TOP CHEF Season 19 - Houston

Looking forward to another season!

Texas AGAIN?

They should go somewhere else.

They haven't been to Miami, or Denver, or New Orleans.

Premieres tonight!

[quote] Texas AGAIN?

The first quickfire involves making a five-course dinner for back alley abortionists.

Haha.

And eliminated contestants get shot in the back lot of the studio, in what is called the "Stand Your Ground" Quick Fire!

Last season was great. I hope this one is comparable.

[quote] Last season was great. I hope this one is comparable.

I don't even remember last season.

Where was it?

It was Portland R7, with 'controversial' winner Gabe Erales who was fired from a restaurant for harassment

That's right, R8.

Forgot about him.

Will Top Chef be featuring him at all, this season?

I wonder.

Off to a good start. I also enjoyed TC Family. The mother and daughter from Long Island who won the quick fire challenge are my favorites.

Loved the first quick fire challenge. One team served empty plates and one COVID-chef (he had COVID and lost his sense of smell and taste) wasn't paying attention and didn't serve a protein.

I live near the eliminated NJ chef's restaurant. I wish she'd cooked better but let's see what happens in LCK.

On a related topic, is anyone watching Tournament of Champions on Food Network? It's on Sunday nights. Yes, it's hosted by Guy Fieri but you don't really see much of him. The Voltaggio brothers are on it as is Brooke Williamson (hate that bitch!). She won S1 but Maneet Chauhan beat her in S2.

Horrible season.

The only one worth rooting for is the guy who worked for Noma in Copenhagen.

That restaurant is legendary.

The fact that he worked there for eight years, means that he is without question, the best chef of the bunch.

The rest are hacks.

You can tell it's a horrible season after just one episode?

Imagine having to taste 15 different steak dishes. I felt bad for the judges.

[quote]On a related topic, is anyone watching Tournament of Champions on Food Network?

Yup, I am! I like seeing past Top Chef contestants/winners, as well as former Next Food Network Star contenders. I always root for Antonia and Maneet.

I cannot STAND Hunter Fieri, tho. He's a terrible on-air "personality" and adds absolutely nothing to the show.

R11, I started a Tournament thread so as not to derail this one.

So far, so good!

Back in Texas? Are they hoping that we'll all forget how gross and unwatchable it was the last time they were in Texas?

Fat Heather, we're talking about you.

That big 'ol queen, Robert, is gay, right?

I'm rooting for the guy who worked at NOMA for eight years.

That restaurant is cutting-edge and unbelievable.

Plus, he's cute.

Thank you, R15/R16! I didn't want to distract from this show and thread but couldn't find a ToC thread.

Forgot to mention: I didn't even recognize Dawn Burrel at first! She looks amazing!

TOC has lots of Chopped and alumni.

Joe Sasto, Eric Adjepong, Madison Cowan, and Christian Petroni,

Hey! Did everyone know that one of the contestants worked at Noma for eight years?!?

I'm just here for the misogyny. Top Chef threads have historically been pretty rife with it.

Shut up, Fat Heather.

Someone's making congee!! Where'd that old racist go?!?

R26, did you call?

That guy who won the Quickfire seems absolutely miserable.

What's wrong with him? He didn't even crack a smile.

I was so excited to see Irma Galvan.

She appeared on an episode of Diner's, Drive-Ins and Dives, and the food at her restaurant looked so good.

On DDD she made tamales and chile rellenos. YUM.

Irma seemed like such a sweet little old lady on the show (she had gray hair in a hair net), so it was such a surprise to see her all glammed up with brown hair and makeup. She looked years younger!

Here she is on Top Chef.

What a difference!

Sam looked a little gaunt.

He's diabetic, R30.

I thought he still looked hot, though.

Is he still hooking up with Padme?

R31, I didn't know they were a [hooking up] thing!

What went behind Stephanie's decision to leave out the long-braised meats from her feijoada? That's the best part of the dish.

[quote] What went behind Stephanie's decision to leave out the long-braised meats from her feijoada? That's the best part of the dish.

I was wondering the same thing, R33.

That was a BIG mistake. HUGE!

Why so many Asians this season? Geez.

Lol R35.

You're not allowed to say that.

Even though I was wondering the exact same thing.

I guess white people are "personae non grata" on Top Chef nowdays.

First girl off? White. Second girl off? White. Bottom three in this most recent episode? White.

But by all means, keep making congee. Because it's just so damned good.

To be honest, the white people are kinda terrible so far. That white guy who fried the queso and gave no dip angered me. That white woman from North Dakota was horrible. Then the other white man who got nothing on the plate in the first challenge and then made a bad dish second episode.

I will say, I did feel bad for the white woman who was sick who was first eliminated.

See! Here come the racists! Welcome back, assholes, now get lost!

R34, it was like serving the judges spaghetti and meatballs minus the meatballs. Or beef bourguignon minus the beef.

That little spastic guy who blew the challenge for his team by suggesting the dessert go earlier in the competition.... he's gay, right?

You just know he wants Luke's big white cock in him.

Is Tom still hooking up with Brooke?

R38

I’m not racist but it’s true that Asians and Asian food are way overrepresented on this show.

I worked with Sarah. She is very smart and ambitious. Regardless how she places here she will go far in her career.

Blah Blah Does Tom do cock? He is as hot as chips.

I wasn't surprised who went home on last week's Last Chance Kitchen.

Happy for the winner, though.

I don't get why this particular region continues to get so much focus on Top Chef.

They have never forced all the competitors to cook Italian food, or Mexican food, or German food, so why are they all being forced to cook dishes from only one particular part of the world?

It's really sickening to watch, and extremely not fair to the contestants.

This show is so fucking bogus.

So the person from that part of the world wins the challenge.

What a shocker!

And wins $10,000 on top of everything else.

Disgusting.

One third of the comments on this thread, including the last three, are all the same weirdo OP. I don't know if you're trying to make the thread more interesting, but you're having the opposite effect. Bye!

[quote]They haven't been to Miami, or Denver, or New Orleans.

Damn, R2, what universe are you in? Top Chef Colorado was season 15. Top Chef New Orleans was season 11. Top Chef Miami was season 3.

Aww, I was sad to see Sam go.

[quote] Aww, I was sad to see Sam go.

Seriously?

He was the only contestant that I was ever 100% sure was getting eliminated.

Padme actually seemed pissed at him, because he wasn't taking the competition seriously.

The whole thing seemed like a joke to him, which is why the other contestants (as well as TOM) were all laughing at/with him.

Sam didn't belong in this competition. He treated it like a joke.

And it's an insult to the other two contestants who got eliminated before him.

R51, I never thought he would win, but I enjoyed the little bit of humor and levity he brought to the show. It was a little break from some of the intensity of the other chefs.

I really liked Sam, too. He had a great attitude, and seemed to keep the show in perspective (i.e., it's a TV show, and his whole life/career didn't depend on winning it). I haven't watched this week's LCK, so I don't know how he fared -- anyone?

As an aside, to me, Sam looks like the love child of Ryan Eggold and Gedde Watanabe.

I loved Sam’s personality. His elimination surprised me because I thought the edit was setting up Buddha’s elimination with his backstory. Also, I didn’t get the random Sarah (?) scene at the beginning of the episode when she was basically invisible for the rest of the episode and was only safe.

Sam is totally cute, but yeah, grilled potatoes??

Bye Sam. Your schtick was wearing thin and you were not nearly as clever as you thought your were.

The guy from Noma has yet to impress, correct?

I’d say Damarr is the only clear frontrunner in this competition. I was shocked he wasn’t in the top after the amazing comments he received.

I hated Sam, and the producers obviously did too. Thank gawd he's gone.

I wish instead of "Pack your knives and go home," Padma would've said, "Sam, pack you knives and die in a grease fire." He was so annoying.

Sam: "I'm ALREADY winning! Now I just need to learn how to cook!"

[quote] The guy from Noma has yet to impress, correct?

His name is Luke, and yeah so far he's in the background. I'm so surprised because Noma is a world-renowned restaurant.

However, they do cutting-edge food, and lots of fermentation and experimentation.

I'm thinking that the Top Chef format, and what Luke does at Noma are not a very good fit.

To understand Noma, you'll have to find the episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations: Copenhagen." It highlights what Noma does, and it really is like no other restaurant.

[quote] I’d say Damarr is the only clear frontrunner in this competition. I was shocked he wasn’t in the top after the amazing comments he received.

I keep forgetting that Damarr is one of the few chefs who doesn't have professional training, as he mentioned in the first (or second?) episode.

Everyone else worked in "Michelin Star" or "James Beard Award winning" restaurants, except for Damarr. I found an article about him, and this pretty much sums it up:

"The contestant pool includes several chefs who cooked in the kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants, James Beard Award nominees, and an eight-year veteran of Noma in Copenhagen, considered the best restaurant in the world. Brown — who grew up cooking with his mother and has been working in professional kitchens for 12 years, including at mk and Roister — was not among them. “I came on this competition to show that my collard greens deserve to be in the same room as someone else’s cassoulet,” he says in the premiere episode."

The article gives the impression that he doesn't win, though.

Sam was super cute. Very sorry to see him go. Should have been Buddha going.

Sam thought he was Shota-from-last-season level cute and sexy, but mostly he just came off as annoying.

[quote] The guy from Noma has yet to impress, correct?

What R60 said. Also, I think Luke is still too in his head and maybe feeling the pressure from having to represent Noma. I hope he can perform better.

[quote] I haven't watched this week's LCK, so I don't know how he fared -- anyone?

SPOILER: Leia moves on, and I was surprised because she whipped up a pretty standard breakfast hash-style dish. Sam's dish was more visionary but at the end, I guess hers must have tasted better.

Business Insider did a good story on Noma, for those who want to know why the restaurant is so renowned.

More visionary?! Oh, my sides.

I can’t believe how many of the chefs admitted they know nothing about the cuisine they pulled out of the chopping block.

I got Vietnamese - not sure what the flavor profiles are? What herbs do you use?

I’ve never cooked Japanese but thankfully I have just seen they do fried chicken…

You’re a chef going on Top Chef?! Maybe do some fucking research.

R67, why in the fuck would people who normally cook American, or Italian, or French cuisine know ANYTHING about food from those places?

Are you really that fucking stupid?

Because they're going on Top Chef and Top Chef does challenges like this every season. Or because they're a well rounded person/Chef. What an asshole.

I consider myself somewhat of a foodie but damn, 80% of the time on this season I'm left thinking... what in the actual fuck are they serving?

Even chefs have to eat. Are you telling me they don’t even go to eat at restaurants of other cuisines?

I cook Italian, and have only ever worked in Italian restaurants, and never eaten anything but Italian my whole life when I go out or visit friends… Im about to head off to be on Top Chef and based on EVERY previous Season will have to cook many other dishes inspired by many cuisines and ingredients, but I’ll stick to only being aware of Italian food.

Go back to your diet of chickie nuggies wiff fries R68, your ignorance is showing.

Eating a certain ethnic food, and being able to COOK a restaurant quality meal of the same ethnic food, are two fucking different things.

You ignorant cunt R71.

Bullshit. Any chef worth their salt should be able to pull up a dish inspired by a cuisine. The ones that can’t are the ones eliminated early.

And my point was that the chefs stated their ignorance of the cuisines as a whole. They didn’t even know the basics like flavors or dishes. That’s just ducking ignorant. Just like you R72.

And yes, oh dear, ducking?

R73 is posting from Peking.

Thanks, R64!

Sam was cute, but he gave off a strong short bus vibe

Sam. What was that dumb quick fire he did in the 1st episode and the guest judge started looking around like she was on Punkd? Same with the grilled potatoes - that was real short bus stuff.

When the judges were going around the stands at the last elimination challenge - I just kept thinking, when the food really sucks (like several of them really did) do they just set the full bowl down and walk away? lol

I LOVE the COVID guy getting other chefs to taste his food! He’s so clever.

[quote] What was that dumb quick fire he did in the 1st episode and the guest judge started looking around like she was on Punkd

The first Quickfire was the team challenge where Luke ran out of time to plate.

[quote] when the food really sucks (like several of them really did) do they just set the full bowl down and walk away?

That is precisely why this was such a dumb challenge.

Why would you make these chefs cook food that is totally out of their wheel house?

And then you expect it to be good?

You wouldn't tell Lidia Bastianich to make Peking Duck, would you?

Or Aaron Sanchez to make Bibimbap?

Whoever thought of this challenge was a complete idiot.

Most of them were good. What are y’all talking about?

It's not "y'all", it's one incredibly negative, troubled person who needs serious anger management therapy. It's a reality television show. Chill the fuck out. Oh, and I did tell Lidia Bastianich to make me Peking Duck. When she fucked it up, I threw hot oil in her face.

Last night's elimination challenge was one of the most fun in a long time. It was great to see them have to try and make two completely different dishes look exactly the same.

Sam was totally cute. Totally fuckable and I'll bet playful and fun in bed.

At first I though Sam was funny and charming, but that faded r86. I ended up being happy to see him go as the more annoying aspects of his personality became apparent.

I get it r87. You're right. I'd just shove something in his holes to shut him up.

30 mins for two dishes in the Last Chance Kitchen round? I would have just done a fantastic dessert. Someone else wins first round but then my dessert would have been up against one other of inferior quality.

Nice facelift, Brooke!

Was there a new episode this past Thursday?

No one here is talking about it.

Seriously, it's because this thread is toxic. Yes, there was an episode, a double elimination.

[quote] a double elimination

Were more white chefs sent home?

I'm betting yes.

I haven't watched this season but are a lot of the chefs all tatted up/pierced as in many past seasons?

The judges generally don't finish the dishes in front of them, they usually just taste the components and leave the rest r87. When they eat all of it you know it is something special.

Meant to reply to r79*

R93, a white woman and a gay Latin guy went home.

[quote] Were more white chefs sent home?

I'm betting yes.

Thanks for providing an example for why no one posts here!

But as much as you have thrown uour little tantrum R98, it turned out to be true.

You think it's trolling, but it's not.

White people are no longer welcome on Top Chef.

They are in a new woke era.

I just watched the latest episode. I was shocked by the team that went home. I thought it should have been Evelyn and Jo for the pork belly, and they liked Robert’s dessert much more than Evelyn’s.

[quote] I was shocked by the team that went home. I thought it should have been Evelyn and Jo

We all know why they didn't go home.

It's the same fucking story every season.

R100, I was sad to see Robert go. I felt that he had a lot more to show and was one of the stronger contenders up until this point.

I think they didn't want to eliminate Evelyn because she didn't do anything wrong, no fuck ups. Jo is the one who fucked up hard.

In the other two they both made technical errors so the texture was off in their dish, making it a "more fair" double elim since both members of the team made a cooking error.

But yeah Robert won the first challenge and now already out.

But that is also the problem with team eliminations, they are unfair. In a normal episode clearly Jo would have went home. Both Robert and Sarah would have skated by.

[quote] I think they didn't want to eliminate Evelyn because she didn't do anything wrong, no fuck ups. J

Evelyn has been in the top a few times, and she's the hometown girl, so I also don't think they were too keen to off her so soon -- especially since it wasn't really her mistake.

Did more white people go home tonight?

Sorry to disrupt your narrative R106, but no.

[quote] Did more white people go home tonight?

There are only two white people left .. lol.

But Ashanti went home for shitty brisket soup.

Is anybody watching Top Chef Family?

It's a REALLY good installment of Top Chef. So surprised it was originally only on Peacock, but glad they put it on Bravo.

That insane mother/daughter team from New York are freakin' hilarious!

When the mother started sabotaging the other teams' dishes, she had me cracking up.

I’m loving TC Family and YES the mother/dawter from Looonnng Island are hilarious. I died when mom decided to pour wine in that poor kids sauce and the kid ended winning. It’s very entertaining.

I can't believe no one has commented on the funniest line in the most recent episode:

"Tom, what do you think of Luke's meat?"

I figured DL Top Chef fans would be all over it!

Luke was so hawt in this episode.

I felt bad for Sarah in last chance kitchen. Ashleigh barely picked up any ingredients so she had nothing to work with, there was no chance she was going to win that challenge.

R112, at least Sarah has another shot to come back into the competition.

Good for Ashleigh, but whenever someone has a question about what 'upspeak' is, all they need to do is hear a clip of her describing her food.

I didn’t think Ashleigh deserved to be eliminated over Monique and Jo anyway, so I’m glad she’s back in.

I was so worried for Luke!

As for Top Chef family edition, it was another great episode.

That crazy Long Island mother and daughter team were hilarious, as usual.

The girl who went home totally deserved it.

She looked like she didn't even want to be there.

Surprised that the Mexican girl won two in a row, after nearly being eliminated the week before.

This might be like the other Texas season, where the person from Texas ends up winning.

[quote] Surprised that the Mexican girl won two in a row,

Why? Her food looks delicious.

Why is this season so forgettable? Honestly, if you asked me on Friday morning who won or was eliminated I couldn't tell you. (And that Great Women of Texas challenge was ridiculous. I don't want to know what Ann Richards tastes like.)

I have to say, Evelyn by far had it the easiest getting Selena. The other chefs had no chance. I knew as soon as she got Selena that she was going to win.

I mean at the end of the day it's just about making good food r119, either you do that or you don't.

And Ashleigh had been in the bottom a lot r114, and then she is in the bottom as soon as she gets back. Personally I would rather have Sarah been given a second try.

[quote] Personally I would rather have Sarah been given a second try.

I agree with this.

Who is going to win this season?

TC Family is so much more fun. The uncle and his niece are friggin adorable. I’d be happy to see any of them win.

That season aired a while ago, it was streaming on Peacock r123. O enjoyed it as well.

R120

Oh, come on. All of the other chefs had a much bigger challenge than Evelyn, and it was obvious, including Damarr who clearly didn’t have anywhere near the expertise on Selena and Mexican food that she does (and he even went all out and took a huge risk and made tortillas for the first time).

She got the one woman who was straight in her wheelhouse. She quite obviously had a huge advantage all of the other chefs didn’t.

Top Chef is rigged, R125.

It's been clear for a very long time.

I remember seeing this in action, the season where Brooke Williamson won.

I knew right then and there, that the fix was in.

Are there any white chefs left?

Yeah, you, r127. Off to McDonalds now?

There's a Top Chef Family Style marathon on Bravo, early this morning.

If you're a Top Chef fan, you'll like this show.

Catch it if you can!

I'm impressed with how well Jackson is performing without his sense of taste.

Buddha's food looks fun and his plating is gorgeous.

I love Jackson. He's adorable.

And he's always happy and smiling.

I love Luke too. Because he's hot.

Jackson is clearly a beast in the kitchen, he has been in the top three for nearly every challenge. And yes it is a handicap not having a full sense of smell, but when you cook as much as these people do you should have a sense of how much seasoning is "right".

IMO Jae, Ashleigh, and Luke are the weakest contestants left and should be the next 3 to leave.

R133

Really? What about Jo? She’s definitely weaker than Jae, at least.

^^ I agree, R134. Jae's food always ranks higher than Jo's, and is often gorgeously presented, as well.

My money is on Evelyn, Damarr and Jackson as the final three.

Luke is making NOMA look really bad. Lol.

I’m scared for Damarr in the preview for next week, but that might be a trick. I know the preview for the last episode made it look like he fucked up the tortillas and he didn’t.

R133 here. I totally forgot about Jo. I thought she was going be out this episode as it looked like they were.giving her the loser edit at the start. Add her to the other 3 to go out next.

Top Chef Family Style was so good!

WWE wrestlers were on the show (including The Miz), and it was so exciting.

I would love to see this become a regular show on Bravo.

This weeks episode was weak. Bad Quick Fire and bad main challenge. The tie in to Jurassic Park was a really long stretch and the dishes served had zero inspiration from their assigned dinosaur.

Who the fuck OKed this mess?

Nothing wrong with the Quick Fire.

Family Style is pretty terrific. I did feel awful for the poor kid who cried when he got cut especially after the judges loved his dish. Problem is everyone left is really good so no one is safe. Hope TC is better next week with........RESTAURANT WARS!!!!!!

The Jurassic Park movie tie-in was actually worse than the Applebee's tie-in on this week's Survivor.

One of the worst episodes ever.

Its not like marketing tie ins are new to Top Chef, there have always been these product placement challenges. But I agreed with Tom I wish the chefs had been more creative with their plating. Might as well have fun with the theme, most did not.

Happy Jo is gone, I liked her, but she was clearly out of her depth in this field.

I don’t think those were carrots in Jurassic Park

How the fuck was that pork dish at all responsive to the elimination challenge? She should've been on the bottom for not following the rules of the challenge.

There’s no sin greater than overcooked quail.

Same here, R142.

I felt so sorry for Jack.

He was devastated by his loss. I actually cried. (Mary!)

Did anyone else find the judging table weird? Why was Tom saying Jae should be eliminated when everyone knew it should be Jo? Did he really want to keep Jo?

R148. Oh honey, I cried, too I was just afraid of admitting it and getting MARY’d!!!! Everyone on that show is just so damn likable and talented!

Everyone has their own opinions r149. Tom believed that Jae's dish was even worse than Jo's. I mean Top Chef is (supposed to be) based on whoever made the worst dish in this particular challenge.

I did think it was interesting they kept that in, normally we don't get to see the judges placing their vote.

[quote] Why was Tom saying Jae should be eliminated when everyone knew it should be Jo? Did he really want to keep Jo?

Maybe he couldn't tell them apart, and got them confused.

[quote] Maybe he couldn't tell them apart, and got them confused.

Yes. They look so much alike.

R151

Tom’s wrong if that was the case. It was quite clear that Jae’s dish had more/better flavor than Jo’s bland ass mess. In what world would that make Jae’s dish the worst? It shouldn’t even be up for debate.

R154

It really said a lot that all of the other judges were against him in that moment. Glad he didn’t get his way.

[quote] It really said a lot that all of the other judges were against him in that moment. Glad he didn’t get his way.

That sort of invalidates all of his decisions in Last Chance Kitchen.

He shouldn't be the sole judge and decider on LCK. Clearly his palate is off.

I think the editing/Judges always tries to make it seem like there are at least two close contenders for being eliminated even when that is not so. Jo clearly had the worst dish, but if everyone agrees 'yeah Jo's gotta go,' that eliminates some suspense.

I love Jackson! Hope he wins. Or Buddha.

R158, I like both of them as well.

My top 3 is Damarr, Jackson, and Buddha.

I want Damarr to win, but I don't think they will let him win.

I've noticed that none of the cooking competitions let chefs like Damarr win.

In the beginning of the season, he mentioned that he's not classically trained, nor did he go to culinary school (if I'm not mistaken).

He said that he doesn't have the accolades that the other chefs have.

It's weird but the culinary world doesn't want to see chefs like Damarr succeed, because it sort of makes them look bad, if you know what I mean.

Awarding a non-trained, non-schooled chef like Damarr the title of Top Chef would send the "wrong message."

I've seen it on Top Chef, Chopped, and Beat Bobby Flay, etc. They always award the more schooled and trained chef the prize.

Unfortunately, this doesn't bode well for Damarr.

I find it weird that Damarr always gets VERY high praise but hasn’t made the top in an elimination challenge in a while. It surprises me a lot. Especially with the Asian market challenge that opened with the guests raving about his food.

Seems like there’s definitely a judge against him.

Probably Tom, R162.

I don't trust his judging.

I feel like the producers are setting up Jackson to win the season.

Every single episode features him commenting on the fact that he had COVID and can't taste anything... which makes for a potentially huge "underdog victory" narrative.

"For the first time EVER, the winner of Top Chef if a chef who couldn't taste ANY of the food he served all season long! THAT'S how talented he is -- he didn't even need to *taste* his dishes to know he'd made them perfectly!"

I feel sorry for Luke.

He seems so dejected.

I honestly thought that he would be a front-runner, but he has consistently been in the bottom.

I hope he doesn't quit. The editing makes it seem that way.

Jackson fucked up big time. I have a feeling he’ll be back. Luke will be next to go. The judges are over him.

Another white guy bites the dust.

Down to one white person.

Top Chef really hates us.

I really thought the Long Island girls were going home on TC FS tonite. I’m glad they’re safe because the mother is hilarious.

Do the judges know Jackson has lost his sense of taste?

They are all producers on the show so of course they must know r169.

But as Jackson has never told told them they are going to pretend they have no idea if it ever does finally come up. It's a TV show, gotta play to the camera.

Agreed, r126.

And now when she's back as a guest judge I can't see anything but the offputting bumps on Brooke's face.

Evelyn or Jae should have gone home.

But we all knew that wasn't going to happen.

Crappy season. I’m not rooting for anybody.

[quote] Crappy season. I’m not rooting for anybody.

I'm still rooting for Luke, but it looks like he doesn't stand a chance.

Haha the loud Italian lady on Top Chef Family dressed up as the grim reaper because she said she's going through menopause...rofl.

Luke is a Dead Man Walking. I'm really surprised they didn't use this opportunity to get rid of him. There is no way in Hell he's making it to the end.

Jackson has consistently been at the top in all the challenges (both Quick Fire and Elimination) but he really screwed up tonight. I want to believe that the editing was done to support the narrative that he ignored the judges, but it was painful to watch. Still, it was pretty shitty of him to tell Luke that the salmon was too salty when that was the only flavor he could detect.

The TC Family Style Halloween theme was so much fun!

Jackson will be back. He will win LCK. Even if he makes something shitty. After all, it’s not like WE can taste anything these people make.

This, Survivor, and Project Runway used to be so good, but the last couple of seasons have been off. Well, I guess I do still enjoy PR.

R178, rather foolish of you to not watch LCK before posting.

So I'm assuming based on your post, that Jackson didn't win LCK R179?

I'm not surprised.

I don't think there's any way a guy who has none of his taste sense, could ever win Top Chef.

It makes for a good story, but in the end, how could he ever go to the finale, and not be able to taste any of his food?

Impossible.

Jackson is so goofy and awkward, I think it's cute

But what wasn't cute, was that he hid his Covid secret from the other chefs.

They were NOT amused. Especially Luke.

If Jackson had survived elimination, I don't think he would have had too many friends in the next episode.

Luke looked so hot in that plaid shirt.

Damn, he's sexy.

Jackson’s elimination was surprising considering he was a top contender and many thought he was going to the end. But, it was definitely the right decision. He performed the worst in the challenge and really brought down his team. I don’t understand why it took Gail asking for him to describe the dishes. The judges really did try to hint to him to do his fucking job. I wasn’t buying his excuse, either. Even the guests were very confused with what to do with some of the dishes.

I think Jackson is autistic.

He's a bit off.

Not in a bad way, but you can tell that he's not all there.. so to speak.

I like Jackson, but I agree that he had to be eliminated. All the idiotic decisions that brought his team down were made by him. I don't get why the others went along with his bullshit. Serving family style? Two dishes at the same time? Stupid stupid stupid.

R185

I think because he won so many challenges they thought his input would help them win.

I’m still pissed how the team basically sabotaged Luke, making him lose his voice as a chef and making him cook Evelyn’s food. They really did him dirty and his worries were correct. Then making him under season his food. I felt so bad for him.

My post at R164 did not age well. LOL.

R187

Nobody predicted this would happen lol. Everyone thought Jackson would sail through to the end.

Jackson’s fuck ups are proof that, at this point in the competition, anyone can go home.

It's actually amazing that Jackson made it as far as he did, without being able to taste anything except for salt.

He relied completely on his fellow contestants for their input on his food.

How amazing is that?

Check out Jackson's wife.

I would never in a million years guess that they are a couple.

She looks like a Hooters waitress, and he's kind of dorky.

WTF?

Jackson also used to be a lot heavier.

Jackson was such a goober as the front of house. “I wanted to treat everybody the same.” Oh brother. He didn’t understand his role at all.

Clearly he comes from money. That's all a woman needs.

Jackson's behavior was so bizarre. How do you not even come over to describe the dish and tell the judges who made it.

However I do wish the judges had eliminated Luke instead. I think Jackson was the "fair" elim but Luke is out of his depth doesn't need to be there any longer and I'd rather they sacrifice him.

They need to find competent white men. These affirmative action white male contestants are just an embarrassment.

Jackson's wife is definitely in it for the money.

Funny how both Jackson and Luke married asians.

Jackson was terrible at FOH. Did he never watch this show before appearing on it?

Luke looks embarrassed. Like he can’t wait to be sent home.

R198

Did he not pay attention to all of the previous elimination challenges where they explained their dishes after coming out?

Maybe the menu described the dishes, so he thought he didn’t have to?

Luke appears to just be an ambitious line cook.

I always initially think Luke is attractive but then I figure he'd just cry in bed.

Luke is sexy a hell, R203.

No love for Damarr, Nick, or Buddha? Oh wait, they aren’t the right race for you simpletons. Have fun with your basic white bois.

R197 Wtf are you talking about? Jackson’s wife isn’t Asian, unless you mean cork-Asian?

She's definitely asian.

Her maiden name was Melissa Saka.

She colored her hair blonde and is trying very desperately to look white, but she's not.

You can tell from her eyes and nose.

I won't spoil it, but the person winning Last Chance Kitchen is kicking ass!

And they deserve it. You can see the determination.

I hope that person makes it back into the competition. I'd love to see what happens.

Big mouth at R206 got OWNED!

R208. Please spoil it.

Those asian females like the one at R207 are all over California.

So desperate to change their appearance to TRY to look like they're white. Rofl.

They're not fooling anyone, except for idiots like R206.

Interestingly, her name "Saka" is probably an abbreviation of the japanese surname "Sakamoto" or something like that, to make it less asian sounding.

Talk about self-loathing.

I see R211 is also R209 and also the loser who earlier was bitching about chefs being asked to cook food inspired by cuisines outside their wheelhouse.

Glad to see you’re still obsessed with me, hun. It’s fun having a deranged stalker.

Thank god there's only one white man left!

I feel for Luke -- his confidence looks beaten down. He's obviously not going to win, but I hope he gets like a top 3 finish in the QF or something before he goes.

Evelyn, Buddha, and Damarr for finale. Jae and Nick have outside dark horse possibilities.

One things for sure.. Luke is a rough looking 36 year old.

[quote] Thank god there's only one white man left!

Well they only started with two white guys, so that's quite an accomplishment for Luke to still be in the competition.

White people are becoming an endangered species on Top Chef.

R215, yep. Chefs live rather unhealthy lives -- long, odd hours, unhealthy eating, lots of drinking. It's rare to see them sustain this career level of restaurant labor beyond their thirties. Working at a place like Noma is probably crazy pressure.

Holy moly, some of the comments here. Why is the Top Chef thread, of all things, in danger of being hijacked by racist pricks?

R218, I know -- it's disturbing how laser-focused some people are about race, even on a show that's meant to be light-hearted and fun. Just ignore.

Unfortunately Top Chef threads have been like this for years, so many people stay away.

Only seven left.

Luke, Nick, Damarr, Buddha, Ashleigh, Jae, and Evelyn.

I have a feeling that Evelyn is going to win it all.

Yes the OP of this thread is a racist fuckhead. I have him on ignore so I missed this thread even existed until I searched for Top Chef.

It is annoying but I just try to ignore the juvenile racism.

I thought Evelyn was going to be a shock boot, but now that’s Jackson’s gone I’m not so sure.

I'm glad Jackson went home. Mr.-I-can't-taste-or-smell-because-of-Covid, which he LOVED to say to the camera over and over and over, really fucked over his team by not admitting it. In the end, his terrible front of house service and meh dish make him the deserved loser in the last episode.

Don't the producers and judges see the unedited footage before it airs? Is it possible that Tom, Padma, and Gail were unaware of his inability to taste his own food?

Jackson said it throughout the season, and the producers were well aware that he lost his senses.

They put him in for extra drama.

Proving yet again, that the people who produce Top Chef manipulate everything.

If anyone is working from home today, a TCS19 marathon is airing today starting at 11:30 am ET.

New episode tonight!

If Luke goes home, I'm done with the show.

The way they’re talking to and about Luke in this episode makes me feel like they’re setting him up for elimination.

R228. Welp, guess you’re done.

Another preachy educational episode. This season is zero fun.

That was an amazing episode, and it was great to learn more about the history of Houston and a community that’s under acknowledged.

This was my favorite challenge so far, great to highlight the community and history of Houston. Plus all the chefs really loved the challenge, they got to cook with love, and we got to learn more about all of them.

I hate the challenges like “cook something based on a dinosaur so we can promote the new Jurassic Park movie”.

My theory is Padma said she would leave the show if it didn’t become a demonstration of diversity.

I thought Padma giving Luke an ‘honorable mention’ in the quick fire was just so fucking condescending.

Padma was being kinda rude to Damarr and Luke this episode.

Final 3 should be Evelyn, Damarr, and..maybe Jae?

I want to taste Damarr’s QF broccoli and Evelyn’s beet sope. I do think she should probably win.

R213, And then there were none.

So what? Luke shouldn't have even made it this far.

Yeah Luke is very lucky he made it this far.

It's not their fault Jackson is gone, he was clearly on track to be a finalist but he fucked himself over.

[quote] Padma was being kinda rude to Damarr and Luke this episode.

Really? I felt like she was the only one really going to bat for Luke and encouraging him.

Top Chef Family was awesome!

I loved their restaurant wars, especially because the kids made really crappy food... rofl.

Sad to see Eva and Jen go home.

I'll miss those two crazy Italians.

It's official.

Top Chef has become Woke Chef.

Agreed that Luke is lucky to have made it this far. There are always those cheftestants that kind of stay in the middle or even bottom, but someone else just fucked up a little bit more. Finally Luke got the boot. He seemed to me to be one of the least talented chefs in the mix.

But the judges hated Ashley's food more than Luke's, R244.

It was clear Luke and Ashleigh were running on borrowed time and either chef could’ve been eliminated. The weakest chefs left. Ashleigh just managed to make a better tasting dish.

R245

I don’t agree. Their complaints for Ashleigh were that the components shouldn’t be on top of each other and they were missing some texture. I think her dish had better taste than Luke’s. Also, it was probably the editing trying to make it look closer or to fool us.

R245

*flavors, I mean

Sorry I meant r247

I also disagree, R245. R247 explains why. Plus if the judge did indeed hate Ashleigh's food more than Luke's, she'd have gone. They already eliminated her once. I do think, however, Ashleigh is one of the weaker ones left and will go soon.

Top Chef Family is so much fun. Eva and Jen were a bit much but still managed to be likable and I felt horrible when Eva burst into tears when they were eliminated. But the judges were very kind and they really did deserve to go home. Making an additional dessert to give them an edge blew up in their faces.

Top Chef Family seems cute. I can’t stand cute.

[quote] Making an additional dessert to give them an edge blew up in their faces

YES!

I have a feeling that Jen was stewing all night long, thinking of ways to out-do her team mates.

She's funny as hell, but she also seems like she would be a fucking nightmare to deal with in person.

If that team were smart, they would have put Jen as expediter. She's always fucking yelling, for fuck's sake!!

For once, put that big mouth to good use.

Her Oxtail Osso Bucco was another WTF. In addition to her pecan pie with the cracker crust.

I love Eva and Jen, but it was time for them to fucking GO.

I am happy with the way Last Chance Kitchen is going. I hope this week's winning chef returns to the main competition.

Bet you Ashleigh gets eliminated next r254, and it ends up Sarah versus Ashleigh Part 2.

Luke didn’t even season his dish in LCK after being told point blank that this is his blind spot. Plus the challenge was blind guessing herbs and spices and he didn’t even smell them?! He’s a special kind of stupid.

[quote] He’s a special kind of stupid.

I detected some nervous energy off of Luke. (I think Padma did, too).

In real life I bet he's a great chef (like they all must be at this caliber), but I fear that he psyched himself out.

Was Padma drunk during the Quickfire? She seemed super-loopy! (Which I enjoyed very much!)

I'll gladly provide Luke with some relaxation.

Just lie back Luke, and let me do all the work.

Look at those muscles!

What if Ashleigh makes a miracle turnaround and ends up winning the whole thing? That would be interesting to watch.

If you do white bread food like meatloaf and mashed potatoes with these people you're playing with fire. It has to be either Asian, Mexican, or Soul Food now to their attention. I think part of it is that they're so used to heavy seasoning and spices that plain or simple food won't cut it.

PS Kwame is the most annoying, thirstiest judge since Blaise. I don't remember him being especially distinguished in his season.

OTOH I don't remember Dawn being so stunning. She is absolutely gorgeous and has a good presence.

How did Dawn go from being a so so contestant to a judge?

They also all stay in their lanes ethnically now in a way that would not have been tolerated in earlier seasons. The comments would have been "we've seen you do Mexican food a number of times, it's time to show the judges something new".

She was a finalist R262.

I watched a marathon last week......it seemed to me that Jackson wanted some of that Buddha hotness for himself.....

R259, is Luke partnered?

Yes, R266.

He's the straight version of a rice queen.

R267, nice! I can see that.

This isn't a Top Chef FAMILY thread! Fuck off R251!

I don't mind the Top Chef Family posts just awkward since I, and others I assume, watched it back when it originally aired on Peacock. So I don't want to contribute and potentially spoil people who are watching the reruns.

I did enjoy it though, a good spin off.

I don't mind the Top Chef Family posts either, because they're not racist assholes.

I really couldn’t stand Eva and Jen, especially in the team challenges.

R253

Khalil was perfect as expediter. Jen would’ve been a mess.

R272. Exactly. Jen clearly does not work well under pressure.

[quote] Jen clearly does not work well under pressure.

Jen also cheats.

I've seen her sabotage other teams' dishes at least twice this season.

And in this most recent episode, she went behind her team's back and created a dish that no one was told about.

I'm glad they're gone.

New episodes of Top Chef Houston and Top Chef Family Style tonight!

I think Ashleigh's time is up.

R275. It wasn’t but it should have been. The elimination on Family Style was a shocker.

[quote] The elimination on Family Style was a shocker.

Family Style has been great, in this regard.

Some really talented teams have been eliminated, and it really shows that the judging is merciless!

It's not based on favortism (like Top Chef Houston), but rather on an individual episode basis.

I must say, the food on this episode was very underwhelming.

I fear that many of the better chefs got sent home before their time, and some real duds are left.

I'm very fearful that Ashleigh will win, so that the show can say "She's our first African American female winner."

Just so that they can check off all those boxes. Especially since a black female has never won Top Chef.

It really seems to be heading that way.

Yep, Ashleigh continually shits the bed and they keep her on.

You can really tell that even Tom thought the cooking was totally shitty on this episode.

He basically told them they had to do MUCH better. Ugh.

Buddha and Ashleigh were the only ones who really took to the challenge.

I don't think it's fair at all to make the sushi challenge an elimination challenge.

That's ridiculous.

Not even the regular Top Chef contestants had to do something like that.

And it takes a very long time to master the technique.

They also put way too much pressure on the kids, having them make the sushi in front of the judges.

Evelyn really stretched herself by making common Tex-Mex dishes for both the quick fire and main challenge. So innovative.

Last Chance Kitchen felt cruel.

After Sarah unanimously won, to make her jump through a hoop gain. Could you imagine if she lost after that?

[quote] After Sarah unanimously won, to make her jump through a hoop gain. Could you imagine if she lost after that?

I saw the previews for LCK but I didn't watch it.

Did they really make her compete against all the defeated competitors all over again?

Because that's what it looked like in the preview.

That's bullshit. She already beat all of them.

No, R285, that wasn't the twist.

I’m so depressed Khalil and Willie were eliminated in Family Style. They were my favorites. I don’t even want to watch anymore. Khalil is such a sweetheart.

[quote] I’m so depressed Khalil and Willie were eliminated in Family Style. They were my favorites. I don’t even want to watch anymore. Khalil is such a sweetheart.

Same here. He's such a grounded kid. It's really amazing.

And the fact that he wants to start a food truck for the homeless, is just the coolest thing.

I still think it was completely unfair to make a sushi challenge an elimination challenge. That's just ridiculous.

You can clearly see how difficult is was for the contestants. Danny and Delilah were both in tears!!

The thinking behind some of these challenges is just ridiculous.

Agree, R284, that was an uncommonly rough Last Chance Kitchen. It was made worse that every one of the remaining contestants except for Buddha seemed to resent that they had voted for Sarah in a total sweep. I suppose it's understandable in that they had a closer relationship with Jae by that point, but it still felt rather ungracious.

On the other hand, all of the people that Sarah defeated in LCK seemed to have real respect for her, and they may have felt similarly dismissive had they not encountered her in that arena. They certainly seem to have reconsidered her after running afoul of her.

Sarah's oddly sour, pessimistic but scrappy demeanor did make me wish she just loosened up a bit, but I'm glad to see her back in.

R279

Ashleigh really didn’t deserve to go this time. She had the best presentation, and her dish wasn’t the worst.

Jae’s meat is clearly what did her in. I knew she was a goner when Gail said she couldn’t eat it.

Go Sarah! Win it all!

The remaining chefs clearly wanted Jae back lol. They really don’t know Sarah like that and probably don’t remember much of anything about her.

R291

Sarah made some pretty bad mistakes last time she was in the competition, and even got Robert, her team member, eliminated because of her terrible dish.

R293

That might also be why the remaining chefs don’t respect her as much. I’m sure Robert told them she got him sent home because of her awful mistakes (he was mad about this on LCK).

They have all made huge mistakes, R293.

Ashleigh has been horrible throughout the competition, but she's still in it.

Damarr has been okay, but he has been screwing up a lot lately. It looks like next week is more of Damarr messing up.

Buddah and Evelyn were both bottom feeders at the beginning of the season.

Sometimes, as in Sarah's case, it takes a while to get your footing in this competition. It's not easy.

That's why LCK was developed, in the first place. To give those who were unfairly eliminated early, a chance to earn their way back in.

And that's exactly what Sarah did.

I think she's a contender for the finale, along with Nick.

R295

Damarr was only bad this week. They’ve been showing him “messing up” in previews every week and this time was the only time he was actually in danger. The other times his dishes turned out amazing.

I didn't understand Ashleigh's presentation - where on the space station would they be able to shake slaw onto the other bit w/o the slaw floating away? Didn't understand that at all.

Luke's arms!

I miss Jackson.

[quote] I miss Jackson.

I miss my taste buds.

Why is everyone here saying that Sarah won LCK?

It's still up in the air. Tom didn't announce the winner.

Although Damarr said something interesting. He said he pretty much knew which was Jae's dish.

That's no fair.

Tom should not have told them they were deciding the winner of LCK, which would have REALLY ensured fairness.

By announcing it was judging for LCK, the chefs already knew that Jae would be one of the contestants, and they could thereby figure out which dish was hers, based on their knowledge of her cooking. They were with her for over 8 weeks!!

That's the kind of bogus shit that pisses me off about Top Chef. They pretend that the judging is fair, when it's not.

R301, it was a two-part LCK, and it sounds like you only watched the first part...

I did, R302.

I have cable, and used the On Demand feature to watch LCK. There was only one episode of LCK. Didn't see one after that.

I'll watch for it. Thanks.

Well that elimination didn’t go the way I thought it would.

Did Sarah win?

Yes and was in the bottom but not eliminated.

That was too bad that what's his name's mother and/or aunt couldn't come because she's in a wheelchair. Your boss is not quite the same thing as a loved one.

Why was there any suspense at all about who was going to be eliminated when one chef served raw squid?

Overcooked pasta and poorly prepared tuna. I think Sarah should have gone home.

[quote] Overcooked pasta and poorly prepared tuna. I think Sarah should have gone home.

She probably would have gone home, if Ashleigh didn't make such a huge mistake.

The minute Padme spit out Ashleigh's seafood, I knew she was a goner.

Face it, Ashleigh just isn't a good cook. She hasn't done anything special throughout the entire season.

She was always just hanging on by a thread.

Aside from the squid they seemed to enjoy Ashley’s flavors more than Sarah’s so I thought Sarah was going home.

Delilah is so cute and tiny!

It was hilarious to watch her keep drinking the orange soda. Especially because her mother won't let her drink soda at home.

I can't believe how talented she and Danny are. They are just killing this competition.

And how cool was it to see Elizabeth Berkeley as a guest judge??

Elizabeth Berkeley looked great! The eliminations are getting so emotional I find myself tearing up. I know MARY!

Can you start your own thread to talk about the Family Show? It gets confusing.

I don't think a separate Family Style thread is a good idea, R314.

Hardly anyone here talks about it.

Seems like there are only a 10 or 20 posts about that show in this whole thread.

Perhaps that’s because this is a thread about a different show.

Buddha's food presentation skills are works of art, and good job Sarah

[Quote] Chef Boulud, I’m so happy you got to eat my fish taco.

Saucy minx.

Two men and two women.

One Latina, one White, one Black and one Asian.

How fortuitous.

I liked seeing the chefs catch fish. The rest is starting to bore me. Maybe that's because "TC," "TC: Family Style," and "Master Chef: Juniors" are all on Thursday night.

Too many challenges, plates of food, food descriptions, judges' chowing down, critiques (I still can't take Padma, although she's improving at sounding more human than automaton), eliminations,.....Aaaargh!

^how about not watching them all?

Who saw Sarah making the finale back when she was eliminated, quite a run by her.

They definitely saved Damarr over Nick since Damarr has shown more potential.

At this point it seems this is definitely going to be Buddha's season, we will see.

I love Padma. She’s always come across as very genuine and sincere to me with none of that fake rah rah rah shit.

Agree r323. Padma is a great host and is part of the reason Top Cahef is still going so many seasons later.

Nothing?

Where's the person to tell us the race of the final three contestants? Always such a pleasure.

White Asian Mexican.

One of the least suspenseful finals ever, but a deserving winner.

Really, really sick of seeing Eric Riperts face. Also Tom seems bored at this point, just super bitchy.

This thread has died lol.

But I guess Buddha's win was pretty obvious so doesn't lead to a ton of discussion. Seems Sarah really fucked up her final meal,was clear she never had a shot.

But they loved her acorn cake.

I thought Evelyn was going to take the whole thing, but I was happy for Buddha. His plating and presentation are amazing.

Colicchio's comment that Buddha was "showing off" too much in the finale was ridiculous. It's the fuckin finale fool! I'm glad Padma set him straight. I think he's jealous of Buddha's talent.

Padma = good cop. Tom = bad cop.