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Top Chef Texas - Page 15

post #211 of 281
2/2/12 at 9:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1969 View Post

I haven't seen a single episode but eat at Paul Qui's place (Uchi/Uchicko) frequently...is he good, bad or just boring?

Very good, and he's already won like $40,000 from various challenges.
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post #212 of 281
2/2/12 at 9:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iammatt View Post

Back Door Kitchen?!?!?!? I thought this was family entertainment.

One of the eliminated contestants used to be a nude gay model! I would post a picture under a spoiler alert, but am at work.
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post #213 of 281
2/2/12 at 11:00am
so at what point exactly did this show jump teh shark? normally, i would say anything that involves pee wee herman, bicycles and the alamo ("his classic movie", says Padhma Kael), but obviously this season it happened much, much earlier. nominations are now open.
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post #214 of 281
2/2/12 at 11:03am
What is wrong with you people? Pee Wee would raise, not lower the bar.
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post #215 of 281
2/2/12 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by foodguy View Post

so at what point exactly did this show jump teh shark? normally, i would say anything that involves pee wee herman, bicycles and the alamo ("his classic movie", says Padhma Kael), but obviously this season it happened much, much earlier. nominations are now open.

It jumped the shark the first two episodes where they competed for slots on the show. I found it terribly boring.
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post #216 of 281
2/2/12 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xericx View Post

It jumped the shark the first two episodes where they competed for slots on the show. I found it terribly boring.

+1

Couldn't figure out who was who in that sea of people and never gained interest.
Edited by erictheobscure - 2/3/12 at 1:44am
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post #217 of 281
2/2/12 at 5:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by shoreman1782 View Post

Seems the lesson over the last couple seasons is don't make fucking risotto b/c someone will think the texture is wrong. It's really a no-win.

And don't back sass the judges. Jen sent home for lipping off. Now Grayson too.
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post #218 of 281
2/3/12 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kwilkinson View Post

Uhhh, what? They had to make food that went along with a movie, with the focus on good vs. evil. If that's not a stupid contrivance, I don't know what is.

Fair enough, but my point being it didn't really constrain the actual cooking.

They didn't have to cook for 200 people, they didn't have to cook in a barbecue pit or a microwave oven or a crack den, they weren't restricted in the use of ingredients, etc.

They had a theme, but they were mostly allowed to do what they wanted to do. I prefer those sort of challenges to chicken salad and meatballs.
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post #219 of 281
2/3/12 at 7:31pm
What would you guys suggest that they do for the show, rather than the challenges they currently do? I find the stuff they do a bit dumb too, but I'm not sure what they could do each week to keep it interesting.

If they just had them cook a meal each week, with any ingredients they wanted, I think the show would be pretty boring.
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post #220 of 281
2/4/12 at 10:51am
i think the problem with this season has been dumb challenges along with lackluster contestants.

Hung, the Voltaggio brothers, Stefan, Blais would wipe the floor with anybody in this competition.
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post #221 of 281
2/4/12 at 11:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Omar1223 View Post

i think the problem with this season has been dumb challenges along with lackluster contestants.
Hung, the Voltaggio brothers, Stefan, Blais would wipe the floor with anybody in this competition.

You sure? It's not really a fair comparison, b/c you're taking the best chefs from many seasons, but the remaining chefs have pretty decent pedigrees.

Sarah - Exec chef as Spiaggia. Pretty sure it's got a Michelin star. I can't stand her, but that has to mean something.

Paul - Exec Chef at Uchiko, James Beard nom for Best rising chef, and Uchiko got a nom for best new restaurant.

Ed - Exec Chef at 610 Magnolia, finalist for James Beard award for best chef.

Lindsey - Michelle Bernstein seems to think she's got some talent.
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post #222 of 281
2/4/12 at 11:56am
I agree that this season suffers from a combination of boring contestants and bad challenges, but I think figuring out exactly what's appealing and what's not is really tricky. What makes a good pool of contestants is not just a matter of culinary ability. (I actually think Stefan would get his ass kicked.) It's a weird mix of cooking style + personality. So Richard Blais was really likeable because he did wacky stuff without being super pretentious--so his persona was that of an amiably goofy kitchen scientist. Whereas Michael Voltaggio did cutting edge stuff in a way that suited his aggressive attitude--his (potential or real) dickishness was offset by his relationship with his brother, who had a slightly different skill set and very different attitude. Contrast this all to Kevin Gillespie, who did more down-to-earth stuff (which, again, suited his personality). No such harmony in this season's contestants--Sarah might be really good at making high end Italian food, but she's singularly loathsome. (It might make for much better TV if she excelled at molecular gastronomy--then she'd be this hateful person who you'd begrudgingly appreciate because she was doing more visibly awesome stuff.)

The challenges seem to be a whole other story. A good challenge requires something novel and interesting that still tests cooking abilities in a non-hokey way. I think the challenges at Le Bernardin from previous seasons have been great (prep fish, then use the scraps to cook something good; eat a fancy dinner and then *surprise!* simulate the dish you just ate). More stuff like that would be great, but now we have Pee Wee Herman.
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post #223 of 281
2/4/12 at 2:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KJT View Post

You sure? It's not really a fair comparison, b/c you're taking the best chefs from many seasons, but the remaining chefs have pretty decent pedigrees.
Sarah - Exec chef as Spiaggia. Pretty sure it's got a Michelin star. I can't stand her, but that has to mean something.
Paul - Exec Chef at Uchiko, James Beard nom for Best rising chef, and Uchiko got a nom for best new restaurant.
Ed - Exec Chef at 610 Magnolia, finalist for James Beard award for best chef.
Lindsey - Michelle Bernstein seems to think she's got some talent.

but see its one thing to be a good chef but another to be a bravo "top chef." everyone in top chef masters is a world renowned chef but when it cames to challenges top chef style, a lot of them really struggled you know?

i agree i took the best of previous seasons but those guys won and the person who is going to win this season won't be anywhere close to previous winners.

this season's winner will probably beat out hosea as the weakest winner of top chef yet.
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post #224 of 281
2/4/12 at 6:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Omar1223 View Post

but see its one thing to be a good chef but another to be a bravo "top chef." everyone in top chef masters is a world renowned chef but when it cames to challenges top chef style, a lot of them really struggled you know?
i agree i took the best of previous seasons but those guys won and the person who is going to win this season won't be anywhere close to previous winners.
this season's winner will probably beat out hosea as the weakest winner of top chef yet.

So what you're saying is that this season's cast isn't anywhere close to as good at playing the Top Chef competition/game than the casts of previous seasons, but that it has no bearing on their actual skill as chefs. And if this season's challenges have been more ridiculous than previous seasons, it must be even harder to gauge their skills. So the previous winners looked good because they were able to play the game with skill, but again, as you say, ability to play the game has no bearing on actual skills in the kitchen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Omar1223 View Post

everyone in top chef masters is a world renowned chef but when it cames to challenges top chef style, a lot of them really struggled you know?
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post #225 of 281
2/6/12 at 11:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by erictheobscure View Post

I agree that this season suffers from a combination of boring contestants and bad challenges, but I think figuring out exactly what's appealing and what's not is really tricky. What makes a good pool of contestants is not just a matter of culinary ability. (I actually think Stefan would get his ass kicked.) It's a weird mix of cooking style + personality. So Richard Blais was really likeable because he did wacky stuff without being super pretentious--so his persona was that of an amiably goofy kitchen scientist. Whereas Michael Voltaggio did cutting edge stuff in a way that suited his aggressive attitude--his (potential or real) dickishness was offset by his relationship with his brother, who had a slightly different skill set and very different attitude. Contrast this all to Kevin Gillespie, who did more down-to-earth stuff (which, again, suited his personality). No such harmony in this season's contestants--Sarah might be really good at making high end Italian food, but she's singularly loathsome. (It might make for much better TV if she excelled at molecular gastronomy--then she'd be this hateful person who you'd begrudgingly appreciate because she was doing more visibly awesome stuff.)
The challenges seem to be a whole other story. A good challenge requires something novel and interesting that still tests cooking abilities in a non-hokey way. I think the challenges at Le Bernardin from previous seasons have been great (prep fish, then use the scraps to cook something good; eat a fancy dinner and then *surprise!* simulate the dish you just ate). More stuff like that would be great, but now we have Pee Wee Herman.

a lot of good points, i think. there are several factors: 1) pure cooking ability (this year, little lower than the last two, i think); 2) ability to gem up for the stupid-ass competitions (this year they've been hindered because the competitions have REALLY been lame); 3) interesting mix of strong personalities ... it's as much "big brother" as it is a cooking show (that's where this year really falls down. there are people i really hate, and a couple of people i've kinda pulled for, but not nobody who i can really get behind (insert grayson here)).
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