Bravo's Top Chef Season 2

[brooklyncook]

-Begin Rant-

Dear TopChef,

Here are some suggestions to facilitate the removal of your show from the crapper.

1.  Get it over with and cut everyone but Cliff, Sam, and Illan.

2.  Have some reasonable challenges involving cooking actual food in creative manner and that don't involve product placement, "suprises", teams, stupid restrictions, or lack of equipment.

3.  Allow us more than .00057 seconds per dish to see and hear about what was created in both the elimination and quickfire challenges.

4.  More Anthony Bourdain, Ted Allen, etc, far less Gail Simmons and Tom Coliccio.

5.  More Padma in revealing clothing.

For God Sakes, be all you can be.

Your friend (tentatively),

-Swicks

-End Rant-

Also, cry me a freakin' River Mia.

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Actually, I'd like them to go the opposite direction and have a completely fucked-up challenge.

Padma: "For this next challenge, you're going to create a seven-course meal...influenced by Dante's Inferno. Which you must now skim. You have 20 minutes."

[tammylc]

So there's a great extra video on the Top Chef website that just has to be watched.

In it, Elia meets up with Stephen (yes, that Stephen; they're friends and I believe he recommended her for the show) after the cooking for the party is done.

So, in typical Stephen fashion he rips on everyone, calling them "hacks" etc etc.  I was so pleased.  Then, to top it all off, he rips on Marcel ("the guy who worked at Robuchon with you") and says his food pretty much sucked.  Elia was aprehensive to agree, probably because she didn't want to seem like a pretentious bitch (in addition to a tool and a douchebag) on camera, but you could tell she was kind of agreeing with Stephen.

I wish I was friends with them so I could get these little nuggets of Stephen-wisdom.

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Bryan - I'm looking for it and can't find it. Where's it at?

[BryanZ]

Under the videos. It's called "Elia meets a friend" or something like that.

[kiliki]

I cannot believe Mikey squeaked by again. Every episode I think, this HAS to be the one where he goes. But no.

[eje]

The contest was to create an original cocktail using Baileys and match an "amuse" to it.

awful.

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Wow, I can't believe that a) Betty, who claimed to enjoy mixed drinks in the pre-challenge blurbs, didn't know that Bailey's plus lime equals instant cheese. b) that she would serve a glass of coagulated Bailey's to anyone, let alone a judge. Bleah!

I dunno, from the way the show was edited, it kind of seemed like they were leaning toward sending Mikey home before Mia decided to "throw herself under the bus".

[MsRamsey]

I dunno, from the way the show was edited, it kind of seemed like they were leaning toward sending Mikey home before Mia decided to "throw herself under the bus".

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From Tom's blog:

"We were ready to send Elia packing, when a funny thing happened: In one of the first acts of genuine selflessness I’ve witnessed on the show to date, Mia asked to go home instead of Elia."

Edited December 15, 2006 by MsRamsey (log)

[eje]

From Tom's blog:

"We were ready to send Elia packing, when a funny thing happened: In one of the first acts of genuine selflessness I’ve witnessed on the show to date, Mia asked to go home instead of Elia."

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Interesting. I was just going from the guest judge's comment to the effect that, "Mikey is not Top Chef material."

[kiliki]

I think that's been obvious from day one, but someone he never is the worst when it comes time to judge (except in the quickfire challenges, but they don't eliminate based on that).

[racheld]

Just one question out to the wide world of cocktail parties: Re: The thirteen items vs. the four:

The winning team had a lot of items, a ton of food, and a constantly-replenished table, ready and bountiful whenever the next guests walked by. Those people were happily loading up their plates with all the goodies, with no delay and no stingy portions.

Losing group had wan, empty trays, and not many of them at that, sitting forlornly whilst people lined up, forks in hand and anticipatory smiles on faces, waiting for the next tray to come from the kitchen truck. I had heard Elia mutter to herself that she wanted to just stay in the kitchen and stay on top of things, cooking slowly and doing it just right.

I distinctly heard her say, "Two hundred. Two hours. Eight hundred canapes. It's perfect."

I have had a lifetime of catering parties, weddings, showers, cocktails, and every kind of party you can imagine, and I would have just DIED had a table of mine fallen into such an unwelcoming shambles. Please tell me she didn't mean ONE bite per person PER half hour.

No matter WHAT they were serving---ortolan stuffed with foie gras, each piece perched in a Faberge egg---NOTHING is good enough to excuse such a skimpy, stingy table.

My cocktail party experience has been mostly small-town, and perhaps the red-carpet crowd is different from most folks, but I would NEVER have gotten over making that terrible an impression on guests. No matter WHAT they were waiting FOR, they had to wait, over and over, and that's what they will remember.

And whoever was responsible for the wait should be the one lugging the knifepack home.

Actually, I'm pretty sure he said he was "soignee."  In this case, refined and elegant.

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My gf thought this was hysterical, like Marcel was trying to be all high-end.

Personally, I've heard this term used many times over, especially related to cooking -- it almost seemed like more of an inside joke than Marcel trying to be highbrow.

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"Soignée" is a little more intensive than refined/elegant. A better translation (IMPO) is "impeccable, verging on perfection".

Still, It is chuckle ammunition!

~C

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And you just KNOW he writes it SWANN-YAY everytime he mentions it in his diary.

And chews the syllables delicately as he drifts off to sleep.

Edited December 16, 2006 by racheld (log)

[kathryn sossen]

i actually thought this was a good challenge- do not know what elia was thinking about- only four canapes for over 200- Don't know what to think about Mia- maybe she really was just ready to go home. I think Sam's going to be in the finals- but did anyone remember his comment a few challenges ago about being voted one of the 10 sexiest chefs in NYC? Do I smell a bid for Foodnetwork TV show here? Ted allen seemed very bored- had a prissy expression on his face for most of the judging- Even with that, I'd love to see him, Bourdain or Ruhlman replace Gail Simmons- she adds nothing in my book. Enough of my rant- I'm off to the Bravo website to look for the elia/Stephen video.

[MsRamsey]

I love when someone is denounced as not being "Top Chef" material. It's not as if "Top Chef" has some long and esteemed history.

[Zeemanb]

I'm probably jumping the gun on this, I have no idea what the gods of Hollywood casting will actually have in mind when the time comes...but I really do hope that when they chronicle Top Chef Season 2 in film that some clear thinking individuals are able to talk Paul Giamatti into playing Michael. It would be a stretch for him when you consider his body of work, but if they sell it hard enough on the basis of "the hair" I think we may see this in theatres in late 2007 or early 2008. Anyone who saw Michael sweating it out during the Vietnam/Korea challenge will hear what I'm saying.

[Blanche Davidian]

I have to disagree with the previous posters re: Mia's flameout. It had to be so frustrating to be steamrolled Cliff and Elia, especially in her area of expertise (catering) and ESPECIALLY since Cliff had nothing to lose by taking their unconventional approach. If it were me, I would have "pissed and moaned" as well.

I actually high-fived my husband when she screamed at Cliff to "Put your dick away!" I don't see how, in any version of the universe, the failure of their plan could be pinned on Mia, and to call her out for failing to get with the program was stupid. I only wish Mia would have let Elia share the blame with Cliff--Elia totally deserved to go home because she was a bad leader with a bad plan. She ignored Mia just as much as Cliff, but she's sweet and pretty and young and talented and she didn't offer Mia up as a scapegoat when her plan went sideways.

And the judges' "too much too late" comment was repulsive. What was Mia supposed to do, argue everybody down until there was no time left to work? Gripe at all the party guests about how she wasn't allowed to contribute? She cooperated with a grimace for the sake of getting the job done, and I don't blame her for flying off the handle when Cliff put her name forward as a contributing factor to their colossal failure. She should have let Elia go home, even if Elia IS more talented than Mia.

[Toasted]

Mia seemed and looked very tired. I think she just gave up. It's too bad because I liked her a lot. I don't think she would have won but she could have stayed in there longer. Oh, and can they give it a break with the "throw me under the bus" thing? Getting old. Old I say.

[caroled]

Mia seemed and looked very tired.  I think she just gave up.  It's too bad because I liked her a lot.  I don't think she would have won but she could have stayed in there longer.  Oh, and can they give it a break with the "throw me under the bus" thing?  Getting old.  Old I say.

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It is what it is.

[orangeman747]

overall I thought it was an OK episode... the quickfire produced some fairly interesting dishes. The elimination challenge wasn't that inventive I didn't think, and they could've focused on the food a lot more.

I wouldn't have liked to see elia or mia go, but overall mia was the one who shouldve gone between the two (but mikey NEEDS TO LEAVE!). HOWEVER, on top collichio's blog on topchef's website, he implies that elia would have been the one to go....!

Edited December 19, 2006 by orangeman747 (log)

[eje]

I love when someone is denounced as not being "Top Chef" material.  It's not as if "Top Chef" has some long and esteemed history.

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A fine, fine point, MsRamsey!

[turkeybone]

Did anyone else notice the side comments and later camera views have been skewed towards the people that get kicked off lately? I kinda noticed it with franks depature.. that they gave him a lot of air time since it was his swan song.. and then I DEFINITELY noticed it with this episode... though I thought I was going to be wrong, but then Mia jumped in and took herself out.

Is it just me, or did anyone else seem to notice this too.

[Holly Moore]

Just a reminder for those, like me who need to get a life, final three tonight.

[Toasted]

Just a reminder for those, like me who need to get a life, final three tonight.

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Isn't tonight a rerun? I think the next one airs on Jan. 3.

[Holly Moore]

According to TiVo, "The final three contestants are judged." Then again, TiVo also says that Top Chef is "Reality-based." So who knows if TiVo is correct about tonight's episode.

[dockhl]

Don't we still have too many left?

Elia

Cliff

Michael

Sam

Betty

Marcel

I think maybe they are showing last season?

[caroled]

Bravo is showing an eleven episode marathon of season one today. the "final3" episode is the one featuring Harold. Tiffany, and Dave. I'm one of those "lifeless"people and look forward to a new and hopefully interesting challenge.Heres hoping.

[Holly Moore]

Aha, it is last season. Damn you, TiVo!

[Eden]

According to TiVo, "The final three contestants are judged."  Then again, TiVo also says that Top Chef is "Reality-based."  So who knows if TiVo is correct about tonight's episode.

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I think they're re-running Season One all afternoon, so that's probably what it's talking about...