Top Chef: Cookie Monster Vs. Salt Monster

72 Comments

1. 1
   RazzBeth
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 8:55 am

   Once again mediocre gets to hang around while better men go home – I am having horrible Fleasa flashbacks and may have to find some alcohol. This is yet another reason why I try not to watch too much reality tv. It seems like the weasels and jackasses come out on top.

2. 2
   vallegirl
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 9:05 am

   NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It still hurts so much. That he handled the post-boot interviews with good humor and grace and isn’t blaming Isabella for being a crappy friend and steering him in the wrong direction just makes it feel like another dagger in the heart.

   And Richard’s asskissing Elmo was so smarmy. Angelo’s got a toddler at home, too, and one with a heart condition no less, but he wasn’t all “Oh, my little Clementine really loves you.” But that might be my bitter, bitter resentment of Angelo getting the boot talking.

   But I was happy to see a decided lack of bitchery about Angelo’s failed soup. The judges aren’t usually kind to the types of mistakes he made, but whether it’s the respect they have for him as a chef, or the fact that they finally came around to realize that he really is all puppies, sunshine and cupcakes, no one seemed interested in being an asshole to him when he was down.

3. 3
   tvaholic
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 9:38 am

   As always, love the recap J-Mo!! I love me some Target too, & I was also very disappointed when I found out about the TarGayHate. BUt looky what’s posted today-no matter what you think of her, Go Gaga GO!!
   http://music.msn.com/music/article.aspx?news=630993&gt1=28102

   Now I can continue to buy Archer Farms ice cream, cheap but fashionable workout clothes, wine, DVD’s, cat litter, & seasonal candy all in the same place!!

4. 4
   JC
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 9:42 am

   I think Angelo just lost his mojo for some reason. I suspect it happened right around the time he did that weird table painting in the Mizrahi quickfire.

   I don’t blame the judges, intense saltiness is hard to get over. When I was younger, my sister made this beautiful chocolate cake. Unfortunately, she confused the measurements for salt and sugar. I took a huge bite of this wonderfully moist cake and instantly the inside of my mouth dried to the texture of chocolate beef jerky. To this day it remains the worst thing I’ve ever tasted.

   Angelo was my favorite to win and I can’t say I really care who wins out of the rest of them. Carla’s food usually looks pretty good, but, god does her personality grate on me. The rest of them can suck it.

   That John Wayne quote which Fabio mangles on his website makes me imagine that Fabio’s life must be extremely hard.

5. 5
   lestermaddox
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 9:46 am

   Am I the only person in the world who wants to yank Elmo’s head off, just so I don’t have to listen to his piss-ant voice talking in third-person ever again.

6. 6
   stillwave
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 10:03 am

   I’ve never commented before, but I’ve enjoyed reading your recaps for a long time now. I’m sorry Angelo’s gone, but I’ve been mourning the season since Jen was unceremoniously (and unjustly) tossed. I don’t think it’s fair to compare Angelo’s exit with those of either Jen or Spike, especially Jen. How could it be a good experience for her? She didn’t get to do anything worth doing. Feel free to dump on Fabio. I don’t really care who wins anymore; Isabella when I’m in a bad mood, Carla (I like her) or Antonia (she needs it the most) when I’m in a good mood. Thanks for your work.

7. 7
   LAC
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 10:04 am

   “I GOT A MEETING IN THE LADIES ROOM…I’LL BE BACK REAL SOON!” Do I have your everlasting love, J-Mo?

8. 8
   LAC
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 10:15 am

   J-Mo, love your recap and every utterance about the pigshit mothafucka Isabella is a thing of beauty. How that lard ass vajayjay hater is still blocking my view on TV is a mystery that the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew couldn’t solve.

   Bye, my beautiful Oranjello…unfortunately, the over salting is not something you can get over in soup. Because every mouthful is like slurping down spoon of salt.That said, if they could forgive Dale for his salty steak and cheese sandwich…I would have been okay if Tiffany went. I was sad and a touch teary – he left with class and grace, which made it sadder to see him go.

9. 9
   jaimesommers
   Posted February 23, 2011 at 10:32 am

   NOOOOO!!! I was so sad to see Angelo go. He’s such a sweetiepie. If they do it this time, vote for Angelo for fan favorite!!! Pass it on…

10. 10
    wasabipeas
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 10:39 am

    Does anyone else feel a little icked out by this challenge? Using unwashed equipment, probably covered in dust and who knows what else.
    I did not see any source of running water – was the produce washed? Did the chefs wash their hands? Disturbing.

    I agree with Flipit. It’s obvious how talented Angelo is. This show is messed up.

11. 11
    Tvsnarkeling
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 11:08 am

    I thought this challenge lacked quality. Sending these chefs to cook at a store was lame. It was more of an advertisment for Target that a competition for the best chef. Did you ever look to see how much salt is in some of the canned/boxed products? Ick. Next they will have them competing a Denny’s.
    And what is with hairy socks deciding the quick fire, just more advertising, like Sesame Street target audience would watch Top Chef.

12. 12
    vallegirl
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 11:22 am

    “I agree with Flipit. It’s obvious how talented Angelo is. This show is messed up.”

    Not just Flipit. Bourdain acknowledged that Angelo is one of, if not the, most talented chefs this season and that the challenges aren’t really about rewarding technique or fine dining since even he acknowledged that Antonia won an Italian cooking challenge with a quick plate of steamed mussels and Dale won this week making a second grader’s favorite lunch.

    And while I’m probably just still mad about Angelo going, this season has been surprisingly weak on technical challenges. By this point they shouldn’t be cooking on an electric griddle in the middle of Target.

13. 13
    Chris Velazquez
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 11:31 am

    Okay, I never liked the Muppets, I admit, but somehow this Quickfire was so entertaining… except for the eventual outcome. Bleh.

    Sorry, but my aunt has been a baking goddess for as long as I have a memory (her homemade cakes are divine), it’s how she earns her money. And I’ve seen her at work so much that my standards are pretty strict. If it’s not baked, it’s not a cookie! Hell, just give me classic cookies, don’t try to reinvent. Beaker’s chocolate chip cookies looked to die for, and now I need to try to convince my aunt to bake some. But anyway, I just hate it when someone manages to win one of these challenges by copping out and ignoring the challenge requirements and still somehow coming out on top, like head-tilty, overcompetitive Dungdouche there, who’s straying extremely close to Pigshit’s territory by complaining about the women for stupid reasons. I’m still surprised so many people like Dung, because he has always been smug and condescending.

    I never understand the judging in this show. Sometimes they punish simplicity, sometimes they reward it. Or maybe it’s my hatred of both Dung and melted cheese in general, but I got pissed at seeing Dung win again with that simple dish that doesn’t sound good for 3:00 AM. Then again, as much of a creature of the night as I am, my menu is kinda limited, so I don’t know what’s appropriate for that time of night.

    Beaker had me on edge in this episode too. I kept yelling “Just put a towel or something over the table. It’s a 3:00 AM dish challenge, nobody gives a shit about presentation at that time of night!” I noticed that the times she has landed on the bottom, it’s because she’s too worried about making things look pretty. First in the dim sum challenge when she took so long to make her food look so pretty that the noodles got ruined, and now this episode where she got too worried about how pretty the table would look. But her chicken pot pie from the previous episode looked not pretty but it won her the challenge! I can only hope she gets her act together and cooks her love-filled heart out and make those final three.

    And what’s with calling comfort food “stoner food”, Dis-Dain? Shut up, you tar-lunged hack, don’t make it sound like everyone’s got your nasty vices when we don’t. Man, this episode was just throwing everything on the way to making me mad as hell, so now I better go get a good dose of nostalgia medicine to make the anger go away. I gotta go try to find some episodes of that old Flash Gordon cartoon from the 70′s that was awesome even if the animation was as repetitive as Pigshit’s douche remarks, so thanks for the Ming the Merciless gag, J-Mo.

14. 14
    crankyguy
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 11:38 am

    @wasabipeas: Yes! I noticed that, as a rule, they do not wash produce, which is bad enough, but in this challenge it appeared that none of the pots, pans, knives, etc. were washed before use. I would not want to eat anything they made if that is the case. Don’t decent cooks, let alone so-called Top Chefs, use clean equipment?

15. 15
    LAjane81
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 11:44 am

    Nice Klimaxx shout-out! I was so sad to see The Citrus One go. He’s grown on me quite a bit even though I didn’t watch his crappy season. I just can’t wait for Blazehawk and SexPig to go home. So over them both.

16. 16
    shanevans4
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 11:59 am

    From this moment forward I am officially describing every food that I don’t like as “tasting like sawdust and mild hatred.”

17. 17
    oodle_noodle
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    As I said in About Last Night, this decision proved it truly is the judges decision based on FOOD who goes home. From a ratings and entertainment perspective, getting rid of ChesTiff would have been the best option. I love these recaps more than any Top Chef recap because of 1) J-Mo, and 2) The love for the citrus one and NOT KennEgo.

    And I know I am in the minority, but I have a monster crush on Spike and am SO PUMPED to see his fine ass will be back tonight.

    So ready for ChesTiff and Pigshit to go the fuck HOME.

18. 18
    oodle_noodle
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:08 pm

    @Vallegirl Is The Citrus One’s child really named Clementine? Like the little citrus fruit? Or did you come up with that yourself? Either way, I chortled. I didn’t know about the heart condition though–how awful. Chefs probably don’t have the best health insurance…

19. 19
    vallegirl
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:12 pm

    No, J-Mo called him that when they featured a painfully adorable photo of Angelo cuddling his son. And I’m pretty sure it was because he’s the Citrus One’s little tangerine.

    And, yeah, the baby had open heart surgery when he was six months old. Angelo’s spoken about it briefly in interviews, basically when asked what it was like to be separated from his son for five months, and said he didn’t discuss it on the show, but that he wants to be his son’s mentor and teach him that if he strives and works hard he can achieve great things. And I might have sniffled a little when I read it.

20. 20
    Di
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    This episode was definitely hard for me to watch. When I saw the promo, I knew either Carla or Angelo would be going, but I tried convinced myself it would be Blaze, who was the only other person whose elimination could’ve been “shocking.” As the hour went on, and my two faves were both getting Loser Edits, it just got more and more upsetting. I just felt sick during judge’s panel, because I knew a Beaker/Citrus finale wasn’t going to happen. In the end, I even had a moment of empathy with Pigshit, because he seemed genuinely upset to lose Angelo. Ugh. I feel so dirty.

    Anyways, I think Dale probably won by default. Antonia’s eggs looked pretty good, but I think everyone just wanted something yummy and warm. God, I felt so bad for all of them, because it can’t have been easy to stay up all night. I don’t think Dale should’ve been rewarded for his use of the iron, because there are plenty of functional panini presses at Target, and I doubt the iron made that sandwich taste any better.

    Tiff’s stupid little speech seriously irritated me. Goddamn it, show some dignity. It was already clear that she would be safe from the promos. I know she couldn’t have known that at the time, but it just felt so unnecessary to me. You produced shitty food. Own up.

    I think Carla got it into her head that some part of the challenge was presentation, when Padma did her little product placement spiel about the “designer” when explaining the challenge. We all know they didn’t care how the tables looked.

    With everyone making soups, I don’t get why no one went and got their food before they got the appliances and such. I’d have prepped my ingredients and threw them into a slow cooker, then run around the store for linens and such. I guess it’s hard to be logical under pressure.

    One of them definitely should’ve gone the dessert route, since it would’ve been much easier to collect the ingredients (the baking aisle is usually pretty close to the kitchen section), and the produce and meat there probably isn’t of the highest quality. I was just at Target today (although I’ll probably stop going now that I know they are rainbow-haters), and I saw those clamshell donut maker things. How good would’ve fresh donuts have been?

    Ugh, these challenges are irritating me, because they’ve basically degenerated into “cook some food in the location of the week.” I know the show needs the ad money, but come one, show a little class. Or at least give us some new stuff. Oh well, I’m excited for Paula Deen, even though I’m getting tired of this comfort food stuff. I miss Stephen’s 833 component dishes plated on ridiculously shaped plates.

    Well, I think we can agree that this episode generally sucked. Thanks for the cute kitty pic. Let’s hope Blaze and Pigshit will go down in spectacular displays of failure to make up for this.

21. 21
    lindaw205
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:20 pm

    Oh, where to begin? So sad and disappointed to see Angelo go. They tried so hard to give him the villian edit and it just proves that if you’re a decent person, it will come through. I think the poor thing finally just wore out.

    Blazedickwad needs to get over himself. I am of the opinion that he thinks he’s too good to be competing with the “all stars” but should instead be on top chef masters because he is, after all, a legend in his own mind.

    I don’t understand how Dung could have won with something as simple as tomato soup and grilled cheese but, whatever….maybe next week he can make everyone some pizza rolls and tater tots, served with “fresh” tomato ketchup.

    And J-Mo, you now have me very worried. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell for Pigshit to win but you’re recap got me to thinking that if that douche Kevin (or whatever his name is, I’ve tried to block it out) could win SSS, then it is very possible for Mike I to pull a win out of his stanky back pocket.

    Ugh….why do I keep watching this crap?

22. 22
    J-Mo
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    Hey everybody! Thanks for the lively commentary already, you’re totally keeping my head from bonking into my keyboard here…

    YES, LAC, (and LAJane81) you have my undying love for picking up on my obscure 80′s Klymaxx “Meeting In The Ladies Room” reference, that remains one of my favorite songs to this day. And TVaholic, thanks for the Lady GaGa Target link, although I saw a lot of disheartening comments on that news story (then again, there always are). And stillwave, thanks for commenting, here’s the point I was trying to make about Angelo’s exit compared to Bitter Jen’s and Spike’s… Bitter Jen was so bullheaded and vehement about her dish not being the worst one, and her demeanor at that Judges’ Table was very off-putting… and when the hallway freakout was added in, it just looked awful and made me embarrassed for her… and as for Spike, he blamed Angelo for what amounted to his own mistakes… Angelo didn’t do any of that, he wasn’t nasty to the judges, he admitted his own mistake, and THAT’S why I remain impressed by him. I am sure that Jen and Spike are talented chefs as well, but they could use a little deportment-finishing…

    You guys are right on the money as always, especially about the whole unwashed cooking utensils and food thing, that did raise my eyebrows, I would think that would have been the first order of business out the box, but you never know what we don’t see from home.

    BTW, here is a link to an awesome exit interview with Angelo, and he just proves once again what a cool cat he is (plus wait until you get to the revelation about FahBeeOh’s comment on his tight pants!)

    http://thegluttonousghost.com/2011/02/top-chef-all-stars-exit-interview-with-angelo-sosa/

    love, J-Mo

23. 23
    Derek Hazelton
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    It’s been a consistent throughline of the show that in the battle of inedible vs. nasty, inedible always loses because, at the end of the day, TC is a cooking compeition. I actually felt that Tiff honestly believed at the time she was going home, therefore, she cried and had a cathartic moment.

    I am not the biggest fan of Angelo’s, but after throwing in the strict father, sick child, and strong character in the face of defeat, I am starting to change my opinion of him. He really is a genuine person. But, I know Tiff didn’t make it to the finals, but she made it fairly far in SSS, so maybe she is just as worn out as Angelo?

    It’s truly unfair to compare Tiff to Fleasa, because Tiff at least recongizes her faults, seems to be friendly with the other chefs, doesn’t throw them under the proverbial bus, and takes showers/washes her hair.

24. 24
    Fnord
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 12:53 pm

    LOL @ the salt monster from Star Trek in the first screen grab. I did a double take at that. Well done, sir!

25. 25
    sheesh
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    I give a pass to Tiff on her teary speech. She had to be seriously tired. Lack of sleep sends me right into the sobs. I don’t think she was trying to be manipulative.
    I also think that Angelo just hit a wall. It happens.

26. 26
    Jsbfuzz
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    “One time I tried to eat some Oreos the way he does (by going OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM and spewing crumbs and cookie pieces everywhere). ……” This is as far as I could get without commenting on how thankful I am for you making me laugh at the gut-wrenching end to this epi!

27. 27
    juddfan
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Gee, I thought I could make a comment before I read, but now that I’ve read the comments . . . hm . . . I thought it was nice of Tiff to throw herself on the knife. I’ve always liked her, tho I can see she’s not always the best “innovative” cook.

    Whenever I see a Top competitor all of a sudden go way south after a string of wins, I can’t help but think the producers pull them aside and say, mess this one up so the viewers don’t see you as a sure winner to keep suspense, and they promise not to eliminate them. I’m sure it’s just my conspiracy theories at work again!

    I thought Dung got points for ingenuity . . . . but reading the comments it probably should have gone to Ant for cooking a perfect egg.

    I’ll be back after reading, but I did happen to notice that Angelo did have camel toe–not against the body kind, but a weird little crease in the seem–I hate to admit I laughed a little. Can’t wait to read his interview, nor can I wait to see those little kitties–yay!

28. 28
    Elmstreet
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    Not Angelo. OMG, sweet Angelo. I’m going to miss him. And I hope big things for him. He deserves them.

    I knew watching this episode that I’ve worked entirely too much retail. I was cringing wondering how many items the poor Target employees would have to mark out (that is, place on their inventory lists as a loss).* Including that damn hat Tiffany insisted on wearing out of the store. Dammit, Tiff, take off that hat! It has nothing to do with cooking. In fact, Padma and Bourdain were saying in a deleted scene that your jambalaya was fine, they just hated that hat. HA.

    Plus, and others have mentioned this too, why on earth didn’t Carla and the others start in the grocery section, figure out what they would be making first, and THEN go shopping for equipment? And why the hell did Dung 2.0 use an iron when a skillet and a spatula/serving spoon/griddle implement would have done the trick just as well? I think he was looking for sympathy votes, the jerk. In the end, that perfectly good iron was just wasted inventory (along with everything else. Dammit, I hate seeing profit loss like that. It brings back bad memories of district managers. Up yours, Top Chef producers, Up Yours.)

    Sorry. I accidentally turned this into a rant involving repressed retail memories.

    Pigshit needs to go home. And I don’t like Blais’ ego, but I do appreciate his occasional sense of humor. If you read Daddy Tom’s blog from this week, it wasn’t just Blais that brought up his kids when meeting the muppets, either. Tom brought his son and some friends to meet the muppets, and Tom himself was over the moon about it.

    *I never have worked at Target, though. Just a nation wide department store that rhymes with Plost Cuss Morld Warket during college.

29. 29
    LAC
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    J-Mo, thanks for the everlasting love and the link to Angelo – I like him even more now…

30. 30
    tvaholic
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    Oh J-Mo, I’m so sorry there are so many hetero-idiots out there.(Although I’m willing to bet a LOT of those commenters are foot-tappers!!)I try to not read comments sections on any news-type sites unless I feel like having an aneurism. I did just go over there & glanced thru the first few pages-on the plus side, there’s a lot of asshats I won’t have to deal with the next time I go pick up some Boots & Barkely kitty litter, the only kind my girls will use!

    The Citrus One really grew on me & I was so sorry to see him go. His exit was such a gracious one, a nice change of pace from the past few douches. And I hope Blazehawk’s daughter kicks him in the shins for making a “cookie” with zucchini in it for the Muppets! I love zucchini, but not in my cookie!! (Hmm, that sounds a little dirty.)

31. 31
    Gilty Plezzur
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    I could have sworn that part of the Target challenge was to also have a pleasing presentation, table-wise. Even so, I was worried Carla’s focus on it was going to cost her.

    I was wondering if the chefs had some unseen helpers in this challenge. I mean, wouldn’t the first egg dishes that Antonia cooked be really nasty by the time the eaters came stampeding in? And she was in the Top 3. Well, any of their dishes for that matter. The first soups would be all tepid.

    I have to confess on a crush on Spike myself. Glad to hear he’ll be back tonight. As for Mike PigShit, he’s overstayed his welcome. I can’t stand to look at his big, bloated mug any longer.

32. 32
    Fnord
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    I read Bourdain’s blog on why Angelo went home (http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-8/blogs/anthony-bourdain/the-center-will-not-hold) and perhaps he’s right, perhaps Angelo lost control over his food and simply burned out.

    But I’ve got to ask – when did Top Chef become about who could outlast their competitors, instead of outcook them? When did this become an endurance race? What, really, does racing around in a Target at midnight have to do with how well you can cook?

    Angelo is hands down one of the best chefs on this season. To send him home because he doesn’t have the staying of an asshat like Pigshit (who took advantage of Angelo’s helpful nature to get around his own limits) reflects how far this show has moved from its roots.

33. 33
    2muchbravo
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 3:44 pm

    Don’t get me wrong, I think Mike Isabella is waste of space and can think of 10 chefs who deserve to be there in his place. However, having been the douche that he was with Angelo, I think the look of shock on his face with Angelo came back from being ousted was genuine. I hope he crapped his pants wondering if there was something he had said or done that contributed to The Orange One getting the axe. Prolly not, though. I hope he and Blaise have it out tonight. I want to see fat fly!

34. 34
    sagittariuskim
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 4:17 pm

    First, ELMO, YAY ELMO!
    Poor Angelo, I hate that he’s gone, but I’m not surprised. Ugh, I cringed when he added bacon and salt to his soup. I hated this challenge, I couldn’t help focusing on them not cleaning anything. I mean can you imagine all the people who touched that stuff. And can you imagine how many times those utensils were dropped on the floor. And don’t get me started on the meat, that probable wasn’t rinsed off, ugh.

35. 35
    vallegirl
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 4:20 pm

    Yeah, I don’t think he was thinking “How could Angelo lose to girls,” as much as “Oh my god, he wasn’t kidding,” and just got sad that his friend was leaving. I think he’d have had the same reaction if Angelo, Dale and Blais were in the bottom three.

    And while I really do think Angelo is made up of puppies, sunshine and cupcakes, I will not forgive him for allowing that sparkling aura to make Isabella likable in any possible way. Even Bitter Jen and Big Volt didn’t do that.

36. 36
    c8h10n4o2
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 5:58 pm

    So sad to see Angelo gone. I think he just got burned out since he started this season pretty soon after Season 7.

    But Hootie Hoo! Someone got ahold of Carla AND her old modeling pics!

    http://www.ivillage.com/carla-hall-dishes-ivillage-about-top-chef-and-mysterious-modeling-career/3-a-325933

37. 37
    crankyguy
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    I just watched the episode again, and I was on the lookout for what kind of coconut milk PigShit used. There it was on his table, those red CANS of coconut milk. Like a fool, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and assumed he used “fresh” coconut milk from the refrigerated section. Padma’s still a bitch though.

38. 38
    Fan-Ann
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 6:52 pm

    Carla is so gorgeous and sophisticated in those photos…WOW!

39. 39
    notwithoutmytv
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 6:58 pm

    I’m just watching this ep. now, and I have to say, most of them seemed to be forcing smiles during that muppet shit.

    And holy cow, Tiffany’s train just left the track there at the end, didn’t it?

40. 40
    capples19
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 6:59 pm

    Love the recaps J-Mo!!! Thank you for doing them – they make my week at work ;o) I am so scared for the finale – there have been so many a-holes winning the past few seasons… I have no faith in this show anymore. Tell me there’s hope.

41. 41
    notwithoutmytv
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 7:03 pm

    Angelo went out with amazing class and dignity for a guy wearing black knee sox and white shoes with shorts.

    Oh holy fuck. Now the next one’s on. Beaker and Paula Dean on my TV? At once? Can. Not. Do. It.

    I bet there’s a SpongeBob on somewhere. I hope Plankton’s in it. I love that little fucker.

42. 42
    ohralphie
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 7:05 pm

    Great recap JMo!

    Love the pictures of Carla. She definately gives off a Sade vibe in most of her pix, but I adore the one of her walking down a street laughing like the Beaker we all know and love.
    I am so sad to see Oranjello go – dear god how I hope that Carla makes it to the end.

43. 43
    stillwave
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 7:37 pm

    Hey J-Mo! Thanks for the response. I understood what you meant, I just think Jen and Spike had circumstances fueling their bitterness at judges’ table that Angelo didn’t. It’s easier to be gracious when you aren’t fuming. I agree that Spike wrongly tried to shift blame onto Angelo and Tiffani, and I think most viewers felt embarrassed when Jen broke down during the museum episode. In Jen’s case, however, even public radio took the opportunity to cite her as a bad example. Now, whenever a chef leaves the show without having a nervous breakdown, somebody somewhere writes that Jen needs to take note. I know this because I spend far too much of my life reading Top Chef message boards and blogs. I wish she had handled the situation better, but I’m pretty sure she feels the same way. Praise Angelo because he deserves it, but to put down Jen this late in the game feels like piling on.

    Also, if a chef disagrees with the judges, I want them to say so. It goes against Top Chef code, but the debate helps me understand the food better, and it discourages passivity. That being said, tact goes a long way.

44. 44
    Khakie
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 7:53 pm

    Looking over the comments (and I haven’t even read the recap yet, I am just very very sad to see Orangello leave) I agree and can see that he could have gotten burned out, and it must have also been exausting doing Allstars right after he did his season and made it to the finals. I still love Orange and think he came across wonderfully, professionally, mature and caring and hopes this helps his career. The extra money he won doing these 2 seasons must help as well. And hopefully now after seeing him on Allstars his character is somewhat cleaned since season 7 tried to make him a saboteur when clearly he was nothing but sweetness and class.

45. 45
    Khakie
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 8:12 pm

    Last comment before I read the recap (I know I should read first but I saw that Orgello was eliminated and it made me rather upset). Top Chef needs to be careful, even though winning the competition should be based purely on skill, when obnoxious and not pleasant people keep winning, it disheartens the viewers. I’m not saying that they should let the nice guy win, but look: Season 1 Harold (awesome guy-an exception), Season 2 Ilan (bully and manipulative and overall a rather icky guy), Season 3 Hung (Very talented but apparently a dick), Season 4 Yoda (First girl and she was awesome, another exception), Season 5 Hosea (again apparently kinda a tool, and it was sad to see him beat out Beaker and even Stephen -though many might not agree- seemed like a pretty awesome guy), Season 6 LilVolt (DirtyBear would have been amazing to win and a sweetheart, and even BigVolt seemed to be a really nice guy, and both of them are very talented but the immature prick ended up winning, and he came across as an incredibly unpleaseant person), Season 7 JerseyMoobs (a jerk who shadowed an even bigger beast of a jerk and beat out the sweet and wonderful Orangello- part of me still thinks they didn’t give him the title because they wanted him for allstars, but he was sick during the finale too), Masters 1 Rick (another one of the few exceptions of being a really nice guy who won), Masters 2 Marcus (another apparently unpleaseant person, one of the few in the finals that wouldn’t have been nice winning) and now AllStars. Now if Beaker wins it will be awesome and amazing, but think about if Pigshit wins, or even whining Blaze? Ew.
    Now I am not saying that Top Chef should be a personality contest and may the nicest man win but I just find it frustrating that assholes keep wining.

46. 46
    MasTequila
    Posted February 23, 2011 at 9:43 pm

    Can’t even talk….too heartbroken. You awesome recap traumatized me all over again! I think I just need to curl up with a bottle of something strong. Yeah, that’s it.

    BYW J-Mo, the salt monster from Star Trek was GENIUS!!!! That thing scared the crap out of me when I was a kid, brought back many sleepless nights!

47. 47
    urfavegirl
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 12:16 am

    Why is Tiffany still in the competition?! She is in the bottom so frequently, but whines and cries that she’s from a small town & they keep her. Absolute BS! So disappointed with the show. Angelo should not have been sent home!

48. 48
    Snootchy Bootches
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 3:40 am

    I have been a fan of Angelo since the first episode of his season. I stuck up for him when many didn’t like him, but just about everyone eventually came around to see his awesomeness. It really made my heart hurt to see him leave. He really deserved to win. Tiff should have been the one who went home. She really hasn’t shined this season and has been stuck in the middle of “meh” land. Angelo has been doing very well. But he went out with class and humility which is how he played the game. I hope he gets a lot of recognition for being on the show and being such a great chef and great guy. He has some good kharma coming.

    And I was shocked that the win went to grilled cheese and tomato soup, but then I remembered how much I LOVE grilled cheese and tomato soup.

    Thanks for another great recap, J-Mo!

49. 49
    sheesh
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 6:19 am

    Can anyone tell me what setting Dale had the iron to for a perfect grilled cheese sammich?
    Just in case the apocolypse does happen and the only sanctuary is a Target.
    TB is ALL about having his grilled cheese made in a Top Chef elimination winning way. He doesn’t let the destruction of the world fly as an excuse. I asked.

50. 50
    juddfan
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 9:50 am

    Great recap J-mo!!! Smootches!!! My only thing is I really thought Tiff was saying “axe me” with her goodbye speech, I didn’t at all think she was trying to manipulate her way to stay in–I think it came down to , “Tiff’s was edible . . . Sweet Angelo’s was not.”

    Not that we have to agree ; )

    Loved seeing you with the dolls, and I absolutely can’t wait to show you my video–hee, I think you’re gonna like it!!! XOXOXO

51. 51
    MasTequila
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 10:58 am

    @Snootchy- WORD. I did too AND if you remember, he had KennEgo’s number right away! I knew the villain edit he was getting during his season was BS. I also thought it was BS that they didn’t delay the finale by a few days to let him recover, totally unfair IMO. No one was ever harder on Angelo than Angelo.

52. 52
    crankyguy
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 11:04 am

    Since I have not quite beaten the fresh coconut milk topic to death just yet, here is a quote from Fabio’s recap:

    “My brother Mike make Fresh Coconut Soup and Padma blast him about the fact that in Target there is no Fresh Coconut…. what do you know Padma ??? Are you trying to tell us that you actually aver step foot in Target ?? Really ??? Well Mike isabella had fresh coconut….. he took it out of the refrigerator section and doesnt really get fresher than that honey…… so just eat it and move on.”

    I think that’s what pissed me off so much–it’s that Padma didn’t have any idea what kind of coconuts or coconut milk are sold at Target. She just saw an opportunity to be a bitch.

53. 53
    LAC
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 11:16 am

    Sweet Jesus, do we have to have Fabio recapping too? Isn’t there a restaurant waiting for him to turn it into a no star food destination? And Padma can be a bitch to Isablimp all damn day – no problem with checking that douchenozzle.

54. 54
    crankyguy
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 11:40 am

    @LAC: I don’t hate Fabio nearly as much, and I hate Padma a lot more than many people posting here, and it could be that that zero-star review was written by somebody with an ax to grind. If the food really is bad, then the crowds that team in due to Fabio’s temporary fame will dwindle soon enough, and his restaurant will fail. Only time will tell.

    You keep hating Fabio and Pigshit. I’ll keep hating Padma, and we’ll all be happy.

55. 55
    LAC
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 11:53 am

    crankyguy – don’t care if you hate Padma – that isn’t the issue. She doesn’t register with me much. However, Isabella is a dick who needs to take his fat ass off my TV. And Fabio commenting on anything is laughable, given his bitterness. BTW, that review was written based on three separate visits – I think was earned.

    Hate away, my man…

56. 56
    vallegirl
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 11:58 am

    Plus, Fabio wasn’t even there. He knows even LESS about how “fresh” the coconut “milk” was. He’s just being his usual dick self because Mike admitted it wasn’t really fresh coconut milk and a shot of him preparing the soup showed that it was canned, not from a carton.

57. 57
    sheesh
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 12:07 pm

    The restaurant reviewers probably ordered a “humbooger”.

58. 58
    crankyguy
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    Pigshit did not admit that the coconut milk was not fresh; he simply withered in the face of Padma’s glowering bitch-stare by rolling over and placating her by saying that she was right, even though she had zero knowledge of what kind of coconut milk he used.

    As it turns out, he really was lying about the coconut milk being fresh, since I saw the cans myself upon a second viewing. But that was the only way to know — by seeing the cans.

59. 59
    LAC
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 12:36 pm

    crankyguy – “Padma’s glowering bitch-stare” – LMAO!! She did look like she would burn his testicles off with thoese eyes.

60. 60
    Brattinella
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    Please, by all that is holy, PLEASE don’t have this be a setup for Sexist Pigshit to win!

61. 61
    MasTequila
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 5:17 pm

    It has occurred to me that either him or Tiff (or both) will be in the finale. God I hate the fundamental flaw of the show’s format that Colicchio is completely unable to admit which allows no-talent douches into the finale or, God forbid, win which has happened all to often *cough cough* Hoser, Kevin, etc.

62. 62
    MasTequila
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 5:18 pm

    No that Tiff is a douche, but she really isn’t up to the talent of the rest. She’s skated by IMO.

63. 63
    roger
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    j-mo and the rest of you; i’m commenting here because i guess i’m too stupid to get on “forums” where you can give spoilers away; so i’ll try to avoid spoilers…BUT how does TC work out that in the last 2 weeks, 2 of the most talented and least blazehawked of the contestents are GONE?…and that 2 of the most mediocre of the chefs (SPOILER ALERT: SP and BEAUMONT remain. in my opinion SSS really S’d because kevin (was that even his name?) was just not THE worst for weeks and then orangelo’s sick and ironchefed is still an idiot and kevin (was that even his name?) is the winner. WINNER OF WHAT!!!!! SPOILER ALERT: this is either a total set up for blazehawk or a woman will win and i bet it won’t be our OWN muppet, beaker. i don’t know; really for the first time i’m down on this show. i keep remembering fleasa in the finals of the now “acclaimed” season 4; she was just BARELY not the worst for weeks, then, NEARLY, a PADMA-endorsed TC. AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!

64. 64
    sarcasatire
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 9:25 pm

    roger, You can sign up for a password to use the forums or you can sign in with your facebook account. I think they may have discontinued About Last Night for TC because people cannot avoid posting spoilers. If you have trouble signing in, you can send Flipit an email at flipit75@gmail.com

65. 65
    roger
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 9:40 pm

    NB i’ve been in mexico a while and unable to view episodes so i rely on j-mo and a few others to recap my fix. SEASON SIX didn’t SUCK and at least part of that was that the “CREMEDELACRAPPER” were the finalists; bvolt, kgillespie, mvolt, bitterjen. TAKE a lesson from TUNISIA, take a lesson EGYPT, take a lesson LIBYA. TOP CHEF: we’re comin’ forya’. NO SPOILER intended: stephan (season 5), kevin gillespie or brian volltagio (season 6) would’ve cooked rings around any of these cheftestants except MAYBE blaze, orangelo, angry dale andallourmuppetlove (hooty-hoo) beaker. has there ever been a sweeter moment than at final judges table on season5 when stephan cooed to beaker, “don’t cry carla, don’t cry”.

66. 66
    Robinez
    Posted February 24, 2011 at 9:49 pm

    http://www.tvgasm.com/forum/

    Here ya go Roger.

    TC, Robin

67. 67
    roger
    Posted February 25, 2011 at 1:14 am

    thanks robin

68. 68
    Khakie
    Posted February 25, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    Wouldn’t it have been nice if this “shocking elimination” was actually Blaze being sent home?

69. 69
    jayem
    Posted February 25, 2011 at 7:03 pm

    I cannot express the sadness that I feel over my beloved Angelo being gone. I think everyone likes and respects him and would totally agree that this was a BAD decision. Especially, since the winner had oversalted a dish the previous challenge! Ugh!! But whatever. I’m sure he’ll be just fine. His exit interview is exactly what I would have expected from him. Graceful, humble, kind, honest, endearing, and repeatedly uses the word “yummy”. I really am sad he’s gone.

    Plus, he revealed that the guys really are friends and even raid each others closets. Adorable!

    PS – Loved the “puppies, sunshine and cupcakes”. You can’t get any sweeter than that.

70. 70
    dazzyfresh
    Posted February 28, 2011 at 12:12 pm

    J-MO, classic recap but a little upset about OranJello…sigh,damn this show!!!! And damn TargHate too!

71. 71
    wink202
    Posted March 2, 2011 at 7:07 pm

    I thought Angelo handled the whole lousy elimination like a prince. I was so pissed. Tiffany’s butt should have been kicked to the curb. I like her okay, but LOVE LOVE LOVE Angelo. If Carla goes, then I might have to draw the line and give up watching until next time. I despise Sexist PigShit, and Richard needs to shut the f**k up.

72. 72
    Khakie
    Posted March 5, 2011 at 7:43 pm

    Too bad Turdle wasn’t here for this soup episode.
    and I <3 heart <3 Angelo and loved him even when he first started in the beginning of last season. It would be nice to have him get his own show, I would love watching that; however, I would also understand if he was done with TV and just wanted to cook.