Bravo didn't make Richard look bad. He did that all by himself. He admitted it at the JT - "I choked." Oh, by the way, that's "[expletive deleted]", not "hoor", or maybe you meant to say "bore".

Yeah, but Ryan is otNay ooTay ightBray..........

I had posted originally before the end of the episode--now a couple of thoughts:

First, it takes an amazing chef to know, let alone acknowledge, that they had an off day. I'm sure no one was more disappointed than Richard himself in his performance--but I found myself drawn to his cuisine.

Second, Lisa. God--Lisa. You don't bring your game with you to the finale--you should have brought it with you from the beginning. I don't buy the crap about the lack of stress. From what I have gathered (and I could be wrong), many chefs work in some pretty high stress atmospheres. I do think she was one with a Golden Ticket, but didn't bring the right goodies to the table until the final prize was in sight. Amazing how she didn't screw up rice this time .

Third, when Richard was admitting to being off, and yes, it was the editing, but the look where Lisa shot him that look of pure contempt just nailed her for me. Her comment when Stephanie won was just rude.

Fourth, Richard was the first to go over and congratulate Stephanie on her victory. I would love to see him win fan favorite for his deportment during the season. (or Antonia or Dale).

Finally,

I again think those who brought their game were the ones who really stood out this season. Those who were able to take critism, fulfill challenge requirements and didn't act like spoiled brats did the best. I really think that two of the three at the end of this season did a phenomenal job.

Hey Jim. I haven't mentioned it recently, but I wanted to mention again how much I enjoyed having your point system available for viewing this season. It has been a great way to keep track of the cheftestants progress and compare it too our impressions of how they were doing. BRAVO!!

While looking at the final numbers, I was struck by how low Spike's point total was compared to how far he went in the competition. Then, of course, I realized that he had more opportunity to fall short because he was around so long.

I'm way too lazy to do it, but how would the numbers look if you now took everyone's final numbers and divided it by how many competitions they competed in? It might be interesting to see.

I agree and disagree. I did not think Stephanie was like Casey, Casey last year was forgetable, and appeared to be a first half casualty in waiting, and then somehow at the midpoint or thereabouts, she found her stride and ranged from dominant/outstanding to very good until she crashed and burned in the finale (a failure Richard would duplicate this year almost on all points in the finale).

Stephanie by week 2 or 3 clearly appeared to be a tier 1 chef: Stephanie, and Richard and Dale appeared to have the most talent through the first quarter of the show. Antonia's consistent mediocrity/above average performances would lift her to right below that tier, while Dale would start stumbling a bit as the season wore on.

I dont think Stephanie was mediocre early, I think she was clearly a big time contender from day one. Dale and Richard's obvious respect for her was evident quite early in the competition.

As for Dale (and admittedly, I was a big time supporter), the clear differences between him and Lisa were quite evident in two very specific ways. First off, as you said, he actually performed well, whenever he wasn't saddled with Lisa and Spike and/or Nikki. All other pairings produced generally good to great results from him, and his solo work was consistently good. Additionally Stephanie has already attested to being a friend of his, and you could clearly see in his work with Stephanie and Richard, that they were quite respectful of his talent, as he was of theirs. They could work together, and it wasn't pulling teeth. When did we EVER see that with Lisa? It was clear from early on that she struggled to work w/others, virtually any others, unless she could bully them or be in charge, that she couldn't handle criticism at all, and that she was not a team player. I don't think its a coincidence, that the only people who had issues with Dale in the kitchen, were also, amongst the worst performers this season regardless as to who they worked with (Nikki, Lisa, Spike).

Hey KK, can you direct me to that interview with Chefy Tom? Believe it or not, I do like to hear what those guys have to say and I do read the blogs I looked backward for awhile but couldn't find it.

thanks a million!

No one has ever questioned Dale's cooking ability. When things are going right and when he is cooking with those he respects there is no problem. It's just when he is under pressure that he seems to have a problem adjusting to the situation. If he can't hold his liquor, maybe he had better stay away from drink. Afterall, all of the other chefs on the show had access to the liquor and none of them became belligerent like Dale did. Outside of when he is under the influence, he seems to be a likeable guy.

The "Watch What Happens" Reunion show was apparently taped maybe 2 weeks ago, thereabouts. So no one will have a chance to submit questions to Andy Cohen, to ask of the Cheftestants. Instead, we'll have to endure Andy Cohen asking Cheftestants, "Sooo guys... what's it like to live with lesbian loversssss?????"

But here's a thought... If you could ask each of the individual cheftestants anything at all... and get a real answer... what would you ask?

NIMMA: I got nothing

VALERIE: Did neither of your team mates try to talk you out of pre-cooked blinis, or at least suggest something as an alternative?

ERIK: Who pulled all those weiners out of neighborhood refrigerators? If it was someone other than you, why didn't that person get stuck with them? If it was you, what were you thinking you were going to do with those? Did any team mate try to talk you out of corndogs?

MANUEL: What exactly did Spike tell you about this haute cuisine Fish Roll that convinced you to go along? What did he say he knew about Vietnamese food?

ZOI: The beef on those plates... was none of that beef salted before service, or were only a few plates overlooked somehow?

RYAN: Great hair... Sam Talbot could take lessons. Do you now know why the whole Piccata thing was comical?

JEN: You've had time to ponder, regret, re-imagine... what would you different with Aroused Orange Asparagus?

ONE BONUS QUESTION FOR JEN: Do you think it added anything at all to a season of Top Chef, the fact that you and your partner were both cast? What do you think that was really about?

MARK: Assuming you weren't stoned... were you buzzed much of the time while on camera, or is that just the way you are?

NIKKI: Nikki... store-bought Italian sausages on store-bought rolls... how surprised were you when you weren't sent home? Did any team mate try to talk you out of macaroni & cheese? Did no team mate try to talk you out of the mushroom/candied walnut/dried blueberry thing that came to be known as The Pooshroom?

ANDREW: Have you ever seen a raw veggie plate somewhere, veggie crudites, that offered people raw parsnip? Can you articulate for us now the reasons that raw parsnip or raw parsnip puree is so uncommon outside the vegan/raw food world?

DALE: What *should* the Mai Buddha menu have looked like? A menu you'd have been proud of?

SPIKE: What did people at Mai House say to you about those Fish Goi Cuon? And about your Top Chef "Asian Mastery" overall?

ANTONIA: Please, beloved, settle it once and for all... How much Kielbasi, if any, did you and Lisa use?

LISA: Blog and board pathologies aside, you did have a chance to at least see how you may come across to viewers, as a team mate, as someone handling pressure, as someone receiving feedback and criticism... Any regrets? Anything that was truly misleading in all that?

RICHARD: How's the baby?

STEPHIE: Do you break into the Kitchen Dance, as some suspect?

Well, I obviously didn't need to make the post I just did (on p. 39) after just seeing this one. That being said, I will add, that while I think Richard and Stephanie would shine any season, i think we should temper the "all time records" set this year, w/the fact that contrary to early reports in interviews, this was the worst collection of talent in top chef ever (in terms of those outside of say, the real top 4 or 5 (Jen, Richard, Steph, Dale, and either Andrew or Antonia). There was a ton of chaff here, and not much wheat at all. I imagine LeeAnne, Harold, Tiffani, Stephen, Sam, and Hung would have absolutely crushed the majority of these losers week in and week out w/o expending much effort either. Add in the fact that the idiot judges continually pushed forward Lisa, Nikki and Spike, and it's not hard to realize why Richard, and Stephanie would continue to rack up points like crazy (and if I'm not mistaken, I dont think Richard or Stephanie were unlucky like Dale, and generally didn't have to suffer working w/these albatrosses much if at all after about the third or fourth episode). Easy to rack up points when you're competing against chefs that would fill out the bottoms of seasons 1-3 w/ease, and wouldn't have cracked the top 10 of any of those seasons, particularly when said chefs are continually avoiding the top chef guillotine, week after week, for inexplicable reasons.

However, that being said, I think both would make a top 10 or so of the top overall chefs from seasons 1-3. I just think their path was cleared to records and mega points by having a season glutted w/weak and inferior competitors, and unlike previous seasons, these hacks actually pushed very deep into the season (Nikki I think 7th, Spike 5th, Lisa 2nd when they were all no better than double digit non-contenders).

Agree 100%.

so when can we watch that reunion show?

I love Steph's Kitchen Dance. It's so great.

Wow, and it just goes on and on and on.

I certainly am equating "early on" with the first half of the season, what the heck do you want to do, break down what I said into fractions? You seem to have this problem with other posters, of picking out something that someone says and just grinding away on it ("tableside adjustment" anyone?). YES, I'm equating "early on" with the first half of the season. No, I'm not counting episode eight, because that is clearly after the first half of the season. There were fourteen episodes, I think 1-7 is certainly the first half, or do you have some boolean algebra you'd like to do on that? SO, once AGAIN...

Through episode seven (the first half of the season) Steph had been on the chopping block two times. She was in the losers group or the out-and-out loser of the Quickfire (as she was in episode five) twice and in the middle four times, with only *one* showing in the winners group (never winning a Quickfire herself). This clearly makes puts her firmly in the middle, as I said.

Even if you want to only take the first three episodes as "early on", two wins and a chopping block, with one Quickfire loss and two middles, places you firmly in the middle to me. It would be much different if she had won two and been in the middle group in the other, or even a win and two middles, but a win, then a chopping block, then a win, and no Quickfire wins means you are a HUGE unknown quantity and (to me) that puts you in the middle... which is someone who could go home in *any* episode. A chopping block appearance, that early on, even with the two wins, places you in the middle. I don't know how many other ways I can say that.

The reunion show is scheduled for next Wed, 10pm, same time slot as Top Chef.

But all Andy Cohen is going to ask about is, what's it like to live with 2 lesbian lovers.

Well, note my own careful use of words.

I suspected that Aussies might not like being called Kiwis, but I doubt it happens all that often.

What's funny is Mark himself seemed to be confused once (or didn't do himself any favors in terms of people knowing where he was from) when he talked about something being "on the barbie". Perhaps Kiwis use the phrase at home as well, but if I were a Kiwi, I think I'd avoid public use of the phrase.

People say that I sound like I'm from North Carolina and I'm not offended. When I was in Germany speaking German, people sometimes thought I was possibly Dutch. I took that as an extreme compliment, considering how badly many Americans sound when they speak German. Well, there was always that "Ugly American" thing that I was able to sometimes sidestep.

And I remember a time when one of the owners of a company that I represented told my Dutch buyers that Dutch was just German spoken underwater. Talk about people being pissed! They weren't happy about that at all. You might as well have stolen their bicycles.

WTF is up with none of the other judges, besides Ted, updating their blogs? Obviously we only get to see a small morsel of what actually goes on so I like hearing what the judges - who were actually there and got to taste the food - have to say. (LeeAnne gave some great insight too.)

Come on judges - let's hear what you have to say!!

Do bear in mind of course that an Asian person might herself be an Aussie. Or a Kiwi. An Asian Aussie, Sydney born. Or, a Kiwi Pacific Islander.

Just barely scratching the surface of how awkward and clumsy English can get. And other languages... some much worse.

Thanks for the kind words!!!

Here's how things look if you divide the total points by total competitions. I'm rounding to the nearest point, but unless I say it's a tie, the actual numbers dictate the order (for example, Andrew averaged 1.2 points per competition, and Dale averaged 1.1):

2 points: Richard, Stephanie (tie)
1 point: Andrew, Dale, Antonia
0 points: Jennifer
-1 points: Manuel, Nikki, Lisa, Mark, Zoi
-2 points: Ryan, Spike, Valerie (3-way tie)
-3 points: Erik
-4 points: Nimma

And they should be pissed; to them you got it backwards. As a person of Dutch heritage, I think German is a lot more gluttural than Dutch.

The distinction is minimal though. "High" Dutch and "low" German are very, very close. There's probably more difference in the Texas accent between someone from Dallas and someone from Fort Worth.

How about, what would you, as a "good Muslim woman," done with the beer and pig challenges?


You did mean Valerie, didn't you? No questions from me for her, though.


Did you consider doing pigs in blankets instead? Baked biscuit dough (and I sure someone must have had some) would have done better in a chafing dish.


Nothing for Manuel or Zoi, but for Ryan: Have you learned what tailgating means yet?


Why didn't you explain that "orange" was about color,not flavor, and that the cheese was indeed orange? Oh, and "turned on," not "aroused."


Nothing for Mark. For Nikki: Why did you not set aside portions for the judges to make sure they'd get a full taste of your food?


Have you learned how to keep your hands on a list and check off the items as you use them? Have you learned how to listen yet?


Would you, in future, have a sous chef prepare a dish with which you were unfamiliar?


If you had it to do over, would you concentrate on outcooking your competitors rather than trying to outstrategize them?


Would you admit Spike was right about the squash soup?

Final three: no further questions.

And the source of my husband's nightmares. Tread lightly son. Not all Americans are hatemongers. We all immigrated here with the exception of my great grandmother.

<shrug> The '72 Dolphins played a lot of really bad teams.....do people put an asterisk next to their undefeated season?


(btw, in case y'all haven't guessed, I obsess about football almost as much as I obsess over food )

I think the fact that you say that "subhumans" are: "oh swamp creatures maybe" and you referred to me as such, says plenty.

If you go back and look, it was you who took the first shot, and I didn't call you names I just bagged on your angel when you jabbed at me, and jumped into a comment I made to another poster, letting me know that I wasn't winning your popularity contest either. You can tug at the lion's tail only so many times before you get the teeth.

Note, however, that I have never said I "hated" Lisa, although now that you mention it, I pretty much do. So... there goes that one... out the window.

That being said... sure, I'm all for a cyber shake and we move on... after all... you're not Lisa.

I think the comment that is being talked about was during Restaurant Wars when they were talking about what kind of restaurant they'd be opening. Antonia said to the camera something along the lines of "Dale only cooks Asian food and that is the type of food all three of them know so it makes sense that they'd be opening a Chinese restaurant." It's not word for word, but that's where Chinese came in.

I once edited a conference transcript in which a Puerto Rican woman was asked whether she preferred Hispanic or Latina. She replied, "You can call me Puerto Rican." Maybe we need to stop regionalizing folks so much.

You know, I think we can ALL agree they need to get rid of that Andy Cohen. grrh. So annoying to watch. so it will be a regular reunion show? That is good to know. When I first heard you say it I thought you meant one of those badly produced we shows like they used to do. Did they stop doing watch what happens after each show?

Yes. I had already written a response to that before I saw this. That's where Chinese came in.

No--but if you're using "first half of the season" to mean "early on", then, last time I checked, not counting the finale, the season lasted twelve weeks. Half of twelve is six--not the two weeks you're using to label Stephanie's performance as middle of the pack. And in the first six weeks of the season, Stephanie won twice and was a runner-up three more times. Show me one chef that had a better record than that over the first six challenges.

(Here's a hint: Richard had only been in the top group twice at that point, had been up for elimination once, and was given a hard time once even though his team won. The other two weeks, he was invisible. Andrew had a similar record, Dale had been on the chopping block once, and Antonia had been there three times.)

I have no problem with differing opinions; I do have major problems with people who contradict themselves, and then insist they're doing nothing of the kind.

And a big "Thank You" back.

Those averages are pretty much right on with how I evaluated their talent, though I would give Antonia an extra 1/10th point or so for her palate.

I also kind of felt that Jennifer was more in the top half of talent rather than the bottom where many put her.

Parts, I'm treading lightly. It's just, that it is indeed one of the wars that just doesn't get listed in history books. One of them. But also it's one of the odd relationships and histories, between the US and specific Asian nations or people, that kind of shapes what the word "Asian" usually means for folks here.

Call me naive. Are we tawking Jim Jones kind of Kool Aid?

LOL....the one class that I considered completely useless in library school was Multicultural Librarianship. It would have been great in the 1920s, but was pretty dated by the 1990s:

--All blacks, African or Caribbean, lumped together into one unit
--All Latinos, regardless of country, lumped together
--All East Asians, regardless of country, lumped together
--Nothing on the Middle East and/or Islam, Eastern Europe, Indian subcontinent
--Units on Italian-Americans, Irish-Americans, and Jewish-Americans, all of whom assimilated decades ago

The professor teaching it was one of those doddering old wrecks kept on out of kindness--normally, I don't have a major problem with that, but he took it upon himself to be offended on my behalf over the Godfather movies. He couldn't understand that the first two are two of the best films ever made (and are required viewing in my family as part of your passage to adulthood ), and the third one's problems had nothing to do with how Italian-Americans were portrayed.

Most of the chefs on the show cook what they are familiar with, especially when they are cooking under pressure and a time limit. What did Richard say? Something about adapting the challenge to your strengths and not the other way around. Take Tiffani for example. Nearly everything she cooked was based on what she did when she was a line cook for Todd English, including her so-called signature dish, the pumpkin lasagna. TC2 winner Ilan Hall took nearly all of his dishes right off of employer Mario Batali's menu. The food that won Hung the title of Top Chef was likely some of the food that is served at his family's Vietnamese restaurant in Pittsfield, Mass.

As long as they don't repeat dishes on the show I believe the judges are ok with the chefs cooking the same dishes that they cooked in real life. Also, if you were a contestant on the show and you knew that you'd be cooking in Puerto Rico, wouldn't you bone up on and practice cooking some dishes that would be well received by the natives and local chefs?

Note: I was a little surprised that Stephanie didn't run away with the dessert as she was once a pastry chef over the course of her career.

Their love of Lisa's Tom Yum soup was pathetic!

Have they never had Thai soup before?

I looked at her recipe and it was very basic Tom Yum soup.

She did not even use fresh Galanga??

And she added sugar which is not required unless your Coconut milk is weak.

That show is so fake.
I think they all agreed to love that soup just to make it seem Lisa still had a shot.

Totally Weak and it made all the judges look unqualified.

I don't think you need to caution S/B partsgirl. Unless your husband is over a hundred years old, I don't think that was what he was talking about. The war he's referring to was (more or les) part of the Spanish-American War at the start of the 20th Century.

No idea, Dave. I do know that for a while there, Andy Cohen couldn't stay off TV and was doing "Watch What Happens" specials on a weekly basis. But this season of Top Chef, none at all.

From what BRAVO has said, it sounds like a usual reunion show. Cohen hosts, all the chefs are back and seated. Padma, Tom, Gail and Ted on hand. And an announcement of this season's fan favorite. Stephie or Richard I assume. No idea where Cohen is getting his "Viewer's Questions" to ask the chefs, as the thing was filmed already. Perhaps he will ask Manuel about boxers vs. briefs. Sigh.

Thank you. Well done.

All kidding aside, I was making a point about a person calling an Asian a "racist" for confusing Aussies and Kiwis, not getting them good and pissed for the mix-up.

I'm from Texas and no one has ever said I sound like I'm from Texas. As a matter-of-fact many people have questioned my truthfulness when I said I was from Texas. I think that is a two-fold thing, one I hail from Dallas where few people have any noticable drawl, and secondly people's perception of how *anyone* from Texas might speak. Also, my father was a stickler for grammar and pronunciation and would constantly correct me if I said something that wasn't "proper". Even still, friends from other (English speaking) places say that over time they can detect just a little "drawl" to my speech. I, of course, don't hear it, but I believe that they do.

My mother-in-law is from a little town in southern Florida and sounds very much like someone from West Texas, though there are certain peculiarities to the dialect that sets it apart. She has a house that they summer in, in North Carolina (in Boone) and this has also had an impact on her speech. I personally love the dialect there, which I compare to peach ice cream... sweet and smooth.

Thanks for reminding me about the car incident. I was certain Stephanie was going to win as soon as they gave Richard the car. He may have realized that, too. Also, did anyone else find it a little strange that all of the blogs seem to focus on the fact that Richard lost, as if Stephanie's win was somehow less important? Even though the bloggers say that they aren't taking anything away from Steph, isn't it true that they are?

Mission, are you suggesting that there is fresh Galangal root available in Puerto Rico? Or, that Lee Anne Wong air-freighted it in from somewhere?

That seems pretty unlikely. Fresh galangal root... in Puerto Rico???

Funny, all over the Americas, Thai cooks use dried all the time.

Where did you ever have a basic Tom Yum soup that bore any resemblance to what Lisa did?

You know it wasn't just those highly experienced judges, Lee Anne Wong was also impressed by that soup as well. I think it's a lovely soup.

I'm not Li....sa, my name is Ju....lie, Lisa left you, years ago

John, I can't speak to whatever Tiffani or Ilan did, but I can state with certainty that nothing Hung did in the final, or at any time during the season, bears resemblance to anything served in his mom's restaurant.

Her restaurant, which may have re-opened since some kind of fire, served a very familiar VietnAmerican menu. The very same kind of dishes one might find at any place named Saigon Palace or Nam Vang or Cyclo. Really unrelated to Hung's dishes and preferences.

One of those odd TC moments was last year when Colicchio asked Hung why he never drew on his heritage. Even when opportunities presented themselves, Hung pretty faithfully avoided things that might label his work or product as "Asian."

Then, there was other footage at the end of the season, with Hung saying he was all about French and classic techniques, then suddenly no he was all about Asian flavors... Disorienting.

But Hung was blessed, in addition to a Culinary Institute of America education, he'd worked at Guy Savoy and other really acclaimed places. Places he could pick up and master sous vide techniques, without committing malsouvidance. The wise and judicious use of foams. Etc.

I actually miss that guy. Kristl will tell you I got "fed up to here" with the comments he made in confessionals, but wow. That man could also Wow some diners.

Even more so was his quote that he was doing this for himself, period, and then 1 or 2 weeks later, he was doing this for all the immigrants in the United States.

No, it isn't listed. It was atrocious. My husband has the knife scars to prove it. It's also very frustrating to have him sleep in 20 minutes shifts and continuously prowl the house, much the same way my father prowled since 1962. I shouldn't need to clarify that one.
I agree with MoHub. Just use the terminology that fits the nationality. Puerto Rican. Vietnamese. Russian. etc. Certainly that can't be a bad thing or non-PC if that is the PC way to say not bad...

The guy that gets on my last nerve is Ted Allen. He is *wildly* unpredictable about what he will like. He makes a big deal out of a dish that should suck, but actually worked. I just don't see the merit in that, versus a good-looking plate of food that delights. Take Lisa's dish in the final that looked like colored pencils and wood shavings dropped on a slurry of chalk dust. Who cares if it didn't actually make you gag? Did the dish look appetizing, taste good and satisfy? I could care less if a chef can take discarded carpet squares and grasshoppers and make an edible dish.

This is why I so value Tom. He keeps it *simple*. Does the food look good? Does it taste good? Do the flavors compliment, are the cohesive? It's consistent, consise, fair and works. Whereas you never know *what* Ted is going to like, except you're pretty sure that it will be something weird. Tom and his "simple flavors" mantra (or was that Spike <grin>) to me illustrates why they should clone him three more times and chuck the rest of the judges. Padma seriously needs to go back to underwear modeling, but maybe now she'll lighten up that she's finally got that female Top Chef. Next season though, I seriously hope she gets that deviated septum repaired. If I have to listen to her deliver one more "pack your knives" honked through that nose of hers, I'm losing it.

yes. And I hear it's delicious. Truly if someone says a positive comment for Lisa it shouldn't be held against them as certainly simply stating the shock of Lisa making the finale does not automatically equal hate.

HaHa....me,too!!!

Hooray for Stephanie!

Well deserved. She was my absolute favorite from the very beginning.

I literally jumped off my couch and applauded when they announced she'd won last night.

Good job!

Check again. Our troops were there and fighting during the Marcos downfall. He is not 100 years old. And after watching children starve in the streets he does not have any love for God. BTB, I'm quite aware of our invlovement during the Span-Am war. I had family in that one, too.

Parts, perhaps I need to clarify that one. The war I referenced and linked to is The Philippine American War of 1899-1902, though it sort of lingered on for a bit after that. That's not a war your husband was in, I'm sure. Click on that link if unsure what war I was talking about.