TOP CHEF ALL STARS Spoilers

[filkertom]

I want Mike gone.

NOW.

His attitude is appalling. Yeah, you want to win, but there is no need to be a smug ass about it. And he stole one of Richard Blais's recipes to win the Quickfire challenge. and $5,000.

I also felt very bad for Antonia. Straight-up, she won... or she would have, if she'd remembered the rules and prepared two plates instead of one. This was acknowledged by judge Paula Deen, but that didn't make it hurt less.

The Elimination challenge was to cook for a charity dinner, hosted by Paula Deen and John Besh, to benefit the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Southern cooking, celebrating Gulf seafood 320 diners. Six chefs. Six proteins.

Brought in by six former TCAS contestants, who would be the sous chefs.

Mike, as the Quickfire winner, bypassed his buddy Angelo and went for Tiffani. So much for their dear friendship. On the other hand, he was going for strategy, and I can't fault him for that -- Tiffany blatantly said she was picking, not Marcel, but the white Gulf shrimp he was holding.

It became pretty obvious in the kitchen who was going to have trouble -- Tiffany and Marcel were barely speaking, except for Marcel telling her how she really really really had to use the shrimp heads for more flavor. Carla found out too late that Tre was a city kid, and had never eaten most Southern cooking. Antonia and Spike, on the other hand, got it together immediately. Blais seemed very comfortable with Fabio. Tiffani was her usual machine self, working for Mike.

The tension between Mike and Blais -- and between Mike and the other chefs -- ratcheted up.

The dinner was a madhouse -- lots of people online constantly. Most of the chefs had problems keeping up -- Dale (w/Angelo) so much so that his potatoes went out underdone.

Judges' Table: Antonia, Blais, Mike. To my surprise and delight, Richard actually won -- I really was expecting Antonia. I want them both in the finale so bad.

Bottom three: Tiffany, Carla, Dale. Tiffany's dish had a small litany of mistakes, mostly the fault of Marcel, but she didn't blame him -- she took responsibility for the dish. If not for the other two dishes, hers might've been enough to send her home. But both Carla and Dale basically buried their proteins' flavors beneath mustard, sausage, anything and everything. Carla was crying as she stood there, and I honestly thought she was going to go -- but Dale was cut instead, which I think is a damn shame, but I kind of expected him not to make the finale.

Five left, and it's getting intense. If either Richard or Antonia do not make the finale, I'll be amazed. I'm actually thinking that Tiffany, rather than Carla, should be the third there. She's got more of a handle on her own cooking -- Carla's falling into the trap of cooking for the challenge, rather than cooking her food for the challenge.

I want Mike gone.

Thoughts?

Comments

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

Dale's exit interview comments were both telling and true. He has grown tremendously since his season, to the point where I was rooting for him not to get cut this time around (I'd have preferred Tiffany, as one of the two least talented remaining chefs, along with Mike, to have gone). He was an arrogant asshole the first time around, and his cooking was at best uneven. Now, he's become an adult, and a far better chef. I'll gladly eat his food, and pay for it.

I get the impression that (given that all four of his opponents know what happened) Mike is getting zero, zip, zilch in the way of assistance or support from here on in. That's what he deserves, and I look forward to seeing it.

That was a serious collection of palates at the dinner, though; I spotted at least three Top Chef:Masters contestants, and I was looking away from the screen (creating maps for work) almost the entire ep. (Which reminds me: the weather should be warm enough to go eat outdoors at Barbuto soon. Zen roast chicken, nom nom :-)

Looks like next week, we're on the Staten Island Ferry, which has very little in the way of kitchen, and imposes a time limit by the trip time (approximately 30 minutes).

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Indeed, one of the coolest things about the show is to watch the people grow as people. It's why S3 was my favorite to date -- about a third of the way in, suddenly camaraderie between the chefs became just as important as, if not more important than, the competition itself. The man-crush I had on Howie and Joey, Dale Levitski, and CJ.... And I remember chefs like Hung, Stephanie, and both Dales getting better along the way, as chefs and people.

Mike... doesn't get it. Among the remaining chefs, he doesn't seem to have allies or friends. And, as you say, I look forward to it coming back to haunt him.

[elektra-h.livejournal.com]

I was going to comment, but, what you said. Exactly.

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

The comment I was going to make was just what you already said about Dale. So I'll just add my voice to the chorus :).

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

It's more than just not having allies or friends... he doesn't seem to have followers. I can see people rooting for Tiffany as the underdog. I can see people rooting for Antonia, because her personality is FINALLY coming through. I can see people rooting for Blais, because he seems like a nice guy...

What is accomplished in rooting for Mike I.? If he had any redeeming qualities, he's lost them. You don't steal another chef's ideas. You don't call things you don't like 'gay'. You don't act smug about winning while USING other people's ideas. Come on, this is Don't be a Dick 101 stuff.

Tiffany chose the white shrimp. *still giggling*

At this point, for the finale I want Carla, Blais, and Antonia. I wouldn't mind if any of those three won.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Marcel got a point for making fun of himself. One point.

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

I've never really minded Marcel. I really don't think he takes himself as seriously as it seems on the show. His social skills are just nonexistent. Which is a problem.

[elektra-h.livejournal.com]

Hey, he's got his own show coming on the SyFy (I still can't get used to that!) channel in March. Without the stress of the competition, he might be very interesting to watch.

[mimiheart.livejournal.com]

I pronounce it "Siffy" and then people ask me what I'm talking about. (Except for people who understand what I'm talking about.)

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

What? "The Adventures of Wolverine When He Was A Boy"?

[elektra-h.livejournal.com]

Marcel's Quantum Kitchen - I believe it's on Molecular Gastronomy . . . .

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Heh. As Tony Bourdain said on the TC blog:

Etch [Marcel's team's restaurant in Restaurant Wars] offered... a mushily textured monkfish from Marcel that suicidally included -- yet again- - FOAM (!!!) There was a somewhat salty and over-reduced oxtail ragout with excellent gnuddi from Antonia, and the death blow: the final insult, a "reverse "amuse" dessert from Marcel that (wait for it…) included, yes… more FOAM. Served on a ludicrous bed of smoking dry ice. A "duo of peaches" with coconut "powder" and foam... on dry ice. Has foam ever worked on Top Chef? More to the point, has it ever worked for Marcel? Did it, in any way, make anything better? Marcel seems incapable of asking himself these questions and rushed to the gallows, fiddling with the instrument of his execution to the detriment of service.

Dude's got skills, but I don't think he has the chops. If you know what I mean, and I think you do.

[redaxe.livejournal.com]

I'd much rather watch the Richard Blais show on the same subject that had a several-episode trial on The Science Channel. Of course, if he wins it all, he's likely to be too busy to do it.

[johno.livejournal.com]

Carly said it herself...

She put "her pride into the food" not her heart.

When she cooks from the heart, she is wonderful.
When she loses that focus, she does badly.

[klangley56.livejournal.com]

Add me to the "oust Mike" bandwagon.

Notice that one of the things they really liked about his dish for the elimination challenge was that it was coated in grits--and that was one of *Tiffani's* contributions to the dish.

Maybe they should change the rules so they can dump him and bring her back.