When you write recaps for a living, the days no longer really have names anymore. And because I have lost pretty much 56% of the brain cells used for recall, it’s a surprise every day when I find out what I am recapping. Sometimes my response is “Ugh, again already?” and other times I’m excited for a new episode. Tonight is one of the latter. I love Top Chef. I love Charleston. And so far, I love this season’s cast of chefs. I can’t wait for tonight’s episode. I just wish it was on a bit earlier. After all, I do have that whole Christmas movie marathon going on here.
This is the first time I have heard them say the top four finalists will complete in a finale in Mexico. I’m gonna guess Katsuji makes the final four.
The chefs arrive to find that the guest chef is Chris Cosentino, one of John Tesar’s nemeses who had a hand in his eviction from season ten. Cosentino also won Top Chef Masters.
The Quickfire: It’s a classic Mise En Place Challenge. They draw knives to form their groups. They have to peel and mince five ounces of garlic, finely dice two quarts of onions, properly turn three artichokes, peel and devein 30 shrimp and shuck and clean fifteen clams. Basically, all the things I hate about cooking. When I when the lottery, I will have a sous chef to do all of that for me. And someone to clean the kitchen as I am the messiest chef in the world and I use every dish and pot I possibly can.
These guys have some serious knife skills. Sheldon and Katsuji are both super great and helped every person on their respective teams. This quickfire went down to the wire. The green team won and was rewarded with a three-minute head start on their cooking. The green team does a stuffed clam dish. Thre were issues about when to pull it out. Amanda may have done that too early. The blue team fried their dish since they only had 12 minutes to cook. The blue team won, and Sheldon was the MVP. I think that gave him immunity.
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For the elimination challenge the same two teams serve a seven course meal to super fans who were previously vetted regarding their mayonnaise preferences. No Hellman’s lovers allowed. The meal should feature ….wait for it …. “the humble radish.” WTF? I’m a radish fan, but I don’t know how to make it the focus of a dish, let alone a seven course meal. There must be a dessert. I would love to have access to all these kinds of radishes they have. Other than the occasional white radish, I normally just see the generic kind. Slyvia, the Italian chef offers to do the dessert for the green team. #Gutsy
The Amanda is going home edit is strong this episode. She’s up against Shirley at the dinner. Emily is nervous going up against Sam as well. Katsuji may be underestimating Jim who is his opponent. Shirley is handmaking a pasta dish with only forty five minutes to go for fifty people. The Italian chick’s cake has won the whole thing, based on her fellow teammates very high praise, before it ever leaves the kitchen. Her direct opponent is Brooke whose panna cotta did not set. Don’t fret honey, you would have lost with your best dish on this one. She tries to thicken it up with corn starch. Shirley is changing her pasta dish for time constraint reasons to just use irregular pasta shapes.
First up is Emily and Sam, each pairing will have five votes, the four judges each vote and the fans vote as one. It was super close with the fans, Emily won their vote by two points. Blue take the first course.
Second course is Katsuji v Tim. Wow. Both of their dishes are too amazing to even describe in the amount of time I have. Tim’s is a play on oysters on the half shell, but with a radish, Kasuji did a crab salad enchilada deal looks like the wrap for the enchilada was made from radish as well as a garnish. I was thinking Katsuji would have the advantage with the fans and I was right. They voted overwhelmingly for his dish. Tom liked Tim’s the best. Katsuji wins in a 3-2 vote. There was some unsportsmanlike conduct from Katsuji this entire episode.
The third courses pits Jaime against BJ the purloined pork loin dude. BJ’s plates are a mess, Jaime, the burnt vegetable guy’s dish is fussy looking. BJ has me at trout, but the fans go for Jaime. In a 3-2 vote Jaime wines for the blue team.
The fourth course is Slyva versus Casey. The fans chose Casey. All the judges and me went with Slyva’s dish for the blue team.
The green team needs to win every single course left to win. I think the Italian lady is on the green team, if so they are about to have a come from behind victory.
Course five is Shirley (blue) and her pasta against Amanda (green) who has the strong loser edit going on. Actually, Amanda’s looks better to me. The fans overwhelming voted for Amanda. Amanda wins 3-2.
Course six is John Tesar against Sheldon. Two powerhouses. Tesar did a blue radish and tofu ramen dish that Padma will love. Sheldon made a an adobo radish on radish porridge …blah blah blah Ttoo much stuff. The fans voted for John. The chefs love the broth Tesar made, and his noodles. Padma puts the green team ahead by a 3-2 vote.
Course seven has already been obvious. It’s the Italian lady on the green team for the win. Brooke did seem to put something decent together at the last minute. But wait, did Brooke just say a pop rocks garnish? Brooke takes the fan vote in a landslide. Padma seriously can’t stop eating Sivia’s cake.
IN A STUNNING UPSET. Blue team wins. I did not see that coming.
At the judges table, Sylva and Brooke on the blue team take top honors. Padma and Richard Blais who appeared at the judges table both say it was the best meal ever on Top Chef, from BOTH teams. Somehow, Brooke’s panna cotta takes the win to just twist the knife in poor Silvia a bit deeper.
On the blue, losing team…where my boy Tim is. I am concerned. Please send home the pork loin dude!
The bottom four on the blue team are Sam (who will not be going anywhere) BJ who is my choice to go, Sylvia the cake baker!!!!, and Casey. Please send BJ home, but if the dam Colicchio Vagicide is still going on then send Casey.
It looks like the girls, and their vaginas, are safe this week and they are debating between BJ and Sam. They may not really send anyone home they liked this meal so much. But they are. THEY SENT HOME SAM! I can’t believe it. Padma must be well and truly done with him! This is a SHOCKING elimination.
They all mention last chance kitchen a billion times, so he will probably come back that way. Meanwhile, we have many episodes in between where we don’t have to hear about diabetes. I mean, please. I’m all for helping the sick, but can we not have one single reality show that disease is not a part of? Am I being a bitch? Maybe. But I’d just like to have less depressing stuff to talk about on my TV shows with all the heartbreaking global news these past few days. Sam is devastated to be the first veteran to go home.
Next week: We have a Christmas episode that seems chaotic.
WTF???
WTF???
SAM???
I’m not liking this one bit.
Casey and Sam are my favorites.
This was not really a Charlestonian challenge.
I think they were at the Embassy Suites North Charleston.
I usually like Katsuji but he was being an ass this episode.
John Tesar dripping sweat as he furiously chopped was nasty..
One of the last shows I love, after a disappointing season of PR. The radish, for me it is either a spicy little addition to salad or a woody blah. I look forward to seeing what chefs do with it.
I like that you address the vagicide by Tom. It is always the woman who goes home. Soggy crust vs an atrocity of pork? Woman goes home.
Sorry but when you’re 38 years old, wearing a backwards hat and calling everything “dope”, you had it coming but it’s possible I’m bitter that he hasn’t slept with me…yet.
2 elimination challenges and on the bottom of both, yet BJ is there to suck another day. Who does he know/work for? I did worry for Sam when he called it a Bahn Mi, Tom C gets his panties in a bunch when people name a dish something that it really isn’t.
Does Sam have diabetes? I must’ve missed him referencing it every three freakin minutes!
I thought Sylvia’s was kind of a cheat – she made a classic recipe and just subbed radish for the apple. It is a yummy cake though.
My Internet went down last night when I was trying to post this… It was a frightening time! lol. But it saved, so here it is,
Also, if you are like me and new to the phrase, “turning an artichoke” here is a link to a lovely blog that describes the entire process, and what the phase means.
http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2010/04/how-to-turn-artichoke.html
I remember in grad school I took an vocabulary instruction course from a very highly respected professor with many major published articles in the field. I’m a word person, which makes this whole new using the wrong word I keep unintentionally doing so horrific. So it is class day one. I am prepared. I have done all the readings, but I was a double major with more emphasis on the brain and it’s role in things like reading, so all the pedagogical jargon was new. So I highlighted all those words in the readings, made a list of hand written words and definitions and arrived in our small prestigious class ready to go. So the guy starts out talking about how people acquire vocabulary and gives several examples and then says, “No one stops to look up words they don’t know.” I of course being the cuntsicle in the class said I did. He said he didn’t believe me and I showed him the list of new to me words, and their definitions from the readings. There were dozens of them. He was mystified and I am sure I am brought up in all of his future lectures as some anomaly of normal brain function.
I say that to justify the fact that I just read an entire blog about artichokes. I feel so much smarter already, and you will too.
Or maybe I just got a defective brain.
Ha! I do the same thing!
Recently looked up “sardonic” and plan to use it in conversation as soon as possible.
Those peppers look good!
IF you buy, bread, puff pastry or anything pre-made that is a BIG Top Chef no-no. Brooke is a badass. Never ever underestimate her. I thought she deserved to win her season and was robbed.
Winning with a radish dessert, how badass is that?
I would have loved to taste some of these dishes. The elevated radish. How does one become a superfan? Blogs I assume.
Hellman’s forever. End of story.
I loved the show because I have no idea what I would do with radish. I could put it in a salad or…. so to see these chefs create a radish menu under time constraints and have it be delicious is a marvel to me. Of course, I would love to try the food, but I was disqualified due to indiscreetly publicizing my Hellman’s love. I coulda been a contender.
As soon as I saw the “superfan” scene I said, this is the one Jane didn’t get to go to because of that whole Hellman’s thing.
Seriously, what was the vetting process for this uber VIP event? I mean, I’m sure they could just tell about the Hellmann’s but how did they determine who to invite? Did they ask who you thought was better looking, the bald guy or the guy with the unibrow? WHAT? I must know,
Sadly, I didn’t even get far enough to admit I favored Hellman’s. I would have picked it on a blind taste test, though.
They had one of those web solicitations. The scuttlebut is the diners were known to production. Don’t know if it’s true or just sour grapes (crudités?). It’s such a foodie town, there’s no shortage of devoted gourmands. Thought I spotted a local food writer, but the shot was so fast, I am not sure. It’s still fun to watch.
I said this last week and glad it holds true again this week, I am glad they are focusing on the food and not trying to find drama.
Except for Katsuji. He was trying to start some stuff with everyone!
I feel like that’s his MO, he likes to poke and tease to see if he can throw someone off his/her game. I consider that game play and not drama.
Yeah, I guess. I just don’t remember him that way. Especially when he knocked Tim’s course directly to the judges. I was just surprised. I could totally see some of the others doing that, and I myself might have ended with “I really wanted the radish to be the star, rather than any other ingredients.” But I would not have specifically listed my opponents ingredients while saying it.
I still love Katsuji, I was just surprised. He did it several times throughout the night. Again, other chefs? grouchy me? Sure. But Katsuji? I was shocked. Then again, I was shocked by most of the episode. The editing veered away from the usual predictable format. And that was fantastic.
PS I think I love Sheldon. He’s a fun, get the job done kind of guy.
Katsuji calling Jim ‘Jimbo’ was also super rude. Didn’t realise he was such an asshole.
Katsuji was like this on his original season, a button pusher. I think the people from his first season ignored him. I didn’t find his behavior rude, annoying maybe, but I think he was attempting a psych out since it was a head to head competition.
I’m beginning to think purloined pork loin has a deal where he is guaranteed not to go home before week “x”. This is the second one he scraped by. Sam looked stunned, ha
When Padma looked ready to cry, I knew it was Sam.
I was so annoyed they sent Sam packing.
Somehow this episode slipped past me last week. So I thank you TT for the recap. I also appreciate the heads up about it being on Thursday now .
This is a great group of contestants. I do have a favorite. It’s Jim Smith but please don’t tell anyone because my support is usually the kiss of death,
Thanks again.
Ha! I feel the same way. About Jim and my support. I used to recap this show a lot and every season I would pick my favorite. They went home first several seasons in a row.