Cooking while standing on one leg blindfolded is on for next week.

Fabio needs to open a Gnocchi truck (Spike has a pizza place, Blais has a burger place, etc..) so Fabio needs to run with his talent and start a gnocchi truck, for real...whole wheat, spinach, tri-colore, all types.

I agree 100%. Great comments by Eric. I really liked Jamie in her first season. I tought she was a really great cook. I even made some of her recipes. I too think that she is not only miserable, but really lauzy as a cook and as a person. I am angry that she is still in the competition. She is awful. I hate her and want her out.

So so far we have had four episodes of Top chef and Jamie has only competed in 2 out of the 4 episodes yet she is still there on Top Chef. She has missed 50% of the elimination competition and she keeps making it to the next rounds. That's ridiculous.

"She has no good technique or skills, so she cannot be a cook. So what are you doing on Top Chef?"

THANK YOU, Chef Ripert! Jen, Dale L., Stephen, and Spike all deserve to be there much more than she does - at least they put up a good fight, which is more than I can say about a contestant who'd rather hide than actually present the dish she prepared.

Well, thank goodness. It's such a relief to hear Chef Ripert say what the rest of us are thinking about Jamie. While the other judges are pointing out that Jamie fulfilled the requirements of the challenge, the rest of the viewing world is thinking...she doesn't belong there. We can excuse perhaps the FIRST time she got a pass from cooking in a challenge, but to have her weasel her way into the fifth challenge by only producing a dish in two elimination challenges is incredibly dissatisfying to watch.

The good news is, my viewing experience tells me that the judges have a way of balancing the playing field. Alex (in last season) was not eliminated for the "Peagate" incident, nor was he eliminated for not actually cooking during Restaurant Wars, but he went home in the next challenge. Guess we'll have to "Watch What Happens".

I agree that Jamie should quit. Why did she join this season in the first place. She is always sad, has no confidence, skills, or leadership qualities. She hasn't changed since her season 5 debut. She is a disgrace, and the team that put this season together and picked her should be ashamed. There are some quality cheftestants this year, but for an All star year there should be many more and no duds. Good riddence Spike. Once Mike Isabella the CLOWN and Jamie the quitter are gone this season will be better.

Chef Ripert,

I very much appreciate your comments regarding Jamie. Really, what IS she doing there? Your Grand Mere's stuffing sounds awesome! I think I might try that this weekend! Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year!

I agree! Jamie should go home. It's so frustrating to watch the other chefs cook while she doesn't serve anything, and she's still around. It was sad to see Spike go. He's talented as a chef and entertaining, too.

The ONLY reason it's worth keeping Jamie around is to hear Chef Ripert say her name in his swoony French accent...

Chef, Yes, Carla was true to herself by cooking her food. Love her. Surprised at Spike's being so passive about others messing with his dish; he's usually feistier than that.

Miss having you on the panel but greatly enjoy your contributions here & thoroughly agree with you on Jamie.

Happy holidays to you & yours.

Exactly! I can't stand Jaime and never could. Her only good dish seems to be soup. What an act of cowardice!

Chef Ripert,

Thank you for being so candid about Jamie, with your thoughts, mirroring mine and many others(even other judges who have skirted the issue) that she should just pack her bags and go. Ostensibly, this is a cooking contest, if she doesn not want to cook-GO HOME! As for watching her---what to call it----craftiness, deviousness, strategies, it is BORING not aggravating or having to watch because of wondering, 'what excuse will she come up with next?'! And after all these seasons and watching the reruns that is the first time I ever described TOP Chef with that word. I think it is demoralizing to the other ALL Stars. Rachel

Wonderful comments, yet again! You do not couch your opinion, but you present it in a firm and polite manner. After watching and listening to your vlogs, I imagine that you must be a wonderful teacher and boss who both expects and receives the highest quality of work from your team.

THANK YOU CHEF! I AGREE ALSO. IF YOU DON'T COOK-THEN HOW CAN YOU STAY IN THE GAME? SHE ALSO SMARTED OFF TO OTHERS ABOUT IT. YES, IT'S PAINFUL TO WATCH HER. SHE SHOULD GO! LOVE THE SHOW, BUT I'LL MISS SPIKE. I CAN'T BELIEVE HE LET ANYONE TOUCH HIS DISH. DOESN'T SEEM KOSHER.

Chef, I couldn't agree more with your assessment of Jamie Lauren. I am very surprised by her on All Stars, because the first time she was on Top Chef, she was very feisty, proud of her food, and did well overall. She seems intimidated by the competition this time. Her overall misery makes me wonder if there wasn't something that happened in her personal life between the time she accepted the invitation to be on All Stars, and when the competition started, that is the cause for all this. Whatever is going on with her, she's adding absolutely nothing to the show except drama, and if I wanted drama over cooking, I would be watching Hell's Kitchen.

I agree about Spike being a little quieter than normal. I think he was so dumb founded that it was going the way it was going. Where was Jamie? Why wasn't she putting up her dish? I think these are the thoughts he was trying to get past while his dish was being tampered with. I was sad to see Spike go, along with Jenn, and Dale, but honestly to see Spike go was the worst because it was truly manipulated by the rest of his team and mainly Jamie herself. I really liked when Spike said that "evenutally Jamie, you are going to have to compete". I think she has no dignity.

I think Spike panicked after his first batch of shrimp failed, and the limited time left to prepare a second batch accounts for both the underseasoning and his failure to keep Angelo's and Tiffani's hands off his food. Add to that Jamie's refusal to present her dish, and it's likely Spike was totally thrown off balance.

Chef, I totally agree with you! Jamie shows no Major Skill. she is avoiding the competition, by either not cooking or only making a Soup when she does. she is an angry person, and i dont know how she works in the kitchen when she breaks down everytime she does a Team challenge.

In In Season 5 I thought Jamie was a rude Prima Dona with little skill. Now?

What everyone else said!

Damn right viewers are frustrated with Jaimie, she is a Rep for cop-out! If producers are keeping her around to piss us off, its working! I believe these former top chefs do deserve a second chance but please this is ridiculous she didn't deserve to be in top chef at all.

Your take on Jaime is spot on. While reading many comments on Jaime posted all over the place, I wondered why she had everyone's dander up in such a personal way. The truth is she will be gone (it's inevitable with her low skill set) and she is making such a poor showing it will haunt her in the long run as far as her career is concerned.

She is not holding anyone else back but herself, so why get angry? She is not going to take off with top money and prizes at the rate she is going. So Spike gets put out the next show after her. Would that make everyone happy? They all will go except one eventually. She is only one person.

LOVED your honest assessment of Jamie. I don't even know why she was asked to compete in the "AllStars" since the others were all Top 4, and she was further down the food chain in her season. She is completely out of her league, and she knows it. Hopefully this week will be the week she'll be sent home. It's just a shame to see such good chefs, like Casey, go before her. But, every season has a lucky mediocre cook who seems to escape elimination. I can't remember a more blatant contrast in character, style, talent and integrity, however, than Jamie and the other chefs. She's good for comic value, but, I sure wouldn't seek out her food. She doesn't seem like a nice person, and there's something really sneaky about her, in general. I can't wait to see her go.