Whoever is in charge of the Bravo website is doing a crappy job. Fortunately, the NBCu Media site had some photos available for tonight’s Top Chef recap. I hope the challenges are better than they stupid ones from last week. Luke is losing his confidence in the game. The quickfire will be focused on Nigerian food including, soups, stews and swallows. A swallow is a starch that has been cooked until it is very tender. Then, it is dipped in soups and stews.
The Quickfire
First on the agenda is the dreaded drawing of knives. I feel like this season they rarely have the ability to cook individually. This week they will be working in teams of three. There are three types of ‘swallows’ that they are assigned. Swallows look like bread but are more like a dumpling made from yams or potatoes or other starchy foods. Everyone grabs their items quickly and there was almost a brawl. The challenge is only thirty minutes. Ashleigh spent a gap year in east Africa. That is coming in handy now. Damarr’s shrimp and scotch bonnet stew sound good. It is in fact an individual challenge. Jackson still can’t taste a thing.
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First up is the Iyan swallow (yams) That is Budda, Jackson and Luke. Jackson made a curried fish stew. He is praised for his flavor combinations. It’s amazing how well he is doing with no sense of taste. Luke’s protein was chicken thighs. Budda did a shrimp and guinea fowl dish with peanuts and fried plantains. Next, is the Eba (Cassava) trio: Nick made an okra stew with chicken thighs and crab. He was worried about the sweetness. One of the judges asked about it.
Ashleigh made a sukuma wiki with grilled shrimp. Damarr did a scotch bonnet and shrimp stew with okra and diced pineapple. I’m not sure that okra an pineapple go together. Finally, it is the Amala (green plantains trio.) Evelyn made a tamarin and chicken wing stew with okra and crab fat. Jo made a chicken and Kale soup with suya and banga spices. Jae made a poached mackerel and wilted arugla stew with a beef based stew. Nick was in the bottom for the sweetness of his stew. Evelyn is also in the bottom for overpowering flavors. The judges loved Budda’s dish. Shockingly, Damarr was also in the top. I guess okra and pineapple can work together. Jackson is also in the top! Budda won and has immunity. Not that he needs it.
The Elimination Recap
For the next challenge Chef Joe Flamm returns to the kitchen dressed like…. someone from Jurassic Park ?The lights went out and the Jurassic Park logo was shined onto the floor. Are they going to cook dinosaurs? It’s an ad for the movie. Once again they are put into groups of three. Each of the three dinosaurs eats in one of three categories, land, air or sea. Now it really is a team challenge. Nick, Damarr and Budda will have sea. Evelyn, Ashleigh and Jo have air. Luke, Jackson and Jae have land. Each team must make a cohesive three course dinner inspired by their dinosaur’s habitat. The winning team gets a trip to the world premiere of Jurassic World.
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The teams all sort of struggle with their menu ideas. At least the sea team is sticking to the seafood stuff. I’ve apparently gotten the teams wrong. Maybe the teams are not according to the land, air and sea? I’m confuse. So, the red team is Budda who is going first with smoked alligator, Jo is doing BBQ quail, and Jae is making a lamb course. Budda is worried that Jae is doing to much. That sounds like land to me. Jo is is huge Jurassic Park fan so hopefully her team wins the trip. The brown team is Nick, who is making a crab croquette, Evelyn is making pork tenderloin. Jackson is going to make a bloody fudge cake for desert. I see now there is one of each type of dinosaur on each team.
Meanwhile, over on the green team, Damarr is making fried oysters with chow chow and a caviar cream. Then, Ashleigh is making chicken wings with a watermelon relish. Finally, Luke will make the third course of beef and broccoli. Beef and broccoli sounds kind of basic.
Judges Tasting
The appetizer round is firs. Budda’s alligator presentation is thoughtful. The judges seem to loved his dish. Tom says Nick’s croquette was more of an appetizer. Padma said it need more red pepper but she loved it. She also loved Damarr’s dish with the oysters and caviar. It’s time for round two and Jo is disappointed in her carrot glazed. Evelyn’s pork tenderloin is supposed to be air? Ashleigh’s wings look amazing. They seemed to love all three dishes of the second round. But the more they talked the more Tom and on of the male guest judges were not sold on Ashleigh’s chicken wing. Well, now they are slamming Jo’s quail. It was too dry and there was no real glaze on her carrots.
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Budda thinks his team is plating too soon and their third course is going to be cold. But his teammates are not listening to him. Jae presents lamb two ways for course three (a lamb chop and a lamb meatball). Luke’s beef and broccoli seems rather boring. Tom has been dying for a bloody dish and complaining about the lack of them throughout the entire meal. He was thrilled by Jackson’s bloody cake. Jackson probably just won the whole thing for his team. The judges didn’t have anything good to say about Jae’s lamb duo. The were just okay with the beef and broccoli. Everyone LOVED Jackson’s bloody dish.
The Judges Table
Jackson did pull out the win for his team and he is the winner of this challenge. They each win a trip to the Jurassic Park premiere. Jae is in the bottom. Jo is also on the bottom. Ashleigh is also on the bottom again. Luke is kind of on the bottom. Ashleigh and Luke are safe. Jo is going home in danger. But Tom has someone else in mind. He is pushing for Jae to leave. I’d rather it be her than Jo. But, sadly it was Jo.
OH! RESTAURANT WARS IS NEXT WEEK! YAY!
Yes I can’t wait for next week, and Tom😡makes me sick!
Why does Tom make you sick?
Buddha and Jackson seem to be the duo to beat. I liked Jo 😓 But I understand why she went home. Although I agree with TT – it should have been Jae.
Jackson can probably taste if things are salty, sweet, sour, etc… He can’t smell or taste flavors. I know this from experience way before covid. I lost my sense of taste and smell from a damn Z-pack in 2016. It was the wildest thing. It took a good 8 months before I could smell anything! I still can’t smell everything 100%.
The first thing I remember tasting again was celery. Still can’t taste things 100%.
He is doing awfully well for someone with his condition.
Can’t wait for restaurant wars!
According to Jackson, he can’t taste anything. He often asks someone else to taste and ask if it needs more salt.
This season’s chefs are all quite good. Budda and Jackson especially. But really they are all good. Damarr is really good too. Ashleigh is making quite the comeback. Restaurant Wars are going to be fantastic.
I am Team Jackson all the way! I can’t believe he is doing so well with a compromised sense of taste and smell!
As someone who works as a special F/X makeup artist, I loved that he bloodied his dish!
OOOOHHH! Cool job! Jodi!
It is a very cool job!
Could you make a post that I could put up about it or is it all Top Secret? 🙂
I am very flattered but I am not a Hollywood makeup person with lots of good celebrity stories. I work for a large haunted attraction where every night my team and I turn “Kenny” from Walmart into a gross zombie or a bloody murderer along with 150 other actors in a variety of roles. It is great fun to be a part of that transition!
That sounds like so much fun!
Not food related but what in the Tom Colicchio kind of boots was Padma wearing?
I always wonder about Padma’s clothing. She’s a beautiful woman and someone doesn’t know how to dress her.
My daughter lost her sense of taste and smell from Covid and can’t taste anything. Unfortunately she developed parosmia which is nasty. Sometimes things smell horribly – like peanut butter will smell like a dirty ashtray,etc. Very difficult to live with.
This group of chefs are really good except I think Jai can’t keep up. SO looking forward to Restaurant Wars!
Sorry, I just couldn’t with a Jurassic Park competition. It’s the first time I quit the show early. All the product placement themes are getting old. Go back to a straight forward cooking competition.
Just a plug for a treatment that has helped some folks with longterm Covid symptoms. I am a psychotherapist and was trained in a trauma technique called A.R.T. There are anecdotes of clients regaining the sense of taste via A.R.T. I know it sounds crazy but it works because A.R T. Works with the brain. This is not a plug for me personally , just something that people can research and possibly try. I am sure it doesn’t work for everyone but it can’t hurt. Covid is no joke! Be well people. PS If this post defies the rules please just delete it. I’m only trying to help.
Restaurant wars next week! Yay! But I’m worried … I think the preview briefly shows that Jackson is Front of House for his team. I hate Front of House! I hope he survives. He’s such a good dude so I think he’ll be fine but that position usually ends up in trouble if the food doesn’t win.
Can’t wait!