Top Chef 12/17 12 Days of Christmas

[MikeMar]

Saw no one going home a mile away

and on another note, and not sure if it's been said before but

Carla
http://i42.tinypic.com/2mg8851.jpg and

Red Fraggle
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/thumb/5/5a/Red.jpg/300px-Red.jpg

[anom]

In a week where someone makes deviled eggs for an upscale, high price charity event and isn't even in the bottom three, what's the point in sending anyone home?

[NatasNJ]

I hate when this show becomes Top Catering. Stick to the food itself and not large quantities. Which looks like what happens next week.

[gossamer88]

Seems like half of the challenges are for a large group. Fabio, who was a favorite of mine, is really going down-hill.

[TAsunder]

I hate when this show becomes Top Catering. Stick to the food itself and not large quantities. Which looks like what happens next week.

This sums up my feelings about this season perfectly. It seems like there is WAYYY too much catering.

MikeMar, I think you finally figured out why she is so disturbingly familiar to me. Thanks so much... I can sleep easy tonight for the first time in weeks.

[tem]

I love how they have the pretense of a "Christmas" event when it was filmed in freaking July. The whole thing w/ the choir was ridonkulous.

This season has mostly been teh suck.

[Seattle]

It was nice to see that the two chefs that had trouble with their proteins were in the top four.

[SoldOnTiVo]

I hate when this show becomes Top Catering. Stick to the food itself and not large quantities. Which looks like what happens next week.

Agreed. Enough catering already. The quickfires have given me more an idea of who's the better chef than those freaking catering gigs have.

4 hours to cook for 300 people and you expect "high class"? 'gimme a break.

[pmyers]

At least the chick who did the eggs was actually trying to stick to the "theme" of the challange. I agree that the eggs were nothing to write home about, but they really aren't that bad an idea for hordourves for 300 people and they fit the "theme" perfectly.

[NinerK]

This season has mostly been teh suck.

Agreed. They need to take a hint from TAR (which has not realized the hint). Once per 12 months is good television. Twice or more per year is overkill.

[betts4]

The deviled eggs had some variety. I would never have thought to put other things in them. But she did have immunity so she was safe.

I was disapointed in the episode and have been in the season. I hope as it gets to be a smaller group the food gets better.

[sushikitten]

So I take it this season has not been the same caliber of previous seasons? Because I have not been impressed (this is the first season we have watched).

I agree that I hate to see the judges whine about how awful the food was when the contestants have to fit their dish into some small impossible theme (The 12 Days of Christmas? GAK!) with no time to think about it (okay, so I am sure they get more than the five minutes we see), no time to plan, and limited time to cook. :rolleyes:

I, too, loved the deviled eggs - it was just about the ONLY one that really fit the theme.

What was funny is as I was kvetching about LET THEM COOK THEIR OWN FOOD, they announced that next week they can cook their own food. :)

[anom]

At least the chick who did the eggs was actually trying to stick to the "theme" of the challange. I agree that the eggs were nothing to write home about, but they really aren't that bad an idea for hordourves for 300 people and they fit the "theme" perfectly.

Sure it fit the theme. But it was a tone deaf choice given who she was cooking for. It this was one of those challenges where they had to feed football fans or hungry kids it would have been a better call, but this was not a crowd that was going to be receptive to deviled eggs, period.

She didn't even do anything especially interesting (http://recipes.mt.bravotv.com/top_chef/season_5_1/episode_6_2/deviled_eggs_six_ways.php) with them.

[Aniketos]

So I take it this season has not been the same caliber of previous seasons? Because I have not been impressed (this is the first season we have watched).


No it hasn't. By this time last year you basically knew two of the top four chefs for the finale. Stephanie and Richard never fumbled. (Although a lot of people's complaints last year was that it was becoming top catering, you really couldn't fault the contestants at all.)

This year the good ones are all over the board. The three I thought would be in the top (Stefan, Jamie and Fabio) have been inconsistent.

Hosea, who I liked in the beginning but hadn't really thought too much about has jumped several ranks higher for me, I'd put him in the top four, probably top two.

Ariane despite being kinda high lately I still don't see her being Top Chef. I could be wrong, and shes made it leaps and bounds since the first episode, but I don't see her continuing much longer at the rate she's going. Her strength seems to be not under or overcooking protein. Even last week with her lamb, Radihka did the marinade for it, the only thing Ariane did was cook the stuff.

Jeff I'm still on the fence about. Good leadership, and seems to cook well when he doesn't take on a lot of food, but he over complicates things to try to impress. Its the opposite of Ariane.

Carla is sweet, but she's not going to make it much longer in my opinion.

Eugene took a huge hit a few weeks ago (I really liked him in the beginning) and it's just snowballing. Unless he gets his confidence back and pulls out of his slump he'll be gone soon.

Fabio, same boat as Eugene. He took a hit and now can't get out of the slump. I like him and I hope he pulls out of it soon. I hate when they do crab cakes on Top Chef. Be more creative.

Jamie, stop cooking soup and scallops for god's sake. I really like her but her attitude is becoming annoying.

Leah is skating through the middle. Not much more to say about her, I like her and she was doing really well in the beginning, but she seems to like to sit in the middle instead of really pushing herself.

Melissa....why is she still here?

Radhika doesn't want to be the Indian girl, but has cooked Indian and chutneys every episode.

Stefan seems to be the most consistent next to Hosea. But still had stumbles. I still see him in the finale.



What was funny is as I was kvetching about LET THEM COOK THEIR OWN FOOD, they announced that next week they can cook their own food. :)

That's not the point though. Richard last year put it best. Cook your own food within the confines of the challenge. Don't try to force yourself to cook something you're not good at just to fit the challenge. I admit though, if I was doing this challenge I'd be hard pressed to come up with a good idea for a lot of the 12 night themes.

I would have loved to have seen what Richard would have come up with for any of these themes. I think that's my biggest problem with this year, none of these chefs are creative, or if they are they're just cooking to stay in the middle and not trying to take chances. That makes for a bad Top Chef and for a boring show.

[murgatroyd]

At least the chick who did the eggs was actually trying to stick to the "theme" of the challange. I agree that the eggs were nothing to write home about, but they really aren't that bad an idea for hordourves for 300 people and they fit the "theme" perfectly.

How can you get 'geese-a-laying' and not take advantage of it to cook Christmas goose?

If they don't give you time to cook a bird that big, break it down and use a pressure cooker or something.

Jan

[anom]

How can you get 'geese-a-laying' and not take advantage of it to cook Christmas goose?

If they don't give you time to cook a bird that big, break it down and use a pressure cooker or something.



I thought about that, but didn't they have to shop at Whole Foods? I doubt you can buy a goose there.

[Aniketos]

I thought about that, but didn't they have to shop at Whole Foods? I doubt you can buy a goose there.

Especially in August when it was filmed.

[murgatroyd]

Especially in August when it was filmed.

Yeah, good point.

They definitely don't have the same kind of selection for food as the Project Runway designers do for fabric at Mood.

Jan

[JETarpon]

Saw no one going home a mile away

and on another note, and not sure if it's been said before but

Carla
http://i42.tinypic.com/2mg8851.jpg and

Red Fraggle
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/thumb/5/5a/Red.jpg/300px-Red.jpg

I was thinking:
http://pub.tv2.no/multimedia/na/archive/00186/Marty_Feldman_ameri_186080m.jpg

[pdhenry]

Especially in August when it was filmed.I wouldn't put it past the producers to "seed" the Whole Foods with seasonally appropriate groceries. Soft of like "Junkyard Wars."

[Craigbob]

Saw no one going home a mile away

and on another note, and not sure if it's been said before but

Carla
http://i42.tinypic.com/2mg8851.jpg and

Red Fraggle
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/thumb/5/5a/Red.jpg/300px-Red.jpg

Sorry I see her as:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080703/obit-harmon/images/21bbb7d5-e522-4256-8a6b-e83b630eb739.jpg

[mrpantstm]

It was nice to see that the two chefs that had trouble with their proteins were in the top four.

I thought this seemed too planned. Two people's proteins get ruined, everyone pitches in to help out, they find three or four huge slaps of pork loin in the kitchen, yeh it's a Top Chef Christmas miracle.

I mean don't get me wrong, that's probably how it happened. But with the Christmas theme it seemed forced to me.

I do like in this season that they showed the contestants helping out instead of cursing at each other. Like Stefan said, if he wins because someone else didn't get their food out, what has he won?

Stefan is my favorite.

[Craigbob]

Does anyone else think Jeff resembles Chase from House?

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/_images/bios/jeff.png

http://www.freewebs.com/houseandreligion/chase%20tile.jpg

[murgatroyd]

Does anyone else think Jeff resembles Chase from House?

And Peter Davison (more as he looked as Tristan on All Creatures Great and Small than he did as The Doctor).

Jan

[Aniketos]

I thought this seemed too planned. Two people's proteins get ruined, everyone pitches in to help out, they find three or four huge slaps of pork loin in the kitchen, yeh it's a Top Chef Christmas miracle.

I mean don't get me wrong, that's probably how it happened. But with the Christmas theme it seemed forced to me.

I do like in this season that they showed the contestants helping out instead of cursing at each other. Like Stefan said, if he wins because someone else didn't get their food out, what has he won?

Stefan is my favorite.

if you read the top chef blogs, lee Anne (the person in charge of the challenges) said that even though the chefs didn't know it, when the food was ruined they already knew the chefs couldn't be eliminated so all the chefs pitched in without knowledge of everyone being safe. They had also sent people out to buy more of the ruined proteins, so even if they hadn't found any they would have been replaced.

Also we've seen in this season and seasons past chefs helping each other as a team so no conspriracies needed :)

[betts4]

Does anyone else think Jeff resembles Chase from House?

Bingo! I knew it was someone but couldn't put my finger on it.
Fabio reminds me of someone too, but I can't figure it out.

[Jesda]

Ricky Schroeder.

[vickyadams]

Does anyone else think Jeff resembles Chase from House?

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/5/_images/bios/jeff.png

http://www.freewebs.com/houseandreligion/chase%20tile.jpg


Yeah you are so right. I though very hard to find out.

[ellinj]

So I take it this season has not been the same caliber of previous seasons? Because I have not been impressed (this is the first season we have watched).


Season 1 was the best. If you haven't seen it, try and pick that up on DVD.