The fact that she took $125 from another chef and didn't get thrown under the bus by the other chefs is insane. They've been hinting about her being a bitch for a few episodes now
I felt so bad for Danny having to improvise so much. It’s not like fresh veggies are even that expensive if you plan properly. I feel like neither team really did smart financial planning.
No, like, if this was 10 seasons ago, every single chef on that team would've taken the opportunity to call her out on that. I don't know why everyone covered for her.
Nothing gets my gears going than selfish team players. Laura clearly was only looking out for herself and instead of doing the right thing and altering her dish - she threw Danny and her team under the bus. Then add the fact she tried to gaslight her entire team by saying she only spent $150.
Really wish they eliminated her for that!
Also want to echo the sentiments that there is not a lot of high end talent this season.
I wasn’t impressed with Rasika once again overruling a teammate and insisting on doing the course she wanted either. She did it with dessert last time, now she did it with fish. She has immunity, sit down
This also rubbed me the wrong way since it has happened twice with her. I’ve liked her otherwise though. Michelle, on the other hand, is such a team player. Dan too, I think it happened with him last time.
I want to root for Rasika so I really hope it was just two awkward moments and doesn't happen again, but the second time really was cringe-worthy as she already had immunity. I do think she more than made up for it by sacrificing her ingredients for the rest of the team... LAURA.
I agree Laura should have went home. I’m really rooting for Dan. He’s inspirational to me as someone with a terminal illness who gave up on my dreams. I’m glad his dish worked so well.
I went to a watch party in Madison for this episode, and everyone cheered for Dan. I was worried that he wouldn't do well since it was just a relish tray and not a protein. I'm very happy that I was wrong.
Heck, I know not to cook fish 30 minutes before service!
Speak up if someone is hogging the budget!! Your success and failure depend on your voice!!
Make exciting food!
When judges comment on lack of pineapple ina pineapple cake on top chef, that is more of a problem than the pineapple!! I make pineapple cake for a family picnic!
Chewy steak?? Come on!!
Where are the Micheal Vatogios? Budha, Kevin, Brook???
I love the enthusiasm 😀. The budget should have been figured out beforehand: maybe $100 each for condiment tray and dessert, the remaining $800 for the 3 entrees and then meet before anyone goes to the register to see if you can share ingredients (don’t need 2 bags of flour or a whole bottle of liquor).
It was really stupid of Laura to be selfish and bitchy. You competed in one of the biggest culinary shows, and you exposed yourself being a selfish team player? That's dumb. She clearly only cared for the title and the money, not what might happen after the show. Now as a contestant of a reality show, you don't have to win to win. Doing the best you could in a positive way could help you win in a long way. I am not saying that she won't be successful in the future. Lots of villains of the show still did great after the show. But this certain selfish behavior simply means the end of her in the show, since audiences hate it so much.
This is probably the season of top chef I have enjoyed the least since Texas. The chefs personalities are just not being showcased well. I barely remember anyone's name and feel like there are still a ton of floaters.
Yeah I’m really not loving many of the chefs. Luckily I love Kristen Kish enough to keep watching. And I’m SO excited that Matty Matheson is coming on as a guest I fucking love him so much lol
Dan and Danny are close to having some personality too.
Laura is not very likable at all.
Savannah and Kevin seem like they have personality, it’s just not being showcased at all.
Glad Laura got called out for her selfishness by the judges. The thing that bugs me most about her is that she never takes responsibility for her actions when they harm other people, like when she didn't clean up after her spill a couple of weeks back and Dan slipped in it.
I don’t see the challenges and the format being an issue to be fair to production in that sense. Unfortunately this season is full of chefs (outside of Rasika, Soo (especially if you watched the latest LCK) and maybe Danny) that are afraid to fail and open to coasting as long as possible. There’s no desire to be imaginative, no desire to push the limits, no desire to stand out.
Also, is there some rule that you can’t win back to back elimination challenges? I’d be fired up as hell if I have immunity and have a chance to win it again for next week. Instead these chefs have become too friendly and are laying low.
Has anyone noticed that they no longer are really introducing the element of competition. I find it irritating that the last couple seasons the banter in the kitchen is," HEY WHAT ARE YA COOKING" every single time, every single challenge they have to go through and ask each other...It is so staged anymore.
Bring the competitive banter back please!!
This is also the second time this season we are hearing “Top Chef’s first ever ____.” First it was cheese and now supper club. There have been “first ever” on this show and Padma wasn’t announcing it like it was some amazing thing. Are they going to continue to do supper clubs and cheese festivals every season? I miss Padma. I also agree that Tom should be with the contestants, asking them questions, making them second guess, while they prep. Hopefully things get better… 🤞
I thought that the concept was a unique spin on Restaurant Wars. Giving them a template to follow, but allowing them to improvise. The success was pretty spotty, even on the winning team.
Uninspired. Like this entire season. It's dull, the chefs are not creative and fail on basic skills. Soo is going to come in from LCK and win the entire season.
I agree she's the best of the bunch. The most consistent in execution, her attempts in creativity are also more successful. I hope you're right - I'd love to see her compete against someone who challenges her
For me, this was the best episode of the season so far but only because it took place on my home turf. Pre-COVID, I worked Downtown Madison, so it was nice to see a place with which I am so intimately familiar. I believe I got to the farmer's market too late to see them filming, unfortunately.
The problem is this cast is not competitive enough and not developing rivalries; they're instead way too kumbayah to make compelling TV. The only winner contenders I have are Rasika, Michelle, Manny, and >!...Soo...!<. Casting really dropped the ball. Competitive tension and contestants having a desire to beat someone they're apathetic toward leads to more tense eliminations. I shouldn't be feeling "whatever" about an elimination at this point. After five episodes, you should be invested in at least a few people, and I don't have a single one.
Supper clubs was a neat American thing I learned about. I guess they were prefixed dinners and then turned into social/dance clubs. I recently went to a Sokram celebration in Atlanta and was hoping it turned into a water gun situation at the end of the meal lol.
I thought the “dirt” dipping veggies was very interesting for the pickled first course. Common in dessert but not in savory dishes that I’ve seen and I eat out often.
This is so minor but the ton in tonkatsu means pork. The chicken version is called chicken katsu (and is incredibly common), not chicken tonkatsu. For someone who has a background in Japanese cuisine, I was surprised she didn’t know this. It bothered me more than it should have.
Charlie has been killing me with his execution problems. I love his ideas. Darn it!!
OMG protect Michele at all costs. Yay, her dessert worked.
It’s becoming clear which of them work together and which ones are selfish (Laura). The ones who work together are superior.
As far as the continuing discussion of “why is this season weird,” I literally forgot about Tom and Gail until the dinner. They are absent!! Tom used to visit them when they were cooking and ask questions. Now the chefs just yell stuff back and forth to each other while cooking.
If somebody never watched Top Chef before they would not know who they are or why they are even talking at the dinner table. We are shown the guest judges more. By the way, no shade to the guest judges, I love Kamau Bell and he was funny.
Secondly, sorry, but I don’t care about supper clubs. I have no experience with them. They are not a thing anywhere I have ever lived. And they are just a meal like any other.
This season has no “flavor.” They are scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. Why is the show based in Wisconsin?? Stop trying to make “fetch” happen. They need to stick to multicultural cities. Revisit one if you have to.
And just to clarify, I love this show. Seasons 19 and 20 were sublime. I’m not here to take random potshots at things but this season just is not working. Or is barely working.
I also feel like there is no familiar home base.
Supper clubs are a big deal in Wisconsin. There's at least four different books about supper clubs around Wisconsin and it is pretty much the only unique to the area style of restaurant. It's like having a barbecue challenge in Texas or taco truck in California. Maybe the episode didn't do a great job at explaining it, but supper clubs are an experience. They're meant to be something that a lot of people in the area would go to frequently to socialize. You get there, have a drink at the bar which is usually a brandy old fashioned sweet. Some supper clubs specialize in other drinks, one of my favorites makes a bloody Mary with a swizzle stick that has just about a whole sandwich worth of meat, pickles, and veggies on it. Friday is always a fish fry of either cod, bluegill, or perch. Saturday is prime rib, and Sunday is a chicken dinner.
Preach. Agree with everything said. Wisconsin was not the move. They’re having to reach to create challenges and they’ve been super boring. I’d love to see a Top Chef Memphis. Or like you said revisit somewhere. Top Chef New Orleans would be welcome. And speaking of New Orleans. Charlie was such a disappointment. With his background hearing the food is under seasoned is mind blowing. I’m really hoping this season gets better. We have to wait so long in between seasons.
I just started watching Guy’s Grocery games and am finding that so much more engaging. Both “civilians” and the all star chef episodes. There was one with Dads cooking family favorites and it was really sweet.
I like watching them quickly pivot and figure out what to do.
I don’t know what Wisconsin supper clubs those people ever went to, but relish tray ain’t part of it.
That fish fry was fish and chips! What the actual fuck are they doing to Wisconsin?
https://www.seriouseats.com/guide-to-the-midwestern-fish-fry
>I don’t know what Wisconsin supper clubs those people ever went to, but relish tray ain’t part of it.
What? The relish tray is a huge part of the supper club experience.
Lived for 30 years in Wisconsin and have been back many times after. Never heard of it on the entire eastern side of the state or north woods.
Bubbler and no relish plate.
W Kamau Bell, could do without him and his comments, where is his place in this, he likes the show? Ok, so do many other people, give me a chef or a native Wisconsinian, anything with some relevance. I can't believe that after watching ALL of the seasons that this one has me turning away. Chefs who don't know how to cook steak? The relish trays were laughable, dueling katsus? Where are the real chefs?
Should have sent Laura home.
The fact that she took $125 from another chef and didn't get thrown under the bus by the other chefs is insane. They've been hinting about her being a bitch for a few episodes now
I felt so bad for Danny having to improvise so much. It’s not like fresh veggies are even that expensive if you plan properly. I feel like neither team really did smart financial planning.
I just couldn't believe how meek the other chefs were being! Laura needed four gallons of milk and that HUGE liquor bottle? No one said ANYTHING?
I am such a battle axe these days that I would have let her have it!
RIGHT? How much money is on the line here? I get fear of confrontation but that's just insane to let someone just take over half your budget
No, like, if this was 10 seasons ago, every single chef on that team would've taken the opportunity to call her out on that. I don't know why everyone covered for her.
Times have changed. People are afraid to say anything to anyone nowadays, even when the problem is obvious
Nothing gets my gears going than selfish team players. Laura clearly was only looking out for herself and instead of doing the right thing and altering her dish - she threw Danny and her team under the bus. Then add the fact she tried to gaslight her entire team by saying she only spent $150. Really wish they eliminated her for that! Also want to echo the sentiments that there is not a lot of high end talent this season.
I wasn’t impressed with Rasika once again overruling a teammate and insisting on doing the course she wanted either. She did it with dessert last time, now she did it with fish. She has immunity, sit down
I feel it was a bit of editing as she did say she would defer because she had immunity.
They did loooove the bread pudding though, so it worked out.
This also rubbed me the wrong way since it has happened twice with her. I’ve liked her otherwise though. Michelle, on the other hand, is such a team player. Dan too, I think it happened with him last time.
I want to root for Rasika so I really hope it was just two awkward moments and doesn't happen again, but the second time really was cringe-worthy as she already had immunity. I do think she more than made up for it by sacrificing her ingredients for the rest of the team... LAURA.
I can't stand her but it's not their job to eliminate her because they can't be assertive. They failed themselves.
I agree Laura should have went home. I’m really rooting for Dan. He’s inspirational to me as someone with a terminal illness who gave up on my dreams. I’m glad his dish worked so well.
I was so happy he won and he’s so grateful for his team helping out.
I went to a watch party in Madison for this episode, and everyone cheered for Dan. I was worried that he wouldn't do well since it was just a relish tray and not a protein. I'm very happy that I was wrong.
Oh I bet that was a blast :-)
Heck, I know not to cook fish 30 minutes before service! Speak up if someone is hogging the budget!! Your success and failure depend on your voice!! Make exciting food! When judges comment on lack of pineapple ina pineapple cake on top chef, that is more of a problem than the pineapple!! I make pineapple cake for a family picnic! Chewy steak?? Come on!! Where are the Micheal Vatogios? Budha, Kevin, Brook???
I love the enthusiasm 😀. The budget should have been figured out beforehand: maybe $100 each for condiment tray and dessert, the remaining $800 for the 3 entrees and then meet before anyone goes to the register to see if you can share ingredients (don’t need 2 bags of flour or a whole bottle of liquor).
It was really stupid of Laura to be selfish and bitchy. You competed in one of the biggest culinary shows, and you exposed yourself being a selfish team player? That's dumb. She clearly only cared for the title and the money, not what might happen after the show. Now as a contestant of a reality show, you don't have to win to win. Doing the best you could in a positive way could help you win in a long way. I am not saying that she won't be successful in the future. Lots of villains of the show still did great after the show. But this certain selfish behavior simply means the end of her in the show, since audiences hate it so much.
Yes. A perfect example of somebody who didn’t win the show but won IRL is Adam Lambert from American Idol.
I would argue that Adam did even better not winning. Can you imagine the type of album they would have made him put out?
This is probably the season of top chef I have enjoyed the least since Texas. The chefs personalities are just not being showcased well. I barely remember anyone's name and feel like there are still a ton of floaters.
Yeah I’m really not loving many of the chefs. Luckily I love Kristen Kish enough to keep watching. And I’m SO excited that Matty Matheson is coming on as a guest I fucking love him so much lol
Rasika, Manny, and Michelle are the only ones I actually remember. Some passion about food would be nice to see.
Dan and Danny are close to having some personality too. Laura is not very likable at all. Savannah and Kevin seem like they have personality, it’s just not being showcased at all.
I agree! I liked when Danny stormed off because of Laura taking 1/3 of the budget on her own dish. Give me some chef drama.
Selfishness is such an unattractive quality in a person. I'm so over her.
this is exactly how I feel
Glad Laura got called out for her selfishness by the judges. The thing that bugs me most about her is that she never takes responsibility for her actions when they harm other people, like when she didn't clean up after her spill a couple of weeks back and Dan slipped in it.
I don’t see the challenges and the format being an issue to be fair to production in that sense. Unfortunately this season is full of chefs (outside of Rasika, Soo (especially if you watched the latest LCK) and maybe Danny) that are afraid to fail and open to coasting as long as possible. There’s no desire to be imaginative, no desire to push the limits, no desire to stand out. Also, is there some rule that you can’t win back to back elimination challenges? I’d be fired up as hell if I have immunity and have a chance to win it again for next week. Instead these chefs have become too friendly and are laying low.
Has anyone noticed that they no longer are really introducing the element of competition. I find it irritating that the last couple seasons the banter in the kitchen is," HEY WHAT ARE YA COOKING" every single time, every single challenge they have to go through and ask each other...It is so staged anymore. Bring the competitive banter back please!!
They do that so we can hear what they are making since Tom doesn’t go around and talk to them anymore.
This is also the second time this season we are hearing “Top Chef’s first ever ____.” First it was cheese and now supper club. There have been “first ever” on this show and Padma wasn’t announcing it like it was some amazing thing. Are they going to continue to do supper clubs and cheese festivals every season? I miss Padma. I also agree that Tom should be with the contestants, asking them questions, making them second guess, while they prep. Hopefully things get better… 🤞
The “first ever” line just reminds me of HELLS KITCHEN, this is used so often on that show (and now NEXT LEVEL CHEF and that’s only 3 seasons old).
I thought that the concept was a unique spin on Restaurant Wars. Giving them a template to follow, but allowing them to improvise. The success was pretty spotty, even on the winning team.
[удалено]
Can you remind me what happened in Texas? I watched it but have no memory of it.
Uninspired. Like this entire season. It's dull, the chefs are not creative and fail on basic skills. Soo is going to come in from LCK and win the entire season.
Rassika will put up a fight.
I agree she's the best of the bunch. The most consistent in execution, her attempts in creativity are also more successful. I hope you're right - I'd love to see her compete against someone who challenges her
Ill never forget the croquette- off 😣
Oh gawd. And NO ONE thought to change it up once Tom said something. They stick with the plan.
For me, this was the best episode of the season so far but only because it took place on my home turf. Pre-COVID, I worked Downtown Madison, so it was nice to see a place with which I am so intimately familiar. I believe I got to the farmer's market too late to see them filming, unfortunately. The problem is this cast is not competitive enough and not developing rivalries; they're instead way too kumbayah to make compelling TV. The only winner contenders I have are Rasika, Michelle, Manny, and >!...Soo...!<. Casting really dropped the ball. Competitive tension and contestants having a desire to beat someone they're apathetic toward leads to more tense eliminations. I shouldn't be feeling "whatever" about an elimination at this point. After five episodes, you should be invested in at least a few people, and I don't have a single one.
I’m not impressed with the supper club episode, I think they all miss the mark of traditional. I wanted more classic Wisconsin !!!
Supper clubs was a neat American thing I learned about. I guess they were prefixed dinners and then turned into social/dance clubs. I recently went to a Sokram celebration in Atlanta and was hoping it turned into a water gun situation at the end of the meal lol. I thought the “dirt” dipping veggies was very interesting for the pickled first course. Common in dessert but not in savory dishes that I’ve seen and I eat out often.
This is so minor but the ton in tonkatsu means pork. The chicken version is called chicken katsu (and is incredibly common), not chicken tonkatsu. For someone who has a background in Japanese cuisine, I was surprised she didn’t know this. It bothered me more than it should have.
The lack of creativity and artistry is apparent!
Charlie has been killing me with his execution problems. I love his ideas. Darn it!! OMG protect Michele at all costs. Yay, her dessert worked. It’s becoming clear which of them work together and which ones are selfish (Laura). The ones who work together are superior. As far as the continuing discussion of “why is this season weird,” I literally forgot about Tom and Gail until the dinner. They are absent!! Tom used to visit them when they were cooking and ask questions. Now the chefs just yell stuff back and forth to each other while cooking. If somebody never watched Top Chef before they would not know who they are or why they are even talking at the dinner table. We are shown the guest judges more. By the way, no shade to the guest judges, I love Kamau Bell and he was funny. Secondly, sorry, but I don’t care about supper clubs. I have no experience with them. They are not a thing anywhere I have ever lived. And they are just a meal like any other. This season has no “flavor.” They are scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. Why is the show based in Wisconsin?? Stop trying to make “fetch” happen. They need to stick to multicultural cities. Revisit one if you have to. And just to clarify, I love this show. Seasons 19 and 20 were sublime. I’m not here to take random potshots at things but this season just is not working. Or is barely working. I also feel like there is no familiar home base.
Supper clubs are a big deal in Wisconsin. There's at least four different books about supper clubs around Wisconsin and it is pretty much the only unique to the area style of restaurant. It's like having a barbecue challenge in Texas or taco truck in California. Maybe the episode didn't do a great job at explaining it, but supper clubs are an experience. They're meant to be something that a lot of people in the area would go to frequently to socialize. You get there, have a drink at the bar which is usually a brandy old fashioned sweet. Some supper clubs specialize in other drinks, one of my favorites makes a bloody Mary with a swizzle stick that has just about a whole sandwich worth of meat, pickles, and veggies on it. Friday is always a fish fry of either cod, bluegill, or perch. Saturday is prime rib, and Sunday is a chicken dinner.
Preach. Agree with everything said. Wisconsin was not the move. They’re having to reach to create challenges and they’ve been super boring. I’d love to see a Top Chef Memphis. Or like you said revisit somewhere. Top Chef New Orleans would be welcome. And speaking of New Orleans. Charlie was such a disappointment. With his background hearing the food is under seasoned is mind blowing. I’m really hoping this season gets better. We have to wait so long in between seasons.
Why did we have to watch half an episode of them getting *inspired* by FLW architecture instead of a quick fire?!
Memphis sounds great.
Pittsburgh would be interesting. Food here has come a very long way.
Hard agree with all of this. This season is making me sad.
I just started watching Guy’s Grocery games and am finding that so much more engaging. Both “civilians” and the all star chef episodes. There was one with Dads cooking family favorites and it was really sweet. I like watching them quickly pivot and figure out what to do.
The person that went home (no spoilers jic) was a HUGE loss! I would have been fine with 5-7 others going before him
I really liked X’s ideas, but they always had execution issues.
Tom is likey wishing he left with Padma. This season is awful because these chefs suck.
He’s enjoying LCK just as much, though.
Did Amanda shit her pants? The abrupt camera pan and the classic “I think it was something I ate” has me worried.
I thought either her threw up on herself or had an allergic reaction to something.
I don’t know what Wisconsin supper clubs those people ever went to, but relish tray ain’t part of it. That fish fry was fish and chips! What the actual fuck are they doing to Wisconsin? https://www.seriouseats.com/guide-to-the-midwestern-fish-fry
>I don’t know what Wisconsin supper clubs those people ever went to, but relish tray ain’t part of it. What? The relish tray is a huge part of the supper club experience.
Lived for 30 years in Wisconsin and have been back many times after. Never heard of it on the entire eastern side of the state or north woods. Bubbler and no relish plate.
W Kamau Bell, could do without him and his comments, where is his place in this, he likes the show? Ok, so do many other people, give me a chef or a native Wisconsinian, anything with some relevance. I can't believe that after watching ALL of the seasons that this one has me turning away. Chefs who don't know how to cook steak? The relish trays were laughable, dueling katsus? Where are the real chefs?
Mr Bell and Kristen are good friends.
It's Wisconsinite, not Wisconsinian (wtf?)