Folks, seriously. Which would you rather watch, a competition with the winner known to everyone in advance or one with twists, turns, and sudden drops? I liked Kenny a lot too, but he made bad food. Some good chefs have lost it on Top Chef before and some seemingly bad ones have gone on a lot further than anyone would have thought.

Producers, seriously. I couldn't have cared less about the rivalry between Angelo and Kenny.

Keep it up, Tom! As for me, I'll keep watching.

I disagree I think the judges made the right decision. To be honest I think Kenny was a legend in his own mind. The two dishes Kenny put out were not good. I think that actually shows the integrity of the judges and what they really think of the food. The Red Team put out better food they deserved to win bottom line..........

Chef, have you ever thought about the idea of blind judging ie. tasting the food and picking the top/bottom dishes without knowing which chef cooked it? It would add a new level of integrity to the show, but I'm sure it wouldn't be as easy to do as it seems...

Chef,

The problem is that the panel Judge's on the food only, but we viewers Judge on our perception of competence based upon, in large measure, what the editors chose to show us of the footage they take. Maybe if we viewers were to taste the food, and were told that is all we could use to judge, we would agree with the Judges. However, I can tell you that I, based upon what I have seen, with the eye of someone who has worked in a few top kitchens, see a clear disconnect between the kitchen and the plate for the first time.

I hope this all shakes out better in the end.

I guess we are all too "pedestrian" to understand elimination rules properly. I hate it when TC judges use that word!! LOL

Tom, it's really great to hear from your perspective. I think you really had it right in "Kenny's one man PR campaign". He's the self-proclaimed "beast in the kitchen". However, looking at his dishes through the current episode only reveals that he's inconsistent at best. And he keeps making the same mistake of putting too many ingredients on the plate. Translation: he does not learn from his mistakes. While I am not really a fan of Alex, the way the pea puree episode was edited really seems unfair to him. Regardless of what he did (in this case what he did not do), shouldn't we give anyone the benefit of the doubt until proven guilty?

I completely agree, Don Stone. I wouldn't mind if Kenny got sent packing for bad food in any challenge. I think if the Blue Team took the same route and had Amanda do nothing and have a poor front of the house service, it may have been different but that of course is not a very noble approach to the competition which is why I think a lot of people are upset. And to get away with doing something like that on a show where we hold chefs on a higher pedestal than say that of other cooking shows like Hells Kitchen is ridiculous. Angelo is out to play this like Survivor instead of just letting his cooking do all the talking and the producers are loving that aspect. For some reason the producers are playing their loyal viewers and we don't need to be played and the judges are wiping their hands of any and all controversy, coming up with very flimsy and often times contradictory excuses. For Tom to be slightly annoyed by the outcry here is way outta line. This is what the producers were craving for. Us to debate like crazy and create a more watercooler stir. Maybe Tom is taking a lot of the heat but then again he's offering up all the excuses, Gail as well. Eric Ripert's blog is a bit more skeptical but at least he doesn't make excuses. I was surprised that Eli took the company kiss-ass approach but there are some glaring problems with these competitions obviously, or at least with Restaurant Wars. They need to have some accountability in the kitchen. This isn't Thunderdome. There are rules; granted they are often stretched and broken. It's really not that hard and if you're giving away 10 grand here and there on challenges, I think you can afford to put an extra camera or supervising chef in the kitchen to catch someone doing something unjust in the kitchen or doing nothing at all and have them be one of the judges. This would save Tom from annoying and intimidating the chefs while they cook, giving them the raised eyebrow look like he thinks they're nuts, having them second guess their dish and mess up. This is the issue. We don't want excuses. As David Mamet once wrote, "your excuses are your own!". How about some reponsibility, some accountability and we can have at least some integrity in what many have found to be a prominent cooking contest.

DWDillon: It wasn't Restaurant Wars! Mike Isabella was up for both best and worst dishes during the Thunderbirds challenge, which if you recall was a buffet style serving and he paired up with one of the Voltaggio brothers on a great dish (mostly due to the Voltaggio input) and prepared yet another lousy dish all on his own. That is a COMPLETELY different situation than Restaurant Wars. And I remember the Chefs telling Isabella that he didn't have to make another dish but, having done so, he was on the hook for it! Honk ... sorry, Charlie, no ceegar! Kenny is still the rightful loser for his "disgusting" cheese dish, overworked salad and bad executive chefing ... GOOD leadership is supposed to lead to Victory, not defeat!

You don't have a clue what you're talking about ...

I am happy Kenny was shown the door. His arrogance was unbelievable and unmerited. Just plainly not as good a chef as he thought he was.

I was pretty shocked Kenny went home because I really liked Kenny but then again he hasn't exaclty won any quick fire challenges or eliminiation challenges since the beginning of the show. His problem was creating dishes that had way too many components and apparently they didn't work. Kenny might have been a excellent executive chef running the kitchen but they only produced one good dish the judges liked. Alex needs to go home and is skating on thin ice. He is hysterical to watch..I love how he stole the pea puree, won the challenge because of that key component and got away with it all. I won't be surprised if he goes home tonight and as far as Amanda goes she's been pretty consistent with her cooking and I think just had a bad night.

First, I love Tom more than Carla. Second, there have been previous years where on the losing restaurant war team a person did minimal amount of work to a dish that was "their" dish. Also, on the winning side as well. That was not shocking to me. I sort of wish that they add in the servers opinion on the front end for future restaurant wars. I agree that servers are incredibly important to the overall restaurant, Alex should have been sent home more for that display of jerkiness than anything.

If you have watched the show for a few years, this whole "how much did Alex do for a dish" would not be that big of a deal. Unless you are watching the show for drama, you may want to tune in to the Real Housewives to satisfy that and watch top Chef for cooking, because Kenny's food stunk for that competition, and that's about it.

I have been watching Top Chef since the first season, and will continue to watch until the last! I was done with Kenny a couple of episodes ago. Stop making "duos" of dishes. Just make one good dish, then you can work on pairing. The judges made the right decision. Kenny's time was up. As for Alex and the pea puree... One of my favorite sayings is "The truth does not need to be defended." Right on, Alex.

Thanks to you, Tom, and the rest of the judges for sticking to the same set of rules for so many years. Last week's elimination was not a surprise to me. It shouldn't be to anyone who has been watching this show for more than two seadsons.

Timbercreek, I couldn't say it any more eloquently than you did. I second your comments entirely.

Oh, I forgot to comment on Kenny going home - I have no problem with it. The judges really didn't like his food, that's two dishes, so it doesn't seem that far off to me. It wasn't clear to me that the two teams were that far apart, so I would like to see some extended judges' table footage to help explain what they chose the blue team as the worst?

Due to the time I work I have to see this show I taped. the last show really upset me. Concerning the pea puree. Is there no ethics. You were in the kitchen when the one chef went around asking who took his pea puree? Then Alex won using a pea puree, does no one watch the taping sessions done. Is cheating a winning idea? Bad move,

Tom thanks for you clear analysis of the last episode. I have to tell you I agree with you 100%. For me Kenny kept talking about what an animal he was in the kitchen and everyone was out to get him. I think he was a legend in his own mind. He reminded me of Jeff from a couple of seasons ago. He was such an over achiever that he didn't construct tasty dishes. Kenny reminds me of him.

As for Alex, it is clear that he is sliding by because someone messes up worse than him. He couldn't even sucessfully complete the task they gave him of cutting the meat and fish. His team chose to cover him on the lamb dish so they wouldn't go home. I think they made the right choice. Bottom line the best will rise to the top, the weaker will eventually fail.

I love your blog.

BTW - I love Top Chef but I agree that the quality of chefs pales against last years contestants. I guess we got spoiled.

While Alex is my least favorite chef, he was part of the winning team and you can't eliminate him just because we don't like him or think he can cook.

I really like tom, he is the reason I watch the show. Way cool and I appreciate the difficulty in judging. But I am disappointed that the judges ousted Andrea, she was a great cook. Amanda, Kenny or Kevin should have gone home before she ever did. I realize that it is all about the single competition but sometime they should consider the whole of the cooking. Any of them should have been eliminated long before Andrea,she should still be on the show. I really never comment on this show, or any other,and have been watching since the first season so it is a big deal that I even bother(should be underlined) to comment. You were totally confused in this decision. And by the way, totally right in the first decision that Harold won. In your final decisions on who should go home, you should consider the total of the cooking experiences. A restaurant is never determined on one single dish but on the whole of the cooking experience. I am willing to spend more on a dinner if the total experience is good as opposed to a single dish. So that is my comment, take it as you will

Thank you. The man was a jerk for most of the episodes, saying what a great chef he was but everytime the judges told him his dish was bad he blamed them for no taste or he blamed another chef for what happened. If you are that great then stand up and say I did a bad job, this challenge. Get over yourself. Good riddance.

I gotta say, really would love to know what percentage of people who said they were done w/the show over the course of the week will still be tuning in in a few minutes! :)

Glad I found this blog Tom. Great to get the real skinney, and I feel much etter about the decisions made in the last 3 episodes. I've totally bought into your one-man PR campaign PR campaign! ;)

Tom: Some points you made in your response to the elimination of Kenny sends a message to future "Restaurant Wars" contestants that the rules are not hard and fast; what goes on in the kitchen, stays in the kitchen, as long as the food tastes good and is served well. Can you imagine how things can get out of hand?

I happen to agree that Kenny's dishes were not up to standard. Maybe he should have been asked to pack his knives, but not for this challenge. I just think that the Red Team's cheating trumps all else, as in any game.

First of all, I don't like beets. You would have to prepare beets in a way that would overcome the taste of dirt from which it comes from. So with that said, I dont think Kenny could have prepared beets in a way that would overcome that sense of taste and smell. Next, I looked up goat-cheese deserts and I found found a much better recipe than the one he prepared. I think he had a mental lapse on that one. So with that said, I think it was time for him to go even though he had convincing rhetoric. Its the taste of the food thats being judged, not the talk. And I commend Kevin for sticking up for him, but hey gargage is garbage. I too liked Kenny he talked a good game, but he made mental mistakes and that was it. Adios Bro.

Kenny said it best, "The Beast is gone, it's anybody's game." That's because everyone left on the show is lame. This season's winner will be the lesser of the losers.

Kenny said it best, "The Beast is gone, it's anybody's game." That's because the contestants who are left, are lame. This season's winner will be the lesser of the losers.

Chef Tom Colicchio, I don't believe a word that you typed in this blog. I can't stand the way you Treated Kenny. Then you had the nerve to mention Tre, and you know Tre was a great chef too. I notice every season you go after the Black Male chefs. I wished you would lighten up some and come off of your high horse. Your pattern is showing up now more and more. Even Food Network had to take notice of following in your pattern. It's time for you and Bravo to wake up.

Not a very persuasive defense, despite its condescension.

Maybe Alex can cook. Maybe he did make a pea puree. Maybe he even knows how to scale a fish. But the people working with him don't seem to think so, and I think they're paying more attention than the judges.

I've been upset at the eliminations before -- there's favoritism and uneven enforcement of the rules, but I get the human element. Particularly with people as unrestrainedly (and unsupportedly) self-impressed as Gail and Padma. I was nonetheless disgusted with the elimination of Kenny. Trying too hard and falling short should be better respected -- and better rewarded -- than cheating and stealing and shirking your responsibilities.

Very dishonorable, very disappointing. Please let Bravo and the producers know that they can count out another long-term viewer.

Thank you for clarifying the rules and regulations, Tom. However, I am still disappointed that Alex is still there. Seriously, this guy keeps skating by week after week after week. It's like what Kevin said that Alex is a bumbling chef. That it's like hit or miss with him that he's putting on a blindfold and hoping that he hits a bullseye on the dartboard. I'm very disappointed that Kenny is gone, however, it's like a manager in sports...if your team doesn't provide consistancy and win, then you're fired. But it's only my opinion I am not a professional chef nor judge just a disappointed fan and hopes that the best chef wins.

When reading some of the comments, I am wondering how carefully some "disappointed fans" have been watching the show in previous seasons. For those who expected Alex to be sent home - no one from the winning team has ever gone home and the judges have consistently considered the food from the current challenge - not the behind the scenes soap opera, personalities, or the food from prior challenges. Kenny has had multiple failed dishes and the judges have said more than once that he really needed to edit. When he nearly got eliminated in a prior challenge, he insited on rationalizing his bad showing by attributing it to the fact that the other chefs wanted to do him in. He got what he deserved. The chefs who do the best take the criticism and use it to improve.

I love Top Chef. I think Tom is an excellent and fair judge. Some seasons are better than others, but they all get better as the field narrows. Looking forward to the rest of this season and others.

I would love to know evidence there is that Alex did not cheat.....??? Watching the episode it is obvious that he stole Ed pea puree......

IT DOESNT MATTER NOW BECAUSE HE GOT ELIMINATED TONIGHT THANK GOD I THOUGHT ALEX SUCKED

I understand your point of view Tom, however after watching the re-run on bravo again, what is mystifying is the judges equally criticized both teams. Tiffany's fish for being to salty, yet when you told EVOO they won the judges then praised her dish, showing viewers the complete opposite of everything that was said during the actual tasting. In past seasons you have brought other contestants out for doing a poor job, regardless that the team Alex was on won, which I really think the viewers would like clarified since what was said during the tasting then are judges was completely opposite would help them understand. Alex should have gone home, he didn't greet the judges upon entering, he didn't ever check on you, nor say goodbye, he screwed up on explaining the dishes, he over-all did horrific, and he claimed a dish that he didn't even do, the other three pushed him out of the kitchen because they think he is a horrible chef, they only allowed him to do prep work. Prepping is not making a dish. The prep work he did do, his team redid because he did it poorly. I do understand you sent Kenny home for failing over-all on the red team, his dishes to the judges just weren't there, but for RW he wasn't the worse person overall. I think a lot of errors were made on this particular show that did hurt the show, and lost them viewers. The rules you stated have not been enforced in previous seasons, and that added to the hurt in viewers. I still enjoy the show but am disheartened by the actions of this season. It is definitely not as good as past seasons.

Bout time Alex goes home

All is left is the best of the worst. Whoopdiefreakindoo.

Tom: I'm going to have to disagree with you on a few points here and mainly the rules of restaurant wars. Top Chef, as you pointed out is a cooking show, and contestants are judged on the food that they make. But according to the way the rules played out last week, Alex didn't "actually" make a dish. He only conceptualized the dish.

That means if it were possible for one chef to cook all the dishes for his/her team, and that team won restaurant wars, that 3 other chefs that did not prepare a single dish (on a cooking show) would be immune from elimination. That discrepancy in the rules was the point that Kenny and Kevin were getting at.

While Kenny's dishes were not up to par, to allow a chef who did not prepare a dish to go on seems like a huge inconsistency in the basic concept of Top Chef. In Alex's case he did work the front of the house, but as you pointed out the front of the house was not important in this situation.

On another point, Alex's dish was the lamb dish with the pea puree. Another "pea puree" that Alex "made." Here, both Angelo and Ed prepared that dish for Alex. We're still not sure that he actually can make pea puree. I'm sure the chefs that saw him "make" the pea puree were watching closely to make sure that each individual pea was whole before it hit the blender.

Tom, the corroboration of other chefs proves absolutely nothing, and I think you should get off that subject. And Alex's own words lack credibility. He claimed he was not aware that Ed made pea puree, when Kenny clearly told him the night before (this was not an editing trick). Alex, is not da bess. Tom, restaurant wars is not da bess. And the rules need a revamping.

Well said! Thought provoking commentary

Interesting...something I thought but didn't dare believe because I love this show.

I was never terribly impressed by Kenny. So I wasn't at all sad to see him go. I was, however, impressed by two things: 1) that you, Tom, seemed so irritated in the blog you wrote ( seems you should not have interrupted your vacation); 2) that Alex behaved in a very gracious way especially in response to some rather unpleasant behavior from some of the others.

BTW since this season is set in D.C. It would have been nice to have had some REALLY powerful chefs on the show.

I wonder have you actually eaten a beet, they really don't taste like dirt. They have a mild sweet flavor. You should try cooking them from fresh, not canned.

To all the Kenny fans - did you not hear the judge's comments about his food? "Soapy," "horror," "Hamburger Helper?" I've never heard such strong language and I was pleasantly surprised when they got rid of him. I thought they'd keep Kenny around in spite of his lackluster performance just because he was well-liked and was good tv. We should be commending these judges since they actually based their decision on the FOOD. And when's the last time you favored a restaurant that had awful food but the service was good (not great, but good)? Myself, I've gone back to places with lackluster (lackluster, not awful) service just because the food was just so good I couldn't stay away.

I understand your decision to eliminate Kenny based on his cooking, but Alex's case is a separate issue all together. This is an issue of breaking rules and not about cooking skills or being in winning/loosing teams. If not, then how do you reprimand the contestants who do not follow the rules? Shouldn't they be disqualified (and not eliminated) from the contest? From the show it was clear that even if Alex did put his name on a dish, he did not make it. He should have been disqualified. Then based on the cooking you can eliminate anyone.

One of the disadvantages that we have as viewers is that we are unable to taste the food. Due to this fact, it is very difficult for us viewers to come to a complete understanding of what it is that you tasted and how that develops the overall experience.

I must say that 21-21's food must have really been horrible. The reason that I say that is that I have been to restaurants in which had excellent food, but very poor service, and that quality of service kept me from returning. Watching this episode, Alex was portrayed as a bumbling and incompetent front of the house at EVOO. The judges were portrayed complaining about the wait time between courses, Alex called lamb pork, water glasses were left 1/2 empty, etc. I think the shot that really burned that perception in my mind, was the reaction you gave when Alex called the lamb pork - clearly annoyed at the inept description. However, the service at 21-21 was portrayed as much smoother and what I would have deemed as an overall good experience. Even at the end, you said that this was one of the better restaurant wars showings that you had experienced.

Again, my perception is based only on what the editors showed me, not the taste of the food, but the way in which the episode was presented was clearly slanted to get the "shocked" and "angry" response that viewers are posting here on your blog. As viewers, many of us have had our favorites voted off before we thought it was time, but you as a judge get the full experience with the taste of the food in which the viewer does not. Although there are some annoyed viewers, I think that problem lies more with the editing than they way in which you judged or the rules that you applied. As a viewer, it is always a guess as to which contestant leaves, but the way in which this episode was presented did not fit the outcome by a long shot.

Tom, I am glad that you and the other judges steadfastly apply the "rules" when you judge and I don't want that to change. However from what was presented to the audience, it appeared clearly there was a better experience at 21-21. But, again, we as viewers get a sliver of the experience and do not get to taste the food. As a viewer, I was not presented with the reality of what occurred through the editing process and that has me disappointed.

"Gail said it best, when Kenny complained that his team was incredibly well-organized while the other team was running around. She rightly commented that we don’t judge on that criteria –- we judge on the food we’re tasting. Period. And EVOO’s food was better."

I don't agree with this comment at all. Gail also said that you have sent people home for not running their team and keeping them organized. Not to mention people have been sent home for being awful at front of the house in restaurant wars (which Alex was).

All Amanda had to make was one dish, and her one dish was bad. How are these two still in it while Kenny is sent packing??

I'm done with this season now that Kenny is gone and will hope that Kevin wins.

First off I have to say I love Top Chef, again let me repeat, I love Top Chef and I have been watching since season 1. However, I am not impressed with this season's cheftestants. With the exeption of a few, most of the contestants seem amateurish at best. Hopefully next season my excitement for Wednesday's will return once again.

I was confused watching the show. First, the judges criticized Tiffany's dish saying it was too salty but when it came to judge's table, everyone praised it. What is up with that? Also, I am not entirely convinced that Kenny is THAT strong a chef (no matter how much he praises himself). He has won some challenges but he has also been at the bottom too. I don't care for Angelo's personality but at least he has been consistent in his cooking - winning almost every challenge. Alex and Amanda seem to be weak. I am not certain if Alex can really make pea puree (and why is it that ever since he supposedly "made" the pea puree a few episodes again, that he is making it again and again?). The judges don't seem to notice or care that this is a lack of creativity and usually they will mention when they think a chef has done something simliar before.

Not entirely true, Tom. TC Chicago had Indian girl (forget her name) eliminated from Restaurant Wars episode and she was front-of-house.

Agree that you shouldn't have chef in FOH. Let them cook -- shocker! And stop with the whining about "we didn't get a greeting"/"we didn't get a goodbye". no one cares -- the show is NOT "Top Waiter" or "Top Maitre D"

All Amanda had to make was one dish, and her one dish was bad. How are these two still in it while Kenny is sent packing??

Kenny made TWO dishes that were terrible.

As for hosting duties, Chef Colicchio has it right yet again. At least the producers seem to have given up on forcing the poor contestants to paint, decorate AND cook!

This whole season has been terrible, you have cooks, who can't make a pie and can't grill to site two examples. They can whine well, but I doubt they could make cheese. The editing has been horrible, I was sure Alex didn't make the peas and that is the editors' fault.

This season has been a dud to me, because the food has been second to fake drama.

The top chef challenges aren't really designed to discard the bad chefs and recognize the good ones, they seem to be rather pointless and babyish. I've watched all seasons, but this did it for me, I'm not watching again. I've been watching the first season of MasterChef US and it beats top chef easily, eaaaasily in many ways, specially when it comes to objectivity.