Masterchef (US) - General Discussion

[Taeolas]

Red team had Yams and Corn and a slaw.

Blue team had Beans, brussel sprouts and a slaw I think? Or maybe I've got the corn on the wrong side. 

In any case, red clearly won in probably one of the most lopsided decisions ever (not) shown. 

And ultimately it seemed like they decided the big problem with Blue's meal was the design of the meal, which ultimately lands on the Team Leader, so yeah she got the boot rightfully. 

[snarts]

Anyone like me also watch The Challenge on MTV and wonder if everyone named Derrick has the same bull dog, little man personality? They even look alike.

[mertensia]

Red team had corn because Bowen did it and he was the last picked so he went to Bri's team.

[cameron]

3 hours ago, Taeolas said:

Red team had Yams and Corn and a slaw.

Blue team had Beans, brussel sprouts and a slaw I think? Or maybe I've got the corn on the wrong side. 

In any case, red clearly won in probably one of the most lopsided decisions ever (not) shown. 

And ultimately it seemed like they decided the big problem with Blue's meal was the design of the meal, which ultimately lands on the Team Leader, so yeah she got the boot rightfully. 

For me, yams are the last thing that I would serve with a steak.

[Taeolas]

6 minutes ago, cameron said:

For me, yams are the last thing that I would serve with a steak.

I actually like them with steak. When I'm in the mood, I'll nuke/BBQ a yam/sweet potato and have it with sour cream and bacon bits with my steak (instead of a baked potato). So that flavour profile is fine by me, even if it is a mash/smear instead of a tater. 

[rhofmovalley]

I cringed every time Joe greeted a table with "y'all". He just can't say it without it sounding like he's trying too hard.

I saw a sign saying they were in Norco. Does anyone know which Norco? The only Norco I know about is in the inland empire section of Southern California.

[bluepiano]

1 hour ago, rhofmovalley said:

I cringed every time Joe greeted a table with "y'all". He just can't say it without it sounding like he's trying too hard.

I saw a sign saying they were in Norco. Does anyone know which Norco? The only Norco I know about is in the inland empire section of Southern California.

It's in Riverside County, California. But the big joke was the constant reference to "cowboys and cowgirls." Norco is an affluent community built around private horse ownership, which requires a lot of bucks. One look at the many overweight, middle-aged residents should tell you that these are hardly working ranch hands.

Derek must be pretty unpopular, because I assumed he would be one of the first two or three cooks chosen based on ability. When Gordon said to him, "do you expect to be last man standing?" he said yes.

We were told that Shelley picked strategically and Bri picked based on friendship, choosing Fred first, but it turned out to be the opposite. The Red team was cohesive and the Blue team spent a lot of time arguing among themselves. I would not have wanted Christian or Shanika on my team because I think both tend to personalize everything and think only of themselves. Christian's response the very first time Shelley said something to him ("don't disrespect me") definitely did not help team spirit.

Edited August 4, 2022 by bluepiano

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, rhofmovalley said:

I cringed every time Joe greeted a table with "y'all". He just can't say it without it sounding like he's trying too hard.

I was looking down at my tablet the first time he said it.  It sounded so unnatural and like such an affectation that I thought it was Aaron saying it until I looked up.

[susannot]

23 minutes ago, bluepiano said:

Derek must be pretty unpopular, because I assume he would be one of the first two or three cooks chosen based on ability. 

Look at what Derrick said after Gordon had finished critiquing the plates.  He said " I stopped listening after Gordon said the steaks had a perfect sear.  The rest of it is all Bri's problem."  That is not a team player.  That said, it was true and Derrick's steaks were a big reason the red team won.

[rhofmovalley]

I figured it was Norco, CA but since my knowledge of geography is sorely lacking I thought there might be another Norco.

And yes, that's a more rural community where people own cows and chickens but there's not miles and miles of vast ranching territory like what I've seen on TV in Texas and other Southern and Midwestern states.

And we don't generally say "y'all" in Southern California so Joe was just using an affectation. Stop it, Joe.

[bluepiano]

19 minutes ago, susannot said:

Look at what Derrick said after Gordon had finished critiquing the plates.  He said " I stopped listening after Gordon said the steaks had a perfect sear.  The rest of it is all Bri's problem."  That is not a team player.  That said, it was true and Derrick's steaks were a big reason the red team won.

Derrick did make the challenge all about himself. I got tired of his talking heads about wanting to make Shelley regret not picking him. It was silly to personalize it so much. For that matter, Bri didn't pick him until almost the end. 

At this point I'm pretty tired of both Derrick and Christian and their "top dog" posturing. 

[rhofmovalley]

1 hour ago, bluepiano said:

At this point I'm pretty tired of both Derrick and Christian and their "top dog" posturing.

Why don't they just whip 'em out and settle it once and for all?

On second thought, no. I'm usually eating while I watch and I don't want to upchuck my dinner.

[seacliffsal]

This episode just seemed redundant in many different ways.  It hasn't been that long since they had a team challenge (which Shelly used as the basis for picking her team).  The two dishes were kind of interchangeable-both had steak and coleslaw.  The problems they had were very similar to problems seen during every single team challenge.  When Gordon was finding things wrong with everything, he asked who cut something on the blue team (and he was all faux angry) when Amanda said it was her he just kind of dropped it.  Very noticeable to me and reaffirms to me an earlier observation I made that she seems to be a favorite for whatever reason.

I thought the bourbon honey barbecue sauce from the red team sounded good.  Oh, and grilled corn-so they were the team I would have preferred.  Bri seemed out of her element though (and Dara's lack of experience really showed with the issues with the sweet potatoes).  

[xcrayon2215x]

Not surprised Shelly went home when the team lost because nobody stood out as the worst by a lot so the team captain will usually go. I found Derrick's comments about Shelly to be over the top. Christian got on my nerves but not as much as he did in Episodes 6 or 9.

I think the comments that Derrick made tonight are part of the reason he was picked so late. Gabriel being burned gave him camera time that he wouldn't get otherwise, they must think his personality is extremely boring or something since he is almost never shown.

Edited August 5, 2022 by xcrayon2215x

[mlp]

I was somewhat surprised to see Shelly go because I thought Gordon sort of favored her.  I found her ridiculous hairdo distracting so I was happy to see the last of her.  Everyone on her team seemed a little delusional at the end when they were telling each other how great they did.

I thought Derrick should have won his season, not Claudia, but he isn't doing himself any favors this time around.  He needs to shut up and just cook.

[GaT]

13 hours ago, bluepiano said:

It's in Riverside County, California. But the big joke was the constant reference to "cowboys and cowgirls." Norco is an affluent community built around private horse ownership, which requires a lot of bucks. One look at the many overweight, middle-aged residents should tell you that these are hardly working ranch hands.

When the judges kept saying "cowboys like....." I kept wondering if they actually knew any cowboys & why they all seemed to like the same food, but I guess if this is a town of pretend cowboys, the judges probably do know them.

[rhofmovalley]

And the fact that they're in Southern California is probably why the "cowboys and cowgirls" were looking at Joe all funny when he kept saying "y'all". I saw some serious "WTF?" looks on their faces. It's like they wanted to tell him something but didn't because they were on TV and getting what was probably a delicious free steak meal.

[oliviabenson]

The 101 cowboys were probably paid extras.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 8/4/2022 at 9:19 PM, xcrayon2215x said:

I think the comments that Derrick made tonight are part of the reason he was picked so late.

Yes, Derrick is a bit of an overconfident douche. But to paraphrase a musical, his skill with a grill is undeniable. It seems like you would be better off to just eat the fact that he's a jerk and have him on your side.

[El maestro]

4 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Yes, Derrick is a bit of an overconfident douche. But to paraphrase a musical, his skill with a grill is undeniable. It seems like you would be better off to just eat the fact that he's a jerk and have him on your side.

Shelley picked all her buddies thinking they were going to party. Derrick can be a jerk, but he knows when he has to work for the team. 
I have watched several editions of MC in different countries and it is amazing how many contestants still try to pick their friends for team challenges and not whoever they think are the best team player.

[mertensia]

It's about time Bri went. This was what? Her fourth time in the bottom three?

[rhofmovalley]

A lot of the food tonight looked delicious. I was drooling.

And now, even though it's 1000 degrees outside, I want pho.

[Chicago Redshirt]

10 hours ago, El maestro said:

Shelley picked all her buddies thinking they were going to party. Derrick can be a jerk, but he knows when he has to work for the team. 
I have watched several editions of MC in different countries and it is amazing how many contestants still try to pick their friends for team challenges and not whoever they think are the best team player.

At the same time, it's not like Bri snapped Derrick up. So maybe he is just that big of a jerk that no one wants to work with him. Or maybe Bri held off picking Derrick because she guessed that Shelly would not want him on her team because of the inevitable dick-measuring that would ensue if he and Christian had to work together.

Sometimes I wish they had talking heads about those sorts of things rather than the patently obvious ones they usually do.

[KeithJ]

11 hours ago, mertensia said:

It's about time Bri went. This was what? Her fourth time in the bottom three?

Unless I'm remembering wrong, she was much better than this the first time she was on.  She was pretty much awful this time around.

And, I really hate it when captains who win the team challenge think they're all that.  You're not.  You just happened to pick the people that didn't screw up as much as the other people.  Bri was saying how she "found her voice" as a captain (or something to that effect).  She really didn't, I don't remember her really leading that team after all of the roles were assigned.

Edited August 11, 2022 by KeithJ

[eel21788]

3 hours ago, KeithJ said:

And, I really hate it when captains who win the team challenge think they're all that.  You're not.  You just happened to pick the people that didn't screw up as much as the other people.  Bri was saying how she "found her voice" as a captain (or something to that effect).  She really didn't, I don't remember her really leading that team after all of the roles were assigned.

Also, the only reason she was team captain was because of how badly she had done on the previous challenge. It wasn't a position of honor or based on admiration by the judges or even the other contestants.

[jabRI]

I felt like this challenge judging was a little sketchy, like there was no actual accounting for the ingredients used or not, unless I missed that?  

[Chicago Redshirt]

52 minutes ago, jabRI said:

I felt like this challenge judging was a little sketchy, like there was no actual accounting for the ingredients used or not, unless I missed that?  

They critiqued Bri in part because the judges couldn't taste the ingredients used. She may have used all 11(?), but if you can't taste them, that doesn't do anybody much good.

[Msample]

Was it just me or did the contestants seem more over the top than usual in fawning over the guest judge ? Don’t get me wrong, I admire Christine’s accomplishments but it seemed overdone. 

Other than casting the obligatory stink eye every time someone else gets picked to go up as top three, has Shanika actually done ANYTHING this season ? She can PHKAG any day now thank you. 

[rhofmovalley]

20 minutes ago, Msample said:

She can PHKAG any day now thank you. 

I think it's PYAOYWS (put your apron on your work station). LOL

[xcrayon2215x]

Michael is looking like a serious contender, it was time for Bri to go. I think that Brandi will be gone soon, she is really slipping the last few episodes.

[Chicago Redshirt]

16 hours ago, Msample said:

Was it just me or did the contestants seem more over the top than usual in fawning over the guest judge ? Don’t get me wrong, I admire Christine’s accomplishments but it seemed overdone. 

Other than casting the obligatory stink eye every time someone else gets picked to go up as top three, has Shanika actually done ANYTHING this season ? She can PHKAG any day now thank you. 

I mean, by MasterChef (and general cooking competition) law, the contestants have to act as though whatever guest judge is essentially a combo platter of Jesus, Superman, and Elvis.

Just once, I would love to have a talking head of someone who was completely nonchalant over one of them, or actually negative toward them. "Yeah, I guess that chef's alright, but it's not like his presence is going to change anything I'm doing here." or "Man, that chef hasn't done anything relevant this century." or simply "Who?" 

Shanika is there for talking heads (in her defense, she can give a decent TH once in a while) and potentially adding drama (remember the big rivalry between her and Emily that happened their original season and was hinted at resuming?  Maybe there's more to come or maybe that was just hype.). I doubt even she thinks she has a shot of actually winning the competition. Other contestants who have an approximately 0 percent chance of actually winning: Big Willie, Bowen, and Gabriel. I could see that Fred, Dara, or Brandi conceivably could win, but like collectively they probably share a 10 percent chance, mostly centered on Brandi. (I think I originally thought she was going to be final five, but she has stumbled once or twice). I think at this point the winner is almost certainly going to be drawn from Derrick, Christian, Michael, Amanda, or Emily. 

[rhofmovalley]

I think it's going to be Amanda.

[seacliffsal]

I agree that I think it's going to be Amanda.  It sounded like they did not think her dish tasted that good but she was nowhere near the bottom three.  She has also had a lot of narrative bits that other contestants are not getting.

During this episode, one of the contestants stated that all of the contestants work in the culinary world and have a lot of experience.  That was followed by the tired "all of our home cooks" spiel about how these are just simple folks like the rest of us.  They need to drop the "home cooks" angle-at least for this season when during the introductions of the first few episodes (to see who would receive the coveted aprons) they told us about all of the restaurants, catering companies, cookbooks, etc. that the contestants have been doing since they were last on the show.

[jabRI]

Yeah, how do you qualify as a home cook when you run a cake business, have worked with Cristina Tosi, opened restaurants, are personal chefs, and written cookbooks?  No one has mentioned having a day job, but it may be because they are 'back to win' they exploited their 15 minutes of fame after the first go-round.  So maybe ex-amateurs would be more truthful

[Chyromaniac]

I don’t know if it’s ever been said outright, but I think the assumption was that these contestants were brought back specifically because they got involved in the industry.  That being said, I took “home cooks” to be just another thing Gordon says - kind of like how anyone he’s even a day older than becomes “young man/lady.”  “Home Cooks” is just a way that he talks about a group of contestants on this show, even though it’s not technically the case this season.  

It was great to see Chef Christine Ha back.  She’s undoubtedly one of the show’s greatest success stories, and she definitely comes across as a credible judge and expert.  And for what it’s worth, I buy the excitement and emotional response from the contestants.  Christine is someone who has been in their position and came out on top- and her story of working through her disability is just extraordinary.  And it made for compelling TV- Gordon judging her apple pie is my top moment in the history of the show.  It’s arguably the most human that he’s ever come across on any of his programs.  So, of course she’s going to be an aspirational figure, particularly for female/minority cooks.  I agree that the enthusiasm for some of the guests on this show can feel forced- but not this time.

[mlp]

14 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

It was great to see Chef Christine Ha back.  She’s undoubtedly one of the show’s greatest success stories, and she definitely comes across as a credible judge and expert.

I didn't see her season so I'd never seen her before except in still pictures.  I knew her story of course and I was a bit shocked by her personality.  I thought she came across as self-satisfied and critical bordering on abrasive.  Maybe I read too much into her tone but she didn't seem to have much empathy for people in the same position she had once been in.

[DEL901]

I hate when Gordon et al interfere….Shanika and Bowen wouldn’t have done half so well without Gordon stepping in to get them on track with their Wellington.  

[AZChristian]

Really, Aarrrrrrrron? The pears were "toothsome"?

[rhofmovalley]

Aww... I'm sad. 

Time for me to pick a substitute favorite.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I'm now rooting for Michael to win. He's seemingly cooking top dishes on the regular while not needing to pat himself on the back, measure his dick or otherwise be annoying.

Sadly, I think that this season is a long march to coronating Derrick as a new champion. He's obviously pretty talented but there's a little extra ass-kissing by the judges as if he's all that. It would give me great schadenfreude if Michael were to beat him out. 

[AZChristian]

I turned it off partway through the Grubhub hour.  Who was eliminated?

Never mind - found it online.  'Bye, Fred.

(But it sounds like Willie's was also a hot mess.)

Edited August 18, 2022 by AZChristian
Update

[cameron]

Can't imagine serving Beef Wellington with two starches like Gordon's dish last night.

[Trey]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

I turned it off partway through the Grubhub hour.  Who was eliminated?

Fred.  He got spaghetti and meatballs in his Grubhub bag and made meatball pot stickers.  The judges thought he couldn't have gotten any further away from the inspiration meal.  Plus, his meatballs were dry and unseasoned.  I'm surprised Fred lasted even this long in the competition.  He may be a good chef but his ideas aren't always very good.

I turned off partway through the team episode - too much shouting.  I see that Bowen and Shanika won but who got eliminated?

[AZChristian]

2 hours ago, Trey said:

I turned off partway through the team episode - too much shouting.  I see that Bowen and Shanika won but who got eliminated?

Emily and Gabriel were on the bottom, and Gabriel got the boot.  

[oliviabenson]

I didn’t realize how competent shanika is as a chef. 

[Lukeysboat]

20 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Really, Aarrrrrrrron? The pears were "toothsome"?

He kills me. Toothsome. Ugh. 

[xcrayon2215x]

Shanika and Bowen surprised me, they really did better than I thought. Michael is a great contender, I really could see him winning this. Fred and Gabriel are great guys but they were both the right choices to eliminate. Joe was a bit over the top with his comments towards Willie.

Derrick and Christian weren't as irritating as earlier on in the season.

[Dixiesoul]

Is there a reason Amanda is always sitting down during judging while everyone else is standing?

[oliviabenson]

I fell asleep a few times because it was so boring. Both episodes.

Fred and Gabe were the right choices to go.

[fishcakes]

I would have sent Emily home over Gabe. He knew the pears in the tarte tatin were upside down, but she insisted her way was correct. Then when Gordon told her they were upside down, she sneered at him as if he was also wrong. Her argument with Joe about the temperature of the Wellington was also ridiculous. She's someone who can't learn or improve because she won't listen and thinks she knows it all already. It seems unfair to me that Gabe got sent home ostensibly because he wasn't assertive enough to correct her mistakes.

I love Fred, but I don't think it was unfair that he left, since his potsticker dish didn't seem to be well thought out. Willie's didn't look good either, so if he had gone, that would have been okay too. I do think the judges have been harder on Fred all along though. Even in this episode, they were criticizing him saying meatball potstickers have nothing to do with spaghetti and meatballs, but they didn't have a problem with Derrick's lobster en croute or Emily's beef tartare and those don't seem all that related to a (likely meat-filled) empanada or a burger and fries.