107 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

In the Quickfire, the chefs make dumplings from all over the world; Tom and Emeril lead teams in a Thanksgiving battle for the Elimination Challenge.

This thread will open Thanksgiving Eve at 11:01pm EST.

[tvprime]

I'm not a chef but I've never undercooked a turkey. That was just shameful.

Too bad about Kuniko.

[bawarner]

Carla and that dick who wears his glasses have GOT to get off of my tv screen! NOW! Good Lord those two are unlikable in the extreme.

[SilentMinority]

So the one veteran returnee is the reason her team loses, but she has immunity so doesn't go home.

Another veteran chef has the most-criticized dish on his team (Stefan), but his team wins, so he doesn't go home.

This after the vets as a team were in the bottom last week but avoided the axe because of hockey puck fish, with Stefan appearing to have the worst dish on that team as well.

So one of my most hated chefs in all of TC history has had 2 narrow escapes in a row, and will now probably go all the way. This show drives me nuts.

And how do you make bland gumbo? Get a rope.

I did want to taste that soup, as long as I didn't have to get near Carla to grab a bowl.

I preferred Emeril's meal to Tom's as a concept, but only if it was executed properly.

[WickedTuna]

Damn Josie's immunity. I think she's the one who messed up her turkey during a holiday episode years back. I would have preferred Tyler go home over Kuniko.

WTH was up with Padma's hair? It was like spiky bed head on the right side.

Say what you will about Stefan but he is hilarious. Saying he was afraid of Carla because her ex is mobbed up was great.

The best line of the night though was Emeril's 'stuff that ass with alot of butter'.

I've never been a big fan of the Thanksgiving episodes. For me the food lacks creativity. I can see all that stuff at the table tomorrow. Well, not the raw turkey.

[NitroFishBlue]

I really found the entire episode very boring other than Carla and her endless mouth. Eyeglass John gets on my nerves.

[toolegittoquit]

So sad to see her go. Should have been Josie 100x over. I'm no chef and my poultry is always cooked properly. Gah.

[poochiewoochie]

It's funny that Josie decided she wanted to make the turkey because she had immunity. So sad that someone else on the team paid for her raw turkey.

Raw turkey-and she's supposed to be a chef? I'm not a chef but I've never had turkey turn out like that.

Carla has such a big mouth. Go away.
Stefan is bossy.

Edited by poochiewoochie, Nov 22, 2012 @ 12:16 AM.

[Dumbpants]

Jeesh, jabbing the birds a couple of times with a Thermapen would have taken two seconds and made all the difference in the world. That carrot soup looked freaking amazing, and I will be trying to find a recipe post haste. Ditto for the reference to Joel Robuchon potatoes. And I loved Kuniko's line the end about how only focusing on herself and not helping others would have been worse than losing. I wish she would have stuck around. :(

[LizDC]

Do chefs not use meat thermometers? That would have hopefully clued Josie in.

[poochiewoochie]

In this case they should have made an exception and sent the one with immunity home. She should have stepped up and said I volunteered to make the turkeys because I had immunity so I should go home based on that.

What a shame. And John with the glasses should shut the heck up.

Edited by poochiewoochie, Nov 22, 2012 @ 12:31 AM.

[Lopethina]

What's up with the stupid close-ups and whooshy noises as the camera pans to each chef on the chopping block now? I thought Top Chef was above that type of cheesiness.

I'm shocked and disappointed Kuniko was sent home. She was one of the few I found charming and interesting as a chef. I cared least about Tyler (right? See, I don't even know his name) and thought he was a goner since they told us his backstory.

[floretbroccoli]

I might have cheered Carla for complaining about Stefan's calling women 'honey' or 'baby.' If it weren't for her bragging about her ass last week, that is.

[Catronia]

What a shame -- Kuniko seemed like a very sweet person, and I was interested to see what kind of food she'd come up with. But raw unseasoned potatoes are not good, and pretty straightforward to get them right. I also don't get the failure to use a meat thermometer on the turkey. It's really the only reliable way to know if something as big as a turkey is done other than cutting into it which, of course, messes up the presentation among other things.

[smoky]

I'm sorry to see Kuniko go home but I got worried for her future last episode when her teammate pointed out the pan she left on the stove for so long. She seemed to completely forget about it. Sad to see her go, but Tom pointed out that they had 5 hours.

Edited by smoky, Nov 22, 2012 @ 1:51 AM.

[biakbiak]

Damn Josie's immunity. I think she's the one who messed up her turkey during a holiday episode years back

Josie was eliminated the episode before her season did Thanksgiving.

That being said those turkeys were all kinds of wrong. The are one or two shots early when they are getting burned that you can clearly see her with a meat theremoter in her hand, so that wasn't an issue. I think her issue was she prepped the turkeys the day before and then just started cooking them straight from the fridge. When it's cold the skin gets cooked faster and the insides can stay raw. Contrast Toms team who prepped the day of and also rinsed them, even rinsing with cool water that process is going to start taking them to the right temp and than the prep time will also warm them up.

Also, how did Carla's hand go from being wrapped like a mummy in the quickfire to one or two clear tiny bandaids at Judges Table?

Edited by biakbiak, Nov 22, 2012 @ 2:30 AM.

[austentatious]

What was that look CJ had on his face when Carla won? Or was it editing?
Sad about Kuniko leaving. She was very sweet in her final TH, though.
It's great that Tyler has been alcohol free for 7 months. I'm not sure anyone who works with recovering alcoholics would have suggested going on this show when he's so "new", since it is stressful and stress can lead to relapse.
Wasn't John Eyeglasses talking about having a drink last week? I thought he said he was recovering, too.

[biakbiak]

I forgot to add while John is obviously talented and might go far, the clips they showed with Kuniko doing a chunk of his prep and than him saying that she had five hours and the other chefs calling him on it makes me think he doesn't win.

Wasn't John Eyeglasses talking about having a drink last week? I thought he said he was recovering, too.

I think he is a total douche but not all recovery models opt for cutting out all substances. Tyler specifically mentioned alcohol, which what I remember from Tony Bourdain's book wasn't John's issue. I have seen both methods succeed and fail, so that is the one thing I won't critique him on.

Edited by biakbiak, Nov 22, 2012 @ 2:47 AM.

[Ginandtonic]

I'm sad to see Kuniko go, but whoever said that they had 5 hours to cook & with that much time she should have tasted her food was correct. In fact, how can any of these chefs send out food they haven't tasted? It makes no sense.

Making hot water in the microwave is as far as my culinary expertise goes, but don't you cover the turkey with foil for a while so it doesn't burn on the outside before it cooks on the inside? When they showed Josie cooking the turkeys, it looked like they were right up against the top of the oven, & I wondered how they weren't going to be burned, which they were.

[Snackle]

Dammit, Kuniko was my favorite. She was just so... Japanese. Something I say with so much love after having lived there. I really hate to see her go, especially due to Josie being a horse toothed ass who sucked on her season and this one so far.

[berenjena]

So apparently you don't even get a lousy pound of ground coffee when you win in Seattle. Just bragging rights.

I will miss Kuniko but saw her PYKAG coming when everyone said her dish was partially raw AND underseasoned.

As annoying as Carla is, she has a point with " the guys you calls chef, the girls you call honey", although it galls me to say it because her hair is always flopping around, which is a huge issue for me in a ktichen setting. It needs to be pulled back and secured, your vanity does not trump a guest finding a hair in the food. Yuck.

Nice to see the "most hated chef" is living up to his rep. No confusion on my side of the screen as to why or how he got that title.

I am relieved Hawaii gets another chance. For a second I thought he was out, when he got th on screen time along with his almost embarassed acknowledgement of wiining that Food and Wine title. I want to see him make some Pacific island food.

[Pomone]

Oh yeah, there it is. Now I remember why I didn't really like Stephan. It's funny, his comment that Carla reminded him of why he came to America, blaming "european women". I'm guessing they weren't to sad to see him go!

Someone mentioned that it seemed like Padma was into CJ a little bit in his original season, so I thought his "Hello Padma" during the quickfire was funny. I also love that he's a freaking giant compared to everyone else.

[WickedTuna]

Josie was eliminated the episode before her season did Thanksgiving.

This wasn't during her regular season. I should have been clearer. It was a special holiday episode where chefs from different seasons competed. They had to cook 3 courses and 2 chefs were eliminated after each course.

Someone needs to explain the definition of a strong woman to Carla IMO. For me screeching and swearing like a sailor when someone calls you honey isn't it. Talking about wanting a nice looking ass as she cooks isn't it either. I don't blame her for not wanting to be called honey but calm down and explain it.

I am relieved Hawaii gets another chance.

Me too. I liked him from the beginning and I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table.

Tom must still be on pain meds from his back surgery, j/k! He seemed almost giddy.

[Isuzu]

As a non American, I'm always fascinated by the codification of the Thanksgiving meal, so I was even more interested when they basically did two completely different meals (which of course is logical when you think about the scale of the US).

I was very sad to see Kuniko go, and I'm even a bit pissed off because she did help everyone else do their dish. I know, she should have tasted it (perhaps she just tasted the top?) but still. I'm also confused because they clearly made their decision to send her home before sending them in front of them to defend their dishes. So what was the point? I distinctly remember a time when they would deliberate before sending one of the chefs home, or perhaps I'm confusing it with Just Desserts or ever Project Runway.

I think Carla is so used to being stepped on and not respected (for her gender, for her origin, for her marital status) that she just cannot take any shit from anyone. She flew of the handle before they even made a remark, but she was also right in the inherent sexism expressed by Stefan. Frankly, the fact that she wants a nice ass doesn't excuse the use of pejorative and sexist nicknames. No, she didn't ask for it. Also, as much as she rants (and she didn't this episode, aside from the Stefan/CJ confrontation), they are very dismissive of her. I mean, the woman is a successful executive chef just like them and has an impressive resume.

As much as John was right at the end, he was also being a dick. So he can shut it.

Edited by Isuzu, Nov 22, 2012 @ 9:23 AM.

[SilentMinority]

I think Carla is so used to being stepped on and not respected (for her gender, for her origin, for her marital status) that she just cannot take any shit from anyone. She flew of the handle before they even made a remark, but she was also right in the inherent sexism expressed by Stefan. Frankly, the fact that she wants a nice ass doesn't excuse the use of pejorative and sexist nicknames. No, she didn't ask for it. Also, as much as she rants (and she didn't this episode, aside from the Stefan/CJ confrontation), they are very dismissive of her. I mean, the woman as a successful executive chef just like them and has an impressive resume.

Agreed. Carla is annoying and thin-skinned, but she was absolutely right about the sexism inherent in not being given the courtesy of a "chef" when the males in her position are. Stefan may be witty, but his sexism grates.

[grittykitty]

Enjoyed the concepts behind both Thanksgiving dinners and thought they sounded equally delicious.

Josie fucked up something that your average housewife (me being one of them) has never screwed up. Tom should have over-rode her immunity and sent her packing. She's already on her second chance, and to have such a major fail is unacceptable. It wasn't like she was a major contender in her season, so I still don't understand why she's even here. I guess the first 50 people they called didn't pick up.

Kuniko had a major time management problem. Best to find out now and send her packing.

Carla and Stefan's bickering made me lol. I felt there was underlying sexual tension there as well. Maybe I'm wrong.

Did Emeril seem a little overly serious, or was it just me? When Chrissy said, "Can I say BAM!" He was like, "yeah." Didn't even crack a smile.

Also, bland gumbo? Unbelievable.

Please tell me "equal parts butter/mashed potatoes" was an exaggeration.

Edited by grittykitty, Nov 22, 2012 @ 9:48 AM.

[Lady Miss GL]

While Josie's turkey fumble was unforgivable, I think a "top" chef should be able to figure out how to properly cook what was, essentially, a gratin daphinois; I wouldn't even call myself a cook, let alone chef, and that's a dish in my rotation. Kuniko had 5 hours to do that, and she failed miserably; to send anyone other than her home would be a travesty.
Yes, Emeril (my brother-in-law used to call him "Emerald", seriously) had the best line of the night, re: stuffing the turkey. He doesn't look like he's having much fun, though, or does he just not smile very much? On the other hand, Tom hasn't looked that happy in years.

[Nidratime]

Josie should definitely be shown the door at the next available opportunity, which hopefully will be next week. (Raw turkey? Seriously?) However, I'm not too put out that Kuniko was sent home. She not only produced uncooked potatoes, but during the Quickfire, she didn't even get her food plated. The lady seems lovely and is, undoubtedly, an excellent chef. But, she's one hell of a horrible time manager. At the place she works, she must have someone with a huge stopwatch following her around.

[Lady Miss GL]

Liz's dish looked delicious.
Tyler seems like a nice person and everything, but, from what I know of the subject, the first year of sobriety is very fragile. This kind of high-stress competition seems like a tall order for someone in their 7th month of sobriety. Hopefully, he's still sober; I wish him all the best.

Edited by Lady Miss GL, Nov 22, 2012 @ 10:28 AM.

[Quilt Fairy]

I'm really glad they used Tom and Emeril to give each team a theme and guide them through an appropriate menu, because we've had some memorable Thanksgiving debaucles when each chef is allowed to do his/her own thing. That being said, can you imagine going on Top Chef and then home over potatoes? Or greens? Gumbo is at least an actual 'dish'. On the other hand, Kumiko was Dead Chef Walking if she couldn't carve out enough time out of 5 hours to cook her potatoes.

Tyler going on TC to test his sobriety makes about as much sense as the couples who go on The Amazing Race to test their relationship. It's not only incredibly stressful, we know that it's boring back at the house because they are isolated but they are allowed, maybe even encouraged, to drink. Good luck with that 8 month chip, Tyler.