Hello, my little butterfly hair combs. (A Titanic reference seems appropriate.)
Doesn't it feel good to dodge a bullet sometimes?
No -- it doesn't feel good.
This little exchange between Josh and Brooke at the top of the show really stuck with me for some reason, but I'm also weird, so, y'know, whatever. Speaking of dodging bullets... Josie and Kristen battled it out in Last Chance Kitchen, and Kristen won. Please -- your applause is deafening. So, Kristen has now won two weeks in a row. And CJ is still alive in our Save a Chef vote. Things are getting interesting, everyone.
Back in the television screen, Padma and Tom invade the Stew Room to tell the chefs to pack their bags -- they're heading to Alaska! On a cruise! Everyone's psyched except Brooke, who apparently hates boats. This is where I tell you that I love cruises! I'm basing this off the one cruise I took on Spring Break with my best girlfriends senior year of college, but was maybe the most relaxing time I've ever had. I had a mild flirtation with a server, Piter (no idea how he spelled his name, but that is how he pronounced it.) But Piter got sick the last night, and so I never got to properly say goodbye. Piter, if you're reading this, you left quite an impression on me! Sigh.
Anwyaaay, I've heard Alaskan cruises are beautiful, so needless to say, I'm very jealous of our chefs. But then again, I don't have to cook things on national television, so I guess it's a trade-off.
P.S. Did anyone notice Stefan's odd look of relief when Padma announced that the chefs' final destination was Alaska. We'll call it his "salmon face." Raw fish at every dock! Think of the possibilities.
Stefan is packing his camping pants. Camping pants. Camping. Pants.
Also! We learn that Stefan's mom tricked him into joining the army, which is one of the most odd and awesome stories we've ever heard on Top Chef. Stefan's ready for another booze cruise. He's ready to put his party pants on, which I think implies no pants at all, but that's just speculation.
It's interesting how we have been told time and time again that the judging isn't cumulative - it is based on the dish presented for the particular challenge - yet the judges have been referencing past dishes (successes and failures) more and more with each episode. Why bring up Stefan's cordon bleu? Secondly, I'm becoming more and more disturbed with Padma's "mean streak" as it's being named. She hosts the show, yet I see more and more of her personality shine through and influence decisions (which isn't a good thing). Did you hear her ask Hugh, "So is THAT who you think should go home?" Almost as if she were challenging him. I'm definitely not enjoying Padma at all this year and tend to brace myself for whatever snottiness may come out of her mouth during each clip. Kind of reminds me of Stefan as a front of the house man. Padma should remember that her role is to "host" the viewers, not turn them off. If she's going to be an Anthony Bourdain type judge, then maybe they should get another host.
shinyfirefly893 I agree. It seems like Sheldon really botched his dish in both technique and concept whereas Stefan messed up mainly in technique. I think the judges kept Sheldon because overall he's been awesome all season... and I'm ok with that! I just wish they would be consistent with taking into account past performances and failures. It really just makes more sense in terms of fair judging. Not to mention that would have saved Kristen!
Stefan the Padma fan stays...
Here's my comment in regards to this show and keeping it fresh: I would suggest you take a page from the newest cooking show and do blind tastings of the chef's offerings.
It has become hard to tell who is sticking around based on personalities and how much certain judges favor them, and who remains because their food is truly wonderful.
Do it blind, and if a judge spends time in the kitchen and knows who is doing what, keep them off the panel for that judging.
Josh comes off as a bit sexist at times & I think he is showing resentment at Brooke's success. His crap about men not getting manis was rude and unnecessary. He's been a bit of a blowhard at times, too. He isn't all that and a bag of chips.
I think Sheldon just had one of those "freeze-up and draw a blank" moments in this challenge, like Brooke had in the fried chicken challenge. He's lucky all his good work up until now wasn't wasted by getting himself eliminated. I would like to see Kristin & Brooke definitely in the final with any combination of Sheldon, C.J., and Lizzie. It would be great if all the women ended up on the top.
BTW-My first cruise was in the early 80s, before the ships got so HUGE and we had a blonde waiter from northern Italy named Sergio.... Being 4 single women on a ship of older people & families made for some fun with an international crew, let me tell you...
TChefAddict2012 I think Josh is playing a part to a degree. He's posturing as the Oklahoma cowboy who has no truck with highfalutin' cuisine, but I think it's all for the cameras. After all, Mr. Macho knew what French tips were.
I am not sure where else to leave this comment, but I wish while in Alaska the contestants could have done perhaps a quick-fire challenge using an ulu!
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