab” and her handling of that dish and the time constraints was brilliant.   

I felt terrible for Joe S.  He and his father’s feelings are still so raw, but it sounds like they had very little time to grapple with his mom’s diagnosis before she died.  I feel he’s gotten a bad rap this season.  He’s probably the most innovative chef of this group and I wonder how much better he’d have been received if he ditched the stache.

I probably favor Joe F. from a pure personality standpoint, but I’m good with any of these four winning.

The presence if the Voltaggio brothers though makes me consider whether any of this season’s final three measure up to that Las Vegas season and I just don’t think so.  

 

 

Agree on all counts :).

Joe Flamm is beyond endearing.  I lurv him.

As to Joe Sasto, a twirly mustache isn't enough to make me dislike him.  I don't see it being much different than a tattoo....although less permanent - which means one more reason to not mind it.  He's pretty laid back.  Learning more about his life explains a ton - including an inconsistent performance.  It's hard to get motivated when the things that give our lives meaning are taken away - particularly in a sudden way with little time to emotionally prepare.

Adrienne has been under the radar the entire season, but we are finally seeing her come into her own.  I loved her OCD - or was it ADD - reveal?  Whichever.  That was a turning point for me.  As a non-chef kind of person with OCD tendencies, that hit home.  I've watched every season (or nearly every season), but that single reveal made me understand and appreciate the precision needed for great chefery.   I'm a fan.   And, for being a very reserved kind of person, her sparkly eyes and engaging smile are irresistible.  

Out of all them, Carrie and Chris are my two favorites.   I feel they've displayed what they have to give from the beginning, and their food is the food I'd like to try before that of any of the others.  I get that neither is "fine-dining" in the traditional sense, but their food sounds delicious.  I'm not a fine-dining person, so I'm probably biased.

In the end, I am kinda rooting for Joe S.  Of the three that remain, I think he has the most creativity.  

Michael Voltaggio one is so skinny.  He seems sickly.  I hope he is ok.  Agreed that his and his brother's season was one of the best - if not the best - in Top Chef history.  Kevin was also my favorite going into the finals but he kind of missed the mark at the end, and Michael deserved the win.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Jextella

[dleighg]

7 hours ago, Jextella said:

I don't see it being much different than a tattoo....although less permanent - which means one more reason to not mind it. 

yeah, I think the twirly mustache is silly, but I don't hate him for it. I've learned to accept lots of tattoos everywhere except the neck and face-- those bug me.

[chiaros]

16 hours ago, Drumpf1737 said:

This show has lost its charm for me.

The hipster-ness. The obvious edits to push us to like/dislike a cheftestant. Michael V looking like a crackhead on my TV.

Also still a little salty over last season's trip to a fucking plantation and the only person to be asked what they're feeling is the lone Black contestant.

John Tesar was also involved, and gave his response to the question. John was raked over the coals for it - but as many folks pointed out, what could he say --- he would be damned if he did and damned if he didn't, simply because he was a white guy - even if his mother had marched in solidarity with Black folks.

Edited February 25, 2018 by chiaros

[Blonde Gator]

13 hours ago, carrps said:

Me, too. I thought it was a very pretty restaurant. But, for the life of me, I couldn't remember the owner who was a former TC cheftestant.

And, I've never seen Rocky Mountain oysters on a menu, and I've been to crap ton of restaurants.

Eliza Gavin, season 10.  I wouldn't have recognized her with her hair up like that. 

She got PKYAG'd in the 5th episode, never on top, never on the bottom.  They listed her as being from Telluride in Season 10, so she's been there a while.  Her restaurant is 221 South Oak.  Pick there didn't look like she did in Ep. 10, either.

[chiaros]

On 2/23/2018 at 11:30 AM, AriAu said:

...and the Snidely Whiplash mustache...

 

12 hours ago, Jextella said:

...a twirly mustache isn't enough to make me dislike him.  I don't see it being much different than a tattoo....although less permanent - which means one more reason to not mind it.

 

4 hours ago, dleighg said:

yeah, I think the twirly mustache is silly, but I don't hate him for it. I've learned to accept lots of tattoos everywhere except the neck and face-- those bug me.

http://time.com/5170638/matt-hamilton-mustache/ 

https://twitter.com/corbydickerson/status/966582760319090689/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5170638%2Fmatt-hamilton-mustache%2F

[AAEBoiler]

I was so sad to see Carrie go. In the world of reality TV she was a bright, positive, cheery beacon of light ... which of course meant that she wouldn't win. While I feel bad for Joe Mustache and his dad about the loss of his mom, I still think he should've been sent home many weeks ago. At this point, I'm all Team Adrienne ... which of course means that she probably won't win either. 

Edited February 26, 2018 by AAEBoiler
OCD

[annewithaneee]

4 hours ago, chiaros said:

21 hours ago, Drumpf1737 said:

This show has lost its charm for me.

The hipster-ness. The obvious edits to push us to like/dislike a cheftestant. Michael V looking like a crackhead on my TV.

Also still a little salty over last season's trip to a fucking plantation and the only person to be asked what they're feeling is the lone Black contestant.

John Tesar was also involved, and gave his response to the question. John was raked over the coals for it - but as many folks pointed out, what could he say --- he would be damned if he did and damned if he didn't, simply because he was a white guy - even if his mother had marched in solidarity with Black folks.

I too kinda was over Top Chef during the Charleston season -- I didn't like the format of half vets versus half rookies, I'm not sure I've ever seen a reality show pull off that format very successfully, and yes some of the "embracing Charleston's heritage/history" stuff like that plantation thing made me physically recoil, and all of that is on the producers, not the hosts for asking the awkward and inappropriate questions, not either chef for how they answered. I'm at least watching this season all the way through, unlike Charleston, it's been a better group -- but I've still disliked a lot of the production choices and challenges. The camping overnight in cold snowy altitude, the dumb Olympics-themed challenge, the Logan Paul of it all...it's been middling to good for me, but an improvement over last season for sure.

[film noire]

On 2/23/2018 at 11:30 AM, AriAu said:

Been thinking about this and I think that there are so few villains/bad guys/bizarre people, that he was basically all they had to work with for creating some type of bad guy narrative.

 

I dislike Sasto because he made bad dishes and still stayed, while people who made several great dishes -- and one bad -- got sent home.  He's an inferior chef (at least on this show)  who should have been cut long ago, instead of remaining at the expense of more talented people, imo.

Edited February 25, 2018 by film noire

[film noire]

On 2/24/2018 at 12:22 PM, chiaros said:

a male cheftestant or guest or whoever turns up next on TC wearing skin-tight jeans or trousers (or even spandex) with a PROMINENT crotch bulge.  :-D

"Your quick fire ingredient is moose knuckle, two ways!" 

Edited February 25, 2018 by film noire

[xtwheeler]

On 2/24/2018 at 6:40 AM, Yeah No said:

I figure that anyone sweating that much has to be uncomfortable.  I knew there had to be another issue making her that sweaty - Again, I had no clue about her condition, thanks for cluing me in!

Padma also mentioned somewhere that the altitude was really affecting her negatively, so it may have been a combination of many factors leaving her feeling not quite at the top of her game. Though, I'd sell my left arm to look like that at "not the top of my game." Her dress was certainly... "cleavage forward" but I thought she looked stunning. The fit was a dream, and that eased any fears anything would be popping out anywhere. I thought it was daring but not inappropriate. It was certainly more NY or LA than CO, but I didn't think it was tacky or tasteless. 

 

I thought Michael and Bryan looked like the before and after photos for a recovery program. 

 

I'm over Sasto bitching about Carrie's fancy toast. Not only has this show featured a sudden death quickfire toast challenge, toast is the hipster-iest of hipster food right now, and she won both times she made it. I think he's bitter that something simple yet delicious beat out whatever he made with his bag-of-tricks-so-heavy-he-cant-lift-it. Guess what, Snidely? TASTE almost always carries the day here on TC, no matter how much technique you throw at a dish that ends up tasting mediocre. 

[xtwheeler]

1 minute ago, Figster said:

That also describes Chris too, but somehow many people still think he should have ended up the winner LOL. (I.E. on the bottom every other week, somehow lasting unit top 5).

Sasto for some reason came in with the "this is the one to beat" edit and attitude, while Chris remained popular because he was likable aside from his dishes, I think. 

[Blonde Gator]

26 minutes ago, Figster said:

Good point, Chris' niceness seemed to cause many overlook all his failures in cooking this season, and they continually reference his one or two success.

Chris seemed to have real difficulties when he was challenged to think outside of his comfort zone.  He did very well on "dishes that represent you".  But when he got outside of his comfort zone, ie. the German Radler challenge, or the one he went home on, he just lost all passion for whatever he decided on cooking.  I tend to agree with you, he could have gone home much sooner than he did, but I think he got great credit for NOT throwing anyone under the bus.  Where the two bottom dishes were equal (ly bad), Chris didn't go because he's a good person.

[LeighLeigh]

Regarding people sent home to early: I would have liked to see more of Tyler.

[cooksdelight]

Chris got saved in the Radler challenge due to having immunity. I really like him, I hope this is a career-booster for him.

22 minutes ago, LeighLeigh said:

Regarding people sent home to early: I would have liked to see more of Tyler.

Ditto. I like him, he had a great sense of humor.

[Lura]

I agree about Tyler, and I really liked Brother Luck.  He was very quiet, but I thought he was so likeable.

[cooksdelight]

@Lura, did you watch Last Chance Kitchen? Brother took a turn for me there.