67 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

A celebration of returning soldiers.

[Lamb18]

I liked the challenge but I didn't like it being the one to determine the final 3. I knew there would be the conflict between cooking what the military family wanted and what the judges expected, and that someone would go home for cooking exactly what the guest wanted as opposed to cooking to her strengths. They could have done this one when there were 8 contestants and have 2 service people from the four branches of the military. I liked Naomi and am sorry to see her go. I like the other three, too. I thought Tracy was the one who'd be leaving.

[hunterhunted]

I thought Tracy was the one who'd be leaving.

I think everyone watching probably thought that too. Her food for the challenge seemed to be tasty, but completely unispired. Ironic considering that Floyd was criticized for just such a failing. It's a shame that Naomi is gone because she was a rock star during the competition. Her elimination underscores how dumb most of the challenges have been this season. Also, blog girl gets to decide who will be in the final three??? Really?!?

[redvelvet]

So aggravating--those people who only like steak, nothing spicy, meatloaf, etc.

[jes004]

While Traci is my favorite, I really didn't want any of them to leave. I really like them all. Weird that Jay was the only one who thought the meatloaf was salty. I really wanted to have a bite of Traci's potatoes. They had to be better than the ones I had tonight.

[basiltherat]

I was really scared that all the Talking Floyd we got meant that he was gone. He was having such a great time that I thought for sure that they would knife him in the back. Of course Mary Sue was Mary Sue-d (no surprise there), but I too was shocked that Naomi was chopped. The show seemed to love her more than Traci. Traci's meatloaf and mashed were crying out for gravy.

Well, I wish them all luck, especially Floyd. I see by the previews that Gael show up (yeay), Tom (boo) and Susur (hooray).

[Marlena]

. They could have done this one when there were 8 contestants and have 2 service people from the four branches of the military.

There are five branches in the military, thus the five sides to the Pentagon. The Coast Guard is the forgotten branch of the US Military.

I'll miss Naomi, but better her than Floyd who I want for the win.

[ironwolf]

The Coast Guard's role has always been kind of...confusing. I mean right now it's Dept. of Homeland Security, not DoD anymore. And back before the...1960s I want to say? It was part of the Dept of Transportation which it still kind of was for some things.

I was a little surprised they actually had Marines there, though from what this event was I think everyone was there of their own volition not as part of a service event. The Marines (and to a lesser extent the Navy) are pretty hesitant to do the big events thing which is why if you watch TV and they're doing some "we're throwing a bbq party at this base" or whatever kind of event 8 times out of 10 it's going to be the Army and most of the remaining 2 times will be Air Force.

I was in the Marines myself so I'm not just talking out of my ass here.

Edited by ironwolf, Jun 8, 2011 @ 10:51 PM.

[Stamelo]

Of course they make it appear as if the "bottom 3" all had fairly terrible dishes, especially in their last scene. Are we supposed to believe that three of the four final contestants all had bad dishes? Can't they judge who should be eliminated while not making the judging complete contrived to make it appear as though 75% of the chefs remaining failed?

[biakbiak]

I thought it was clear that Naomi was going home. Two of the judges found her shrimp undercooked, Danielle said it was undercooked while eating the dinner but it was Ruth who said hers were undercooked to Naomi despite what she said when going back to the stew room. I actually had to go back and rewind when Naomi said it was Danielle who stated it. Whereas, James was the only person who thought Traci's meatloaf was salty and all three's dishes were fairly "uninspired" and having had the pleasure of eating mashed potatoes at Jardiniere, it wouldn't surprise me if that was why Traci was in the final three.

Of course they make it appear as if the "bottom 3" all had fairly terrible dishes

But that is the thing, when they came to Judge's table James said "we are splitting hairs at this point" so no they weren't terrible dishes, they were clear that they were nitpicking but because it's TV their criticisms were heightened over what they would be if they had those dishes normally.

Edited by biakbiak, Jun 8, 2011 @ 11:02 PM.

[kiki1234]

I really liked tonight's episode. Naomi's dad should have whooped her butt for acting like such a bitch. I'd be embarrassed if she was my kid.

I know it's a balancing act between the client's wishes and pleasing the judges but a master chef should be able to do it. I don't remember who said it but they thought it was good that Traci wanted to please the client but she needed to elevate the dish a little.

Floyd and his sister's dishes looked horrible when they were fixing them. But then when they were showing the dish with the caption underneath it looked really good. Weird.

[greyhorse]

I didn't understand why the chefs couldn't hear their partners during the Quickfire. I get that there was some kind of screen with probably sound muffling material. But why couldn't they turn to the side and shout around the screen. Or shout forward where there was glass? It seems like the chefs should have been able to hear better.

So freaking Danielle tells Floyd that "you should cook for Eric" instead of cooking for the judges and the audience. Yet that didn't seem to win him any points at the end.

I thought Traci should have gone. Her dish was so basic that I could make that at home. Meatloaf? Mashed potatoes? A slice of Romaine and some cheese? And peach cobbler?

[MsLark]

I knew Naomi was going home for undercooked shrimp. I like Floyd as a person, but I'll be surprised if he wins. I think it's really between Mary Sue and Traci. While I don't care which one wins, I think I skew more toward Traci.

Also, blog girl gets to decide who will be in the final three??? Really?!?

Yeah, that ticked me off no end. Much as pissy James annoys me, at least he has cred.

[Carpedi7]

After seeing that they were at the LA American Legion all I could think was "I've been there, I've been there" that I missed a lot of the people's comments about the food. I can't say I was too sorry to see Naomi go home though, she has only slightly bugged me all season but the yelling tonight at her father when she just thought it was some random person really bugged.

I think that the barriers had to be somewhat soundproofed to keep them from totally recognizing their loved ones voice right off the bat and ruining the surprise.

[lillybee]

I am going to be happy whoever wins. I love the three who are left. The chefs were dealt a no win situation. Who do the cook for the service people or the judges?

[lizg]

The chefs were dealt a no win situation. Who do the cook for the service people or the judges?

I was hoping it would turn into a non-elimination for this very reason.

I was also hoping that the family members would be the Master's sous chefs for this challenge. There just seemed to be no point to them being there for the QF and it would have been a nice twist to have families cooking for families.

[GoMocs]

Hey Judges if you read this, this episode and others was about the people they were honoring, NOT YOU! I applaud cooking what the military people wanted. They got after Floyd for not spicing up his food, he had to tell them the honoree did NOT want it that way. Again, Judges, when you have an episode like this, it is NOT about you.

[thistle5]

First show that I've enjoyed watching in a LONG time-I had almost given up on this show, it's just been so off, for some reason...Now I want to see some real 'Top Chef Master' quality challenges & cooking on the last episodes.

[rasalas]

It was weird that there were no comments at all -- from the guests or the judges -- about Floyd's clam "chowder." It looked like a watery mess -- broth- instead of cream-based -- and definitely didn't fit in with a beef dinner.

Edited by TWoP Nikita, Jun 9, 2011 @ 7:52 PM.
off-topic

[curlyblackeggs]

So freaking Danielle tells Floyd that "you should cook for Eric" instead of cooking for the judges and the audience. Yet that didn't seem to win him any points at the end.

She just sounded like a total bitch. Especially since she then attempted to call Floyd out, with a, "Oh, so you chose to cook to the client's taste? Why not cook to win?" kind of question. He said he was torn, she made a point of reiterating that the challenge is to cook for the client, and then acted like he shouldn't have done it.

[Rammchick]

This show has gotten to the point that I don't care who wins. It's not that I don't like the final 3, I just like them all about equally. But after all these ridiculous challenges, I don't feel like I've seen any of them cook anything that blew me away, that I could point to throughout the season and remember and think, "Yes, I would've loved to've eaten that." It's almost as though this crop of chefs just wasn't as respected as the two previous classes, and I think that's sad. They were obviously very talented. The format of the show let them all down. I have a hard time imagining The Elves doing any of this stuff to Hubert Keller or Rick Bayless.

The gag of having the remaining four shout through a barrier to train a non-chef how to cook the same dish was ridiculous. And I think Naomi was quite upset by it after the reveal showed it was her father (did you notice the milk stain on her shirt?). Considering how much we keep hearing Floyd say he hasn't won much money throughout the competition, I have a sneaking suspicion this is a clue to who won. I guess we'll find out next week.

Is there any way to petition TPTB not to use sniffy James Oseland on this show anymore?

Edited by TWoP Nikita, Jun 9, 2011 @ 7:52 PM.
off-topic

[Northwester]

knew there would be the conflict between cooking what the military family wanted and what the judges expected, and that someone would go home for cooking exactly what the guest wanted as opposed to cooking to her strengths

It's been going on all season. The chefs are told to prepare food for a specific clientele, they quite reasonably try to meet the stated terms of the challenge, and then the judges rip them for "cooking down" or not being creative or daring enough.

This episode was even worse than the one with the engagement couple, because of the huge build-up about the homecoming. They almost made it seem like it was the chefs' patriotic duty to cook something that would please the military families. As Tracy said, left to her own devices it's hardly likely she would have made a meatloaf.

If you want them to produce Top Chef Master caliber dishes, stop having them cook for people with meat and potato tastes. Not to mention cooking in a mobile home, or a fast food joint, or with bunsen burners.

I don't buy the argument that the test of a Master is being able to succeed under the most adverse conditions. That's like saying because NBA players are the best basketball players in the world, let's tie weights to their ankles or make them wear an eye patch and see how they handle it.

The Elves have regular Top Chef, in which they can make the contestants jump through hoops. TC Masters should about great chefs making great food. It started out that way, but it's become another dumb reality challenge show with a food theme. If that's what the producers think people want then I believe they're underestimating the audience.

And after all the shenanigans this year, I think it will be really hard for them to enlist true top echelon chefs in the future. They may need to give away even more prize money to charity as an incentive.

Edited by Northwester, Jun 9, 2011 @ 10:48 AM.

[potatoradio]

I was just about to remark to Mr.Potato that, "hey, this episode at least has a decent EC," when friggin' blogger twit's hideous face appeared. Goddamn, she can sure ruin a show. She's not even fun to hate. She's a worthless brat who tries really hard to sound profound while sitting at the grownups table. I guess I should just be pleased that the other blogger twerp wasn't there and hope neither shows up at the finale.

I like all 3 finalists, though, and look forward to seeing SL and SF next week.

[my3guys]

I actually enjoyed this epi. although thinking about it, I think that making fun of restaurant girl with my hubby made it so much more enjoyable. She really was a jerk.

[GoMocs]

Has Curtis Stone become a naturelized US citizen? If not, why did he keep refering to soldier protecting "our country". If he hasn't, that was wrong for him to continuously say that.

[BuddhaBelly]

Has Curtis Stone become a naturelized US citizen? If not, why did he keep refering to soldier protecting "our country". If he hasn't, that was wrong for him to continuously say that

As much as I'm growing to dislike him, if he's not a naturalized citizen I'll give him a pass. Australia contributed soldiers to the war in a show of solidarity when it first started, so maybe he's connecting that way.

[ObstinantGirl]

Curtis Stone is welcome to refer to himself however he wishes, IMHO. Does he want to claim the US as his homeland? Awesome! Sigh...

It's almost as though this crop of chefs just wasn't as respected as the two previous classes, and I think that's sad. They were obviously very talented. The format of the show let them all down.

Y'know...that's a great point. Including the nonsensical "Cook to please and honor person X" followed quickly by "WHY did you cook that, and why did you cook it THAT way?" Ridiculous.

Is there any way to petition TPTB not to use sniffy James Oseland on this show anymore?

SERIOUSLY. What a stuffy little nerdy foodie loser he is.

[lizg]

Has Curtis Stone become a naturelized US citizen? If not, why did he keep refering to soldier protecting "our country". If he hasn't, that was wrong for him to continuously say that.

I don't know what his citizenship is but googling him makes me believe his passport, and citizenship, is (still) Australian. Though not an American, at this point I'm just happy when any foreigner respects our troops. IMO we're often called to act but we're also often criticized for acting.

Overall, I think all of the chefs did a fantastic job in this challenge. I do think one extra pair of hands (the family member in the QF) should have been available to help. I would have been very happy if this episode ended with a winner announced and no losers.

[animalDr]

I would love to try to recreate the Halibut with Asparagus in Brown Butter Balsamic Vinaigrette from the Quickfire Challenge. Anyone know where I can find the recipe?

I was touched by how Floyd was so emotional after receiving the coin. It was cool for the soldier to give it to him. I can imagine the other participating soldiers were kicking themselves for not thinking of it first. Although i agree the extra air time had me worried that he was going home.

It was nice to see Naomi put on a chef coat out of respect for the military. Too bad it was the challenge that got her eliminated. She will now think it's bad luck to wear one.