President of the "I love Carla" fan club here! Mr. B....I was all prepared to make mention of how GREAT Carla is yet again....but you truly did her justice! In due respect to this blog....I have just downloaded the first season of "No Reservations" on Netflix. I have heard for years of your genius, but I have to admit....I haven't seen the show. In honor of Spike and that unfortunate loss....I will be grabbing some friends and going to "Good Stuff Eatery" tomorrow! I for one thinks it takes SKILL to cook a perfect burger! WE are happy to have Spike here in DC!

"Clostridium Perfringens"
Oh Tony, you light up my life in so many ways, most recently with this weekly blog. You say what I feel in ways that I never could...so I will simply leave you with the song in my heart "I love him, I love him, I looooove him!" Thank you for the euphoric happiness you are constantly leaving me with. I think it is possible that you are even making me a better person...thanks again.

Carla's amazing. And Jamie's a giant pill.

Oh, Anthony, I so agree with you about Jamie. I'm sitting here having a glass of wine after dinner and waiting to watch to see if she cooks this evening. Thank you for that very honest observation, which all the chefs in this season are feeling, but are only "whispering" about and you are actually stating.

brilliant witty blogs...you write, you cook, You are caleiente in many ways....

You are a great addition and I LOVE your blogs. So funny, I think you did find your bong after all.

"I've never been entirely convinced there's not actual penetration involved." HA!!! Just wanted to let you know that I am a huge fan and reading your blogs is about as entertaining as watching the show itself. Keep on keepin' on Tony.

Can't say you have been one of my fan favorites on this show, but this blog moves you forward!

Anthony,
I have no idea what you talking about once here in Brazil we still watching a previous season of Top Chef, however, I have to say that I am a HUGE fan of No Reservations and I really want to ask you to come to Brazil in order to try our flavours! ;)
Happy New Year!

Yup. Spike out-spiked himself. He should've been paying more attention to what Angelo was doing to his dish and less attention to the Top Chef edition of "Risk" that he was playing in his mind.

Jamie has successfully employed the possum strategy way too much. Time for her to put up.

you are hilarious!!! loved this blog. agreed with all of it.

Anthony, big fan of No Reservations but i got to agree with Fabio. His dish might have sucked but you did not need to totally dis and humiliate him. As much as you play the roll of the rebel, remember you are "The Man" in this setting and he stuck it to you (tastefully I thought). No disrespect, I remain a fan.

Carla rules, even though as your partner at the DC FF the foie got burned. Well at least according to Mr. Ripert.

Anthony- thank you for being an honest, unfiltered judge. Tom wishes he could be as blunt as you are. I too was very excited to see you at judge's table this season....big fan of No Reservations!

I'm with you on Carla. She is underestimated but will consistently deliver as long as she trusts in her own cooking!

Jamie is a joke this season. I enjoyed watching her before and looooooooved it when Fabio coined her as "Top Scallop".......but come on, this is a COOKING competition. What a whiny wimp. She makes me want to throw my glass of wine at the TV, steal her apron, and take over. If you don't want to compete, than give another contestant a chance!

Looking forward to the next episode! Thank you for your hilarious commentary!

Yeah, he's the real fun house boy.

I'm rooting for Marcel to take the title. He's demonically good looking.

Aaaaargh! Sorry for the typo!

Yup Anthony, much to my dismay, Members Only Jackets are back in style, but please don't think that gives license to the 40++ to whip out their old one and put it on!

Okay, THIS was funny and present. Not the usual drone fest that the other blogs trudge out week after week. Thank you for clearly drawing a line in the sand regarding the unimportant mess that are the Kardashians. Let's hope they stop that Jonas brother nonsense or anything else of its ilk.

You're so hot ;)

Mr. Tony,
I don't want to sound ridick, but your respect for women got me by the balls (spiritual ones, 'cause I happen to be a W.; I have a spiritual penis too, but that's beside the point). I believe you got that 'under influence'... of your beautiful gutsy wife, and the 'little lady B." BTW, I watch "No Reservations" religiously, I wish to invite you to Poland, where I am from and all my family is there too.

Besides, as a writer, I think you get too kooky with your metaphors, but I guess that's your appeal. Thanks for the insight.

Don't know who underestimates Carla? As viewers I think we all root for her and know shes got game. A little more confidence and she had a shot at winning her season.

Excellent and pithy as always.

Way to go !!! hoodeee!!!!!

I love you Anthony Bourdain, you are a priceless addition to the Top Chef judging panel.

Spot on Anthony! Go Carla!!!!! When will Jamie go home...after she wins?

OMG, right on target Tony!....Hurray for Carla who fought like a warrior for her dish even with an injury...it was epic....Angelo in his season and this one has been so helpful getting chefs back on the streets out of the competition, gotta love him...Hope you're back on next week Bourdain...

Tony, you had me at "I reached blindly for the bong."

I love, love, love your commentary! Carla definitely showed what a true cook looks like this week after her finger fiasco! I shutter at the thought of Angelo actually putting "love" into every dish but he is trying a tad bit of sabotage and strategy on every corner! Hmmm...hopefully the other cheftestants will realize this sooner than later!

Your insight is spot on... as usual. Sad to see Spike go, but Carla totally deserved the win with her game on attitude! Jamie better step it up next week (I've seen Server's work with worse cuts than hers), or just volunteer to go home. I think its possible she might be able to participate more from the comfort of her own couch.

Tony Bourdain, you are AWESOME!!!!! I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Your observations are spot-on, as well as hilarious! I'm going to be laughing for the rest of the day about the "penetration" comment. True dat!

What can I say? I love you and love your blog. It's insightful, witty, intelligent, funny and with just enough tongue in cheek that keeps it edgy. Also, we know you know what you're talking about.

Thank you and keep up the blogging.

I just LOVE the fact that you are back judging and blogging Top Chef. You break it down and cut right through the bullshit, giving us a brilliantly incisive look at what the hell is going on in each episode. Please don't leave Top Chef again after the All-Stars cycle.

Happy Holidays! As always your blog is fantastic! Last night's top chef was truly epic in every way!

The episode even inspired me to break the record for Top Chef blog comment exclamation points!

Cheers!

To paraphrase what you said to Spike during his first restaurant wars back in 2008: "Through guile or luck, you were missing in action. It was a good day to be" .

So, one "lesser mortal" stayed in the competition to fight another day by also ignoring the advice of others who doubted her skills. As good a plan as any, as it turned out. And who can blame her, when she had been "appointed" the sacrifice from the start? And by a burger-meister, of all people. For a team that busily sabotaged each other's food.

One could argue that Jamie deserves runner-up on this episode for simply staying out of the way while the team of egos crashed and burned.

Bourdain! you crack me up...all i have to say is that i loved reading your blog this week. hope you have a happy holiday! P.S. I love your show No Reservations!

Tony, with every body putting their fingers in his dish, spike didn't stand a chance.

me too anthony, im glad carla stuck to her guns!! Carla say NEVER AgAIN will i let anyone stray me from my truth!!! go carla!!!

Also don't forget Fabio won. You have to give him some credit here!

I love your blog but wish to see you at the judging table every week!

Where were you this week, Tony! Judges' Table is not the same without you. As always, I enjoyed your blog. So, right on. I'm sorry to see Spike go. Jamie is beginning to look lame. Yay to Carla.

I think I could just watch a show where Tony reviews food all the time! Oh, wait. I do!! It's on the travel channel!! I love love love the snarky addition of Tony to the Top Chef blogs and show! I was disappointed that Spike didn't go farther, he is one heck of a guy. His food is amazing and as the only chef who's food I have personally eaten, I was rooting for him. Now that he is gone its all about Blaze and Carla for me!

I felt the same newfound love for Antonia based on her characterization of her high school years.

Excellent observatations, sir, as usual!

LOL I just love reading the Judges point of view... Tom is always politically correct, but you today... I felt like we were chatting accross from one another... Your view on the last episode cracked me up... Thank you!
HUGE FAN FROM FLORIDA!

OMG, Hilarious an Soooo true.

Once Spike was eliminated, he should have kicked Angelo's ass for sabortage.
No one should have helped Angelo once his Fish was deemed too slimey to cook with. Spike might be a good businessman, but his food sucks in Top Chef competition. Good Riddence. Jamie is a disgrace, I hope her time to go home is near. Mike Isabella is a better clown than chef, he also should go home soon. Carla has courage and is the total opposite of Jamie.

Bravo Carla!!! Glad to see my favorite come from behind the pack and snatch a win not only for her team but for herself! I can't tell you how much distain I have for that gutless Jaime and Snake-in-the-grass Angelo. If that had been my dish he tried to insert "love" in, he would've had a similar wound as Carla and not by his own hand!!!!

Unlike Anthony Bourdain, I enjoyed Fabio and his jumping over the net antics. It was very Tennis McEnroe and funny.

I am looking forward to next week's episode just to see if any of the remaining chefs have learned their lesson in keeping Angelo-the-sneak from destroying their dish and who knows maybe Jaime-the-chump will step up and cook - - something!!

Tifanny D., watch your back Girl!

This challenge was awesome! Congratulations to Carla! I knew she was going to win! I was really shocked at the beginning of the show until now that Dale's attitude had change...guess not. This is a competition people! shut up and cook! You waste more energy yelling and cursing than cooking. Focus, focus, focus! However this challenge has been by far the best! I didn't notice Marcel's jacket like Mr. Bourdain did, but after this Marcel might take some time to go shopping for a new jacket. Best wishes to all of you chefs. Keep up the good work and I will keep watching :-) Merry Xmas to all!

What's interesting is that the cheftestants already seem to have some kind of pecking order in their heads already. Each have themselves and Blaise at the top, with everyone else in descending order down to Jamie. Problem is that they all have Carla somewhere down near the bottom too, underestimating this previous finalist.

Great blog entry once again, and by that I'm not assuming there's actual penetration involved.... LOL!

Dear Tony,
Your commentary never fails to entertain, and this blog entry was no exception. I wish you had been at judges table this week, if only to call Jamie out on her cowardice and utter incompetence. This was the second week in a row she's failed to even present a dish, and managed to throw a fellow teammate under the bus instead. That girl has no business calling herself a chef - send her packing already.

Rooting for Carla all the way!