Top Chef Canada - General Discussion

[HeShallBMySquishy]

On 5/4/2021 at 3:15 PM, Bunnyette said:

French toast from a whole wheat baguette!?  Yep that’ll get you sent home.   Why not a beautiful quiche instead?  Oh Siobhan.

I know! I will miss her, despite my dislike of tattoos everywhere, she was an absolute knockout. Enough for this gay to consider maybe... (Not that I think any chefs, male or female, should get by just on looks, but Siobhan was gorgeous, full traffic-stop with the long hair. Wow, this parenthesis (?) is running forever, isn't it? Check back in June, my parenthesis will still be running.)

One of the (many) things I love about this site is that I can post rambling shit and people will still respond, but kindly, like Canadians are just wont to do.

[Mellowyellow]

Love Kym! Super talented and very calm. 

I will miss Siobhan. She was never going to win it but I find her endearing and she's gorgeous!!!

 

[HeShallBMySquishy]

On 5/6/2021 at 7:00 AM, Mellowyellow said:

Love Kym! Super talented and very calm. 

I will miss Siobhan. She was never going to win it but I find her endearing and she's gorgeous!!!

 

Yes! Love Kym, and am totally rooting for them. My dislike of tattoos aside, I love that Kym has They / Them tattooed on their fingers. Normally I can't stand it (for me it just ruins the effect of watching pretty plates of food being prepared), but Kym's whole life story should be celebrated.

[LeighLeigh]

On 5/4/2021 at 6:15 PM, Bunnyette said:

French toast from a whole wheat baguette!?  Yep that’ll get you sent home.   Why not a beautiful quiche instead?  Oh Siobhan.

Yes, but I wish I had her confidence at that age. Part of me wonders why someone so young was encouraged  to compete knowing she had limited experience. Don’t get me wrong, I love Siobhan, I just feel like she was set up somewhat. 
On the other hand, she is also an amazing role model for so many. 
I wish her well in her career and hope that she is successful in the next all-stars edition. 

[shok]

Boy, Erica is sure being a witch. She thinks she should win and she's being super petulant when she isn't praised over and over again. Didn't like her from the beginning and she gets more unlikable by the minute.

Love Kim and her cooking. Those lotus root chips looked like to die for!

[xfuse]

6 hours ago, shok said:

Love Kim and her cooking

I'm not a fan. I find Kym ofputting and I don't really know why. 

[hula-la]

I'm glad that the judges called out the team for not mentioning that there is pork in their dish. I have a friend who is Muslim, and she finds it difficult to eat out sometimes, as restaurants don't mention if there's pork in a dish (e.g. not including that there is bacon somewhere in the dish). I also like them calling out the fact that nuts weren't mentioned either.

I did like that the cheftestants seem comfortable with using Kym's pronouns. I went to the Top Chef website on Food Network Canada to check the proper spelling of their name and noticed that they included pronouns for all the cheftestants.

I would have eaten at both restaurants, and while I miss Restaurant Wars, I hope that Takeout Wars will stay.

[LakeGal]

I have a hazelnut allergy so I agreed with them.  I am fine with other nuts.  But not hazelnuts.  I always have to ask when ordering certain items that they love to put hazelnuts in.

I was put off by how Erica acted.  She was being very childish and it did surprise me.  

[HighHopes]

18 hours ago, shok said:

Love Kim and her cooking. Those lotus root chips looked like to die for!

JSYK - Kym is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. 

Edited May 12, 2021 by HighHopes

[dstv]

Very, very unimpressed with Erica in this episode. Not only was she a sore loser, she made everything all about her both during team selection and at Judge’s Table.  She’s certainly not coming across as someone I’d want to work with or to hire. 

[Pepper the Cat]

Erica was pissed!!
first by not being chosen by Kym, second by her team losing.

I was cheering for her, now I am not so sure.

still loving Kym though!

[TVbitch]

I'm glad Alex didn't go home, but what on earth was he thinking presenting a totally different concept than the one that Marc raved about?! And if you are going to go vegetarian, do not slip bacon into one of the dishes and then not list it! Both menus actually looked tasty and photographed well.

WTF with Erica? Last week when Josh was in the bottom she was all huggy with him, "come back to me!!!" This week she is in the bottom and is like "Get the fuck away from me, I'm pissed!" 

[Bunnyette]

I’m finding host Eden very irritating this season.  I’ve never liked the concept of bringing back eliminated contestants.   And why only 3 & not 4?  Hopefully there’s an explanation why.

[LeighLeigh]

I have been a fan of Eden since her days on Chopped Canada. (Both Erica and Josh were on CC, by the way). She is genuinely hilarious on social media. It’s too bad that Top Chef doesn’t always give her the platform to be as silly as she naturally is. 
I really feel for her right now. She is seven months pregnant with her second daughter and stuck overseas visiting her sister who just gave birth. I hope she gets home safely. 

[Haute Messe]

On 5/15/2021 at 7:56 AM, Bunnyette said:

I’m finding host Eden very irritating this season.  I’ve never liked the concept of bringing back eliminated contestants.   And why only 3 & not 4?  Hopefully there’s an explanation why.

I find her so harsh. And I really would prefer her to say that the losing dishes were their least favourite instead of the worst. It doesn't help that original recipe TC is on at the same time and she just doesn't hold a candle to Padma. I will say that I never minded Eden on Chopped.

[TVbitch]

No explanation for why not all four of the eliminated chefs got another chance. It would have imbalanced the teams, but still seems unfair. 

[dstv]

“I don’t care who wins this one, as long as it’s not Kym!”

All you’ve got to do is cook a better dish than theirs, Erica. Simple 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edited May 25, 2021 by dstv
Name spelling

[Scarybuttercupp]

Erica is certainly a nasty little piece of work, isn't she?

It is so obvious that the producers want both Erica and Josh in the competition as long as possible to stir up the drama.

I'm predicting a Josh/Erica/Kym finale.

Kym is kicking butt, so I'm hoping they win.

[dstv]

I mean, I’m sure a lot of it is editing. The “anyone but Kym” could have been a cute bit of ribbing had it come from someone who had not been shown eye rolling, whining about not being in the top, claiming “betrayal”, etc. As it is, she just looks exhausting to be around.

Andrea’s getting a “peaking at the right time” edit so I am wondering if the final 3 will be her, Kym, and whichever of Erica/Josh gets their head back in the game faster  

[LakeGal]

Erica is definitely not doing herself any good acting like this.  I am at the point I want anyone to win but her.  She is coming off like nasty brat.  

[vibeology]

Erica strikes me as someone who easily did well in school and competitions growing up and never learned how to lose. She needs to get over it.

I hated that they had two people serving at a time for a meal like this. Each person should have been allowed to serve their dish when it was ready and not have half of the dishes sitting on the table waiting to be eaten. Why plan a meal just to have half of the dishes sit?

The quickfire was so much fun. I wish that had been a main challenge. Those kids were delightful and knew their food.

[Scofflaw]

Holy shit, Erica, envious much? That was so brutal. I mean, sure, say you want to win, or even that you want to beat them, but to say you don't care who wins as long as it's not Kym? I'm surprised her food doesn't taste as bitter as her attitude.

I am soooo happy that Kym works in my hometown. As soon as Pigeon opens again, I am SO THERE! (I may be an embarrassing fangirl but I don't even care. My love for Kym has no bounds!)

[staphdude]

Chris Nuttall-Smith is a massive asshole. I have no time for the angry “ I don’t want excuses” person. 

[hula-la]

5 hours ago, vibeology said:

The quickfire was so much fun. I wish that had been a main challenge. Those kids were delightful and knew their food.

I love that the cheftestants had big smiles on their faces at the end of the quick fire. I also loved how delightful the kids were. They didn’t seem like they were putting on an act for the camera. They seemed like they were honestly there for the food. 

[Pepper the Cat]

I would like to have seen the dishes sent out to the children to eat and then seen their reactions.

 

[DEL901]

Is it just me or is Erica’s smug mug eminently punchable?

[TVbitch]

Kym is running away with this, just like the winner from last season. I appreciate that the judges are just letting it be what it is and not picking other winners or finding ways to criticize Kym's dishes to try to keep it interesting. At this point, I will be upset if anyone else wins! 

Oof, the one who went home seemed completely surprised to hear that her dish tasted terrible! How does that happen?!

[Scarybuttercupp]

Since there will only be two chefs in the finale, I can't decide whether I want Erica to be eliminated prior to the finale and have her smug mug (TM DEL901) off my screen, or whether I want her to make it all the way to the end only to lose.

I'm really hoping Kym wins. My second choice would have been Josh, but I fear that if he wins, Erica will also claim that as a victory. So if it can't be Kym, then I hope it's Andrea.

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Scarybuttercupp

[Aerobicidal]

I have been half-watching this season but the latest episode made me so irritated that I need to rant about how awful Erica is. No, the judges did not say your carrots "may have been a little too crunchy." The judges said they were slightly undercooked. That may not be a significant difference, but it put me over the edge because a)Erica has already come across as supremely vindictive and entitled and b)It drives me crazy in real life when people take comments and change the tone or connotations to minimize or alter an intended meaning.

At that point, I still wouldn't have needed to rant, but then Erica presented her food to the judges and told them they had said her previous carrots were "toothsome." Okay, well "toothsome" means tasty--so that wouldn't be a critique. Now, I know that's probably not what Erica meant and her comment reflects a lack of vocabulary skills rather than narcissism, but UGH.

Kym has been my favorite for the entire season and I feel like they may be even more of a front-runner than the editing has made it seem. But I don't have a lot of faith in this show, so I'm ready to be disappointed and upset next week.

[vibeology]

When Alex put the octopus through the grinder and ended up with some grey mush, I knew that would have to be the worst tasting dish of the episode. It looked disgusting. Just awful. Normally I'm jealous that I can't eat the food because it looks delicious. This time I was grateful that we can't taste the food.

Erica is a ridiculous person. I hate her but I also love her as a tv personality. I knew she wouldn't be self-aware enough to handle admitting she fucked up originally and to learn from that fuck up. It was just funny to watch her hurdle towards the bottom two, That was perfect reality tv editing. 

Kym is running away with this but I do think if Andrea, Josh or even Erica have a great day they could beat them. This is a really talented group.

[Ciarrai]

On 5/3/2021 at 8:47 PM, LeighLeigh said:

Does Mijune cook? I honestly don’t know. 

No, she's an overhyped food blogger.

[LakeGal]

I was really hoping that Alex could pull it off and Erica would be eliminated.  But no such luck.  I really think the show wants both Erica and Josh in the finale.  They love to mention they are a married couple.  The only thing that helps me is that I don't think they would air all the nasty comments by Erica if she was the eventual winner.  Kym really has been running away with this contest.  

[DEL901]

27 minutes ago, LakeGal said:

I was really hoping that Alex could pull it off and Erica would be eliminated.  But no such luck.  I really think the show wants both Erica and Josh in the finale.  They love to mention they are a married couple.  The only thing that helps me is that I don't think they would air all the nasty comments by Erica if she was the eventual winner.  Kym really has been running away with this contest.  

Erica is one of those reality show contestants that really perplex me.   They know these shows are edited for drama so, of course, her mean/jealous girl comments would be aired and people including current and prospective employers would see them.  

[Bunnyette]

What was Alex thinking grinding octopus?  Anyone who has worked for Mark McEwan should not be allowed to compete.   Time for Erica and her snarkiness to leave.  Kim for the win.

[TVbitch]

Yeah, putting that gorgeous tentacle into the grinder and it coming out grey mush was just sad. Why Alex, why?

A four person finale? That's new right? I thought maybe they were doing that so Erica and Josh could lose together? ...dramatically, of course. I wonder if they are going to cut one or two before the final meal.

I enjoyed seeing last season's winner. I adored him! 

[LakeGal]

I was not that happy how this season ended.  But I didn't care for Erica.  I didn't think it was fair that she got her chef hubby as her assistant.  But they were probably worried Josh would screw it for Kym if they put Josh on Kym's team.  

Edited June 8, 2021 by LakeGal

[DEL901]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

[Scarybuttercupp]

Well, poop. The universe hates me, apparently.

[dstv]

Well, now we know why the editors played up the “Erica vs Kym” angle for most of the season.  
 

Honestly I feel like, while Erica got the prize, Kym will end up the real winner long term. They didn’t lean into the reality drama the way Erica did—the most the producers were able to get from them is “we’ve been each other’s competition since day one” and “I came here to win”—and the end result is they came across as professional and good to work with while Erica was left looking like that exhausting person who needs constant emotional caretaking and has coworkers walking on eggshells all the time.  IMO Kym’s food always looked a lot more innovative and exciting than Erica’s, as well. 

[Scofflaw]

I don't use the word "travesty" very often, but...that was a TRAVESTY! I can only assume that, despite Erica's obnoxious personality, her food is good. Oh well. Off to Pigeon as soon as possible to see the real winner in my book. 

[Bunnyette]

Kym was robbed!  Instead of having the other contestants as sous chef, use some from the hotel. Much more neutral.   Erika had a bad attitude which turned me off & my sense of fair play is offended as Erika also worked for McEwan.  Boooooo

[LeighLeigh]

In the eatNorth podcast, the lovely Jo Notkin, from last season, said that you have to remember that there are cameras in your face all the times to capture any drama. Microphones too. It seems Erica forgot. 

On the other hand, how many male competitors might have also been the occasional sore loser? Dale MacKay, etc.?

Erica is a solid chef who put out great food all season. She deserves to be in the finale. I love the Polish/Moroccan combo. Loved all of the Jewish recipes. However, I believe that if Kym kept to their Asian style vs. French/Asian, the outcome might have been different. 

I am proud that Canada has a Jewish female Top Chef winner. 

[vibeology]

It's probably for the best that Erica won. I don't think she could handle getting that close and then losing. And her win was probably fair. Kym was by far the more consistent chef but Erica was at their level talent wise and she just had a slightly better day. It was clear that she was the strongest after the first two rounds and the critiques of Erica and Kym's last three courses were fairly even.

I said that I hate her but really it's a love to hate situation. She's probably fine outside of a competition and is a producers dream inside of one. Her food looks amazing. Once we got to this top four, I was happy with any winner because they were all clearly wildly talented. 

[DEL901]

Not sure producers liked Erica.  I was convinced she lost because  no way they would have shown her wishing anyone but Kim won that challenge or clearly being jealous if she was a winner.  

[LeighLeigh]

Top Chef on Reddit has a post about top chef Canada. Mostly comments by Americans who watched the show. Supposedly, Erica had to turn off comments on Instagram. Lots of people upset that Kym lost. 
Also, the podcast More than Maple Syrup did an interview with Erica. 

[LeighLeigh]

Facebook comments are pretty tough. People seem disappointed about the result. 

[TVbitch]

Sigh. I do think the judges wanted Kym to win, but had to go with what they felt was the best meal on the day. 

Having said that, I still think Erica had unfair advantages on the show. She has worked for Marc and knows his tastes. And being sequestered in a super high stress situation like they are, having your spouse (who is also a chef) there with you to provide support, advice and encouragement (and kiss you in the kitchen, bleh!) is a huge advantage! I am still upset they did that and hope they never do it again. 

[Mellowyellow]

Well that ruined the season for me. Not going to watch the rest of it.

I adored Kym and their cooking. I refuse to watch them lose to mean mean mean Erica 😭😭😭

[LeighLeigh]

For fans of Top Chef Canada, and fans of Siobhan in particular, she will be doing a live virtual cooking class in a few weeks. More information on the website cookwithmeg.com under fall classes. Looks like lots of fun. (Meg does loads of classes and camps for kids. My kids love her). 

[argrow]

New season premieres September 26.