I honestly think they should have a rule that says a chef cannot repeat a dish that they've already used in the competition. It's such a cop out to use the same dishes more then once.

As much as I don't like Dale, I do belive Fleasa should have gone home. She had two dishes that sucked even though she claimed to have done them before.

I'm pulling for Yoda to win with Richard in second. I wonder if his wife lets him get away with his hair looking like that at home?

Oh, and I think they need to bring Bourdain back for more episodes. As much as I like Ted Allen, I like Bourdains acerbic wit a lot more. And Lolo I agree with you, there is something weirdly sexy about him.

If they can boot Tre as executive chef for being a far superior chef to anyone else, including this season (though Richard is probably on an equal level), then yes, they can boot Dale.

After all Brian didn't cook anything last year and he didn't go home either. So I give Evangelass a pass.

Final four: Richard, Stephanie, Antonia, Evangelass. (Though it should be Twitch.)

my jaw dropped too. the greasy one screwed up 2 dishes, and he screwed up one. had one good dish to boot and a passable dessert. uhm... wtf!?!?! Dale should've been on the final four! blah. If greasy is on the final four, then Top Chef is just letting her stay for drama. such bs!

Even my 8 year old son thinks Fleasa is greasy and disgusting in the kitchen. And that's saying a lot.

Even my 8 year old son thinks Fleasa is greasy and disgusting in the kitchen. And that's saying a lot.

oh mister bourdain, bring. it. on. in my mind daddy tom is a sensitive lover, with a lot of eye-gazing, hair petting, and little tiny kisses while bourdain is more of a wild beast -- unbridled passion, bruises and hair pulling. just nix the beating cobra hearts and i'm so there.

i digress...as usual. i was definitely shocked that dale was kicked off this round. he was indeed a great chef, and though the asian theme was overplayed, he was good at it...which is something the fleabag can't claim. i even think his brand of drama was more entertaining than hers. she has one look, one stance, one attitude. he can at least be clever and wears the fuck out of a comfy sweater.

(casual observation: when your hair is 2" long and you put a headband back past your hairline, you're not holding back hair nor stopping sweat, you just want to shine like a friggin dandy on christmas morning).

L2 i think you're absolutely right that no team has ever fared so well in restaurant wars. they usually get their asses handed to them on overpriced pier one plates, but gastro really was impressive all-around. personally i think dick blaze has had it in the bag since the first damn episode, but i would LOVE for one of the ladies to bring it home.

um yeah. completely blew my mind.

completely agreed, hutchlover. this is exactly the same as booting tre last season. and i have to say, as much i as understand that the nature of the competition is to judge solely on the task at hand, i really wish they would take a look at track record/potential as well. fleasa, along with being generally nasty as a person and disgusting to watch on tv, is consistently in the bottom three and basically has done nothing all season to impress anybody. meanwhile dale, while being a bit of "a little bitch, bro," and admittedly limited to mainly asian fare, had been consistently impressive for the most part. not only that, this is the second week running that fleasa has displayed her ugly personality in an attempt to undermine her competitors (and team members!!!). all in all, a horrible decision.

k37744--oh god, love it, love it, love it. perfect description of DT and bourdain. now if only they would show up in the same room, at the same time, naked. just a thought. i'll see what i can do.

lolo--great recap as always. my jaw dropped too. but at least we were shown what it would look like if a restaurant wars team actually succeeded!!

p.s. scalegate. "we need you to make pasta" nikki should just kill herself. a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. LMAO lolo you are fabulous.

Three ongoing things that annoy me to the degree that I yell at my tv until the dogs bark, my child wakes up, and my wife glares at me like I've lost my mind:

1. I'm glad you pointed this out... Fleasa's stance before the judges reminds me of a fourth grade bully trying to look intimidating at the playground. It's just laughable that she's not aware of what an asshole she comes across as.
2. Scar's affected speech and behavior drives me fucking nuts.
3. As you also pointed out... Evangelass's shadiness. This guy brings the role of reality tv scumbag to an entirely new level. He puts himself in a position so that he can't be blamed for any of the food, yet is right there to take credit for the shortribs when they're received well by the judges... so typical of this prick. Fuck his retarded hats, his smarmy smile, his lame humor, and his shitty hack cooking. Once again he manipulates his way through another week.

One final comment.. I loved your recap.. always makes me laugh. I think you may be wrong though to give credit to Nikki for the pasta over Yoda. I'm guessing that all Nikki did was continue to make what Yoda had already created and started, therefore she deserves most of the credit. I find it very hard to believe that the pasta would have been even the slightest bit enjoyable to the judges if Nikki had anything to do with the way it was made.

Just wanted to add (I didn't read the entire blog before commenting)... Unfortunately for Dale, and I believe he's definitely worthy of being in the top four, the assigned EC is going to be held accountable for his own dishes and much of what his idiot underlings prepare. He should know this going in, and accepting that position is always a ballsy move that can make or break the chef. It's unfortunate it worked out the way it did, but he paid the price for having a terrible team. When he knew his team consisted of those two shitheels he definitely should have tried to pass EC off on one of them. Evangelass would have known better, but Fleasa would have jumped at the chance and would have been the one to go.

That Anthony Bourdain is one hot piece of ass. I was deeply saddened that his presence on my favorite show was overshadowed by the departure of one of my favorite contestants. sigh. I can't fault him too much, though. He'll always be my much, much, much older man.

I am coming in a little late with my comments but I agree with vango completely. Every EC of the losing restaurant team goes home. Just ask Tre. Dale should have known this. He knew they were weak (as did Evangelass) and when Fleasa said she wanted to be EC he should have let her. She would have botched it up and be sent home. I blame Dale mostly for this. His ego got in the way of simple strategery.

And I am so freakin done with Evangelass. He has got to go.

Hey all, I'm the newbie so I'll go right into it. The only reason they kept that greasy 8th grade sheboy from 1993 (believe me there's a Kurt Cobain t-shirt under that chef shirt) is because producers, the judges, and the Bravo wizards are all rooting for a vagina to win. And the chances of Fleasa having a hole over a pole rather than Dale are just a teaspoon, more a like a pinch more likely. The winner will most likely be female meaning Yoda or Antoni-ima-singlemom. I want to Yoda buck up tho. The looks of "where the fuck am I and what the fuck am i doing" are like on a average of 12 to a show. YODA! YOU SIGNED UP FOR A REALITY SHOW WHAT DID YOU EXPECT!? NOW WIN THIS THING. On another note don't ever make me choose btwn Anthony and Big Daddy Tom. We're all adults, they both can have me. Its called sharing. With our busy travel schedules etc, it all should work out fine.

Vango pretty much said all I was thinking. But I need to reiterate that I hate, hate, HATE Greasa (sorry, it works better for me than Fleasa, though I'm sure she has those too). She is disgusting, smarmy, false, rude, unable to take criticism, dirty, and oh yeah, disgusting. Take a bath beotch -- your grease is going to cause a flare up.

There. I feel better now.

Yes vango, they did show Yoda kneading out the doe for the pasta. All Niki had to do was maybe roll it out and then boil it. Even my brother can boil pasta.

I really wished DT was there; he would have put EvaLass on blast and I think he would have asked Dale if he tasted Fleasa's laksa. Then Dale could have said he tasted it and told her it did not taste good.

As for EvaLass didn't they send someone home from Rest-wars before for playing for not doing anything?

Hey all, I'm agreein' w everything, cept, I'll stick with DT and small kisses--I can bring the wild passion, and there's more AB to pass around among you all!!! (esp you k37744--Love it when you go off topic!)

This epi was spoiled for me, as I was talking to some co's about top 4, and I said Dale, and they looked at me like I was from Planet Loser, instead of simply just a Tivo watcher who had better things to do at midnight than stay up too late getting angry over this one!!!! IT CAN'T BE ASS IN FINAL 4---NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! (but alas, I guess it can be--can't believe those 2 are still blighting my TV screen!!!! HATE

Thanks for the recap, and I'm w/u on the Butterscotch . . . not even good sounding in title, nevermind, ew, taste! I also felt sorry for Twitch--how could he not pick him! more HATE!!!

But LOVE to you all!

okay i think it's time for DT to idly stumble across this site and do 2 things:
a) call a do-over for last week's show, as they completely fucked it up without him there
b) shout out to all the lovely ladies who are seriously enamored of him. and maybe meet us all for coffee. and stuff.

Yeah fleasa so deserved to be booted. BUT. With Dale, I think you live by the sword you die by the sword. Complain complain complain. Don't take a leadership position if you don't have the will, in whatever form it takes, to direct your team. Fleasa the sleaza played Dale perfectly. The harping older sister-wife-mom. Anytime he raised the slightest bit of disagreement, she went into the standard "Calm down!" which is completely dismissive. Get in her face, man! He should have seen it coming and let her take the lead.

Yeah fleasa so deserved to be booted. BUT. With Dale, I think you live by the sword you die by the sword. Complain complain complain. Don't take a leadership position if you don't have the will, in whatever form it takes, to direct your team. Fleasa the sleaza played Dale perfectly. The harping older sister-wife-mom. Anytime he raised the slightest bit of disagreement, she went into the standard "Calm down!" which is completely dismissive. Get in her face, man! He should have seen it coming and let her take the lead.