In This Section
|
« Top Chef
November 15, 2006: Today's Special — A Double Elimination
We all knew there was going to be a double elimination; I just didn't think it was going to be this week, until three teams did so horribly in the elimination challenge. Josie and Marisa were both forced to pack their knives and leave the competition. I was simply happy that Marisa got her walking papers. But after Josie's "talented" comments about herself, I was actually glad she was given the boot, too. And speaking of Josie and Marisa, when in the world did they become BFFs? I didn't have one clue that they were tight until this episode. And, of course, saying that in the first five minutes of the show all but guaranteed their elimination. Unlike the guest judges that sometimes pop in on American Idol, the ones on Top Chef are real contributors to the process, and I've loved pretty much every one. Tom, Gail and guest chef Michelle Bernstein were very vocal and, might I add, kinda cranky. I think they had every right to be. But first, let's start things off with the Quickfire challenge.
Quickfire Challenge: Create a dish using leftover parts
Winner: Sam
Guest Judge: Michelle Bernstein — owner and chef of Michy's in Miami and consulting chef for Social in L.A. and Miami
On other reality shows, if there are pigs' feet, beef cheeks and veal tongues lying around, it's a good bet contestants are going to have to eat them raw. At least on this show, all the finalists have to do is cook the suckers. For the first time in about three weeks, no one was upset about this particular task. Even Mike confidently said he knew what flavors go together; but based on his history, I had my doubts. Marcel used pigs' blood as an ingredient in his — how funny was it when Betty mentioned something about how he looked like a vampire? (Does that mean we can consider her Betty the Vampire Slayer?) You can tell when the judge doesn't like a dish. They'll question one of the chef's choices, say something like, "OK, thanks," and then quickly move on. It was easy to come to the conclusion that Josie and Elia's leftover dishes were not going to be contenders for anything other than the Bottom 2. Sam's sweetbread and scallion beignets, complete with a Chinese five-spice and sweet soy broth, impressed Michelle the most for being delicious, beautifully executed and innovative. Even though I didn't dig Sam's behavior in last week's show, I was happy that the guy won. I guess sometimes I just can't hold a grudge.
Elimination Challenge: Cook for actress Jennifer Coolidge and her 60 friends at Social Hollywood using the remains in the fridge and some other products
Winning Team: Mike and Ilan
Winner: Ilan
The chefs had to divide into pairs and cook a six-course meal for Stifler's Mom and 60 of her friends. I thought the show was going to figure out a way to get Betty and Marcel together. But they actually left the task of choosing a partner up to the chefs, so there was no renewal of their rivalry. Betty did team up with Mia, however. This is an interesting choice, since Mia sold her out in last week's challenge. I guess Betty is still none the wiser. Still, I can't believe Marisa had the nerve to talk about Mia's character. I loved Tom announcing that, after last week, he was staying in the kitchen to keep an eye on things. Is it me, or does he seem to be getting frustrated with many members of this group? Cliff and Sam seem to be the dream team, while the oddest pairing may be Mike and Ilan. But guess what? They both did good with their dishes (Courses No. 2 and No. 3, respectively) and were shoo-ins for the Top 2. Guess what else? Mike and Ilan's seafood paella won, with Michelle selecting Ilan as the winner who gets to help her at the South Beach Wine Festival. But talk about going from zero to hero, Mike finally learned what it's like to be at the top. Good for him. For the first time, he was acting coherent and competent. He finally made the effort to be part of this competition. The Bottom 3 consisted of Betty/Mia, Elia/Carlos and best buds Josie and Marisa. The judges were pretty brutal with their assessments of their dishes. They also seemed beyond frustrated with the lack of communication and weren't afraid to question what all the chefs were thinking. The judges had no time for Betty and Mia's under-cooked puff pastry. They couldn't figure out why Elia and Carlos couldn't concentrate on just one delectable dessert instead of three. They particularly had a problem with that pomegranate-juice shot — apparently the juice tasted like it had been sitting out all day. But they all seemed to have the biggest problem with Josie and Marisa's "Awakening Trio." It's another case of trying to do too much but ultimately doing too little. I couldn't help laughing when Gail pointed out that they had three hours to prepare their course, and they didn't actually cook anything. It was obvious the judges were going to take their frustrations out with a double-elimination shocker. Although, come on, it really wasn't much of a shocker.
Topics to discuss:
— Do you think Tom's right? Are the finalists just trying not to lose? After all, Josie did say that she never realized how comfortable the middle was.
— What did you think of this double elimination?
— This week's shining stars: Cliff, Sam and Ilan
— Down, but not out by a long shot: Betty
— Needs a good showing next week: Mia and Elia
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 9:32 AM
|
Yay, I love Sam & Cliff so happy to see them work together. Can I just say EWW to the quickfire challange! As a vegetarian I couldn't even watch them prepare their dishes. I don't know why every show has to go fear factor now-a-days. I really didn't like the guest judge, she was overly cranky in my opinion. Loved Stifler's mom, would have really like to have her guest judge instead. I wasn't surprised by the double elimination but I would have liked to see it happen later on. I really didn't think Josie deserved to leave yet, but she did come across a little nasty in her final interview. Either way, since Marisa is finally gone, I'm happy. I agree that Tom seems to be really annoyed with everyone and everything this season, but really I can't blame him. There seems to be less talent and a lot more mediocrity this year. I agree with his thought that most of them seem to be trying to not lose. I was very suprised with Mike this week, up until now I've wanted him gone, but last night he changed my mind. He can stick around a little longer. I think Elia needs to go next. She's really full of herself but she doesn't seem like her cooking warrants the attitude. I never thought I'd miss Stephen so much, but I really do miss the cockiness mixed with creativeness.
Here's hoping the challenges get a little more entertaining and creative (what happened to making them creative dishes for a sex shop and the wedding in one day, those were fun to watch)
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 11:03 AM
|
I wasn't too suprized that two Chefs were eliminated, since no one went home last week. I'm glad that Marisa's gone. She was annoying and had an over-inflated ego about her cooking talents. I'm on the fence concerning Josie, because she had a much more likeable personality.
All of the Chefs should have listened to Betty when she tried to get them to put together a game plan, so that all of the courses would flow. And Mia should have told Betty that the puff pastry wouldn't work with the dish they planned, instead of complaining about it.
Elia has such an elitist attitude. She didn't want any help plating the desserts, but messed up when one person got two pommegranite juices on their dessert platter. I hope she's the next to go.
I agree with you, Cliff, Sam and Ilia are definitely the front-runners, with Mike receiving the Most-Improved Chef Award this week.
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 11:04 AM
|
|
Is it me or does Marcel use avocado in every single dish that he prepares?I dont know.. I noticed that and thought I would mention it.
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 11:12 AM
|
First of all.. LOVED the "Betty the Vampire Slayer" comment. Too funny.
I had just finished talking to my sister before the show started, saying that I bet there were going to be teams of two in the elimination challenge and two people would go. I don't blame the judges, either. Last week was a FIASCO. Everyone was so worried about someone breaking the rules that they forgot the most important thing:
Diabetics have to watch their sugar intake VERY closely. Too add more calories, fat, and/or sugar to a recipe without consulting the nutritionist put those kids in physical danger. You played Russian Roulette with these kids' lives! And that's what made me more angry than the whole "you broke the rules but i'm going to wait until all is said and done before I offer this info up." Are these the kind of people who watch a toddler wander in and out of traffic and cross to the other side before they warn people or try to help? Pathetic.
With that said, I am SO GLAD Marisa is gone. And at first, I felt sorry for Josie since she'd never been that close to the bottom before and b/c I thought she had such a great personality. However, after hearing her exit interview comments.... I'd rather have Stephen back... At least he acted like he believed the bull he was serving up!
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 11:17 AM
|
This is my first season watching this show and I like it, but can't compare it with last season.
I did find the judge's comment that they are just 'trying not to lost' appropriate. I was trying to put my finger on it and when he said it, it made total sense!
It was too funny after Betty said that Marcel looked like a vampire and they did that flashy/lightening thing - hilarious!
I felt the same as others did - Marisa was annoying, glad she's gone. Was sad to see Josie leave so early as she did seem to have some talent until she made sure we all knew about her talent.
I think the right person won the challenge - I wish they had made it clearer with the editing what Michael contributed vs. what Ilan contributed cause they didn't seem to show much of that in the kitchen.
This is a fun show!
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 12:24 PM
|
I can understand Tom's frustration with the teams. He now has to babysit them in the challenges so they don't cheat and can't make accusations at the judges table when they lose. I also agree that no one seems to be trying to win this year.
I also agree with the posters who have said they like Josie and were sorry to see her go until her final comments.
By the way, the pairings in the elimination challenge were based on working with someone they hadn't worked with before so Betty and Marcel couldn't have been partners. I think Betty picked Mia because she was the closest person to her phyically that she hadn't worked with before. I'm guessing she had no clue that it was Mia that ratted her out last week. Mia sure looked upset when Josie was eliminated. I'm wondering if she felt guilty because two people had to go home based on her big mouth last week. (I'm not saying what Betty did was okay, but it should have been mentioned at the time it was happening and not at the judges' table.)
I haven't found a favorite yet. I think part of that is the large cast and once it is pared down, they can show a little of every personality and not just the arrogant ones like Marcel and Elia.
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 7:43 PM
|
ok.....who is this Padma Lakshmi chick?? zero personality and less than zero voice inflection....BORING!!
luv sam though
|
|
Nov 16, 2006 8:14 PM
|
|
Never cared much for Marissa and her "I'm sexy" (she isn't) attitude and aloof air, but she was a good sport when eliminated. Josie, on the other hand, kept saying over and over and over how talented she was and therefore should not be eliminated. Miss Smiles and Goodwill turned out to be just as arrogant and delusional as the rest. And what's with Sam's hairdo? And does he ever smile? Week after week it gets harder and harder to find someone to cheer for.
|
|
Nov 17, 2006 11:07 AM
|
I loved the show. It reminded me a little bit of the Wedding Challenge from Season One. I think that the chefs should have worked together better. I don't know why they didn't take the time to coordinate the dishes better.
I am going to have to agree with Tom about how some of the chefs are trying to stay at the middle of the pack instead of playing to win. Michael and Josie both stated they were trying to stay in the middle. Obviously that strategy didn't work for Josie. have to say that I didn't think that Josie would be sent packing yet.
I was surprised that Betty made such a mistep with the puff pastry. She has been shining so much up until this episode. I hope that isn't the start of her going down the tubes. It was fascinating that Michael went from the bottom to the top in one episode. We will see if he will keep it up.
My favs right now are Cliff and Sam. I think that Elan is good but I don't like his attitude.
Marcel for all of his bravado has not really been shining.
|
|
Nov 20, 2006 11:02 PM
|
|
I was glad to see Marisa finally go because she wasn't even talented in her dessert domain. It was about time she got the boot. Despite Josie's self-love at the end there, I was still sad to see her go. I didn't find her praise of her own talents too off-putting though, because I can understand what she was feeling when she said it. She knew she had potential and felt she was eliminated too early. If all those other chefs were so sad to see her go, she must've been one cool chick.
|
|
Nov 21, 2006 12:36 PM
|
|
|
