the bulk of these people not only can't cook very well, they're also morons. the fact that stefan was the last person chosen for a team shows this. as he said, choosing based on friendship rather than professional ability is just dumb.

radhika will get some sympathy for being sent home for mainly FOH, but i don't think that's valid. chefs need to have FOH skills and, more importantly, management skills. she displayed total cluelessness in both arenas.

the only people i'm interested in watching this season are stefan, jamie, and jeff. the others can all just go home now, as far as i'm concerned.

oh, and leah should be totally embarrassed. after dissing arianne last week for not knowing how to tie a roast, she went and portioned her fish before boning it out. she's a fool.

elakin wrote:the bulk of these people not only can't cook very well, they're also morons. the fact that stefan was the last person chosen for a team shows this. as he said, choosing based on friendship rather than professional ability is just dumb.

radhika will get some sympathy for being sent home for mainly FOH, but i don't think that's valid. chefs need to have FOH skills and, more importantly, management skills. she displayed total cluelessness in both arenas.

the only people i'm interested in watching this season are stefan, jamie, and jeff. the others can all just go home now, as far as i'm concerned.

oh, and leah should be totally embarrassed. after dissing arianne last week for not knowing how to tie a roast, she went and portioned her fish before boning it out. she's a fool.

Agreed on most of this but not about the Stefan aspect. The guy's proven that while he does have skills, he's extremely difficult to work with. I don't think he was chosen last because of friendships, per se. It was more a matter of his abrasive disposition, as perceived by the others.

=R=

I know chefs are supposed to be able to react when things don't go well, but could the producers get some equipment that actually works? How stupid is it for the freezer not to work. And granted, Stefan worked around his issues, but still.

tcdup wrote:I know chefs are supposed to be able to react when things don't go well, but could the producers get some equipment that actually works? How stupid is it for the freezer not to work. And granted, Stefan worked around his issues, but still.

Following up on that, I can't imagine that he's thrilled about his prize for winning this week.

"You mean I get to take home all these things that keep breaking down? Greaaaaaat."

whiskeybent wrote:
Following up on that, I can't imagine that he's thrilled about his prize for winning this week.

"You mean I get to take home all these things that keep breaking down? Greaaaaaat."

In all fairness, the equipment that broke down this week was all off site and not sponsor related

tcdup wrote:
I know chefs are supposed to be able to react when things don't go well, but could the producers get some equipment that actually works? How stupid is it for the freezer not to work. And granted, Stefan worked around his issues, but still.


Following up on that, I can't imagine that he's thrilled about his prize for winning this week.

"You mean I get to take home all these things that keep breaking down? Greaaaaaat."

tcdup wrote:I know chefs are supposed to be able to react when things don't go well, but could the producers get some equipment that actually works? How stupid is it for the freezer not to work. And granted, Stefan worked around his issues, but still.

Following up on that, I can't imagine that he's thrilled about his prize for winning this week.

"You mean I get to take home all these things that keep breaking down? Greaaaaaat."

They were not working at the Top Chef kitchen so it wasn't the sponsored products breaking down. I can't recall the name of the restaurant and can't find it on Bravo's website.

I think they sent the right person home, given they were the losing team. I know it was a close choice and, IIRC, Tom said the feedback gave the win to Leah's team. Leah should have gone home.

I think Fabio should have won for his FOH skills. I'm sure Stefan's desserts were great but Fabio appeared to do a great job FOH. I do love his confident statement "I'm in the front of the house. we could serve monkey ass in an empty clam shell, and we'll still win because i'm in the front of the house."

Lesson of this episode-- Europeans will save your ass if you let them, no matter how irritating they are.

Oddly enough, the exact opposite of the lesson Europeans took from World War II.

Watched. Gag. Sigh.

The right person went home.

I hate hate hated how that decision happened.

Radhika should have started packing up the moment she stepped outside of the kitchen. This is your 'concept' and you're getting water for people? Thanks for playing.

But to honestly break a tie based on front of house skills? I have to disagree with previous posters. Sure, a chef might need these skills to excel. But, as so many keep repeating:

This. Is. Top. Chef.

Not top scallop, not top server, not top accent. You get judged on your cooking, your technique, innovation and palate. Not how well you smile and pull out a chair. Already, we've had one person win for FOH during restaurant wars and one person go home. Blech. Gag me with yogurt soup.

Ding Radhika for not making any decisions, for not being a leader, for not doing any job well and for not cooking a damn thing. But don't pick the other team because Fabio smiled and there was a miniscule edge in comment cards. Comment cards?! Tom Collichio resorted to a decision based on FOH and comment cards? I don't tune in for a democracy. You're judges. Judge.

Anyway, right decision, but the whole thing felt like crap. Next!

If it were just for something like not being there to say goodbye at the moment they sprang from their seats, it would be unfair. And I agree, Fabio's team got way too much credit for Fabio being Fabio.

But I think Tom's conception of chef is that you're on top of everything, you're helping your people get through any bumps, you're managing the team, and if you're on the floor, you're a vibrant presence there making the guest welcome and comfortable. Being a Colicchio-level chef is a lot more than being a really good cook. (You have to find a great headwaxer...) And it's clear he thought she wasn't a leader, she wasn't a greeter (like Fabio), she had two major roles and she didn't do a whole hell of a lot at either one. (Stefan made great desserts? Stefan's the Terminator, he could have made great desserts in a storm shelter during Hurricane Katrina. You don't get any leadership points for leaving Stefan alone to work.) I doubt she would have gone down for this if she hadn't basically failed to step up in much the same way last week. Maybe if she had a great record of past food wins she'd have survived; I think Jeff, for instance, has skated through some pretty dicey situations because of the belief that he has strong abilities that have sometimes been smothered in group situations. You could say the same for Jamie. But I don't think Radhika's food excited anybody all that much, ever-- even if she won one or two things along the way.

The guy's proven that while he does have skills, he's extremely difficult to work with. I don't think he was chosen last because of friendships, per se. It was more a matter of his abrasive disposition, as perceived by the others.

he's only difficult to work with if you try to get into a power struggle with him. a good leader would harness his ego-driven energy, give him some autonomy and allow him to be him, while making sure the group thrives as well.

team leah did exactly what stefan wanted them to do, which was to segregate him so that he could show them up. and he did it--made them look like hacks.

if i was leah or radhika, i would've chosen stefan and made him chef de cuisine. work out a menu with him, give him lots of room to be him, let him run the kitchen, and then played owner/FOH.

Mike opined:

But I think Tom's conception of chef is that you're on top of everything, you're helping your people get through any bumps, you're managing the team, and if you're on the floor, you're a vibrant presence there making the guest welcome and comfortable.

....and did Leah do any of these things? No, not really - no leadership, bad cooking, and complete abdication of FoH. The only bright thing she did was enlisting Fabio - heck, Stefan was the last person picked, and only because Radhika childishly refused to pick him, his superior cooking chops notwithstanding.

This whole show has gone pear-shaped this season. I feel as disgusted as Tom looks!

elakin wrote:

The guy's proven that while he does have skills, he's extremely difficult to work with. I don't think he was chosen last because of friendships, per se. It was more a matter of his abrasive disposition, as perceived by the others.

he's only difficult to work with if you try to get into a power struggle with him. a good leader would harness his ego-driven energy, give him some autonomy and allow him to be him, while making sure the group thrives as well.

team leah did exactly what stefan wanted them to do, which was to segregate him so that he could show them up. and he did it--made them look like hacks.

if i was leah or radhika, i would've chosen stefan and made him chef de cuisine. work out a menu with him, give him lots of room to be him, let him run the kitchen, and then played owner/FOH.

Maybe, maybe not. Plenty of good leaders wisely avoid working with people like Stefan (at least as he's been depicted here). Hindsight's 20/20. With such a limited amount of time, it's hard to fault anyone for not choosing someone who had already demonstrated that he could be disruptive.

=R=

and did Leah do any of these things?

No, and I thought she was doomed this week (not least because they played up the romance so much, inevitably leading to the poignant moment when they're separated).

Mike G wrote:

and did Leah do any of these things?

No, and I thought she was doomed this week (not least because they played up the romance so much, inevitably leading to the poignant moment when they're separated).

Two seasons ago, that would have been the case. More recently, they've started playing on the fact that folks were getting smug about their ability to call the chef going home five minutes into the episode.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

elakin wrote:

The guy's proven that while he does have skills, he's extremely difficult to work with. I don't think he was chosen last because of friendships, per se. It was more a matter of his abrasive disposition, as perceived by the others.

he's only difficult to work with if you try to get into a power struggle with him. a good leader would harness his ego-driven energy, give him some autonomy and allow him to be him, while making sure the group thrives as well.

team leah did exactly what stefan wanted them to do, which was to segregate him so that he could show them up. and he did it--made them look like hacks.

if i was leah or radhika, i would've chosen stefan and made him chef de cuisine. work out a menu with him, give him lots of room to be him, let him run the kitchen, and then played owner/FOH.

Maybe, maybe not. Plenty of good leaders wisely avoid working with people like Stefan (at least as he's been depicted here). Hindsight's 20/20. With such a limited amount of time, it's hard to fault anyone for not choosing someone who had already demonstrated that he could be disruptive.

=R=

The thing is, as this week's episode clearly showed, it's not so much a question of the other chefs shunning Stefan as Stefan shunning the other chefs. ("I'm not telling you what my dessert will be...")

I think Stefan would work with the other chefs if he had respect for them, but he has about none for them, and like a lot of talented people, he wears his disdain on his chef's coat. But in Stefan's defense, he's so damn right. I mean it's not just him. The judges have made clear over and over that this year's crew cannot much wow them. It was so bad that they took away all the gimmicks to let them prove themselves, and they still did not do much.

I think people have short memories. It's always been that the first half of the season is full of crappy cooks. I don't think there have ever been more than 3-4 people with real talent. After watching last night, my wife said something about how bad the cooking seemed, and how clueless these cooks are compared to previous seasons. For some reason, she thought that "restaurant wars" have always been the time when they contestants start to shine. I had to remind her that in a previous season, it was so awful that they couldn't decide who to send home, so they made them all do the whole thing over.

Well, and I'm convinced some of that arrogance is being manufactured or at least heavily egged on for the camera. (I'd bet you a kitchen full of undercooked cod that the production crew gave him that "I Make Great Babies" T-shirt, for instance.)

Vital Information wrote:The thing is, as this week's episode clearly showed, it's not so much a question of the other chefs shunning Stefan as Stefan shunning the other chefs. ("I'm not telling you what my dessert will be...")

Setting aside other issues for the moment, I think this particular issue has been blown way out of proportion. Stefan states himself on the Bravo site this week that he wasn't trying to be coy, he just didn't even know yet what he was going to make. Rather than get locked into an idea, which has been the downfall of many a chef who wasn't then able to find the right ingredients, he says he wanted to see what was available before settling on what he was going to prepare. Whether that's true or justification after the fact, who knows, but it's both plausible and, frankly, smart. If we were talking appetizers or entrees and he had to coordinate with and/or complement other savory dishes, I could see not being more open in the planning phases as an issue, but dessert kind of exists in its own realm.

Dmnkly wrote:

Vital Information wrote:The thing is, as this week's episode clearly showed, it's not so much a question of the other chefs shunning Stefan as Stefan shunning the other chefs. ("I'm not telling you what my dessert will be...")

Setting aside other issues for the moment, I think this particular issue has been blown way out of proportion. Stefan states himself on the Bravo site this week that he wasn't trying to be coy, he just didn't even know yet what he was going to make. Rather than get locked into an idea, which has been the downfall of many a chef who wasn't then able to find the right ingredients, he says he wanted to see what was available before settling on what he was going to prepare.

I can't remember where I read that, but that's my understanding as well. I mean, who really cares what he makes for dessert, as long as it's good? It's not like the team leader would waste time arguing with him about whether he uses strawberries or blueberries.

I can't believe Leah didn't go home just for that super-cheesy restaurant name: Sunset Lounge. (gag)

I think Radhika had to go because she gave the judges no reason to keep her on. She didn't cook a dish, didn't discharge FOH well, so what did she do? Looks like last week's episode at Blue Hill, where she almost got dinged for doing practically nothing, was a foreshadowing. (Why didn't she demand that she do more than roast corn? It's obvious that her teammates just walk all over her.) Sadly, I don't think she ever had a strategy for winning, and she allowed her passiveness to corner her twice into elimination and an almost-elimination.

Looks like last week's episode at Blue Hill, where she almost got dinged for doing practically nothing, was a foreshadowing.

Exactly. Leah could have gone home for her mistakes, but instead Radhika went home for repeating hers.

So in past seasons, has losing Restaurant Wars been an almost-sure ticket home, by the way? That's a pretty strong incentive NOT to stand out in the quickfire challenge.

Radhika looked weak from the start -- not necessarily the cooking, although her "I'm not just about Indian food" statement got sillier when each week she used Indian spicing on everything she made, but she was somewhat shy, worked alone, etc.

Chef means Chief, Leader. It's called the Brigade System. She was no kind of leader, had to go.

I can't say her teammates threw her under the bus in this case, but they certainly stood by and watched her walk out in front of it.

Carla's "sending love out" with her melted fro-yo was spectacularly weird, and I think she survived just on them not knowing how to react to it.

The other team, even though they tried to push Stefan out to the fringes, showed how much he was valuable: he expedited, and made all the desserts. He's certainly still a threat.

JoelF wrote:Carla's "sending love out" with her melted fro-yo was spectacularly weird, and I think she survived just on them not knowing how to react to it.

I also think she survived because she knew she screwed up. She admitted it was bad. She asked for help.

The judges hate it when they tell the contestant that something was crap and they deny it. Carla owned up to her bad food and I think they gave her credit for knowing that it wasn't good.

I also think she survived because she knew she screwed up. She admitted it was bad. She asked for help.

The judges hate it when they tell the contestant that something was crap and they deny it. Carla owned up to her bad food and I think they gave her credit for knowing that it wasn't good.

Right, but this is the second time she's used the same approach and owned up to screwing up at Judge's Table. At some point you have to stop the post game analysis and produce in the kitchen. I would have sent her home.

rickster wrote:

I also think she survived because she knew she screwed up. She admitted it was bad. She asked for help.

The judges hate it when they tell the contestant that something was crap and they deny it. Carla owned up to her bad food and I think they gave her credit for knowing that it wasn't good.

Right, but this is the second time she's used the same approach and owned up to screwing up at Judge's Table. At some point you have to stop the post game analysis and produce in the kitchen. I would have sent her home.

If she's not one of the next two to go home, I'll be shocked.

Carla probably survived because they weren't going to make both choices for Restaurant Wars based on dessert. Even so, she's likely marked now. Like Ariane, she has some good mid-range skills and no sign of the ability to rise to greatness.

He's certainly still a threat.

He's certainly still a lock to be one of the final two, although my guess for who his opponent will be has shifted from Fabio or Jeff to Jamie. Remember, the producers get to influence the decisions based on what will make juicy television-- and Teutonically sexist Stefan versus the lesbian who loathes him will certainly be that.

Mike G wrote:Remember, the producers get to influence the decisions based on what will make juicy television-- and Teutonically sexist Stefan versus the lesbian who loathes him will certainly be that.

Oh, I wish you still had quote placing abilities.

Mike G wrote:no sign of the ability to rise to greatness.

Apart from Stefan, I don't think anyone has shown signs of greatness, including Jamie or Jeff. (Jamie is a good talker about how good she is, but I haven't seen anything distinguishing; and Jeff is the quiet type who hasn't obviously screwed up which might lead some to believe how great he is, but again, what has he done that's special?)

MikeG wrote:Remember, the producers get to influence the decisions based on what will make juicy television-- and Teutonically sexist Stefan versus the lesbian who loathes him will certainly be that.

I think that would be a great final! (I can't believe you just used "Teutonically sexist" in a sentence.)

As an aside, doesn't it seem that every episode Stefan comes up with another European country he's somehow connected to? I think it was two episodes ago in which he claimed to have been born in the Czech Republic. Okay, so keeping track, he was born in the Czech Republic, but is of Finnish heritage, but was raised in Germany, I think he said he apprenticed in Switzerland . . . so what are we missing? France, Spain, Italy, I'm sure he'll cover those in the coming episodes. If he was a wrestler, his name would be "Mr. Continental."

aschie30 wrote:As an aside, doesn't it seem that every episode Stefan comes up with another European country he's somehow connected to? I think it was two episodes ago in which he claimed to have been born in the Czech Republic. Okay, so keeping track, he was born in the Czech Republic, but is of Finnish heritage, but was raised in Germany, I think he said he apprenticed in Switzerland . . . so what are we missing? France, Spain, Italy, I'm sure he'll cover those in the coming episodes. If he was a wrestler, his name would be "Mr. Continental."

I really don't think that's very odd for a young, professional European nowadays. We had a young babysitter for a few months who was of Romanian heritage, Austrian citizenship, educated for some time in Germany and her family spends time every year in northern Italy where she has many friends. I've heard many similar stories.

Geographically, it's not that far off from one of us saying, "I'm from Chicago, but my family is from St. Louis, I went to Penn St., and apprenticed in kitchens in NY."

Dmnkly wrote:

Vital Information wrote:The thing is, as this week's episode clearly showed, it's not so much a question of the other chefs shunning Stefan as Stefan shunning the other chefs. ("I'm not telling you what my dessert will be...")

Setting aside other issues for the moment, I think this particular issue has been blown way out of proportion. Stefan states himself on the Bravo site this week that he wasn't trying to be coy, he just didn't even know yet what he was going to make. Rather than get locked into an idea, which has been the downfall of many a chef who wasn't then able to find the right ingredients, he says he wanted to see what was available before settling on what he was going to prepare. Whether that's true or justification after the fact, who knows, but it's both plausible and, frankly, smart. If we were talking appetizers or entrees and he had to coordinate with and/or complement other savory dishes, I could see not being more open in the planning phases as an issue, but dessert kind of exists in its own realm.

Not only was that smart but when it became apparent to him that the freezer was failing he very calmly "fixed" his one of his desserts on the fly by adding more gelatin. As abrasive as the guy is being depicted, that move distinguished him as someone who can back up his arrogance and 'is 'ready for prime time.' Even Jamie and Jeff, who I believe are the other top contenders, have stumbled this season by not being able to improvise -- or even recognize -- when some element of their plans went south.

=R=

Mike G wrote:He's certainly still a lock to be one of the final two, although my guess for who his opponent will be has shifted from Fabio or Jeff to Jamie. Remember, the producers get to influence the decisions based on what will make juicy television-- and Teutonically sexist Stefan versus the lesbian who loathes him will certainly be that.

I really don't want to reopen this old argument, Mike, but since you're new to the show this season, it bears mentioning that Tom, Ted, Bourdain (haven't seen him yet this season, but he's been a guest judge for... three episodes, I think?) and a couple of other judges I can't remember have all sworn up and down that while the producers have said they reserve that right, they have never once attempted to influence the judges in any way. The only time they've consulted on eliminations is in odd scenarios where the judges want to do a double elimination or eliminate nobody or something like that (and the whole S2 hazing situation, where Tom said his first angry suggestion was to kick everybody but Marcel off the show and declare him the winner -- a clear producer veto situation for very practical, obvious and non-nefarious reasons).

You can believe them or not, but FYI, a lot of people -- some of them very highly respected chefs who were guests for particularly controversial eliminations -- have gone out of the way to state emphatically that what you describe simply hasn't happened.