Masterchef (US) - General Discussion

[Tango64]

Meat thrown. “For kids!”

[DEL901]

Who on earth would think kids would prefer chicken over a burger?

[Tango64]

If you want to make a bunch of kids happy, you should emulate fast food. Maybe sad, but true. Not so big burgers, chicken nuggets, regular fries, maybe apple slices with caramel dipping sauce. Never met a kid who wants grilled chicken and slaw. 

[tinkerbell]

1 hour ago, DEL901 said:

Who on earth would think kids would prefer chicken over a burger?

A lot of kids love chicken. But only the breaded and fried kind. Chicken tenders with a dipping sauce, yes.  Grilled chicken? No way. Every fast food place knows this.

What I don't understand is why, when they didn't have enough mayo, they couldn't get more. They were able to decide to add bacon to the sandwiches and get the bacon. Why couldn't they get more mayo? Oh, right. For the DRAMA.

 

[preeya]

Team challenges still suck, and likely always will.

The show is MasterCHEF.

[Chicago Redshirt]

8 hours ago, DEL901 said:

Who on earth would think kids would prefer chicken over a burger?

I'd imagine it would depend. If you take kids to McDonald's some are going to want a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder, but others are going to want McNuggets or tenders.

I wonder if they ruled out doing fried chicken because of the obligation to do a fried side, or if they just thought grilling the chicken would be easier.

And then of course there's the question of execution. The best executed chicken sandwich is probably not going to beat out the best executed burger, or as you suggest, even an average executed burger. 

Also, for a kid's palate, burgers are pretty fool-proof compared to chicken. It's way easier to get them to an acceptable temperature and to have them rest there. It's way easier to undercook or overcook chicken, it seems to me.

[fishcakes]

I think the team did say they had to grill the chicken because they didn't have enough fryer space for both chicken and french fries, but if that's the case they should have ditched the chicken and gone with something else. If they couldn't do burgers also because the other team called it first, they should have done a hot dog or polish sausage; something that's already cooked and just needs to be heated on the grill. Kids love dogs.

Not really sure what the advantage is of a smashburger over forming it into a patty first, but I doubt the kids would have known the difference. And it worked out for them because the other team was so hapless, but I wouldn't have put Grant on the grill; that was the guy who messed up mashed potatoes in the last team challenge. He shouldn't be in charge of the main dish. James should have been on the grill and let Wayne act as the captain since Wayne seemed to be running things anyway.

[Msample]

Joe Bastianich doesn’t know what a reverse sear is ??🤪 Please.

 

Even if one team did hot dogs, Gordon would pick one up and throw it screaming “it’s RAW you donkey !!”

[gaPeach]

On 8/16/2023 at 8:32 PM, Tango64 said:

Another large group catering event. They should just call it MasterCaterer. 
Who will serve raw meat? How much meat will Gordon throw against a wall? I’m predicting “How dare you serve this to these precious underprivileged children!”

I love/hate these challenges.  I hate them because, as others have pointed out, this is MasterChef not Master-at-nothing.   I predicted whoever worked the grill on either team was probably going home.  And yep, he went home.  

And the captain of winning team totally dodged a bullet.  He so needed to go home.  The chef that won last week when he pulled off a 9-layer cake that no one thought he could, took over near the end it was not lost on Gordan.  

Felt bad for the poor grill guy.  If they have another team challenge like this, no one is going to volunteer to work the grill.  It is now the kiss of death!

[Daff]

16 hours ago, Msample said:

Joe Bastianich doesn’t know what a reverse sear is ??🤪 Please.

 

Even if one team did hot dogs, Gordon would pick one up and throw it screaming “it’s RAW you donkey !!”

Kendal hasn’t learned a thing..moreover, I’ve never seen a reverse sear applied to chicken or pork. It’s used on good cuts of beef, in combo with short time in the smoker! (Low temp)

[jabRI]

I am always annoyed at the time management on these challenges.  So the women who was doing the mayo sauce and the slaw, once you have big vats ready move onto protiens, that's where the help is needed.  One could have done qc checks, assembled, etc.  What did they do once they were done that was so important?

 

You can't judge making one bowl of sauce or 2 bowl of slaw, with making 100 burgers or chickens, perfectly cooked, not raw or overcooked.  Just really not fair.

[Colorado David]

who picked the chicken as a choice, was it sav or kendal? abs wrong choice - fried nuggets yes, not grilled breasts. and NO on slaw, slaw is an adult food. and why go the sweet potato fry route? do you see that at any fast food joint? NO

Edited August 18, 2023 by Colorado David
more thoughts

[Msample]

They had to do a fried side, so they had no room in the fryolater for nuggets.

[Colorado David]

oh

[jabRI]

Also, didn't Joe say they had to make slaw, a side and a sauce? May have misheard.  Personally prefer vinagrette to mayo slaw, especially when it's been sitting out for a while.

 

And for the burgers, make sliders. A lot easier than an 8 ounce burger.

Edited August 19, 2023 by jabRI

[KeithJ]

2 hours ago, jabRI said:

Also, didn't Joe say they had to make slaw, a side and a sauce? May have misheard.  Personally prefer vinagrette to mayo slaw, especially when it's been sitting out for a while.

 

And for the burgers, make sliders. A lot easier than an 8 ounce burger.

Yeah.  Most kids likely wouldn’t be finishing an 8 ounce burger anyway, even without the chicken from the other team.

[Lurk]

Did anyone else catch the Capt of the blue team, when someone gave her a really long french fry to taste, take it in her mouth, bite down and then spit the rest into a tray of buns or something she was carrying? 

[GHScorpiosRule]

If nothing else, at least next week I we get to see Gordon doing a cooking demo!

Whaaaat?

[seacliffsal]

I think the team captain, Sav, is the one who should have gone home.  She immediately went with chicken sandwich (and the other team may have beaten her to the burger, but there were still other options).  And, towards the end of the show in a talking head she even said that she should have thought about what kids liked versus what she preferred.  So, she went with chicken sandwich because that is what she would have preferred.  They could have gone with mini-franks in dough, hot dogs, chicken fingers (even grilled would have been better than chicken sandwiches), spaghetti (kids love spaghetti), or other options.  

Also, on the other team, they went after Grant for putting cooked cheeseburgers in the oven, but he stated that James told him to do so.  

This was a mess all the way around-I think Wayne did a lot to get the victory for his team.

Aaron really seemed 'just there' for this challenge.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 8/19/2023 at 5:51 AM, jabRI said:

Also, didn't Joe say they had to make slaw, a side and a sauce? May have misheard.  Personally prefer vinagrette to mayo slaw, especially when it's been sitting out for a while.

 

And for the burgers, make sliders. A lot easier than an 8 ounce burger.

I think that making a slaw was part of the challenge. I generally don't eat slaw, so I was like "Damn, damn, damn, damn. What a waste."

There might not have been slider-appropriate buns. I suspect that the MasterChef field kitchen was not so fully stocked for this one.

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 8/18/2023 at 5:47 PM, Colorado David said:

who picked the chicken as a choice, was it sav or kendal? abs wrong choice - fried nuggets yes, not grilled breasts. and NO on slaw, slaw is an adult food. and why go the sweet potato fry route? do you see that at any fast food joint? NO

More's the pity. Sweet potato fries tend to be awesome.

I think that after having it pounded into you that everything needs to be elevated and restaurant quality and worthy of a MasterChef, that contestants find it tough to shift gears and execute things at a basic level, fast-food quality, worthy of a baseball stadium. 

[mertensia]

On 8/18/2023 at 3:47 PM, Colorado David said:

who picked the chicken as a choice, was it sav or kendal? abs wrong choice - fried nuggets yes, not grilled breasts. and NO on slaw, slaw is an adult food. and why go the sweet potato fry route? do you see that at any fast food joint? NO

Culver's had sweet potato fries for a while.

Smashburger still does.

 

 

[Chicago Redshirt]

When they put it like "You won't be able to hide behind your strongest chef in your region anymore," it raises the question why you ever had it like that. They should have been perhaps strategizing as teams but had it so that anyone could get the boot.

It seems like we have gotten rid of a lot of the no-hope candidates. Who do people think will get to the final three or four?

I'd say at this point, I would be surprised if it doesn't include Colby for the South, Wayne as the Midwest rep, Brynn (the last person standing from the Northeast) and Kennedy (she seems to be the favorite from the West, although I suppose there's a case to be made for Lizzie). I am too cynical to believe that there is a chance for more than one person from each region to make it to the finals. And although the finals typically have three chefs competing, I think that there's a decent chance that they will expand it to four so that each region has representation.

I hope Jennifer doesn't make it. She is my least favorite MasterChef contestant since Kelsey, and Kelsey could actually cook. Jennifer just oozes entitlement.

I think it is just a matter of time before MD, James and Reagan get the boot. 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Chicago Redshirt

[seacliffsal]

I actually enjoyed this episode-even though it was 2 hours.  The first elimination part was great-I really liked the guest judge, I think he would be a great addition to the judging panel-get rid of Aaron and put in Rush.

The tag team elimination was interesting-Grant made some interesting pairings but I was surprised that he had to participate even though he had immunity.  At least he didn't set someone up by pairing with them and then sandbagging it.  It was time for Charles to go.  It was interesting when he stated that he had never been yelled at before.  I won't comment but it was interesting.  I have been over Jenifer for quite some time, but found her entitlement overwhelming during this challenge.  And then she stated that this was "literally" the biggest challenge she has ever faced in her life.  And the tears were just ridiculous (to me).

I am really liking Kolby, and I never really noticed him until these last couple of weeks.

I wish they didn't rely so much on Lizzie being the 'narrator' of the episode. 

I'm sorry if we're not supposed to talk about the previews-but I really hope that having fish as the protein means that we get to watch Gordon filet a fish (there is just something fabulous about it when he does so).

[fishcakes]

Pretty clear from both episodes that the judges wanted to get rid of Charles no matter what. In the first episode they said his curry was too spicy and salty and pretty much said it was not fixable. The attitude was "sucks to be you." But they also criticized Grant and Brynn (I think it was those two) and told them how to correct. Charles corrects the curry on his own, which they begrudgingly acknowledge but are still really harsh about the rest of his dish.

Then after the tag team they eliminated him but not Jennifer saying she "did enough" to stay in, but what did she do? I saw her complaining a lot, but it's still not clear to me what she contributed to the team; she certainly didn't save any of their three dishes, which were uniformly ass. If they meant she's been a stronger cook all along, then okay, except that didn't save Nina in the previous challenge, so not sure why it should save Jennifer. Their shrimp and pasta dish did make me burst out laughing so at least there's that.

I was glad that MD and Sav won mainly because you could see how ungracious everyone else was being. A lot of polite golf clapping and clenched teeth, "I'm so happy for them" fakery. It's not like anyone there is outstanding. Everyone has been pretty inconsistent all season, and overall this seems like it might be the weakest group we've ever seen.

Kennedy's eyelashes were a choice.

[Chicago Redshirt]

3 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I actually enjoyed this episode-even though it was 2 hours.  The first elimination part was great-I really liked the guest judge, I think he would be a great addition to the judging panel-get rid of Aaron and put in Rush.

The tag team elimination was interesting-Grant made some interesting pairings but I was surprised that he had to participate even though he had immunity.  At least he didn't set someone up by pairing with them and then sandbagging it. 

That would be hilarious if Grant was like "I pick my biggest competitor" (whoever that is) and absolutely dogged the challenge so the judges had no choice but to ship that person home.

1 hour ago, fishcakes said:

Then after the tag team they eliminated him but not Jennifer saying she "did enough" to stay in, but what did she do? I saw her complaining a lot, but it's still not clear to me what she contributed to the team; she certainly didn't save any of their three dishes, which were uniformly ass. If they meant she's been a stronger cook all along, then okay, except that didn't save Nina in the previous challenge, so not sure why it should save Jennifer. Their shrimp and pasta dish did make me burst out laughing so at least there's that.

The idea seemed to be that the judges had the option of sending both members of the losing team home, but not the obligation to. It's always hard to tell how much they were really considering sending a second person home or whether they were just doing it for the drama.

I think as much as Nina's cooking was not up to snuff, what sent her home over Charles was that Charles still had the wherewithal to be like (or at least pretend to be like), "MasterChef is the most important thing in the universe to me. Please God, don't let me get sent home." By contrast, Nina gave off the vibe that she was done and she couldn't care less.

I think they would have been 100 percent justified in sending both members of a team that literally failed at each part of the three course meal. Like leaving one or two components off for lack of time is understandable. But each part of it was missing components, and some just weren't well done at all.

IMO, Jennifer's attitude of "please Jesus save me to fight another day" complete with tears did more than her cooking in this or any other week.

[KeithJ]

4 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

It seems like we have gotten rid of a lot of the no-hope candidates. Who do people think will get to the final three or four?

I'm hoping Sav and Lizzie make it.  Was happy to see Sav on top this week.  I don't care for miss knit hat but I believe she will make it.

[bluepiano]

10 hours ago, fishcakes said:

I was glad that MD and Sav won mainly because you could see how ungracious everyone else was being. 

MD seems like a nice person, but I can't get past the fact that she's headed for the Top 10 even after botching a key lime pie. Especially when several stronger cooks have been eliminated for a single slip up. Nina going home was a surprise to me, as based on the judges' past praise of her, she seemed top 5 material.

Judging is supposed to be based on the current episode, but certainly Charles was overdue for being eliminated, and I think that was a factor. Similar to how Richie had narrowly avoided a couple of eliminations but definitely needed to go.

In her exit Nina said something like, "being the 13th best home cook in America is pretty good." No, you're not the 13th best home cook in America. You're number 13 among the people who chose to go on this show. Statistically, that's a WAY smaller sample.

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by bluepiano

[Yeah No]

I think this latest episode was proof that some of these people were indeed hiding behind the success of their regions.  I think Charles going home was a long time coming because of that.  The judges knew it.  This challenge just exposed him to the rest of us.  I was actually shocked that Jennifer didn't do more to save some of those dishes but I do get it that Charles was probably making it hard for her to do that.  I just didn't get the sense for how much of their failure was her fault.  At least she took responsibility for her part in it.  I think it was probably fair that she didn't go home.

Charles strikes me as a person that has never had to endure pressurized situations and said he was "not used to being yelled at".  That's what happens when not enough is expected of young people and they are not challenged enough - they fall apart and can't cope when they suddenly find themselves under a lot of pressure and/or in a competitive situation.  My life up until his age was just the opposite.

[gaPeach]

13 hours ago, bluepiano said:

MD seems like a nice person, but I can't get past the fact that she's headed for the Top 10 even after botching a key lime pie. Especially when several stronger cooks have been eliminated for a single slip up. Nina going home was a surprise to me, as based on the judges' past praise of her, she seemed top 5 material

I said this when the episode aired.  She should have gone that week for messing up, what was described as "the easiest dish" of the competition.  Two of the guys that made the mistake of manning the grill on the stupid team challenges were much better cooks but went home anyway.  If I were on this show, I would NEVER do the grill as it is the fastest way to go home if your team loses.

[jabRI]

6 hours ago, gaPeach said:

Two of the guys that made the mistake of manning the grill on the stupid team challenges were much better cooks but went home anyway.  If I were on this show, I would NEVER do the grill as it is the fastest way to go home if your team loses.

That was my point also. You can't judge as a level playing field, making a bowl of sauce or 2 bowls of coleslaw compared to making 100 perfectly cooked protiens. Makes no sense, totally unfair.

[seacliffsal]

Same concept as messing up a key lime pie versus messing up the lemon cake a couple of weeks ago.  They try to justify sending those home who had tougher assignments over those who had easier tasks.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I would have much preferred it if the camera had stayed on Gordon while he was cooking, instead of panning to the faces and reactions of the contestants.

I’m hoping next week we’ll see him fillet or show how to slice and cut a fish since that’s what they will be cooking next week.

At this point, that’s all I’m interested in seeing.

[whinewithwine]

Is Jennifer the "lifestyle blogger"?  What does that even mean?  Never mind, I don't want to know.

I want Reagan out before her glasses take over her whole face.  She cooked outside last week with them sitting on top if her head, but this week she had different ones for each challenge.

I'm now rooting for Kolby.   He's from around here, so that's as good a reason as any.

 

[preeya]

Another doubleheader tonight:

S13E13 Fish Out of Water Mystery Box: The chefs face their toughest Mystery Box challenge yet - fish! When the chefs with immunity are able to switch up the other contestants' fish, the competition starts to fire up.

S13E14 Kelsey's Stadium Food:  The contestants must cater to the average sports fan while incorporating elements from their region to elevate their dish, and the chef with immunity is tasked with giving a penalty to the home cook of their choosing to receive a five-minute timeout.

[GHScorpiosRule]

MAAAAAAN!!! why couldn’t I we get Gordon showing how to cut at least ONE fish? I don’t think that’s too much to ask for!

Wot?

Just started watching.

[susannot]

So the cheftestant who is deathly allergic to fish is using lobster, crab, and shrimp in the stadium challenge?  Well, OK.

 

Happy that Wayne won one.  He is my hometown contestant.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Good. The right people went home.

I barely remember season 11’s winner, but by the end I think I do and I remember she ANNOYED me.

[susannot]

I don't remember her either but it looks like she has done well.  Her food looked good, especially her Cuban sandwiches.  Drool.

[chicagofan]

Little annoyed by Brynn saying she was feeling the pressure of being the last one standing from the Northeast team. Everyone is cooking as individuals now, so everyone is feeling the pressure - you're not that special.

Damn, but Grant lucked out not once, but twice. I thought for sure he was going to go home in the second hour with his undercooked masa, but he was saved by Lizzie's even worse crab cakes. Her choice of king crab was probably the kiss of death almost from the start considering Ramsay's feelings about it, especially using it in ballpark food.

And I don't particularly like Jennifer, but good for her for recovering from the timeout to make top 3. Wayne made the right choice in giving her the time out when he did  since she hadn't gotten her meat into the pressure cooker, but sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

[AZChristian]

Joe's comment: "Are you saying that Kennedy is bulletproof?"

In the context of history, that was cringeworthy.

[SHERMDOG]

52 minutes ago, chicagofan said:

Little annoyed by Brynn saying she was feeling the pressure of being the last one standing from the Northeast team. Everyone is cooking as individuals now, so everyone is feeling the pressure - you're not that special.

Damn, but Grant lucked out not once, but twice. I thought for sure he was going to go home in the second hour with his undercooked masa, but he was saved by Lizzie's even worse crab cakes. Her choice of king crab was probably the kiss of death almost from the start considering Ramsay's feelings about it, especially using it in ballpark food.

And I don't particularly like Jennifer, but good for her for recovering from the timeout to make top 3. Wayne made the right choice in giving her the time out when he did  since she hadn't gotten her meat into the pressure cooker, but sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

Can't stand Jennifer...or the donut lady. And truthfully I'm really not sure why!

Jennifer maybe seems intitled for some reason.. but..I'm prolly just getting an incorrect vibe

[KeithJ]

There had to be some rules for using the flag.  If not, just save it until there are five minutes left in the challenge and throw it on someone who hasn’t started plating yet.  No dish to present means you go home right?

[PhoneCop]

Kinda glad we're back to the usual double episode format. With the strike ongoing, I wondered if they would drag the season into the fall, but this cast isn't fun enough to sustain my interest for an extra six weeks, LOL.

On 8/24/2023 at 6:24 AM, Chicago Redshirt said:

I'd say at this point, I would be surprised if it doesn't include Colby for the South, Wayne as the Midwest rep, Brynn (the last person standing from the Northeast) and Kennedy (she seems to be the favorite from the West, although I suppose there's a case to be made for Lizzie). I am too cynical to believe that there is a chance for more than one person from each region to make it to the finals. And although the finals typically have three chefs competing, I think that there's a decent chance that they will expand it to four so that each region has representation. 

I agree that this is probably what we're headed for. By now everybody else has gotten a more flawed edit, so I expect those will be the last four standing. And since we're down to the Top 9 with four remaining from the South, at least one of them's surely a goner next week. Most likely Reagan, who's been riding the middle all this time, or Sav will quietly fade away. Grant's bombed twice in a row, MD's had her moment to shine, so their arcs are mostly done; it's mainly a question of when Jennifer finally flames out.

[Chicago Redshirt]

9 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Good. The right people went home.

I barely remember season 11’s winner, but by the end I think I do and I remember she ANNOYED me.

Kelsey was so pompous in her season and so obviously given a winner's edit, I disliked her more than I think I have any cheftestant in the various cooking shows I've  watched, which includes most seasons of Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef, MasterChef, MC Jr. and Next Level Chef. (To be fair, I don't actively hate a lot of cheftestants).But you can probably scroll back in this thread and come across any number of salty comments about her and that season from me.

So I was dreading this episode.

She didn't seem as smarmy to me this time around, and good on her for getting the gig that she has at Lucas  Oil Stadium. That said, the show made it sound like she provides all the Lucas concessions when she just has a stand. Since football concessions are already typically overpriced, I can't imagine that elevated versions of such are going to be reasonable.

[KeithJ]

Lizzie was lucky she didn't go home in the first hour.

Sometimes I'm curious about the contestants thought process.  The main goal of this competition is to win isn't it?  How many times do we see cooks CHOOSE to do something they've never done before, or use ingredients they have never used before just to see them mess it all up?

If I was on the show trying to win, I'd be sticking with things I knew how to do.

[fishcakes]

I only remember Kelsey as being the narrator of her season and obvious winner from early on. Her actual food, I don't remember at all. I was surprised by everyone acting as if her serving restaurant quality food at a stadium was revolutionary. I don't know about most stadiums, but all of the ones I've been to over probably the last 30 years have had higher-end options and where I live now, two people could easily spend $70 or $80 on food alone. Fortunately for me, on the rare occasions that I go to a game I'm happy with a regular dog and a beer and those nachos with that orange substance and one lonely jalapeno slice on top.

The judges were too harsh with Kolby when they said his patty melt wasn't special enough. I don't see how Jennifer's pulled pork sandwich or, for that matter, Kelsey's Cuban sandwich and sticky wings were any more special. If Kolby had made the very same thing with what's called Wagyu or Kobe beef (but really isn't because anything you get outside of Japan called Wagyu or Kobe is rarely authentic and prohibitively expensive), they would have fallen all over themselves to praise him.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, fishcakes said:

Fortunately for me, on the rare occasions that I go to a game I'm happy with a regular dog

Yup. This is me. I want something simple and not messy. All these "elevated" dishes too much work and I'd be worried about spilling or getting my jersey or in the winter months, jacket all messed up.

 

[bluepiano]

4 hours ago, fishcakes said:

 Fortunately for me, on the rare occasions that I go to a game I'm happy with a regular dog and a beer and those nachos with that orange substance and one lonely jalapeno slice on top.

Although at the stadiums in Seattle, a regular dog, beer, and nachos will still set you back about $25. 

17 hours ago, SHERMDOG said:

Can't stand Jennifer...or the donut lady. And truthfully I'm really not sure why!

Jennifer maybe seems intitled for some reason.. but..I'm prolly just getting an incorrect vibe

Since this is a competition for amateur cooks, how is MD, a food industry professional, allowed to compete? Worse yet, since she owns a donut shop, how is she allowed to make donuts for a challenge? (And get selected for Top 3.)

Contender for "least surprising revelation of all time.'' Jennifer was a high school cheerleader. 

On 8/25/2023 at 2:34 PM, jabRI said:

That was my point also. You can't judge as a level playing field, making a bowl of sauce or 2 bowls of coleslaw compared to making 100 perfectly cooked proteins, Makes no sense, totally unfair.

That's why I hate team challenges. Almost as a rule, the contestant who steps up to do the hardest, most critical job goes home, while the people who grab the easiest assignments are safe.

 

[Chicago Redshirt]

10 hours ago, KeithJ said:

Lizzie was lucky she didn't go home in the first hour.

Sometimes I'm curious about the contestants thought process.  The main goal of this competition is to win isn't it?  How many times do we see cooks CHOOSE to do something they've never done before, or use ingredients they have never used before just to see them mess it all up?

If I was on the show trying to win, I'd be sticking with things I knew how to do.

The dilemma of these shows is that you have to navigate between "putting me on a plate"/playing it safe/elevating/keeping it simple/getting out of your comfort zone/doing something risky. 

Remain in your wheelhouse too long and you'll get dinged. And hypothetically, none of these contestants have done everything. Although now that there's been a dozen seasons of Masterchef  (not to mention the other similar shows), one would think that if you actually wanted to win, you would have a gameplan of like 3-4 signature dishes, and practiced attempts to elevate a couple basic dishes, attempts to cook with convenience store stuff, 2-3 deserts. Or in the alternative, make up some affectation to make yourself annoying so you can maximize staying around regardless of how much you suck as a cook. 

10 hours ago, fishcakes said:

The judges were too harsh with Kolby when they said his patty melt wasn't special enough. I don't see how Jennifer's pulled pork sandwich or, for that matter, Kelsey's Cuban sandwich and sticky wings were any more special. If Kolby had made the very same thing with what's called Wagyu or Kobe beef (but really isn't because anything you get outside of Japan called Wagyu or Kobe is rarely authentic and prohibitively expensive), they would have fallen all over themselves to praise him.

I read that as the part in the winner's journey where they bash the winner as a quasi-wake up call. Some of their criticism seemed ridiculous. Like when Joe said in a patty melt, the meat is bigger than the bread. Since when?