142 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

The cheftestants harvest oysters and serve them to Emeril Lagasse; cooking for a Seattle sports team.

This thread will open at 11:00pm EST on December 26th (aka Boxing Day, aka the Feast of Stephen, aka the Second Day of Christmas).

[DoleWhip]

After Hugh announced the winners, I loved the immediate contrast between Brooke (“I guess our personalities do mesh really well”) and John (“It would’ve been sweeter if I’d won it alone”). I love her. Hate him.

When is Lizzie going to get a win? I thought her oyster dish sounded really inventive and delicious, and I would’ve picked it over Micah’s. I’m glad that she and Micah landed up in the top, since Micah’s record has been poor (aside from this episode).

Not gonna miss Bart too much, although it would’ve been awesome to see Josie go with him.

Edited by DoleWhip, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:01 PM.

[Moncheechee]

Ugh, why couldn't they knife Josie? She's so annoying.

Edited by Moncheechee, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:02 PM.

[bparhad]

The highlights of the episode for me were Kristen blatantly rolling her eyes when Josh was complaining about the jalapeño poppers and Tom yelling that you can't put two bland things together and expect them not to be bland. Close followup was Tom smacking down Josh regarding the jalapeño popper. Why is he still here; he's been on the bottom just about every time.

Just when I think I'm coming around to John he says things like "This would have been sweeter if I'd won alone." Dick.

And Josie is just....odd. I kept trying to figure out if "stuck in the closet" could mean anything else other than "Micah, I think you're gay", but I can't really come up with anything. The only explanation I can come up with is that she seemed extremely drunk and she was just babbling.

Edited by bparhad, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:07 PM.

[TiffanyNichelle]

Damn it. I'm pissed that Bart went home over Josh and Josie who were both extremely annoying.

[archer1267]

Agreed, DoleWhip. Micah's had his douchey moments but I've gotta say, it was nice seeing him (and Lizzie!) have some time in the spotlight tonight. I'd love to see more of Lizzie. She's been in the middle of the pack but I'd like to see not just two, but three strong female contenders. Help increase the odds of a woman winning TC :)

Bart was the obvious choice to go. Too bad, I liked him.

Josie's comment about Micah being closeted came out of nowhere, following a tirade that came out of nowhere.

[jengtown]

Josie's comment about Micah being closeted came out of nowhere, following a tirade that came out of nowhere.

It was so bizarre, because what a shitty thing to say if he is closeted, and if he's not, what a shitty thing to say.

Josie is either awful or is getting a pretty irredeemable edit.

[SilentMinority]

I really want to taste both dishes Brooke prepared (oysters and the meat-slaw concoction she made with John). I'm loving her and Kristen both and hope they are the final 2. But that would be way too much to hope for. I suspect we'll be treated to the Stefan and John show the rest of the way. (And apparently they're preserving Josie for her drama, since she's far and away the worst chef remaining, and has been for awhile.)

Tom yelling that you can't put two bland things together and expect them not to be bland

He actually said when you put a bland item together with a properly-seasoned item, the result is always bland. So don't expect the seasoned item to make up for the bland item. I call it the "Hominy Effect".

[rustyspigot]

Nice that Stefan and Micah were the two that helped Josie out of the mud as she has tussled with both of them. Hmm.

I used to love roller skating and was doing it at the same time as Stefan in 1986 (though, I was a few years younger). I skated well, but sucked at stopping. So I was a bit amiss that the carpeted walls weren't there or maybe I missed it. Also liked the "stache" reference to couples skate.

Josie. Josie. Josie. Time to cut your tree down.

Edited by rustyspigot, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:24 PM.

[elkana]

I am trying to remember Josie's season. Was she always this awful? Wish she could have been elimnated for her quickfire dish -- looked like oysters ala velveeta!

[CrumbyButtons]

Love Josie saying "this is like going to the roller derby with your parents" - uh, no, it's like going to the roller derby with folks who are aware of the fact that they are ON TV and don't want to look like idiots!

[rustyspigot]

Love Josie saying "this is like going to the roller derby with your parents" - uh, no, it's like going to the roller derby with folks who are aware of the fact that they are ON TV and don't want to look like idiots!

Especially, given the response to cheering for the one competitor (paraphrasing) "You do realize she's sitting on the bench."

And none of the contestants have any fan connection to the game as far as I know. So it rang hollow. Like Josie's "tree".

Edited by rustyspigot, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:44 PM.

[SueR]

I really thought Sheldon would be gone, since they said his tempura totally ruined the dish. To me, that is much worse than under seasoning. But then I remembered that to Tom, underseasoning is the biggest crime there is. Glad that it wasn't Sheldon because I like him, but wish it had been Josie. If she has nine lives, she's only got a few left. I like Bart and was sorry to see him go. Love Lizzie, agree that I'd like to see her win more. Also, unlike most I actually like Micah. I think a lot of times his sarcasm is mistaken for bragging. Started to feel sorry for John having his daughter taken away from him since he was clearly emotional. But then I wondered how horrible could he have been to completely lose custody, which it sounds like he did.

Edited by SueR, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:29 PM.

[Quilt Fairy]

Let's see: Moses is to God as Micah is to Emeril. No, I don't think so.

[WickedTuna]

Josie is either awful or is getting a pretty irredeemable edit.

I was thinking tonight she's either high or drunk most of the time (or both). I can't say for sure it's the reason but I think she's gotten a big head from being invited back. She just has this cock-of-the-walk vibe about her.

I am trying to remember Josie's season. Was she always this awful?

During her season I thought she was obnoxiously annoying but not obnoxiously awful like she is this season. The one thing I'm grateful for is that she isn't using that hushed voice this time around when she describes her food. It was like she was talking about something holy and sacred and it really annoyed me.

Those skater names were made up for the show, right?

I hate oysters and I've had them every which way. But..they still sound and look delicious (most of the time). Tonight though, Lizzie's was the only one that I thought sounded good.

[bawarner]

I kept trying to figure out if "stuck in the closet" could mean anything else other than "Micah, I think you're gay", but I can't really come up with anything.

To me "being in a closet" means not being your true self, being fake in someone, hiding something about yourself, etc. but I don't automatically equate with being gay. That's why I found it interesting that Micah immediately went there when Josie never said anything about him being gay. And I'm gay; but I don't know if that makes a difference in what came to mind when I heard "closet". The other thing for me might be that Josie said "a closet" and not "the closet".

I was sure it was Josie going so the editing totally got me tonight. I will say that I was gonna be pissed if they got rid of her though. She's not my favorite chef to be sure but if she would have gone for not going behind Bart and tasting his dishes I was gonna call "bullshit". Yes, both team members need to taste all the components to make sure they're the best they can be, but there's got to be some accountability for cooking a dish. Bart screwed it up and he's the one who deserved to go.

I did have to laugh at how both Josh and John were tolerable for almost the whole ep and then both had to blow it with douche moments. John with his "sweeter alone" comment and Josh for his "popper" question to Tom.

I haven't liked Micah at all this season but he was fairly likeable tonight so that's good. It's so much easier to watch when I'm not hating 25% of the chefs.

[bparhad]

Started to feel sorry for John having his daughter taken away from him since he was clearly emotional. But then I wondered how horrible could he have been to completely lose custody, which it sounds like he did.

It might have been that he got divorced when he was in the worst of his drug addiction - if his ex cited that as the reason they were getting divorced, then she could/would easily have gotten full custody.

Edited by bparhad, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:42 PM.

[mayaroo]

Those skater names were made up for the show, right?

You mean Rat City's skate names? Those are real. Their teams and members are listed here, including Jalapeno Business.

Edited by mayaroo, Dec 26, 2012 @ 11:52 PM.

[nanobabes]

Those skater names were made up for the show, right?

I know roller derby names are supposed to be cute and clever play on words (for example, "Babe Ruthless" like in the movie Whip It), but those names seemed to be pretty conveniently about food. Though I don't think it'd be too far fetched that those were their actual names.

[NieceOfCirce]

I have to give John a pass on the "it would have been sweeter if it was an individual win" comment. Obviously he said it, (no doubt in reply to a direct question someone offscreen asked him), and I'm sure he meant it, but I think it was a case of the editing monkeys trying to give him a bit of a crappy edit. Juxtaposing it with Brooke's classy comment, to make John look especially douchy. He seemed genuinely thrilled to be working with Brooke, and had nothing but nice things to say about her in his other talking heads. He is also the one that asked brooke to be his partner in the first place. The man may a douche, but he's a self-aware douche, and he strikes me as someone who is being very careful about how he is portraying himself on this show. I think this is a case of taking a comment and playing it at the most opportune time.

Josie, on the other hand is beyond obnoxious. When you're making me side with Micah, you have some serious personality issues going on. And trying to out someone on television? That's just not cool.

Edited by NieceOfCirce, Dec 27, 2012 @ 12:02 AM.

[Nell Huxleigh]

Call me crazy, but up until she told Micah he was in a closet, I was on her side. Who goes to a Roller Derby and acts like they are watching Wimbledon in the 1950s? Mustache guy, Micah, Stephan, and John have to be super duper annoying to be around. I can't imagine how much alcohol I'd have to take to be around them for an extended period of time. Mustache guy seems like a major wet blanket. She spilled some beer! At a roller derby! I refuse to remember his name.

[archer1267]

That's why I found it interesting that Micah immediately went there when Josie never said anything about him being gay.

FWIW, my mind went there immediately too, and I'm a straight female. I only hear the phrase "the closet" used in that instance (i.e. "closet case"). Well, the R. Kelly song aside.

Hugh Acheson's monobrow is starting to bother me.

[shannon201]

Those skater names were made up for the show, right?

Their real derby names are similar, but were altered slightly to be "TV-friendly" and food-related.

[breadandbutter]

Josie's personality just grates so I was hoping that she'd be eliminated. Nails on a chalkboard is right...or even what Josh said last week about a little piece of his soul dying whenever she laughs.

It did seem though that it was Bart's time to go. Apparently his underseasoning has consistently been an issue for the judges. And his performance has been so unmemorable that I struggle to remember what dishes he made throughout the competition.

Mostly, I was just happy to see Sheldon survive. He's put out some really interesting dishes so I want to see him go far.

I have to say I really like Hugh as a judge. His commentary is so candid and refreshing that you can tell immediately whether he likes or dislikes the dish. The other judges are much more measured in their criticism that I sometimes wonder how they really feel and if critical information was edited out.

The oyster challenge was one of my favorite quickfires. It was fun seeing the cheftestants harvest the product and then cook them in a non-gimmicky challenge. Similar to the fishing challenge in the all-stars season.

Edited by breadandbutter, Dec 27, 2012 @ 12:40 AM.

[ChainofFools]

To me "being in a closet" means not being your true self, being fake in someone, hiding something about yourself, etc. but I don't automatically equate with being gay. That's why I found it interesting that Micah immediately went there when Josie never said anything about him being gay

As was previously noted, with the exception of the R. Kelly song where the guy was literally trapped in the closet when his lover's husband came home, that phraseology only relates to sexual orientation to my knowledge. Heck, even in the song, the lover's husband turned out to be a closeted gay man making the title a double play. However, Josie clearly meant it to refer to Micah's sexuality as Josie, who I believe has acknowledged her sexual orientation made the comment after running her hand along her torso and declaring that she, "Knows who she is." I don't know what other implications could be taken from that.

I too give John a pass on his winning alone comment. John has repeatedly said in both his TH and to everyone he has spoken to about competing that this is his redemption moment, his chance to prove that he was not a flash in the culinary pan who flamed out do to substance abuse. So for him, winning on his own would prove his worth. Winning with Brooke, while great, leaves room for doubt in both his mind, his competitors' minds and the judges' minds as to whose contributions really got the win.

I would have loved to try both Micah and Brooke's oysters. They looked delish.

While I get that Bart and Sheldon were truly the ones on the chopping block, I would have sent Josie home for the very thing that got others sent home for in team challenges -- it seems as if Bart did everything except the teriyaki glaze; which didn't even adhere properly -- maybe some component of the dish would have worked if Josie actually did something other than act like Bart's boss and strut around like the cock of the walk.

By the way, thanks Bravo and your little magical elves for gutting the judges' comments so I could watch people I have never seen and have no interest in roller derby. How about you gut the Josie BS and let us know what the judges thought process was.

Edited by ChainofFools, Dec 27, 2012 @ 1:00 AM.

[duandsku]

So John joins Brooke and Kristen as one of the only three contestants to win an elimination challenge.

Ugh, now he will never leave.

[mayaroo]

Those skater names were made up for the show, right?

Their real derby names are similar, but were altered slightly to be "TV-friendly" and food-related.

Tempura Tantrum, Eddie Shredder, Kutta Rump (Kutta Betch), Teriyaki Terror (Missile America).

[LoganTheHuge]

I know this was the episode all about hating Josie but I cannot hate Josie when all of my hate is reserved for horrible awful Josh with his villanous mustache. Dude, you're in the bottom. Don't try to dump on winners. It never works.

As a huge Rat City Rollergirls fan, I was very stoked about this episode but I thought their ideas (other than Sheldon's) were boring and too literal. As someone else already pointed out, a few of the names were altered (zomg, reality shows aren't real??) Also, Josie was obnoxious but I can't fault her for wishing her compatriots were a little more excited. Roller derby bouts are a spectacle, and best enjoyed while drunk and screaming hard.

Seldon, close your mouth.

Bart seemed like a good guy and as he pointed out, not much of a reality show personality.

Did I mention I hate Josh?

[Ikatacata]

Those names were totally made up and the set was so contrived I swear the neon colored paint on the walls and doors was still wet.

The rump roast w lobster rice was the only one that looked appealing. Glad they won.

The egg dish looked disgusting. I don't think I would have even tried it.

I did think that having soggy undercooked tempura was the biggest sin of all.

I wanted oysters so badly. Soooo badly. I loved that they were eating them right out on the mudflats.

[Ginandtonic]

I don't care if Bart stayed or went, so I'm OK that he went but I would have been more OK if Josie went. I'm glad Sheldon didn't get eliminated because I like him, but Josh is apparently going to stay in the competition by never quite being the worst. Not exactly a glowing reccomendation.

I wanted oysters so badly. Soooo badly. I loved that they were eating them right out on the mudflats.

YES! I have never had oysters that fresh, they must taste awesome.