Top Chef Texas - Ep. #7 - 12/14/11 (Spoilers)
OK, step right up, folks, for the Chef's Knife Battle Royale! The two who don't get along will be teamed together - veddy interestink!
The cheftestants all head back to the TC house; Nyesha notes how harsh Heather was on Beverly and thinks it shows a lot about Heather's integrity. Ty-Lor realizes he just skated by and he needs to step it up.
The next morning, they show up at the TC kitchen and Tim Love is there. And what's on the table? A lot of Don Julio tequila. For the Quickfire Challenge, they are to choose one of the tequilas and create a dish that pairs well with the tequila. Tim Love said they're looking for an intense, long-lasting flavor from their dish.
Padma notes that there will be a tequila tasting so they can choose the particular tequila they want to use, there won't be any immunity, but the winner will win $5,000.
Kind of love the way they're tossing around all of the herb bundles. Paul notes that Ty-Lor is using clams and realizes it's a great pairing with tequila, but Ty-Lor notes that Chris Jones is overcooking his chicken breast, and could be in trouble.
The bottom group? Heather, Chris Jones, and Sarah (Tim Love said Heather's dish was like a new special at a chain restaurant - OUCH! LOL)
The top group consists of Chris Crary (he had Sea Salt Air on his raw oyster - but...but...but.......is that FOAM? Nooooooooooooo!!!), Lindsay, and Ty-Lor. And the winner is? Ty-Lor! Went from the bottom in the previous EC and goes to the top in the next QF.
Now on to the Elimination Challenge....Sarah notes before going to commercial that it's really going to get some tempers flaring.
Padma says "the game is ON." She said she hoped that the cheftestants like who they're standing next to - because that's their team partner. Sarah and Paul looked pleased....Heather and Beverly both look very discomfited and NOT pleased! Tim Love said he's hosting a game dinner @ his restaurant for a group of friends. Each team will cook a course of game that is the favorite of one of the friends.
Nyesha & Dakota - Venison for Bryan Caswell of Wreath, Houston
Sarah & Paul - Squab for Anita Lo from Annissa, NYC
Grayson & Chris J. - Elk for Tim Love of Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth
Chris C. & Lindsay - Boar for Jon Shook of Animal, Los Angeles
Heather & Beverly - Duck for John Currence of City Grocery, Oxford, MS
Ed & Ty-Lor - Quail for Vinny Dotolo from Animal, Los Angeles
TWIST TIME! They'll also have to cook a few extra plates...for their fellow chefs! All of them will be judges as well! The cheftestants will choose three dishes that they like the *least*, and those teams will be put in front of the judges. The judges will have the final say .... on which TEAM will go home. It's a DOUBLE ELIMINATION! This could be irony if the Heather & Beverly team goes home! LOL And the winning team will split $10,000.
They head out to Whole Foods, and Beverly is shown trying to work with Heather. She notes that Heather is very bossy, but she's trying to be a team player. Grayson is concerned about Chris Jones, because "he makes crazy stuff, and I don't" - so she's hoping he doesn't go overboard.
Back in the TC Kitchen for prep. Everyone notices that Heather and Beverly are *not* meshing. Heather says Beverly cooks Pan-Asian, and she does American farm-to-table, and she tells Beverly that she wants to make sure the dish isn't too Asian, as that's not her style. And "I'm not going home, Bev!" Edward notes the friction between the two of them, and notes that Heather is being a complete bitch.
They're done with prep and head back to the TC house. Beverly notes that Heather was rather abrasive and controlling all day. She reveals in the confessional that there was a time in her life that she was in an abusive relationship - someone who physically and emotional abused her. One day when he was at work, she ran away. She's become stronger since she's been out of that relationship.
And we're back - Chris Crary and Lindsay are the first course up - Boar. The stress level is high, especially since they're judging each other's dishes. Everyone is crowded in a very tiny kitchen @ The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro - AND everyone is sweating bullets, as it's really hot in there.
Chris Jones screwed up his sweet potato dish, and he has to switch up his dish. Grayson is really concerned. Heather notes that Beverly asks a lot of questions like a sous chef does. She doesn't think like a chef. Beverly said she doesn't like the onions in their duck dish, but Heather said "This is part of my rustic style so we're going to have to compromise." To me, that sounds like Heather is saying "The onions are staying; I don't care what you think, Beverly."
Chris Crary and Lindsay realize that their boar racks were a bit underdone in the middle, but they were able to get enough chops off the ends that were properly done without serving any of the underdone ones to the judges.
1st COURSE - Chris C. & Lindsay - Roasted Wild Boar with Peach BBQ Sauce, Kohlrabi Slaw & Farro-Fried Rice - Tom said it was a nice dish, just not exciting. Back in the kitchen, Sarah said it was a fun way to do a BBQ; Paul noted the slaw was a bit watery.
2nd COURSE - Heather & Beverly - Five-Spice Duck Breast with Creamy Polenta & Pickled Cherries - Hugh notes the duck could have been rendered a bit more, that it was a bit rubbery. John Currence said he didn't like the way the pickled cherries worked, Vinny Dotolo thought it was too safe. Back in the kitchen, Paul notes that there was no crispy skin, but Sarah tells them that the duck is cooked perfectly.
3rd COURSE - Grayson & Chris J. - Juniper-Roasted Elk with Sweet Potato and Bouquet of Citrus Greens - when asked by Padma if that's the way they wanted the sweet potato to be cut, Chris Jones begins to explain he wanted to do an elaborate technique that unfortunately, did not work out for him. Grayson cut in and very deliberately said loudly "That IS how we wanted it to be; we just wanted to get height and we accomplished that." As they walk away, she chews out Chris J. saying "Don't effing tell them that way!" Tim Love said the piece of meat was seasoned and cooked well, Bryan Caswell said when the plate hit the table, he thought 1982, Banquet Menu. (ouch!) As they walk back into the kitchen, Grayson turns to Chris J. and said "we're probably going home so do NOT saying anything to them [other cheftestants in the kitchen] about how we feel about our dish." Heather told Grayson that the elk was cooked perfectly.
4th COURSE - Ed & Ty-Lor - Sorghum Quail with Pickled Cherries and Eggplant - (pickled cherries - AGAIN?) - Tim Love said the quail shines, and Anita Lo said they managed to bring out the early qualities of the ingredients. All we see in the kitchen is some high fives and someone saying "beautiful."
5th COURSE - Nyesha & Dakota - Roasted Rack of Venison with Kabocha Squash & Beet Gratin - venison is undercooked and it's noted by all judges. Tom likes the texture of the gratin; and back in the kitchen, Heather notes that "it's a little rare."
6th COURSE - Paul & Sarah - Squab Breast and Squab Sausage with Nectarine Pickles with Shallots & Jalapeno - the presentation was noted as being a little sloppy and rushed, but Tom liked it. Anita Lo would have liked more caramelization on the skin. Back in the kitchen, you can hear someone comment about acid can overpower. Sarah is freaked out about the sausage.
Padma comes into the kitchen and asked for Ed and Ty-Lor! Everyone immediately congrats the two of them - obviously the winner, and Tim Love declares them the winner. They'll split $10,000. Padma tells them that they, along with the other cheftestants, will have 15 minutes to decide which three teams to send out to face elimination. They head back into the kitchen, and they're all just sitting there until Heather asks Ed and Ty-Lor "What do you guys want to do?
Beverly said she wishes the judges had just made the decision. Heather said "maybe we'll just make them make it" and Grayson responds "No! We'll just vote!" Heather said "Well, you're not going to vote for yourself to go out there!" and Grayson responds "well, neither are you!" Ty-Lor said he doesn't want to see Heather go home because she's a really good friend, but everyone's going to have to make hard decisions.
Paul said he thought Heather & Beverly's dish was not one of his favorites, and Nyesha & Dakota's meat was a little tough. He also said Chris/Grayson's meat was dry when he ate it. Then Heather said Nyesha/Dakota's meat was too rare and Chris J/Grayson's dish - she didn't understand the bouquet. When Grayson asked who was Heather's third, Heather said she couldn't pick a third. Grayson said "But we all have to pick 3!" and Heather said "You don't have to tell me about the process!"
The choices to go into JT -
Elk (Grayson & Chris Jones)
Duck (Heather & Beverly) and
Venison (Nyesha & Dakota)
Tom asks Heather & Beverly why they think they're up there - Heather responds maybe because *she* was the winner of the previous challenge. Grayson is shown shaking her head and Nyesha stares up into the air.
Tom tells Dakota that the dish was definitely undercooked, Padma asked Nyesha if she ever thought to go over and see if she needed help. Nyesha said by the time she did, it was too late. Hugh said that the flavor profile was very good.
For Grayson & Chris J., Hugh said the meat was cooked pretty well, but said they might be living and dying by that sweet potato fence that didn't work out.
They then get to Heather & Beverly, and Tom asks if they know why they're there. Beverly begins to answer, but Heather interrupts and said they're trying to balance two chefs on one plate. Tom said it felt like a collection of ingredients, not a finished dish. Heather said throughout the entire competition, she and Beverly haven't seen eye-to-eye. Beverly begins to say she didn't think so, but yet AGAIN, Heather interrupts her and said "I do. I think our work ethics are completely different, especially in the last challenge. [Tom sits up and takes notice at this point!] In the last challenge, you had shrimp, that's what you focused on for two days..." and Beverly said "Wow, that just really hits me. I have a really strong work ethic, that's 400 shrimp to peel and deveining perfectly. She helped me to peel them at the very end, but I didn't ask you to help me." Heather says very cuttingly "No, your teammate did." SHOCKED look on Beverly's face. Dakota steps into the conversation and said she didn't like the way the conversation was going and thought that Beverly was an extremely hard-working cook and she kicks butt in the kitchen.
Tom asks how it manifested today - Heather said Beverly doesn't trust herself and have enough self-confidence. Beverly said she does have confidence but it comes out in a different way.
Back in the Stew Room, Heather said a lot of things came up and that she's sorry if Beverly feels she hurt her feelings, but she didn't get any say in the dish -(HUH? All we saw was Heather having HER say in the dish!) Heather said she didn't want to do Asian, but Beverly didn't listen to her. REALLY? If she's that strong of a person, she should have said something even more! Heather continued to bring up the shrimp issue from the LAST competition, and everyone is kind of stunned in the Stew Room!
Back at JT, Tom said that the teams sent through to the bottom group were the correct 3 teams to have been in front of them. They review all of the dishes, and make their decision. The team going home? Dakota and Nyesha! Dakota's devastated that she took down Nyesha down with her.
Previews show them heading for Austin - and Patti LaBelle will be a guest judge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For LCK - both Nyesha and Dakota get their envelopes at the TC house. They show up and see Whitney. And the four previous guys all show up to watch. The challenge is to use only a wok as their cooking pot, and they have to use one special ingredient in honor of the hosting state - cactus. 30 minutes using cactus and any other ingredient in the TC pantry. Richie asks Keith quietly if you can eat cactus raw, and Keith replies yes. Keith asks how Dakota is doing; she's shaking. Keith asks Nyesha what direction she's going in - she said Asian. Keith tells them they have 10 minutes to go, and then Andrew asks Whitney what she was going to do - she's doing a chicken-fried rice with cactus.
Whitney does a Cactus and Chicken-Fried Rice with Sriracha.
Nyesha does Asian Style Scallops with Prickly Pear Garnish, Cilantro and Thai Basil
Dakota does a Shrimp Tostada with Watermelon and a Prickly Pear Shooter
Tom then calls over the 4 guys to try the dishes. Tom tells the 3 cheftestants that they all worked the cactus into their dishes very well. Interesting winner!
(Sorry this was so late being finalized - two cats who are going nuts climbing furniture etc. has distracted me way more than I had hoped!)
By LindaWhit
on Dec 14, 2011 07:33 PM
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The first thing I thought when Chris Crary said "Sea Salt Air" was "Oh Noooooo!!!! He ruined this season and did a foam!!!!" But his dish did sound amazing....
Oh! and I was like.... Oooooh we can get rid of BOTH Bev and Heather in one shot!!
ETA: Ok wow, now I am switching my view up a bit.... I just want heather to leave, not Bev.... Too bad that isn't an option this week. Heather is a straight up bully/bitch.... I think it's all Bev could do to have ANY say whatsoever!!
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Exactly what I thought - I'd rather have just Heather leave and not Beverly. Heather was a complete SNOT in not allowing Beverly to say anything or the continual interruptions. I'll bet the judges noticed that.
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Yeah, I think it's really clear that Heather is bringing ugly to just about every interaction. I was pulling for her to leave.
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I'm glad Beverly and Heather weren't eliminated because I'm one of the few people who actually do like Beverly. If there was an option to send Heather home alone, then I'm all for it. We can only hope she goes home next week!
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And honestly, what kind of self-sabotaging person bullies and belittles her team mate during the cooking? It looked like Heather was trying to sabotage herself as well as Beverly.
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Kamikaze chef!!
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Not kamikaze -- she doesn't do Asian.
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Yea too bad it was a team elimination... Heather and Chris J are ready to go home.
Chris J assured Grayson that he's "done this 100 times" when she was totally against the idea. If she had got sent home for that, it would have been awful.
Heather has been a total bitch (not just this episode)
I'm sad Nyesha got sent home, she really seemed like one of the top contenders. I was thinking Paul, Ty-Lor, and Nyesha as the top 3.
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Ouch. I stayed out of the Heather/Bev sub thread this past week, not convinced that Heather was a bully or a bitch. But wow, did she ever just come across horribly.
Hoping Grayson doesn't go home for Chris Moto's sweet potatoes.
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People can differ on whether Heather is a bully/bitch or not, but I don't think there's any question that the way she behaved at judges' table was just plain stupid. Did she not realize when she threw Bev under the bus that she was throwing herself under the bus?
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Did she not realize when she threw Bev under the bus that she was throwing herself under the bus?
***
I'm guessing she didn't, or she hates Bev so much she's willing to cut off the nose to spite the face. After this episode, I'm on board with Heather being a bitch at least. I'm not sure on the bully part.
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Apparently Heather is completely unclear on the concept of a team challenge. First, she said she had no input in the dish, which was clearly not true. But I started to understand what she meant when she said she didn't want to be judged on a dish where she didn't have complete control of every single element. Apparently, for Heather, it's complete control or nothing. Too bad that wasn't the challenge.
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I think Heather was simply griping about team challenges in general. I don't think Nyesha would've disagreed.
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"...she said she didn't want to be judged on a dish where she didn't have complete control of every single element. Apparently, for Heather, it's complete control or nothing. "
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Yes. I thought that was a most revealing comment from her and appeared to be an essential point about her apparent character. Not only does she seem to be a bully and a bitch - she is a control freak, can operate properly only when she is the sole dictator/despot of all she sees around her and apparently goes a little berserk when she can't achieve that. That might sound like many chefs in commercial kitchens but somehow the situation here seems more objectionable?
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It's objectionable because the whole point of the challenge is to work as a team. And the other person has as much at stake, so basically it's selfish. She also said that she was just going to concentrate on making her food -- again, missing the whole point. When you go on Top Chef, you have to accept that team challenges are going to be part of the deal!
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To me, the reason it seemed more objectionable, was because she crossed the line into lying. She wouldn't adjust any of the flavors and pretty much dictated to Beverly how things were going to be, and then she lied at the judges' table, saying that she had no say in how things were done. You know the judges are going to check out her story and figure out that she lies to shift blame.
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I don't think she was lying if lying is defined as intentionally saying something you know to be false. As a complete control freak (which she seems to be), she probably viewed having to "compromise" to some of Bev's desires as having no say. Delusional, sure, but not necessarily lying.
As for the judges checking out her story, that doesn't happen, generally speaking. It only happens in very egregious cases (like maybe the pee puree case).
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You're right, there's a distinction between delusional and lying. I googled that pea puree thing, thanks for pointing it out!
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That's exactly it. I hope we don't have much more Heather to watch this season, since she's clearly got more hate than brains.
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"Did she not realize when she threw Bev under the bus that she was throwing herself under the bus?" - for me, heather at that point knew there was a pretty good chance they were going home, and she wanted to make sure she got her say in, and let everyone know SHE thought it was Beverly's fault.
She's a bitch alright. We all know there's a lot of editing on the show, but it seems pretty clear that she controlled that dish and beverly every step of the way. it would have been worth it for me to see Beverly go home to have Heather go. I was sorry to see Nyesha and Dakota go.
By the way, Linda - just a nitpick - i think Bev said she was "de-veining" the shrimp, not divvying.
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Thanks mc - I rewound that part several times, and couldn't figure it out. "divvying" was the only thing I could come up with. I'll ask the Mods to fix for us. :-)
And yes - Heather was totally contradictory in what she said to Beverly (this *isn't* going to be an all Asian dish and the onions were her rustic style and "we'll just have to compromise!") and what she said to the judges. She was the one and only person who was running the show on that dish - so she pretty much lied to the judges at JT saying she had had no say in the dish.
I dislike her even more now. And I wouldn't be surprised if more people didn't feel the same way after last night's episode.
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holy crap.
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Irony: Heather complaining that Bev isn't a good teammate!
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Regardless of Bev being a good teammate or not, she was really slow. If Heather is to be believed, she had to help on the shrimp on the last challenge at the request of Bev's teammates. Which really does mean Bev is so self absorbed that she's not a good teammate.
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Well, yeah. The fact that Heather really is a miserable bitch doesn't make Beverly any less self absorbed, as we've seen in incidents not involving Heather.
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and Heather complaining that Beverly asked too many questions and lacked confidence, when (to me) it was clear that Beverly was trying to defer to Heather just to get along.
All that bitchiness was painful to watch.
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agreed.
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So what did we learn tonight?
Chris Jones is an idiot. (Already thought so after the cigars; tonight solidified my view.)
Heather really is exactly what most of us thought she was.
Beverly... hm. Yeah, she may be getting bullied, but she's got plenty of her own issues.
... And finally, the producers control who goes home, not the judges. I think it should have been Heather and Beverly, whose plate got the least praise. But no, instead it was the dish that everyone agreed was delicious except for the somewhat undercooked meat. Yeah, it was a meat challenge, but still, it made me wonder what the decision making process really looked like.
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Well, I didn't learn that the producers not the judges decide. We don't know who got the least praise; we know whose dish had the least praise in the edited footage we saw. We do know, I think, that one dish in particular did a very poor job of cooking the game...in the game challenge. The elimination didn't seem a stretch to me at all.
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Under/overcooking your protein is a cardinal sin on top chef... especially when its a protein challenge
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Yet last week, when Ty Lor screwed up the protein (and the reason for the dinner), he did not go home. The judges are inconsistent.
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You mean when Ty Lor AND a bunch of other people messed up the steak, and Whitney served raw potatoes? Yeah, that was a baffling elimination.
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But Ty-Lor was responsible. By your argument, Chris should have been sent home for his sweet potatoes.
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No. That does not follow from my example. For many reasons. One being that the sweet potatoes were not raw. Also, why was Ty Lor solely responsible? I don't see that at all.
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I agree. Wasn't it Whitney who freaked out about the steaks and put them in the oven too early? Tylor couldn't have had any control over that since he was still outside at the grills.
Edit: Not Whitney, but the girl with the short blond hair whose name I cannot recall. : )
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Lindsay. But tylor took the fall.
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Thanks. At least he didn't go home over it. And made a great comeback, too!
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He screwed up the protein (or rather took the fall for that) but "screwed up" in that case meant not all of them were cooked to a perfect medium rare. Screwed up did not mean he served them raw. And in any case, Whitney's simple potatoes were raw, whereas nothing in this week's group was that egregious.
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Edible vs inedible trumps every time.
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They may have ended up a perfect medium rare if the ladies had not decided to re-warm them too early.
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Some of them did. They were all over the map in terms of doneness.
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Which makes you wonder why they couldn't find a dozen that were done medium rare for the judges. What were the expediters doing?
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Indeed.
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I wonder, in the past I have seen challenges where they clearly knew which dishes were going to the judges (like during restaurant wars), but perhaps for these, they didn't know?
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Yknow, that inconsistency had been bothering me too. If that was the steak challenge, and Ty Lor messed up, by the logic in Ep 7 he should have gone home. I get that other people besides Ty Lor also worked on the steaks, but if he was the main person on them...
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But they weren't the worst dish. And they weren't all bad. And he did not have sole responsibility (or appear to be the one who made the fateful decision, tho we don't know what the judges knew). Generally it seems the person sent home is the person who screws up the most. Whitney in the steak episode for raw potatoes. Dakota this episode for near raw venison. Nyesha because of a cruddy double elimination. How is this inconsistent?
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The posts above yours would appear to address your issue successfully.
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Funny in that he took responsibility for the steaks but in reality, he did not screw the dish up. Heather was quick to take "responsibility" for expediting when she was talking with Tom behind the scenes but when it was the expediting that essentially f***ed up the steaks, where was she? Now I remember... "anyone want to go for a drive in my new car?!" that I won by using someone else's recipe. To be fair, Lindsay was the one who essentially "fired" the steaks and the other chefs - especially the 6 whose dishes were already done, did absolutely nothing to help. 13 chefs and they couldn't find 6 med. rare to serve the judges? The screw up was in expediting, not what Ty-Lor did. And as others have said, inedible trumps anything else and the potatoes were inedible.
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I wonder if Lindsay ever took any responsibility for the over steaks in footage that we did not see?
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actually the footage shows both ed and chris jones helping lindsay finishing the steaks in the oven. *way* too many people had their hands on the steaks, it's no wonder there were wild inconsistencies in doneness/temp. also with the full-size sheet pans in a wind oven, the steaks will be unevenly done and there is less control over the result. not only will the thinner steaks cook more quickly, but the steaks on the edges of the sheet pans, close to the fans, will also get done faster-- so there will be steaks of varying doneness on the same sheet pan. astoundingly stupid and wasteful decision, understandable in a rookie (as *individual* steaks, on broiler plates, are often finished this way), but not in an exec at a steak house... but it explains why some steaks were fine and others were ruined. the steaks were at least edible, while the gratin was not. blue-rare/raw venison would also fall under the inedible category for the judges.
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Agreed that it was a strange way to cook the steaks. I think 2 good broiler cooks using all those grills could have banged out those steaks just as Tom said they should have done. Also agree that way too many people had their hands in it - the one scene where there were 3 (4?) standing over a tray of steaks saying "...this one is perfect". Any good cook who has worked a grill station should be able to, by touch alone, be able to pick out 6 med. rare steaks.
My latest theory. Maybe the judges insisted that the steaks for their table be chosen by someone at random - that's the only reasonable excuse I can think of for not at least having those done right. That would also be a way for them to insure that the chefs did not JUST try to make 6 med rare steaks, but at least try to make all 200 correctly.
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ah yes, iirc that was paul judging the doneness of the steaks. so we have 3/3 of the second course chefs on finishing the steaks for the 3rd course as well...
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But the thing with overcooked meat is that it is still safe to eat while uncooked meat is safe. I think if Ty Lor had served raw beef, he would have gone home. they are are hard on both under and overcooking but usually much harder on under cooked.
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Come on - the producers do NOT decide who goes home. It's been said countless times. Even by Tom. Yes, he's an executive producer, but he won't allow his integrity to be thrown to the side just for ratings. He'd leave the show first.
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Have you seen the disclaimer at the end of the show? Fact is, I don't know what happens behind the scenes, but I can read that text and I can certainly put together numerous situations over the course of the seasons where seemingly odd choices have been made. Anyway, doesn't matter. It's entertainment, nothing more.
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Yes, the disclaimer has been pointed out many many times as well in previous seasons. Yet again, I'm going to believe Tom Colicchio that the judges make the decision. He's not going to put his reputation on the line amongst his fellow chefs in the industry.
The ONLY time the producers had a say is during the Marcel head-shaving incident in TC2 - Tom wanted to send them all home and declare Marcel the winner, but the producers stepped in and said it would drastically shorten the season - which is why only one was booted from the show.
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Every single reality judging show on tv has this disclaimer.
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Indeed. And I'd bet that every single reality TV show is controlled to some degree by the producers. This isn't about fair; it's about ratings and advertising revenue. At least, so says my extremely cynical mind. Again, I have no clue what goes on behind the scenes -- this is only my opinion.
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Tom Colicchio has a clue and he's been very candid about it.
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Well, yes, it's about money. That doesn't mean Colicchio chooses to stay on the show if his authority as judge gets usurped. Having the disclaimer is not the same as acting on it. And I'm still unclear as to why this elimination would make you so certain that producers have a hand in it. They served blue venison!!! Surely you can see how one might get eliminated for that, yes? (And I lean toward the extremely cynical myself)
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Very over or very undercooked next to raw protein gets eliminated pretty much without fail, it's the main part of the dish, and the whole challenge was *about* the game meat.
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Added to which, in this case, it WAS the challenge.
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Given the drama they provide -- evidenced by this thread -- there's no way the producers are letting Bev and/or Heather go home, at least until one of them poisons someone. It's the same reason they let pompous idiots like Marcel and Stephen stick around until almost the end in their respective seasons, despite serving completely odious food.
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Exactly!
I knew neither of them were going to go home. That would have been too easy. Better to let them both stick around and see what other fireworks fly. Hey, it's a mainstay of reality TV, and TC is no exception to the rule.
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I'm going to have to agree with others on this thread and say that the only producer that has a final say on who stays and who goes is Tom Colicchio. I don't even think the behind the scenes producers are suggesting who stays and who goes. I don't think he would stand for it.
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Agreed. He may put up with the idiocy of challenges like the progressive dinner party for folks with...questionable food priorities (did anyone else notice his eye roll response that episode when one of the party goers mentioned liking something because it was colorful...or something like that?), but I can't imagine he'd put up with being told who to send home.
And again, in this challenge, why would one question that it was the judges' decision? The game was horribly cooked! They didn't need the Heather/Bev drama as a reason to keep them around--those two may have served uninspired food, but they cooked it.
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::::Sigh:::: Read John E's comment to your supposition that the producers have any say in who goes home.
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Every season, Linda, every season. Sigh.
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We're lucky if it's only once a season!
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Everyone's entitled to his/her opinion, but with all due respect, John has no experience in this. Obviously I could be wrong but my experience says I'm not.
And Tom's a "Producer" the way Ted Danson is a "Producer" on all his shows. It's an ego-boosting title, nothing more, sometimes used to justify paying someone more when they demand it or else they'll walk. Larry Hagman was an "Executive Producer" on Dallas at the end and he used to cackle gleefully about this all the time, about how the title was just a way to pay him an extra $35K per week for doing no work at all. He had no influence on how the show was run, and I'm betting neither does Colicchio -- despite his insistence to the contrary. I'm sure when he walks into the room, the producers say, "sure, Tom, whatever you say, you're the boss" and then the moment he leaves they do what they want. He's a meat puppet designed to give the show the appearance of credibility, nothing more.
But if it makes you enjoy the show more to believe that it's a pure meritocracy, then more power to you. But all the weary **sigh**s of exasperation are unnecessary.
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You clearly haven't been watching this show very long. Over the seasons there have been many, many contestants who would have been interesting, who stirred the pot both literally and figuratively, who have been sent home early.
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I've seen every episode, and just because something doesn't happen every single time doesn't mean it doesn't happen at all.
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+1 Ruth
Sorry, late to the party!
I was surprised to see over 600 comments! wow!
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Just so it's clear, you are calling Tom a liar.
Whether he is or not, I don't know. Just want to be clear that is what you're saying, since you don't come out directly and say it.
FWIW, most of us have come to the conclusion that this show at least is meritocracy not because it makes us enjoy it more. We have come to that conclusion after watching the show for a long period of time, reading the judges' blogs, and seeing time after time chefs get sent home when keeping them around would have provided better, more entertaining, TV. You may scoff at our experience, but I (and others, apparently) are not convinced your bold allegations of bald-faced lying, based on your supposed "insider" knowledge, provides a more accurate picture. And THAT is why you see the weary sighs of exasperation.
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No, I'm calling Tom an "actor." Actors give interviews all the time in which they say this is the best movie they've ever worked on and it's completely obvious it isn't. And he may in fact really believe he runs the show -- he wouldn't be the first hired hand to get a swelled head and think he's God.
It's totally fine with me whether you believe me or not. I'm just trying to provide a little perspective and I'm far from alone. Others have postulated exactly this dynamic within the show and I'm just saying it isn't so crazy.
But as with all the opinions on these boards, you are perfectly free to agree or disagree as you wish. It doesn't make me feel good if you agree with me nor bad if you don't. I'm perfectly fine with holding an unpopular opinion.
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There's no way we can guarantee that none of that goes on since we are not in the room, but I think the appeal of this show to the food community, and in that I will include working chefs and lay cooks at home, is the appearance that it is a meritocracy. I don't think you get the support of the many guest judges and guest restaurantuers from around the country if it came out that the best food didn't always win or that the worst food didn't always get sent home. I know that many of them may just want the exposure as it's good for business and I can only speak for myself, but the minute I learn that's not the case I will lose interest in the show. If I want faked up drama I can watch the Real Housewives.
I'm not saying you're wrong or wrong to have that opinion. I just don't think that faking it is good business for this show so it's less likely to be true.
jb
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i agree with Ruth and disagree w AC, who claimed that tom c. is an *actor,* not a chef. there is a very big diff between folks who are on television because they are at the top of their industry, and folks on survivor or real housewives or celebrity drug house or whatever, where people are trying to leverage their personalities into fame and a paycheck. we've only reprised this conversation a zillion fucking times... the judges are actually judging a real cooking contest and not trying to market products. the contestants are trying to gain some traction, sure, but it's based on skill, not popularity, notoriety, looks or drama.
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Interesting. Wonder what Tom C. would say to you calling him a meat puppet and nothing more.
But if you want to believe that Tom's lying, and he's totally willing to shoot his reputation in the foot in front of his peers in the industry, please - feel free to do so. Also, all of the guest judges - they're totally willing to throw all credibility about their reputation out the window as well, just for the sake of a television show? Riiiggghhht.
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Why does it matter what Tom would say? No one here seems to care what the other participants on the show think of the comments about them.
But if Tom's in complete creative control, as many have postulated, then it's in his best interest to see that the show does well and the ratings stay up and to that end, to amp up the stakes as much as possible. He's just being a good team player and if his is the Lion's share of the vote, no other "deception" is necessary on the part of the other judges. But I'm guessing he's more like Obi-Wan: "You don't need to see his identification... These aren't the droids you're looking for... He can go about his business. .." and that's all it takes.
People are taking this far too seriously and personally. Next thing you know everyone will be claiming the Super Bowl is a mere athletic competition and that every play isn't planned and rehearsed.
This is a *produced* TV show, folks. The *Producers* *produce* everything you see. The Executive Producer in charge of the show is called the "show-runner" and he/she is responsible to no one but the Network. And if the show fails he/she is out of a job.
I've been the "Production Executive" on a few docu-style "Reality" shows and I can tell you from experience that very little of it is unplanned and unscripted. Noting happens randomly. Just read the interviews from some ex-"Survivor" competitors (and other shows as well) for others who say the same thing. Of course, maybe *they're* lying...
But whatever. Everyone can disagree. I'm glad to read others' opinions on this but I'm not going to keep going around in circles on this.
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You seem to be pretty skilled at twisting what people are saying. Who on earth on this thread, or other TC threads, has suggested the shows aren't produced?! Hell, 1/4 of the posts on some threads have "Based on what they shows us", "the elves want us to see..." types of disclaimers before an opinion is stated. No one has suggested these shows aren't produced.
Who has suggested that Tom has complete creative control? I think people are suggesting that the judges decide who goes home, despite the legal disclaimer that allows for other scenarios.
And your super bowl analogy makes absolutely no sense to me.
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< your super bowl analogy makes absolutely no sense to me.>>
I think it was tongue-in-cheek. That kind of remark is very hard to make work in this format.
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"But whatever."
Nice Marcel comment. As debbiel said, no one has said the shows aren't produced. Nor has *anyone* said that Tom C. has complete control. Plain and simple - the judges have control of who goes home. Not the producers. Yet again - reputations are on the line, and I can't believe ANY of the chefs who are judges or guest judges would sully their reputation in the industry for a TV show.
So yes, I and practically everyone else will continue to disagree, despite how you choose to twist what others are saying.
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This has become a pretty personal and nasty conversation.
My own professional experience tends to agree with AG's. "Reality" shows demonstrate very little reality. They really are mostly scripted - not that there aren't surprises, but most of those "surprises" are prompted and/or encouraged by the producers.
As for any of the chef/competitors and the chef/judges not wanting to sully their reputations, they view this much more as an opportunity to promote themselves and their restaurants and sign pretty tight contracts giving full artistic license to the networks and/or the production company. They say and do whatever they say and do and they get what they get.
TC tends to be less brutal than a lot of other reality shows (Big Brother, Survivor, the Bachelor), but the control is ultimately in the hands of the producers, not the judges who are ultimately employees.
Collichio may have some say. He may even have a lot of say, but if something is going to make "good television" (i.e. provide long conversations like these and good ratings), they will make the final edit.
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Yes, it has gotten pretty nasty. And I'm fully aware that reality shows aren't real. I think everyone is aware of that, and that editing allows for a LOT of non-linear time line occurrences to be shown. I have family in the film business so I'm fully aware how things happen. However, until we actually speak to someone who works on the show and can give insider knowledge, Tom Colicchio's statements that the judges make the decision about who goes home is the only truth we have. It's been said many times that there have been MANY cheftestants who have been told to PPYKAG who would have provided better drama than those who stayed. So until it's proven otherwise by showing a contract that says the producers choose who stays for "good television", Colicchio's the man.
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Hopefully you've had the last word.
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We agree -- it's time for everyone to let this sub-thread go.
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Can you get us a "like" button? ;o)
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AHAHAHAAH!
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<"Next thing you know everyone will be claiming the Super Bowl is a mere athletic competition and that every play isn't planned and rehearsed.">
You mean the outcome is scripted as well? As in professional wrestling? Ooh, those tricky, tricky producers.
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It wasn't just undercooked. It was RAWWWWW! Where's Gordo when you need them. This wouldn't have been a tough decision in Hell's Kitchen. Freaking donkeys!!!
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"And finally, the producers control who goes home, not the judges. I think it should have been Heather and Beverly, whose plate got the least praise."
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I can see how you would think that the wrong pair got sent home. I might even agree. But the decision to send a team home for undercooked meat is very much in keeping with the style of judging that has always dominated Top Chef. Colicchio in particular seems to put most of the weight of his judgement on how well the 'centerpiece' of the plate was cooked. And it seems to me that Colicchio's logic seems to carry more of the judging decisions than not (I suspect the other judges sort of bend to his authority).
Agree or disagree, how well you cook the protein seems to matter more than the other parts of the dish on Top Chef. And Dakota's venison was the most egregiously flawed of the proteins on display. Likewise, as soon as they said that Chris' elk was well cooked, I knew that team wasn't going home. Considering how much praise Nyesha got for the gratin and various garnishes, I thought it was possible that the judges would change their MO a bit and send home a better-cooked piece of meat. But I can't say I'm surprised at the outcome.
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Agreed. Whenever you hear words or phrases like "inedible, raw, over cooked, dry", etc. someone is usually going home. Raw trumps messy. Inedible trumps raw, etc. It is a shame that Nyesha had to go and aside for the obvious Heather throwing away any pretense that she is not a bully (which we will probably rightly write about several hundred times this week), I think Moto Chris might have shown that he's more show over substance. He's dodged a couple of bullets so far. He's going to run out of luck real soon.
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The weird thing about Moto Chris is he doesn't seem bad when he's cooking straight forward food. He got the hard part (the elk) more or less right. And he obviously has some technical skill, though he uses it completely the wrong way. If somehow he actually got it through his head that visual gimmickry is a bad thing - that dishes should be built from the flavor up, rather than trying to figure out what flavors work into whatever too-clever-by-half idea he's conceived for the dish - I think he could be very competitive this season.
But so far he's seemed very resistant to learning that lesson.
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Exactly. He did appear very humbled. Hopefully he takes the lesson to heart.
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I hope so too. I sort of like the guy.
But I wouldn't bet on it.
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It's the Moto thing that it seems he has totally bought into.
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When the other judge started to comment on the fact that the 'pressure was clearly starting to get to some of the contestants', or some such, Tom almost cut him off, stating emphatically that it was about the dishes they cooked that week, not personalities or previous history. So, while I was sorry to see Nyesha go, the outcome was consistent with the judging standards. It was a game challenge. And I did appreciate Nyesha's willingness to take responsibility for not checking on the cooking of the venison earlier.
OTOH, I did not appreciate Grayson's interrupting Chris to say the dish came out 'exactly as we planned it', as he started to explain (and take responsibility for) screwing up the sweet potato.I appreciate her motive, but it was an untrue statement and she knew it was an untrue statement. I might have kicked him or tried to step on his toe, or interrupted him to say, "We hope you enjoy your dish" or some such, but all she accomplished was showing the judges that she was willing to lie under pressure..
and, I also must say that even though I don't think the producers chose who got to stay, I bet they were cheering at the outcome. I thought Heather's behavior was more than a bit scary but also entertaining in the way a horror movie can be fun to watch...
One final thought: with the possible exception of one or two of the quickfire dishes (and I was sort of happy to see foam make an appearance, actually, and I think that would have been my favorite of the quickfire dishes) I thought overall the cooking just didn't reach the levels of creativity and expertise we've seen from some of the top contestants in previous seasons.
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"When the other judge started to comment on the fact that the 'pressure was clearly starting to get to some of the contestants', or some such, Tom almost cut him off...."
Wasn't that other judge Padma?
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yes. padma is female :-P
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I am talking about at Judge's table, and there is a third male judge, whose name I am afraid I don't know. I thought he was the one who made the comment, not Padma. But if I am wrong, obviously yes, my statement should have read she, since Padma is clearly female. :-)
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Clearly!
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Excellent point in regard to Grayson.
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Agree with the level of creativity with this group as compared to previous seasons. They are almost *all* playing it safe. I wouldn't be surprised to see Tom get pissed and call everyone out about it. He's done that once before telling a previous season's group to step up their game.
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I was annoyed that Chris was telling them it wasn't what they had planned. It's like in theatre, you never let the audience know that you missed a line. You just keep going. That kind of honesty is very much appreciated at Judges Table. Good idea, wrong time.
I like Grasyon, but what did she do on that dish. Chris cooked the meat and screwed up the sweet potato. What else was there?
jb
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Heather as a horror movie - I like it!
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I think Grayson's interpretation was that while the sweet potato 'fence' or 'chain' or whatever he was trying to make didn't pan out, the were able to accomplish the same goal using the fries - to add visual height to the dish.
I didn't mind her cutting him off - he was likely feeling guilty about screwing up his part of the dish, but she obviously realized that it would be better not to draw attention to something that the judges might not even notice. It's a rule that anyone who has regularly spoken or performed in public knows - if you make a mistake, just keep on going like it was what you meant to do. Most of the time you are the only one that knows something went wrong. Be confident in what you've done and the audience will likely never be the wiser.
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the judges had *already* noticed: they specifically asked about the potatoes.
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Does anyone have any idea *what* he was trying to accomplish with his sweet potato chain? I can't picture what he was attempting.
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I think he was trying to create a "corral" around the meat.
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Maybe this (courtesy of a TWoP poster) ?
http://residentfoodies.com/?p=1348
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yeah, that must be what he was *trying* for. It would have been pretty cool if he'd succeeded! Too bad....
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I'm sorry, but that's dumb. It adds nothing to the dish.
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Flavors look good. "corral" looks dumb. Why bother?
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Yeah, I don't think the judges would've been very impressed by that. Form over substance.
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That's some of the worst food photography I have ever seen.
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< And finally, the producers control who goes home, not the judges. I think it should have been Heather and Beverly, whose plate got the least praise. But no, instead it was the dish that everyone agreed was delicious except for the somewhat undercooked meat.>
Based on what we heard of Judges' Table, I also thought it would be Heather & Beverly going home when I heard Tom say the dish was uncohesive. BUT, if you've watched more than just this season of TC, you already know that undercooked/uncooked meat pretty much always trumps any other errors and sends the perpetrator home.
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A few random thoughts:
- Sarah says early in the episode something to the effect of "I learned to cook risotto in Italy, and I am not changing the way I cook it to please someone else's palate." Granted, she must not have known the judge's preference beforehand, but this is the wrong lesson to take away from a competition. Your food is only as successful as the degree to which it pleases the judges. It's admirable to want to expose people to the way you've grown to love a food. But once it's clear that's not happening, you give the people what they ask for, especially when they're the ones judging the food. In fact, why are people still making risotto in Top Chef? Doesn't everyone know that's a no-win proposition by now?
- Considering the difficulties people seem to be having getting the doneness of meats right, why isn't anyone cooking sous vide this season? It's seemed to go over well for the last 5 seasons or so. Are these chefs unfamiliar with the technique (I find that hard to believe)? Have the time constraints of the competition so far led people to pick other methods (possibly)? Did the producers make a conscious effort to keep immersion circulators and chamber vacs out of the kitchens (quite possible)?
- Moto Chris is doing a pretty good job of showing how NOT to use innovative techniques. Go for flavor, go for texture - there are a lot of ways to play around with innovative techniques in service of flavor and texture. Don't go for visual gimmickry. Even worse, don't plan a whole dish around visual gimmickry. I thought he might have learned his lesson after the cigar incident. If he doesn't have that epiphany soon, he'll go home for it. Dude's like Marcel, except more likeable and more homely.
- I feel a little bad for Nyesha. Yeah, she could've checked the venison. But it sounded like she did pretty good work today, and she still went home. On top of that, she didn't turn on her partner, even though she clearly got kinda screwed. I'd like to see her do well in Last Chance Kitchen. Is this the first time someone has gotten sent home almost entirely for a teammate's contribution? I can't remember.
- Well, I guess there's still the elephant in the room. I generally took Beverly's side last week, though I could see Heather's point about how some of Beverly's tendencies could be justifiably annoying... but this week I really felt awful for her. It was hard to watch. Does anyone still feel like defending Heather's behavior?
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I agree that it was hard to watch how Heather was treating her. And I'm REALLY glad that the editors showed the reaction from other cheftestants to how Heather spoke to Beverly. I think Ty-Lor was the only person who seemed to stick up for Heather. Everyone else's grimaces or comments about her seem to indicate Heather is playing Mean Girl and no one is liking it.
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And it wasn't really a strong endorsement from Ty-Lor. I'm not at all comfortable with tossing out the racist term that's happening in other parts of this thread, but I'm getting pretty comfortable with calling her a bitch. I could even handle the ugliness during the cooking, trying to stand up for what she wanted the dish to be. We've seen chefs get nailed for not standing up for what they wanted the dish to be. But...back during the waiting, when she got all over Grayson "I know what the process is" and some other comments, I was done with her. Sure, she was stressed, thinking she was going home. But other people were in the same position.
And that was a very poorly worded paragraph. I need my coffee.
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"In fact, why are people still making risotto in Top Chef? Doesn't everyone know that's a no-win proposition by now?"
And with scallops, no less! :-)
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Now the question is.... is this Top Scallop? Top Risotto?
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Scallops does seem to be all over the place - yet again. Even in the LCK.
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Not surprising. Scallops cook quickly (important in a quickfire!) , are easy to plate, and are a fairly neutral protein that can be adapted to almost any flavor palette.
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And I do love me some scallops... and risotto. I would hate to judge bad ones
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When she said she was doing that, we all moaned, "No! Not scallops AND risotto!"
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It *is* odd that no one has used a sous vide bath yet. For that matter, I don't recall one being shown anywhere in the kitchens that I can recall.
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Now that you guys mention it..... Especially when temperature is so critical, and when the amount of protein needed was so large last week, why the heck HAVEN'T they done sous vide?? weird...
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Well, the Top Chef kitchen *is* at Le Cordon Bleu - would that be a standard piece of equipment in a teaching school? Or would they stick with the true fundamentals of cooking in their classes and leave sous vide for them to learn after the students graduate?
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huh.... good point. I would think that would be one of the techniques they would teach there, but seeing as how I was *supposed* to attend LCB but was unable due to health reasons..... I don't know. I get what you're saying though, since it is not a fundamental technique, they might leave it up to them to explore on their own or with future employment. I'd be curious to know, though
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Asked my wife about this after reading the comment this morning. She stated they do not have Sous Vide machines, etc at LCB, at least in Paris.
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Thank you for the info samlev :) good to know
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Good to know, samlev. So it looks like they're working with what they have at Le Cordon Bleu vs. having built a set on a sound stage with all the bells and whistles when it comes to kitchen equipment.
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I believe in the previous seasons where sous vide was used, one (or more) of the cheftestants brought the apparatus with them.
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Agree, early on I think Blais was allowed to bring in a portable unit. But in Season 7 and the All-Stars, I'm pretty sure an immersion circulator was made available for the cheftestants. Again, probably because it was a kitchen built specifically for them in a studio/warehouse.
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I seem to remember (perhaps back when LeeAnn was on staff and writing blogs) that TC accumulates new equipment each season. The season 1 kitchen was fairly rudimentary compared to later seasons. They don't seem to have much of a home base in Texas, though, given the road trip theme.
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I miss Lee Anne.
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see, i thought i remembered they got equipment like immersion circulators, and blast chillers... specifically at some point for the top chef kitchen. from what i understand the kitchen was set up by people who were more design team than pro chef background at first, and the contestants really couldn't do a lot of techniques (basic to complicated), basic problems w not enough fridge space etc, very limited ingredient pantry...until the outfit hired former pro chefs like lee anne to make it better/ more chef-friendly. i agree that when you are cooking in a restaurant kitchen you go w what equipment they have, and wouldn't think ics would be an obvious choice for the lonesome dove, etc.
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In season 3 (Hung) and 4 (Blais) that seemed to be the case. I got the impression from seasons 6, 7, and 8 that the equipment was readily available in the kitchens. Thus you had people who with little experience using the technique (Kevin Gillespie, Alex from season 7) experimenting with it.
In either case, and regardless of whether the culinary school kitchen comes with one (seriously, could American culinary school be more of a rip-off at this point?), the contestants would have the equipment to cook sous vide if the producers wanted them to have it.
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For this challenge they weren't cooking at Le Cordon Bleu, they were cooking at the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, and according to what they said the kitchen was very tiny and very hot. I'm guessing they don't have no truck with no fancy French cookin' techniques!
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True that. I had noted that in my OP and completely forgot with my comment to samlev.
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i was going to point that out - they've been cooking "on location" for nearly every EC. you can't assume you'll have access to an immersion circulator in someone's home kitchen, or at a rodeo, or at the Cattle Baron's Ball, or at a quinceanera, or at Tim Love's BBQ restaurant...
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Tom Colicchio is not a big fan of sous vide. Remember in TC5 when Carla did it in the finale? I also remember him saying that if you sous vide a piece of meat to medium rare and then brown it, it is going to go over, meaning it will be overcooked (referring to steak, I'm sure it works fine for a braise).
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That's not true. He's given a lot of praise to food cooked by Blais, Hung, the brothers Voltaggio - all of whom used the technique extensively.
Carla just didn't know how to use sous vide well (Casey, who advised her, probably didn't either)
BTW, there are ways to prevent a steak from going over med rare during browning. Carla just didn't rest the meat long enough before browning. There was also the issue that for Carla's particular dish (and especially for her style of cooking), sous vide probably wasn't necessary or particularly called for in the first place.
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Re-read my post. I was referring to sous vide steak, not all sous vide preparations. Tom did say that if you sous vide a steak to medium rare and then brown it, it is going to be over. That's a fact.
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Didn't realize you were just talking about steak (no offense, but it wasn't clear from your post). Sorry bout that. That said, I still am not so sure I agree. He disliked Carla's dish, but I can't recall hims saying anything to the effect of disliking sous vide steak as a whole. And he has definitely rewarded sous vide preparations of other tender cuts of red meat with EC wins.
"Tom did say that if you sous vide a steak to medium rare and then brown it, it is going to be over. That's a fact."
___________
Yeah, he did say that. But he either over-simplified (quite likely, given time constraints and editing)... or was just mistaken. Because it's not always true. A cook more experienced with sous vide than Carla would know how to adjust.
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I don't know if a sous vide machine has been available anyway so the point might be moot.
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True. That was my initial supposition.
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RE:Heather/Beverly I don't have too much experience with the show, and maybe it was the editing, but I'm not thinking bitch or bully as much as racist. Hate Asian much? I was expecting her to say "Oriental". Tell me I'm wrong.
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Seems like she certainly gave the editors plenty of material. Did you notice them show Paul and Ed's reactions to her fussing about "too Asian"?
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Hateful, whichever way. She definitely seems to think farm to table is FAR superior to Asian food. Isn't farm to table more about NOT cooking and letting the food speak for itself?
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Now that you mention it I think you have a point - a racist bully bitch. I hope there's a challenge where you have to use "Asian" ingredients like soy sauce and bok choy. Her head would explode. I'm curious as to who is going to put her in her place - someone has to. Of the women, Grayson seems most likely although Heather shot her down pretty quick last night during the voting scene. Moto Chris is bumming too hard and busy licking his wounds. Pretty Chris -doesn't seem to be his nature. Ty-Lor would be a likely candidate but he's good friends with her - maybe they're close enough that he'll approach it from the friend angle - could be interesting. To me, that leaves Ed who is obviously losing patience with Heather - I vote for him to blow up in Heather's face. There is an outside chance that Beverly will do it. I think that underneath the meek exterior lies one bad-ass gangster. It's all in the tattoos.o
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I liked Grayson a lot more after last night. I don't know that Heather is racist as much as she thinks so highly of herself that everything is inferior to what she does so that would include anything Asian. She's mean girl as an adult.
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I agree - it could be Grayson and/or Ed. They seemed the most ticked off last night at Heather. It won't be Ty-Lor (bobbert, you had noted Ed is Heather's friend, but I think you meant Ty-Lor).
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Thanks. Managed to edit just before the clock ran out.
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Yeah, I don't think we have any information *yet* to indicate racism, just all around ugliness. Doesn't mean race isn't an issue, just that it's not demonstrated.
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Where's Dave, "I'm not your bitch, bitch" when you need him?
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Oh, can you just IMAGINE Dave Martin going up against Heather? I'd pay to see that. ;-)
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LOL, someone remarked last week about Bev going all Marcel on Heather.
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Oh yeah, Paul. Where was he hiding out during this episode. I can't remember anything he did, only that he was cool and collective while Sarah was having a sausage melt down. I must say, Ty-lor and Chris Crary's QF dishes looked totally Top Chef worthy to me. Cross your fingers and hope.
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I'm about ready to jump aboard with that but, I would need further evidence exhibited against Paul and or Ed.
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moving on
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Really? You're throwing out the race card? I don't like Bev either - there's plenty not to like other than her race. And the only person that Heather does seem to hate on is Bev. If Heather's racist, she'd be all over Paul and Ed too. As for bully, how does Heather bully Bev? I don't see Heather going out of her way to antagonize Bev. Heather didn't jump for joy when she was paired with Bev. If Heather was a bully, she would've relished her opportunity to intimiate Bev. Instead, Heather really wanted nothing to do with Bev. Heather seems to think little of Bev and probably dislikes Bev as well. But the rest of the stuff is probably libelous.
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I don't agree with the race card, but how anyone could watch that episode and not come away with the impression that Heather tried to bully Bev is beyond me.
I'm always aware that this is edited and we see what the producers want us to see, but Heather showed enough that she made the producers job easy.
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I don't really see it as bullying. I see her as bitchy, certainly, but it didn't come across as bullying to me. I suppose, though, that none of us has really defined what we mean by bullying.
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Merriam Webster defintion:
1: to treat abusively
2: to affect by means of force or coercion
***
I don't think calling out Bev is abusive. I'm not sure how Heather otherwise abused Bev. There's no way you can compare someone disliking you to being in an abusive relationship. There certainly hasn't been any force or coercion.
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What Heather did last night wasn't "calling out" because Bev did nothing wrong. It was abusive, hostile, coercive, bossy in an attempt to make Bev go along with what Heather wanted to do.
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It was certainly bitchy and hostile, but I would not call it abusive, coercive, or threatening (my word, not yours, I realize). I think we've seen similar interactions every season, a loud mouth chef paired with a quiet mouth chef. I'm just not seeing the intimidation factor here.
I think to a certain extent we no longer see differences between being mean and bullying, between being mean/loud mouth/bitchy and being abusive. There are differences, hard to define, but there are differences.
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I'm not quite seeing it as abusive on Heather's part, although I understand that by Beverly relating that she had been in an abusive relationship in the past, it could be construed that way by some.
But I *do* disagree with you, debbiel, that it's not intimidation. In my mind, it most certainly is intimidation. When Heather tells (not asks - TELLS) Beverly she's not doing all Asian and the onions are staying is as that's part of her "rustic style" - that's intimidation by sheer force of her personality. There seemed to be no compromise, despite Heather saying there had to be.
And I agree with mcf that it was hostile, coercive, and bossy. Heather attempts to control all situations around her by sheer force.
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although i agree that heather is mean is nasty to beverly, i think that editing is still very much in play and it is obvious the elves are playing up this interpersonal conflict for all its worth. in particular the 'compromise" soundbite which iirc was spliced over cooking action footage, may have been lifted from a much more equitable conversation or from the planning discussion before they decided on what to ultimately do. we have no idea what came after the "we will have to compromise" statement-- but it could have gone along with bev responding-- "okay, you do your onions and the other garnish, and i want to do a five spice rub on the duck and be the one to cook the protein." which seems to have happened, and the judges disliked the disjointed nature of the plate and dinged the team for it. the mish-mash may not have worked, but the plate does seem to represent both of them.
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Fair enough. The voiceovers tend to get us viewers in trouble, don't they? :-)
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i don't like heather's personality either, just to be clear. i just don't think she deserves everything she's getting accused of. bev's best revenge would be to outlast her in the competition or win the ec where heather is sent home. i'm glad they both stayed for that reason, but i honestly hope they both go soon so we can just get back to the dang cooking.
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Agreed, soupkitten, except for, although the level of cooking this season so far doesn't make getting back to the dang cooking particularly appealing either.
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i like paul quite a bit and i'm interested to see more from ty and grayson... but yeah it's kind of a yawner of a season.
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Those are probably the three I'm most interested in seeing more from, too. I have some hope that there's some great cooking in there somewhere.
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Out of those that are left? Paul, Ed, Ty-Lor and Grayson are the ones I'm interested in seeing how they do. Oh, and Sarah Grueneberg. I'm waiting for her to hit something out of the park, based on her pedigree.
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Yeah, those are the last best hopes, but I really want to see Nyesha back... she's my favorite personality, anyway. And the word "delicious" seems to be used for her part of dishes. Even the losing one.
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I do agree with your choice of the above 5 and somehow wish I liked Lindsay more (maybe she's just too low key for me). I like Paul's cooking and his quiet, clear-headed nature, and think Ty-Lor shone this week after a bad few weeks when I thought he'd be gone. Ed, Grayson and Sarah have all cooked interesting dishes and behaved like grown-ups, which is always a pleasure. I must say I'll miss Dakota and Nyesha, both of whom I liked
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Paul will probably make some pretty good food this season. I think Edward has some interesting skills as well. Biggest loser Chris seems to have an interesting style, but it seems at times like a watered down version of previous contestants (
I keep wishing that Moto Chris will have an epiphany and use his skills and creativity for good instead of evil, but being objective, the jury is still out as to whether he is talented in the first place.
The other contestants, even those who are pretty skilled cooks (which is most of em, to be honest) just aren't up for pushing the envelope or being distinctive enough to make for good TV food. I guess I haven't gotten much of a feel for Ty or Grayson's cooking yet.
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Thank you. I tried typing something similar but gave up.
I also think that had Bev been paired with anyone else we still would've see that chef's dish without any Bev influence. She lacks conviction when stating her thoughts. She might be able to convince a mosquito to bite her.
Other thoughts:
Heather is a freight train heading for a wall.
I'm sad to see the word 'bitch' thrown around so liberally. Sure I swear but I keep the pejoratives to a minimum.
Edited to add - ignore that last sentence. I have called TV folks lots of not so nice things.
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The problem I see with this is that, when it comes to intimidation, size does matter. Heather is twice the size of Beverly. When someone that much bigger than you acts in a hostile or “bitchy” manner, it can be very intimidating. It would be difficult to visualize Beverly being able to intimidate Heather or Chuy intimidate Keith no matter their attitudes. Feeling intimidated is a natural response when dealing with a much larger person who is behaving like Heather. Keith could be that way (and probably was in his youth) but he’s a very disarming, gentle guy. Heather is probably used to throwing her weight around (pun intended) and getting her way. She probably sees it as just being assertive (and we know what kind of label “assertive” women get tagged with); possibly not realizing how intimidating her size might be to a rather petite woman. This will be my last attempt at amateur psychoanalysis.
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I think it can be intimidating if the person is physically towering over you but just saying mean things? It doesn't matter one bit to me how large the person is. A big person doesn't scare me more than a smaller one if they're using words. You forget that to a small person EVERYONE is bigger and you get used to it. A person who is 150 lbs is big, a person who is 250 lbs is big. You're all big.
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Can be, isn't always. I'm just saying that this does not mean Bev feels intimidated. She would perhaps only feel intimidated if she actually thought there was a chance of Heather hurting her. Without sensing that threat, some people will not feel intimidated. There are a lot of assumptions on this thread that actually paint Bev as meek, afraid, easily intimidated, etc. But we don't know that. Perhaps she's just got her own style of quietly ignoring Heather, while she preps her duck with five-spice rub.
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Really? I find it definitely abusive and bullying on the part of Heather T. Abuse, Force or Coercion does NOT have to be physical, which is what might be your frame of reference. It can most certainly be mental or psychological.
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I agree that abuse, and coercion can be psychological. Not sure force is anything but physical. Anyway, how did you perceive that Heather abused Bev or coerced Bev?
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Heather is a stupid cow who is the essense of the "mean girl" who preys on someone she perceives as weak.
It has been going on all season and was on vivid display last night.
She is a decidedly unlikable contestant.
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Heather treats Bev with a demeaning, derisive and dismissive attitude. That would certainly be intimidating to me. Especially in a contest setting where you are sticking yourself out there to be judged and rejected.
What ever label you want to apply to Heather's actions, bullying or abusive or coercive, it's just plain ugly and has no place in a professional setting. That kind of nasty sniping is for the internets.
jb
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"That kind of nasty sniping is for the internets." ha! :)
I agree that Heather is an unlikeable contestant. I think only Bev can say whether or not Heather's actions/words are intimidating. I typically don't find people who are demeaning, derisive, and dismissive to be intimidating, at least not at this point in my life. I do find them to be wholly unlikeable and pathetic. And like so many others, I hope Heather is gone soon.
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Through her belittling & steamrolling of BK's suggestions, her dismissal of and contemptuous waving-aside of BK's abilities and contributions [whatever they may be], her fixation on imposing her ideas and decisions on something that BK and her should be collaborating on, etc etc. It seems reminiscent of "Battered Husband" syndrome, with BK as the husband and NT as the wife, without any physical blows being laid on said husband.
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"Battered Husband" syndrome. This is what bothers me about this discussion. This assumption or speculation or implication that this is an abusive relationship. We see snippets of what happens in that kitchen and house. And like most of you, I sure don't think Heather is a nice person. But battered spouse syndrome, i.e., the effects of an abusive relationship, that's a serious deal. A very serious deal. And I'm sure as hell not comfortable pinning that term on something I see in a television show. Known to many people who were really there, been there myself, hate it being tossed around so casually. (and not claiming I have more cred on this than anyone else here--odds are I'm not the only one on this thread who has been there, done that--but this is why the discussion has so disturbed me).
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Through her belittling & steamrolling of BK's suggestions, her dismissal of and contemptuous waving-aside of BK's abilities and contributions [whatever they may be], her fixation on imposing her ideas and decisions on something that BK and her should be collaborating on, etc etc.
***
But the facts don't fit your assertion. They served a dish that was described as uncohesive. So Bev had her input, and Heather did as well. They simply didn't collaborate well but Heather didn't steamroll Bev. If she did, then the dish would've reflected everything that Heather wanted. BTW, here's another instance where Bev tried to do work in Asian ingredients.
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What's wrong with her wanting to use Asian ingredients? Considering Heather also insisted on doing her American farm-to-table thing. It seems both try to stick to their styles, but everyone's focusing on Beverly.
Side note: It's interesting that Bev wasn't the one who cried this time. It was what's-her-face, and she cried during the competition (unlike Bev).
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What's wrong with her wanting to use Asian ingredients?
***
Nothing other than it shows once again that all she does is Asian. Let's get to the merits though. One of the complaints about the duck is that the fat wasn't rendered off. I believe it was Bev who cooked those ducks. I think Heather is a bitch but there's truth in her complaints. And I don't know why some people are defending Bev as if she's just being maligned through no fault of her own.
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I thought it was Heather who cooked the ducks which made her complaints about Beverly even more irritating and ironic.
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I agree, thought she was the one who wanted to get them out too soon (or something that would lead to the duck complaint).
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Actually, as Heather says on the show, Beverly does "Asian fusion" -- which is a lot more complex and risky than traditional Asian.
It's Heather who is one-note and limited. Her website says she cooks "American Comfort Food". Needless to say, American food isn't the most challenging cuisine, much less the subset of American food that is "comfort food".
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Actually, as Heather says on the show, Beverly does "Asian fusion" -- which is a lot more complex and risky than traditional Asian.
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Bullshit. Every jackass can do Asian fusion - few people can cook truly good authentic Asian food.
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Every jackass can do Asian fusion
~~~~~~~~~~
clearly...
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8232...
;)
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What I'm saying is that all Heather wants to do is cook rustic American, yet you don't seem to take issue with that.
I don't think Bev is perfect - she was definitely rude in the meat counter incident, for one - but I don't see why her style of cooking is any less valid than the others'.
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OK, let's say instead that HT tried to steamroll BK. Happier?
I stand by what I say. It was to BK's credit that she managed to get some of herself onto the plate, but that does not negate what I said about how HT treated BK.
ETA: As for the "all she does is Asian" meme, I think what she (BK) does is more Asian fusion than simply "Asian". Didn't she also do something completely non-Asian-influenced in the cook-off in the chili episode? I might also murmur that, in general, calling a dish "Asian" simply because it has an "Asian" ingredient in it - regardless of anything else it may have or how it was cooked - is inaccurate and somewhat offensive. In general. Yes, in BK's case her "mix" is much more "Asian"-slanted - but one needs to be careful in how one labels stuff with "Asian" ingredients in it in a broader sense.
Note that I don't particularly like Beverly Kim either, based on what we see on the show. This subthread is, however, about how Heather Terhune is apparently behaving.
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Beverly works in a pan-Asian restaurant so cooking Asian would be her forte. If I recall, Ilan, who worked in a Spanish restaurant, brought mostly Spanish-style cooking to his season and won it. Some of us were less than impressed with Ilan for a variety of reasons, but cooking to one's strength is not a bad thing to do.
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I agree.
Ditto about Ilan Hall - yet no one particularly called out Ilan for "always cooking Spanish", not that I can remember anyway.
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Well, actually, I think a lot of people, including a competitor or two, called him out for that. Not defending Heather here at all, but I'm not sure Ilan is a good line of argument to use for this.
Cook what you want to cook, either get sent home or not. It's a stupid thing for competitors to be complaining about.
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I do recall some comments about that, but not this kind of vitriol.
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@debbieI & mcf:
Ah, OK thanks. (about comments about Ilan Hall)
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I thought about going back to some season 2 clips to see just how much heat he took for always cooking Spanish. Then I thought, "ew. I don't want to watch Ilan"
:)
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Ditto about Ilan Hall - yet no one particularly called out Ilan for "always cooking Spanish", not that I can remember anyway.
***
Ilan is usually mentioned as the least deserving winner because all he does is Spanish. He was called out plenty.
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He was also called out for essentially reproducing the menu from the restaurant where he worked.
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Yeah, everyone cooks to their strengths or they go home. Hung did quite a bit of Asian influences. Carla was always down-homey (until she tried sous vide and went packing). Did Fabio cook anything not Italian? (oh yeah, a burger - how'd that work out?). Some of the chefs are more well rounded and like cream, they tend to float to the top. This season is shaping up to be no different - they're playing to their strengths. Beverly's is Pan-Asian. Heather's is bitchy farm-to-table. Moto Chris is bizarre over taste. At some point they have to cook outside of their comfort zone and that's when they get weeded out. The ones who can do more than one thing well become Top Chef... usually.
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Nyesha was the one I was considering since day one as a potential favorite, and I'm so sorry she went out... I liked Dakota, too.
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My opinion of Dakota was on the rise before last night but it jumped dramatically at JT when she tried to jump in and help Bev with the constant bitching from Shrek aka Heather.
Also, did anyone else notice Tom ask Bev a direct question last night at JT, Bev start to answer and then get run over by Heather?
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Yes, I noted that in my OP that Heather interrupted Beverly (and not the first time!). I do wish Beverly had interrupted HER and said "Chef asked ME the question - may I please answer it myself?"
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Sorry Linda, missed that in my quick skim of your very succinct write up of the show last night.
Personally, I wish that the judges had broken the "rules" as they have several times before and sent Dakota (who I like but she royal screwed up the venison) and Heather home. Unfortunately, Heather would have learned nothing and we would have to continue to see her on LCK.
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"In fact, why are people still making risotto in Top Chef? Doesn't everyone know that's a no-win proposition by now?"
__________
Antonia broke that curse last season on the huddled masses episode where she won the EC with a dish that included risotto.
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they could not be cooked sous vide because there are not immersion circulators and chamber vacs in the kitchen they are cooking in. I seriously doubt tim love cooks meat sous vide.
Sarah has a really good point if you look at who her mentor is and where she learned to cook risotto. In real in Italy risotto is cook much firmer than a south chef like Tim Love has probably even eaten on regular basis. And a risotto method and style is like BBQ style, you don't mess with the tradition you have been taught.
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I don't know Tim Love particularly, but I'll take your word for it. My point was more so that we're 7 episodes in and I can't recall seeing sous vide being used once this season. Striking, considering that it had been generally used more and more each season until this one.
And anyway, as I said elsewhere in this thread, if the producers wanted the contestants to have access to sous vide equipment, they would have it. It's more or less portable. I'm wondering if the producers decided that their average audience member would rather see techniques that are more familiar to em. Or else realized that having everything cooked sous vide makes it harder to sell Top Chef cookbooks.
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I agree that they aren't probably using it because they don't have access to one or the producers aren't bringing them. Maybe because it has been used so much and they feel like it's a quick fix method to getting meat cooked evenly and to the right temp. But I think it also does fit in with the myth of Texas cooking that they are trying to push almost every episode.
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Good point about it not quite fitting in with the Texas theme. They seem like they may be pushing the regional cooking harder and more consistently this season than they have in seasons past.
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Besides Eater there's a Houston Paper (Blog?) doing really funny recaps - lots of Texas stuff in there, including how ridiculously overboard they're going with all the Texas stereotypes. The first one had a picture of Dolly Parton at the top, the most recent article had a drawing of Padma in buckskin as Pocahantas (in reference to the "fake Indian" choker she was wearing). If no one else knows what I'm talking about, I'll try to find it again. I originally got the site from here, I think. The author's a true Texan (I think she said 5th generation or something like that) and her Texas pride is wounded!
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It was linked towards the bottom of the thread, KGirl:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8232...
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Thanks, Linda. I was just starting my morning off with reading what had been posted overnight.
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They are likely pushing the Texas theme harder because the Magical Elves received $400,000 from the Texas department of tourism to do Top Chef in Texas.
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Is there anything about this show that isn't a product placement? Toyota. GE. Hefty. The entire state of Texas.
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Is Toyota a sponsor this season? I hadn't noticed. ;) (Really, the toyota stuff makes the gladware stuff from seasons past look subtle)
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It makes for a quality drinking game, though.
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no, not really. I think next season each chef should wear an apron with a sponsor's logo and instead of using their name, they can just be chef hefty or chef GE
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Ooooh! LIke Nascar. They can thank their sponsors when they get to judges table. LOL
"I'd like to thank La Choy, Chef Boyardee and Campbells for their support."
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um...it does cost money to produce television shows.
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Yes, and I have no problem with sponsorship. I just hate the stiltedness of the "ads" on Top Chef. "Wow! Look how big the cargo space is! We could fit the entire calf in there!...." Or something like that. It just comes off as silly.
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I think Biggest Loser is much worse. The gum spots are comedy gold.
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+1
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Isn't that what the actual commercials are for? Do we really need product placement as well?
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Bravo makes money on the commercials. The Magical Elves make money on the product placement.
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Actually, there's product placement on just about every TV show and movie, just not as overt.
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Since VCRs and now TiVo and DVRs, people fast forward through commercials. In order to get people to watch the commercial, they do more overt product placement now. As soon as I see the box of oatmeal on the counter or the Jennie-0 ground turkey on Biggest Loser, I FF.
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I also wonder if that wasn't a lead question, as in the interviewer asked if Tony were wrong in how he makes risotto, since he mentored her, and she replied she wasn't going to change how she made it. The statement that stood alone sounded a little odd by itself to me.
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I'm mulling over the thought of not setting foot in Sable Kitchen & Bar again until there is a change in a certain staff position.
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That was my very thought. It's a place for a great drink and what I had considered pretty good bar food, but I don't want to go there again - ever - now It's ironic that a Top Chef appearance can really promote a restaurant, but in this case Heather has totally had the opposite effect for me with Sable.
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Exactly, see my comment about her damaging her brand.
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I wonder if she had *any* forethought as to how her actions on the show would draw (or not) customers into her restaurant. I doubt it. She just seems like one of those chefs who say "it's my way or the highway - I don't care what the customers think!"
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chris jones: you are a first-class doofus. what the hell, dude. why are you still here?
other chris: you are creepy, and i never thought i'd say this but. . . i'd eat your foam. ew.
grayson: you *would* be from wisconsin, crazy drunk girl! i like you.
dakota: wearing nail polish in the kitchen, really? you are dead to me.
ty: nearly redeemed yourself with the thousand-watt smile after winning the qf.
bev: bring the tissues, she's got issues. hope she has a better day and doesn't have to share a bathroom with heather.
heather: you half-shrek megabitch, you! ...still, that detail about you having to help bev w the shrimp was a juicy bit. wonder if you just shucked and deveined the last hundred or so, or whether you were the one to actually poach them "perfectly." shut up, though. really.
they either picked chefs completely devoid of personality to appear as guest judges, or picked the 19 seconds of film where nobody was showing their personality in the least. oh wait, anita lo was permitted to speak half of a sentence after eating the squab, and one or two others may have grunted once or twice, or started to say something before the scene cut to the stew room. i wish they would have scorecards or something when they have good chefs tasting the food, but the editors axe the relevant content in favor of splicing snipe-y soundbites together for the sake of the interpersonal drama between the contestants.
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Best description of Heather, ever!
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OMG, what a great summary!
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LOL! You crack me up, soupkitten! Perfect comments about all!
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Stop Shrek!
That is too priceless. One interesting point is she doesn't seem to be aware that she is tarnishing her reputaion and possible ruining her career with this kind of behavior. It speaks to one huge ego that can do no wrong.
jb
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"...and she tells Beverly that she doesn't want to make sure the dish isn't too Asian, as that's not her style."
--------
Hm, I think you mean "...that she wants to make sure the dish isn't too Asian..."
psst...Anita Lo's restaurant is Annisa, not Anissa.
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After yesterday's episode I felt compelled to look up her restaurant. Surprisingly, she's got some Asian menu items! Crispy lentil cake with coconut curry broth. South indian vegetable curry. Soy orange glazed quail with bok choy and crispy rice cake. Ahi tuna with soba noodles, asian slaw, peanut dressing, crispy wontons. Crisp pork belly banh mi.
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Which further raises the question about whether she had a problem with Asian food ... or Asian people. It doesn't prove anything, but it does point in some direction.
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I assume you are referring to the restaurant where Heather works, not Annisa?
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Yup -- I responded to the wrong post.
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Whoa. Very interesting, Miss Needle! I agree with chicgail, it does seem to point in a certain direction - and it's not the Asian food direction. Disappointing.
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Anyone who throws out the race card without proof is pretty despicable. And I've seen no proof that Heather is in any way a racist.
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The expression "throw out race card" is overwhelmingly used by Caucasians and implies that racism a) does not exist or b) is no longer a problem and c) is thus used as a tool or weapon by minorities.
While Heather may not have screamed "I hate Asians". Her constant riding of Beverly about cooking "Asian", using "Asian" ingredients, not wanting her own dish to be "Asian", hints at a strong undercurrent of racism. Just because she has not bullied Ed or Paul does not mean she is not racist. Bev is weak and bullies target the weak. Ed does not strike me as a person that Heather would mess with, nor Paul. It's interesting that Heather was quick to take Ed's recipe for cake, use it twice, without so much as acknowledgment to him. So much for wanting to produce "her own food".
As an aside, Asian cuisine is the only style of cooking that has been derided on TC. We have not had deprecation of chefs cooking all Italian, all French or all Latin. Angelo Sosa was deprecated for always cooking Asian. It's such a strange and hostile juxtaposition when it's only a problem to consistently cook with an Asian style.
Furthermore, even if Heather is not racist, she is abusive. Her hostile glares and eye-rolls at Bev are uncalled for, unprofessional and emotionally belligerent. Just because she doesn't walk up to Bev and cut her doesn't mean her words and body language is not abusive. Constantly interrupting another person, belittling their ideas, talking over them, condescending tones are all forms of emotional abuse. Or perhaps you believe that emotional abuse is a figment like racism.
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TC2, Ilan Hall was derided by his own cheftestants that he mostly cooked Spanish-centric dishes.
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Actually he was derided for his frequent use of saffron. Angelo and Bev are not being derided for using an ingredient, they are being derided for a panoply of wide-ranging flavors falling under the category of Asian.
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To be fair, he not only cooked a lot of Spanish style dishes; he lifted many of his dishes more specifically from Casa Mono, where he was a line cook. Also, I don't remember for certain, but did any of the contestants beside Marcel deride Ilan for only cooking Spanish? I mean, Marcel did have some fairly legitimate reasons to take pot shots at Ilan, but I'm not sure that anyone else really called him on it.
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That's what I was going to reply to Pookipichu - He pretty much cribbed the menu of the Spanish restaurant at which he had worked. Not all had saffron. As for whether others called him on it; can't recall. But I do recall there being comments here on CH about it.
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He was called out for his love of saffron. No one explicitly said, Ilan's always cooking Spanish.
More than that, what is unspoken is how strange it is to single out Asian cuisine when "Asian" occupies so many different styles, flavors and countries.
There has been NO analogous comment. Meaning no one has said, "He always cooks European".
Chinese, Japanese are major developed cuisines, along with Thai, Indian. The flavors and cuisine of Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines have distinct elements and styles. Many of the spices and ingredients in Western cooking have Asian origins and have been co-opted. Tomatoes are not even indigenous to Europe but can you imagine Italian cuisine without tomatoes?
Frankly the good natured ribbing of Fabio (which I knew someone would mention) is not the same as saying someone is cooking too much "Asian".
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Heather, whom I despise, seems to use the term "Asian" to describe any cooking that uses shoyu. It would seem that both her experience and palate are undereducated. While I cook primarily Japanese food in the Asian spectrum, one has only to look at China or India to figure out that different areas cook completely different flavors. These differences should be celebrated! I love eating foods from different areas of the same country. Even in Japan food from Hokkaido is so different from that of Kyoto/Kansai/Osaka/Tokyo (Honshu), Kyushu, or Okinawa. When you run into countries as vast as China or India, look out! You're in for quite a ride! :-)
The Top Chef finale (?) when they had to cook Singapore street food was, I think, quite an education for many - including the chefs. The TCM with that Chinese chef (I forget everyone's name after a season, Lee?) was tons of fun. He was so confident, and his flavors so pleasing to all the tasters, that I had to think "Those people need to come to Hawaii to taste the flavors of the Pacific Rim, including Asia and Polynesia." We cook that stuff at home, just not as well. Unfortunately, most people, especially those in middle America, don't have the money, inclination, or opportunity to travel to places in Asia where their palates can be educated and expanded. Look in any mainstream cookbook for Hawaiian dishes and it will include pineapple chunks (something we almost never use) and all Asian (usually called "Oriental") foods are predominated by "soy sauce."
I hope we're getting past that. Mexican food has gone beyond Taco Hell in most places. Now it's time for Asian and Pacific cookery to take a stand. People will be amazed at how delicious the world can be!
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Susur Lee the name you're after? One of our favorite restaurants is Hakka style, a whole new experience for us and also the only place that will serve us food as spicy as they eat it, not having found an upper limit for us yet. My earlier point fits here; if I didn't live in metro NY or a similarly diverse area, I might never have found this food, which also led to a new bit of info about migration, local customs and the blending of traditions.
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That's the guy! He was amazing! I wish I could eat his food.
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I know, right? A lot of chefs seem awed by him.
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in the social sciences, the western ethnocentrism that lumps together all the cultures east of the Suez is called "orientalism" (E.Said). undereducated as you put it, or on another level, a degree of self-awareness is requisite to understand the Other.
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I know, the old "Orient" vs. "Occident" split. Self awareness is required to get over the self centeredness of those old schools of thought in social sciences. It hasn't been taught that way for decades, though. I think with Heather it is a lot more than a lack of formal education, it is more pure selfishness with probably a degree of racism thrown in. Perhaps her disdain is reserved for women and/or Koreans, thus letting the male Asian chefs off the hook or at least off her radar.
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Or, as I suspect, her disdain may come from dislike of a competitor in real life at home as well on TC. I think Heather may want to stir the whole drink or be the show.
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In which case she should be resentful of Sarah Grueneberg too...? It could be said that HT's past experience is wider than that of SG ("Look at all those famous places I've (HT) worked at!!") - yet it is SG who is EC at a famous higher-ranked "stand-alone" restaurant, where the POTUS often dines when back in Chicago; while she (HT) only puts out bar food for a restaurant in a chain hotel, and one where the bar is the more noted part... ;-)
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She may find it more tolerable to defer to someone who's not also a bar with food competitor mere blocks away. And who has higher prestige/training/status than HT does. Someone maybe worth knowing vs. someone who's competing on your turf and getting good press for it.
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Heh.
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Kailua Girl - I was with you right up until . . . .
"Unfortunately, most people, especially those in middle America, don't have the money, inclination, or opportunity to travel to places in Asia where their palates can be educated and expanded."
Especially those in middle america? seriously? putting out a thread about how horrible it is to over generalize a large geographic area and the diversity within and then including the same gross overgeneralization, just about a different area is something you should step back and think about.
Said the poster from Ohio, who does travel, who has been to Asia, and Polynesia and who has the money and inclination and opportunity to have an educated and expanded palate.
Let's not forget that Alinea and Next - two of the most innovative and progressive restaurant/food experiences one can have in the US (whether you like them or not is a different argument) are in Chicago - smack dab in the middle of this horrible uneducated, poor, untraveled place you call the midwest.
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Would it be over generalizing to think only the folks IN middle America can afford to travel to places in Asia? Not only can't I seem to afford it, I also can't seem to take the time off.....I DO tell myself at least I don't have to fly East first ( I am in N. Cal), like I would if I was interested in going to Europe.
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Still, it can be argued that Chicago is not entirely representative or typical of all of the Mid-West. :-)
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That's for sure! Chicago has such a huge food scene, from neighborhood BBQ places to fine dining and reflecting the cuisines of the world.
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I don't think that "mid-west" is different from "east" or "west"; rather there are towns and regions where people *tend* to have grown up there, gone to local college, and stayed there as an adult. Often (not always) those people are more set in their ways than people who've moved around, lived cross-country, traveled out of country, etc., who are more open to new ideas. Heck in my suburban NY town there are parts of the town where kids are going to the same high school that their parents went to (with the same teachers :)), and other parts where many people lived 3,000 miles away before moving here (like me). For sure I developed my eclectic food interests in part from my lengthy stay in California.
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Don't forget Malaysian, Singaporean & Nyonya cuisine as well. "Straits Chinese" cuisine. Indonesian and Malay cuisines are also not the same. Just additional stuff to think about. :-)
Then there's Persian, Afghani, Turkish, Mongolian, Siberian, Uzbek cuisines etc etc etc (and even Bukharan Jewish cuisine within Uzbek cuisine) under the umbrella of "Asian" cuisines. ;-)
As for Italian cuisine, the use of tomatoes does still define what is commonly regarded as "Italian" cooking in places like the USA in a broad sense - but even here that is changing. Let's remember that Northern Italian cuisine seldom uses tomatoes, if at all...
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You remember saffron; I remember "Spanish food". And a few others do as well. We'll just have to agree to disagree. I'm not going back to look for various recaps.
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debbieI and Worldwide Diner above claimed that lots of people specifically criticized Ilan Hall for cooking Spanish food... (and faulted me for not having the recollection that he was particularly called out for it).....
So, was he or was he not *particularly* (and repeatedly) called out for it?
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I'm not sure I "faulted" you for it; I disagreed with you. I'm not going to go back and look at episodes (as I said upfront...who wants to watch that season again); it's just my recollection.
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OK, thanks.
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"So, was he or was he not *particularly* (and repeatedly) called out for it?"
_____________
I don't remember super clearly. From what I remember, Marcel called him on it. The judges mentioned it, but seemed to decide it didn't matter. I don't remember the other contestants calling him on it. I do remember that Sam chose to work with Marcel in the finale because Ilan always cooks the same thing and he thought he might learn something working with Marcel. It didn't come off as much of a slam against Ilan though.
I'm sure lots of people commenting online criticized Ilan for it during his season and afterward. I wasn't really commenting or reading back then.
Tony Bourdain mentioned it in a column. It might have been his blog for bravo - sorry I don't remember. He said something to the effect of, "I don't mind a less talented but more savvy cook who knows his limitations winning Top Chef by reproducing dishes of the chef[s] he's worked for. That's the game." That was a very loose quote, but I think it got the gist right.
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I recall that he was repeatedly called out for defaulting to Spanish food, and the types of dishes he was already used to cooking.
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It seems like Fabio (was that his name? I'm tired...) was also called out for cooking Italian.
Racism remains a problem in this country, one we should be ashamed of. But that doesn't mean that Heather is a racist.
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Her actions and words don't necessarily make her a racist, nor do they help to prove otherwise. At best she is a bully and that's not something to aspire to.
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I guess I think her behavior and words stink badly enough without calling her a racist in the absence of evidence of that. She may or may not be, but deriding folks for cooking one particular style is a time honored diss, kind of like dissing Marcel for always using foams. Heather sucks, she's a low down, mean, rude, vicious, rotten bitch except for when she's faking sweetness with a big, phony smile for a judge (remember how gooey sweet she was when Tom approached her setting up plates?).
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We have not had deprecation of chefs cooking all Italian, all French or all Latin.
~~~~~~~~~
three words: Fabio and Italian.
fellow chefs and viewers also harped on Brian Malarkey's and Jen Carroll's reliance on seafood...and of course there was Jamie Lauren and those darned scallops ;)
and feel free to correct me if i'm wrong, but i honestly don't recall any of the chefs relying solely on Latin or French flavors.
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"As an aside, Asian cuisine is the only style of cooking that has been derided on TC. We have not had deprecation of chefs cooking all Italian, all French or all Latin. Angelo Sosa was deprecated for always cooking Asian. It's such a strange and hostile juxtaposition when it's only a problem to consistently cook with an Asian style."
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I tend to agree. I might soften your wording a bit (such as amending the "absoluteness" of the phrasing) but it has seemed that "Asian" cooking constantly gets dissed on TC over the many seasons - not by everyone there, of course, but frequently enough that it sticks in one's mind.
The lack of discernment between the many varied cuisines of Asia, and the unfortunate use of the term "Asian" as a catchall for broad swaths of the continent of Asia - depending on which part of the West you live in (USA vs UK, for example) always gets my goat too (but that is another subtopic that I have gone on about at length elsewhere).
I shall fall over in shock the day some folks on TC are openly faulted by someone for always cooking European, or for always cooking American!
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Exactly, as I replied to a previous poster, in the minds of some people, Asia is one blob of sameness. People I come across in everyday life have little to no concept of regional differences in Chinese cuisine let alone understanding of Asian cuisine.
Perhaps my post comes across a bit strident, but this double standard has irritated me for a while now and it reached a boiling point when I was reading this thread.
When someone is openly faulted for always cooking European, that this is Top Chef "Amerika", I will be mollified. Long live Freedom fries and Freedom kisses.
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Maybe you've come across a lot of folks who are not fortunate enough to be well traveled, nor to live near very varied ethnic cuisines, or with limited experiences for other reasons. That doesn't mean they're racist or narrow minded necessarily, just not well versed in at least some cases.
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...and in the UK the chances are good that if someone says so-and-so is always cooking "Asian" it is meant as 'always cooking "Indian" food' - i.e. food from the Indian subcontinent. Disregarding all the regional differences there too, of course.
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In the US it is the opposite when someone says they are always cooking Asian it usually means any part other than food for the India subcontinent. But I agree with huiray and pookipichu, I hate how often they use Asian as if it one style of food or ingredients instead of a least dozen different cuisine with some many sub cuisines depending on what part of the country the cuisine comes from.
I think there is also this idea on TC and with some food people that Asian food is easy to make will French and Italian take fine techinique but what that really show is how uneducated the judges and chefs are about authentic good food from different Asian countries and cultures.
And no I don't think it's fine to just say oh well they may not have travelled or been exposed to it. Lots of people in the US know what classic french Provincial or Napoli food is without going to the south of France or Naples so why then shouldn't they know the basic difference between different Asian cuisines and how they taste?
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I agree with you.
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Intentions matter when considering attitudes vs. just not knowing.
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"In the US it is the opposite when someone says they are always cooking Asian it usually means any part other than food for the India subcontinent."
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Hmm, I thought the frequent (mis)usage of "Asian" in the USA was as a term that referred primarily to East Asia - omitting Western, Central and Northern Asia as well, not just South Asia/the Indian subcontinent. Even SE Asia, which is distinct in its cuisines and cultures, is often an afterthought in the use of the term, and when queried one hears back something like "Oh, that's what I also include...".
I've always thought that it would be so much better, if one *had* to use a catchall term, to say "East Asian" or "SE Asian" or "E/SE Asian". Asia is such a big place.
But otherwise, yes, I agree.
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that's really bizarre, particularly in light of her comment last night that her style is "rustic American farm to table." whatever. she sucks.
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Damn - looked it up online as well (Annisa) and I guess I glanced too quickly. And thanks for the other correction. Will ask the Mods for a fix. :-)
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Another interesting thing about Heather Terhune's apparent dislike for "Asian" cooking that is seen on the show as presented: the brief scenes shown of her rolling her eyes when Beverly described her dish (which used green tea) in the QF; *and* her look of disgust when Ed Lee described his QF dish (which used baby bok choy).
Funnily enough, there is nothing shown of her reaction to Ty-Lor Boring's dish ("Steamed Clams in Thai Style Fish Caramel Sauce") which was a riff on a Thai curry. Maybe she and Ty-Lor B. are such friends that she overlooks his "Asian cooking"? :-)
Did we see Paul Qui's QF dish being presented? ("Fried Chicken, Yellow Curry, Watermelon and Fish Sauce") Certainly I don't remember any reaction from her (Heather T's) to it being shown. Heh.
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I thought her reaction to Ed's dish was weird, too. I thought it was maybe because they both used mango.
While we're enumerating Heather's bitchy moments, let's not forget her implying that the reason she was in the bottom was because the others saw her as a threat because she won the previous challenge, and the way she snapped at Grayson about "I understand the process."
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...then there was also her "Are you boys afraid of us?" sneer at the remaining male cheftestants on the balcony of the apartment after Chuy Valencia's elimination.
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I was only enumerating her bitchy moments in this episode! :-)
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But I don't think anyone has mentioned the non-apology in the stew room, where Heather said something like "Bev, I'm sorry if you feel hurt, but I was only telling the truth" (only she said it in a way that made it even more of a non-apology).
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It was a worse non apology than that. I think she said "I'm sorry if you *think* I hurt your feelings..." or something more like that. Sorry my ass.
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Yeah, that sounds right. Beverly only *thinks* her feelings were hurt.
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"While we're enumerating Heather's bitchy moments, let's not forget her implying that the reason she was in the bottom was because the others saw her as a threat because she won the previous challenge..."
Probably because that's what she would do when given to opportunity to send someone home who had placed first in a previous episode.
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And I don't think the other chefs are particularly intimidated by Heather winning a challenge WITH A CAKE.
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Yeah makes you wonder if it's her dislike for "asian" cooking or whether it's a dislike for Asians in general...
Heather is a bully/bitch with a loud mouth but not the skills to back it up Funny how she disliked Ed's dish but was eager enough to take his cake recipe. At the same time, I find Beverly equally annoying because she just sits there like a doormat and takes it. This isn't high school. If you can't even stand up for yourself and have to let another cheftestant fight your battles (I do applaud Grayson though for taking on Heather) then you have no business being on Top Chef.
I really felt bad for Nyesha - she got sent home for someone else's mistake! It's not fair to blame her for not checking on Dakota. They are all supposed to be experienced chefs and the challenge was a team/partner challenge, so why should Nyesha have to check up on Dakota as if Dakota was her sous chef? If anything it is even more Dakota's fault for not letting Nyesha know she needed help with the protein.
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Beverly tried to stand up for herself over the shrimp at judges' table. But it wasn't her "battle" in the sense that there wasn't anything at stake. That's what's so bizarre -- there was no reason for Heather to go off on her at judges' table, since either neither of them were being eliminated or both of them were. Getting into a "she said-she said" argument with Heather wasn't going to benefit anyone.
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And I think that is why Tom sat up and took notice - he most definitely was surprised at Heather calling Beverly out for the PREVIOUS challenge's dish!
And this is why I think Heather is one of those "my way or the highway" people. It's all black and white with her - and SHE is always right. There is no compromise with her - even though that's what she told Beverly they would have to do with their shared dish.
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Wow Linda, that's a lot of typing tonight! Drama takes up a lot of words...
Does anyone remember what Ty-Lor won with in the quickfire? I'm really starting to like that guy. Made-up name or not.
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See my post above yours. :-)
It was "Steamed Clams in Thai Style Fish Caramel Sauce". The photos of the dishes on this episode are up on the Bravo website.
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oh yes! thanks huiray.
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Tyler (can we just spell it that way from now on?) seems like a genuinely friendly and talented guy. Which makes me wonder how he can be friends with the beast... Is she just acting this way for the cameras? Perhaps in real life she's the sweetest person ever.
On second thought... Not a chance.
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She probably is OK to work for. In her kitchen, she's the boss and, in any kitchen, no one questions the executive chef. That's what she used to but this is a different animal where they're all equal and she can't cope with it in a mature manner. If Heather makes it to restaurant wars I got money says she is the exec in of one of the teams. She couldn't NOT be. Her ego wouldn't allow anything else. Any takers?
One thing on Beverly. When she told Sarah it's OK to cry - NO, it isn't.
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Why isn't it okay to cry? Some people need to vent their emotion, somehow, after a stressful event. I see nothing wrong with it as long as it happens AFTER the cooking/service/whatever, so that it doesn't get in the way.
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There just seems to be too much of it this season. I don't recall this much crying in previous seasons. As Nyesha said " there's no crying in cooking". I will note that as much as Heather beats her up, Beverly has never cried in those instances. She seems to have put Heather in a nice place internally and really isn't wasting too much emotionally on her. Probably less than we are - good for her.
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As far as crying goes, I cry more when really angry than when sad. Or I guess I should say I'm less able to control my crying when mad. When really sad I can wait until I'm alone and then vent.
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"Tyler (can we just spell it that way from now on?) "
Why? That's not how it's spelled. I wondered about the freindship too? She seems so unlikable and he seems down to earth and level headed.
jb
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I'm really sad that Nyesha left because she'd done well in the rest of the challenge. I think she showed herself as a true professional w/out getting all Heather at her partner. I also felt bad for Grayson because of the sweet potatoes thing (not to Chris--cigar went wrong, sweet potato loops went wrong? Time to move on and just cook) and would have hated to see them go. I hated to see either of those teams go. But, while I really wanted to see Heather leave, I didn't want her to leave and blame Bev, and jealousy from the other chefs. as the only reason and be full of herself. I want to see her fail miserably in front of Tom and other judges she respects for food she thinks is good and then be sent packing and told she deserved it. Schadenfreude at its best.
I need to go see how they managed LCK now.
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"I want to see her fail miserably in front of Tom and other judges she respects for food she thinks is good and then be sent packing and told she deserved it. Schadenfreude at its best."
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BINGO. And I'm truly hoping karma comes back and bites Heather in the ass. Big-time.
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Did you notice her reaction to being in the bottom of the quickfire. She clearly was incredulous that someone could not like HER dish.
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I *know*. Her ego does remind of Marcel's. His response in the confessional to being in a bottom group was always something along the lines of "That judge just doesn't know good food / molecular gastronomy / their ass from a hole in the ground. Whatever." Funny Marcel - that judge is a Michelin-starred chef, and you are??? I get the same vibe from Heather. Yet again - she's right, everyone else is wrong.
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I think you're putting words in Heather's mouth. I don't think Heather has criticized any of the judges (IIRC). It was Sarah who doesn't believe her risotto can suck.
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Ummm...I was talking about Marcel. And yes, you're right - Sarah was in the bottom group. Didn't go back to look to see if what Ruth had noted was correct.
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Both Sarah Grueneberg and Heather Terhune were in the bottom of the QF and what Ruth Lafler said IS correct. Tim Love DID call Heather T.'s attempt at a dish something like a special at a chain restaurant, as you correctly recapped in your OP.
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Ahh, thanks. Too tired at work to go hunting for what I thought I had remembered. I think WWD was perhaps referring to just the EC vs. the QF, which is why I responded the way I did.
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...It's called Narcissism, and sadly it exists in the kitchen as well as elsewhere.
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Yep! Schadenfreude is great and karma's a bitch. I can't wait to see Heather get her comeuppance.
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I remember that other hideous bitch from a few seasons back --Lisa was it? I can't remember her name, but she was profoundly unpleasant. She scowled and was just a miserable person who somehow managed to make it to the finals. Let's hope the same thing doesn't occur with Heather. But here's the thing I wonder: how does someone who is that unpleasant manage to work a fairly serious job in a fairly senior position?
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"But here's the thing I wonder: how does someone who is that unpleasant manage to work a fairly serious job in a fairly senior position?"
Heather clearly has talent. Furthermore, my guess is she works much better in a chain of command situation. She probably busted her butt when she was a kitchen peon (probably why Bev's slow shrimp prep pissed her off so much) and as she worked her way up the chain, she took direction from those above and directed those below. There is no chain here, and she's forced to work as equals with people she has no control over, and no boss she can complain to when they don't pull their weight (in her eyes). And as an obvious delusional control freak, she can't handle that at all.
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Clearly Heather knows who she can get away with bullying and who she has to suck up to. I think she's probably a very good manipulator when it suits her purposes. Also, being in a senior position means others have to listen to her and do as she wishes/demands. On Top Chef she's amongst equals, at least in theory, and can't pull rank.
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Lisa Fernandez. Who thinks she came in second to Stephanie Izard, when she was really third to Richard Blais, who was second.
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She thinks that because Richard said that he choked, unless of course the producers told him to say that.
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Oh...she was a scowler and on the unpleasant side but nothing compared to Heather.
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I say throw 'em both in a cage and let them go at each other in a death match. :-)
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I think viewers appreciate having a villain such as Marcel, Lisa, and to a lesser extent Mike Isabella. I don't the same vibe about Geather. As someone else noted she seems to be atracking a defenseless puppy and it is just uncomfortable to watch.
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Why does she think she was second? We know she came in third. Boy, she was an angry person.
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Oh, I recall interviews with her (I think maybe an audio one here on CHOW?) where she insisted that based on the dishes that were chosen to win each course, she came in second.
Even though Tom's blog specifically said that Blais came in second. She was an angry person. I just Googled her; can't find anything on her since her season (which I think was in 2008?)
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Damn, that was a lot to keep track of. I thought it was a crazy ass challenge with way too many things thrown into the mix. All the guest chefs (they love bringing back the Top Chef Masters don't they?), cooking in the little sweltering kitchen, and having to judge each others' dishes. And 30 min to both taste the tequila and cook the dish? I guess most of them knew which one they'd use in advance.
Like everyone else, I now can't stand Heather and her giant flabby face (well the giant face hasn't been a favorite since day 1). She was abominable last nite and I disagree that Beverly wasn't standing up for herself. I think she was just trying to keep things on an even keel and make the dish work, knowing the big bully could go off on her at any moment. Heather's constant comments about not wanting to be too Asian have become ridiculous and/or racist.
I really like Grayson now and wish she'd gotten into more with fat ass. I really thought there'd be a blowout with a few other chefs telling Heather to chill but it never materialized.
Not sure why Dakota has those X's on her hand since she certainly seemed to enjoy her taste of tequila and made some mention as if she drinks regularly. I felt bad for her knowing she brought down Nyesha with her. Sorry that both of them left but am glad to see if Heather can possibly redeem herself. Or if I can hate her even more.
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I was hoping for a Stew Room blowout as well, Joanie. Thought it might go further with Grayson (or even having Ed step into the fray) but I guess they're just waiting. Unless Heather goes home due to poor cooking, I can't see how a blowout *can't* happen sooner or later.
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Ah, you also noticed what I thought were straight-edge X's. I haven't seen anyone with those on their hands since high school. And back then it was marker. Can't believe someone would get those permanently inked on. Really not a good look. Especially once you become mature enough to realize that a few drinks now and again won't kill you. Which apparently Dakota has realized. Odd...
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Wait, those X's are tattooed? I didn't know that, I assumed they were markers. Wow, that's dumb. "Straight edge til 21", right?
Off topic (but slightly related to former TC bitches), I had lunch at Tiffani Faison's new BBQ restaurant in Boston yesterday and the pork belly sandwich was amazing. I realized after eating half at lunch and half for dinner that it was too rich and my heart felt like it was gonna break down, but damn that was tasty. And Michael Schlow was hanging out at the bar.
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Hm, you didn't think they were tattooed? I assumed they had to be, since they're always there. What kind of idiot would draw X's on her hands each morning while preparing to go on a TV show..? (Perhaps I've just answered my own question!)
Thanks for the tip on Sweet Cheeks. I'll hopefully get a chance to check it out soon. Well-made pork belly is definitely one of the best things in the world as far as I'm concerned. I'm going to one of Schlow's places tonight, Tico. Way too small a culinary world here in Boston sometimes.
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Perhaps I am woefully out of date with modern culture, but what do those X tats mean? And who has them? Everyone seems to have tats of one sort.
Sweet cheeks seems a tad spendy, if youask me. And had lunch at Tico about an hour ago.
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Any recommendations for Tico? (Just waiting for mods to sweep in and rip this over to the Boston board, but I'm a live-on-the-edge type!)
The X tats (or marker lines) mean "straight edge." And it's not a new thing -- from the late '70s per Wikipedia, although I knew some self-describing straight edge kids when I was in high school in the early '90s. I was actually surprised to see that Dakota had them -- I thought the "movement" (if you could call it that) was completely dead.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight...
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Thank you. I am so out of touch.
Once a nerd, always a nerd :/
And I stopped reading when they got to Ted Nugent.
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Tacos. Spendy but good.
Straight edge ? Hmmmmmm ... I guess going to high school in Iowa shields you from such things. Or did. TNX
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Oh straight edge is/was pretty much everywhere. Utah had a big scene (not surprisingly I guess), Boston, DC, Buffalo. I'll play you some sXe bands if you listen to my little radio show next Thurs., haha. Big in the 80's then late 90's, not so prevalent lately. This was a big one in the late 90's, you can add it to your phone!
http://www.lyricstime.com/ten-yard-fi...
Back on topic, sXe is sure tough when you're a chef, both to cook the food and the lifestyle. I'm gonna have to research Dakota and her X's.
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So, proving that I have too much spare time on my hands, I just looked at every image I could find of the X -- there's only one, on her left hand -- and it seems to be drawn exactly the same way every time. So I'm going with tat.
One humorous thing I found was a straight edge message board where they were talking about her. They were pissed to see her cooking with beer in one of the previous episodes :-)
Will try to check out your radio show next week!
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She also drank the tequila last night and made a comment or too that made it sound like it wasn't the first time.
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On last night's episode, she was drinking something (in the stew room, maybe? or maybe just in the kitchen after they had served) that sure looked like a beer bottle, but not one I recognized.
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Well, tattoos are "forever". I reckon there are many people who were straight edge once upon a time and are no longer.
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Just listen to the song "Straight Edge" from Minor Threat. Pretty much defines the movement :)
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At our household, we've figured they were tats and not applied. Considering that she doesn't appear to be sXe it'd be silly for her to be applying it daily.
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It'd be even sillier for her to have it tattooed on her hand when she's not actually straight edge
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Unless of course she had it tattooed on her hand when she *was* sXe. Who knows, maybe she's moved on but still views it as an important part of her life. *shrug*
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Maybe she has moved on but can't afford to have the tats removed. Regardless, I agree with jgg that it looks silly, and it's on such an obvious body part.
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Yes!! I happened to be looking at my twitter feed when Dakota's response to someone asking her about the X on her hand popped up. She said it's a pair of swords. So apparently NOT a straight edge X. Huh.
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Well, I have to give her credit for making up a fairly-decent story to cover the fact that she was stupid enough to have an X tattooed on her hand.... Because that's not a pair of swords. Here's a closeup.:
http://eater.com/uploads/straightedge...
Do you see anything that looks like handles, blades, or, erm... swords? I just see two black lines :-)
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Actually, yeah, if I look closely enough. Now I'm not taking her story at face value, but about 1/3 of the way down on both lines, there is a horizontal line such as that of a guard on the grip (can't think of the real name) on a sword.
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No way.
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Cross guard? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sword_parts.svg
Tsuba? http://www.realarmorofgod.com/japanes...
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I was just excited to see her say something about it, when it had gotten quite a few comments on it here. I have no idea if they are really swords, or if they are an X, I was just putting it up here as an FYI. I think it could go either way, personally
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Looks like two Sharpie marks to me.
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question: why does everyone care so much? it's got nothing to do with the show or her cooking.
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Well it's more interesting than debating whether Heather looks like Shrek.
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I didn't even notice those cross-marks on her hands. I see them in that pic dsp posted but don't have any mental recollection of them from viewing all the episodes.
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It's just odd if she was straight edge and as I said, the chef business isn't something conducive to being straight edge. Just another trivial thing to yammer on about.
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I was wondering when Tiffani's restaurant was going to open - thanks for the info, Joanie!
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Considering that she has both arms and her chest tattooed, I think it's fair to assume the ink on the hands is permanent as well.
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Took me a while to catch up thanks to Comcast my cable box declared itself illegal and shut down half way through and not for the first time. ( I could go on a rant about how crappy Comcast is and the imbeciles that work there but I won't) Eventually the box felt better about itself and resumed playing I did get caught up.
Didn't like the team elimination concept. It contradicts that mantra they keep saying that 'it's all about the food. Nyesha by all accounts cook brilliantly and got eliminated because Dakota under cooked the meat. At JT Nyesha was lectured about not checking on Dakota. Granted that's part of a chefs job but this contest is about the food to paraphrase Big Tom its Top Chef not Top Supervisor.
And Heather has some serious underlying issues with Beverly there's more there than cleaning shrimp.
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I didn't like the team elimination challenge, too. It makes no sense because it's a fluke who goes home in that case. The only lesson learned is be careful who you stand next to (or be aware when the producers tell you to stand in a certain way).
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It seems they did draw knives:
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-9/photos/show-shots/game-on#image-108776
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/seaso...
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Hmmm. They didn't show that part on TV. I was wondering why Bev and Heather, given the animosity, were standing next to each other.
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Right - they did *not* show that on the broadcasted episode. They really should have. It would have stopped fevered discussion on the tragedies of standing next to someone you did not want to have anything to do with, or the nefariousness of the producers/film crew to purposely make certain people stand next to each other, etc etc. But then TPTB *would* have stopped such speculations as have already been engaged in and that would detract from the draaahmaaah that they seem to want. OTOH, they missed being able to broadcast shots of the LOOKS on Beverly Kim's and Heather Terhune's faces when the second one between the two drew the "matching" knife. Heh.
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Exactly! Those looks must have been classic. I can see Bev with "horror" written all over her face while Heather has a Snidely Whiplash, twirl-the-ends-of-your-mustache sneer. Probably not that dramatic on Heather, but I'll bet her expression revealed something about the match.
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Snidely Whiplash...Heee!!!!
Although it might have been just as probable that she would have had an eye-rolling* ear-steam-emitting eye-dagger-shooting** LOOK on her face. :-)
* so far back that all you saw were the whites of her eyes
** breaking everything in the path of its gaze
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Does that mean Beverly is Nell Fenwick and Heather ties her to the train tracks?
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That's what I was thinking - absent the blond curls.... :-)
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Heather is a total bitch.
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That was the last thing I said to DH before we went to bed. He couldn't believe I was still thinking about it!
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I'd literally flush Heather down the toilet if I could, but I don't have one that big.
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... nor would you want to dirty up your toilet like that.
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Has there ever been a TC episode with such a theme (Heather is a big head biatch)
previously?
Just unbelievable that she kept talking about the previous episode at JT.
Heather is irreparably damaging her brand.
Bev showed that she was the bigger Chef. I now forgive her previous emotional outbursts. However, not the me 1st at the meat counter.
Nyesha was my early pick and I was sad to see her go not on her own accord.
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Marcel was a real d-bag. I'd love to see a reunion show where they stick both of them on the same team. It would be all out war...
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<"Marcel was a real d-bag. I'd love to see a reunion show where they stick both of them on the same team. It would be all out war...">
No contest. Heather would be rendered helpless once Marcel started flashing his gang signz and busting out his mad rhyming skilz.
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see the thing with Marcel is he was aware he wasn't being nice, he didn't say mean things and then claim he was doing to help someone else be a "real chef" or just being "honest". Heather really seems to believe herself when she says that the dish failed because Bev wouldn't let make the dish she wanted and that her belief that Bev is a "bad chef" is a fact. Marcel was arrogant about his own skill level and mean but Heather seems almost delusional in her beliefs.
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This is an excellent point--I don't think Heather sees herself at all as she appears. If she were asked, under a lie detector whether she was helpful, she probably would say yes and pass.
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This may all be true but there is just no way that Heather could ever outrap Marcel, much less outdance him in battle.
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but damn would it be hilarious to see that battle!!!
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Stephanie Faison was the Big Meanie in her season. She learned from it. Don't see Heather getting there, though.
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Tiffani Faison. Stephanie Izard was an absolute sweetheart in her season. :-) But yes, I agree - I *liked* Tiffani F. in the All-Stars - she grew up and out of her Mean Girl status. I don't see Heather doing that either.
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Yes, I felt a brain misfire, but didn't catch it. Thanks.
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I hate those misfires. You *know* you're writing something incorrect but you can't figure out what it is. Freakin' stinks getting old(er). :-)
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My synapses aren't getting any spunkier, that's fer sher.
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I have to admit I was on Team Heather before the season even started as she went to HIgh School in Maryville, MO, with a bunch of my close friends. It didn't even bother me that she wa bossy as I come from a long line of bossy Italian women (especially in the kitchen - where we can wield a mean spoon). However, after last night....I can no longer defend her.
That being said....I find the comments about her size/weight to be equally as mean-spirited.
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I do have to agree with Mushroom on the name calling about Heather. Yeah, I think 99.9% of us can agree she's definitely been a bitch. But there have been other large chefs, both male and female, and the comments haven't been as mean-spirited. Especially if they do well in the challenges.
So maybe we can just call Heather a bitch and leave out the big-head, fat, etc. comments? I think "bitch" takes care of most of our feelings about her, yes? ;-)
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agreed. i've always said, fat is the last thing people still feel they can make fun of without being un-p.c.
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I agree. I have mentioned Heather's size before, but only in the context that she uses her physical presence to intimidate the much-smaller Bev (IMHO). The phrase "throw her weight around" seems apropos!
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But how has she used her size in that way? I'm just not recalling an instance where I feel she used her physical presence in such a way (mind you, I don't always watch carefully).
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It's more subtle than that. Heather reminds me of a guy I know (whom I eventually banned from my house for verbally bullying another guest -- a man in his 80s!). It's not always deliberate physical intimidation on their part, but when a much larger person with a loud voice is acting angry/aggressive towards you, it feels physically threatening, intentional or not.
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I'm not saying whether or not Heather is intentionally or not. I'm saying that Bev may or may not feel intimidated. Not everyone feels intimidated when a larger person speaks meanly or bitchily or aggressively toward them.
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I agree. I've said this above. Being 5'0", everyone is taller than me. Honestly, it's inconsequential whether the person is 5'8" or 6'5"; 150 or 250 lbs--they're all big and tower over me. If I were intimidated by people much larger than me, I'd be afraid of most of the world. I think people are extrapolating how they feel about much bigger people because they see both smaller and larger people. Other than kids, I'm just used to it. It's the world. My co-workers and I were at a hotel once where the NY Knicks were staying. Some of them commented about the size of them and how overwhelming it was. I noticed they were tall but it never seemed overwhelming or anything like that.
If they're physically aggressive, that's a different matter. But, Heather hasn't been physically confrontational, nor tried to stare her down from a standing position that I saw.
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People of a larger size *can* be intimidating by looming over others who are smaller, debbie. Their voices are often deeper, louder, etc. It all combines into something that *can* be intimidating to some.
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I recognize that. I don't think I said that this couldn't be the case. I'm suggesting it is not always the case. We're all guessing what Bev's psychological response may be, but we don't know. She may be internally rolling her eyes at Heather thinking, "Bitch, I've seen so much worse. Now I'm gonna just quietly make my food."
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i mean, yes, it does not need to be said that heather is physically a big person. but bev is not teeny-tiny petite. she is approx the same size as the other female contestants and some of the males. look at when all of the chefs are lined up... after the elimination when she is giving hugs to nyesha, they are about the same height. bev is just a few inches shorter than dakota and heather, she is probably taller than chuy and richie. we need one of those wall height charts they put by the door of the ghetto liquor store or gas station so the clerk can tell the cops the approx height of the robber! but i think folks are looking at bev's body language or some interesting camera angles and thinking she is physically much smaller/shorter than she really is, maybe?
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It is quite possible, soupkitten, that Bev's body language does give an impression of being physically smaller. And perhaps her slight build adds to that impression - especially when standing next to Heather.
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FWIW, the difference was *very* noticeable and strikingly apparent in some shots of the two of them from behind, pushing their cart side-by-side when they were shopping in WF.
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I noticed that particular shot as well. Very deliberate and IMO was meant to compare the size difference between the two. Heather in those jeans... I woke up several times in the middle of the night in a cold sweat... but I digress. Aside from highlighting their size difference that scene also had the feel of a mother/daughter shopping. Heather pushing the cart taking one big step to Beverly's three. Beverly asking continually "how about" this food or that food while mom says "no" or maybe just a little of this or a touch of that. Maybe I'm seeing too much in what was probably less than 10 seconds of video but maybe there's an editor out there who is feeling good that someone noticed his work.
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Heh, I forgot about this until just now...
http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com/2011/...
:-D
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BINGO.
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Agreed and thank you - it's mean.
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You're right, no need to be size-ist. Can we still call her ugly, or is that look-ist?
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How about her expressions make her ugly? I think that's the case. I agree about making fun of her size.
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How about her behavior is ugly and leave off the irrelevent and unkind appearance insults? Her behavior is bad enough, right?
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Yeah, ugly is as ugly does. I think her expressions make her look unpleasant, though. Scowling, eye rolling and all are physically demonstrated and, as such, makes one ugly. Just as a genuine smile can make someone look nice. Anything that is out of your immediate control is irrelevant.
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I've used forms of "ugly" to describe her behavior repeatedly here, because it is that... there's no way you can edit those words and expressions into a person's mouth and demeanor. I just hate to see the schoolyard taunts about size and appearance. And she gives us *so* much other ugliness to work with.
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How about her expressions make her ugly? I think that's the case.
~~~~~~~~~
i was reading through some of Max Silvestri's Twitter comments, and this one just seems so appropriate here:
"You know when you see a stranger about to sneeze, and you wait for it, but it doesn't come, then you realize that's just their face?"
ha!
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LOL... we have a different way of describing it around here... looking as if someone just farted nearby
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::::giggling:::::
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He's a riot.
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Heather reminds me of Tiffany (the red head, can't remember what season she was from). I think working in a professional kitchen is tough and not everyone adapts to it the same way. Really working in any creative environment and putting yourself out there to be judged is rough, especially when you feel your vision isn't being appreciated (I don't mean judged in the show's sense, just judged as in critics, diners, co-workers, owners, clients, etc.)
I remember seeing some reunion show and Tiffany was trying to change her ways and felt the show was a wake up call of sorts (who knows how successful she was but at least she got some perspective). Hopefully Heather will see the show and be able to take away a similar lesson.
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Can someone please remind me where Shrek's restaurant is so I can avoid it at all costs?
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Hopefully Heather will move on to a new place to vent because I think Bev's cooking is getting overshadowed by all the drama. She seems to have a very delicate and refined touch in the kitchen and I'm hoping we can see what she can come up with when there isn't a lunatic breathing down her neck.
Too bad for Nyesha but despite last night's blunder I think Dakota is the bigger loss. It seems they had to eliminate them because it was a wild game challenge but the steak challenge last week didn't prevent them from giving the win to the person who made a cake. They also seemed to find the venison more rare at judges table than when they were eating it. The way I remember it they commented it was a little too rare but they were eating it.
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quick, edit that to take out LCK spoiler....
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Yes, I think it would be appreciated if that edit happened, californiabeerandpizza. Hopefully you'll see kubasd's and my posts and remove that part. jcattles is going to start a new thread about LCK where spoilers *can* be revealed there so those who haven't watched LCK yet don't have it spoiled for them here. Thx.
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It's called Sable and it's in the Hotel Palomar in Chicago. In many ways its an upscale lounge with outstanding drinks and very good bar food. Some people like it as a restaurant, but I am not among them. I've been there a couple of times, but after this show I can't imagine even considering going back.
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Good grief, I know exactly where that is! Has someone alerted Rick Bayless that there is a crazy Honey Badger only blocks away?
Sadly, after reviewing her bio, I realized that I have probably eaten her food in DC. I put extra into the Salvation Army bucket to make up for that.
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It's interesting because people said that about Mike Isabella, too, when he came off as arrogant and sexist but his restaurants are packed. Maybe they're right that any publicity is good publicity. I'd still avoid Heather and Mike's restaurants.
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Mike was certainly a doofus, but he never came off as nasty and mean-spirited as Heather. He also put up a good showing in the finals, which helped his image. I suspect Heather is actually doing harm to her career, but time will tell.
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I probably despise Spike more than any other Top Chef contestant but people still go to his restaurant. The other person I detested was Lisa from the same seasons. Not sure how her restaurant is doing.
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Right now, I'm not sure that any contestant in Top Chef history has come off quite as badly as Heather is right now.
There was Ken from season 1, but he was only on one episode. Stephen and Tiffany from season 1 both had their moments, but they also both softened and apologized and came off well enough as a result.
Some of the season 2 jerkwads might give her a run for her money. Hard to say.
Since then, plenty of people have had their detractors, but has anyone been so universally condemned? The problem with Heather isn't just her attitude - it's that her attitude is directed at someone who just cries and looks miserable but refuses to bite back. It's like going on TV and beating a puppy that peed on your rug.
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Observation. G. Zakarian seems like a nice enough guy on TV but he's being sued (or was sued) for all kinds of misdeeds, including not paying full wages. G. Zakarian's solution was to declare bankruptcy, IIRC. People who watch the Next Iron Chef doesn't seem to care one bit about his "issues." Yet people are jumping down Heather's throat because she has a personal conflict with Bev.
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True. That's because people have a visceral reaction to seeing nasty behavior that they don't have to reading about it. You can get away with all kinds of shit if you're pleasant in person and on camera
Personally, I still see Zakarian as a stick-in-the-mud Simon Cowell wannabe without the charisma. Not heinous, but not my cup of tea either (and I do respect that the man can cook, at least). But as you pointed out, he doesn't make me angry in the same way that seeing Heather bully Beverly did.
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If he were found guilty, I'd think Zakarian is a jerk, too. But, lawsuits don't automatically mean guilt. People w/ deep pocketbooks are sued all the time. I don't like him anyway. I'm rooting for Falkner. Does that make you happy? I'm anti Heather and anti Geoffrey.
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"If he were found guilty, I'd think Zakarian is a jerk, too."
__________
I believe he's being sued, not charged with a crime. Which in all likelihood means this will be settled for an undisclosed payment, and we'll never hear the truth of the matter.
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Lidia Bastianich is also in the middle of a lawsuit. Mario Batali, Todd English, Gordon Ramsay, Tyler Florence & Jean-Georges Vongerichten have been sued in recent years for various business-related practices/issues. and of course there was the scandal over Robert Irvine's fudged resume...yet people still eat at their restaurants, watch their shows, and root for them in competitions. because perhaps with the exception of GR, we don't watch footage of them acting like complete a-holes to people who don't deserve it.
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That's the problem. We continue to support business owners that allegedly mistreat their employees, so they can continue to exploit those people, simply because they don't appear to be assholes on TV. That kind of exploitation is much worse than any "bullying" Heather can dish out to Bev on Top Chef. Knowing what I know of Zakarian, I hope he doesn't win NIC and I won't support his restaurants. On the other hand, I couldn't care less how bitchy Heather is to Bev. As far as I'm concerned, that's an issue between the two of them.
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i hope you realize i was actually *supporting* your comments with my earlier post...of course i'm not so much in agreement with your statements this time around, but so be it ;)
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I went and read about what Zakarian is being sued over. If true I'd never eat in his restaurant nor root for him in any way.
jb
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People will still eat at Heather's restaurant if it's good. Not enough people watch the show, and not enough people care. What she's hurting with her behavior, it seems, is her ability to parlay TC success into greater professional success. But even that is subject to change. After season 1, Tiffani surely wasn't a sympathetic character, and her opening a restaurant would not have gotten a positive (if any) mention. But after reflection and visible on-screen change, we're able to not only recognize her skill in the kitchen but also her worth as a person, and she has parlayed all of that into publicity for her restaurant.
Jury is still WAY out on whether Heather can do the same.
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And there are a ton of people on her twitter feed supporting her and saying she's getting a bad edit. Maybe true, but as has been said before you can't edit what you dont do.
jb
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Are we watching the same show. Zakarian comes off as an arrogant prick on the NIC and he is well known in the NYC restaurant scene for being a total douche as a boss and business partner. This isn't the first time he has had legal problems or had to close restaurants. And it is disgusting that he is on NIC. It's because of his issues and the fact that word is faulkner is shutting down her places cause she is moving to NYC that I still have sliver of hope Zaharian wouldn't win NIC.
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Is he an ass? He reached over & kissed the top of Alex's head when they were on the way out. It looked like the gesture of an guy who was comfortable being affectionate and supportive. It kind of changed my impression of him. Maybe people think he's a douche because of his wooden, twitchy demeanor.
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I think he is douche because he doesn't pay his employees, his business partners and is an old school "yell at them to get things done in the kitchen" chef. I could give a crap about his demeanor. I think he does have a great culinary skill as far technique and he has a good if traditional palate.
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I agree that Mike isn't nearly as bad as Heather. At the same time, there was an interview w/ Mike in the Washington Post, post Top Chef and a lot of viewers posted they would never go to his restaurant. But, it's a big world of eaters out there and some are turned on by notoriety.
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Plus, despite our misgivings here about Mike's douchiness, his fellow contestants really, really liked him, for the most part. Not the case with Heather.
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True dat, about Mike Isabella's fellow chefs liking him. For the record, I was sort-of defending him on these TC threads during last season and didn't really find him douchey.
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Yeah, I remember that. I forgive you. :-)
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:::::Snort::::: funny!
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So kind.
I also forgive you for hating on him.
:-)
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According to the production blog, one of the women (Dakota?) said Heather was the most obnoxious person she'd ever met (and that was before this week's episode).
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I'm just wondering why none of the chefs are using meat thermometers? I mean really it's such a simple too l& can prevent over or under cooking the proteins. I haven't seen anyone use them.
I pretty much stayed out of the whole Beverly/Heather thing last week. This week though...Heather was clearly in full on bitch mode. It's obvious she hates Beverly. Honestly I didn't watch the show very closely last night, I'm kinda bored with this season. I thought I heard at one point that Bev & Heather's dish had some Asian flavors in it. If it did, then does that mean Beverly had some say in the dish and the editors chose to focus on Heather's nastiness instead?
I'm off to read Tom's blog.
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Linda, do you mind if I post your LCK recap on a new thread that we can comment on without spoiling it for others on this thread? Maybe we can just keep it going on the same thread for the rest of the season?
Personally, I wouldn't mind commenting on it on the episode threads but I understand not everyone watches it right away.
Edited: Nevermind!!! I just saw someone else started a thread. We'll go from there. Thanks!
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Go right ahead, jcattles! And please linky-link the new thread here for those who want to read it/participate in it.
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Note to all - the LCK remainder-of-the-season-long thread is here, started by JohnE last night:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/823158
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For those of you who'd like to read about & discuss the Last Chance Kitchen episodes. Warning, there are spoilers on this thread.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8231...
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i'd been hoping the LA girls would go far in this competition, so i was NOT happy with last night's outcome. watching Dakota try to finish those *whole* venison racks on the stove was making me crazy - the smart thing would have been for her to grab Nyesha for help, cut them into chops, and then the two of them could have given the single chops a quick sear. far more effective.
it sucks they got axed for a dish that earned raves from the judges for taste.
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Didn't they discuss that option, GHG? Then it didn't happen. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw those racks sitting in tyhe pan.
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but i don't recall hearing either of them say specifically that they would sear the individual chops. i just *assumed* they would, because it's the logical choice! i don't know WTF Dakota was thinking.
i just watched the episode of Chef Hunter with Nyesha, and now i'm even more bummed that she got PYKAG'd last night. i REALLY like her.
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I believe Dakota suggested it as a possible fix, pretty sure I heard that.
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I thought Nyesha suggested searing and I was surprised they didn't. It looked like they were going to. Maybe they seared but didn't cut first?
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Maybe they seared but didn't cut first?
~~~~~~~
right, the point is that she tossed the *whole* uncut racks into a pan on the stove, when what they needed to do was slice them into chops and get the heat directly on those blue centers.
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I could have *sworn* that's what Dakota said they were going to do, so when the entire rack went into the pan, I was a bit stunned.
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Yes, that's what I believe I heard, something along the lines of "we can cut them and sear them individually" or something...
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I'm not a big meat person but what about a slice and a quick broil on both sides? I think time got the better of them.
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Heather would never make it on Chef Hunter. I've seen four episodes, and they picked the person who got along best with the kitchen staff every time.
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that was the first episode of Chef Hunter i've had a chance to watch. did you just spoil the others i have waiting for me on the DVR? ;)
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I can't remember who competed but Carlos was instrumental in who was picked for Les Halles. It's good to see he's doing so well.
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Same here. I was shocked as in jaw dropping when Padma said please pack your knives ... I expected her to say Nyesha and Dakota - drum roll- you are safe and get rid of either of the other duo's. Am waiting to read Tom's blog.
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Last week I gave Heather the benefit of the doubt because I agreed that Beverly was taking too long with the shrimp. I also thought that someone needed to take control of that dinner and she and Lindsay did just that (although Lindsay seemed to skate on firing the steaks too early). After this episode, I do hope Heather either goes home soon or that the other chefs gang up on her just for entertainment's sake (how's that for childish?).
I don't think Heather is racist, but she does wish to be in complete control. Guess what Heather? That's not how Top Chef works. Heather said she would be fine with getting sent home for a dish that she made and that she does not wish to be sent packing because of what another chef does, or something to that effect. Guess what again Heather? That's not how Top Chef works. If you wanted to be in complete control you should not have entered this competition and stayed in Chicago making bar food.
I would not mind seeing Ugly Chris get the PPYKAG soon. His hair and his molecular crap are just too annoying. What were the 'chains' he was going to make with the sweet potatoes? Was that supposed to be something where he carves out a couple of links of sweet potato and the result is they are still attached? If so, how did he think he was going to have enough time to do that?
I suppose to the women viewers Chris Crary was a little offensive in his comments in earlier episodes. I think he just has a weird sense of humor and he responded to the producers when they asked him to make comments about Padma and John Besh. He seems to have recovered from the cupcake debacle.
I think if I had to choose a favorite at this point in the competition it would have to be Paul. He was pretty quiet last night, but he seems pretty solid.
One final thought...I am a little older than most of the Top Chef contestants. How common is it for twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings to have a lot of tattoos? The sleeve thing is a little weird to me. I see some people with the barbed wire tattoo on their bicep and it looks so '90s and dated. What's going to happen if the whole tattoo craze dies down? What are these tattoos going to look like 30 years from now?
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About that 'chain' thing Chris Jones was trying to make - maybe this...? (see) http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8232...
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that's exactly it. it was on the Moto menu many years ago when I went. Pretty standard sweet potato "chain" fries.
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Her Twitter feed is interesting ... a testimony to lack of self-awarness.
Heather Terhune I don't.... RT @BravoTopChef: Do you agree with @nyeshajoyce? Was @heatherterhune too harsh on @chefbeverlykim?
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Wow. Just plain wow. Completely clueless.
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That doesn't surprise me. I've worked with plenty of people with her attitude. Whenever they were called out on it, they had absolutely NO IDEA why.
There's also what's called "lack of personal filter" where one automatically spits out whatever pops into one's mind at any given moment.
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What's the url for it?
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https://twitter.com/#!/heatherterhune
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Thanks. I saw it further below also. :-)
Interesting read.
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as a non-tweeter, can you translate this for me?
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yeah, on her twitter feed she keeps saying that she was just stating her opinion and standing up for herself, that she wasn't being mean at all. Lots of people are backing her up too, sad.
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She probably deletes the ones who attack her.
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Well, well, well. Just for the hell of it I took a look today - and her tweets are now "protected". Only "confirmed followers" have access. I wonder why.
:-)
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Somehow I don't think this whole TC thing is turning out as she'd planned.
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I hate it when that happens.
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Ruins yer whole day.
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interesting comments from her and her followers/friends in her Twitter feed. link for anyone who's interested:
https://twitter.com/#!/heatherterhune
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there's now a poll going on the TC home page where you can vote for Team Heather or Team Beverly...
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef
surprisingly Heather has managed to hold onto 40% of the vote so far.
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Of course she has. She's got all her minions voting.
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I wouldn't vote for either one of them. I find Beverly at least 80% as annoying as Heather.
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i totally agree!
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I somewhat agree altho Beverly was pretty sympathetic in this episode I think. I'd rather vote for team someone else (Grayson? not sure who). I do find it odd that people can still think Heather isn't an ass after this episode. I thought she was brusque before but "telling it like it is". This time she was just obnoxious and overbearing. I glanced at her sycophants on Twitter, not sure how she can garner so much support.
Can't wait to read the Eater and other recaps.
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I'm surprised that there are people who think Heather's actions are acceptable, too. Even if you think Bev is terrible, her whole behavior at JT was awful. She could not believe she could make a bad dish.
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I have a feeling, being the veteran of reality tv that I am, or maybe I'm just tainted from The Fleismeister (The Bachelor), that we are being set up for a revelation about Heather. We have Heather who is a meanie to Bev and then we get the revelation about Bev's past abuse. I think Heather is getting the evil edit now and will slowly get edited differently over time.
Any time a show goes out of their way to play up a specific dynamic one way, it always seems to swing 180 degrees by the end of the season.
<----needs to read more books
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Kind of like Sue Sylvester on Glee with her baby sister? Maybe Heather secretly funds an orphanage in China or something like that? It will take a biggie to turn around Heather.
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Well, I don't remember that 180 degree edit for Ilan, Marcel, or Hosea. They remained dinks to the end. :-)
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Yeah, no love for them then or now, even.
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Wow, you guys won't let it go? And we're complaining about Heather bringing up something from just the previous episode. I never understood what was so horrible about Hosea other than his goofy interactions with Leah.
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With Hosea, I think part of the issue is people haven't quite forgiven him for winning over several chefs who were more talented that season. People already disliked him because of the Leah thing and general lack of charisma. A lot of people disliked Hung and M. Voltaggio as well (I actually liked both of them just fine, personally), but I think people at least understood that they were great cooks who earned the title. Hosea sticks out because on top of being disliked, people feel like he didn't earn the title. That's not really his fault, but that doesn't stop people from feeling that way.
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i wonder if "people feel like he didn't earn the title" combined with the vast number of posts devoted to the integrity of tom colicchio and the judging system qualifies as irony.
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You're right. If the fix was in, not only would Fabio have been in the finals, he would have won.
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You're misreading me. I'm not saying people felt that there was any fix or that Hosea won by cheating or by rigging things. I'm saying that people thought he got lucky; that he did just barely well enough to get into the finale and then won by default when his competitors both had a bad day.
I personally don't bear any major grudge against Hosea. Just explaining my impressions of why many people do. But I don't think he was the most talented chef his season, or even in the top 3.
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I liked Hosea just fine. I don't believe he was necessarily less talented either. He did last out until the finale and then was smart enough to not make a dessert.
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I don't hate on Hosea either. But come on - there's no way that dude was as talented as Stefan. He was a seafood chef who screwed up most of the seafood challenges that came his way. Carla and Fabio consistently outperformed him in challenges, and I'd argue that even Jeff and Jaime were more impressive.
Props to him for playing the game well though.
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I'd have to go back and watch that season or at least read the recaps to make any arguments about it and I don't care that much. I usually trust the judges, Hosea made it to the end and he had at least one better dish than did Stefan. Stefan did grow on me but during the season I did not like his arrogance so i did get caught up a bit in hoping the American chef beat the Euro-bros who frequently kissed each other. (I understand it's a cultural thing, the arrogance got to me. I like Stefan towards the end and I liked it when he called Marcel a twat). I won't say that Fabio is a better chef than is Hosea. I've seen him cook a lot since then and if it isn't gnocci or at least Italian he is somewhat lost. The hamburger challenge in TC 8 proved that when he made meatloaf instead of hamburgers.
Oh, and we all know the best chef does not always win. Heck, I would rather eat Kevin Gillespie's food or Bryan Voltaggio's food over Michael Voltaggio's any day.
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"I won't say that Fabio is a better chef than is Hosea. I've seen him cook a lot since then and if it isn't gnocci or at least Italian he is somewhat lost."
_______
At least he does what he does well. Hosea kept losing fish cooking challenges.
"Oh, and we all know the best chef does not always win. Heck, I would rather eat Kevin Gillespie's food or Bryan Voltaggio's food over Michael Voltaggio's any day"
_______
I'm not really talking about personal preference (I personally was most impressed with M. Voltaggio's food). The thing about those three is they were running neck and neck all season, and any of them seemed more than worthy of the title. Hosea limped through his season, but someone always managed to do a little worse than he did. He got lucky is all.
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i wonder if this is just massive rationalization. you could spin anything this way: "the other competitors just managed to do a little worse than usain bolt did in the final of the 100 meters."
i think you'll find in all competitions, someone does worse than someone else.
i'm not interested in debating hosea. i just find it fascinating the judges are full of integrity and pick the correct winner, until, y'know, they don't.
i also find discussions like "the winner of season X is so much better than the winner of season Y" to be about as productive as "the '27 Yankees would kick the '61 Yankees' ass."
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The fact that Hosea won, to me, shows that the judges aren't that easily influenced and let each challenge decide. Hosea was the last man standing--it reminds me of skating in the Olympics when there have been times when the person who won was the only person who didn't fall. If the judges didn't have integrity, they could have picked a much more talented chef to win.
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I agree with you. While they do weight the routines as to difficulty, if someone with an easier routine does not fall they will general get a higher score. If a chef does not take a huge risk in their food they will have less chance of failure but they will also fail to wow the judges. I think it is all a balancing act.
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"i'm not interested in debating hosea. i just find it fascinating the judges are full of integrity and pick the correct winner, until, y'know, they don't."
The debate over Hosea has nothing to do with the judge's integrity. When people say Stefan is the better chef, they're not saying the judges chose incorrectly or based on something other than performance. Stefan WAS better, but not in the finals. Hosea made it to the finals and cooked the best meal for the finals and deserved every bit of his win. That doesn't make him the better chef, that makes him the winner of Top Chef.
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"i wonder if this is just massive rationalization. you could spin anything this way."
____________
Likewise, you could rationalize away any argument by belittling it as a rationalization. Weird how that works.
'Facts are useless. You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true. Facts schmacts.' - Homer Simpson.
The point is just that Hosea didn't show the kind of skill or dominance during his season typical of other Top Chef winners (excepting Kevin Sbraga, season 7). Stefan, meanwhile, did. He just didn't win the finale. That's life. But it doesn't make me think any more highly of Hosea's skills as a competitor.
"i just find it fascinating the judges are full of integrity and pick the correct winner, until, y'know, they don't."
__________
You're still misreading me. I explained in my first reply to you. Lurkerdan also sums up my position pretty well. I'm not criticizing the judges.
"i also find discussions like "the winner of season X is so much better than the winner of season Y" to be about as productive as "the '27 Yankees would kick the '61 Yankees' ass."
_____________
Wait, since when the hell are we being productive here?
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"You're still misreading me."
i can't decide if "you got that right" or "moi aussi" is more appropriate. i think i'll leave the country instead.
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Hosea is a very good chef -- I have eaten his food -- but it did seem apparent that Stefan, Carla, Fabio and possible (as you say) Jeff and Jamie were better. That said, he won fair and square. And he's certainly a better chef than Ilan! :-D
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As for Hosea not earning the title...Hosea had a really great day in the finale, and the other finalists (more popular, and probably more talented) fell short in different ways. IIRC, he also, as a chef at a seafood restaurant, flubbed more than one fish dish, and other than Kevin Sbraga, racked up more bottom JT appearances than any other TC winner.
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i love that you used the word "dinks".
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And I sure as hell didn't mean "Double Income No Kids" either. ;-)
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Heather's down to 36% but even that surprises me.
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Silvestri's recap is up on Eater. put down all food, drink & potential choking or spraying hazards before reading, because i daresay it's his funniest yet...
http://eater.com/archives/2011/12/15/...
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And eating our words from the houston press...
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/...
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I thought her review this week skated over lots of things or just skimmed lightly over things. Not much in it to read this time.
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Seriously one of his best recaps. And your warning to put down any potential choking devices was a good one! LOL
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haha I agree.... "trash goblin." I should have heeded your advice, ghg.... I spit my coffee at my computer....
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can't say i didn't warn you ;) i was *howling* when i read it. i think i need to dig up some of his stand-up clips to see if he's this funny onstage.
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I was forewarned, but I thought I was impervious.... Oh how wrong I was! haha He does standup?? If he is that funny, link them up!! :)
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Whew, I'm exhausted! Less than 24 hours, and 276 replies? I think this will be the last time I wait until I actually see the episode before reading the thread. I'm afraid Heather and Bev will generate more posts than Marcel ever did in either of his seasons. I was so disappointed they weren't sent packing.
And I agree with all those Moto Chris posters. The guy with the Pebbles hair has got to go! Who focuses on sweet potato links when the challenge is cooking game? As with those who opined that Heather's behavior won't do her business any good, I must say the Moto boys don't have me buying tickets to Chicago any time soon.
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You're a good man, Charlie Brown! I'm impressed you made it through the entire thread! I hope you had sustenance while you read. :-)
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82-to Mom made a mean chicken cacciatore while I was at work.
But I'm over the Bev/Heathether drama. Please, let's eliminate both
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I'm all for axing Heather ASAP. Bev is taking the high road and just cooking good food, not getting into petty bitch sessions.
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Bev has been on the bottom or in the non-descript middle more than she has been in the top.
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In this crowd, cooking in the middle is still good work... these are all accomplished chefs before arrival on TC.
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Hugh Acheson's blog: ""What Heather is doing is not culinary leadership, it's belittling nonsense, and that’s what rubbing Nyesha the wrong way. I get the feeling Nyesha would follow a number of great chefs off a cliff but she wouldn’t be led by Heather out of a patch of poison ivy."
http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/seaso...
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Ugh, I worked for a Heather once. She absolutely used her size (and potty mouth) to intimidate her staff. I was so happy when she left.
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I love Hugh. His blog is the funniest and most heartfelt (very respectful on how he dealt w/ Bev and her previous abusive relationship).
"Did you catch Beverly flying through at one point screaming, “COMING THROUGH!!!” Everyone is hoping that she goes at Heather like a crazed spider monkey, Lil' Bobby-style."
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+ 1 I was pretty indifferent about Hugh until I started reading his blog. I've come around and really like him, his writing style and substance.
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But the damn unibrow's gotta go. :-)
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The better to read his blog. You don't see him.
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If y'all pony up enough money, it'll go --
http://www.thedailymeal.com/hugh-ache...
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One of the doctors I worked with way back when was really stunningly handsome but had a unibrow. He had it tweezed when he posed for a print ad for a hospital he occasionally worked in. We were all surprised that he was able to look even handsomer than before!
I hope someone comes up with the money for the challenge. It's a good cause and it would be fun to see. :-)
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I like Hugh Acheson's blogs. Very entertaining and on-point at the same time.
One issue with his latest blog, however, is that he got the bottom three in the QF wrong. He listed them as Dakota, Moto Chris and Sarah - when it was in fact Heather T., Chris J. and Sarah G. (I submitted a comment immediately after the blog came out pointing out the error but it has not been posted yet. Wonder why.)
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I've noticed that comments submitted on blogs on Bravo are reviewed before posting. It can sometimes take upwards of 12-24 hours to post. And if you're critical of the blogger, they might not get posted, depending on how they're worded. Has Hugh's Bottom 3 been corrected?
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I just checked. Nope to both.
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Also, Heather kept repeating that Beverly doesn't think like a Chef. As if there's a singular mind set.
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I seriously had to watch videos of babies and kittens after that episode.
While I know the producers pick and choice what it's the most dramatic to air, you can edit what Heather said in the judge's room. A professional does not hold grudges, they deal with the situation or they move on. Heather kept on going on about she doesn't like Asian food or doesn't cook it yet it's on HER menu so she's also a liar. It's rather sad and pathetic to have her say Bev isn't a real chef when she doesn't seem to remember to act like a professional at all. The style of yelling to get things done works well at a low level of cooking but when you are actually working with other professionals, well you are going to have a even greater turn-over than the industry has. A real professional in any field including culinary is about doing the job even if you hate your coworkers, you are tired, whatever.
What strikes me most is that whenever she was not feeling in control she takes it out on other people that feel weak. Knowing that Bev is a survivor of domestic abuse, it's not surprising that she would pick up on the fact that Bev is passive and is non-confrontational and start picking on her. I am sure Bev may seem passive aggressive because from being in an abusive relationship it is probably way more harder for her to contradict people or to be direct. I wish Bev would stand up to her but that's not going to happen if she has ever dealt with people were the only safe way to get out was to literally escape when they are at work.
Having eaten at her place which is actually more like a bar/lounge with a small food program I really don't know why she is so full of herself.
Also both Bev and Heather are from the Chicago scene. Is there any past history with them?
Moto Chris is a sweetie but he clearly forget the top chef motto "that it has to taste good first, then you can be creative".
Dakota who is super hot IMHO (channeling chris crary), made the fatal mistake of undercooked meat. No matter how much they like a dish if you can't safely eat part of it you are going home.
I wish they split the decision and sent dakota and moto chris home.
Whether or not Heather is a bully or a bitch. She is a hypocrite and a liar even if it being lying to herself and being delusional. There are numerous record instances of her having control over their dish and taking the lead on it so it will never be true what she said at the judge's table.
I was happy this challenge at least wasn't dumbed down and cooking game is a challenge for most people that don't hunt or aren't raised with it. I wish we had heard more from the other chef guests. Why did we hear so much from the horrible rich people in the last couple of episodes but not the professional chefs?
Sad to see Nyesha go home. I've eaten her food and it's excellent. I hope she makes it back on.
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Nice synopsis.
"Also both Bev and Heather are from the Chicago scene. Is there any past history with them?"
I'm wondering this, too. Heather has a lot of animosity for someone she just knew a short time, if they met on the show. I think Heather is just mean and Bev happens to be her target but if Bev left, she'd find herself someone else. Someone smaller than her? It really would have to be because is there anyone bigger? I'm not making fun of her size but asking, factually.
I was pulling for Nyesha from the beginning. Something about her just caught my eye--her quiet, steely, determined professionalism. Hugh Acheson had nice things to say about her, as did the other chefs.
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Beverly is a survivor of domestic abuse? What did I miss? How do you know this?
I, too, have seen Heather at Sable and while I never had any hint that she was a despot or unpleasant, I do have the same impression that she makes really good bar food at a lounge that specializes in great drinks.
<,Moto Chris is a sweetie but he clearly forget the top chef motto "that it has to taste good first, then you can be creative".>> But isn't that Moto's basic problem: they are creative without the primary concern for food tasting good?
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Beverly said she was once in an abusive relationship and had learned never to accept such treatment again.
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Beverly Kim talked about her past history of being abused in a 'Talking Head' segment on the show.
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She said it right in the episode. She got out of the relationship by leaving when her boyfriend or husband was a work, she just took off and never came back.
I like eating at Moto so I am totally biased cause I don't expect every course to have traditional flavours or techs . I think at Moto there is also oversight and work and research put into the dishes so that they do indeed taste good but that the flavour profiles they use are always as accessible to people who are use to certain tastes/styles.
That style though is a real hindrance on Top Chef because you have to please all the judges palates and familiar profiles are going to work much better.
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"I am sure Bev may seem passive aggressive because from being in an abusive relationship it is probably way more harder for her to contradict people or to be direct. I wish Bev would stand up to her but that's not going to happen if she has ever dealt with people were the only safe way to get out was to literally escape when they are at work."
~~~~~~~~~
Spot on comment about Bev and the ability to be direct with those who are confrontational with her and how hard it would be for Bev herself to confront. We saw it when Bev started to say something to the judges and Heather just barrel-rolled over her and forced her response to take center stage.
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But that doesn't mean it is hard for her to confront. It may be that she just doesn't see the point of bothering to confront. What would she have gained by trying to shut Heather up at judges' table? What would be the point of interrupting the interrupter? Maybe she just rolled her eyes and thought, "Here we go again." Choosing not to confront is not necessarily for safety or out of fear. Sometimes its because you see no benefit in the confrontation. I still feel like these comments have an underlying tone of "Bev is weak". We don't know that she's weak. We know that she seems quiet. People in abusive relationships do not necessarily cower for the rest of their lives.
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Fair enough, debbie. But I'm going to borrow a sentence from thimes below: "Sometimes our behavior contributes to end results that we were hoping to avoid, sort of a self fulfilling prophecy."
And perhaps this is what is happening with Bev. By not speaking up, she essentially seems to be tacitly allowing the confronter to continue their ways.
But I can see it both ways. Without knowing Bev personally, I think all we can do is take what we see and form our own opinion about how she may or may not be handling this situation.
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True, I don't mean to say Bev is weak because leaving an abusive relationship takes a strength most people can't even imagine, she is a survivor not a victim anymore. But I do think it effects whether you choice to engage or not and not engage does not mean your weak. Having dealt with a truly abusive person she may well be like "this is not worth my effort and I am tuning out".
But yes it is all conjecture.
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Choosing one's battles wisely is definitely a strength, not a weakness. That's why Heather, ultimately, is the weenie here. :-)
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"Also both Bev and Heather are from the Chicago scene. Is there any past history with them?"
~~~~~~~~~~
Just saw this posted out on the Interwebz: "Someone in the Chicago dining scene told me that Heather's and Bev's restaurants are six blocks apart. I wonder if they had a negative encounter before the show."
So we're not the only ones wondering.
Beverly works at Aria Restaurant - her bio: http://www.ariachicago.com/chef
Heather's bio: http://www.sablechicago.com/chicago-r...
I'd say they both have good pedigrees. I have to agree - wonder if they've bumped up against each other in the Chicago food scene.
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I said somewhere in this thread that there is more going on than shrimp.
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Yeah, I would tend to agree. Shrimp seems to have been a catalyst, along with the ever-general "Asian food". But who knows? Maybe it's as something as silly as the two hotels are battling each other, the way Macy's and Gimbels used to compete for the best Christmas-decorated windows in NYC. :-)
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Maybe Heather is too petty to share the rare air in her locale with another celebrity chef. She may've wanted all the local TC buzz for herself and her resto.
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Heather kept on going on about she doesn't like Asian food or doesn't cook it yet it's on HER menu so she's also a liar.
***
I'm not a Heather fan, and I"ve already said she seems to be a bitch, but I don't recall her saying anything to that effect. She thinks Bev only does Asian - and for that reason, I think she looks down at Bev. For the duck challenge, she didn't want to go too Asian with the duck - she didn't say she doesn't like Asian or that she doesn't cook Asian. I think she said her gig is farm to table and that's what she likes.
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yes she said her gig is farm to table but if you have been to her lounge there are Asian dish and frankly her dishes aren't what I would call farm to table. So either she isn't cooking the food she wants are her own restaurant, totally possible or she is just picking one thing because it's Bev. The producers have also shown her eyerolling when other chefs have made Asian food but that could just be editing. I think other folks have already pointed that out upthread.
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What exactly is 'farm to table' anyway? Does that mean the fish they serve is only from fish farms?
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"farm to table" usually means that you use only locally sources, in season produce which can include in fish (wild or farmed depending on the type and which is considered the healthier choice) and meat. It is also about preparing the food as simply as possible often to not cover up the taste or essinine. It's also a great way to sell half a roast chicken for 35 dollar and make a good markup.
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I so didn't want to get into this thread too deeply . . . .
I hope in the end what everyone writing on this can take away from this thread is that it is VERY difficult for us as humans to see how our communication styles affect other people. Sometimes we continue behavior that "gets the result we want" without realizing or understanding what we are really doing. Sometimes our behavior contributes to end results that we were hoping to avoid, sort of a self fulfilling prophecy.
99.9% of us will never have the opportunity to WATCH this in practice, so take this as a learning opportunity and make the mental effort to step back and see if your behavior is really what you think it is FROM THE POINT OF VIEW of others.
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So after reading the reviews here and on televisionwithoutpity.com I really expected to see quite the bitch fest when I finally saw the episode.
Watched it this morning.
Sorry. I don't think Heather was THAT bitchy considering what is on the line. I also think references to her weight are really inappropriate.
Sad to see Nyesha go. She was my pick to win.
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The same thing is on the line for all of them, and no one else behaved like that. Her "calling out" Bev at judges' table didn't have anything to do with what was on the line, since either both of them were going to be eliminated or neither of them. Plus, what happened (or didn't happen) with the shrimp had nothing to do with the challenged being judged!
There's really only one rational interpretation of her behavior at judges' table, which is that she was spinning her possible elimination by pinning the entire thing on Bev being a lousy chef -- not just a lousy performance as a chef in this challenge, but just a lousy chef who has a poor work ethic, lacks confidence, doesn't think like a chef, etc.
I think standing there in front of judges and cameras and personally attacking someone not just for making a specific mistake but for being an overall lousy chef, not to mention disparaging her character, is about as bitchy as it comes.
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Of course there is more than one rational interpretation of her behavior. You don't really think that those contestants just spontaneously remark on the spaciousness of the trunk of their product placement vehicles, do you? TPTB may be coaching her and encouraging her to bring the villain drama. Not saying that they are, but they could be since they obviously coach in other areas. It could be that other contestants are acting in similar ways, just that the editing monkeys aren't letting us see it. Maybe she is just a bitch and doesn't like Bev. But as far as that goes, if I was competing with her and she didn't like my abilities, I'd rather hear it to my face than behind my back in some talking head clip. I also think it is funny that so many of the people here calling her out for being fat, ugly, a bitch etc.... (behind her back with the safety of the anonymity of the internet and without knowing all the facts) are engaging in far bitchier behavior than she did. I have yet to figure out what being overweight has to do with either her demeanor or the quality of her cooking.
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I'll have to side with Ruth on this one. Yeah, the Toyota stuff is staged - probably more likely the chefs were asked to say something nice about the cars and they went overboard, probably laughing and high fiving each other about how corny they managed to make themselves sound.
I have trouble thinking how/ why Heather would raise her hand when a request for someone to play the rude, crazed bitch in the show was offered.
Out of the almost 500 comment made very few refer to Heather as fat - many do refer to her size, mostly when compared to Beverly when discussing the possible intimidation factors. No one can deny that Heather is a big woman and yes, some of us, me included, may occasionally step over the line during the heat of the arguments but for the most part, with the obvious exception of the generous use of the word bitch, held their tongues fairly well. The word ugly has only been used a few times and mostly not in the context of calling anyone ugly.
Finally, i'll give you that none of this has anything to do with Heather's cooking but in the end we're dealing with a tv show. A reality tv show where the cooking, although a big part of it, is still only PART of it. The drama, the personalities, the attractiveness of the contestants and hosts - that why much of the audience tunes in each week and the end game is not necessarily to find the top chef. The end game is to sell more Toyota's.
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And you probably think it was just a coincidence she got paired with Beverly? This is a boring season so far. The producers found two personalities that rub each other wrong. And they always have to have a villain.
I have no problem with people thinking she acted bitchy. I just said I didn't find her "that" bitchy after seeing it. I was more appalled by the terms used here like shrek, giant flabby face, fat ass, fat, ugly, and stupid cow -- employed by people criticizing her attitude.
Frankly, I'm not surprised to see two chefs in this competition try to take each other out. Do I think she was stupid to try to throw Bev under the bus in a double elimination challenge? ABSOLUTELY!. Am I calling her a stupid, fat cow? No. I think I would say she lacked in judgment. Frankly, I found Bev's actions jumping in line at the meat counters and screaming at the poor service workers who weren't even involved in the show much worse behavior. Her over aggressiveness there -- cutting out competitors as well as just store customers and insisting she was the most important -- pretty much is the exact opposite of the meek little victim act they are trying to play up with the TH stuff. But then again, that's just what we're being shown. There are hours and hours of things that are not being shown. My point to Ruth is that there are other rational explanations for what we saw.
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As been argued quite a bit, it's edited to make good TV - by good I mean whatever it takes to keeps us watching the show. Beverly at the counter was prior to anything with Heather so if Heather hadn't turned into such a good TV character we might have ended up being focused on how pushy Beverly might be. I really don't believe the personalities are scripted in any way although there is no doubt that the producers are playing the Heather/Beverly thing to the max if only for ratings. Who knows, maybe that's the only thing they got going this season - one can't deny that it makes for good TV. I really think Heather and Beverly just happened to be standing next to each other and the producers were probably giddy. Heather would have thrown the Bullshit card had they been arranged where she thought there was a setup that could lead to her packing and I would be supportive of her if that were the case.
In the end they look at all the video they have and try to make the best of it. Within an episode or two there's likely going to be some other, maybe salacious ,storyline for us to follow. Who knows, it may even have something to do with cooking.
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Cooking????? Wait. There is cooking going on here? The mind boggles!
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Your supposed alternative rational explanation is a conspiracy theory about how the producers coached Heather to act like a crazy-ass bitch? That's a rational explanation?
To to be clear, I chose the word "rational" specifically, not "possible" or "plausible." Rational means not behaving in a way that is obviously counter to your best interests. If your fate is tied to someone else, as it was in this challenge, then trashing them is not in your best interests. However, if you believe you are going to be eliminated anyway, then doing damage control by spinning the situation to make it look as if it was entirely someone else's fault is not irrational. Unpleasant, but not irrational.
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Ruth, I get it. You don't like Heather. Not a problem.
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It's not just Ruth. I was ready to give her the benefit of the doubt last week but this week, she was awful, from the way she treated Bev to the way she responded to Grayson in the back room to how she refused to admit she made a poor dish and chalked up their being in the bottom to jealousy. I agree w/ you about the remarks about Heather's appearance. I admit I laughed at the shrek description because I thought it was funny but I agree it was mean spirited (not nearly as bad as calling someone lazy in front of the judges, as Heather did and I thought it was great when Dakota called her on it and said Bev was one of the hardest working chefs she'd ever met). You're willing to bend over backward to defend Heather's actions, but many of us aren't. Have you read Hugh Acheson's blog? Telling.
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um, i said she looked like she was "half-shrek." i guess i fail to see how that is more "mean-spirited" than other folks comparing the appearance of various contestants (on past seasons of the show) to celebrities that usually i have no clue who they are...even posting side-by-side pictures...i mean, i thought carla hall looked like a giraffe, and i like carla hall and i'm not trying to be mean, i just think her appearance looks to me... like a big, pretty giraffe. other people are calling heather fat and ugly and racist, and comparing her to a domestic batterer(!) which are actually pretty disturbing insults which i don't think she entirely deserves. fwiw i only saw part of one shrek movie once, maybe if shrek is a horrible guy, who eats babies or bullies very small, weak ogres... then that is a much bigger insult than i intended-- in my comment i was referring only to appearance.
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I thought it was funny and responded as such when you posted it. But, as others have pointed out since, there are mean spirited comments about her appearance and not about her cooking or personality, I don't think it was the worst comment by any means but since I had commented on it being funny, I was calling myself out for having joined in. Other comments have made me cringe. Making fun of someone's appearance is mean spirited.
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"And you probably think it was just a coincidence she got paired with Beverly?"
~~~~~~~~~~
As noted above in this thread, it turns out they drew knives to be paired up. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/8232...
The editing monkeys obviously chose NOT to show that so they could up the drama quotient by a factor of 50.
So yeah, it did end up being pure coincidence.
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They should have show it would have made things that much more fun.
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So do you think they aren't showing other things as well to up the drama or the "villian" factor? Probably. That's why I'm giving Heather a pass on this one. I think there is a lot more going on here than what we are seeing. If they are going to deliberately mislead everyone by hiding a knife pull, what other more subtle things are being hidden?
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While I would never ever call someone out for their weight or appearance in person or online there is NO way you can compare random people trolling on a comment board for a show and calling someone fat (although it is childish tacky behavior) and having a PEER say on national TV that you aren't a "real chef" and that you lack a work ethic. These folks went to culinary school, get paycheck for being chefs, while they may be entertainment for us, this is what they do a daily basis. So yes I think Heather's behavior is even worse than bitchy, it is truly damaging and abusive.
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you put "real chef" in quotes as if that is what heather said, and then you condemn her for it... okay. i think if you hit rewind, you'd hear heather's statement was actually "she doesn't think like a chef." this was in a talking head excerpt (very likely to have been both prompted by a leading question addressed to heather, and then further, taken out of context), & the elves also cut/spliced the comment over other footage at least one other time, toward the beginning of the episode. this is an editing technique used in this and other shows in order to provoke emotional responses from the viewership... guess it's working?
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If you want to claim that it's all editing that Heather is being a bully and that she didn't through Bev under the bus at the judging, you can do that.
was it editing that made put the words in Heather's mouth at the judge's table, it was editing that made her repeatedly tell Bev she wouldn't have an Asian dish (as if Asian was one cuisine) and then claim that dish failed because Bev made an Asian dish?
Yes Heather is the victim here and everyone just doesn't realize the brilliance of her bar food and her win using another person's recipe.
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Good point about Asian being one cuisine. It's a continent! It did make Heather sound ignorant...
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I don't see complaining or not wanting to do something Asian as a problem and certainly not rascist. On NIC many people categorized Falkner as "a pastry chef" It is what chefs do.
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yowza. i didn't say nor intend any of the things you seem to think i did, either! i just think it's important to quote people correctly, especially when we're about to go on reading a whole lot of other stuff into what they did say, or what we claim they've said.
i said that heather was getting the bad guy edit, not that she is "the victim" or that her bar food is brilliant... however i do draw the line at people casually calling her racist or abusive based on questionable extrapolation off of the show's editors' tactics--and then a whole bunch of torch-and-pitchfork-wavers piling on to crucify the "witch" and anoint the "saint." these two womens' restaurants are competitors... big shock that they may not be entirely fond of each other.
plainly, the editors intend to pique their audience by setting up the interpersonal drama between the contestants--after all, they don't seem to have a lot of interesting cooking going on. imo both heather's and bev's performances have been very boring and lackluster, and they will be remembered for this kerfluffle and not for any of their food, unfortunately for both of them, professionally. if you really see it in black and white terms with no gray area, that's fine, or that's "entertainment" as you say.
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When did Heather claim that all of Asia has only one cuisine?
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She hasn't said that in so many words but with constantly remarking "I don't want to make this too Asian" and "Bev only cooks Asian", etc., it sounds like there's only one Asian style.
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I think the problem is that Bev isn't cooking any specific Asian cuisine; therefore, you can't stay all she does is Korean or I don't want to make this too Korean. I guess you can say Bev does pan-Asian or fusion. In any case, it's really the fact that she doesn't do anything really inspiring and she's doing pan-Asian every chance she gets. Ed and Paul are much more versatile and creative. In any case, I will not eat at either Heather or Bev's restaurant because I think they're both rather unexraordinary chefs. In fact, most chefs this season seem rather unextraordinary - as I mentioned a few episodes ago.
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Now it's come to me. Heather with the shrimp at judge's table. She stole that scene from Humphrey Bogart in The Caine Mutiny when Captain Queeg was testifying about the strawberries. Readily available on YouTube. Check it out and tell me I'm wrong.
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But no stainless steel balls in her hand. That was Captain Queeg, wasn't it?
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Marbles. Give her a few marbles and insert the word shrimp when Bogart says strawberries and it's a match (not really but close enough for the sake of fun). Actually the Queeg character is very similar to Beverly, with his obsession with the strawberries akin to her obsession with the shrimp. I can picture Beverly at judge's table a few weeks from now babbling something about shrimp while rolling some walnuts in her hand. You heard it here first.
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Give her some lychee to roll around. Granted, they're prickly and might hurt, but they'd kind of go with the Asian theme (even if more Chinese than Korean).
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Ha! You're right.
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Heather has a personality disorder. I hope Nyesha wins the second chance rounds and comes back!
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I can't help getting a nagging feeling (just a wee bit) that Tom Colicchio is dodging (evading?) putting up a blog post on this episode... :-)
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Oh, I doubt that's why he's not posted. He seems to be pretty comfortable calling it as he sees it.
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But he hasn't called it as he sees it - yet - apart from what has already been shown as part of the regular broadcasted episode. :-)
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He may just be busy -- are they filming the finale about now?
ETA: Tom's blog says: "Sorry -- I've had some unforeseen time constraints this week. Please check back in a few days, since I'm going to try to post something if I can. Thanks, all. -Tom"
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Yes yes...I read that. ;-)
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I meant in general. Other judges have failed to blog due to other commitments at times.
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Of course. I was posting above with a twinkle in my eyes. :-)
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noted. :-)
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Another blog about this episode (this blogger has been posted before)
http://foodandwinehedonist.wordpress....
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Did you notice that even he/she thought that the pairing was coincidental - "with the person standing next to them." I think the editors did themselves a disservice by cutting out the knife draw.
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In the 581 posts, has anyone linked the Eater yet? So funny, obviously not a Heather fan:
http://eater.com/archives/2011/12/15/...
"Big surprise: Heather is a nightmare. Look, we can agree that she bullies people, and that she is loud and obnoxious, but the worst part about her is that way she speaks when she thinks she is being momentarily polite. "Yes, Grayson, I actually realize how it all works, thank you very much." It is dripping with condescension and passive aggression and so much bile that it makes me physically uncomfortable every time she does it. That seems like the hardest part about being on a reality show. I would literally have to walk out of the room if she talked like that anywhere near me. "
"Heather believes she is the victim of a conspiracy. She was set up, probably by the Libyans. "Maybe I'm here because I was on the top on the last challenge?" No, that's not why, you trash goblin. The eyes of everyone else standing up there roll so far back into their heads they are staring at what they had for breakfast."
"Also, while the point that Beverly cooks pan-Asian is valid, Heather saying she cooks American farm-to-table is not valid. That's not a style of cooking, that's a style of grocery shopping"
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Yep it was linked along with the Houston one. I actually didn't think it was as funny as everyone else but always enjoy his take on it. Hugh was pretty funny in his blog too.
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Hugh Acheson's blog:
http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/12/15/hug...
This thread is wearying. I'm not for condemning Heather's appearance (even though being morbidly obese is a health concern, that's a separate issue), only her hostility and bullying.
According to Hugh, it was because of Heather that the duck was cooked improperly, Heather ordered Beverly to remove the duck too soon. So in the end, Heather is largely responsible for the dish's failure, not because of Beverly's "Asian-ness".
Lastly, I take issue with Eater, there is NO point in pointing out Beverly cooks pan-Asian. No more so than pointing out another chef cooks pan-European. What exactly is the point, what exactly is "valid". What is the subtext of that non-sequitur? I understand what the writer is trying to say and I agree but... poor choice of words. More clearly: "While it can be said that Beverly cooks pan-Asian, Heather saying she cooks American farm-to-table is not valid..."
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Hmm...I don't remember when Heather told Bev to take the duck off. I remember her telling Bev to keep it on, that it needed to render more, but don't recall a subsequent scene where she told her to pull it. (Not saying it wasn't there...but can't recall it).
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Also not sure how Hugh would know that or not. How many times have the judges told us that they don't know what goes on in the kitchen, they just judge the food?
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I'm just relaying what Hugh Acheson wrote in his blog. I'm assuming as a judge he would know?
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Well, supposedly the judges only know what they hear at judges' table and what they see on the show. They don't get to see cut footage. Of course, it could have come out at judges' table but not been aired. I am pretty sure though, that there was a scene when Heather told her to keep them going longer. I think I rewatched it in some montage of Heather bossing Bev scenes.
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Well I'm not offering any personal opinion on this, it's Hugh's blog. Hugh probably has a better idea of what is going on than we do, perhaps it did come out at judge's table. For instance, how did he know about Beverly being in an abusive relationship? There is a lot we don't see.
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The abusive relationship was mentioned on the show. And it's quite possible that Hugh is misremembering what he saw on the show in relationship to the duck.
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He knew about it the same way viewers did; she related the story on camera.
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I don't remember it being mentioned at judge's table, only the talking head.
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It wasn't at judges' table (that we saw). But he knew because...he watched the episode.
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Yes, exactly. Which is why I said "He knew about it the same way the viewers did."
The blogs come out after the show airs, and the judges clearly watch the episodes prior to blogging.
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I recall it the way you do.
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I don't know who screwed up the duck but I definitely remember it was Beverly who cooked the duck in a pan. And how the hell would Hugh know when he wasn't there? I know Tom gets to go in the kitchen while they were cooking. My impression is that the other judges don't know what goes on in the kitchen, and probably aren't shown any footages of the kitchen?
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As I said above, it is certainly possible that more detail came out at judges' table. We see only a smidgen of what goes on there.
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Right; I seem to recall reading in the past that judge's table actually often lasts for quite a while, with the judge's deliberations lasting an hour or two. You certainly can't take what you see on camera at face value when it represents about 2% of what was actually discussed. It would really be fascinating to see the uncut footage from beginning to end.
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The JT can often last well into the night for more than an hour or two. And there as one that went ALL night and they didn't finish until the sun was coming up...I think one with Richard Blais in a finale, IIRC?
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Yep, it was in Puerto Rico. I recall hearing the morning birdcalls in the background. I don't think a judges table session has ever lasted as little as two hours. They have producers there telling them what shots to get such as facial/reaction shots of the contestants and they get the judges soundbites and responses to those soundbites. I would be interested in a behind-the-scenes special done by the Magical Elves showing us how the production is done. I don't think that is likely however, sort of like the Wizard of Oz..."pay no attentioin to the man behind the curtain".
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This episode is actually a good example: in the next episode, Heather says that she cooked her duck leg in a pressure cooker and was "dinged" at judges table because it was stringy. We never saw any of that. In fact, there was almost no mention of the duck leg at all -- Hugh starts to say something about biting into the leg, but the comment is cut-off. Everything else is about the breast not being rendered enough. It seems, interestingly, as if the discussion was edited to make Heather sound more justified in dissing Bev's cooking ability, bolstering the "Heather is a better cook but a bitch" story line they were creating. I wonder how people would have felt about Heather's attitude towards Bev if they had seen her called out for lousy cooking herself?
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"While it can be said that Beverly cooks pan-Asian, Heather saying she cooks American farm-to-table is not valid..."
******
It was the way Heather said this bothers me. Heather seemed to be putting down Asian cuisine and in fact, Asian cuisine really honors the farm to table concept. The food is fresh and all parts of the animal are used. It's exemplary.
Clearly, Heather is cast as the villain this season. I truly hope that she is not as obnoxious as she seems.
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I don't disagree with you, but I think the Eater sentence was poorly worded.
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I thought that the team elimination was stupid. The chefstestants should be judged on their own work and to be sent home because your partner couldn't cook a protein just reeks of dumbness. And btw, do the chefs never poke a thermometer into their meats? My goodness, at their level, the amount of improper cooking is astounding. That rack was so undercooked, it was blue. When they said they were going to sear the meat to get it done more, I assumed that they'd cut the meat but no, they seared the whole rack. What?
Beverly talks a good game about how she was abused and no more! but really, she let Heather walk all over her and just stood there, said nothing and cast her eyes down. Maybe it's cultural but if Heather talked so disdainfully to me about the food that I loved and was part of my heritage, I'd have kicked her in the vajayjay.
Weird ponytail guy has to go. His food is gawd-awful. I still don't get what the hell he was trying to do with the sweet potatoes. It was a crime against good food.
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I've wondered before whether the chefs are denied probe thermometers. I can't recall seeing a contestant use one, even though I know professional cooks often carry one in their knife bag. It's nice and dramatic when a chef screws up the temp of a protein, so maybe the producers banned em.
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I've wondered that too. But why would they deny them thermometers other than for drama? It's not cheating and is really a kitchen essential. Everyone uses them *especially* for a rack of meat.
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I can't off the top of my head point out an exact instant when I've seen it but I'm pretty sure they've used thermometers in past seasons though you may be right and they're not allowing it this year. Most chefs usually have one on their jacket arm sleeve and they come standard with any culinary school beginner cook supplies. It is almost painful watching them try to "feel" the doneness of those racks like Mr Spock attempting the Vulcan mind melt on Star Trek.
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I assume that if they've banned probe thermometers, it is for the sole purpose of drama.
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So dumb. Why not give the chefs everything they need to really showcase their talents? The isolation and booze causes enough drama ;-)
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Don't forget sleep deprivation, probably the number one reason for reality tv drama.
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I was wondering the same thing. I am sure it was for drama.
I had the chance to talk with a contestant from a previous season about the whole experience and the stuff they do to insure drama is pretty crazy.
This chef was telling me how they would even constantly re-arrange the "equipment" room from challenge to challenge. So where you found stock pots yesterday isn't where you'll find them today. And they were often woken up in the middle of the night to do their "talking head" interviews.
So denying probe thermometers seems right up their formula for creating tension, drama, and stress. It is a little passive aggressive on the part of the show - you're so trained that you shouldn't need a thermometer at this level - but we are going to rake you over the coals when you don't get the temp right.
Welcome to reality TV.
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Yup, you don't want to know how the hot dogs are made in Reality TV, that's for sure. I guess for some people, it's worth the money, or fame or notoriety, but you sign your life away.
I could never do it. Just having to sleep on bunk beds, 4 to a room full of strangers skeeves me out.
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The bunk beds alone would do me in!
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Sort of in the same category as not having enough of whatever equipment is essential for a task, like a stand mixer or an ice cream machine.
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That's one thing I really hate on Chopped (which I otherwise enjoy) ... the lone ice cream machine. (which may or may not work)
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They didn't need a thermometer; it was no surprise w/out one that the meat was underdone. Both Dakota and Nyesha knew it. Dakota said she didn't know why it wasn't cooking, maybe it was that people kept opening the oven to put things in and take them out. So a thermometer wouldn't have helped them.
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And I know it's part of the show, but in the real world a chef would never send something out if they knew it wasn't ready; but here they have to do that when the clock is up. "Why did you serve it if you knew it wasn't ready?" . "Umm, well, I had to, ya know".
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Yeah, I wonder what the judges were thinking when they asked that.
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Yeah, I always think it was unfair when the judges ask that, since the contestants don't have the option of taking an extra couple of minutes or refiring a plate that's bad. In this case they actually said that their choice was to send out undercooked meat or no meat at all. It's all well and good for Tom and sit there and tell them they shouldn't have served something, but what choice do they have?
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Folks, we've had to remove a number of posts on this thread that crossed the line into somewhat mean-spirited territory.
Whether discussing a show's host or a reality contestant, please go easy on the bashing (for more info, please see this post: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/334317)
And as always, please keep the focus on the topic at hand, not on other hounds.
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Am I the only one really looking forward to a new episode just so we can kill off this thread?
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God, no! I'm so ready also....
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+2. And I STARTED the damn thread. :-)
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It's always YOUR FAULT, Linda!
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LOL! You're too funny!
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FINE!!!! I'm gonna take my laptop and go home!
:::::waggling my fingers in my ears, sticking out my tongue at you all and then slamming my locker, flipping my hair over my shoulder, snapping my gum, and turning on my heel and heading out the doors of the high school!:::::
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NO, you can't go home til after the finale!!!
::::bending over to yank up my knee socks:::::
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