Masterchef (US) - General Discussion

[mertensia]

The second hour:

Gordon : I'm not sure a doughnut is elevated.

Joe: Doughnut!!!

Gordon: A cake doughnut? Seriously?

Joe: Doughnut!!!

Edited September 1, 2023 by mertensia

[GHScorpiosRule]

Give me season three, while we had assholes to the extreme, but mostly good contestants, and the winner was a blind woman!

None of this bullshitty, quasi-Hell's Kitchen this show has turned into.

I swear, I don't remember stupid challenges like I've seen recently on this show, that are geared toward home cooks, who don't have the experience to handle such large amounts of food, like Hell's Kitchen, because they are  competing to run a restaurant.

And I did notice that Reagan didn't don any gloves when she was making that seafood in the last challenge. So was the statement that she was severely allergic a lie, and the show did an oopsie and didn't realize it?

I just want Gordon to show these people how to cut and slice and cook something so I  we can see something watch worthy.

Now I remember Kelsey. I couldn't stand her arrogance, I remember. And now she's some expert on food, eh? Allrightyyyyy then.

I think they're giving us two hours, to make up for the three weeks we didn't have shows, because some of the comments in the second hour sound like it's the next week. And this past Tuesday, they re-aired the second hour tag team episode.

[bluepiano]

12 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

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. 

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?

I believe they think they'll be rewarded for being bold and doing something they haven't done before. But then "Madame Donut" can make a donut and not be dinged for it. I feel like she played it so safe that she should have been excluded from making Top Three. (And theoretically if it was not perfect she should have been at least Bottom Three).

Speaking of comfort zones, Joe's the meat should be bigger than the bread comment is one of many examples of him sounding like an idiot when he talks about anything other than Italian food. I wonder if he's ever actually eaten a patty melt. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

5 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

And I did notice that Reagan didn't don any gloves when she was making that seafood in the last challenge. So was the statement that she was severely allergic a lie, and the show did an oopsie and didn't realize it?

I wondered about that too.

I don't know about allergies much, but given that one can be allergic to shellfish but not regular fish, it seems at least plausible that one can be allergic to regular fish but not a bunch of other seafood.

And it looks like actual experts agree according to my Googling:

https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/food/fish/

Having an allergy to a finned fish (such as tuna, halibut or salmon) does not mean that you are also allergic to shellfish (shrimp, crab and lobster). While some allergists recommend that individuals with a fish allergy avoid eating all fish, it may be possible for someone allergic to one type of fish to safely eat other kinds. If you are allergic to a specific type of fish, your allergist can help you determine whether other varieties may be safe to eat, so you can take control of your fish allergy and start enjoying life again.

So it could be that Reagan has a bonafide allergy to fishes that were cooked in the first hour but is fine handling the seafood that she was working with in the second.

[Yeah No]

And here I am just happy that we're back to the mystery boxes and immunity pins!  I admit my expectations aren't high with this show.

Columbus may be "landlocked" but Ohio isn't, it's on Lake Erie.

I worked with a guy once that was allergic to fish but not shellfish, although he was always afraid to order it in a restaurant because he never knew if any of that shellfish came into contact with regular fish. 

 

[fishcakes]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

Columbus may be "landlocked" but Ohio isn't, it's on Lake Erie.

Haha, the "landlocked" comment was so dumb, as if people who don't catch their own fish have never cooked or eaten fish. I can't remember who said it but I assume it was Joe. I've lived my entire life close to the ocean, rivers, and lakes, but when I want fish, I just go to the store.

 

23 hours ago, bluepiano said:

Speaking of comfort zones, Joe's the meat should be bigger than the bread comment is one of many examples of him sounding like an idiot when he talks about anything other than Italian food. I wonder if he's ever actually eaten a patty melt. 

That was also dumb on his part. A patty melt is a polite, tidy cheeseburger. I did think Texas Toast wasn't a good choice because the slices are a bit too thick for a grilled sandwich, but the idea that it should be like a half-pound of beef hanging out the sides or whatever he was trying to say is nonsense.

But that's Joe. No matter what you do he'll criticize. For example on the MRE challenge, regardless of how many the contestants used, he had something to say about it. "You're using 8 MREs? Do you really think it's a good idea to try to incorporate that many?" "You're only using 3 MREs? Is that going to be sufficient?"

[Colorado David]

Joe is a permanent curmudgeon, which is so strange as his mother is so nice and polite.

[seacliffsal]

For whatever reason they want to keep MD around.  She was safe during the first hour and they put her top 3 during the second hour.  I thought her doughnuts looked bad-they got their shape by being cut out after cooking.  I like cake doughnuts but I think my Dunkin Donuts look better than hers did.  And, I agree with an above poster that she is, by definition of owning a doughnut shop, a professional baker/chef.  

I, too, never liked Kelsey during her season, but I will admit I thought her Cuban sandwich looked good.  

During the first hour, I was surprised by how animated Aaron was-he was really gesturing every time he was talking.  It was a bit distracting.

Oh, and finally, we were ROBBED!!!  I was so looking forward to this episode as I though for sure that Goredon would demonstrate how to filet a fish and I was so excited to see him in action.  And then...NOTHING...WHAT???

[potatoradio]

On 8/31/2023 at 3:37 AM, PhoneCop said:

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.

This makes so much sense I wonder if you're a producer talking shop with us lowly masses. Thanks for dropping in! ;) 

*small voice* I love crab. I love hush puppies. I hate the idea of trying to wrangle king crab legs in a stadium seat and I didn't necessarily hate the idea of king crab hushpuppies.

Stadium food is such a nightmare - by the time you actually get your food, assemble condiments, napkins, etc. and make it back to your seat, it's cold (or lukewarm if you're trying to enjoy a cold sandwich) and then trying to eat while boxed in by drunken fans or kicking children? Yeah, beer and hotdog, please.

I'm surprised that Little Miss Perfect Kelsey actually serves her precious food on the regular concourse and not up in the lux suites. She needs a better prosthodontist or makeup artist though. Either her veneers or her lipstick were bugging her because she kept trying to lick her teeth. Hard to maintain the ultra perky chipper persona when you're constantly shoving your tongue over your front two teeth to make sure they're still there or something.

Madam? The early aughts called. They want their cereal coated doughnuts back. If only Christina Tosi were there to complain about the actual icing on the entire top of the doughnut - I mean, they looked finished. That. Is. Not. How. It. Is. Done.

Mackerel broth? My cats would have been all over that. 

 

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Oh, and finally, we were ROBBED!!!  I was so looking forward to this episode as I though for sure that Goredon would demonstrate how to filet a fish and I was so excited to see him in action.  And then...NOTHING...WHAT???

Edited September 2, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[susannot]

Wayne, the winner of the challenge, made the "Columbus is landlocked" comment.  I assumed it was a scripted line because it was so dumb.  Columbus is landlocked but we have tons of high quality seafood.  As Wayne knows very well because his magazine is food-focused and publishes monthly restaurant reviews.

[PhoneCop]

7 hours ago, potatoradio said:

This makes so much sense I wonder if you're a producer talking shop with us lowly masses. Thanks for dropping in! ;) 

Nah, it's a Ramsay show. Edit-by-numbers. 

[SG429]

23 hours ago, fishcakes said:

Joe's the meat should be bigger than the bread comment

and

23 hours ago, fishcakes said:

I did think Texas Toast wasn't a good choice because the slices are a bit too thick for a grilled sandwich

Maybe that's what he meant - the thickness ratio of bread to patty?

[mlp]

5 hours ago, SG429 said:

Maybe that's what he meant - the thickness ratio of bread to patty?

Ah!  I didn't think of that but I'll bet you're right.  I had visions of a patty melt that looked like one of those giant tenderloins with 2 inches of meat extending past the bun on all sides and I wondered where Joe ever had such a thing.  Your vision makes a lot more sense.

[PhoneCop]

Well, so much for that F4/four regions theory. I still think it's Kennedy or Wayne's to lose, though. At least until next week, when I get proven wrong again, LOL.

[susannot]

OK, not that it matters but there are 2 left from Midwest (Wayne and Grant), two left from South (Jennifer and Reagan). and two left from West (Kennedy and Sav).  Is that right everyone?

I always thought that NE team was the weakest so not surprised they are wiped out.  So sad to see Kolby go though.

[mlp]

I like both Wayne and Grant so I was happy that they did so well.  I'd like to see one of them win the whole thing.  I can't stand Kennedy so I was hoping she'd get booted for her overdone meat but I have to agree with Gordon that the team that left was a better choice.  I liked Kolby but his lack of experience caught up with him.  Both on that team did well to make final 8 with only a couple years experience so I hope they don't feel too bad.

[Ancaster]

Was Reagan really wearing leather shorts?

[Drogo]

Kennedy’s a soft-shelled crab, eh?  “You’re not going to get anything out of me right now, thank you.” Cook at home then.

[Daff]

It always irks me when Gordon calls a ground meat patty “pate” (ground up liver). 

[GHScorpiosRule]

I am sooooo not looking forward to next week, when this show morphs into Hell's Kitchen! I mean, really? It's not as if Hell's Kitchen was cancelled!

And was this first we learned Jennifer was deaf in one ear? She didn't mention it during that tag team challenge.

Too bad they couldn't choose the worse from each team. I would have preferred that Kolby and Jennifer be booted. I mean, he put his salmon on FIRST, yet, his was cold and "raaaaw!!" How? Pan not hot?

Edited September 7, 2023 by GHScorpiosRule

[AZChristian]

8 hours ago, Ancaster said:

Was Reagan really wearing leather shorts?

Maybe she was dressed to go out to a nightclub after the show???  Those earrings didn't look like standard kitchen wear either.

[fishcakes]

So Kennedy is going to get a pass every time she messes up, and everyone will continue to talk about how great she is. Of course without being able to taste the dishes, I can't know for sure, but MD's plate at least looked appetizing and like she put some effort into it. Kennedy's was a small pile of dried out looking meat and vegetables with a demented squiggle of some kind of sauce or puree taking up half the plate. Even when the meat was still on the grill and the judges asked to see it, it was obvious the thing was overcooked. And so disgusting how much the judges talked about how Kennedy was carrying Sav during the Wall challenge and then acted like it was some kind of unheard of miracle that Sav produced the better plate between the two of them. The show ignored Sav for weeks, but since she's been getting some airtime, her dishes have looked much better than Kennedy's.

Sorry to see Kolby go. His grill plate looked so good (as did Grant's), and the Wall failure wasn't entirely his fault. It seems like he let Brynn take the lead and the raspberry sauce with salmon was just a weird, bad idea. His salmon was a bit under, although not raw, as the judges were trying to claim since you could see it flaking through the center, but even if his salmon had been cooked to the judge's liking, I think that team still would have gone. The other three teams all have at least one judge's pet, so there was no way they were going.

[seacliffsal]

So Reagan was celebrating making final 8 because Brynn saved her when it reality it's because Brynn saw her as the weakest remaining contestant.  Alrighty.  

I did not think even the concept of Kolby and Brynn's dish sounded good.  Raspberry/pear sauce for a fish?  Brynn was trying too hard to be different/inventive.

Wow, Kennedy's facade sure crumbled when she was (rightly) criticized during the grill challenge.  So interesting when people aren't used to not being the most specialist snowflake.  At least Grant acknowledged that he was getting overconfident before being in the bottom 3 a couple of times.

MD was finally sent home-I still can't get over how unappetizing her doughnuts looked last week.  Her baby voice dropped a couple of times during the grill challenge, so, again, another facade created for the show.

I think Kennedy is a lock for the win though.  Masterchef seems to choose 'types' for their winners (in general).  I would be surprised, but not disappointed, to see someone else win.  

[jabRI]

18 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

Wow, Kennedy's facade sure crumbled when she was (rightly) criticized during the grill challenge

I saw it differently, seemed to me like she acknowledged her mistakes?

[Ancaster]

32 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

 

I think Kennedy is a lock for the win though.  Masterchef seems to choose 'types' for their winners (in general).  I would be surprised, but not disappointed, to see someone else win.  

She'll certainly be in the final -- the producers have to justify the $20 they spent on the 10-pack of colored beanies they're making her wear.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Well, I would have thought for sure that Brynn would make it to the final 4 as the last representative of the NE, and that Colby would probably be there too as the primary representative from the South. 

Updated thoughts about the final six:

Kennedy: They have been jocking her pretty hard. I would say 2:1 favorite to win it all

Wayne: I think he's probably the most technically skilled of the chefs left.  I think he's a lock to get to the finale and has a decent chance of winning it all

Sav: Her getting to the finale fits with the notion that she's peaking at the right time. I don't think she has a chance of winning the overall competition,though.

Grant: I think he's a pretty good cook, but I also think that there is just no way that the finale won't consist of chefs from three different regions. Wayne is clearly better than Grant based on past performance, so bye Grant.

Jennifer: I'm somewhat annoyed by her, but the judges seem to like her so she could dark horse her way into the finale. 

Reagan: There's no chance that she wins, and she's pretty lucky she wasn't booted already. And she knows it.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Chicago Redshirt

[gaPeach]

On 9/1/2023 at 11:42 AM, bluepiano said:

But then "Madame Donut" can make a donut and not be dinged for it. I feel like she played it so safe that she should have been excluded from making Top Three. (And theoretically if it was not perfect she should have been at least Bottom Three).

Not only this but she skated by on her not so perfect key lime pie too.  She should have gone home that week, but I am not sure why other than production loves her.  

On 9/2/2023 at 1:39 PM, seacliffsal said:

For whatever reason they want to keep MD around.  She was safe during the first hour and they put her top 3 during the second hour.  I thought her doughnuts looked bad-they got their shape by being cut out after cooking.  I like cake doughnuts but I think my Dunkin Donuts look better than hers did.  And, I agree with an above poster that she is, by definition of owning a doughnut shop, a professional baker/chef.  

Watching her make the donuts was very telling.  She did not appear to know much about making them did she?  For a woman who changed her name to Madam Donut, you would think she could whip those up in her sleep.  I thought for sure this was her ticket home.  But NO, she made top 3!!!  What is up with that?  She is not a good cook, chief or baker but she is still there??

Either she has a friend in production, or production is keeping her around because of her colorful hair?  It definitely not because of her cooking/baking skills.

And the donuts she made looked very first level baking 101.  

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, gaPeach said:

She is not a good cook, chief or baker but she is still there??

She was booted off last night.

[mlp]

3 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Kennedy: They have been jocking her pretty hard. I would say 2:1 favorite to win it all

Wayne: I think he's probably the most technically skilled of the chefs left.  I think he's a lock to get to the finale and has a decent chance of winning it all

I'm inclined to agree but hope we're both wrong.  Kennedy and all her tattoos and high-pitched voice that doesn't go with her appearance just creeps me out.  I used to think that the Master Chef PTB would want a respectable looking winner to represent the brand but then Claudia won her season and I knew I was wrong.  Anyway, Wayne is my favorite.

[bluepiano]

9 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

So Reagan was celebrating making final 8 because Brynn saved her when it reality it's because Brynn saw her as the weakest remaining contestant.  Alrighty.  

My thought exactly, though I can't blame her at being happy at getting a pass. The problem is that a contestant should never have been given that much power so late in the game. Has that ever happened before? Well, ironically, Reagan is still there and Brynn isn't. 

I have nothing against people holding religious convictions, but Reagan and Jennifer's on camera prayer meeting to avoid elimination seemed way over the top.

Ah Joe, you've outdone yourself. He complimented two of the contestants on the "duplicity" of their dish. Wish of course means to lie, not to have two things that are duplicate. He's like today's Norm Crosby. (If anyone remembers that comedian from Ed Sullivan, whose routine was to mangle the English language).

 

[jcbrown]

I agree, I can't stand Kennedy. Take off the stupid hat! Also not a Jennifer fan.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, bluepiano said:

Ah Joe, you've outdone yourself. He complimented two of the contestants on the "duplicity" of their dish. Wish of course means to lie, not to have two things that are duplicate. He's like today's Norm Crosby. (If anyone remembers that comedian from Ed Sullivan, whose routine was to mangle the English language).

Actually, Joe's use of the word is not entirely wrong, according to the dictionary:  an archaic use of the word means "doubleness."  

Aaron is the one whose specialty is using words that don't mean what he thinks they mean.  He often refers to something as "unctuous" as though "oily" is a good thing.

[Ancaster]

 

15 hours ago, bluepiano said:

Ah Joe, you've outdone yourself. He complimented two of the contestants on the "duplicity" of their dish. Wish of course means to lie, not to have two things that are duplicate. He's like today's Norm Crosby. (If anyone remembers that comedian from Ed Sullivan, whose routine was to mangle the English language).

 

 

13 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Actually, Joe's use of the word is not entirely wrong, according to the dictionary:  an archaic use of the word means "doubleness."  

Aaron is the one whose specialty is using words that don't mean what he thinks they mean.  He often refers to something as "unctuous" as though "oily" is a good thing.

 

Joe is starting to reach Aaron-level heights of idiocy and ignorance in his comments.  Last week he wanted someone to make sure their sides "exalted" their protein.  And this week he talked about a mushroom's fins (which Wayne correctly managed to interpret as gills when talking to Grant).

I've long given up hope on judges and contestants using unctuous correctly on cooking shows across the board.  I still cringe, but at this point I think it's so widespread and accepted as a valid word that its use as creamy and rich with a lovely mouthfeel (hate that word too)  has become an accepted definition. Me, I always think of the sleazy slimeball Uriah Heep from David Copperfield.

 

Edited September 8, 2023 by Ancaster

[DEL901]

18 minutes ago, Ancaster said:

 

 

 

Joe is starting to reach Aaron-level heights of idiocy and ignorance in his comments.  Last week he wanted someone to make sure their sides "exalted" their protein.  And this week he talked about a mushroom's fins (which Wayne correctly managed to interpret as gills when talking to Grant).

I've long given up hope on judges and contestants using unctuous correctly on cooking shows across the board.  I still cringe, but at this point I think it's so widespread and accepted as a valid word that its use as creamy and rich with a lovely mouthfeel (hate that word too)  has become an accepted definition. Me, I always think of the sleazy slimeball Uriah Heep from David Copperfield.

 

I gave up with regard to the meaning of unctuous when I heard Paul Hollywood use it.  

[Msample]

On 9/7/2023 at 9:37 AM, AZChristian said:

Maybe she was dressed to go out to a nightclub after the show???  Those earrings didn't look like standard kitchen wear either.

 

Thats par for the course for HK - one of the last few seasons one of the female contestants constantly showed up wearing spike heels, skin tight outfits and hoop earrings the size of wheel rims . As I’ve said in the past I don’t know whether it’s the contestants idea or the producers. Either way it bugs. 

[mertensia]

5 hours ago, Msample said:

 

Thats par for the course for HK - one of the last few seasons one of the female contestants constantly showed up wearing spike heels, skin tight outfits and hoop earrings the size of wheel rims . As I’ve said in the past I don’t know whether it’s the contestants idea or the producers. Either way it bugs. 

I believe it's the producers.  

[Madding crowd]

I felt uncomfortable when the judges were putting down the idea and cooking method of MD’s Filipino dish. They were saying that’s not how you grill when she described how they cooked when she was a child. Before even tasting it they didn’t like the idea of a traditional dish made in a way that was different than a typical cook on a grill. 

[snarts]

On 9/7/2023 at 5:09 PM, mlp said:

I'm inclined to agree but hope we're both wrong.  Kennedy and all her tattoos and high-pitched voice that doesn't go with her appearance just creeps me out.  I used to think that the Master Chef PTB would want a respectable looking winner to represent the brand but then Claudia won her season and I knew I was wrong.  Anyway, Wayne is my favorite.

A woman with tattoos isn't respectable looking? OK. 

Kennedy did well in previous challenges and is now reaping the benefits of that reputation. Not her fault she's a judge favorite. Same with Jennifer. Is it frustrating to see the bias in judging? Yes, but I'm not going to slam someone's appearance/voice just because I prefer a different contestant. Chefs and tattoos are like peanut butter & jelly. 

I have a soft spot for Joe B but lately he seems completely devoid of humor & I find it exhausting. I do miss Graham. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 9/7/2023 at 4:09 PM, mlp said:

I'm inclined to agree but hope we're both wrong.  Kennedy and all her tattoos and high-pitched voice that doesn't go with her appearance just creeps me out.  I used to think that the Master Chef PTB would want a respectable looking winner to represent the brand but then Claudia won her season and I knew I was wrong.  Anyway, Wayne is my favorite.

I do think that Claudia was overly made up -- I remember people joking that she looked like the Joker back during her season -- but I don't know I would go so far as to say she wasn't "respectable looking."

I also think that if the winner is chosen because of talent first and they overlook looks, I'm good with that. 

[Lurk]

4 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I felt uncomfortable when the judges were putting down the idea and cooking method of MD’s Filipino dish. They were saying that’s not how you grill when she described how they cooked when she was a child. Before even tasting it they didn’t like the idea of a traditional dish made in a way that was different than a typical cook on a grill. 

I think they always equate using a grill with smoke flavored and burned in grill marks as grilled food. On Next Level Chef, they had a grill challenge where the contestant just used the grill like a stove top. Nothing really touched the grill, but they used the grill with pots and pans.

 

I have had such trouble watching this season. It just doesn't hold my attention and with it being 2 back-to-back episodes I have had to restart it from the beginning so many times.

Another of my questions is Does Aaron Sanchez ever eat besides at the judging table? He always seems to be getting a big mouthful of food and then rushing back down to grab more  before he is even chewing the bite he has in his mouth.

[eta: As I am finishing this weeks episode...... "Your scallops are undercooked" followed by Aaron stuffing a big bite into his mouth of food off the plate that looked like scallop]

Edited September 9, 2023 by Lurk

[mlp]

5 hours ago, snarts said:

A woman with tattoos isn't respectable looking? OK. 

I didn't say that.  I was talking about Kennedy specifically.  There are tattoos and tattoos.  She has them scattered all over including an aggressive word (Rebellion?) across the front of her neck.  Hers remind me more of jail than kitchen.

[Yeah No]

23 hours ago, Msample said:

 

Thats par for the course for HK - one of the last few seasons one of the female contestants constantly showed up wearing spike heels, skin tight outfits and hoop earrings the size of wheel rims . As I’ve said in the past I don’t know whether it’s the contestants idea or the producers. Either way it bugs. 

As per Reddit and many other places, all the podcasts with insider information say that the producers pick a "look" for each contestant and make them wear that look through the entire competition.  This has been obvious to me for years because every contestant never varies from their chosen look no matter how caricature-like it is.  If the producers want them to wear a silly hat, they'll have to wear that hat in EVERY episode do or die.  Every single one every time.  Weird glasses, flowers in the hair, you name it.  So stupid.  

Kennedy on the show didn't really bug me that much because I take that producer wardrobe stuff into account with these people, but now that I've looked at her Instagram page I see that she is someone that loves the spotlight and pretty much embodies all the worst stereotypes of Gen Z rolled into one person with her "look at meeeee" posts designed for maximum attention and impact where she dolls herself up in a zillion different looks, each one more different and out-there than the next.  Yeah, it's all about appearance!  Not in love with that to be honest.  I am so over these famewhores on Instagram.  She can attempt to look as serious and modest as she wants on TV, but the vapidness of her Instagram personas and posts speak for themselves.  

On 9/8/2023 at 1:22 PM, DEL901 said:

I gave up with regard to the meaning of unctuous when I heard Paul Hollywood use it.  

I gave up when I heard Eric Ripert use it!

[fishcakes]

26 minutes ago, mlp said:

I was talking about Kennedy specifically.  There are tattoos and tattoos.  She has them scattered all over including an aggressive word (Rebellion?) across the front of her neck.  Hers remind me more of jail than kitchen.

Hers do look like prison tats. Just random words and doodles. Nothing like you'd get from a professional tattoo artist. It doesn't help that she has them on her neck and face.

[Yeah No]

Just now, fishcakes said:

Hers do look like prison tats. Just random words and doodles. Nothing like you'd get from a professional tattoo artist. It doesn't help that she has them on her neck and face.

Most of her Instagram photos make me think of someone in a stage of rebellious adolescence so it's no wonder she'd get a tattoo that says "rebellion".  She strikes me as one of those people that later in life are embarrassed of the tattoos they chose when they were young and keep the removal people in business!  Her "looks" might be easy to change but tattoos are permanent!

[potatoradio]

I actually had to look up "unctuous," so many thanks to this board for the pro tip. One of those words I *thought* I knew the definition of, but clearly not. I'll just be glad that nobody has started saying things like, "well, it is a pleasing bolus on the back of the tongue and the swallow is satisfactory." 

I'm starting to kind of like Sav. Usually the producers like their Southern cooks to be waaaaaaay over the yee-haw top and she seems level headed and down to earth. 

Would have been a more interesting contest if someone had taken two minutes to give MD an overview of the grill.  I do like to see contestants learn to adapt rather than see them somewhat obviously get set up to fail.

 

[joanne3482]

On 8/30/2023 at 8:12 PM, susannot said:

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

I was curious so I googled it. Apparently it is possible to be allergic to fish but not crabs/lobster etc because they are different proteins. Just as it is possible to be allergic to shellfish and not regular fish. 

I know from reading posts that Sav was a team leader but somehow I have no memory of her. 

[susannot]

51 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

I was curious so I googled it. Apparently it is possible to be allergic to fish but not crabs/lobster etc because they are different proteins. Just as it is possible to be allergic to shellfish and not regular fish. 

I know from reading posts that Sav was a team leader but somehow I have no memory of her. 

I'm allergic to raw shrimp but not to any other kind of seafood so agree with this.

[susannot]

The Blue team and Wayne were so dominant that I am going to be mega-pissed if show pulls the usual switcheroo and says The REEDDDD team!!

 

But NOT!  It's the Blue team!

Edited September 14, 2023 by susannot

[KeithJ]

I really hated this challenge.  

Gordon asks how long and is told seven minutes.  He says he wants it in five. Food then comes out undercooked and he says stop rushing.  lol

Jennifer puts out raw salmon and it’s somehow Sav’s fault.  Grant then puts out an under steak and it’s again Sav’s fault? Yes, she’s expediting but c’mon, hold the people cooking responsible.

Kennedy actually looks a lot better without the stupid knit hats.  I don’t know why she keeps wearing them.

Edited September 14, 2023 by KeithJ