Top Chef NYC

Crap. Didn't get to see Martha lay the lumber to Stefan.

The new guy at the judge's table sure looks friendly.

Saw an interview with Tom C and his wife a couple of weeks ago. Maybe on CBS? Seemed like a couple you'd like to have over for drinks and dinner.

 

I didn't have as big of a problem with the deviled eggs as I did with Jamie's raw scallop/vichyssoise (however you spell it) dish.
And I thought the warm refrig was a nice example of a real-life situation that could easily happen to anyone.

Martha wasn't nearly as irritating as I thought she would be. Hopefully next week the chef's will really shine since they aren't having to do such impossible tasks with so many limits imposed on them.

 

I'm hoping that at some point it's revealed that Stefan left the fridge door open in an effort to sabotage the others

 

Except for the smarmy revelation that she LOVES to dive for scallops in Maine in January. Okay.

Best line came from next week's preview, when Fabio says 'It's Top Chef, not Top Scallop.' I just love this guy...although he really slid off the edge this week.

Really loved how everyone pitched in, although you have to wonder if that was specially edited for the Christmas show, holiday spirit and all that. Even though it was filmed in the middle of summer.

If you watch reruns of past seasons, it's pretty clear how far the quality has fallen. Really boring stuff.

 

The big thing is that they aren't surprised anymore.
The quickfires, having a couple of dessert recipes handy, etc.
The contestants have a much better idea of what to expect, so they don't come up with batshit crazy ideas on the fly.
They try to edit in some drama, but the editing has been especially bad this season.

 

I'm a first-time Top Chef viewer this season. So I have a question ...

Are the challenge prizes usually as lousy as I've seen this year? An autographed copy of yet another Martha Stewart recipe book ... whoop-de-freakin-do.

 

A lot of the time, they don't have a prize.

When they do, it's just something the guest judge wants to promote.

About once a season, somewhere near the end, the prize is awesome, though. And all-expenses paid trip to Italy or something.

But they're playing for immunity.

 

I just thought it was odd that one week the challenge winner got a big box of cookware and the next it was an autographed book.

I figured the weekly prizes would be things like high-end chef's knives or something.

 

The prizes were never planned, I don't think.

Some enterprising guest judges just like to pimp whatever they've got going. So, cookware one week, books the next, etc. And, whenever the guest judge is hip-fauxhawk-sporting-local-chef, there isn't a prize.

 

I cannot tell you how little I am looking forward to Toby Young being on the show. I don't like his books and cannot fathom liking his banter.

 

This was at least the second week they didn't show Radhika (sp?) in the Quickfire. More of the weird editing, I guess.

 

When they give out these cookbooks I can't help but to think back to what Arianne said in the first episode, and what Tom's reaction was.