Top Chef...

[Jonathon 0]

I just got caught up on this season while sick at home the other day. I don't know why, but I love this show. The challenges they come up with are pretty interesting: come up with something they would serve at TGIFridays, come up with a dish from food with vending machines, make something appetizing out of random gross ingredients, it's cool to see these gourmet chefs try all this random stuff.

[devo 0]

I like Project Runway better, but as far as reality shows on Bravo go, this one's pretty darn good. My favorite episodes thus far are the one this week and the one where they made the six-course meal at Social restaurant. Amazingly, most of the contestants I didn't like are gone, and once Betty's eliminated, I'll at least like whoever ends up winning.

 

My favorite chefs are Sam and Ilan, since they're clearly the best chefs there and are the kind of no-nonsense, hard-nosed New York workhorses that don't get involved with the drama related with this show and just cook. I even like Marcel to an extent, since even though he's obnoxious and arrogant he's talented and doesn't put up with any of Betty's shit.

[Jonathon 0]

Sam, Ilan, Marcel, and Cliff are the top dogs. I am rooting for Michael, but it's only a matter of time before he gets figured out and is booted.

[NoCalMike 0]

I've been watching this show since about 4 episodes in, during the 1st season. It's pretty good, and I like how the challenges are completely random because it doesn't give the any one single chef an advantage every challenege.

 

It's also funny because the judges on this show are pretty no-nonsense as there has been plenty of stuff cooked that when I see it on TV, it looks fantastic, and the judges just rip it to pieces.

 

I think this year's winner is going to be Sam, Cliff, Ilan or Marcel. Michael is cool but he has NO BUSINESS on this show, let alone getting this far. haha.

[Jonathon 0]

Good to see Mikey win something for once..

 

Poor Marcel, I feel like they're trying to villify him, when he really hasn't done anything wrong. Sam blowing up on him in the store was crazy, yeah.

 

Next week looks awesome.

[devo 0]

Wedensday's episode was really good thanks not only to Michael's success, but because Betty is finally gone. And yeah, all the chefs seem to find Marcel completely insufferable when he just appears to be cocky and somewhat annoying. On the other hand, I saw the first minute of next week's episode on the Top Chef website wherein Marcel reads a poem, which just happens to be the worst thing ever written. Go watch the preview yourself if you don't believe me.

[NoCalMike 0]

I think either they are editing out what really makes Marcel annoying, in order to get the FIGHTS on-air, OR this bunch of chefs are a bunch of whiny bitches....Marcel might be a tad annoying, but I hardly see justification for the lambasting he gets from his mates.

 

Oh yeah, and it was nice to see Michael win a challenge.

[devo 0]

So, they pulled a Project Runway Season 3 on this one, not eliminating anyone in the final elimination challenge and letting all of the remaining competitors go on to the finale. I have to say it was a good decision, since although Sam and Ilan clearly had the best dishes Marcel and Elia turned in good performances as well. I am shocked that Marcel actually made it to the finale - I was sure that at least Sam, Ilan, and Cliff had a better chance of making it than he did.

 

Of course, Cliff screwed himself over by manhandling Marcel, which got him kicked off the show. Stupid, stupid, stupid move.

[NoCalMike 0]

So, they pulled a Project Runway Season 3 on this one, not eliminating anyone in the final elimination challenge and letting all of the remaining competitors go on to the finale. I have to say it was a good decision, since although Sam and Ilan clearly had the best dishes Marcel and Elia turned in good performances as well. I am shocked that Marcel actually made it to the finale - I was sure that at least Sam, Ilan, and Cliff had a better chance of making it than he did.

 

Of course, Cliff screwed himself over by manhandling Marcel, which got him kicked off the show. Stupid, stupid, stupid move.

 

 

It was kind of weird because when the judges were eating, they seemed to love Marcel's dish, but when it come to the judgement table, they seemed to like his the least...(well besides Cliff who was already gone anyway)

[Jonathon 0]

whoa whoa, what happened? I missed this episode.

[naiwf 0]

Cliff would have lost anyway so it really didn't change anything by him getting bumped for putting Marcel in a full nelson.

 

NoCal, they had to have DRAWMUH~ at the end. It was obvious no one else was going home once Cliff got DQed.

[devo 0]

whoa whoa, what happened? I missed this episode.

 

Elia, Ilan, Sam and Cliff were getting drunk and screwing around, and Elia and Ilan decided to shave their heads. After that, they thought it'd be a good idea to wake Marcel up, hold him down, and shave his head. Cliff did the first two parts, but no one came in with the razor. Marcel eventually broke free and ended up sleeping in the bathroom down the hall. The next day, Chef Tom comes in and kicks Cliff off the show, since the show's contract states that anyone can be eliminated from the competition for touching anyone else "in an aggressive manner".

 

Laike naiwf said, in the end it doesn't really matter, since Cliff had made the worst dish of the the Elimination Challenge anyway.

[devo 0]

Okay, I am outright cheering for Marcel at this point. Ilan and Elia were fucking whiny as hell and making up bullshit reasons to try and get him kicked off of the competition. He's been through so much shit on this show, and he hit his stride just in time to make it to the finale.

 

Marcel vs. Ilan is going to be a great final battle, if only because they can't stand each other at all.

 

Go, Master of Molecular Gastronomy!

[NoCalMike 0]

Okay, I am outright cheering for Marcel at this point. Ilan and Elia were fucking whiny as hell and making up bullshit reasons to try and get him kicked off of the competition. He's been through so much shit on this show, and he hit his stride just in time to make it to the finale.

 

Marcel vs. Ilan is going to be a great final battle, if only because they can't stand each other at all.

 

Go, Master of Molecular Gastronomy!

 

Tonight's episode was pretty great. And hey, I actually went to bravotv.com afterwards to watch the aftershow and they answered my email!!!

[naiwf 0]

I think Tom decided he wants Ilan to win. All 3 of the other judges favored Sam, and yet Ilan made the final 2. There's no way he beats Marcel on talent or merit, but I think the bald one picked Ilan to win a few challenges ago.

[NoCalMike 0]

It seems evident over the last half of the season, that Marcel is probably the most knowledgable and talented guy there, however he also uses that to his disadvantage sometimes when he tries to get to adventurous and loses focus and it causes his dishes to be merely good, when they could be great.

 

I've also learned from this show how vague the term "line cook" can be, because on one hand you have Ilan who is labeled as a line cook, but he actually seems to have knowledge and skill that would suggest he actually does some chef work, and then you have Michael who is also a line cook, however he pretty much examplifies what you would find at applebees or Chilis, a guy who basically just turns and burns.

[devo 0]

Fuck. I'm very surprised and disappointed than Ilan ended up winning, not only because of how whiny he got near the end of the show but because his final meal had two mediocre dishes, whereas Marcel's only had one. I really don't get the logic in that one.

 

Now that I think about it, the only time I've agreed with a final decision on Top Chef or Project Runway was on the first season of Top Chef. Ah well.

[NoCalMike 0]

Fuck. I'm very surprised and disappointed than Ilan ended up winning, not only because of how whiny he got near the end of the show but because his final meal had two mediocre dishes, whereas Marcel's only had one. I really don't get the logic in that one.

 

Now that I think about it, the only time I've agreed with a final decision on Top Chef or Project Runway was on the first season of Top Chef. Ah well.

 

 

Yeah, I'm really suprised too. I think when it came to the FOOD, Marcel clearly won, but something about talking with all the helper-judges, swung the judges to Ilan which was kind of bullshit because the judges should know by now that almost no one liked Marcel and would not go to bat for him when it counted.

[Jonathon 0]

Yeah, I honestly was thinking Marcel would win this. Poop on Ilan.

[naiwf 0]

I think Tom decided he wants Ilan to win. All 3 of the other judges favored Sam, and yet Ilan made the final 2. There's no way he beats Marcel on talent or merit, but I think the bald one picked Ilan to win a few challenges ago.

 

Ahem.

[The Truthiness 0]

The real fucked up part is Mike threw Marcel under the bus, worse then Sam did. Mike was probably the only "friend" Marcel had on the whole show, I would expect Sam to swerve Marcel, but not Mike.

 

 

I've also learned from this show how vague the term "line cook" can be, because on one hand you have Ilan who is labeled as a line cook, but he actually seems to have knowledge and skill that would suggest he actually does some chef work, and then you have Michael who is also a line cook, however he pretty much examplifies what you would find at applebees or Chilis, a guy who basically just turns and burns. Yeah I was once a line cook at Oliver Garden, and I know shit about cooking.