Top Chef: Las Vegas

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

RE: blonde. she's always very critical of her own performance which is actually an asset but for some reason many people here are taking it as a self-confidence issue.

I didn't take it as that, I take it as her being disingenuous and douchey. She reminds me of people who I went to college with who always got As, who would freak out and annoy you after a test, because they were sure they failed, and they inevitably got A's. I could not stand them.

[timwakefield 68]

The brother feud seems to be getting a little serious. The director must have been creaming him/herself* at that point. Early on when Brian was all, 'No you really shouldn't do that dessert, you didn't execute it well,' it was clear that there was actually a lot of tension. Last week I thought it was just good-natured bullshitting. Like, if Michael says he's gonna do an awesome dessert, he's pretty much the contestant out of anybody at this point who I would expect to hit a home run. I didn't necessarily expect Robyn to hit a home run, but I wasn't unhappy that she did. I'm about ready for her most ridiculous concoction yet, and then a knife-packing session though. Beardy finally showed that he's human, on the lamb. He also shoulda stepped up as head chef. Blondie did get lucky, but only in the sense that her teammate screwed up even worse than she did. Thoughts on Lorraine: dude, the judges' table is like 10x more important than all the other tables combined. I mean, come on. She really didn' take control of a lot of things that she should have. Some kind of emergency stand-up comedy routine could have saved the day, for example. Isabella was right that he should have taken the front of the house, because she seriously did screw up badly. Blondie could have probably saved herself a lot of embarrassment if she would have scrapped one of her dishes entirely when she realized she wasn't gonna be ready in time. You don't even have to give an excuse until judge's table. Unless, was it a specific requirement that you have to do 6 total dishes? I agreed that it was not only gross to serve such undercooked lamb but also strange to give everybody medium-rare without asking. I actually really liked the quickfire. The highlight was clearly when McScragglebeard was all, 'It was pretty obvious I was supposed to poach the fish, but I decided to fry it because it's better that way.' Also though - you're offering me a 50/50 chance to quadruple my money? Ooooo, tough one. This is by far the most entertaining season, and obviously the most talented as well.*Gender equality in da house!

[brvheart 1,752]

what an upset. I would have made beardo's team a +250 favorite going into the restaurant war. Blondie got lucky, IMO, she easily could have gone home, her dishes didn't deliver.. but i think she got credit for previous experience. It's weird for Laurene to get sent home on a cooking show, for something that doesn't have to do with cooking

Jennifer got really really lucky. If front of house would have just explained what she gave them when she first set the food down, Jennifer would be gone. If really funny too, because Lorraine obviously knew exactly what was on every plate... she was well prepared in that arena, and didn't even think about mentioning it. Really weird.

it did have to do with cooking in that she didn't do anything about a bad decision. they get judged on those type of decisions every week. it's not a technique or anything but it's a big part of the show. knowing when things just aren't right or when to change gears. that being said, obviously it was a cop out decision but in this case I don't think anyone really cares.RE: blonde. she's always very critical of her own performance which is actually an asset but for some reason many people here are taking it as a self-confidence issue.I really thought Hair on Face was "good" this week in his handling of being crappy and being "very angry"next week: natalie portman = hot. yum.

I thought McScraggle really shined this week.... which is saying something since his team got destroyed. He single handedly won the quickfire, and his pork dish... which was his dish... was the best of the group. Also, Natalie Portman is hot..

I didn't take it as that, I take it as her being disingenuous and douchey. She reminds me of people who I went to college with who always got As, who would freak out and annoy you after a test, because they were sure they failed, and they inevitably got A's. I could not stand them.

I got a sick feeling in my stomach just thinking about 'those' people.

The brother feud seems to be getting a little serious. The director must have been creaming him/herself* at that point. Early on when Brian was all, 'No you really shouldn't do that dessert, you didn't execute it well,' it was clear that there was actually a lot of tension. Last week I thought it was just good-natured bullshitting. Like, if Michael says he's gonna do an awesome dessert, he's pretty much the contestant out of anybody at this point who I would expect to hit a home run. I didn't necessarily expect Robyn to hit a home run, but I wasn't unhappy that she did. I'm about ready for her most ridiculous concoction yet, and then a knife-packing session though. Beardy finally showed that he's human, on the lamb. He also shoulda stepped up as head chef. Blondie did get lucky, but only in the sense that her teammate screwed up even worse than she did. Thoughts on Lorraine: dude, the judges' table is like 10x more important than all the other tables combined. I mean, come on. She really didn' take control of a lot of things that she should have. Some kind of emergency stand-up comedy routine could have saved the day, for example. Isabella was right that he should have taken the front of the house, because she seriously did screw up badly. Blondie could have probably saved herself a lot of embarrassment if she would have scrapped one of her dishes entirely when she realized she wasn't gonna be ready in time. You don't even have to give an excuse until judge's table. Unless, was it a specific requirement that you have to do 6 total dishes? I agreed that it was not only gross to serve such undercooked lamb but also strange to give everybody medium-rare without asking. I actually really liked the quickfire. The highlight was clearly when McScragglebeard was all, 'It was pretty obvious I was supposed to poach the fish, but I decided to fry it because it's better that way.' Also though - you're offering me a 50/50 chance to quadruple my money? Ooooo, tough one. This is by far the most entertaining season, and obviously the most talented as well.*Gender equality in da house!

- Beardys' one mistake, imo, was that he didn't take control of the kitchen. (but I really think Jennifer should have. she's a great executive chef... but she had so much going on, she didn't even consider it.... which is why they lost in the first place. At that point, however, Captain Redbeard should have taken over.)- Blondie really screwed the pooch this entire episode. From the quickfire all the way down. She really really sucked... easily the weakest link on the whole show, on both teams. I still think she's a serious contender, but both brothers took a GIANT leapfrop over her in the 'odds of winning'.Updated odds of winning.Bushy a la RedMichaelBrianJenniferIt was 100% Lorraine's fault that all the lamb was sent out medium rare. She didn't ask the customers, and she served it. also... IT WAS HER DISH!I thought the quickfire challenge was great. Really pretty exciting.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

So are we sort of going back to using their real names now?I think if you watch Jennifer since the start of the season, her self-confidence has been a steady downward trend. I think that the pressure of competition is getting to her a bit. She is still way talented and the person in whom I would invest if I were opening a business. But this competition is just a different beast.I loved the little segment during the commercials were Michael was talking about respect and leadership and they edited in little scenes as examples where he acted exactly opposite to how he perceived himself - swearing at other chefs and such.Robyn is a complete passive aggressive bitch. She executed her one dish well, but refused to acknowledge that the rest of the team (Michael) helped her with the original concept. She complains about being left out, then when they try to help her, she snaps at them.Really liked the concept of the Quickfire. Imagine being blindfolded for 30 minutes while your team cooked before you. I don't agree that Jennifer "screwed up" the quickfire. The sauce with the shrimp was one of the outstanding elements of the final dish and she set the stage for the rest to execute. She did call the fish "Trout". Mc Beard did recognize that everyone else prepped to poach the fish and decided instead to butter fry it.Edited to fix brother confusion.

[brvheart 1,752]

So are we sort of going back to using their real names now?I think if you watch Jennifer since the start of the season, her self-confidence has been a steady downward trend. I think that the pressure of competition is getting to her a bit. She is still way talented and the person in whom I would invest if I were opening a business. But this competition is just a different beast.I loved the little segment during the commercials were Brian was talking about respect and leadership and they edited in little scenes as examples where he acted exactly opposite to how he perceived himself - swearing at other chefs and such.Robyn is a complete passive aggressive bitch. She executed her one dish well, but refused to acknowledge that the rest of the team (Brian) helped her with the original concept. She complains about being left out, then when they try to help her, she snaps at them.Really liked the concept of the Quickfire. Imagine being blindfolded for 30 minutes while your team cooked before you. I don't agree that Jennifer "screwed up" the quickfire. The sauce with the shrimp was one of the outstanding elements of the final dish and she set the stage for the rest to execute. She did call the fish "Trout". Mc Beard did recognize that everyone else prepped to poach the fish and decided instead to butter fry it.

The main thing that everyone focused on was that she didn't even recognize what they had served. She didn't mis-speak. She thought it was trout. Beardy knew immediately that it was Sablefish.Also, I totally agree with Robyn snapping at Michael for barraging in on her dish. Leave her alone and let her succeed/fail on her own.Brian and her brainstorming on ideas is so insignificant that I'm surprised you even mentioned it.

[timwakefield 68]

So are we sort of going back to using their real names now?

Eh, I like that it goes back and forth, and I also like that most of them have at least 3 nicknames. Sometimes I'm in a nickname mood, sometimes I'm not.

She is still way talented and the person in whom I would invest if I were opening a business.

You're definitely right that she's been on a downward trend, and also that she's wicked talented. I'd invest in Beardy or Brian though. Or Michael actually. I think I like the brothers exactly equally at this point. Actually, if I'm being honest here, it would so obviously be Beardy. He reminds me a lot of one of my good friends, in both his demeanor and his beard.

Really liked the concept of the Quickfire. Imagine being blindfolded for 30 minutes while your team cooked before you. I don't agree that Jennifer "screwed up" the quickfire. The sauce with the shrimp was one of the outstanding elements of the final dish and she set the stage for the rest to execute. She did call the fish "Trout". Mc Beard did recognize that everyone else prepped to poach the fish and decided instead to butter fry it.

I think they should do more of the wild kind of quickfires. The ones where it's like, "You have 30 minutes to do a dish about feelings!" are pretty forgettable. They should just do more, interesting things like they did this week. It doesn't have to make sense as far as real-world scenarios. I do like that they've been giving reasonable time-allotments for the quickfires, but they should also mix it up and toss a 5-minute sprint in there, or more crazy or limited ingredients. Or more prep competitions (knife skills, etc).Oh and REvolt is such an awful name. Just blatantly terrible.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

I wonder how much self awareness some of the bottom tier contestants have at this point. Like that guido guy... I wonder if he thinks that he has a legitimate shot at winning, or if he's just trying to scrape by till all the dead wood is thinned out. Because some of these folks just have zero chance at the finals, like none at all. I wonder if they recognize it in themselves, or if they are delusional.

[brvheart 1,752]

You're definitely right that she's been on a downward trend, and also that she's wicked talented. I'd invest in Beardy or Brian though. Or Michael actually. I think I like the brothers exactly equally at this point. Actually, if I'm being honest here, it would so obviously be Beardy. He reminds me a lot of one of my good friends, in both his demeanor and his beard.

Anyone that wouldn't take Scraggleface at this point, hasn't been paying attention.

I think they should do more of the wild kind of quickfires. The ones where it's like, "You have 30 minutes to do a dish about feelings!" are pretty forgettable. They should just do more, interesting things like they did this week. It doesn't have to make sense as far as real-world scenarios. I do like that they've been giving reasonable time-allotments for the quickfires, but they should also mix it up and toss a 5-minute sprint in there, or more crazy or limited ingredients. Or more prep competitions (knife skills, etc).Oh and REvolt is such an awful name. Just blatantly terrible.

Agreed about the quickfires... and it was only Robyn that spoke up about the name... and it was obviously terrible.

I wonder how much self awareness some of the bottom tier contestants have at this point. Like that guido guy... I wonder if he thinks that he has a legitimate shot at winning, or if he's just trying to scrape by till all the dead wood is thinned out. Because some of these folks just have zero chance at the finals, like none at all. I wonder if they recognize it in themselves, or if they are delusional.

I think that all of them, except Ash, are delusional.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

You're definitely right that she's been on a downward trend, and also that she's wicked talented. I'd invest in Beardy or Brian though. Or Michael actually. I think I like the brothers exactly equally at this point. Actually, if I'm being honest here, it would so obviously be Beardy. He reminds me a lot of one of my good friends, in both his demeanor and his beard.

I think Beardy Mc Beard has the talent to make it, as much talent consistently as the Brothers and Jennifer. I just think that the Brothers and Jennifer have the talent AND "Leadership Qualities" to run the Kitchen. I haven't seen The Beard show that he could motivate others to work.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

I wonder how much self awareness some of the bottom tier contestants have at this point. Like that guido guy... I wonder if he thinks that he has a legitimate shot at winning, or if he's just trying to scrape by till all the dead wood is thinned out. Because some of these folks just have zero chance at the finals, like none at all. I wonder if they recognize it in themselves, or if they are delusional.

Going by the exit interviews and other comments, it seems like Ash and others have sort of acknowledged that they have a lot to learn from the Cream of this Year's Crop. Even the (Not a) Cougar seems to know she isn't as talented.Guido doesn't seem smart enough to realize he is outclassed.

[timwakefield 68]

Anyone that wouldn't take Scraggleface at this point, hasn't been paying attention.

Well I didn't mean for the competition, I meant for a restaurant. Either way though, I'm with you on the Beard-love.

[brvheart 1,752]

Well I didn't mean for the competition, I meant for a restaurant. Either way though, I'm with you on the Beard-love.

I was talking about a restaurant also.

[El Guapo 8]

I still think Michael is the most talented by far. His brother and beardy are 2a and 2b.I thought they were done when they named it ReVolt. ReDickulousThe correct person went home.

[SBriand 4]

I think Beardy Mc Beard has the talent to make it, as much talent consistently as the Brothers and Jennifer. I just think that the Brothers and Jennifer have the talent AND "Leadership Qualities" to run the Kitchen. I haven't seen The Beard show that he could motivate others to work.

I haven't watched Top Chef for a couple seasons so please refresh my memory. In the finals does, "leadership qualities" constitute a % of your final grade? I don't remember that being an issue. This show was always more about the food and the creativity more than "running a kitchen." This isn't Hell's Kitchen where running the kitchen is more important than the food and mostly the creativity. But you may not be saying that Beardy McBeardavich will lose because of that. But it seems that way.I watched last night and I have to agree with who was sent home. God she was horrible on the floor. She was like a sad robot that was malfunctioning. Also, if she didn't tell Tom that she would not put out food that she felt was bad before the event began she might have gotten away with it.Robyn is so damn annoying. It's been said by others so no need to rehash it.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

I haven't watched Top Chef for a couple seasons so please refresh my memory. In the finals does, "leadership qualities" constitute a % of your final grade? I don't remember that being an issue. This show was always more about the food and the creativity more than "running a kitchen." This isn't Hell's Kitchen where running the kitchen is more important than the food and mostly the creativity. But you may not be saying that Beardy McBeardavich will lose because of that. But it seems that way.

At this point in the Conversation, we weren't talking about who would (or should) win the Top Chef Competition.

[DK 0]

She was like a sad robot that was malfunctioning.

I actually laughed out loud when I read this.. so true.

[brvheart 1,752]

I haven't watched Top Chef for a couple seasons so please refresh my memory. In the finals does, "leadership qualities" constitute a % of your final grade? I don't remember that being an issue. This show was always more about the food and the creativity more than "running a kitchen." This isn't Hell's Kitchen where running the kitchen is more important than the food and mostly the creativity. But you may not be saying that Beardy McBeardavich will lose because of that. But it seems that way.I watched last night and I have to agree with who was sent home. God she was horrible on the floor. She was like a sad robot that was malfunctioning. Also, if she didn't tell Tom that she would not put out food that she felt was bad before the event began she might have gotten away with it.Robyn is so damn annoying. It's been said by others so no need to rehash it.

Yeah... we kind of shifted the conversation to who we would want to open a restaurant with, if we could only pick one. As a restaurant owner, I think Beardy is the obvious choice. Michael, while great, has a terribly huge ego, and wants to dominate everything. Jennifer runs a kitchen well, but in the end she's still a girl with too many emotions. Beardy is the easy choice here.

[SBriand 4]

Yeah... we kind of shifted the conversation to who we would want to open a restaurant with, if we could only pick one. As a restaurant owner, I think Beardy is the obvious choice. Michael, while great, has a terribly huge ego, and wants to dominate everything. Jennifer runs a kitchen well, but in the end she's still a girl with too many emotions. Beardy is the easy choice here.

Actually I would be willing to throw Brian's name in the mix. I won't lie, I think Kevin is hands down one of my favorite chefs and he can cook for me any day, but Bryan?Brian? has the skill and he also seems to be level headed unlike his brother. I wouldn't dismiss him too quickly in that regard.

[El Guapo 8]

Actually I would be willing to throw Brian's name in the mix. I won't lie, I think Kevin is hands down one of my favorite chefs and he can cook for me any day, but Bryan?Brian? has the skill and he also seems to be level headed unlike his brother. I wouldn't dismiss him too quickly in that regard.

Um, I think Brian is about ready to snap. I think he is level headed to a certain point with his obnoxious younger brother, but when the breaking point comes, everyone needs to get the fuck out of the way.Brian is talented and the brothers are obviously competitive. I think the younger one is trying to prove he is better than Brian, as much as he says he is not.FWIW, Brian is the Chef owner of his own restaurant and I think Beardy might be too, but not positive.

[speedz99 145]

Blondie certainly proved me wrong, at least this week. I do think that if she wasn't so talented they would have sent her home...frankly, I think she should have been gone. Two bad dishes, one a "disaster", is worse than being a deer-in-headlights at the front of the house, imo.

next week: natalie portman = hot. yum.

Anybody else notice McGuido eye-fuck her in the preview?

I didn't take it as that, I take it as her being disingenuous and douchey. She reminds me of people who I went to college with who always got As, who would freak out and annoy you after a test, because they were sure they failed, and they inevitably got A's. I could not stand them.

She was 100% correct in thinking that her dishes were horrible, so I don't get this comparison.

Oh and REvolt is such an awful name. Just blatantly terrible.

Yeah, it was hard to believe that anyone could be that stupid.

I wonder how much self awareness some of the bottom tier contestants have at this point. Like that guido guy... I wonder if he thinks that he has a legitimate shot at winning, or if he's just trying to scrape by till all the dead wood is thinned out. Because some of these folks just have zero chance at the finals, like none at all. I wonder if they recognize it in themselves, or if they are delusional.

Like someone said, Ash seemed to be the only realistic competitor. I bet that McGuido knows he's not the best chef, but still thinks he could have an outside shot depending on how the cards fall...which I suppose isn't totally out of the realm of possibility.

Yeah... we kind of shifted the conversation to who we would want to open a restaurant with, if we could only pick one. As a restaurant owner, I think Beardy is the obvious choice. Michael, while great, has a terribly huge ego, and wants to dominate everything. Jennifer runs a kitchen well, but in the end she's still a girl with too many emotions. Beardy is the easy choice here.

Beardy is not the easy choice...Michael has been killing it throughout the entire competition (aside from when his equipment failed), and ALREADY HAS A MICHELIN STAR. They rave about his food almost every time. I guess it would depend on how involved you'd want to be in the actual menu. As I'm not a chef, I'd just want the kitchen totally taken care of for me...all I'd care about is the quality of food coming out, and I think Michael is as good as or better than Beardy in that respect. He's probably more fun to drink with after hours, too.But it depends on where you're opening, I guess. If I'm in NYC, I take Michael in a heartbeat. If I'm in Atlanta, I probably do take Beardo.

Um, I think Brian is about ready to snap. I think he is level headed to a certain point with his obnoxious younger brother, but when the breaking point comes, everyone needs to get the fuck out of the way.

Concur. Michael has been a total prick, and I think it's about time Bryan gives him a whuppin'. Someone already mentioned it, but I thought that the little between-commercial montage of him talking to the camera about how great he is while showing clips of his true behavior was pretty hilarious.I know nobody wants to hear this, but Eli was key in them having the best "restaurant" in the history of the show. Sure, it says nothing about his cooking, but props to him for doing what looked like a perfect job in the front of the house.

[BigDMcGee 3,352]

She was 100% correct in thinking that her dishes were horrible, so I don't get this comparison.

This time. Other times she thinks that, and she ends up in the top three, or winning the competition. I was using that as a general critique of her, not specifically talking about her now, because as I said, she was very lucky to still be around after that performance. Well, not all luck. I'm sure her previous performances helped in her evaluation.

[brvheart 1,752]

Beardy is not the easy choice...Michael has been killing it throughout the entire competition (aside from when his equipment failed), and ALREADY HAS A MICHELIN STAR. They rave about his food almost every time. I guess it would depend on how involved you'd want to be in the actual menu. As I'm not a chef, I'd just want the kitchen totally taken care of for me...all I'd care about is the quality of food coming out, and I think Michael is as good as or better than Beardy in that respect. He's probably more fun to drink with after hours, too.

You drastically understate how awful it is to have an employee that thinks they know best about everything. ESPECIALLY a cook, who thinks they know everything about business... for instance. I take Beardy in a heartbeat and KNOW that I made the correct choice.

[SBriand 4]

Um, I think Brian is about ready to snap. I think he is level headed to a certain point with his obnoxious younger brother, but when the breaking point comes, everyone needs to get the fuck out of the way.

And what does this have to do with him being able to run a restaurant? Oh yeah, nothing.How many chefs have you worked for?

[speedz99 145]

This time. Other times she thinks that, and she ends up in the top three, or winning the competition. I was using that as a general critique of her, not specifically talking about her now, because as I said, she was very lucky to still be around after that performance. Well, not all luck. I'm sure her previous performances helped in her evaluation.

Once (maaaybe twice, I don't remember), she thought her dish wasn't great and ended up in the top three. That's out of what, nine episodes, which is 18 competitions including the quickfires? I guess I'll agree to disagree on this one.

You drastically understate how awful it is to have an employee that thinks they know best about everything. ESPECIALLY a cook, who thinks they know everything about business... for instance. I take Beardy in a heartbeat and KNOW that I made the correct choice.

What makes you think that Michael is impossible to work with and would try to make all the business (non-menu related) decisions? He's obviously done extremely well for himself in the field.

[speedz99 145]

And what does this have to do with him being able to run a restaurant? Oh yeah, nothing.How many chefs have you worked for?

Did you mean to quote something else?