Top Chef: Masters

[paulraphael]

My son and I were watching this episode.  When the camera focused in on the "GE Monogram" logo just before John put his eggs in, we turned to each other and said "Uh oh, Besh is in trouble"...

←

That was my favorite bit of product placement in all of top chef. completely botched and completely honest.

[oakapple]

Woody Allen once said that 80 percent of success is just showing up. Rick Moonen ought to have remembered that. He lost last night by a mere 2½ stars, but that included a zero on the quickfire. Had he managed to serve just about anything in the quickfire, he likely would have received the 3 stars he needed to win.

[Reignking]

Glad that Chiarello won, though.

Those were good challenges last night -- they weren't obscure or wacky, and just let the guys cook.

[cathrynapple]

This episode reminded me of how much I dislike John Besh. He's always strangely arrogant and thinks everything's a joke. He was my absolute least favorite competitor on The Next Iron Chef thing.

Chef Lo is a badass, though!

[rickster]

I thought it was the most entertaining episode so far, mostly because of the variety of dishes they cooked and lack of constraints. I think Moonen would have won even if he sent out an underdone QF dish.

Edited July 16, 2009 by rickster (log)

[Holly Moore]

It seems almost guaranteed that one chef and only one chef will screw up the Quick Fire competition.

[Kim Shook]

We watched two in a row, because we missed last week. In the first show, we were rooting for Besh. Always loved him and admired his cooking, attitude and his work in NOLA after Katrina. Plus he's a MARINE (daughter and I love uniforms)!! He screwed up the eggs, but I don't honestly think he'd have won even if they had worked - Lo's eggs were just MUCH more interesting.

I'm glad that Michael Chiarello won last night, but I just loved Moonen! His food looked fantastic and his spirit was wonderful. I agree that if he'd just thrown those delicious sounding shrimp corndogs on some plates (they looked done in the fry basket), he would have won. Jeez, folks, GET IT ON THE PLATE! Let the judges bitch and moan all they want about missing sides, messy edges, but let them taste your food. I have to admit that I always found Chiarello a little smarmy on his FoodTV show, but last night I thought he was genuine and charming.

I am still loving the camaraderie of this show as compared to Top Chef. Just so much more professional.

[GwennP]

We watched two in a row, because we missed last week.  In the first show, we were rooting for Besh.  Always loved him and admired his cooking, attitude and his work in NOLA after Katrina.  Plus he's a MARINE (daughter and I love uniforms)!!  He screwed up the eggs, but I don't honestly think he'd have won even if they had worked - Lo's eggs were just MUCH more interesting.

I'm glad that Michael Chiarello won last night, but I just loved Moonen!  His food looked fantastic and his spirit was wonderful.  I agree that if he'd just thrown those delicious sounding shrimp corndogs on some plates (they looked done in the fry basket), he would have won.  Jeez, folks, GET IT ON THE PLATE!  Let the judges bitch and moan all they want about missing sides, messy edges, but let them taste your food.  I have to admit that I always found Chiarello a little smarmy on his FoodTV show, but last night I thought he was genuine and charming. 

I am still loving the camaraderie of this show as compared to Top Chef.  Just so much more professional.

←

I am really glad Michael won. He is the only one so far that is hungry for it, feeling he needs to prove himself since he's was away from the restaurant for a while. Rick's food looked good, and maybe he would have won, but he didn't get it on the plate - Michael did. I really like him!

[Tri2Cook]

Woody Allen once said that 80 percent of success is just showing up. Rick Moonen ought to have remembered that. He lost last night by a mere 2½ stars, but that included a zero on the quickfire. Had he managed to serve just about anything in the quickfire, he likely would have received the 3 stars he needed to win.

←

Yep... and that slip cost me yet another week 'cause he was my pick. I'm not doing well at all, I have a bad feeling I'm going to be buying dinner for 6. Maybe I can talk them into letting me cook dinner for 6 instead.

[tmriga]

And now that we're waxing on the finale, who's your pick to win this gig?

Theresa

[GwennP]

And now that we're waxing on the finale, who's your pick to win this gig?

Theresa

←

I think Hubert Keller can take it, but I'd love Michael to.

[Tri2Cook]

I'm not even sure of the layout for this series. Do they get the last preliminary out of the way next week then do a final episode with all 6 or will there be more narrowing of the field first? Seems like there should be at least one or two more elimination rounds before the end.

We're doing our little competition on a points system. You pick one person each week. If that person finishes first, you get 4 pts. Second, 3 pts. Third, 2 pts. Fourth, 1 pt.

[jayrayner]

I'm not even sure of the layout for this series. Do they get the last preliminary out of the way next week then do a final episode with all 6 or will there be more narrowing of the field first? Seems like there should be at least one or two more elimination rounds before the end.

We're doing our little competition on a points system. You pick one person each week. If that person finishes first, you get 4 pts. Second, 3 pts. Third, 2 pts. Fourth, 1 pt.

←

Last round of four next week. Then in the following four weeks those six heat winners get winnowed down to three for the finale from which emerges the winner.

[Tri2Cook]

Thanks! Maybe I still have a chance at a comeback.

[Bella S.F.]

I have not read all of the entries on this topic, so perhaps this has been touched upon already. I do not think that chefs should be penalized when the equipment that they are using is not "up to snuff". Especially when some of the appliances are made by the companies sponsering the show. If this was a reality situation, where we are watching a chef who has to prepare a meal and make due with what he or she is thrown, it would be one thing. Actually, that could be really interestiing. Here however, there should be a common playing field. If you know that you have certain appliances at your disposal, and create a meal accordingly, one person should not be penalized because what he or she needs to use doesn't work.

[tan319]

Wasn't the last show bordering on a "charm" situation?

Admittedly I was rooting for Moonen, he's a great chef ( not that the other's weren't) and I feel too if he just had put something up in the first comp., he would have won last week.

The whole thing started to get a bit "hey lady's" and honestly, Oseland and Greene started giving me the creeps.

Is there anyone else who feels that the TV factor in Bayless and Chiarello's case is a bit conflicted?

The first two episodes winners felt very satisfying to me, I felt a bit ashamed that I hadn't really heard of Suzanne Tracht, she just put it away so easily ( I was rooting for GEB)

Keller was great and Lo also.

Just a thought...

[Tri2Cook]

I don't know. Charm may have helped with the diner score but it wouldn't have helped in the quickfire and I very seriously doubt it would have helped with the judges if the food didn't back it up. There wasn't enough spread in the diner points to have made a difference in the outcome so I don't think it was a major factor.

[tan319]

I don't know. Charm may have helped with the diner score but it wouldn't have helped in the quickfire and I very seriously doubt it would have helped with the judges if the food didn't back it up. There wasn't enough spread in the diner points to have made a difference in the outcome so I don't think it was a major factor.

←

Maybe it was the edit?

[gfweb]

.

Is there anyone else who feels  that the TV factor in Bayless and Chiarello's case is a bit conflicted?

←

Not to me. In fact I sort of see their wins as vindication for their being selected originally as chefs for other TV shows.

[CKatCook]

I agree that if the appliances on the show don't work it's not fair that the chefs are penalized.

I love that Micheal won, I liked his show when it was on. I am at a loss as to who will win in the end, though. Judging how all the winners have done so far it is going to be close.

[Claudia Greco]

I'm glad Michael won, too - just because he hasn't been cooking on a line in a while doesn't mean he can't cook, and cook to deadline, despite what some of his fellow competitors were suggesting.

I'm placing an early bet on Keller to win, but if Lo did, too, I'd be equally pleased.

[samgiovese]

just because he hasn't been cooking on a line in a while doesn't mean he can't cook,

Michael spent the first 4 months after opening Bottega in December cooking on the line every night! I was there and saw him several evenings thru March.

[Claudia Greco]

I didn't say he hadn't been cooking on a line for a while - I said HIS COMPETITORS were analyzing his chances (against them), and saying, "Well, Michael hasn't cooked on a line in a while . . ." They were obviously wrong on two levels about their challenge-winning handicapping. Michael HAS been cooking on a line in recent times, and even if he hadn't, that in no way was a disadvantage, since he quite obviously trounced the other three guys in both challenges. Way to go, Michael!

[docsconz]

I didn't say he hadn't been cooking on a line for a while - I said HIS COMPETITORS were analyzing his chances (against them), and saying, "Well, Michael hasn't cooked on a line in a while . . ."  They were obviously wrong on two levels about their challenge-winning handicapping.  Michael HAS been cooking on a line in recent times, and even if he hadn't, that in no way was a disadvantage, since he quite obviously trounced the other three guys in both challenges.  Way to go, Michael!

←

He actually didn't trounce Moonen in anything but the first challenge, in which Moonen failed to plate a dish and scored no stars. But for that, Moonen would have been the victor.

[Claudia Greco]

Yep, if Rick had presented, I think he defintely would've won. But c'est la vie. As with Besh, I was really sad to see him tank so badly in the QF.