Thank you so much for this blog! Information that I found here was very usefull for me=)

Thank you for this information! I used it for my diploma thesis =)

OK, a million comments in, I still want to say it - no, Alex's team did not break the rules. The rules do not say that one chef must produce entirely on their own a dish. The rules were, every chef must be responsible for one dish, but it was a team challenge. It is expected that the members of the team will work to produce the best menu they can - as a team. Alex was "responsible" for his dish - he decided what he wanted to serve, and did at least part of the work. If the team had let it fall, it would have been his own problem. But they performed as a team should, and supported what was quite obviously their weakest link. Can't stand him, never want to eat his cooking... but that doesn't change the fact that they did what they were supposed to do - they won, as a team. And no - no viewers, not a single one, watched Alex steal the Pea Puree, and Ed didn't say that he had, even though many people thought it was the case, because he didn't see it happen either. Alex lied, blatantly, when he claimed he didn't know Ed made a pea puree... but that's not the same as being caught in a theft.

No worries Tom, I'm a referee and this stuff happens to me all the time :-)
It's amazing how blinded we can become when as fans we feel so invested in the results. Competitors seal their own fate in their performance. Though I was shocked to see Kenny go, his downfall was coming for a few episodes. Kenny's talk seemed to be the biggest part of his game that was brought.

Then why even make it a requirement that each person had to cook one dish?

Next season can we please focus on the food and not the drama? Whoever is editing the show is not doing a good job this time around. The show is completely glossing over the food. Last season I learned so much about the food, the processes, the inspiration behind the food and why the contestants made the choices they made. This season it's a damn popularity contest. They gloss over the food so quickly I can even read the entire entree. Cheftestants: I am less concerned about your likes and dislikes and how you get along with your fellow chefs and more concerned about how you translate on the plate.

Thanks Tom,
I missed that show. I am glad to hear what happened. I had to check online to find out what happened becuase I was so disapointed. I look forword to seeing that episode. I had hi hopes for Kenny, but he looked like he was pooting out the last few episodes. Thats his fault. He lost focus. I had hi hopes of seeing a great chef cook this season.

Alex is the hard one, the producers made it appear that Alex had lifted that pea gravy...LOL... It never showed what really happened. They show the shots they want us to see. Personal I thought he lifted it.

As far as Team chalanges go, this is Top Chef, not Top Chefs or Restaurant Wars or Head Chef. I agree with Toms recomendation on the team challenge. The producers need to get their head out of the sausage casing. I just saw another episode with a team chalange were another chef has to relinquish control of his food to another cheif in order to complete the chalange. Baseball food? What happened to top chef not top Rotisseur. Maybe they could do a Chef de Partie were everyone would have the same odds instead of a team chalenge.

Personally I didn't buy Kenny's PR routine. Yes he was a strong compeditor in the begining, but then he slid to the middle and stayed there. As for the whole pea puree drama, maybe Ed left it in the fridge or under the table. Either way yes Alex won, but Ed was in the top three. Basically horrible food will get you eliminated, and the challenge is to make excellent food with what your given. Those who rise to the challenge will succeed.

I don't know why a chef is put in the front of the house. First they have to trust others to present their dish if a good way. This is not fair if their teammates spend more time on their own and not on the person up front. Also, just because you're a good chef does not mean you're good in the front of the house. The sad thing is the person in the front of the house not only gets judged on their dish but their presence in the front of the house. They should have someone that is experienced in this area do both restaurants.
Thanks for clearing up the pea puree question.
I do enjoy the show and was thrilled when it was moved to 9 pm since it is hard to stay up when I have to get up early to go to work. Love all the judges!!!!!

I am currently in culinary arts school and I am a fan of Top Chef I have no problems with Kenny being sent home no I dont agree that it was fair for Alex not to cook anything but that is what his team decided and it was a team competition therefore they actually had more work to do and proved they deserved the win even more because they not only made sure there dish was good they made sure Alex's dish was tasty as well, and I ask myself and the doubters isnt that what a team is suppose to do maybe if kenny had done the same andmade sure everyones dishes were great then they would have won personally i've been over kenny for a while he thinks hes a way better chef then he is and always blames his defeat on jealousy instead of trying to pinpoint why he was failing short and Tom I commend you for writing a honest rresponse and not just what people want to hear this is a cooking show and its based on cooking leave your feelings at the door and if kenny going home or toms blog offends you oh well there are plenty more eduacated fans where that comes from keep up the great work your show inspires and educates me
love dearly Jasmin P

Ok, Alex's team won but THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW THE RULES!

I, for example, don't know how to cook but lets pretend that I become one of the new participants of the next season. Can I just hire a professional chef and bring him along to cook all the dishes for me while I take all the credit?!

Of course not, because I wouldn't be following the rules, right? It doesn't matter if the food is good. Yet, apparently you don't care about that.

I feel like Viewers are entitled to their opinions, and while the judges may certainly have their own (and are clearly qualified to have them) being snarky to the audience doesn't help you Tom.

Hi Tom,

I think people are responding to a lot of things that aren't your fault, and you make that clear here. Namely if Alex didn't steal the peas that was some pretty intense character assassination... I hope he manages to recover emotionally from millions of random people hating on him due to some nasty editing. But that obviously wasn't your call. The same thing happened with Kenny... all that editing about the risks of being the leader, etc., and no clear explanation about the way elimination works.

I hope you and Padma and crew can keep making decisions based on the food so this program doesn't become as annoying as other reality-based TV shows that are in no way convincingly "reality" at all. The show is vulnerable because we all can't, of course, taste the food, so we have to trust you to keep fighting the good fight on that front. I'm sure you must be furious at the way the program is edited, and I'm glad you have the blog to clarify what the real deal is. Maybe you guys should refuse to resign until they agree to give you some creative control.

Thank you, Chef. I appreciate your style of writing and that you do it at all! It's a huge complement to the show and I love it!!!

thank you also for pointing out the impartiality of the judges. No reason for you to know or care what goes on in the kitchen, it's about what's on the plate. Not sure why people aren't understanding that.

Weird how some of these fans get so ... invested in a chef or invested in a campaign against a chef. I figure Ed left his pea puree behind and am surprised it's still coming up!

I appreciate your insight and judging explanations. I would love more extended judges table clips as there is always much more than we know about.

I hope Top Chef goes for many more years. It's a great formula and sometimes it makes me think that maybe you should do one for amateurs! I'd love to play.

Tom, enjoy the show and think you all got it right. Kenny talked a good game but it appears his cooking wasn't at the same level. I enjoy the show!
I at first thought the 2 front runners were Angelo and kenny. I now think Tiffany and Ed are the strongest. Keep up the great show!

And let me repeat, just in case I wasn't clearer the first time.

Never watching this show again.
Never watching this show again,
etc.

Wow, way to treat your viewers, Tom.

Tom, you've missed the point. Alex did not make a pea puree, nor did he "prepare" a dish for restaurant wars. The critical point here is the integrity of Top Chef is forever compromised. There was stealing (by Alex), cheating and lying (the winning restaurant team knew they cheated and lyed by omission). My group will no longer watch Top Chef. What you, the other judges and producers allowed to happen is unforgivable.

I think some of the viewers are being too hard on you Tom. Do the producers read the comments? If so, maybe they'll make some changes to the way Restaurant Wars is done. It is my least favorite challenge and I'm glad they did away with the whole decorating thing. Now they need to do away with the front of the house thing too. Let the food and teamwork do the talking.

My husband and I faithfully watch Top Chef and Top Chef Masters. I am so glad to read your blog and to find judges have the right to make the elimination decision over what the producers would decide was 'better TV'. As fans how could we decide any of Kenny's dishes were better than other dishes and how could the producers?

I also agree with you that Restaurant Wars should be fronted by known professional front of the house personnel (these people do a much needed function that a good restaurant cannot succeed without-let's applaud them as well!).

I also was very much impressed the chefs did not have to spend time designing the front of the house by shopping for design pieces, painting, etc. (unless this was another editing we viewers did not see). Nice change and good use of resources!

Best in Life,
PHC

Thank you Chef Colicchio for this blog post...I chuckled at your comment regarding Kenny's one man campaign...I'm so glad to see that you and the rest of the judges decision was based solely on performance and not ratings...I love this show...and you are my favorite judge!!

response to EJP:
Rahdika was not eliminated for being front of the house, she was eliminated because she was not a good leader.
Just to clear that up.
(ps- Carla should have gone home that episode. Just saying.)

Tom,

Thanks for clearing that whole Kenny misunderstanding up. I liked Kenny as a viewer, but if his food isn't up to par, so be it. I'm so glad you guys judge on the actual food presented instead of all the other nonsense that comes up. It's good to see consistency.

I've been watching for years, and love the way things heat up towards the end of the season. Some are better than others, but hey, that's the way it goes.

You seem to really have it in for Kenny. Did he personally offend u or something? Does his confidence make you uncomfortable? You're annoying as a judge...being rude doesn't make your opinion any more right than someone who is more tactful. Plus, your sarcasm is a little immature...people have a right to feel however they want about Alex not going home and Kenny being eliminated. Kenny is a great chef and I think ppl are just tired of seing sub-par chefs make it to the end based on technicalities.

What I HATE about this season is the political spin. Is this a cooking show or what?!

I'm fine with Kenny (or anyone) going...at any time. Kenny talked a lot about his skills, but I wasn't there tasting the food. My feelings are: You better 'bring it, every time' to be TOP CHEF. It's not 'KInda Good Chef.' Ultimately it's about the food, that day. I'm still watching Tom, it's still a lot of fun.

Oh, and yes, you are....

I hope in the season finale you're nicer to the runner up than you were last season. I wish you hadn't made the whole season finale about the brothers.

You are the absolute best. And if I wasn't clear, let me say
You are the absolute best. :)

You are by far my favorite judge on this wonderful show. You are tough but fair, my favorite kind of boss. I would work with you any day! Thank you for bringing this to the show. Oh, and when you DO smile, it's amazing.

You mentioned you don't like it that they take two of the chefs for the front of the house during Restaurant Wars, and I agree. I suggest you bring back the winners from past seasons, or even a surprise Food Network Star to man the front of the house, and then give their two cents worth. :) Just a suggestion.

Keep up the amazing work...can't wait till Wednesday.
Rocky

Hey Tom,
I rarely respond to blogs, but I just could not resist. I have watched each and every season of Top Chef, and I was very disappointed when to Kenny was told pack his knives and go. However I feel, in all honesty, that Kenny wanted to be the leader, felt he could be the leader, but at the same time was focused on no one but Kenny. Which is the beginning of the end in trying to lead anything. Because of this, I felt that Kenny's team was doomed from the beginning. What he failed to realized is enormous responsibility of taking on the role of "leader." When things go well, you are the hero, the best thing, all that. However when you fail, you are the one the spotlight shines on, because you promised, or at the very least, alleges that they can lead a group of people from point A to point B and you failed. Period.

Hello Tom,
I very rarely respond to blogs, but this time I just could not resist. I was one of those fans, that was hugely disappointed when Kenny was told to pack his knives and go. I felt that he was an extremly talented chef, and deserved to stay, on one hand. On another, I do realize, coming a an environment where I am in a leadership role, that taking on that role as "leader" can bring with it, a vast array of experiences, both of the good and bad variety. What one must realize when taking on that role, is that for this day, this time, I place the spotlight on me. I say I have the ability to bring this group, this thing, what have you from point A to point B. When you achieve everyone cheers, and you are the best. When you fail, you have to also shoulder and accept that you are the fundamental reason for the failure, because you failed to do what you took on to do. Lead. As a leader you must get those you are leading, to the described or allocated point, whether willing or unwilling, and I don't mean with an iron fist or closed mind, but willing to push hard when necessary, or fall back and nuture if that is what is called for. Leadership is a balancing act, and a position that can become quite tedious. I felt Kenny wanted to "be in the lead, not be a leader" And you can be a leader by concentrating on what is best for you, as opposed to what is good for the team in the long run. Having said that, resturant wars wad doomed from the beginning with Kenny's team.

First, I apologize for adding another comment. It does seem like you're getting hammered this season, but the explanations do not seem as clear as in the past.

I don't think Alex should have been eliminated in this round, but I don't think Kenny should have been eliminated either - I was hoping Amanda would go home.

I understand the single night rule, but at some point it might make sense to think of chefs as restaurants you visit every week. We all know restaurants which are normally good, but have an off night for whatever reason. I think at some point it's sensible to recognize that Amanda might be having more off nights than Kenny.

I also confess that I am not a fan of Restaurant Wars. The fact that Alex was automatically "saved" without much food prep or that Radika was eliminated in a previous season for inferior hosting is sort of crazy. It probably happens in the real world, but in the meantime, Alex never got a chance to redeem himself in that challenge.

Thanks Tom! I realized why restaurant wars went down the way it did, even during the episode they mentioned the head chef of the losing team often goes home. But some viewers seem to forget.

Also thanks for clearing up the pea incident. Given the false drama created by your editors, I tried to reserve doubts about what happened. In this case it really makes me angry, since it's a person's reputation they are playing games with. Potential business partners watch this show and get impressions about people. It's one thing if you make yourself look bad, another when it's the editors that do. I'm sure there was tape of him blancing and pureeing the peas somewhere in all the film they shoot, but they probably decided it wasn't dramatic enough. This is the first time I feel upset with the editors and hope you follow up with how far is too far.

Tom - thanks for clearing that all up. We don't get to taste the food when we're watching so we have to rely on the judges to make the correct decision - and I for one, was soooo tired of Kenny's alpha male crap and harping on what he has done that I was glad to see him go. And sending Angelo with him wouldn't have upset me either. This is not my favorite season of Top Chef, and I am hoping that it gets better and that the next season is of the quality of past seasons.

Okay, I didn't see this blog before I commented on the pea episode. Glad to hear we know that there were witnesses to Alex's pea pureeing.

I agreed whole heartedly with Tom. Kenny deserved to go home because he made bad dishes. Also, throughout the show, he has never taken responsibility for his losses. Always, it's somebody else's fault, or people are strategically trying to oust him. Every single time that he has been on the bottom, he tries to deflect his failures onto someone else. His massive ego blinded him to the fact that he does make mistakes, as everyone does. Kenny should learn from his mistakes instead of believing in the delusion that his food is always good.

Yeah I'm sad Kenny went home. I do agree he was the most obvious option for elimination. Its sad cos he's a better cook than a lot of the guys there but he had a bad night and that was that. That said this is the most boring top chef to date. I mean restaurant wars is the highlight of the season for me but I don't even understand how that episode was restaurant wars, it was worse than some of the other elimination challenges. At this point I don't even care who wins....

Here is what I feel is a very simple way of making sure show stays unbiased and there are no favorites.

Don't bring the food to the judges with the chef's name with it, use a number or letter with each dish. That way, the judges can say things like "I like number 2, but I hated number 12" or "number 5 needs more seasoning," etc. The chef could still describe his or her dish to the cameras, but it could go to the table with a written description or a neutral party describing it.

I've always hated that the judges know who cooked each meal, because if they had a favorite (wink wink), and the food was horrible, they may still let him or her pass. And if a chef argues or says something he or she shouldn't to a judge(s), don't you think they would be more likely to look at that chef's dish and pick it apart until they could get rid of him or her?

I know the judges on this show say they would never do such a thing, but come on, we're all human and some people may rub us the wrong way more than others.

Think about it.

I forgot to add...I am strongly pulling for Tiffany (not to take anything away from the others). I can almost taste some of her dishes just from looking at them and hearing the discussion about them. She has a huge and wonderful personality and I know she is an excellent chef. I wish her all the happiness in the world....Bravo, Texan!

Tom...thank you and I totally get it and actually got it while it was happening. It was ludicrous for Kenny or anyone on the losing team to suggest that a member of the winning team should go home...please. I wanted to give him a good slap and just tell him to grow up and start taking responsibility. It was ridiculous and made him look desperate and small. He knew he was the most likely to be told to pack it in and go home and he was reaching for any way to stay. You have a great show for the viewers to enjoy...and to top it all, you all offer ways for people to learn how to cook or become better at cooking. I know it has helped this household and we appreciate it. We have learned so much about food from around the world and have gained a new appreciation for many regions and their food. Can't wait to hear the group talk about the "Peagate" episode at the reunion...should be entertaining if not informative!

A note to NoLongerWatching....I think that's the best solution for you if you insist on taking all of this as a personal afront. You might be happier just not watching or spending your time complaining. Cheers....

I hope that Tom does not decide all this nonsense makes Top Chef 9 not worth it. This is my favorite show and there are always going to be chefs that are arrogant. There are always going to be chefs that come out strong and appear to be the winner from the first challenge, only to find themselves in front of the poorest dish and sent packing. This season it is hard to really have a favorite. In the first 3 seasons, there were so many that seemed capable of winning and it was sad to see them go. Kenny and Angelo are arrogant, and they can cook. But, they stand an equal chance of going home if theirs is the worst dish in any episode. Tom, Padma and Gail are awesome and I hope they keep this series going--in spite of all the nonsense. There are so many more serious things to get this worked up over.

Just confused as to how the judges can make it a point to specifically remark that Tiffany's fish was salty in one instance, but bend over backwards to praise her? I was thrown and confused. Also, what is the point of stating the rules for restuarant wars if they can be thrown out or minimized after. What happened to customer feedback of the restaurants and food. This would give a better picture of which restaurant succeeded in meeting their customers expectations. If not it just should be teams cooking for the judges and leave out the restauranted. I don't want to be unfair to Angelo, but I believe he has been the judges Binky and if that changes it is only because they are feeling the heat of viewer feedback. Will the tapes/video ever be reviewed to see if Alex stole the Pea Puree? And if the truth is discovered, either yea or nay, will the viewers receive an update?