Top Chef - S6E8 Postmortem

Damn, damn, damn. And I was going to talk about how Kevin was totally going to rock the pig challenge. Ah, well... you don't get credit after the fact. That's what I get for slacking.

And moments after uttering one of the funniest lines in Top Chef history (seriously, the delivery killed me), Ash is toast. He needed to go. I smell a bit of a collective effect figuring into this particular elimination. I thought Laurine was going home for crimes against pork. But as much as I liked him, Ash was due. Overdue, really. But it makes me sad. I thought he was one of the funniest and most personable folks I've ever seen on the show.

On the other end of the spectrum, not that I want to delve too deeply into the Robin vs. Everybody train wreck 'cause, you know, that stuff drives me insane, but this episode sure seemed like a reminder that there's more than one side to every story. It's like Rashomon with scallops. I'm not saying it excuses some of the behavior we've seen, but it certainly makes it a little more understandable.

And, as if our top four couldn't distinguish themselves any further, there they are... one, two, three, four. If they can survive four more times, we'll have an epic finals to end all finals. But if there's anybody who thinks that's how it'll shake out, as much as I'd like to see it, I'll gladly take that bet. Then I can use cash money to dry my tears when one participant in our perfect finals doesn't make it.

Restaurant Wars, baby! RvE (Robin vs. Everybody) comes to a nasty head! With Captain Valium, no less! And rankings. No way I'm dropping the ball on a call like that again.

Comments

[anon man]

@Dave_P, Tom's blog provides an articulate explanation of what Toby was trying to say (using actual food language instead of culturally insensitive metaphors).

Its interesting the Jennifer's "nervous energy" is ok, but Robin's motor mouth energy is not. Don't get me wrong, I like Jen a lot, (except for her inability to pronounce the letter "D"), but it seems like a very thin line between Robin and Jen.

A word on Mike I. His comment that he cooks the most different ethnic styles is correct and commendable. Now, as an Italian man married to a Lebanese woman, I'll say that its not exactly a wide swatch of real estate from Spain to Italy to Greece to Crete to the Middle East, flavor wise, (with the possible exception of Spain), but his comfort with different traditions is notable. That said it would help if he could pronounce things correctly. My wife kept asking "Is he trying to say "Kibbeh"? (Also, Kibbeh is not traditionally made with Pork alone, and often with none at all...)

[paula]

It's not for nothing that the producers revealed--in this specific episode--that Eli lives with his parents, and showed him on the phone with them and talking about how close he is to his mom. It's quite possible that young Eli really misses his mommy and is lashing out at Robin because she's an older woman who's not providing the environment he's used to. (Well, OK, also because she's irritating as hell...)

[L.S.]

Thanks, babyarm.

[Danny]

Thanks Julie and Independent George. You are so right. The reality is, once someone is the chosen one to be bullied, there is nothing that person can do to stop the bullying. Every little thing they do becomes yet another thing to attack and ridicule them for. Interesting to read Bryan's words - saying that he respects Robin and that she deserved to be there. It sure makes me think more highly of him than his brother. Mike V on the other hand laments that she is there when other more talented chefs could have been there. Funny he says this about Robin but not about Ash who has faltered time and again and has never shined or made a dish that garnered raves (I can't really count the QF pudding thing since it wasn't what he intended to make - it was an accidental dish). A wee bit of sexism perhaps?

For some reason, a lot of the food last night didn't look that interesting. I'm glad to read Tom's blog and his explanation of where Ash went wrong. Tom said that the pork had been overcooked and was very underseasoned. Ash said he could finally cook his way. If that's his way, it sure doesn't make me want to eat his food.

Kevin is just in a world of his own. I don't think of the Top Four. I think of Kevin, then the 3 below him and the rest MOTP. Each of the MOTP has shown flaws and shortcomings. I just don't see much difference between Robin, Mike I, Eli and Laurine. I would not go out of my way to eat any of their food. On the other hand, I would make a trip just to eat Kevin's food and if I was in a city where any of the other 3 was cooking I would make it a point to go eat there.

[Will Allen]

I agree, Julie, but would add that The Pack vs. Robin subplot commits the worst of all television sins: it is utterly boring. Observing the banal cruelty of The Pack and the annoying Robin reminds one of a middle school lunchroom, except with better food. That these are supposed adults only makes their lack of self awareness and fatuous egotism all the more pathetic and uninteresting. Thank goodness the producers aren't delving into this subplot any more than they are.

If I had to pick between the very annoying individual, and the stupidly cruel Pack, I'd choose the annoying individual, but I'd rather not have to watch either, as opposed to, say, more individual commentary from the chefs as to the thinking that produced their dishes. I could listen to Kevin give a 20 minute lecture with each episode.

[Dawn]

But anon man, Jen ISN'T a motor mouth. Her 'nervous energy' is usually reserved for the confessionals, which is a fair game place for the cheftestants to be 'whiny'. Even when she was feeling less confident about her dish & scrambling around the kitchen, she mostly kept her thoughts to herself. I specifically remember Ash said that she is soft-spoken outside the kitchen.

I might come off as a Jen fangirl, which admittedly, I am a little, and I do feel for Robin, but I don't see any double standard going on here.

[Jon Olsen]

Oh Dom, you've arrived! Chef--errr...cooks' spouses coming on here to comment, praise from Ted Allen, Stefan, and now a visitation from on high! We win!

"Know your enemy." Jeezum crow you stuffy galoot, this is the Internet, what the fuck is wrong with you? No one is enemies anymore, it's a movable feast of friendly tribes, or it's nothing. So, y'know, welcome to the family, o e c.

ObTopic This was a perfectly serviceable episode. I'll miss Ash (I feel the line is "Oh I forgot flavor!!" for those of you wondering) but he passed up a shot at polenta to make something Mike Isabellalugosi suggested? That toothy monster wasted his opportunity: if he really wanted her out of the place, he should have pointed his suggestion-mal-de-ojo at Robin.

Jennifer's panic attacks: can't decide if I'm endeared or annoyed, but I'm leaning latter. This is a woman who bragged of making boys cry?

My money is on Robin next week. It's time. Laurine's foh role will save her.

I love the sibling rivalry. I wish they'd start punching. When brothers fight, it's always so savagely entertaining, because they usually just wail on each other!

[Dave_P]

I should clarify, when I heard Toby's armpit comment the first time, it was out of context as a promo clip, and it had me rolling on the floor. I did then hear it in context, saw Tom's reaction, and still had a hearty chuckle, but yeah, I knew then what he was talking about. Toby earned some serious points from me though.

Jen has "nervous energy", but mostly keeps it to herself. Robin doesn't seem to keep much to herself. I can see a clear difference. I realize the tendency to stick up for the picked upon, but there's surely a reason why *everyone* else finds her annoying, and age prolly has less to do with it than Robin would like to believe. Ron was certainly not part of any "young" clique and he was one of the first to voice his annoyance at her verbocity.

Reading Tom's blog, and everyone else's that's up so far, I can see why they sent Ash home instead of Laurine. I'm a bit worried about his closing remarks about how every contest is its own competition, no history, etc. Sounds eerily prophetic about one of the top 4 going home too soon, esp. coming from someone who knows the outcome.

--
Dave

[Lon]

If you've ever been in an environment with someone who talks all the time, especially in tense situations, you would understand the dislike of Robin. Some people relieve their tension by verbalizing everything (Robin and Jen); others draw into themselves (Bryan, Mike and others). And if you are a quiet analyst, the noisy ones are extremely disruptive and annoying.

As to piling on in group situations, the rants against Robin remind me of Season 2 when Marcel received very similar treatment, instigated, I've always felt, by Ilan who used it as a tatic to build support for himself.

[Karen]

Question: In the preview videos, Robin is upset because Mike V., acting as EC, asks her to cut down the portion sizes and is adding a topping (?) to her dessert. Is this within the EC's realm of responsibility? I would think it is since he is ultimately responsible for the food being served.

[Anne]

I would certainly think it is, Karen. Ultimately, he is responsible, and ultimately, everyone else is working for him.

[Will Allen]

Julie, I agree, but would add that the Robin vs. The Pack subplot commits the worst of all television sins; it is utterly boring. The banal cruelty of The Pack and Robin's annoying nature reminds one of a middle school lunchroom, except with better food. That these are supposed adults displaying such a lack of self awareness, and an abundance of fatuous egotism, only makes the spectacle more pathetic. Thank goodness the producers aren't devoting any more time than they are to this nonsense.

If I had to choose between the annoying individual, and the stupidly cruel Pack, I'd choose the individual, but I'd rather not watch either, compared to, say, more individual commentary from the chefs explaining the thinking that went into their dishes. I could listen to Kevin give a 20 minute lecture with each episode.

[Anne]

Oh, did anyone catch who it was who said, "Hopefully they'll make the right decision this time?" when the bottom 3 went out?

[jh]

I think the "tension" that is between Bryan and Kevin, could be chalked up to the fact that Bryan is extremely competitive and Kevin keeps winning the QF and EC. He may not be bugged by Kevin's personality, but rather the realization that he may not be the best in the room. It's probably driving Bryan mad that he's in the top, but not always winning.

As for seeing only snippets of her personality, if any chef, male or female, took her aside and told her about her grating personality, she might throw that to the wind regardless of who it was. She's already put up her defense mechanism of playing the victim role, and her talking is something that would be hard to change. Her lengthy explanation of the dish at Pigs and Pinot were reminiscent of Spike. Also, as the oldest person of the house, she may not be receptive to any suggestions that come from the youngins. She's older, had more life experiences, and survived cancer, what do these other younger chefs know?

This is not to say that the behavior of the some of the other chefs are acceptable, but in this high-stakes, sleep-deprived world, tension is bound to run high. If you can't stand Robin's personality (or any other contestant), you can tell it to her face politely, and if nothing happens you can:

1. Tell it to her face rudely.
2. Ignore her (because if you talk to her you are bound to do 1.)
3. Avoid her, that way you wouldn't have to do 1 or 2.

I am also not condoning 1. But I see many of the chefs doing 2 and 3. If your personality does not mesh with another (and you've honestly tried to get to know the other person), what are other alternatives besides the occasional, "Hi"? It's like mismatched college roommates.

Ironically enough, although I can't stand Mike I., I could probably deal with his personality better than Robin's around the house. Her passive-aggressive constant chattering and unwanted advice giving would drive me up the wall. Mike I seems like he can dish it and take it. He's just a jerk that has no tact with the camera, and an ego that could fill the Rose Bowl.

[Will Allen]

Sorry about that.....I'm not completely familiar with this site.

[timothy]

Hey Dom, Was the funny Ash line the one about flavor or the comment about not inviting Padma to dinner. That was a pretty great quip as well.

[Julie]

Wow Will, are you reading my mind?! I was just remembering my kids years in middle school. Their school had an anti-bullying program it ran every year and one of the things it focused on was the "observers" of the bully and victim. An observer doesn't interfere because the bully may turn on him/her. So it's best just to be passive. The program taught the students that bullying affects everyone negatively. This is clearly what's happening in the Top Chef house.

While I agree that it can be boring and this is a "food" show, I must admit that part of what I love about TC is the dynamics between chefs. I find it interesting to watch how living in such a stressful, competitive environment makes people behave. I firmly believe that our character shines more honestly when we fail rather than succeed. The insecurities of the "observers" are painfully obvious when they complain about a chef they feel is more talented, like Hector, go home, while Robin, who they feel is inferior, is still around. It fuels their fear that noone is immune and they too could go home at any moment. They seem to have convinced themselves that going home before Robin would be a terrible fate...completely forgetting that while they may not like her cooking, she's held her own and is still there for a reason. I'd like to believe that Robin is on the show because she is a talented chef, not just to create drama.

Having typed all that, I would enjoy hearing more from each chef about how and why they created their dish. I am not a foodie so much of what they talk about is over my head, but I truly enjoy listening to someone who is passionate about what they do explain or defend themselves. TC has given me a real appreciation of how hard chefs work and the fact that they are artists in their own way.

[jse91]

"Oh Dom, you've arrived! Chef--errr...cooks' spouses coming on here to comment, praise from Ted Allen, Stefan, and now a visitation from on high! We win!

"Know your enemy." Jeezum crow you stuffy galoot, this is the Internet, what the fuck is wrong with you? No one is enemies anymore, it's a movable feast of friendly tribes, or it's nothing. So, y'know, welcome to the family, o e c."

???
Care to fill us in?

[Bart]

FYI, folks, Toby Young has a very amusing blog up about his "pie-ella" brou-ha-ha.

And, frankly, I totally agree with what he was saying. And I completely understood what he was trying to say, when the episode aired. I never understood why people took offense to what he said, because what he says is true.

[paula]

Like jse91, I'm out of the loop on that thread, but "Jeezum crow you stuffy galoot" is something I now HAVE to work into daily conversation.

[Duffy]

We see what the camera catches and Bravo edits. Why would they show us any of the polite, civil and perhaps even friendly exchanges between Robin an the others? What interest or drama would be in that?

We know now that Robin started the rhubarb with Eli and picked on him -- even when it was apparent that he was annoyed -- until he blew up. Then she stayed on his tail and went after some more!

While there are cameras all around, they do not catch everything. I suspect that most if not all of the other women -- from the beginning -- tried to approach Robin privately and failed.

We are getting a fair number of high drama moments, but I question whether "everyone" is ganging up on Robin "all the time."

[mena]

Karen & Anne, I got the impression that Bryan was the EC not Michael. The only people they showed having confessionals about RW were Jennifer and Bryan - so I took that to mean they were the ECs. Bryan was also the one who broke up the fight between Michael & Robin and ordered each one back to their respective tasks.

Also, it sounded to me like it was Michael V who said "Hopefully they'll make the right decision this time?". When someone else asked who that was, it also sounded like it was Michael V who said "Big "R", little "obin".

[Jon Olsen]

If òste e còc is Poivrot Farci then we've been visited by a very knowledgeable, and just a teensy bit stuffy blogger/netizen. He writes a really cool blog about his experiments in home cooking French classics. For my money I find his wit a little too acerbic but still amusing. He dipped his pen in sulfuric acid (okay, his keyboard) to compare Hector's looks to those of a serial rapist while calling Kevin a hippie virgin. However, he takes great photos and has made some very whimsical looking dishes.

http://kitschnclassics.wordpress.com/

[Joanna]

I thought it was Mike I. who said that he hoped the right person went home. Then someone (Bryan?) asked if he thought she had the worst dish, and he said "I don't even care about the dish."

Eli's outburst in last night's episode was immature, but I still think that Mike's treatment of Robin last week was much worse, because it was during the challenge. I basically lost all respect for him after that.

But. There was one throwaway comment by Robin that I think could give some insight into her personality and why she might bother the other chefs so much. While she and Eli were in the kitchen in the house, she said, "I like to keep the salt over here, and the sugar over there, but they don't seem to stay that way." That comment is SO passive-aggressive that I don't even know where to begin... I've had to live with people that like that and it is one of the most frustrating things ever. If you want the salt in one place and the sugar in another, just tell me that, and I will try to keep them there. But don't act like I have offended you by moving something that we both use if you never told me that you prefer it in a certain place! Better yet, deal with the fact that you are living in close quarters with a lot of other people and things are going to get moved around.

Like I said, it was a largely insignificant comment, and it struck a nerve with me, but if that is how Robin always is, I think it makes some of the dislike towards her a little more understandable. Doesn't really justify the hatred and venom though.

[òste e còc]

“I-George... you make the mistake of presuming that òste e còc feels that Stephanie was worthy of the "chef" title. Or Charlie Palmer. Or nearly every contestant and guest judge to appear throughout the the run of the show, really :-)
(I'm pretty sure he'd get behind Robuchon.)”

Skillet Doux's facetious typeset notwithstanding, Charlie Palmer was a formidable working chef and is a tremendously successful restaurateur (financially at least), but his empire has a few cracks. http://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/59627/.

I worked for Charlie for 3 of my junior years, 1 of those at Aureole, right after he passed the Egyptian cotton apron to Gerry Hayden, before Charlie migrated to the west Coast. One of the immediate consequences of the 9/11 events was a staff reduction and Bryan worked and managed the kitchen & staff in a capacity that would make most Prime Ministers blush. For his age, Bryan is a legitimate chef one of the most confident I have worked with, both as a determined, technically savvy working chef and GM. Consequently, he and other established chef/owners don’t have much farther to go in realizing their dreams of owning their own restaurants. (I prefer to keep watching the talent and ignore Padma’s intro).

Stephanie is well deserving of the title of chef in terms of technical/theoretical/practical proficiency , as are many others (Tre, Blais, Harold, Stephan, etc..) but must be distinguished from a self-appointed management rung title by virtue of ownership (e.g. Spike). Those such as Ilan (worked with him too, he cried on his last day as an extern when his civilian pants were vacuum sealed and frozen…with his wallet in them) and “Hosea” might dilute the trade and expectations of the viewing public, though based on many of the comments above, the secondary soap-opera drama is more of a lure than the tangible food manipulations. Then again, it is Bravo, not PBS and I am grateful that the trade gets attention, albeit as a vehicle for promoting plastic wrap and tupperwares.

PS. SD, consider Craigie on Main for a noteworthy meal.

[TxGriff]

Joanna and others- I don't know, I didn't see the salt and sugar comment as passive-aggressive. I literally think Robin just has no inner-monologue (I'm going to eat this orange!). I don't think her comment was ill-natured or she was trying to point fingers, I just think while most of us would internally think "Oh, the salt and sugar were moved around, I'll put them back in place", Robin has the tendancy to just verbalize whatever is going through her head.

And I don't think she egged Eli on either (or rather that she intentionally egged him on...obviously her personatlity leds itself to causing frustrations). I think she is aware that he and others dislike her, and she is internally defensive around them, which comes across as passive-aggressive. It honestly just makes me feel terrible for her, I get uncomfortable everytime I see her on the screen now. Part of it is the editing. For example, when Eli said that some chefs clearly didn't know much about the Pinots, why did they immediately cut to a shot of Robin??? Was she the only one Eli was referring to? I hate the feeling that I'm going to have to fast forward through half the show from now on to avoid this type of stuff. As someone said earlier, I wish she was just eliminated as an act of mercy at this point.

[Skillet Doux]

"PS. SD, consider Craigie on Main for a noteworthy meal."

Oh, it was :-)

[Skillet Doux]

"though based on many of the comments above, the secondary soap-opera drama is more of a lure than the tangible food manipulations."

Historically speaking, not so much around these parts, though this particular drama du jour seems to have touched a nerve. I suspect because it was otherwise an unusually calm and quiet season and for a while there we were thinking we might actually get a straight-up cooking contest.

[Will Allen]

Well, Julie, having said what I did, I'll also concede that some of the chefs just aren't worthy of as much cooking commentary as Kevin, because they just don't have his chops. Part of what makes Kevin great is his thorough understanding of the chemistry and physics of making great food, along with the cultures and history of cooking. Thus, when presented with a challenge of cooking in an idiom that he has not done before, he can think the problem through, and explain to the camera how he did so.

To draw an analogy with other endeavors, and yes, I know that some may see this as hyperbolic, part of what Frank Lloyd Wright such a giant was his engineering chops. He could design, for instance, the Johnson Wax Building with a radical element that had never been tested, confident that his understanding of physics was such that it would work. Similarly, Picasso could be Picasso because before he went into uncharted territory, he had mastered realism. Kevin just knows a helluva lot of stuff, and knows how to apply the principles. The fact that he has tremendous people skills, unlike Wright or Picasso, is the icing on the cake.

[KathyV]

Even though our primary focus is, and should be, the food, I guess some of us do get wrapped into the "secondary drama". Human nature I guess. As I'm sure some might view comments based solely on a person's appearance, such as "pasty skin" and "boorish brow of a serial rapist" as a bit myopic instead of the pithy food-related bon mot they might have been intended to be.

And Dom, I do apologize for any line I might have just crossed.

[Julie]

Will, while I agree that listening to Kevin explain his dish is more interesting due to his knowledge and expertise than listening to say, Robin; for the non-foodie viewer like me, hearing both chefs helps me to understand "why" Kevin is so much better than Robin. Kevin describes his dishes in a way I can understand without being condescending whereas some chefs just jabber on without saying anything. Since we cannot, as has been mentioned here many times, eat the food, I have to base my uneducated judgements on what I hear from the judges and chefs themselves.

I am a "meat and potatos" kind of gal who doesn't know the difference between mole and gravy. As a matter of fact, I'd never even heard the word mole until Top Chef. I will probably never eat in most of the restaurants mentioned on this site or on TC. It is for this reason that I seldom (read: almost never) comment on this blog. I feel I learn much more by reading the comments of those better educated on such matters. I always watch TC, and read this blog, with the expectation that I will learn something new, even though I may never try it myself.

The only reason I was prompted to comment this week was the drama surrounding Robin. While, as I admit I'm intrigued by the drama, not just the food, I prefer the drama to occur during the challenges. Who is sweating, literally and figuratively; who's running wildly with a hot pan or sharp knife, who's cursing and announcing she'll be the one leaving (Jennifer)? I can't wait for Restaurant Wars just to watch the dynamics between each team. I really would, as Dom acknowledged, have enjoyed this season as a cooking contest without this particular drama. It really is painful to watch.

[Bart]

Historically speaking, not so much around these parts, though this particular drama du jour seems to have touched a nerve. I suspect because it was otherwise an unusually calm and quiet season and for a while there we were thinking we might actually get a straight-up cooking contest.

Probably because unlike other dramas, this one just makes us uncomfortable. At least when others ragged on Lisa or Spike, it was understandable and we didn't care too much for them either.

When people whined about Stefan, we either saw through it and appreciated him...or realized that he could dish it was well as take it.

Here, Robin seems like a victim (and I hate using that word because I'm sure she'd disagree with my using that word). And rather than get the usual back-and-forth, this just feels like everyone piling on Robin and leads only to awkward situations. That's what it is - it's just awkward.

Besides, just last week, we had a great discussion on umami. This week, it's all about Robin. Next week, I suspect it'll be all about how to manage a restaurant (a topic that many of us, I suspect, will suddenly become experts on by next week ;-) ).

[ally]

anon man -- I watched the "flirting" segment three times and laughed out loud every time but I don't feel dirty at all.

Is that wrong?

=D

[Will Allen]

Oh, absolutley, Julie. The human drama in the kitchen is fun stuff. I just don't really care for the stuff I could observe down at my local mall's food court.

As to chefs that jabber, I often think they do so to hide their lack of knowledge. Every profession, art, or craft, is the same at some level. If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, befuddle them with bullshit.

[Clarita]

To respond to an earlier comment: Out of the top four, I would be most OK to lose the brothers V. I will die if Kevin or Jenn go before the finals.

[ally]

At the risk of still talking about the drama (and by the way, I hate that I didnt learn much about the dishes this week because of extra drama footage)

Bart, I couldn't disagree with you more that Robin is a victim. She KNOWS that her housemates are having a problem with her, esp. Eli, but she still just is in his space and in his business. Eli is a jerk, but I don't think he is instigating it.

That said, it is sad to see the rest of them sitting around gossiping about her. (Or listening to the gossip) Very sad.

[Will Allen]

If we have to lose one of the Big Four, I'd prefer it to be Michael V.. There are times that he reminds me of a Tom Cruise character, and I hate Tom Cruise movies.

[kit]

In case anyone hasn't checked it out yet, Harold's got a funny take on that ubiquitous JT's question - "did you taste your dish?" It's got me thinking about possible ways to answer that without completely screwing yourself. It would probably have to be a, "Yes I did, but by then it was too late to fix it because of X," sort of like Jamie with the salty Ripert dish...though that dish did get her eliminated... Ok do over, "Yes I did, but excuse me while I hail this bus and explain to you why it's my partner's fault." :) Any contestant thinking they may be in the bottom should definitely add an answer to that question as part of the defense they're going to mount at JT.

[Will Allen]

I'd pay money to hear, from someone who knows that they can't win, "Yes, I did, and I find you to be such a disagreeable person that I decided to serve you a lousy meal as my last act".

[TxGriff]

It's interesting- while I would most likely want to eat Mike V.'s food, I would also be most willing to lose him as a contestant if I had to choose from the top tier. There's something arrogant about his personality that I just don't like watching as much as the other top contenders (who also make beautiful and perfectly executed food).

Bryan kind of touched on my problem with Mike V. in his BRAVO interview this week- while Bryan is more likely to take the diner's consideration and experience into account while creating a dish, Mike has a stubborness that means he's always going to cook his food, regardless of the diner. Now, when you cook expertly prepared and innovative food (which I'm sure he does)I don't think this is a flaw, I just don't like the slightly condescending manner in which such an attitude comes across on TV.

All that being said, I don't want anyone in the top 4 to go home, obviously. However, the tone of Tom's most recently blog post is giving me reason to believe we may need to brace ourselves for an unwanted elimination in the near future.

[babyarm]

All this Robin stuff is really starting to suck away my will to live. At least with the Lisa stuff people focused at least somewhat on her food from time to time.

[aaalex]

whoever said last week was all about umami and this week it's all about robin couldn't actually have read all of last week's many posts. there were more about robin than about umami, by a very long, sad margin. (i wrote my share. so: mea culpa.) i'd have thought everything had been said, for good and for ill, but this week there's rehash of last week's talk (and to an extent the week before's). it's what bravo wants, of course. there's another "who's the worst, eli or robin?" poll up on the bravo site. so, from bravo's perspective, this must be a fine discussion and a good season. òste e còc is pretty much right, i think, domenic. on the other hand, his (flagrantly gossipy) image of ilan hall crying over his vacuum sealed pants is one that will give me much pleasure in the years to come.

[Independent George]

Last week may have been all about Robin, but the week before that was all about Fennel Funnel-Cakes served on a naked Padma. That is what I would prefer to be discussing.

[Julie]

"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, befuddle them with bullshit."

I love this line Will! Thanks for the laugh. My boss came into my office to find out what's so funny.

I agree about Mike V. too. He would be my first pick from the top 4 to go. I admire that he cooks to his strengths but he's so condescending about it. Presumably a chef wants to please his customers as well as his own sensibility. Mike V. doesn't seem to feel that way.

I want to see Bryan, Kevin and Jennifer battle it out. It would be fun to see (and listen) to Jen freaking, watch Bryan stew silently in his own juices and Kevin just seemingly plod along while being brilliant.

[zsparks]

On a network whose bread-and-butter is now The Real Housewives of Atlanta (you may have noticed their breast implants in someone's dish during any given episode?), it's hard to hope that they could trust TC viewers enough to give us the basic drama of the competition and the sweat room. Remember back when Inside the Actors Studio seemed like a self-involved and vampy look at the arts? By current standards, it's practically Masterpiece Theater, even though the next ep will probably feature Kim and NeNe. So it feels to me as if they have taken the relatively tiny Robin drama and stretched out to Housewives size in order to keep building that audience - the rest of us be damned.

[aaalex]

independent george: talk about selective memory! you're forgetting the naked colicchio discussion ...
can you say nantaimori?

i knew you could...

[Will Allen]

There's no accounting for taste!

[aaalex]

will: that sentence just about perfectly sums up top chef itself. good work.

[Nadzag]

Babyarm, you echo my sentiments exactly (your post at 10:44 AM 10/14)- but I think "man-child" is an undeserved euphamism for Eli. As edited, he appears to be a mean-spirited misogynist. Regardless of any annoying traits, also as edited, Robin appears to be mostly benign and certainly not as insulting, abusive or offensive as those who attack her.

Often, it's just easier to focus on one's antipathy for another than to face one's own shortcomings. I trust that that is Eli's problem.

Jen rocks big time. The V's are chafingly serious, but Bryan is dead great. Kevin walks the walk - I pick him to win the whole enchilada.

My final thought: I want to have a child with Michelle Bernstein.

[TxGriff]

"On a network whose bread-and-butter is now The Real Housewives of Atlanta (you may have noticed their breast implants in someone's dish during any given episode?)"

Yes, the pop ups MUST stop. I'm tired of the right portion of my screen being filled with that garbage. It's almost as annoying as the the infamous grand poobah of pasta (Ericaaa!)