Top Chef New Orleans

Will somebody please punch Nick in the face?

 

I have to admit the judge's table discussion threw me for a loop. With the way they all were talking, it sounded like Nick was going home for once again under-salting his dish.

They've gotta do something about Padma and these eliminations at the end of the show. She's getting very emotional. I don't want emotion. I want cold-blooded rejection.

 

I think in this case, it's because she thinks they are sending the wrong person home.

I don't remember who said it (maybe Gail?), but for Nicholas' dish, the comment was something along the lines of "Think about it - we're at the final four for Top Chef, and we're still getting underseasoned, unsalted food from him? How long do we let this go on?"

He's been in the bottom a season-high 5 times, including 3 of the last 4 weeks, and the only time in the last 4 weeks he wasn't in the bottom, the judges said the only reason he wasn't going home was because he won the Quickfire.

I'm wondering if the only reason he's being kept aboard is because he's a douche and provides a little personality (albeit a horrible one) for this vanilla season.

 

It was actually Padma who said that, which is why her reaction definitely made sense to me.

Overall, I agree this season has been vanilla-- in both the participants personalities and the cooking. They're clearly all good chefs, but this season there is no person who has consistently blown me away. I guess I always compare every season to the Voltaggio one, because that was my favorite (and incidentally the first season I really watched intently). In that season, I always felt that every episode Michael had the possibility to do something really special. I don't get that feeling from anyone this year.

 

Most unlikeable winner the show has had.

And not only was he a complete tool, he was also in the bottom of challenges through much of the season.

 

At least he's fun to work with during service!

I'm moving on to Rachel and Guy's celebrity cannibalism or whatever it's called.

 

And he underseasoned his food in the finale, too, but got away with it.

His outburst in the back that was loud enough for the diners and judges to hear should have been enough for him to lose. When one of the judges (Hugh?) brought up how that should be factored in and Tom looked at him like he was speaking another language, it told me all I needed to know about how legitimate this season was.

 

Or it tells you Tom has had a few outbursts like that in his kitchens and thinks it's no big deal.

 

Kitchens get loud. I had a chef scream at me.

I had no idea what he was saying.

He was French, and he was mad at me. That's all I understood.

We need to get someone on this stupid show to keep us hooked. Who here can cook? Casting now:

http://topchefcasting.com/

 

Maybe. Though when it happened, it appeared the entire judges table stopped and looked at each other in shock, like they were hearing the gang-rape and torture of a group of schoolchildren. They didn't react to it then like it was no big deal.

 

Kitchens are loud. Understood.
I did restaurant work in high school.

But this is fine dining. The customers shouldn't hear a chef yelling at servers.

 

Can you cook?