So, was this just a culture clash? I don't know. I think the judges would have allowed for a certain amount of crispines, but if they couldn't even bite into it, what fun is that? Whether you're familiar with a dish or not, good food is good food. And apparently Stefan's was not.
P.S. I'm always skeptical when a chef says they're making something from his/her childhood because it could be amazing and soulful or they may find out that they've been eating crap all these years. Let's just make things inspired by our childhoods, OK? Deal.
Josh shows his cards pretty quickly saying his scallop pasta -- a great idea! -- didn't set correctly, so he had to make scrambled eggs. Thankfully, the diners like it, and he's safe!
Sheldon stays pretty traditional, and his tempura is soft… again. Uh-oh. Also his ingredients aren't marrying well. They're not even dating. [Cue other weird judge convo.] On the plus side, Hugh could eat his kimchi all day. And Hugh knows his kimchi.
Lizzie has some troubles with the steamer and her cabbage doesn't cook enough, but her food's good. It's just messy and hard to eat.
Ultimately, it's between Sheldon and Stefan to go home. For the first time I felt like Sheldon really tried to BS the judges. He told them he was uninspired by the ingredients... the ones he chose. Nice try, Sheldon.
Luckily for Sheldon, the judges really didn't care for Stefan's dish, and he goes home to compete against his wifey in LCK. It's a good one! Watch HERE.
Until next week, Have a Nosh!
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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