S16.E11: The Greatest

[Eulipian 5k]

13 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

He didn’t “dodge the draft” he refused to serve because he was against the war and cited his right as a  conscientious objector and is most definitely something he is known for. His sentence was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court.

Exactly. Dodging the draft is running to Canada or getting your doctor to say you had "bone spurs". The constitution allows conscientious objectors to pursue their case in court. It's as patriotic as serving.

"No Viet Cong ever called me n##ger" was his "shameful" contention.

[HappyDancex2]

Kelsey has grown on me this season but I have this weird feeling that she is skating by because of her constant "I left my 9 month old son" for this which then morphs into "your kid someday will see what a strong woman you are" "women can do anything" narrative.  Well that and the fact that the cheftestants kind of suck this season LOL

[Chit Chat]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Eddie made it this episode of course he went home.

Padma mentioned that at this stage of the competition the judges are really having to nitpick everything.  You can tell that she hates to have to do that, but it's a necessary evil when deciding who will pack their knives and go.  I'm sure that Eddie is a fine chef, but just one bad decision or something not turning out just right gets you the axe at this late stage in the game!  I know that all of these chefs have to be top notch, and that not all of the meals presented are necessarily their finest.  I try to take in consideration the time constraints and all of the other craziness that's going on around them that sometimes trips them up.  I think that most of them had moments on the show where they did well, but then there were moments that were just so-so.  I think they're all brave for coming onto this kind of competition and putting their reputation on the line.  I wish them all much success in their careers. 

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Whenever I think of Maine, lobster comes to mind, along with other assorted seafood - and maple syrup too!    I thought Tom's criticism was a little harsh in this instance.  No need to be an ass about it. 

I wasn't going to weigh in on all this Maine stuff because it was one remark in an hourlong show and it seems like it's getting a disproportionate amount of attention. But hey, here I am anyways! I used to live there, and I've been to Lewiston many times. I thought Tom's feedback was fair (if worded ass-ishly), because it seems like Justin heard MAINE and went to the stereotypical place that everyone's minds go to. They each had a dossier of info, which I guess I imagined contained information that would have helped each chef better understand the context of the fight and where it was located. I didn't really see or hear anything from Justin that he took any of that to heart. He just did seafood, because Maine.

I like Justin, I love Maine. I was underwhelmed.

[carrps]

2 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

I wasn't going to weigh in on all this Maine stuff because it was one remark in an hourlong show and it seems like it's getting a disproportionate amount of attention. But hey, here I am anyways! I used to live there, and I've been to Lewiston many times. I thought Tom's feedback was fair (if worded ass-ishly), because it seems like Justin heard MAINE and went to the stereotypical place that everyone's minds go to. They each had a dossier of info, which I guess I imagined contained information that would have helped each chef better understand the context of the fight and where it was located. I didn't really see or hear anything from Justin that he took any of that to heart. He just did seafood, because Maine.

I like Justin, I love Maine. I was underwhelmed.

Yeah, I hestitated weighing in, too. My BIL is from Maine, and he and my sister lived there for a number of years (my niece and nephew were both born there). I visited them while they were living there and loved the state. I love lobster, so we took a side trip to the southern coast (they were living up very near the New Brunswick border). Driving down, it was quite noticeable the difference between the more inland parts of the state and the coast. Can I just say I loved the lobster pounds? I love the idea and the name! Oh, and getting lobster rolls at the neighborhood hamburger stand? Perfect!

Re: the CO issue. I remember Ali going to jail for declaring himself a CO, and I have a lot of respect for that. A LOT. He was at the height of his career and physical strength. This was something that could have destroyed the rest of his career, if not his life. That takes guts. Your daddy blackmailing some doctor to say you have "bonespurs?" Not so much.

[heavysnaxx]

On 2/14/2019 at 6:15 PM, xaxat said:

Hated Sara's whining about losing a random draw that she agreed to participate in.  

That was the Sara-iest thing Sara has ever Sara'ed. If she were a piece of Emotional Pyrex, the resentment would be so baked in, no amount of scrubbing would get it off.

[buttersister]

On 2/15/2019 at 10:16 AM, ChitChat said:

I was surprised to see this particular show feature KFC.  I thought this kind of food was well below their standards!  

Yeah, TC standards—they ain’t what they used to be.

OTOH, maybe somebody was charged with rounding up sponsorship money and they apparently didn’t get a list of parameters (Le Creuset, not KFC?).

[heavysnaxx]

On 2/14/2019 at 10:05 PM, Eulipian 5k said:

Muhammad Ali was a towering figure of the 20th Century. He was the most famous man on  earth (like Pele at the time) even before there was TV much less the internet. His refusal to fight a war he felt was immoral, to lose everything he had, go to prison, and have his conviction overturned by the Supreme Court is an inspiration to free people everywhere. Bravo, Top Chef.

I was born in the 60s and this was how I understood Ali, growing up. He wasn't just a legendary sports champion. He was a moral leader (which pretty much requires that some will oppose him) who had wit. Not just anyone can keep announcing, "I am the greatest!" and not come across as a buffoon. BTW - because of my age, he was always "Ali" to me but it seems that folks forget what a huge thing it was that he gave up his name of Cassius Clay to take the name Muhammad Ali. In the US.

He always conveyed a sense of humanity so hearing how much this powerful competitor loved good food, the food of his family, seemed right and a good fit for a competitive cooking show.

[WendyM]

5 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

I wasn't going to weigh in on all this Maine stuff because it was one remark in an hourlong show and it seems like it's getting a disproportionate amount of attention. But hey, here I am anyways! I used to live there, and I've been to Lewiston many times. I thought Tom's feedback was fair (if worded ass-ishly), because it seems like Justin heard MAINE and went to the stereotypical place that everyone's minds go to. They each had a dossier of info, which I guess I imagined contained information that would have helped each chef better understand the context of the fight and where it was located. I didn't really see or hear anything from Justin that he took any of that to heart. He just did seafood, because Maine.

I like Justin, I love Maine. I was underwhelmed.

I was born in Maine! (But I don't remember that, lol.) But I spent part of junior high in Presque Isle! When I heard Lewiston, I thought of potatoes immediately because we all had to take two weeks off in the Fall to pick them. How fun would would a potato dish have been? (Probably not so much but there's always gnocchi.)

[hacman00]

Filipino food has about as much in common with East Asian food as it does with Spanish food.  

[HappyDancex2]

1 hour ago, hacman00 said:

Filipino food has about as much in common with East Asian food as it does with Spanish food.  

I found it more annoying that chef's were required to be able to cook regional cuisine with any semblance of authenticity.  I guess this is the by product of the new "food with a story" generation.   Even if she had gone there, doesn't mean you can cook the food.  Nor should you in my opinion.   Why can't you listen to a story, feel something and then relate it back to one of your authentic memories and cook your own food?

[RealityWatcher]

1 hour ago, hacman00 said:

Filipino food has about as much in common with East Asian food as it does with Spanish food.  

I agree. I went to a Filipino church for a lot of my childhood (my stepmom is an immigrant from the Philippines) and we always ate there. She herself cooked a lot of Filipino dishes and still does, and I've always described the cuisine to people as a mixture between east Asian and Spanish. Because obviously Spanish culture had a heavy influence on the Philippines. 

I was talking about underrated cuisines earlier, and I would add Filipino to the list. A lot of people just it based on gross, bizarre dishes like Balut. My stepmom lived there until her mid twenties, and even she said it's disgusting. 

I'm glad Adrienne just ended up caring about the "heat" of the fight to go along with the challenge instead of trying to create a dish to pass off as Filipino. 

[FinnishViewer]

Quote

I found it more annoying that chef's were required to be able to cook regional cuisine with any semblance of authenticity

I don't think they were required to cook the regional cuisine? Just that to be inspired by the fight. As for regional authenticity, if you serve a dish calling it italian / spanish / chinese / etc. then it should be authentic.

[mlp]

Quote

 I guess this is the by product of the new "food with a story" generation. 

I don't really understand why they need a story at all.  This season has reminded me more of FNS than of previous seasons of Top Chef.  At this point, I'm hoping Eric wins but I'm not terribly invested in any of them.

[cameron]

On 2/14/2019 at 11:11 PM, Fukui San said:

My favorite part of the episode:

Tom: He used fish to represent Lewiston, Maine? That's nowhere near the ocean.*

THE PREVIOUS COURSE

Tom: Yes, Kentucky salmon. That's a thing we are all familiar with.

*By the way, lifelong masshole who vacationed in Maine for most of my life on the coast in the summer and skiing in the winter. Would not have known that Lewiston is *checks map* a whole thirty minute drive from the ocean.

Also looked up Lewiston and it's not fall from the ocean.  But then Tom got his home location in Brooklyn NY wrong too.

[cameron]

On 2/16/2019 at 7:57 PM, ChitChat said:

I agree.  Whenever I think of Maine, lobster comes to mind, along with other assorted seafood - and maple syrup too!    I thought Tom's criticism was a little harsh in this instance.  No need to be an ass about it. 

Someone should give Tom a map.

[little black cloud]

This is absolutely beside the point but all three women at the table during the dinner looked ravishing.

[AnnA]

8 hours ago, mlp said:

I don't really understand why they need a story at all.  

I'm with you!   Why can't they just make a meal of their choosing?    I can understand TC having a beef, fish, chicken, pasta, vegetarian, etc.  type competition or a regional theme but the story thing is lame.    Have any of you ever gone into a restaurant and asked for a meal inspired by the chef's childhood memories?   I  think not.  I'd rather see them asked to make their favorite dish.

Edited February 18, 2019 by AnnA

[HappyDancex2]

Tom "It's so nice to see that you are putting out your best food as we get to the end of the season."

Chicken breast with 2 sauces

Pickled tomatoes, cucumbers with salmon

Bread pudding with carmel corn  Also children.  With children.  Crying.  Mention children.

Dumpling in tomato sauce

Short ribs with bottled hot sauce\

Lukewarm soup with raw scallops

[AriAu]

Quote

Kelsey has grown on me this season but I have this weird feeling that she is skating by because of her constant "I left my 9 month old son" for this which then morphs into "your kid someday will see what a strong woman you are" "women can do anything" narrative.  Well that and the fact that the cheftestants kind of suck this season LOL

I dont think she is "skating by" on the sympathy vote at all. I think she is one of those cheftestants that we get every season that is solidly middle of the pack on almost every challenge. The question will become whether she has another gear to really step it up now that they are at the nitpicking stage where someone could get sent home for a good dish. Her lows were in team challenges where she wasn't the problem (especially at Rupp Arena) and her high was in her wheel house of a quasi-catering challenge, but now she will really need to shine to survive.

After last weeks waffle-gate, kinda surprised that there is no discussion of Adrienne using bottled sriracha. On one of the podcasts, they talked about Shirley's cookbook having a quick "Shiracha" hot sauce so making it would have been possible. Yes, yes I know that the difference is that the hot sauce was not the centerpiece of her dish (unlike waffles in "chicken & waffles") but not a lot of discussion on the show other than brief mention from Tom.

Eric making fufu leads to an interesting question-was it good fufu or just a tasty dish? Did the judges know "good" (or well made) fufu or was it just good....and does it matter? I only ask since risotto is the kiss of death on this show since many people have different takes on the consistency/"runniness" of risotto without judging it solely on whether it tastes good! This comes up a few times each season in the other direction, when a contestant calls a dish something and Tom and the judges say "it wasn't really a _____" without telling us whether it tasted good. If Eric had called it dumplings in a West African seasoned stew, would he have done as well?

Quote

I don't really understand why they need a story at all.  

Because this is reality tv and TC always needs some premise for the episode until the finale when they do let people make the "meal of their lifetime".  I think the problem with this one was that these chefs struggled with making any kind of connection and Eddie's was the weakest.....do something about New York and not even NYC or Madison Square Garden. While I really don't like these challenges, the cheftestants do need some kind of parameters.

Edited February 18, 2019 by AriAu

[ratgirlagogo]

On 2/16/2019 at 8:46 PM, biakbiak said:

On 2/16/2019 at 8:44 PM, bravofan27 said:

He went to jail for draft evasion. I don't think, if that's the only example of Ali's being a rebel, that is what Tom was referring too. I think Tom was talking out of his ass. Dodging the draft is not something Ali was known for.

He didn’t “dodge the draft” he refused to serve because he was against the war and cited his right as a  conscientious objector and is most definitely something he is known for. His sentence was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court.

He went to prison for his conscientious objection because the Nation of Islam was not then and is not now a pacifist church, thus not recognized by the US Govt.  Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses also went to prison in this time period, as their church also is not a peace church -  they will not fight in any temporal war but Armageddon.

He was stripped of his title in this period for standing up for his peace beliefs, so along with the prison sentence that is definitely a sacrifice not many were willing to make.

My favorite Ali quote : Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.  

Couldn't put it any better than that.

Edited February 18, 2019 by ratgirlagogo

[biakbiak]

58 minutes ago, ratgirlagogo said:

He went to prison fo

He never actually went to prison. 

[Bucket]

10 hours ago, mlp said:

I don't really understand why they need a story at all.  This season has reminded me more of FNS than of previous seasons of Top Chef.  At this point, I'm hoping Eric wins but  I'm not terribly invested in any of them.

They don't really need a story but it can make the challenge more interesting.  I don't mind the stories if they don't over do them.  I do find myself often saying, just let them cook their own style food.  New Orleans was the worst.  All the chefs looking for a recipe for gumbo because no one had made it was not good viewing.  

[AriAu]

Quote

They don't really need a story but it can make the challenge more interesting. 

IF the challenge is to tell a story and they don't, they could very well be PPYKAGing. If Eddie has just made a great  dish that had nothing to do with Ali or The Fight of the Century or New York or Smokin Joe Frazier or Madison Square Garden etc..... then he was going home on this challenge. You cant just blow off the instructions.

And as to why Top Chef thinks they need a "story", this is reality TV and not just a cooking show.....altho thankfully they downplay the reality stuff. They wanted to honor Ali and play up his Kentucky background and if the  Cheftestants had just cooked whatever they wanted then it would not have had anything to do with Ali other than the presence of his daughter. I agree that you dont get a story from a chef even in the best restaurants, but that is part of the game....and the winner of Top Chef is not always the best chef, but instead the person who played the game the best, altho history tells us that the best chefs do generally rise to the top of this game.

[The Solution]

4 hours ago, AriAu said:

After last weeks waffle-gate, kinda surprised that there is no discussion of Adrienne using bottled sriracha. On one of the podcasts, they talked about Shirley's cookbook having a quick "Shiracha" hot sauce so making it would have been possible. Yes, yes I know that the difference is that the hot sauce was not the centerpiece of her dish (unlike waffles in "chicken & waffles") but not a lot of discussion on the show other than brief mention from Tom.

This is  kind of like asking someone to make their own soy sauce, no?

[HunterHunted]

21 minutes ago, The Solution said:

This is  kind of like asking someone to make their own soy sauce, no?

It sort of is because sriracha is a fermented hot sauce. However, we've also seen cheftestants make quick kimchi and sauerkraut.

You can make a quick vinegar and pepper hot sauce like Shirley's "shiracha sauce." But if the fermented taste is a key reason for using something like sriracha in the dish, I'd argue that there's no sense in substituting for something else.

[Eulipian 5k]

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

4 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

He went to prison fo

He never actually went to prison. 

(Why can't I remember stuff that was 50 yrs ago?, Maybe I should check, lol)

• He was sentenced to prison. (Out on bail during appeal)
• He was not a C. O. : they can be drafted for non combat duties
• He appealed as a N.O.I. minister. (He preached a lot about why the war was immoral)

It was about the courage you have to resist your gov't's immoral policies.

He showed up at the Induction Center and refused to be inducted. He didn't run, dodge, or lie: he refused.

[HappyDancex2]

1 hour ago, HunterHunted said:

It sort of is because sriracha is a fermented hot sauce. However, we've also seen cheftestants make quick kimchi and sauerkraut.

You can make a quick vinegar and pepper hot sauce like Shirley's "shiracha sauce." But if the fermented taste is a key reason for using something like sriracha in the dish, I'd argue that there's no sense in substituting for something else.

Tom's argument was why use bottled sriracha when fresh chilies were available.  His comment not mine.  Tom was snarky this episode.  Else it was edited that way LOL

Nilou (sp?) was still grousing at judges table on how when the judges make a suggestion (make it more filipino) then the cheftestants should listen because they know what they are talking about.   I think somehow that whole storyline got messy IMO.   Why they were harping on the Adrienne making something based on Thrilla in Manilla when Sara got to say Lightning triggered her memories of getting veggies off the vine to save from a storm is beyond me.   

Even when they showed Tom and Nilou walking up to Adrienne during the prep they were the ones that brought it up, not her.  I think her original thought WAS the heat.   Either we didn't see the entire story or they were crabby at her.

I agree with your line of thinking!  I mean they are adding bacon HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH salad dressing (add trademark here) to add smokiness to dishes.  Hypocritical much?!!!  I mean I personally don't care either way but let's at least have an even snarky playing field for all of the cheftestants!

[Eulipian 5k]

3 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I agree with your line of thinking!  I mean they are adding bacon HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH salad dressing (add trademark here) to add smokiness to dishes.  Hypocritical much?!!

Hey! HVR is a sponsor, when the chicken on your sriracha sauce bottle decides to fund a prize and supply a functioning wok burner, we'll talk, lol.

[HappyDancex2]

8 minutes ago, Eulipian 5k said:

Hey! HVR is a sponsor, when the chicken on your sriracha sauce bottle decides to fund a prize and supply a functioning wok burner, we'll talk, lol.

You laugh but the finale locale is Mexico and the presenting sponsor is Taco Bell!   Can't get more ironic or autentico than that!

(not a spoiler, unless it turns out to be true LOL)

[Eulipian 5k]

3 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

You laugh but the finale locale is Mexico and the presenting sponsor is

Heh, Don't you get the impression that all of the appliance snafus are a super subtle way of egging Amana or ACME to step in as sponsor?

[sATL]

I think the issue with KFC is that:

( 1) now there are too many places all over, 24x7, named from "A" to "Z", to get fried chicken and

(2) deep fried chicken, in whatever oil, with xwy breading, dark meat vs. white meat, sold by the bucket or piece, is no longer seen as something  eat, even on occasional , b/c of the nutritional value.  Mention eating fried chicken in some circles is at least  misdemeanor, letting alone learning to  cook it, well. 

I too kinda forgot the chain existed until the episode.

Edited February 18, 2019 by sATL

[AriAu]

Quote

You laugh but the finale locale is Mexico and the presenting sponsor is Taco Bell!   Can't get more ironic or autentico than that!

I'd put nothing past the Dancing Elves, but when it WAS in Mexico, they had Patron sponsor a challenge....so that is pretty authentic!

And the finale is in Macau

Quote

Heh, Don't you get the impression that all of the appliance snafus are a super subtle way of egging Amana or ACME to step in as sponsor?

All of the mess-ups make me wish that Lee-Anne was still the culinary coordinator. The waffle irons and deep fryers all worked when she was around....and if there was an issue (like the refrigerators going out in Season 5, they called off the elimination.

Quote

This is  kind of like asking someone to make their own soy sauce, no?

Sorta-Eddie made a hot sauce in the Quick fire, but its not the same as sriracha, if that is the taste you are going for. Adrienne was going for heat and she grabbed whatever was around and did nto start out with that as her plan....per her own statements to Tom and Nilu on their sniff and sneer. I don't really think she should have made that anymore than I think that Carrie should have baked bread for her fancy toast, but Sara took a lot of grief for using a mix as her base let alone using a pre-made product. I have no horse in this race, but it is an interesting dilemma the chefs face in deciding the dish they should make.

[car54]

I had to stop reading this thread and go into the kitchen and get a pickle because of the pickling talk.

[sATL]

A small little nice gesture was Lalia giving all of the cheftestants a signed copy of her book. There has been to many times in the past where that gesture was reserved for the winner of the challenge. I do hope other guest authors follow suit.

Edited February 18, 2019 by sATL

[carrps]

On 2/17/2019 at 1:23 PM, WendyM said:

I was born in Maine! (But I don't remember that, lol.) But I spent part of junior high in Presque Isle! When I heard Lewiston, I thought of potatoes immediately because we all had to take two weeks off in the Fall to pick them. How fun would would a potato dish have been? (Probably not so much but there's always gnocchi.)

OMG, that's the town where my sister and BIL lived! And I have a MicMac potato basket. 🙂

2 hours ago, AriAu said:

All of the mess-ups make me wish that Lee-Anne was still the culinary coordinator. The waffle irons and deep fryers all worked when she was around....and if there was an issue (like the refrigerators going out in Season 5, they called off the elimination.

 Aw, Leeanne has her own restaurant and baby to take care of now.

[biakbiak]

21 minutes ago, LucindaWalsh said:

And her being all my baby/sobbing/children overall most of the season is one reason why I haven't warmed up to her. 

I only remember her mentioning it once before.

[buttersister]

Because of his beliefs and his courage, Ali wasn’t able to box during his prime. And still the greatest. 

I felt like his daughter agreed to appear in this challenge because it seemed like a very good idea. Then came he execution and she seemed...less pleased.

[Miss chi chi]

Loved Laila. Eric is my fav. I always know at this point because it's the chef I get most nervous for. I realized Carrie was my fav at this time last season. Stephanie and Sheldon were my only from the beginning favorites. 

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, buttersister said:

felt like his daughter agreed to appear in this challenge because it seemed like a very good idea. Then came he execution and she seemed...less pleased.

I think that’s just her demeanor. I have seen her on several things and that’s just how she always acts.

[Irlandesa]

10 hours ago, AriAu said:

IF the challenge is to tell a story and they don't, they could very well be PPYKAGing. If Eddie has just made a great  dish that had nothing to do with Ali or The Fight of the Century or New York or Smokin Joe Frazier or Madison Square Garden etc..... then he was going home on this challenge. You cant just blow off the instructions.

I don't remember who but, in my head, I do remember being irritated before of chefs blowing off the challenge---or skirting blowing off the challenge--and being just fine.  Even winning...I think?  I do think someone can go really broad with interpretation when it comes to story time and be just fine as long as they cook a great dish.  That's why I don't agree that chefs have been kicked off for a reason other than cooking beyond what was already part of the show.  For instance, if it's a team week and the worst dish of the week ends up on the winning team or the individual with the worst dish has immunity, then someone will go before their time.  But all things being equal, it will come down to the dish.

[buttersister]

26 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

3 hours ago, buttersister said:

I think that’s just her demeanor. I have seen her on several things and that’s just how she always acts.

We can agree to disagree, I’ve seen her host a couple of series. There were moments at the table when, to me, her face was having second thoughts.

[HunterHunted]

6 hours ago, Eulipian 5k said:

Heh, Don't you get the impression that all of the appliance snafus are a super subtle way of egging Amana or ACME to step in as sponsor?

Almost every equipment malfunction has occured when they weren't in the Top Chef kitchen, which is where the product placement appliances are. The malfunctions have been when they've had to use portable appliances and wouldn't be surprised if it scuttled a comp. We've seen them mention XYZ Appliance rentals in other seasons. The Magical Elves love a comp. I suspect the equipment rentals were probably comped, but what we've seen has been so terrible that neither the rental company nor Bravo want to mention the rental company's name on air.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, buttersister said:

We can agree to disagree, I’ve seen her host a couple of series. There were moments at the table when, to me, her face was having second thoughts.

I agree, I saw that too, although I haven't seen her anywhere else.  I also felt her participation was less than what I expected it to be.  She didn't seem to engage with the chefs even when they attempted to engage her.  I saw a level of discomfort on her face and wasn't sure whether that was just her way or the situation or a bit of both.  I felt a little uncomfortable about the whole thing after it was over too, which tells me something although I don't know what.

I also agree with those that thought Tom was being a snarky shit in this episode.  I wonder who peed in his Wheaties.  If this was filmed shortly after Bourdain's death that could be part of the reason, but who knows?

[Yeah No]

On 2/17/2019 at 10:58 AM, hendersonrocks said:

I wasn't going to weigh in on all this Maine stuff because it was one remark in an hourlong show and it seems like it's getting a disproportionate amount of attention. But hey, here I am anyways! I used to live there, and I've been to Lewiston many times. I thought Tom's feedback was fair (if worded ass-ishly), because it seems like Justin heard MAINE and went to the stereotypical place that everyone's minds go to. They each had a dossier of info, which I guess I imagined contained information that would have helped each chef better understand the context of the fight and where it was located. I didn't really see or hear anything from Justin that he took any of that to heart. He just did seafood, because Maine.

I think some of the chef's dishes were reaching and gimmicky, and perhaps he didn't want to go that route and deliberately chose to go full-on literal instead.  To some people that is a better alternative even if not that creative.  He didn't have the "perfect connection" like Eric did with his dish.  Sometimes it just isn't there.   That said, I've been to Maine several times and I would be hard pressed to think of a dish that didn't have something to do with seafood, specifically lobster if part of a challenge like that.  I'm sure there's much more there if you're more familiar with the place but it would be hard for someone with zero experience with it to find a way to link it to a dish without seafood in it.  Maybe the details in the dossier didn't help him find anything else he felt comfortable with either.  I don't think it was fair of Tom to say Justin didn't think it through and just did seafood because...Maine.  I wonder if he even asked him what his thoughts were.  If he did and the answer was lame then I could see it.

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

either.  I don't think it was fair of Tom to say Justin didn't think it through and just did seafood because...Maine. 

But that is the exact reason he chose it. When they were dividing up the fights he stated that he specifically wanted that one because he wanted to do seafood. And he also mentioned that when he was talking about his dish.

[mlp]

Quote

 I also felt her [Laila Ali] participation was less than what I expected it to be. 

I felt the same way.  I've seen Laila on a variety of other shows and she's a gorgeous woman with plenty of self-confidence and personality.  I thought she looked uncomfortable and I thought it was very odd that they didn't feature her more.  She can cook.  She's competed on Chopped and even judged on Chopped and BBF so I imagine she had opinions about what was served.

[Yeah No]

5 hours ago, biakbiak said:

But that is the exact reason he chose it. When they were dividing up the fights he stated that he specifically wanted that one because he wanted to do seafood. And he also mentioned that when he was talking about his dish.

I still don't see what's wrong with that.  I think if the food is good it shouldn't matter how much goes into making it "fit" in a challenge like this.  I'm not a fan of making it too much about who can think of the most "creative" connection, most of which I think are lame and forced anyway.  YMMV.

[biakbiak]

6 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I still don't see what's wrong with that.  I think if the food is good it shouldn't matter how much goes into making it "fit" in a challenge like this.  I'm not a fan of making it too much about who can think of the most "creative" connection, most of which I think are lame and forced anyway.  YMMV.

I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it just that in Justin’s own words he saw Maine and thought seafood and that’s why he wanted to do it so Tom was not wrong. I think what Tom was getting at is that he just didn’t put a lot more thought into his dish than wanting to do a seafood soup. Add on that the soup was lukewarm and so at least some of the fish wasn’t properly cooked it was also the wrong sort of soup to serve for the event. There was more wrong with his dish than just the story.

[Yeah No]

Some of the others didn't put much thought into their dishes either in my opinion.  I mean, how much thought would it take to say something like, "Oh, this was a bloody fight so I chose cherries because they're red"?  I personally detest that kind of pseudo-creative thought process but they accept that on this show.