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Top Chef All-Stars: Who's the Baddest of the Best?
The chefs weigh in on who's the biggest bad-ass in the kitchen.
September 23, 2010
They're 18 of the boldest, brightest, and best culinary minds in the country. But who's the baddest?
It's an arbitrary and unwinnable argument, but those are the best kind, so we asked the newly revealed cast of Top Chef All-Stars this simple question: Who is the biggest bad-ass in the kitchen?
"Jen Carroll. She's a tough little bitch," Mike Isabella told us. He wasn't alone. Jen racked up more votes for the honor of ultimate kitchen bad-ass than all of the other cheftestants, except for one. A handful of All-Stars drifted in her wake grabbing at least one vote, including Mike, Tiffani Faison, and Marcel Vigneron, who in turn threw his vote behind Tre Wilcox. "The guy is a beast," Marcel says. Well, Tre's definitely remained a beast in the gym since our time with him in Miami (seriously, wait until you see him this season), but the baddest kitchen beast of them all, at least according to most of the residents of the All-Star abode is...
"Richard Blais. He just is," Tre said. His housemates seemed to agree, as Richard edged out Jen in our bad-ass ballot. "He's a thoughtful, creative and talented chef," Carla added, throwing her support behind Richard's bad-assedness.
Of course, when you're working at an All-Star level, there's a thin margin between first and last. As Tiffani told us, "All of us as a group... pretty bad ass, yo!."
Fair enough. We'll find out when the All-Star bad assery commences December 1. But what do you think? Which Top Chef All-Star is the biggest bad-ass in the kitchen? In case you missed the announcement, here's your All-Star lineup:
Elia Aboumrad
Stephen Asprinio
Richard Blais
Jennifer Carroll
Tiffany Derry
Tiffani Faison
Carla Hall
Mike Isabella
Jamie Lauren
Dale Levitski
Antonia Lofaso
Spike Mendelsohn
Angelo Sosa
Dale Talde
Casey Thompson
Marcel Vigneron
Fabio Viviani
Tre Wilcox
1. Jennifer Carroll
2. Richard Blais
3. Dale Levitski
4. Tre Wilcox
5. Angelo Sosa
6. Marcel Vigneron
7. Tiffany Derry
8. Mike Isabella
9. Tiffany Faison
10. Jamie Lauren
11. Dale Talde
12. Fabio Viviani
13. Antonia Lofaso
14. Carla Hall
15. Casey Thompson
16. Elia Aboumrad
17. Stephen Asprinio
18. Spike shouldn't even be on this list. Really terrible cook.
I need to tip my hat to Carla. When you first graced my presence in the fifth episode. I saw a coy, deer in the headlights cook. As time went on I noticed that shell chip away after every challenge. Your natural sweetness as a person shined through this 52" flat screen, and I'm sure every other viewers hearts and pallets. Miss Carla you are a beast in every since of the word in that kitchen. You might not be the most original of the bunch but you are the most graceful and loving of those all stars. So, cuddos to you and that little piece of love you seem to give your dishes.
WE WANT SAM!! WE WANT SAM!!!!
MARCEL VIGNERON, hands down. Throw down your skillz, bwah!
The cast is great, but the important question is: Where is Stefan?
These are my rankings for the Badass of the All-Star Kitchen
1. Richard Blais
2. Jennifer Carroll
3. Marcel Vigneron
4. Tiffany Faison
5. Angelo Sosa
6. Tre Wilcox
7. Dale Talde
8. Mike Isabella
9. Tiffany Derry
10. Elia Aboumrad
11. Stephen Asprinio
12. Casey Thompson
13. Fabio Viviani
14. Jamie Lauren
15. Spike Mendelsohn
16. Dale Levitski
17. Carla Hall
18. Antonia Lofaso
Who comprised this list? I could understand if fan faves or finalists of the top 4 were included. Spite, er - Spike was in the bottom 7 times and ended up 5th in his season. Jamie & Mike came in 6th in their respective seasons! Tre and Dale departed from their poor "RW" performances. These cooks are deemed "All Stars" material? It will be fun to watch either Tiffany wipe up the floor with these losers.
I'm so excited about this. I've been wanting them to do this for some time.
As to who was chosen, it's possible that offers where extended to various people and maybe some declined.
Umm....what happened to Sam Talbot? Kevin Gillespie? By far, two of the most talented guys of the series.
Do we really have to see Spike again???
Can`t stand him he is one of the biggest Jerks ever u had on Top Chef.
I would have liked to see Sam Talbot competing, although I imagine he was asked...
I predict Blias and Marcel in the final, with someone from the following group:
Fabio, Jennifer, Tiffany, Angelo
or longshots: Mike, Elia
I also feel some behind the scenes politicking goes on in this show so I could also see Carla in the final as well, although I was thoroughly unimpressed with her season performance where she was terrible then magically became wonderful. That feat was theoretically possible, but I suspect some engineering of the results. Just my opinion, but if you think the whole truth is always known or shown...
Im excited to see Jen in the All-Stars. I was rooting for her in Season 6. I am also excited to watch Carla, she was one of my favorites. But where is Stephan and Sam? I would of like to see them in there as well. Good line up can't wait till December!
Love the fact that Top Chef is finally doing an "All-Star" edition, even though I know Tom Colicchio wasn't necessarily fond of it. However, there's some good and bad to the set-up...
The GOOD is the fact that Anthony Bourdain ("Mr. Personality") is finally getting a shot at being a regular judge on TC. I've often thought that there should be a "good cop, bad cop" kind of routine in judging the chefs, although not as harshly as, say, a certain Fox TV chef criticizes his cheftestants. In my eyes, Bourdain is the one that really stands out-he's not a "bad guy," but just don't give him a reason to pick you apart, as he does (as CJ found out about the broccolini in TC:Miami and Dale about his overworking in TC:Chicago). He's the perfect foil to Padma and Tom, and a good person to rotate with Gail (since she's busy with TC, TC:Just Deserts, and season three of TCMasters). Top Chef IS a good show, but it just needs some "fire" added to it.
The BAD is, there's still at least a few individuals I WISHED had been considered to come back-Arianne from Season 5 (whom I felt had been thrown under the bus) and Kenny (YES, Angelo, HIM), who also left way too soon. If the contestant count HAD been left to me, I would have made it 20 players, not 18-with the final two spots given to Lee Ann Wong (from season 1-I know she worked as an advisor to Tom and TC for a while, but she's good) and my admitted new fave, Season 6 finalist Kevin Gillespie (like Blais, I think he really deserved a second shot to go against (err) nitwits such as Spike, Tiffany Faison, Lisa, and Angelo-I am glad to see both Dales, Blais, and Fabio, tho).
All told, it'll be interesting to see which of these folks do make it back to the Final Three, if they hadn't already, and who gets burned. As one contestant so put it in Season Four, "let the flames begin"-again!
Exactly how were the all-stars chosen? It seems to me there are more than a few finalists missing.
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