Interesting week. And an even more interesting Last Chance Kitchen.
The minute I saw Carrie mashing that fish up, I knew she was in trouble. The dinner at John Besh’s place looked very intimate and like a lot of fun. I’m sure being on the show is a grind but the contestants have done a lot of fun things this season.
Cardinal rule: don’t destroy or disrespect fresh protein.
ugh, watching carlos (or any tv chef) steeling up his knife in a desperate attempt to sharpen his knife to cut sashimi made me wince. The size and direction of cut didn’t even look right either.
edit: Most likely Nick’s knife was a carbon steel yanagi and Carlos left it sitting wet and in fish bits. ugh another wince.
Wow, starting to get down to the wire now with just 5 chefs. And a tough LCK.
That was a very tough episode. I don’t blame Nicholas one bit for using his immunity. In fact I think it was kind of shitty of the judges to ask him if he wanted to resign – and to get Jacques to ask him? Ridiculous. That’s the game they set up. You don’t like the fact that you have to cut someone who made a terrific dish? That’s your problem.
Watching Jacques give a cooking lesson was pretty cool. I always enjoyed talking with him when he came into the farmers market I worked at in high school. He’d frequently give me recipes and tips on selecting produce.
It is very stronger that they would have a team challenge with just 6 people left. This may be the last challenge with immunity. And I agree, he sucked, but the game is the game.
I’m okay with the team-oriented elimination challenge. But I thought it was odd to offer immunity in such a situation.
Sorry for the iPad induced typo. “It is very strange…” versus “stronger”. I also agree that witholding immunity would have made more sense.
That was rough all the way around - esp since they were also so influenced by the guest chefs choices.
But I am so ready for Carlos to go home … like several weeks ago.
I do not mind the team aspect of this one, as I have come to grips with the team setup of Top Chef. What I have a problem with in this episode, is it seemed more like Top Line Cook than Top Chef.
It was as if the producers really wanted everyone to succeed in both challenges. The fact that most of them couldn’t pull off Jacques dish was very disappointing. It didn’t seem overly complex and he gave them step by step instructions.
I also want to note that, to me, chicken and chocolate sounds really disgusting. I’m sure there is some technique where it tastes good but it seemed like kind of a long shot.
Dominque Crenn reminds me of a younger version of my high school French teacher. I could easily see men and women falling in love with her.
my guess despite the editing was that Julian was the one who was the most verbally biased, and Dominique felt compelled to be the other voice, but she seemed to be laughing at the verbal jousting, while Julian was quite serious. Tom and Emeril laughed at Julian’s hatred of the chocolate dish.
“ca va mon petit chou?” great line. haha.
Just watched the episode last night. I thought it was way off base for them to suggest that Nicholas give up his immunity and “resign.” If I was him I’d have flatly suggested that they not send anyone home. Why should he diverge from the rules and burn immunity? It seems far more egregious to send someone home for a good dish. But I also think we all know that Stephanie was the weakest of those left. Probably Brian next, though Carlos shows some technique issues at times. It shouldn’t have been an immunity week, they shouldn’t have allowed the guests to control the menu so much, and they shouldn’t have asked Nick to quit.
That said, the chocolate and corn silk looked terrible. He should have pulled it, though it may have risked alienating their sponsor-chef to do so. If he was intent on making a chocolate sauce for the hen he should have made absolutely certain that it was balanced and not overwhelming, and I have a hard time envisioning an execution that could have been more than a novelty.
A strong final six though, and a strong five. I’m sstill inclined to say Nina is the best.
I agree. It would not have been the first time where they did not send someone home and the following week doubling down. Really dumb but I am sure Pepin was not that familiar with the rules of the game.
Corn silk is easy to do but the technique Nicholas used was incorrect. They should be dried out a bit first in a low temp oven or left out overnight in a warm room and then fried at 390-425 instead of the typical 350. They come out really nice. His really did look like hair from a drain. Yuck.
Louis is looking strong in LCK.
Gene, I assumed that they weren’t fried hot enough. He said earlier in the episode that he had worked with corn silk only once.
The thing about all of that though is that immunity is license to go big, to not have to hedge. To call someone out for going big and failing when they have immunity is BS, and for the girls to turn on him like that was harsh. I’m going to be ticked if they spend lots of time (and editing tricks) making him out to be the bad guy/pariah the rest of the season. Let these chefs cook, they’re good enough.
Its funny though, in some ways they almost have to do these things now. In the beginning this show was as much a personalities reality show as a true cooking platform. Now there is a seriousness to it that curtails all of that. No more shaved head or chefs making out. Better food, although the voyeur in me might miss the drama in a childish wah.
I was appalled when they asked him to give up his immunity…lame. Chocolate and Chicken are often paired with a multitude of other spices in a Mole from Oaxaca. Of course you don’t cook a real Mole with that time restraint.
Appalled? It wasn’t like it was three good dishes, with his being the least “good.” His two dishes were by far the worst of the night. I don’t think it was unreasonable to suggest that. And clearly Stephanie thought so as well.
I do agree that it was stupid to grant immunity with this few of cheftestants.
I thought that it was a ridiculous suggestion. I’ve watched this show since Season two and they have never even hinted that they would accept a resignation when immunity was in place, much less openly suggested that one should resign of their own volition. Maybe Jacques just put it out there as a suggestion being unfamiliar with the rules. Maybe Tom’s fall on the knife comments were just to play along. If so that is excusable. If not, it really irks me that they would ask a chef to give up his best shot at a lot of money, fame and name recognition. This could be his best chance at a successful career in the industry. The idea that he can fall back on LCK is ridiculous. In that scenario he goes into a whole other game and has to fight his way back, one loss and he’s done. This way he could still lose this week and conceivably win through LCK. He cooked the way he did with immunity, its unfair to ask him to resign based upon the result. He’d have surely cooked differently otherwise and it is his right to take more risks when he can’t foresee going home for failure. It isn’t like he tanked his team on purpose. Carrie made broccoli with immunity and no one asked her to go home. She didn’t even try for something adventurous and fail, she phoned it in and failed. They said “good thing…” He tries to accomplish what the guest suggested and failed, and they act like he should just quit as a result. I just can’t see it.
The judges can bend the rules to allow no one to go home and no one gets hurt. Instead they ask this guy to forego the already-accepted rules of the game and quit, in which case he is definitely hurt. It was unfair of them to change the rules and make him the bad guy. He should have told them that to their faces though, suggested that if they wanted to change something it should be their call to do so. Plus, why not squeeze an extra episode out, it would only heighten interest at this point to do so.
Nicholas has been a bit of a tool about the feud with Carlos, though I think that Carlos smelled blood and knows he can get in Nic’s head. Either way, he seems to be a better chef than Stephanie. Stephanie was funny, but I never saw her making the finals.
Best episode of Top Chef in years.
Pepin made the suggestion - as he isn’t on there regularly, I’m confident he made the suggestion not appreciating the full point of the immunity challenge. Tom said what most people watching were thinking.
But a great episode, as it would have been nice for Nicholas to have done that, but why should he? If he felt bad enough for screwing his team he could have. If Stepanie didn’t want to be eliminated she should’ve won the Quickfire!
Given how much the producers have been making Carlos appear to be the villain, it was good to see them stick it to Nicholas. This shit is better than pro wrestling! Can’t keep the heels straight from the babyfaces.
Once again, it is like the contestants haven’t watched the show. In team challenges never let the chef with immunity make the decisions for the team.