Candy wrote:

I don't know if it's my imagination or not by you could feel the tension in the collective group this week. I get a feeling that a few of them are getting tired of being judged by guest chefs with a chip on their shoulders. At least I'm tired of seeing it and for once I can agree with Hung and his comment concerning th equickfire challenge.

Overall I was impressed by the chef's attitudes this episode, especially Howie's and I personally feel he left with honor. Yes he loses the money but I bet he has an immense load off of his shoulders. I don't know how much criticism I could take week after week especially from people I don't know. Two guest judges this week must have been a bummer.

posted on September 5, 2007 at 11:43 PM

frank wrote:

I just watched WWH, and wanted to say congratulations on your happy news! Hopefully you'll be back at judges table next week.

posted on September 5, 2007 at 11:45 PM

Steph wrote:

Gail, I agree with you in that I too have a soft spot for Howie. You can tell he comes from a home of being the only male with 4 sisters - he had to hold his own but also knowing when he needs to show his soft side... With that being said, he stood by his decision in the quickfire but knew when to throw up the deuces and 'eliminate himself'. I thought it was interesting when Padma said that it was not his decision & it was the judges b/c in season 2, Mia eliminated herself as well. Technically, yes - the judges made both of those official calls, but both Mia and Howie made the judges decisions almost mindless when it came right down to it.
I will undoubtebly miss Howie. I thought he would go into at least the final 4. He does cook great food - or so it appears that way. And he's come a long way in being more humble and a team player. I'm looking forward to seeing who'll be in the top 2!

posted on September 5, 2007 at 11:56 PM

Kristen Semke wrote:

Gail, I think you are right on in regards to the judges choosing Howie to go home instead of Brian. Although Brian was the leader in this challenge, he did present a tasty looking dish. Kudos to the judges for making a smart decision this time (I'm still crying over Tre but I'm slowly getting over it!!)

posted on September 5, 2007 at 11:56 PM

gary e. wrote:

Gail you are a lovely lady But! how could you eat anything that someone was sweating in? I know that this season has been taped long ago and the out come is in the can and yet we as dumb jackasses keep commenting on it as it was that vary nite, i for one am glad to see howie go......

posted on September 5, 2007 at 11:59 PM

Nan wrote:

Sorry Howie but although you are a fine chef, tonight your food did not win.

With that in mind, I felt the Judges were making very rude comments to the chefs about their dishes. Critique is one thing, but the choice of words was quite insulting to most of them. Were the judges more tired than usual or dissappointed?
Maybe they mixed nice with the good when they spoke to the chef's who did not meet their expectations but that part was edited out? At one point, I almost felt like they should tell them to "shove it". No money is worth pure degredation.

These people deserve respect which i felt was lacking tonight.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:01 AM

Tarun wrote:

Gail, where are you?? I miss seeing you, and hearing your comments on the judge's panel.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:12 AM

Dale Stine wrote:

I'm in total agreement with your assessment on the outcome of tonight's episode.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:14 AM

John Nelson, Jr. wrote:

Hi, Gail.

First things first. When I come onto the web site, Iwill, without fail, read your blogs first and then Tom's (when he isn't busy at his day job) and Ted's.

I realize that all of the guests at the elimination challenge, judges included, were washing the appetizers with champagne. I'm not a big fan of wine, liquor, or liqueurs; however, I believe that I may have come up with a "winning" desert drink that was partially inspired by TC2's Cocktail Quickfire (the one that Betty lost). It uses three parts Kahlua, two parts Bailey's Original, and one part Creme de Menthe (I call it "Kahlua & Cream"). Combine and shake the liqueurs in a frozen cocktail shaker and pour into 6-ounce glasses.

My palate may not be as sophisticated as yours, but just give it a try (all of the judges) and let me know what you think about it.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:15 AM

Dale Stine wrote:

I am in total agreement with your assessment on the outcome
of tonight's episode. The "bulldog" did make for great entertainment.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:16 AM

Keith wrote:

It was dumb to even try to make this a team challenge. There was nothing "Team" about it. Except that while the other chefs could only been eliminated by their own mistakes, Brian could be eliminated for anyone's.
You know you screwed up when Brian would have better off NOT WINNING the quickfire. Being allowed to choose a leader is obvious aimed at the person winning taking the leadership role. Bbut in this challenge that only increased Brian's chances of being sent home. Not winning would have been better.
Quit with the team challenges under 7 chefs left. Let them compete head to head down till the best is left standing.
And what's with the stupid low budget challenges? Super low budget or time restrictions are fine for the quickfires. But the elimination challenges should be funded to let these TOP chefs make some top shelf food.
When you can't even afford goat cheese to complete a dish- you aren't allowing the chefs to shine. Give them cereal aisle to shop in and you get smurf village.
Give them a decent budget, decent time, and let's see what they can really do.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:41 AM

Terri wrote:

I admire Howie for "keepin' it real." He refused to sell his soul to be in the sideshow which is what this season is becoming. The show seems to have lost something this season. This episodes challenge was a little unrealistic with only suppiying a $350 dollar budget to feed all the pompous asses that were on that boat. To make good food you need money to purchase the tools necessary to do so with. The show is becoming more about drama than good food and good cooks. Who is Padma anyway??? She is a beautiful woman but where does her expertise come into it? Does she have any clue how annoying she is when she makes her dramatic little pause before announcing who is going home. No Oscars there!! There are some very talented chefs this season who can hold their own, but no real standouts.!! The whole thing is getting b-o-r-i-n-g. Tre was the biggest loss so far as far as talent and that includes the panel of judges, Padma and Tom.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:44 AM

Scott S. wrote:

Gail, you are the best judge. Please never leave the show again. You need to be a permanent judge for season four. I can't and will not watch another episode until you are back!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 12:57 AM

Andy B. wrote:

Hi Gail, I must say those recipes sound yummy. As for todays Episode a tough one may I add. I don't necessarily think Brian should have been sent home. To me every week has its subjective differences. Though I didn't think Tre should have gone home last week. Today I agree with the judges, Howie was the one. He seemed to run out of fight. He sort of was tired of defending himself. Very strange he had no dish in the quick fire. While his cooking performance in the elimination challenge is what done him in.
Hung continues to baffle me with his cooking choices. He never ttakes the quick fire seriously. This causes him to never gain a advantage. He should be a better cook then he shows. I think his ttime is coming to the end. He don't and won't get it. A very strange individual.
Down to six, looks like anyones game. It seems though up to this point, no one has really cooked anything exceptionally. Tom right what are they waiting for. The time is now, so far Top Chef 3 contestants have been a major disappointment.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 1:10 AM

Vanessa wrote:

Quite honeslty, I am glad he left the competition tonight. Altough, I have admit that what he did for his teammates on tonight's episode is admirable and really great (specially cause he defended Brian who is my favorite :) ). Good luck Howie on your career!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:08 AM

Kiristen Roland wrote:

I have to say that I was happy to see Howie go. In the beginning of the season I believed in his talent but episode after episode he continued to fail. Plus his inability to deal with stressful situations, his inability to work in a team, his inability to respect other chefs, his lack of creativity and flexibility and his excessive sweating into the food proved that he was not a Top Chef.

Bring back Sara N. She was a much better chef than Howie.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:10 AM

Sabrina wrote:

I was happy to see Gail's blog tonight about Howie. I too have a soft spot for him. I was so sad to see him go home. Even though everyone pretty much dissed him on the show, I think he's sexy and hot. :) I have a thing for big, tough guys b/c the ones I know have hearts of gold and can be incredibly sweet. I also really respected him. He didn't talk smack about other people behind their backs. He was fair and honest. I was impressed when he gave up his bottle of wine to Joey (despite their previous issues) and how he was willing to take himself out of the competition tonight. And for some reason, his approach to the competition really made sense to me and seemed logical. But I must say I was also really happy that he acknowledged that he wasn't happy with how he had gone through the competition (in terms of how he treated others). He showed a profound capacity to really learn and grow on both a personal and professional level. So I think he absolutely rocks.

I must say too that I am very upset that Tre was booted off the last show. That was a really unfair and poor decision in my opinion. I don't care if he cooked some poor dishes. No one else was helping him, so obviously he was taking on too much. I don't understand how the judges can penalize him when the others on his team did not step up to help him. And not only that, he didn't choose himself to be Exec Chef. CJ did. CJ should have gone home. I think he should have been in the final to the end.

I hope to see Gail soon. I have missed her. She's fabulous! I enjoy hearing her insights. She's sweet.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:19 AM

redlem wrote:

I predict..... Casey will be one of the finalist of Season 3. She totally died mincing onions on the previous episode; wrong knives, dull knives, and she could not beat a group who 1) finished shucking oysters, 2) mincing the same 5 onioins, 3) and breaking down 5 chickens. This is a Top Chef/ Executive chef? But on the Yacht episode she is shown thinly slicing beef because there is not a "slicer" on board said yacht ? The foreshadowing of TC is coming through loud and clear.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:34 AM

george wrote:

thank god one of the judges acknowledged the inconsistent criteria in judging. i stood by the decision to send tre home last week...and even tho' i wasn't a fan of howie's i thought it was wildly unfair that brian wasn't sent home. is it worse to do one good dish and 2 bad but also lead the team or do one passable dish and provide mediocre leadership? brian didn't do much (as is often the case) yet he got a pass.

tho he did cook with spam, which as a hawai'i boy gives him bonus points.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 3:02 AM

Mark wrote:

Gail, thank you for the recipes.

I don't know who to address my next comment to, so I'm posting it to your comment section as well as a couple of the others. Last week, Sam said in his blog that he thinks "something is missing" from this season's episodes. After watching tonight's episode, I noticed something that is really detracting from the show: the music soundtrack is way too loud. It drowns out everybody, including Chef Tom. It ruins the drama. I feel like I'm watching a music video or a TV commercial and I feel like changing the channel to a more serious program before I realize, "Wait, I'm watching Top Chef; what is wrong here?"

Furthermore, the editing, while imaginative and clever at times, cuts from one scene to the next way too fast. That also detracts from the drama. I'd rather see lingering closeups with no soundtrack so that I can actually take in a scene before the camera jumps spastically to the next shot and the next and so forth. You can't have tension in a show if you keep breaking the viewers' concentration and losing their attention.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 3:24 AM

steve wrote:

I LOVE GAIL SIMMONS!!!!
OK - a personal fault, that's done.
Now it is time for my unbiased opinion.
I could not put my finger on it till tonight. Your guest tonight could not answer the ratings call.
Gail HAS an opinion. Great. When it is time to tell us, she gives it to us right between the eyes. Not the low key Colicchio or Pamda, it's the "I loved that dish it was fantastic, great, delicious" with arms in fluid motion, head swaying, a huge smile on her face, her squiky voice flowing out, running on.... My guess?, She loved it. When she doesn't, it is "That dish was horrible, I couldn't eat it, I spit it out." The "Burnt, Rubbery, Brown Eggs." Look at the scowl, her head was shaking "No!!!," her arms were flalling "Get Away." (I would hate to leave the toilet seat up). She does this all the time. Good and bad. But not bitchy. It's an opinion with passion and knowledge behind it. She challenges you with the facts.
With Tim Allen, AH. He's ok, maybe too matter of fact. I know he is gay. Nonjudgemental. Don't challenge people, be calm. So what. But I am a hetero. With that said, he IS pretty good!
I watch the show for the unexpected, the interplay between the contestants, the challenge, the contestants answering the call, and sometimes it doesn't work out (a lot of times). A small confession, I do not cook. I do, but the contestant's opinion of my cooking would be like the letterman football player picking on the nerd.
You guys are looking for ratings. You think. The lady tonight showed me nothing.
I LOVE GAIL.
Also the fact that Ms Simmons is a beautiful woman. Think ratings.
Well "unbiased?" Probably not. I promise I will try harder on the next email.
Sic um, Girlfriend!!!! I hope that didnt sound gay.
PS: LEE ANNE WONG, I LOVE her too. PUT HER IN THE NEXT SEASON CHALLENGE!!!!! (I already know that is screaming. So sue me.)

posted on September 6, 2007 at 3:35 AM

Sherryl Gutierrez wrote:

Gail, Long time no see! Tre's departure was no surprise to me.
Twice (2X's) he replied that he could do it in his sleep.(BBQ and Resturant Wars II episodes.)WELL.......
Maybe he should of Woke Up because his "Nightmare" became his reality.
Yes, I did love Howie and the drama he brought to the show. Really does need a sweat band around that cute bulldog head. No extra seasonings (drips in food) PLEASE. Which brings me to Hung Stickin Licking fingers good in my food and others. Mouth a smacking licking his fingers and going for seconds.I wonder if he washes after the mens room? Always in such a hurry? "Top Chef" material? PLEASE. Excited to watch what's going to happen.
Hope to see you soon! You always tell it straight but you do it with such style. I love it .Stay with the show permanently.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 3:56 AM

JustAnotherFan wrote:

Well said Gail!!!!
I will miss you Howie!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 7:38 AM

overdone wrote:

The guest judge was an absolute a**. Beautiful people of Miama? Puuleeeez. Rude mall rats is more like it. Is Bravo intentionally looking for jerks for judges? I learned nothing from this posing bunch of idiots. Yuck.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 7:52 AM

D.L wrote:

I have mixed feelings
I had a hard time watching the way he treat's people. He & Hung aren't open to anyone elses idea's. I always wondered if, someone went into their resturaunt with a certain allergy & asked to let an ingredient out, if the chef would come out & say this is the way I make it --so get out!

On the positive side, I did see a human side during the exit video, he actually might have a nice side to him.

Also, When I look at the stuff "top chef" throws at these people, They have to be saying if I could only have access to real ingredients & reasonable time, This dish would be excellent.

Top chef, I don't know if it gives people a chance to show off true excellence, It only shows off, quick thinkers. If I had to do, what they had to do every night, I'd only be drinking water.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 8:02 AM

Tanya wrote:

Thanks for the recipes, Gail!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:01 AM

Chef Boy-Ar-Jim wrote:

Gaill. Howie was / should have been elimintaed last night. It was sad because as you've stated, he has a way to express himself so directly and precise. Laast night, it was Howie's night to go. His food looked terrible. Though, riddle me this one, why is CJ still here? He has caused Tre / Sara and others to go home due to his failure as a leader. He clearly cannot lead and, as my take has it, clearly cannot "think" and articulate in the kitchen.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:08 AM

w wrote:

I agree with tonight's show, but I do have a question: Over and over chefs have been scolded for serving something that isn't right, told it would be better to not serve anything, yet when Howie did, he was persecuted. Now, in a real restaurant he could have sent out something else that was being made, but with only 20 minutes and the ingredients for one dish, he didn't know until he went to serve it that it wasn't right. So damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Brian was also right when he noted that he was in charge of the group effort, but that he was trying to lead peers, not subordinates, again, someone set up in an impossible situation. But gee, I really wanted to see Hung in charge, please, let's see him put his money where his mouth is, and what excuse he'd use when there was no one to blame but him....

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:10 AM

Jonathan wrote:

Gail, I know that you'll probably never get around to read this but, I'll just respond anyways , well, I'm respondingto a comment that Chef Tom said to Hung about his salmon mousse' saying that it was so passe' and every Great Chef and Great Cook knows that simplicty is next to perfection, and in fact that the salmon mousse was very refreshing, light considering that it was in Florida. Duh !!! Keep smiling you bring beauty to the show.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:17 AM

Olivia wrote:

I completely agree with Gail and her bulldog analogy. I too have a soft spot for Howie. There is something special about him and I am sure he will go far in the culinary world! Some people may be put off by his "in your face" comments, but you always knew where he stood. No passive-aggressive behavior from him! Let's not forget the editing factor. It is very easy to take hours of film and condense it down to create a persona that everyone will either love or hate. We all have our moments and I am sure the contestants will look back on some of the footage and wish the could alter what they said. Best of luck to Howie.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:32 AM

Candace Sametini wrote:

Hi Gail - we have been missing you. My husband and I said that if Tre and Howie were cut, we are going to quit watching Top Chef. Okay - it was an empty threat but I will miss them. It is too bad because the remaining chefs obviously don't have the talent that these guys did (except for maybe Brian and Hung). Really none of the final chefs have brought anything to the table, so the last few episodes I expect will be less exciting, but I will be there. Hope to see you soon.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:33 AM

Jonathan wrote:

Gail, It was about time that Howie left, this show is called Top Chef and before you can be a Top Chef you have to know how to cook. I'm surpised that the judges kept him around so long, I guess it was for the ratings, I mean how many things did that guy over cook, under cook, over season, under season, not complete, not only that how can he serve food that he knows and I know that he was sweating in every dish. The show is called Top Chef and I'm sure that you know and I know that to be a Top Chef you have to set the standards and to be consistent and make sure that your food is good and that you do what you're told to do. In the first episode he said that he had standards and he would never serve food that wasn't right. but everything else he served was either over cooked or under cooked except that pork dish. He also said that he is an Executive Chef in Florida and he kept bring it up, when and where did he feel that everthing that he was doing is what a good Executive does. Thanks for reading this, keep showing off that beautiful smile :)

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:44 AM

Rick wrote:

I was also cheering for Howie early on, but how could you call him eloquent? He definitely changed his approach after Sara N.’s departure. Regardless, he kept turning in mediocre dish after mediocre dish.

I also couldn’t swallow his shtick about volunteering to pack his knives. We only see the edited versions of the show, but I imagine Mia was much more convincing than Howie. He probably received a lot more flak for his two dishes than we were privy to. The writing was on the wall in the script of his mushroom tartlet. Unfortunately for Howie, the wall was constructed of cinder blocks and his tartlets blended perfectly.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:45 AM

Edwin wrote:

Ms Simmons,

I think both the time allotted and the budget were inanely low for this particular challenge. And the associated quickfire was silly. Play games with limited selections? Bus them out to a farm market. I'm sure that one could be found in the Miami area.

I realize that the producers need to produce good TV, and drama and conflict are intrinsic to that. However, the more challenges that are either completely inane (the quickfire in this episode) or completely unrealistic ($350 budget? My wife and I spend more on that to make Easter dinner for 8 people, and the only prepared foods we bought were a couple of pies) or nasty little tricks ("night on the town?"), the less likelihood the producers will have of getting good, young chefs, and the more of getting publicity-seeking twits. The latter may be more entertaining, but finding twits on TV is only a trifle more difficult than finding water at a beach.

I suggest, too, that the producers use more food writers for their guest judges. Gael Green, Jane and Michael Stern, Eric Asimov, etc would seem to be good choices.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:54 AM

julia wrote:

Chef Tom has let the cat out of the bag who is going to be Top Chef....Casey. By defending her knife skills when she couldn't chop the onions. Also, I believe Top Chef wants to be politically correct and name a woman...Casey is the winner of Top Chef!! Casey may not have been the best chef but some of her dishes looked really terrific.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:59 AM

wilma wrote:

gAIL I ADMIRED WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT HOWIE. HE IS A GOOD CHEF. MY TWO FAVORITES ARE GONE, TRE AND HOWIE AND I DO NOT THINK IS FEAR. FIRST THE JUDGES TELL THE CHEFS TO NOT SERVE FOOD THAT IS NOT UP TO THEIR STANDARDS, AND THEY WANTED HOWIE TO SERVE SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT TO HIS STANDARDS, AND HE HAD TO MAKE IT WITH A TEN DOLLAR BUDGET...., HELLO! ALSO THE ELIMINATION CHALLENGE WAS A JOKE $350 TO FEED 60 GUESTS. AND IT HAD TO BE EXCEPTIONAL AND GOOD LOKING FOOD. IF YOU WANT TO SERVE 60 GUESTS QUALITY FOOD YOU NEED MORE THAN THAT AMOUNT. ITHINK BRIAN SHOULD HA LEFT, HE WAS THE LEADER, IT WAS HIS REPUTATION, AND IT WAS NO FEAR, BECAUSE THEY ELIMINATED TRE BECAUSE HE WAS THE LEADER. I HOPE THE SHOW JUDGES STOP MAKING MISTAKES. ALSO THEY ARE KEEPING CASEY BECAUSE OF HER LOOKS? SHE HAS PROVED THAT SHE CAN'T EVEN CUT POTATOES, COOK FISH OR CHICKEN OR DO A DESSERT.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 10:11 AM

cher wrote:

Gail are a breath of fresh air on that panel. You don't claim to be a cook or anything your not except a foodie. Which makes yours the one opinion I respect. Don't ever leave that show, that panel needs you. As other judges get more mean spirited and hurtful you reamain as sweet and powerful as ever. Kudos to you girlfriend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 11:25 AM

Kevin S. wrote:

Hi Gail, missed you at the judges table, again. Hurry back. I agree with what alot of people are saying here. I think the judges came off a bit nasty tonight. I sure the editing process didn't help. As for the guest judges, who are these guys? I'm not from Miami and have never been to Miami. I'd rather see both you and Ted on the panel then these opinionated morons. Their comments about chefs they've never met before are too over the top, in my opinion. I also agree that the team challenges are old. Let's move on to the head to head to head competition. Let's also give these chefs some money for heavens sake. I think your producer(s) can cough up more that $50.00 per chef, can't they? If I wanted to watch low budget I'd flip over to Rachael Ray.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 11:46 AM

Anita Gaston wrote:

Last night I kept thinking that since Brian took up the challenge to be the Executive Chef, then he too, like Tre, should have been the one to go home, since he was in the leadership role. The final decisions to let items go or throw them away was his. He did not let the mousse go out because of its' taste and look, then he should have done the same with Howies dishes or added some color to the final product. Knowing they were on a limited budget, he should have insisted on each chef just putting forth one best dish. Come on Judges call it fair when a chef is made the one in charge in the kitchen all responsibility is on their shoulders. It seems this season the chef who puts himself as sous chef until the end will be the winner.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 1:24 PM

Tonya wrote:

Gail, I loved Howie as well. He is the underdog and unfortunately didn't become TC but I believe he will continue to work hard and is an amazing chef in my book!! His demeanor could be rough but he doesn't stab you in the back and I respect that. I will miss his presence.....I admire all the chefs for being able to work through all the challenges and come up with so many ideas. Now I only wish I could do that at my own dinner table! HA!! Thanks for the recipes, I'm going to give a couple a try this weekend!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 1:27 PM

ellen wrote:

Why the double standard in attacking Howie's dishes and praising Hung's?
You can find the salmon on cucumber at the same Texas conference for Insurance adjusters as Howie's dishes. So why is Hung smart for doing something very unoriginal and Howie a schmuck for doing the same?
I understand that it was Howie's time, I understand the reasons why but if you purely look at the dishes, Hung was absolutely out of style. And if this is Top Chef and every single challenge you have to make the best dish possible, then I don't understand why Tom accepted the answer from Hung that he could have done a lot better and Tom agreeing with him in an understandable way, I felt that this was a miss representation of the contest. If this would truly be - something that the judges constantly repeat- a decision based on every single performance, then this should have been a double evection week for Howie and Hung both. But I guess showbiz can't work without double standards.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:31 PM

Megan wrote:

Gail, let me add that I think you are one of the best judges. I do enjoy most all of the guest Chefs, but Tom's comments many times seem biased, as if he has a clear idea ahead of time who he wants to get farther in the competition. This comes out only when he is defending a bad dish that could be the losing dish. You, on the other hand, are very straight forward and not only come off very knowledgeable, but also with a very good palate.
Since you are the food writer, let me give this suggestion. I have seen on these blogs and other blogs people asking about terms. For instance a lot of people were confused about what a confit is, or how you could have a tomato confit. Just about every episode has something some people are not familiar with, and it would be nice if there was one blog here that took the dishes and explained them, or at least one of them.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:42 PM

Kathi wrote:

The show really seems to be floundering. Keeping Howie and Joey around because of their "personalities" rather than their abilities has permanently skewed the judging. The explanations provided for the judging criteria have felt inconsistent and contingent. The repeated use of team challenges and extremely limited budgets makes me feel as though I don't really know the contestants as chefs. So little actual cooking has been done that my main memories of the show revolve around sponsored products and Howie's detestable behavior week after week. Men who are simultaneously insecure and domineering often make people feel sorry for them in ways that yield them disproportionate amounts of power. This season has been dominated by that dynamic rather than by the display of emergent talent and original food.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:44 PM

Liz wrote:

Hey, Gail, we've really missed your presence on the show these past few weeks. I think you're a fantastic presence on the show, and I can't wait until we see you again!
Thank you so much for the recipe recommendations above; I'm planning a gathering to celebrate my twenty-first birthday in a couple weeks, and a few of the recipes gave me great jumping-off places for the meal. Your help is much appreciated!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 2:50 PM

Jami wrote:

Thanks for the recipes Gail. I fully intend to try some of them.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 3:23 PM

NANCY S. wrote:

I don't really consider it a team challenge when there is only one team...
But I really enjoyed this episode. The quick-fire was fun, and funny. It's nice to see the contestants lighten up a little.
Interestingly, this season does not have an enemy like season 2 did. Everyone ganged up on Marcel! Howie is the only one who could have been considered on the "outside" and now he is gone. Does that mean we will now really focus on food rather than personalities?

posted on September 6, 2007 at 3:48 PM

Carla wrote:

Congratulations Gail!
I like you have a soft spot for Howie and I'm sorry he had to go. but I do agree that it was his time to go. I really feel that cj has been geeting by. Iniitally I like him but now I feel he is lacking. Casey and Brian are ok, I like Sara, Dale and Hung. But I must say that I still think season one really had the best chefs. I agree with your assessment of Tiffany, her cooking was inovative and honestly no one on this season compares to the past two.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 4:38 PM

Barbara wrote:

I am sorry to see Howie go. I felt after watching from week to week that he was probably one of the top chefs. I don't think there is anyone left that is worthy of the top chef. I have seen Top Chef from the very beginning and I think this is the first time the judges made a mistake. I felt it was unrealistic to have a budget of $350 for this round and then expect caviar.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 5:06 PM

Moses wrote:

The whole "here's 2 bucks, you have 5 minutes to blow our minds away and if you don't, you suck, and we'll put a beat-down on you on national TV" is really starting to wear thin.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 5:44 PM

Valalala wrote:

Thanks for the great suggestions! I go out shopping for them with $350 and invite 60 of my friends over. I'll let you know how the party went after two hours!!!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 6:11 PM

lon wrote:

On Sam's blog there was some wondering why this season is so different. My final conclusion is that a major missing piece is judge Gail Simmons. I really miss your insight and comments. Too many guest judges makes the judging uneven, especially when trying to compare this season's chefs against previous seasons.

After seeing "Watch What Happens" last night with you and Howie, I agree with your comment about Howie's possible future as a food writer. He made one comment that really thrilled me. About Tony Bourdain, he said, "He put words to our lifestyle." My college writing professor said it best: "Awkard, complicated writing I can do in minutes. Writing that flows easily across the eye and through the ear may take days." For Howie to coin that phrase during an interview takes a mental ability that makes a good writer.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 6:35 PM

ollie wrote:

Hi Gail, Love when you're on the show.

I do understand the criteria by which you judge, i.e., decsions are made based 100% on the current episode with no regard for past dishes.

Problem is, this can and does lead to more talented chefs leaving before the less talented ones.

How about this?
Rather than look at it like a football game, win or lose based on the one game, why not look at it like decding who is the high school valedictorian? The valedictorian is chosen based on grades accumulated over the entire "series", or high school years.

Give the chefs a number grade. Weigh the quickfire less heavily than the elimination challenge. For example, let's say Sara got a 73 in the quickfire, which is weighted as a 2, so she gets 146 for the quickfire. Casey got a 94 in the quickfire, giving her a total grade thus far of 188. In the elimination, however, Sara gets a 95. The elimination s weighted as a 5, so Sara gets 95x5=475. Casey's elimination score is only a 65: 65x5=335.

For the entire show, therefore, Sara has earned 146+475=621; and Casey gets 188+335=523. Each of the chefs would have a number grade at the conclusion of each episode, carrying them forward from episode 1 throughout the competition.

This way, the chef with the highest grade becomes valedictorian.

posted on September 6, 2007 at 7:22 PM

Amy wrote:

Gail ! Why didn't anyone think to send Hung home with the awe-inspiring cucumbers and salmon crap?? I don't even bother making spaghetti, and I could have pulled joke off....

posted on September 6, 2007 at 8:52 PM

Judi wrote:

First of all, I think that Tom was very wrong in telling Howie that he can't make the decision to leave. He had every right to say what he felt and Tom knew he was going to send Howie home. But he gave that power and repulsive statement to Padma. She seems to really get off on telling people they should pack their knives. She should pack whatever she has and go!! What is her purpose other than to dress in tight clothes and "schmooze"? What is her background with food? Does she know the difference between an educated palate and one which just follows the crowd. She has become totally obnoxious and phony. GO!!!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 9:55 PM

Jason wrote:

Gail,
As one of the judges, don't you think you should have made more of an effort to be consistent? The example of Tre vs. Brian is hardly the only time the judges' decisions were inconsistent. By the way, your appetizers sound delicious! You are invited to my party where I will serve them...it will be in FANTASYLAND! Because that will be the only place I will be able to afford them with the $350 you are giving me to feed 60 people. Please RSVP!

posted on September 6, 2007 at 10:07 PM

Seth wrote:

Gail, I think that you are greatly misinterpreting the audience if you think that we would have wanted you the judges to vote off Brian because of the Tre debacle last week. Two wrongs don't make a right, and voting Tre off was clearly a wrong.

In fact, I am still angered that Brian was even in consideration for being voted off. By eliminating Tre last week and then having Brian in the running this week you are making it clear to future contestants exactly how to win Top Chef: Lurk in the background and show no chefly qualities. Clearly, any Chef that takes any responsibility should be voted off. That's truly how the Top Chef will be found.

This episode angered me greatly, and I think I know why. Because of the judge's policy on team leaders, Brian was pretty much slotted for the bottom of the team when he won the quickfire. I do not believe that there has been a single Top Chef episode where a single team of cheftestants were deemed to have done a "great job" by the judges. Sure, when there are two teams one always wins, but once it gets down to the one team challenges such as tonight you always seem dissapointed. Thus, the leader of such a challenge is virtually always in contention for being eliminated. And what if Brian had elected to give the title of leader to another chef? I am sure that in this case you would have deemed him not to have the qualities of Top Chef which seem to be sporadically important to the judges.

Finally, please find a new host for the next season. Padma has become pretentious and obnoxious - the exact type of food crtic that alienates the general public from fine dining when the goal of Top Chef should be the opposite. Can she please get her own personality and stop copying the personalities of the guest judges?

posted on September 6, 2007 at 11:11 PM

Dahlia wrote:

You are right to say that first and foremost Top Chef is a TV show. That's why Howie lasted this long.
That's why Tre was sent home (the whole he lacked leadership thing does not fly with me; how many times have others messed up and given second, third chances? Tre messed up ONCE and was sent home).

Disappointing for those of us who wanted to watch a show based on cooking talent and not great television" or "controversial" personalities.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 12:13 AM

Pat wrote:

Where are they getting the chefs for this season???? Few know how to cook, and even fewer can hardly say anything without using the "F" word! Spend $350 for 60 guests??? The Chefs would have been better off going to Mickey D's and getting "Happy Meals" for 60! At least the guests would have a toy to remember this special night instead of bad food!

posted on September 7, 2007 at 12:35 AM

Patt wrote:

Really enjoy the show. Why has Hung never had to lead? He talks a big game and never steps up, he is trying to play it safe to get to the end. Brian did step up and take a chance, they should get some credit for that, as should Tre. Whe do so many of your guest judges have such rude and cruel comments? Considering the situation of the show and the constraints put on the chefs its usually uncalled for. Would not even think of trying to work for most of the guest judges...

CJ was one of my favorites but this last show he threw Brian under the bus when he has never done a great job of being the boss. He was soundly crititized last week for not having his lead chef's back. I would not want to be lead chef in those challenges because most of the chefs are looking out for nmber 1

posted on September 7, 2007 at 10:28 AM

leslee wrote:

Hung always has an excuse for serving lousy food. His old recipes aren't "classic," they're just tired! And to hear him tell it, every judge is an idiot unless they choose his dish as the best. Meanwhile, Mr. Sweat Soup stayed waaay too long. I'm glad to see Howie go. I was tired of all the swearing and fighting, and watching him perspire into the food was disgusting. Maybe now the show will actually concentrate on cooking and the skills of the chefs. It hasn't been about the food since Season One.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 1:05 PM

Karen wrote:

Gail, I miss seeing you on Top Chef.
Love your blogs. Love your comments. Love your style.
If you haven't figured it out. We the fans, like you.
The guys think you are pretty. Even the gals, like me,
are rooting for you, and suffering by not seeing you.
I wrote before, and I was very serious when I said that
you are a great writer. I hope the producers know this.
You may not understand all this "we miss you" bit.
Let me explain. On TV you can see the food,
but you can't taste the food. You happen to have a
very special talent - you can write and decribe how a
practiular food taste. You give the viewer more
understanding. (And not just anyone can do this.)

Anyway, just wanted you to know that we the viewer
do value your comments. You are special, and I do wish
you well.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 1:59 PM

Angela wrote:

Gail,
Sure it's a TV show designed to entertain. But good entertainment and fair and balanced competitions (yikes, I hate Fox news!) are not mutually exclusive. I think you and Tom are are going out on a limb to defend the producers and Bravo TV who write your paychecks.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 4:28 PM

Nathan wrote:

That was a really bad challenge. I can understand if you have 2 teams and both do the challenge on a budget, but with just one team, then it gets really screwed up. Resources are different for each Chef. I think this challenge and the frozen food challenge is not what a Top Chef is all about. Wolfgang Puck is a great chef, but he would be eliminated based off his canned soup ability.

Anyway, Casey is definitely the best looking contestant you have ever had. Please keep her in as long as you can. If Casey is ever kicked off, we will definitely need more Gail and Padma screen time.

posted on September 7, 2007 at 7:53 PM

Shirl wrote:

Hello I know I'm a few days late, yes i had a soft spot for Howie
I wish he could had gone to the top.
But after watching Wednesdays show seems like Howie has lost his fire and seemed bored I think he showed a lot of guts to tell the judges what he thought.
And I don't think I coud take being insulted week at week
and Padma I like to see her how she would fair in a cook off with any of these chef they would make her look like a duck out of water.
Chef Tom might be able to fair good in a cook off but Padma give me a break I think Sara might take it or Brian but the rest of them I don't see it.
All the best chefs that where on the show are gone now seems like they removed all the best and we get stuck with what is there now.
I think Tre could have taken it to the top if the judges would have been fair.
Ok we'll just see what happens.
Like someone said the best chefs I've seen on this show is from
season 1 at least they acted like grown up.

posted on September 8, 2007 at 12:29 PM

Cheri wrote:

Top Chef is doing something different this season - a change of producers, directors, editors, something?

It's terrible. It's like watching a behind the scenes game of tv politicing decision making without the clues to know what's going on, as though I'd even want to know. I watch the show to have a good-feeling, fun time. For the first time, I just saw the yacht party episode, and the energy at the judges table was awful...one smirking face, and attacking comment after another that didn't make continuous sense. It wasn't fun or feel good, it was unpleasant. I want to see the best person win each time. The drama is in the topic and you've (the show's) lost sight of that.

If you have the info in the clippings and need to edit differently, then do it. If you've switched to focusing on *creating* entertaintment by manipulating who stays, it's failing! ...which is what it *always* does when you try to create drama. That seemed to be the reason to keep Howie around. It was predicatable that all the quiet women when home early, since they were unlikely to be *entertaining*. Cliff's overall talent was too high to go home, and Dale wore jeans and didn't cook! I wanted to see more of Cliff's dishes! That is what feels good - seeing someone perform at a high level and produce something interesting and thoughtful. I don't watch the olympics to watch the kerrington's get hit in the knees. I watch for the drama of achievement. Then there was Howie's request to leave, which Mia was allowed to do. Joey's going home over Sara looked like he'd made inappropriate remarks behind the scenes like the one that was aired and the judges just needed an excuse to remove him - should have been clearer if that's the case. And at what point is a judge going to finally put Hung in his place with his arrogant comments?

Who was on the end of the table with short hair? Sounded like Gail, but didn't look like her. Not a good haircut on her - allows every subtle smirk and grimace to come through. Truly not the demire character of a judge.

I created a login account, just to let bravo know how it's coming across to at least me, and from the comments I see, I'm not alone in being baffled. ...And bored with the new arrogance at manipulating the whole thing.

I've got to agree too, with the commenter on the limited budget challenges. It's good for once or twice, but it's an easy out. Some of these should be about great food.

posted on September 8, 2007 at 8:23 PM

PeachPie wrote:

Gail, PLEASE, PLEASE come back on the show every episode.

Your point of view is sorely missed.

posted on September 9, 2007 at 10:14 AM

PeachPie wrote:

Oh...something I wanted to add. I've brought this up on every blog, and wanted to add it here.

Regarding Howie: I know it was time for him to go. Maybe past time. I'm not debating his being kicked off. BUT...

BUT.....A lot of viewers, myself included, are really angry that Howie was not allowed to resign.

Mia had her reasons, Otto had his. So did Howie. The reasons don't matter. What DOES matter is that prior contestants were allowed (do they NEED permission?) to leave and Howie was not.

That showed absolute inconsistency in judging. And the WAY in which it was handled by Padma was appalling.

As I've stated on other blogs.... most things on the show are subjective. A contestant wanting to quit when others have been able to is not.

And if any of the judges who were on panel come out with "we didn't think his reasons for wanting to quit were right", I'll go down fighting. It doesn't matter. If a contestant wants to quit, let them quit. Making Howie come back out just to send him packing was nothing less than mean spirited.

As another poster said, "This isn't Top Prisoner". NO chef should be denied the right to leave.

And in regard to the judges. I defended Padma since she came on. That is over. I agree with many of the posters that she seems to take a little too much enjoyment from her power to send chefs packing. Her disdain for Howie was evident.

As viewers, WE get to have opinions about the personalities. The judges should NOT. How many times have we heard "it's all about the food".

And I sure with Bravo would stop with the horrible guest judges. I'm over the stupid, rude, snide comments.

Good grief, come back!

posted on September 9, 2007 at 10:49 AM

FanFare wrote:

You astonish me with your remarks. The fact that you found Howie "articulate" is amazing. In ep 1, he "tawked" a good game. However, his food was merely halfway completed. Whenever he was on the losing end of a challenge, his bellicose behavior personified, "Might makes Right". How is that a good thing? You must be munching some magical mushrooms to find this man charismatic! The more major issue with H-bomb was his personal hygiene. I guess he thinks that salt is not enough when he needs to "sweat" the onions as he cooks them. It was disgusting to watch his DNA drop into his food. That aspect alone should have caused for his elimination. Please get your story straight. Brian's failings were identical to Tre's. The major difference was that Tre took on too much of the work, because his "sous chef" CJ was out to lunch making his own unservable repast.

posted on September 9, 2007 at 11:22 AM

E wrote:

The judging, not to mention constant product placement, is ruining this show. If there is to be a Top Chef 4, Bravo needs to get back to what the show is all about.

Totally agree with the comment about Padma getting off on telling people to pack their knives. "It's not your decision, its ours." If I was Howie, I would have just walked out of the room. What a joke.

posted on September 9, 2007 at 12:03 PM

betsy simek wrote:

As "rabid" watchers of TC, we too in this household are unamoured with this season. There is no clear favorite, no emotional investment in any of the chefs as in the previous 2 seasons. I wait to see who goes home, but I could care less who it is.

I, like many others feel the criteria for staying or not should be revamped. Aside from the quickfire, perhaps all eliminations should be blind, with the judges not knowing who made what until they've made their choices as to best and worst. Certainly more objective.

And I liked someone elses idea that score should be kept from week to week and whoever ends up with the lowest score each week goes home, very fair without consideration for favorites or personalities. It need not be an elaborate scoring system, Iron Chef uses a very simple scoring system with just 3 categories.

Overall, this season is just very disappointing when compared to the previous seasons. And, I don't agree with the constant assessment that these chefs are more talented than those from seasons 1 and 2.

posted on September 9, 2007 at 2:25 PM

robert baur wrote:

dear gail:
good to see you back a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dull and boring third season. food and cooking has been replaced by dull creations and commerical endorsements in everyother sentence. when a chef tries something unique , and its not a sucess they're is gone. mixed messages are being sent. hungs cuke & salmon while mundane i dought any of the fashion elite knew or cared what they were eating. i have been on both sides of parties like this and all you want to do is eat and drink as much as you can-as long as its free.
next padmas overt nastiness and her condensating manor toward the chefs doesn't help the cause. also what is her claim to culinary fame?
it seems to me some of the judjes this season aspire to be g. ramsay clones.
howie should have gone in the first eposide-i guess among all the shows sponsors some sort of kitchen timer product should be considered-it would have made some errors not happen-but i'm sure the producers like pitt bulls as much as controversy and forget this is a cooking show.
i never heard of m. schwartz but if he had called any product i made crap i would have pulled his chin wiskers out.
also, i think bourdain should replace chilicho dump padama for someone with a personality. and you keep up the good work.

posted on September 9, 2007 at 5:23 PM

Doris wrote:

Dear Howie: My husband and I are going to miss you. We like your personality, because you always saids what do you think and dont go apart to said.

Even we are from Puerto Rico we always see the show because of you. God help you in your good future.

posted on September 10, 2007 at 8:31 AM

Ferfer72 wrote:

Gail,

Why aren't you judging anymore? I am searching the website to find out why--with no mention of you--another judge suddenly showed up in the nightclub's parking lot. It's like you've been involved in a scandal or something!

posted on September 10, 2007 at 10:55 AM

penny wrote:

thank you Gail for seeing the good side of Howie. You are right he does have a way with words and I probably wouldn't have thought of that without you stating it. I am not happy with Tre being kicked off, but I do think he would have been kicked off anyway at some point. It is because he wasn't a leader. He gets along with people, and they respect him, but he by taking on too much he showed that he wasn't ready to be top chef.

I think Brian made some bad decisions in the grocery store, spur of the moment, but I don't think it is a big deal. He took a risk making a snap decision because that is what was called for at the time. Leaders do that and sometimes they do make the wrong decision. I am sure Chef Collichio has made mistakes with more than seconds to make them. And yet he considers himself to be a top chef. He should have told howie he couldn't have more money and made Howie deal with it by modifying what he was offering. I still don't think that one decision disqualifies him from being a leader.

Last, I think Moses is right when he wrote above that "The whole "here's 2 bucks, you have 5 minutes to blow our minds away and if you don't, you suck, and we'll put a beat-down on you on national TV" is really starting to wear thin." Please, judges, lets have a little more compassion and respect for these people. I would like to see the judges in a quickfire like this one and see what they come up with in 10 minutes on national tv. They obviously can all cook or they wouldn't be here. It is the nature of the challenges, the budget and time constraints, that really are putting a toll on the dishes that these contestants are coming out with.

posted on September 10, 2007 at 1:38 PM

Meredith Marinello wrote:

Dear Gail: I love seeing you on the show, but where are you lately? I really miss seeing you and hearing your comments. My husand (who is a sous chef) and I love watching Top Chef, and have been fans from the very first show. We hope that this show continues indefinitely! Love the cooking techniques, and guest chefs. We do have one question - when will we get to see Chef Tom get in there and start "mixing" it up?

Meredith Marinello

posted on September 10, 2007 at 1:42 PM

Miles Allen wrote:

Why does this season seem insipid in comparison to the two previous ones? The point of the limited budgets, people, is that in the real world, chefs are expected to be extremely frugal, because, lets face it, the failure rate is extremely high. I've watched Top Chef from the beginning, and if a higher grade of applicants isn't chosen, well, it's gonna jump the shark. Does anyone seriously believe that this group is in any way as talented as the last two seasons? True, drama requires some ridiculous quick fires, and it's a fact that if you can't think quickly, you're sunk, but it seems that some of the quickfires are simply missing the point. I'll tell you this for free, if I was personally responsible for the actions of a group, then by golly, I'd be certain that the food going out was excellent, or I would trash their dish, and let the judges table sort it out.

posted on September 11, 2007 at 1:49 AM

Gerry wrote:

I have really missed you. It's bad enough that the chefs are boring, but without you it's really sad. I hope next season get's better chefs and judging and tries to get back the quality of season one. I miss seeing as much cooking and watching the judges taste every quick fire dish as in the past

posted on September 11, 2007 at 2:01 PM

Zack wrote:

Yeah, controversy makes great television. It also makes me question the authenticity of this show. This is the first year I have watched it.

Does every competitor really have a chance at being the Top Chef?

Is it really about having the best chef win the Top Chef or is it about personality and confrontation, great television?

Was Tre sent home because he did such a poor job, or was it done to create more of a buzz for the show?

Was Howie kept around because he spoke his mind and didn't wear a headband and as a result grossed people out at home as they watched sweat drip into the food?

Is Casey going to win this competition even though she hasn't shown much of anything yet? I think if she does win, it will be controversial, given the mousse effort as well as the onion cutting effort. Also add into that, what I believe to be her complete lack of awareness of the problem her team had in the catering truck, burger and shake debacle, involving Sara. I would think that the Top Chef would have to be someone who is aware of everything that is going on around them at the time it happens. IMO, Casey has not shown that awareness at all.

Controversy isn't always good. It can cause a show to jump the shark. I don't know who will win this competition, but whoever does win, ought to be the Top Chef and not the Chef that makes for great television.

i like Casey. She seems like a nice person, but I don't think she is Top Chef material.

I don't like Hung at all, IMO he comes off as being arrogant. That being said, I would think Hung or Sara would be a much better choice for Top Chef.

posted on September 11, 2007 at 3:38 PM

David wrote:

Chefs comments - I do not understand the need for the judges to so incredibly harsh to the contestants. Aside from Tom (who week in and week out, is only only judge with any culinary sense) , no judge could be able to pull off the challenges these young chefs do, and on a boat at sea at that.
Like the old saying goes, "Those who can't cook - hate on those who can."

posted on September 11, 2007 at 4:20 PM

Tammy wrote:

I was very sad to see Howie go. He was my favorite and he was extremely talented as well. I really don't think anybody's food was that great for the last challenge including Hung's and I think he is the only one left that will go all the way. I think the eliomination challenge for this episode was a joke; if they gave you only $10 to come up with something great, you should at least have the whole market to shop in. Howie's canned fruit isle and Hung's cereal isle? Come on, how limited can you get? I am complete agreement with Howie to not put out something he was not proud of serving. I would rather be remembered for the great dishes I put out which is what people usually remember. Tre shouldn't have been eliminated either. He was one of the most talented chef's as well. I will miss Howie and if I am ever in the area he is working as a chef, I definitely will eat at his restaurant because I know his food will be fantastic!

posted on September 12, 2007 at 10:25 AM

Jim wrote:

Are people really questioning the credentials of the chefs on this season? I don't know about all the chefs, but:
Brian is the exec chef of Oceanaire in San Diego...voted one of the top restuarants there.
Casey is exec chef of Shinsei while Tre is exec chef of Abacus, two of the best in Dallas and perhaps Texas.
Sarah N. at one point worked at Per Se (this restaurant needs no introduction).
Joey is exec chef at Cafe de Artistes which is a very popular place in NY, as well has having previously worked at Jean Georges.
Lia is exec sous chef at Jean Georges.
Hung is exec sous chef at Guy Savoy. He also previously worked for Thomas Keller at Per Se. (count them...yes, that's TWO three-star Michelin chefs)

Okay, so Lia isn't good at Latin food. Joey and Hung aren't good at frozen bertoli-like dinners, Brian isn't good at 80-cent hors douvres. Well, all I have to say is SO WHAT? If I go to Cafe de Artistes, Jean Georges, Per Se, Guy Savoy, I'm not going there to eat food found only in aisle 5 of the supermarket, I'm not going there to eat frozen bertoli, I'm not going to a French restaurant to eat Latin food, and I'm definately not going there to eat 80-cent hors douvres that will cost me $30.

This is the problem I have with some elimination and quick fire challenges. The famous restaurants, the respected restaurants...they are ALL fine dining! And yet a lot of these challenges (even in past seasons), seem to almost come from left field. They test how diverse a chef is in things like pastry, vending machine food, cereal, spam...to name a few. Unfortunately, while one chef may be able to excel or atleast be above average in these things, when it comes to the restaurant menu, you aren't going to see any of this garbage on it. So what's the point of these other than to eliminate a skilled chef that failed in creating something ridiculous that would never be seen on a restaurant menu?

Oh, and for those people that don't know, these shows were taped a few months back, so don't think like it's new or it just happened! The finals, I believe will be/are to keep the surprise of who wins.

posted on September 12, 2007 at 12:48 PM

john wrote:

top chef has been one of my favorite shows since it first came on..this season however, especially once tre was let go, made me realize i am wasting my time watching it..the judges are getting more arrogant, some of the kitchen habits are disgusting to watch (happy to see howie go) and i am amazed how long this season is...will it ever end ?...i don't care who wins anymore..there are some talented chefs but the judging is becoming like other shows--inconsistent....honestly i do not eat out as much as i used to due to the fact so many chefs have bad habits in the kitchen...i would like to go to Tom Colicchio's restaurant just to be a pain in the ass and expect exceptional service...i would send back at least 2 dishes and never really eat anything..they might get pissed and spit in my food or something..also ask for water or iced tea so many times the server would get annoyed..i would just be testing to see how tom does it..then just leave and not pay the bill since basically i never ate anything...if i am ever in new york i will do that...so that is the lasting effect top chef has on me now..just plain cynical of the restaurant industry and the people that are part of it...i will cook at home instead...it is a shame..this show had great potential..still does but it needs to be fixed

posted on September 12, 2007 at 2:59 PM

PATTY B wrote:

I LOVE HOWIE TOO GAIL!! I THINK HE'S HAD SOME AMAZING DISHES,
HE SPEAKS LIKE IT IS, NO PHONEY BOLONIE THERE!
I THINK HE MADE ALOT OF THE OTHER CHEFS JEALOUS FROM THE
BEGINNING. I HAVE BEEN WITH THE SHOW SINCE THE BEGINNING,
SEASON 3 IS MY FAVORITE!!!
.

posted on September 12, 2007 at 5:31 PM

InasneAsylumChef wrote:

[i]As for the challenge itself, I do give our chefs a few bonus points.[/i]

Gail, I have to disagree. Once they ran out of food at the party they all failed. Presuming there wasn't any creative editing involved, the chefs shortly ran out of hors after Brian well intentioned but disastrous announcement that the food was ready to go.
They should know on average how many hors a person will eat, especially if it's the meal and not an appetizer and been better prepared. They do get kudos for changing from stationed hors to passed so they could slow down the pace but since we didn't get to see that part of the decision making process, I'm guessing that one of Bravo's production staff made that call.
having said that, I'm a fan of the show (although I've personally enjoyed the first season the most) and despite the numerous complaints I've been seeing about it's overall decline, I think there is still plenty of punch.

Thanks for letting me get my comment in.

posted on September 12, 2007 at 6:39 PM

hiclassfoodie wrote:

Why is Casey still on this show? She is terrible. I'm willing to boycott the show if she makes it to the finale. She should have gone home five episodes ago.

posted on September 12, 2007 at 7:41 PM

Roseba wrote:

What a bunch of sexists fools writing on this blog! Just because Casey is attractive doesn't mean she can't cook.

I've been watching the show all season but have not looked at the blog at all until today. I never imagined all the angst that would be written about Casey.

I happen to think she is one of the best chefs on the show.

In no particular order:

Tre
Hung
Casey

Dale and CJ a tie

The other chefs just had plain uneven showing. They may cook some things very well, but clearly are not versatile.

Sara does some nice dishes at times, and seems to be much improved over the early episodes. I'll give her that.

Howie is a one trick pony. He cooks what he knows and is not a good team player to boot.

Lia was uneven as well as was... the other chef that went home because of her bad sliders.

posted on September 13, 2007 at 3:59 PM

Cheri wrote:

I posted on Sept 8th and came back to mention... It's a weekend, I have the TV on in background...and I'm watching...NOT TOP CHEF. I noticed that now when I open the TV guide, I head away from the show with a whine that if I tune in it might be any one of the non-feel good episodes from this season.

Season 1 & 2 I didn't always agree/understand decisions or like contestent's antics. But it's a TV show, not meaningful in my life. The feel good of it's gone away for me. The judges tones and who's getting picked.

There's not a lot of non-violent entertaining adult shows on TV, so I appreciated having this available, and in reruns. So it's a loss for me.

What I've liked of all these bravo competions is that it seems to be good for the contestents, not a beat up like the reality shows. They leave with warmth over the time they've sent.

It's about top chef qualities of respectfullness towards others in the judges too!

Also, Tim Allen doesn't seem a good choice. No depth of warmth there.

posted on September 15, 2007 at 5:38 PM

Kris K wrote:

Hi Gail!

I am writing this late, looking forward to tonight's finale. I also enjoyed Howie, and think he is a good chef. Howie was turning into a good team player, and I think he had enough of the judge's comments. He was my favorite bulldog!

This episode was my least favorite, it seems like ALL the judges had PMS. The show was hostile and angry, in my opinion.

I wanted Sara, Hung, Dale and Howie to make it to the finals. I am SO glad that Dale and Hung did! I loved the Bad News Bears, and always root for the underdog.

I enjoyed reading your bio, I was wondering your credentials. I got a giggle from last week's competion w/ Eric Ripert and you discussing Casey's smoked tomato sauce. I agree that you can't win the competiton w/ just 1 componet of the meal. Glad you stuck to your guns. (OMG, E. Ripert is a fine looking man, don't ya agree?). :-)

Take care, I'll be looking for you tonight at the Finale. I ADORE Top Chef!

posted on October 3, 2007 at 4:39 PM