Minicap: Top Chef Seattle

25 Comments

1. 1
   Chicken Lips
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 10:15 am

   Thank you for mentioning the horrible, suspense killing editing. I didn’t even bother watching the last 20 minutes, so I’m only assuming I know who won.

2. 2
   PacoSauce
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 10:23 am

   I hated this format for the finale, but I think it could make an interesting elimination challenge. Do a series of Iron Chef rounds where the winner is safe, going until one is eliminated. But it’s a ridiculous format for the finale.

   I laughed when Brooke said she wanted to prove that her wins weren’t due to Top Model’s elimination, because that’s exactly why she coasted to the finale. Not to say that she wasn’t one of the best, but it’s easier to look talented when you’re being compared to Stachebear.

3. 3
   reality
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 10:31 am

   @chicken lips (ha!) It wasn’t exactly the editing but the 3 out of 5 idea. Should’ve voted at the end or something. Idea is great for live audience but this is a 44-minute TVVVVVVV show for crying-out loud. The end was obvious and a let-down for all based on timing. Plus too much back-story and could’ve showed more food prep (have always wished they talked more on that) or food comments from other diners.

4. 4
   RomanaMrFlipitMaid
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 11:08 am

   Iron Chef format?! Please tell me Scar bit into a pepper at the beginning!?

5. 5
   Philo
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 11:20 am

   I thought that Scar looked loaded in last night’s episode.

   Agreed on the editing. Cooked 3 meals, one chef up 2-1, and they go to commercial with 12 minutes left in the show. Hmmmm, not really enough time to tee up two dishes.

   Blowsie and Uniball – get off my TV forever! Same goes for cross-eyed Bobblehead Cohen (who must read this website to come up with ideas for his stupid show).

   Looking forward to the recap!

6. 6
   Chicagoguy
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 11:32 am

   ATROCIOUS SEASON, ATROCIOUS FINALE

   I’ve loved Top Chef for years, after last nights horrible episode (nothing to do with the winner), I might be done. I’m really tired of Padma, she offers nothing other than bitchy looks and fawning over first Josie, then Kristin, Collichio looks bored, Emeril refuses to criticize anything, and Gail is phoning it in. Look, if I wanted to watch Iron Chef, I’d watch Iron Chef…HORRIBLE idea for a finale, Top Chef, you haven’t been good in 3 seasons now…time to end it.

7. 7
   vallegirl
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 11:38 am

   SeaLaskaLax? JMo, you are DEAD to me!

   As for the finale, as soon as I saw both sets of sous chefs I knew the person smart enough to pick Sheldon/Lizzie would win over the dumbass who thought choosing both Stefan AND CJ was a good idea. I was even happier when I saw Brooke was the dumbass.

   But was Paul a Beard winner when he was on TC? Or is that a new development? I did enjoy how SOME of the winners (Harold, Stephanie, Li’l Volt, Paul…Kevin??!??!) have gone on to become lauded chefs in their own right and then there’s Ilan, Hoser, Hung (sadly) and….Richard, as the losers with nothing much to show for their win but one crappy restaurant in a seedy hotel in downtown LA.

8. 8
   featherhead
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 11:39 am

   I agree that Padma looked stoned out of her mind especially when she launched herself at the winner. The funniest part for me was when they asked Ilan what he thought of himself on TV, and he says he looked fat, greasy, and ?? (something else). And Padma says Well You Do!! BWHAHAHA! I have to give that one to her.

   Hated the format for the finale! CJ totally screwed Bitchface. How do you stand there and WATCH it burn??

9. 9
   captain-save-uh-hoe
   Posted February 28, 2013 at 11:46 am

   As someone who was at the finale… I will say, audio issues delayed filming by hours. Everyone was loaded and starving, or already ate craft service, by the time things got rolling…

   And it was pretty obvious for the audience who won, when, before they announced the winner, they were clearly only plating the winner’s dessert dish…

10. 10
    Jaime Sommers
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 12:11 pm

    Captain- you were AT the finale? Give us more dirt!!! Did you taste the food? Is it as complicated as the descriptions they always give? Did you hear any good gossip/snark? Please tell us!!!

11. 11
    captain-save-uh-hoe
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 12:24 pm

    Haha… Well I shall be careful to not cross any lines, some hefty confidentiality papers you sign. YES, I did get to taste the food I enjoyed most of it, but the portions were rather minimal, considering how long the whole process took. I ate a light lunch and that was my biggest mistake!

    Due to audio issues, etc… it was actually hard for us to hear what the finalists and judges were saying about the dishes. Half of the time, I just heard snippets. I don’t know if that was the same for the audience that didn’t get to eat… by the way totally awkward. They’re seated directly across from the judges table, higher up. And pretty much just have to watch us eat the entire time.

    I didn’t get to taste both sides though…. half the diners got Brooke’s and half got Kristen’s, so there was really no way to compare.

    The judges were pretty much exactly as you see them and it was all pretty straightforward. Daddy Tom was pleasant, Scar looks flawless in person… I’m always impressed when a gal can wear a super tight dress, eat a ton, and not manage to look pregnant. And from what I heard… they all visited the crafty table right before, because the wait was so long. So who knows. I was busy drinking.

    One of the weirdest parts I thought, was when they have Brooke’s family waving to the camera and being excited… it’s after she’s already lost. And other people seated at that table left by then, so they brought in filler peeps… so her family was sitting at a table with strangers and pretending to be excited, knowing she already lost the title. Awwwwwkward.

    It was a lot of fun though and we did get to drink to our heart’s content.

12. 12
    Spababe
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 1:08 pm

    Top Chef is a show I will never watch again. The judges are biased and I feel that Brooke went through more challenges than Kristen and that Kristen should never have even been there. The show get worse each year. I didn’t even have to watch it to know who they had picked out. Padma is getting worse each year as is Tom. Time for them to depart. The last dish Emeril looked guilty picking out Kristen. So yup the show is totally FIXED. Farewell TOP SHI$.

13. 13
    germgurl
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    1. The team of sous chefs totally f•cked it up for the loser!
    2. Scar is getting on my last nerve.
    3. The iron chef format is USELESS without Alton Brown as master of kitchen ceremonies.

14. 14
    kczar
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 1:57 pm

    I’m happy that Kristen won. I think she and Brooke were the best chefs this season so I was good with either one winning. And did I miss something? I thought Kristen was a lesbian but then she said on WWHL that Gail turned her.

    And happy late birthday, J-Mo! Hope you rocked it.

15. 15
    Anne
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 4:36 pm

    I like both chefs, and I think they are both good chefs, but as soon as I saw the sous chefs at the start of the show I told my husband that Kristin would win. I’m not sure if they showed how the sous chefs were assigned/chosen (if they did, I didn’t see it), but I cannot believe that Brooke (or any sane person) would pick that crew voluntarily. It reminded me of Kevin Dirty Bear, and how he got screwed over with his sous chefs.

16. 16
    Saffy
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    @Anne: Brooke had first pick. I think Stefan and Kuniko are great, and that CJ is talented (though a douche), though the latter really screwed it up for her.

    Quote from a TVguide interview:

    “How did you pick your sous chefs? You got the third-, fourth- and fifth-place finishers.

    Kristen: We got a list of people who would be there since they didn’t fly everyone out. After the last challenge at Craft, we flipped a coin and Brooke got to choose her first two and then I chose my first two. Then later on, we were informed that we could pick one more. I did Sheldon and Lizzie and then went back and picked Josh.”

    (Source: http://www.tvguide.com/News/Top-Chef-Winner-Kristen-1062024.aspx)

    Wish Brooke hadn’t choked, but I’m thrilled Kristen won. Should have gone on to the final round…this concept didn’t do the finalists justice.

    Can anyone tell me if there’s going to be a reunion episode this season? Did I miss an announcement? There seems to be no indication of a reunion otherwise…

17. 17
    chaosbutterfly
    Posted February 28, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    This format was awful.
    They really need to stop with the shenanigans and just keep the show simple.
    The more shit they add, the worse it becomes. But I am super proud of and happy for the winner….she’s such a cool person and IMO, totally deserves it.
    The only sad thing is that with the exception of a few, she had some shitty competition and was stuck on a shitty season, so now her victory is all tainted with the faint odor of shit. Shit and corporate sponsorship.

    Do we know if there will be a reunion episode next week?
    I’m also curious about who won fan favorite.
    I didn’t watch stick around to watch Crappens Live, so I don’t know.

    But I’m glad you’re back from vacay J-Mo, and I hope you had a great time!

18. 18
    anne
    Posted March 1, 2013 at 3:51 am

    @saffy wow that’s surprising. I wonder why she would pick CJ, worst choice since Kristen picked Josie for restaurant wars (Josie may have been the last pick, can’t remember).

19. 19
    JimbobJones
    Posted March 1, 2013 at 7:28 am

    Normally, we’d all be like *SPOILERS!!!!*, but with this season, who really gives a crap. And was there any doubt?

    Uniball showed he could still be a bitter douchebag. And if I were Kristen, I would have flipped Josie the bird when she tried to high-five me. Actually, if I ever see Blowsie, I may flip her the bird anyway, just for ruining my TC.

    I think this season was pretty much set up to validate the whole “Last Chance Kitchen” concept. The judging in general might have been fair, but they saw that Top Model was the clear runaway victor, so they needed a way to eliminate her to send her to LCK, knowing she would bounce back in and win the whole thing.

    Restaurant Wars was the way to do that. Especially since, if you remember, the teams didn’t pick the leaders like they’ve done in the past — the leaders were winners of a previous challenge. Given the “talent” pool, they could be fairly sure that Kristen would win one of the two spots, become the leader, and be “sacrificed” as the leader (still fair — technically — the judges/producers must have been THRILLED when they saw Kristen pick Blowsie for her team).

    Ugh, what a crappy season. I’ll probably watch next season from force of habit, but it’s really stretching any desire I’ve had to see it.

20. 20
    PacoSauce
    Posted March 1, 2013 at 9:15 am

    @ chaosbutterfly, Sheldon won Fan Favorite.

21. 21
    Aunt Dorsey
    Posted March 1, 2013 at 1:14 pm

    I recorded the finale but haven’t watched it. I think I’d rather read J-Mo’s recap than sit through it. I did steel myself to watch Miss Andy’s slumber party cum self-serving ‘look-Mom-I’m-hosting-a-talk-show’ and (titter) playing dirty games WWHL. I was glad Sheldon won Fan Favorite.

    I hate that smarmy know-it-all Alton Brown and the only version of Iron Chef I like is the cheesy, badly dubbed original.

    Oh, and I still hate Scar and I still want that Fish to smack her right in the kisser.

22. 22
    crankyguy
    Posted March 1, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    Scar, to me, is the female equivalent to Alton Brown when it comes to pissy, smug arrogance. It would not kill me to see Padma replaced with Alton Brown, though, since he seems to possess much more actual knowledge of food than she does. Actually, I would be pleased to just see Padma go away, no matter who they get to replace her.

23. 23
    Aunt Dorsey
    Posted March 1, 2013 at 5:09 pm

    Okay, crankyguy, you win. I’ll take smarmy Alton over Padma, because at least he does know his stuff. He’s obnoxious, but he knows what he’s talking about. Padma is just as annoying as Blowsie, but without the braying.

24. 24
    Wendy
    Posted March 2, 2013 at 9:05 am

    Worst finale ever. They should have voted at the end since it was obvious who won before the show ended. I have no idea why they picked that format. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

    The only thing that saved it was the drinking game my friends and I invented:
    drink once for every Toyota
    drink once for every knife “shing”
    drink once for “furnished by”
    drink once for every time someone calls out the time left
    finish your drink when Josie laughs (this was perfect since she had a laugh at the VERY end of the finale)

25. 25
    2muchbravo
    Posted March 2, 2013 at 10:16 pm

    I can’t believe Brooke had first shot at two of her sous chefs and she passed by Sheldon, Lizzie and Josh! I didn’t hate her as much as y’all seem to but that was STOOPID! She might as well have handed the TC title to Kristen right there. She totally blew that advantage. So, despite all her wins, she kind of deserved to lose.
    I’m not sure where I stand on the idea of LCK but I do get the feeling that the judges/producers were certainly doing everything possible to give Kristen the win. I think Top Model is bi. She told Miss Andy she’s got a crush on Gail Slimmons.