The next Next Iron Chef 2009

[ChefCrash]

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I too was dismayed by the lack of score card at the end. What's that about? What was the score, exactly, and why was it not revealed?

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Maybe the scores didn't come out the way the producers wanted?

[gfweb]

Perhaps, but to be fair throughout the series no scores were given when chefs were asked to go.

My reading of the score would be that all the ICs wanted Garces, and probably 2 of the judges. And Jeffery was probably just adding some drama before voting for Garces. He isn't stupid after all.

[et alors]

I'm not sure Mehta's grabbing all of an ingrediant was strategic, at the fish market he was also teased for having bought the entire market. I suspect the excess he shows in his cooking is present in his shopping. Perhaps the producers wouldn't want him for food cost reasons?

I'm a bit disappointed, and I wonder if the judges are just too homogeneous. I really like Garces, and I'd love to eat his food, but I'd rather watch Mehta battle week over week because I wouldn't know what to expect from him, just as Morimoto is such a nutcase I love watching him. Garces is just like watching Flay or Symon, great chefs but lacking magic. I find Morimoto and Batali way more fun to watch in action; Morimoto the mad genius and Batali the laughing elf in all-too human flesh, dancing through the kitchen stadium like Baryshnikov. Flay provides an earthy element, reproduced in both Symon and Garces, and Cat Cora was for the weaker chefs to take on (sorry). The biggest downside to this contest approach is that it doesn't create a well-rounded selection of representative chefs. I'd rather they had created slots: french, indian, latin, italian, american, and had competitions to fill that.

Admittedly I'm bummed over Freitag still, as it would be nice to have an female iron chef who really was an iron chef and not an iron PR machine.

Edited November 26, 2009 by et alors (log)

[Danika]

Admittedly a nail biting final! I had been rooting for Chef Mehta throughout the series and had screamed myself hoarse in his support at the cost of being called his PR agencyJ. Too bad that Chef Mehta lost but I was happy about the fact that the judges really appreciated his talents. I agreed with Judge Donatella when she pointed out that Chef Mehta and Chef Garces together made a complete Iron Chef combination. Chef Mehta is amazingly creative and has a knack to create innovative flavor combinations which Chef Garces lacks completely. Chef Mehta has the ability to hit these culinary highs which are unmatched which complements Chef Garces’ insipid yet consistent style. So what one lacks the other makes up for it. I guess it is a hint to Food Network to pair them to make an Iron Chef team!

[Jane Die]

The biggest downside to this contest approach is that it doesn't create a well-rounded selection of representative chefs. I'd rather they had created slots: french, indian, latin, italian, american, and had competitions to fill that.

That was my thinking exactly.

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I too was dismayed by the lack of score card at the end. What's that about? What was the score, exactly, and why was it not revealed?

...

Maybe the scores didn't come out the way the producers wanted?

Isn't showbiz grand?! Tempting as it is, I will refrain from advancing any of my grassy knoll theories.

[violetfox]

I thought Michael Symon's comments were thoughtful and accurate, a welcome relief from Steingarten's particularly bad temper.