Top Chef Power Rankings - Episode 8

(Click here for the podcast version of this post.)

Can I get this out of the way right off the bat? I'd like to declare Art Smith my mortal enemy. Oh, sure, his Chicago restaurant is booked into the fall, and he devotes tons of time and energy and money to charity, and he's a champion of cooking and eating as a family, and everybody says he's basically the nicest guy in the world -- but insist that the only way to improve the chicken dish is to remove the skin? It's on, Art. Oh yes, it's on.

Let's just say this wasn't the episode for food nerds. Not that simple, quick, inexpensive, healthy meals for the whole family aren't important. They're vitally important and, truthfully, much more important in the grand scheme of things than the elitist little foodie minutiae that people like me get all huffy about. People need more of what we saw this week and less of... well... this. But there are challenges that let the chefs show off their skills in a manner that has some bearing on the final stages of the competition, and challenges they just have to survive. This week gave us two of the latter. And... surprise!... more controversy.

But first, Uncle Ben's 90 Second Ready Rice! I made my peace with Top Chef's product placement a long time ago, but even I found this one a little painful. That said, the people who take it as a personal affront and don't think this is the future of television in the commercial-skipping DVR era are kidding themselves. In any case, 15 minutes isn't a lot of time and it's nice to see who performs under pressure, so that's worthwhile.

The elimination challenge was cute and amusing and its heart was in the right place, but I'm not convinced it was a good challenge for this stage of the competition (though it was, admittedly, a lot better than what I predicted based on the teaser). Perhaps we're getting a little spoiled this season. Anybody remember the vending machine challenge or the "prepare to serve 20 people tomorrow but we're not going to tell you what kind of equipment, if any, you're going to have" challenge? I'm okay with variety. I like it, in fact. As much as some people scream and yell, I like the fact that every single challenge isn't fine dining in the Top Chef kitchen. But when you've gotten this far, (almost) everybody is extremely talented, and I hate to see somebody going home because there wasn't enough protein, or because the kids didn't dig it, especially when it looks like they weren't informed their audience would be 13 and under.

$10 for four is tough. $10 for four at Whole Foods is brutal. But despite the rumblings on some message boards, I say it's entirely doable. Especially since I'm sure this worked like similar challenges in the past, where Lee Anne provides the chefs with an abbreviated list of pantry items that will be available ahead of time, so they can plan accordingly. I've picked up a four pack of chicken thighs at the Whole Foods around the corner for just over four bucks, and protein is half the battle. Go with a few inexpensive vegetables, keep it simple, use the pantry wisely and this isn't the mission impossible that some seem to think it is. And yet, this is the internet where disbelief quickly devolves into conspiracy theory. A common sentiment seems to be that it must have been $10 per person, never mind that that's waaaaaaay out of line for the average family of four's food budget. $10 per plate x 4 people x 30 days = $1200/month, just for dinner. I even saw it suggested on one board that the tape confirmed a much larger budget. But while bettyjoan's sleuthing is after my own heart, I think this is a case of digging deep, but not deep enough. The register shot while the chefs are checking out does, indeed, show a total just over $50. But it's a tight cutaway shot that doesn't have any chefs in frame. It could have been shot at any time, it could have been B-roll they pulled from a different episode, it could have been a random shopper shopping -- we have no way of knowing. Talented editors splice everything together to create the illusion of continuity, but in the span of ten seconds you could have three or four shots that were all filmed weeks apart. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a high resolution screencap, and the lo-res is useless if you're trying to read anything other than the total. But it's semi-readable on television, and I got navel oranges, figs and half & half (among others). None of the dishes this week put those ingredients together, so I'm inclined to think the shot was from another episode, or from a roving camera that grabbed a few random register shots that the editors worked in. I do expect, however, that their budget was a little higher. They made at least six plates -- four for the kids, one for the judges' table and one in the kitchen for Tom, and probably a camera plate -- so you'd expect them to increase the overall budget appropriately. This would have the benefit of allowing the chefs to achieve a little economy of scale (making eight plates for $20 is a lot easier than making four plates for $10), but I don't see how that's some kind of perversion of the challenge's spirit.

All of that aside, however, I kind of feel like this was a non-week for the rankings. Aside from Stephanie's disturbing slide, I don't feel like we saw anything terribly relevant to the rest of the contest. Of course, Mark might take issue with the suggestion that nothing really changed this week, and there are those who will dramatically trumpet this as a shocking episode where Antonia reasserts her excellence, Nikki proves she belongs and doubts are raised about Richard and Dale's dominance, but I just don't buy it. Episode eight was a cute diversion, but it was a diversion. I don't think it told us much and hopefully we get back to the meat and potatoes next week.

Wins

Top

Bottom

1 Richard Quickfires 3 6 1 Last Week: 1 Eliminations 2 3 1 Richard may have been winless, and he may have flown low during the elimination, but I was a lot more impressed with his dishes than some of those that stole the spotlight. His tuna steak and tomatoes with truffle oil and yuzu vinaigrette looked beautiful, earned a shout out from Art Smith, and left me trying to figure out how truffles and citrus go together -- pretty much Richard in a nutshell. And in the elimination, his roast chicken with beets was also made with apples, avocado, black beans, ginger, lime, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro and basil. It really sounds good to me, it was certainly one of the more sophisticated dishes made, and while I didn't taste it, I have to wonder if he overshot the challenge somewhat. But he continues his march to the finals, and despite being out of his element I think he showed very well.

2 Dale Quickfires 1 4 1 Last Week: 2 Eliminations 2 4 0 I feel much the same way about Dale that I do about Richard this week. He didn't make a big splash, but he put great food on the table, and probably had an even stronger week than Richard. First off, I love the fact that he completely, if inadvertently, showed up Nikki in the quickfire. She's peddling light board takeout "Chinese" fare, and he's making a complex fried rice dish with pineapple, scallops, scallop paste, XO sauce and long beans. And his elimination dish didn't win the hearts of the little ones, but Lee Anne loved it and it sure looked good to me. He took the opportunity to get away from his specialty a bit, and turned out a great-looking complete dish with potatoes, apples, Dijon and a sweet and sour cabbage made with red vinegar and honey. Consensus seemed to be that it was delicious and a great use of the budget, just a little too aggressive for the kids. Whether that last sentiment was coming from the kids or the judges, I don't know - but we'll get to that later.

3 Andrew Quickfires 0 1 1 Last Week: 4 Eliminations 1 4 1 Cracking the top three for the first time this season, much to my surprise, is Andrew. It's more a function of Stephanie's troubles, but that's not to take anything away from a strong week. His quickfire didn't work. Trying to pull off fish crusted with instant rice in 15 minutes was a little bit of hubris at work, though you have to appreciate the enthusiasm and the admission that it probably wasn't the brightest idea. But technical issues with the crust aside, Smith seemed impressed by his almond and sundried tomato pesto with honey. There was a good dish in there. As Smith suggested, Andrew just needed more time to experiment with it. His chicken paillard with fennel, orange and apple salad, however, was tack sharp, maybe the most elegant of the nine, and a remarkable use of the money and pantry. The chicken was crusted with panko, parmesan, basil and cilantro before being fried, he did a lemon-chicken jus with garlic and Dijon, and the dressing for his salad was a simple but effective affair of olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey and lemon. It was classy but accessible, it had kid and adult appeal, and it was a complete meal. Whether or not it was his intention, Smith gave the impression that the only reason it didn't win was because of Smith's philosophical issues with what he calls the "chicken finger phenomenon". Okay, fine, Art, they were glorified chicken fingers. But they were really glorified, the dish worked in fresh fruit and vegetables, and none of the half pints made a peep about the fennel, which was probably new to them and odd for anybody the first time you have it. Are we rewarding practice or theory, here?

4 Antonia Quickfires 2 3 1 Last Week: 5 Eliminations 1 4 1 Right. Of course. Thanks, Antonia. The week after I rake you over the coals and say you deserve to be even lower, you get all charming, pick up a double win, and reveal that you're not only an executive chef but a doting single mom. Don't misunderstand, I don't take back anything I said last week. I just feel dirty about it now. I'm going to give her a bump here because a double win is a double win, but I'm going to do it grudgingly because that was about as unexciting as a double win can be. Admittedly, the rice in the salad is an interesting little twist that apparently works. But that aside, it's grilled skirt steak and greens with a simple vinaigrette. I don't doubt it was tasty, but I have to wonder if Art Smith was more in love with the idea of it than he was with the dish itself. And as to her elimination dish, yes, I get that it was easy and nutritious and fun for kids. But she stir-fried chicken, noodles and a few vegetables with a bottled teriyaki sauce. Let me be clear, I think this a great simple dish for families at home (even if I'd advocate some fresh garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sugar over a bottled sauce), but this is Top Chef. I don't care if this is the family home cooking challenge. Meat + vegetables + bottled sauce doesn't impress me. I'm giving you your fourth spot back for now, Antonia, but you're on notice.

5 Stephanie Quickfires 0 1 3 Last Week: 3 Eliminations 2 5 3 The only real news of the week is that Stephanie's disturbing slide continues. She's been on the bottom of three of the last four challenges, and she's narrowly escaped elimination twice. A lot of people are convinced she should already be gone. She tanked the quickfire with a rice and seafood pancake she didn't even bother to taste (the 15 minute challenge isn't the time to try something new, Stephanie), and then her elimination dish was almost universally loathed. Padma, with her "It's disgusting, I really detested it," quote certainly made her feelings clear. And Tom couldn't stop harping on what he called a "bizarre" combination of tomato and peanut (even if millions of West Africans would disagree). But despite those who feel she's been given a free pass to the finals because the producers reallyreallyreally want a woman to win, I think she survived on a split decision. Art Smith writes... "Peanut butter, tomato, chicken, and couscous, actually sounds bad but tasted great. She put combinations together like a child would but it had great flavor." In seemingly contradictory fashion, he also said on camera that it didn't taste that great, but given the context I think he was referring to the couscous at the time. So it looks like the guest judge saved her, backhanded compliment and all. I also love that Tom writes... "In retrospect, I think the episode was cut in a way that made it seem we took the greatest issue with Stephanie’s dish when in actuality, we debated long and hard about them all, and Mark’s emerged as the least favorite of the bunch." ...which sounds a lot to me like a polite way of saying, "Yeah, we have no idea what the hell Art was thinking." But for the sake of argument, let's suppose, for a moment, that they did let Stephanie ride on her previous performance a little bit. I don't see why so many people have a problem with this. The judges have said quite openly that while they judge each challenge individually, they're sometimes inclined to consider previous performance when it's a very close call, and I don't see how holding them to the letter of some imagined set of "rules" works to anybody's advantage. Well, anybody other than Mark, anyway. As long as it was close -- and Smith's comments poke an awfully big hole in the theory that she was the "obvious" choice for elimination -- I have no problem with them using her past performance as a tiebreaker. But all of this argument over whether or not she deserved the axe this week sidesteps the real question, which is what the hell is going on with Stephanie? The first time was a fluke. Last week was troubling. Now I'm starting to wonder if she really is cracking under pressure, and if she is, next week isn't going to be any easier for her. I'm not writing her off by any stretch of the imagination. I think she's coming back. But she's making it really hard to believe.

6 Spike Quickfires 0 2 3 Last Week: 7 Eliminations 0 1 2 Spike, meanwhile, just keeps plodding along, interspersing swaths of mediocrity with occasional nuggets of great promise. This wasn't one of his better weeks, and I've pretty much given up on the idea that he's going to make a move on the backstretch, but at least he didn't embarrass himself this week. His quickfire wasn't exactly inspiring. He stuffed his tomatoes with rice and veal and topped them with veal demiglace, port and a bit of rice vinegar. It was the 15 minute challenge, but still, you'd like to think he could come up with something a little more interesting than that. And it isn't as though it was an elimination challenge where you could argue he's playing for safety. It's a quickfire. Either you win outright and gain immunity, or lose basically nothing. There's no reason not to shoot for the moon. As for his elimination dishes, I'm going to set aside my annoyance with his rather liberal use of the term "pasta puttanesca" for a moment. And when I do, I'm not impressed. There are no recipes posted for his carrot soup or baked apples, and the pasta recipe looks incomplete (there are no capers listed, though they appear in the photo), but it looks like a typical overcooked tomato sauce unceremoniously dumped over naked noodles. 45 minutes is waaaaay too long to cook a sauce like this. I'm trying to set aside my mediocre pasta pet peeve here, I really am. And he checked all of the appropriate boxes. It was healthy, kid pleasing and cheap. But seeing pasta, which should be a gimme for a cheap and healthy family dinner, produced in such a lame fashion -- it hurts me.

7 Lisa Quickfires 0 1 4 Last Week: 6 Eliminations 1 3 2 Lisa's downward trend continues, with two bottom finishes this week. Those flashes she showed while teamed with Stephanie were downright tantalizing, but she's stopped turning out good food and even if she has a couple of good dishes left, her days are numbered. I was a little surprised to see Smith calling her out for a lack of originality, especially after praising Spike's dish, but it wasn't as though Lisa's dish was any great shakes either. It was pretty much boilerplate mass-market Southwestern, with tequila shrimp, corn, beans, peppers, rice spiked with cilantro and an avocado cream. Her quinoi crusted chicken with beans and edamame doesn't look too bad, but the judges hated it. Lee Anne seems to feel that it just needed a little salt and lemon. Because of her previous issues with approaching the challenge as stated, she's starting to second-guess herself now, trying to play psychic and guessing what level of seasoning the judges will deem appropriate rather than just tasting her food and making it good. But her attitude has become so toxic at this point that I don't think she can come at anything with a clear head. Between teaming up with Dale and working through the night, next week ought to be a laugh riot.

8 Nikki Quickfires 0 0 3 Last Week: 9 Eliminations 0 2 2 What, you thought because she was on top in the elimination I was going to let her out of the basement? Please. Though not in such stark terms, I believe I said it last week. This is how she cooks -- like a competent home cook, not a professional chef. And there's nothing wrong with that. I'm in the camp that believes there's just as much honor in preparing a simple one pot meal for your family as there is in producing haute cuisine for an adoring public. But Top Chef isn't about rewarding capable home cooks (if it was, I'D be competing). Except for this week, when apparently it was about rewarding capable home cooks. But that's a completely temporary scenario. Butchered fried rice with way too much soy sauce and one pot roasted chicken and vegetables will get you through an episode with family and health-oriented Art Smith, but it won't get you thr-- wait, which episode are we on, now? Criminy.

9 Mark Quickfires 2 2 2 Last Week: 8 Eliminations 0 1 4 And so we come to Mark, who showed an awful lot of potential in week two, and not very much since. He put some good-looking food out there, and his flavor palette, coming from as far away as it did, made for some refreshingly interesting dishes. But really, nobody should be surprised by this one. His recipes on the website for this week are a total mess. The quickfire recipe is missing and the elimination recipe is all screwed up, and showing a photo of Nikki's dish to boot. So I'm mostly stuck having to take the judges' word for it. He was called out in the quickfire for overcooking his turkey, and might I add the fact that he overcooked his protein in a 15 minute challenge is hilarious. And while some have called it a bad idea to try to serve curry to kids, I don't like that line of thinking. For starters, while the chefs were told this was supposed to be a good family dish, I don't believe they were told outright that they were serving a roomful of kids. And secondly, I hate the school of thought that there are some foods that aren't good for kids. I believe -- or maybe I want to believe -- that they don't like what we don't feed them. My little guy is one and a half, and he eats everything I do. For the parents who are snickering and saying to wait until he's five, I reserve the right to shamelessly backtrack at some point in the future. But my point is, if you make good food, kids will eat it. There are parts of the world where children are raised on curries, and they aren't fundamentally different from American kids -- they're just exposed to them early on. But rant aside, it sounds like the problem is simply that Mark didn't make a very good curry. Without seeing the recipe it's hard to say, but a very sweet coconut milk curry that's heavy on sweet potatoes does sound rather off-balance to me. As a side or a component it sounds right on, but as a standalone dish, it seems like it needs something to ground it. Wild speculation aside, however, it doesn't really matter. The Kiwi makes an exit at roughly the appropriate time, and his accent will be missed more than his food.

Next week things get nasty again. We haven't seen the wedding challenge since season one, and it's absolutely brutal. The chefs will be up all night cooking an obscene amount of food, and they're already worn out and sleep-deprived. Add to this that the website teaser's title is "Pointing Fingers" and it looks to be a nasty episode all around. The episode-end trailer shows Dale cracking the whip, which would seem to put him in a team leadership position. That makes me nervous, given the judges' propensity to insist that the captain go down with the ship. But more likely, if Dale's team fails, somebody else who's barely hanging on finally cracks and saves him. Lisa, Nikki and *gulp* Stephanie seem like prime candidates to me, but it's hard to guess who best copes with a lack of sleep. I'm pretty sure Andrew will be okay, but that aside, it's open season and the battle for the top spot will be a war of attrition. I expect it will be a bloody one.

Discuss!

Comments

[Wangus]

Hey Dom,

Got sent over here through Ted Allen's TC blog and hilariously found out that you're also a hounder, a Baltimore one no less! Small internet, huh? Love the sleuthing both for the show and for our little 'charm' city. Did you manage to get out to the JFX farmer's market yesterday?

-Andrew

[Alan]

Although I agree with your rankings, everything I read elsewhere suggests that there will be a woman winner, or at least several women in the final. I seem to recall hints from Padma and the producer (Andy?) to that effect. That would be fine if up until now it looked like the women in this particular season would merit being in the finals, but I don't see it. Maybe Antonia continues strong in the next few challenges, or Stephanie has a rebound, but I can't see how both of them boot Dale and Richard out. Perhaps there will be a "Tre"-like booting next week!

[=R=]

LMAO! Couldn't agree more about Art and his advocating against chicken skin. He seems like a nice man but puh-leeze! I was at a restaurant this past Saturday where chicken skin was actually a course on its own. Now, that's proper eating.

=R=

[Skillet Doux]

WHOA, WHOA Alan... this is a spoiler-free zone!

I mean, discussing anything that's already aired is fair game, but non-official intel regarding future results is STRICTLY OFF-LIMITS :-)

That said, nobody could know who the winner is, including Padma, since they haven't even been shot yet :-) I believe the finals are just starting, and I'm sure you'll hear vague mentions of them in the blogs next week. There are people who know who is IN the finals, however. "Several women" would probably imply that either Dale or Richard makes an early exit, but remember, too, that there's precedent for a four-person finals. So we'll see what happens.

Now cut that out! :-)

[Stacey]

I think that I have to mildly (VERY mildly) disagree that this challenge has little/nothing to do with the skills related to final stages of the competition. I think Andrew's approach -not final products, of course- in both the QF and EC were exactly what we should be seeing out of them. And nary a tapioca pearl to be seen. Andrew was able to elevate recognizable food without the pomposity of a Stephen a la gaufrette. Those small steps, blending a top chef's technique and ingenuity can convince the unsophisticated palate to try new things.
I'm surprised to say those things about Andrew of all people. Not that I don't think he's a competent, moderately talented chef. But I've never seen him act or produce in a chef-like manner. More whiz bang, then finesse has always been my impression.
My disagreement is mild. My amazement at Andrew...not mild.
All that being said, it wasn't a huge deal, and probably a fluke. :-)

[anon man]

I see the woman to beat as Antonia (as opposed to the other women). Yes, she doesn't do anything shocking, but she doesn't make insane mistakes either. Yes, she got called out for the sausage fiasco, but I put that more squarely on Lisa and her arrogance. (She strikes me as the kind of chef who, if she din't like what you ordered will send you out something else.) Maybe Antonia is this season's Dave Martin. A good enough chef, and does simple things very well. While Richard and Dale (and to a lesser extent Andrew or Stephanie) do the high wire act with experimental cuisine, Antonia keeps plodding along making good if not a tad boring food. When one of them makes a mistake (like scaled fish) or a quirky combination that just fails (like pretzel crust), then look out.

[Skillet Doux]

"I think that I have to mildly (VERY mildly) disagree that this challenge has little/nothing to do with the skills related to final stages of the competition."

Admittedly, that's a bit of hyperbole on my part, but I think the fact that Nikki made top three says it all. She nailed this challenge. But does anybody other than her mother think that really has anything to do with her ability to win in the finals? Of course there's skill set crossover -- it's still cooking, after all -- but the challenges in the finals historically involve full kitchens, vast arrays of prime ingredients, a knowledgable judging panel that includes a number of celebrity chefs, and a mandate to express your cooking style however you see fit. It's basically the polar opposite of the cheap, simple, please the kids challenge we got this week :-)

"I see the woman to beat as Antonia (as opposed to the other women). Yes, she doesn't do anything shocking, but she doesn't make insane mistakes either."

I think you're absolutely right that she's the least likely to screw up. But as mentioned way back in the early episodes, that's a ticket to third or fourth place. Flawless and boring takes you deep, but it doesn't win the big enchilada. Besides which, she's hardly been flawless, and that Polish sausage episode was hardly an aberration. I think you undersell her stumbles. I disagree that the sausage fiasco was on Lisa's shoulders. She was just as adamant as Lisa about leaving out the Polish. But even setting that aside, she was also on the chopping block with Zoi for the lamb, and Zoi and Spike for the carpaccio. She's sharp and professional and that's served her well in the quickfires, but over the past 4-5 weeks, she's spent much more time on the bottom of the eliminations than she has on the top. Anyway, point being, unless Dale and Richard both screw up royally and miss the finals, I don't think Antonia has a chance at winning. The finals aren't filled with the same kind of gotcha challenges that the rest of the season is, and the likelihood of an oops killing somebody drops dramatically. So if my bet pays off if the female chef in question makes the finals, yeah, I take Antonia. But if she actually has to win the competition, I take Stephanie.

[Jon]

I am curious how and when the show interviews are done. Are they all done after the fact and the chefs are instructed to speak in the present tense?

[Skillet Doux]

That's a good question, Jon, to which I'd also like to know the answer. I think it varies, though. A lot of times when they do their cooking the next day, it seems like the interviews are conducted the morning of cooking -- so they can talk about what they're going to be making, but before they've actually made it. Other times, it seems like they grab them for interviews after the cooking, but before the results -- which I don't think could be the case for a quickfire, but could certainly happen for an elimination.

If you find out, let me know :-)

[Stacey]

"Admittedly, that's a bit of hyperbole on my part, but I think the fact that Nikki made top three says it all. She nailed this challenge. But does anybody other than her mother think that really has anything to do with her ability to win in the finals? Of course there's skill set crossover -- it's still cooking, after all -- but the challenges in the finals historically involve full kitchens, vast arrays of prime ingredients, a knowledgable judging panel that includes a number of celebrity chefs, and a mandate to express your cooking style however you see fit. It's basically the polar opposite of the cheap, simple, please the kids challenge we got this week :-)"

True, true, true and true. My admittedly unstated point is that Andrew's use of the ingredients he was able to lay his hands on (and his ability to choose from many, because I agree $10 is adequate for the challenge) lead me to believe he's capable of NOT pulling a Lee Anne in the finals. He was focused, he cooked a tight dish, paid attention to flavor, and didn't decide that more was more as she did in the finals.

Even Richard didn't completely manage that, and he is still my front-runner.

Perhaps I'm just more surprised than I ought to be. And it was only the tiniest bit of disagreement :-)

[Alan]

Sorry about the "spoiler"-ish statement Dom! You're right, I know as little about the future as anyone else, and the finals haven't been taped, so I guess anything's possible. But I just have a feeling that either Dale or Richard is going to get "Tre'd" with a booting after one bad performance. I have no info, official or otherwise, to prove it, it's just a feeling.

[Canasian]

Dom, since this has been advertised as a wedding "war," I have to believe this will be a team challenge, with two teams of four. That being said, the commercial they have run on Bravo has shown us who the teams will be through split second clips of Whole Foods arguments, kitchen arguments, stew room arguments, and judjes table arguments. Team one is Spike, Richard, Dale and Lisa (so help me God, but the commercial made this one so obvious). We didn't see much of the other team, but by default it must be Antonia, Nikki, Stephanie, and Andrew. My prediction is that this will be a close one, but I think Team 2 will win, with Steph doing something amazing that will spark a rapid upward shot for her, and Nikki doing the worst dish and deserving the elimination but *once again* she will be on the better team and won't be eligible to pack her knives (officially tieing her with the Slacker King). I think that this challenge will finally get the best of Lisa, with her moaning and complaining at an all-time high because Dale and Richard are going to want to take over and do everything themselves. I'm hoping Lisa will go home on this one, but we can't count out Dale and Richard because they will almost certainly be sharing a driver's seat. I think Spike is safely under the radar for this one

[anon man]

As for when the interviews are, I watch the clothes. Sometimes the people have two sets of clothes and the loser very often does. So, I generally gather that they do an interview with some or all of the cast before the cooking but after the challenge is given, and they do a second set after the challenge with the exit interview and the wrap-up/victory speeches.

To clarify, I don't think Antonia is going to win. I do think the Antonia is the woman in the finals (or "a" woman in the finals...) Nicole is treading water, Lisa's ego will get her crushed eventually, and Stephanie doesn't seem to have the arsenal we thought she did. I give her two weeks, top.

And on that same score, I totally see Richard or Dale going home early. One of them will eventually try something like a caviar crusted clove of garlic dessert or something equally awful and they're done. Fair, no. But, this is a game show, not a real kitchen.

[DaveP]

Spot on commentary again. As I predicted at the end of ep. 7, I really didn't much care for this episode. I'm not a big fan of the "Gimmick" episodes (last season's roach coach challenge comes to mind), and while the premise of cooking under tight constraints is very relevant in today's world, it's not really Top Chef, is it?

Agree with the rankings as well--I think Stephanie really has a problem with nerves (remember her shaking hands in ep. 1?) and it will likely just get worse. Too bad, because she really looks like the most talented female chef, and the only one to really potentially challenge Richard & Dale at the end. Antonia is, as you say, solid & steady, but rarely brilliant. She may get to the finals, but I doubt she wins it all. This episode was her (and Nikki's) time to shine, and she did. Hats off to her for that.

I'm going to miss Mark, or at least his accent and stoner-demeanor. Top Chef got a whole lot duller (still a fun show!) without him around, now didn't it?
--
Dave

[jennings]

Thanks for all the quality analysis . . . .

[michele]

So happy to find your blog, through Ted Allen's link.

It was nice that Antonia won this last challenge, and her dish looked great, but, she rubs me the wrong way. "smell mah pooh.." Since the soup fiasco, she's gotten on my nerves for being totally obnoxious. At least the way they edit the show, she seems stuck up, argumentative and acts like she's superior to the others. Since we can't taste the food, sometimes the personality of the contestant flavors our favorites.

I don't think Antonia holds a candle to Stephanie. She's had some shakey moments in the last two episodes, but, the challenge with Jennifer seemed to wear her out and it was more Jennifer's dish than hers. Last week, she was out of her comfort zone. She's a chef, not a mommy cook. I hope she's in the finals.

I also like Dale and Richard, but, think Andrew may make it there, too.

I'm hoping Antonia, Lisa and Nikki will go home in that order, but, that's just me.

[bill]

I can't rank Antonia that highly and don't think her wins are that impressive. She's won the tasting quickfire and two challenges geared towards cheap and simple food for children. They might've said "family," but it looked to me that without the focus on THE CHILDREN, Antonia would not have won. Her move up the rankings is due to her simple and unimaginative food, while better chefs have faltered in their risk taking.

Antonia is probably displaying better gamesmenship that may get her to the finals, though she has yet to show me in any way that she's a better cook than Richard, Dale, Stephanie, or Andrew. I'm not even convinced she's better than Lisa. She is better than Spike and Nikki. Unless there's a soup challenge involving orange vegetables, then Spike kicks ass.

[Skillet Doux]

Bill...

It's not reflected in my comments this week (moreso in previous weeks), but FWIW, I totally agree with you. There's nothing I'd love more than to bump Antonia down two spots. But I've been trying for the past three weeks, and until last week, there wasn't anybody who deserved to pass her. And as unimpressive as this episode's wins were, a double win has to count for SOMEthing. My personal opinion of her puts her lower, but I still have to give some weight to record. There's a point where execution trumps potential, no matter how great that potential and how ho-hum that execution.

Hopefully this doesn't make the Power Rankings the BCS of culinary commentary :-)

[bill]

Heh!

When I hear people complaining their school should've made a BCS bowl I like to respond with "You know how to fix that? Lose fewer games!" So if Stephanie doesn't make the finals, I will blame her tasteless rice pancake and her screwed up cous cous and the giant wheel of cheese. Not Antonia cooking noodles. Despite my believing that she isn't the third best chef, it's kinda hard to deny her the current spot. Here's hoping tonight is more interesting than last week.