Top Chef Masters: "Episode 5: Holly Madison's Pool Party" (8/22/12) [***SPOILERS***]

[ipsedixit]

More eye-candy than you can wink at. It's a pool party with Ms. Vegas.

Lorena Garcia takes the win.

But it's time to bid adieu to Monsieur Thierry Rautureau. Make a Bloody Mary, and better make sure people don't mistake it for Tobasco sauce.

So, it's Spain over France, sort of like a World Cup match.

And this episode should be rated "R" ... one should never have to endure Art in a Speedo without some sort of parental warning. I don't know what hurts more, my eyes or my stomach.

[jujuthomas]

Sad to see Thierry go, but I kind of expected it after the reviews he got. I totally wanted to try Lorena's dish!

and ITA that the Quickfire was more interesting!

who is the young lady they showed in next week's episode? dark hair, Liz Taylor vibe...

[FoodPopulist]

Lorena is probably going to be under-rated by many viewers because of her association with Taco Bell.

The woman in the previews was burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese.

[Joanie]

And Marilyn Manson's ex-gf. There will be ogling from another bunch of people in this one.

[Dee S]

Yes but this time, the oogling will be justified. I think Dita is stunning. She is also very intelligent.

I'm interested in her take on food though. You don't hear much from her with respect to food.

[roxlet]

Lol. And why would we care? I think she is a very interesting character, but it would be nice if the celebrities in these challenges had some food cred.

[jujuthomas]

She is lovely, what did she see in Marilyn Manson, I wonder?

To Roxlet's point... does she have any food cred? hmmm... some googling may be in order. :)

[512window]

She's from Venezuela, not Spain. She's only mentioned it 100,000 times over the course of the show.

And I'm in the "who in the world is Holly Madison" camp.

[ipsedixit]

My bad.

[cmvan]

Holly Madison's claim to "fame" is that she was one of Hugh Hefner's live-in girlfriends, the trio that included Kendra Wilkinson and Bridget Marquardt, and had the "reality" show "The Girls Next Door". And now she's apparently cashing in on that notoriety in a Vegas show called "Peepshow"

Aside from that...

[wincountrygirl]

I am always bothered when people like Holly, or actors with no particular food knowledge serve as judges on these shows - also on Iron Chef. To have a chef like Jeffrey Zakarian's food critiqued by some Broadway theater actor is ridiculous. This was as bad as the Real Housewives of Houston on Top Chef!

[roxlet]

Should be called "Squeekshow" with that voice!

[DGresh]

Do you think her hair is really that color? :)

My husband (who is *not* a cooking reality show addict like me) was having a big laugh over the garlic and onion stuff. Glad someone used it anyway.

[512window]

Thanks. Actually you've brought great enlightenment to me since now I know who "Kendra" is as well.

And Ms. Madison should fire her hair dresser.

[roxlet]

It wasn't a surprise to me that 2 out of the three top dishes in the elimination challenge were fried. Fried foods rank right up there with bacon as being nearly universally adored.

I thought the stipulation of no garlic and no onions from Holly Madison was almost as funny as her adoring Art's biscuit/turkey burger combo. I think that she likely has no idea what onions or garlic taste like but only knows they "cause bad breath." I think TCM could do better in its choice of guests to anchor challenges.

I found James Oseland very unappealing in this episode.

[chowser]

I thought the garlic and onion thing was funny, in an eye rolling way, but wondered later if they played it up after she said something about bad breath. If I'm going to be working w/ people, I avoid garlic and onions, too. And, she did talk about how she was going to be w/ others later on. I have no idea who Holly Madison is. Obviously not related to Dolly.

I was surprised Chris didn't just go with bacon instead of tuna mimicking bacon. It's a bite--what's the "lightness" difference in the two when it's that small?

And, it was just odd for James Oseland to be oggling at the other men and touching their abs. Dirty old man.

[2roadsdiverge]

If a 50-year-old man had acted that way with a 20-year old female model, he would have been demonized. But because he is gay it is "empowering"? I have the same problem with the middle-aged women who go all gushy over Justin Bieber or Twilight. Creepy is creepy.

[DGresh]

I had *exactly* the same thought.

[chowser]

It sounds like he has been demonized and he addressed his behavior, although not satisfactorily to me. It's creepy. It reminds me of Nigel Lithgoe on So You Think You Can Dance and the young female dancers on the show. Creepy is a good word.

[DGresh]

How did he "address his behavior"?

[chowser]

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-maste...

[roxlet]

Oh, please! He's making himself sound like a jejune innocent. He never went to a pool party before? He makes it sound as if he's lived in a box before this. It makes it worse, IMHO.

[linus]

yes, it certainly is awful when people have a good natured good time at a pool party staged for a television show.

[Joanie]

Haha. Hugh had some funny comments (http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-maste...

)

Bottoms are Thierry, Patriceo, and Chris. The judging panel is in a strange sun-stroked state. James is still dreaming of beefy hot dogs poolside and Curtis’ hair is getting lighter with the bright Vegas soleil. Frances is still erudite with his comments. Krista is still finding her voice, but when she does find it she used the term “textural violation”?

[chowser]

Yes, I thought it was obnoxious and he tried to excuse himself. As I said, it wasn't satisfactory.

[FoodPopulist]

If a 50-year-old man had acted that way with a 20-yearold female model, it would have been both creepy and potentially funny.

[linus]

i thought james oseland was great in this episode. he seemed to be having a lot of fun at a pool party.

[kseiverd]

Some how missed the Speedo... THANK YOU JESUS!! There's nothing on tv right now, this is at least not a rerun of a rerun. Don't really know who Holly Madison even is? If a chef leaves out onion/garlic from a dish that NEEDS it, just because chick says EW??? Kinda like Art Smith cuz his food does seem very froo froo... tho he wastes no time reminding us of how froo froo he is... NOT a quality that makes or breaks a chef... straight/gay, makes no difference to me!

[LindaWhit]

Very sad to see Thierry go. But the minute they had him say something about him winning the previous challenge in the confessional at the top of the show, I figured he was a goner.

And James Oseland's fawning and Art's Speedo. ::::Gak:::: Was either necessary?

Didn't want to see any of the bottom three go - Patricia, Chris and Thierry are all high on my list of "likes" (along with Takashi, who is rocking it with an EC and then a QF the next challenge).

[linus]

i think watching people have fun at a pool party makes for better television.

[moto]

we learned how Judge Oseland can seem so jaded yet maintain an appetite to slog through -- he seems a little less the sour puss this season but still no pleasure to partake with, and in this glimpse reminded me a bit of the senator played by Olivier in "Spartacus" at a Roman bath leering at the slave portrayed by Schwartz (Curtis, as in Tony).

[LindaWhit]

Brilliant analogy, moto.

[huiray]

I thought the Quickfire was more interesting than the pool party. Pity Patricia Yeo ran out of time and didn't complete her plating...but phở in 45 minutes did seem ambitious to me, even if she called it "faux phở". Takashi Yagihashi's win seemed well-deserved.

In the elimination challenge it seemed somewhat probable to me after the food was presented that Thierry Rautureau was in deep danger. His mini-croque-madame sans egg (i.e. not a croque-madame) with congealed Béchamel, burnt toast...

Mr. Bull Horns and Mr. Speedo really should not be around each other.

Not sure I agree with Lorena Garcia winning - but I wasn't there.

[Berheenia]

Totally agree about "Quickfire was more interesting than the pool party"

Art Smith in a speedo left me totally speechless which is probably a good thing