I've never had red meat, so, I have no experience with steaks, but to my untrained eyes, it seemed that the problem wasn't how Ty-Lor cooked them (even if he shouldn't have done individual steaks) but rather how Ed screwed up by flashing them too early. Is my perception incorrect?

You can dislike Heather's assertiveness all you want, Hugh. She wasn't wrong about any of it.

very funny commentary!!

Heather is not a Top Chef, but she is a big bully.

"Heather hates Beverly. Hates. Heather wonders why Beverly always cooks Asian food. I want to ask Heather why she is always bossy while cooking white people American food. Beverly’s problem is that she’s a bit too soft-spoken and wispy. It’d be awesome if she just suddenly put Heather in a sleeper hold to stop the conversation."

LOL, you are my hero!

Thanks for the recap Hugh, found it amusing and funny. Loved the eyebrows line.

what a fun read! I love the show, but can never get enough of the back story. Hugh has extended the episode and brought humor and insight into the mix. My family watch as a group (mostly we have 3 teens so 5 in 1 place is rare) and it was as if Hugh was on the couch too. We all had similar comments about Heather's inner Alac Baldwin.

I don't think a slice off of an Eye of Round roast would be considered a steak here in Texas. Ty had 6 of those huge Weber grills he could have been cooking on, don't know why there were not others assigned to this task.1st course & 2nd course chefs should have pitched in. Those rib-eyes were not pretty cuts of meat. He should have seared in on the grills (not just put on grill marks) and finished in ovens on heavier pans. That blond girl (sorry don't know her name) you know, the Vienna Sausage soup girl should have been called on the carpet for over cooking the steaks, not just Ty!!!

Great read, Chef! Was I alone screaming at Lindsay in my living room? She gave the order to fire the steaks prematurely. She's the wolf (albeit in sheep's clothing)... oozing Disney-flavored evil in her confessionals.

Love reading Hugh's blog..he's funny, sharp and irreverant-perfect mix! As for the menu planning..yeah how many top chefs does it take to grill 200+ medium rare steaks? I guess not enough. Cook a side of beast people!! Then again I probably couldn't do a decent meal plan with Heather's in-charge yammering. BTW wasn't that cake Ed's recipe? Wow I'd be pissed if I was Ed..time to throw Heather under her new car.

Love your comments! And your hair... I noticed it for sure, but I have to say, I really liked it. I'm in agreement about most of what you wrote. It was hard watching the winner of that lovely Toyota -- given her nastiness. Have any of them ever watched this show before and noticed it's also nice to be fan favorite?? I admit that I'm a little bit with Tom, when he wonders if he made a mistake with his chef choices for the show. There are no Spikes, Stephanies, Voltaggios-types, Blais', Antonia's, etc.. oh yeah, Carla? Fabio? where are you? I'm hoping to just love someone soon; otherwise, I'll be tuning in to just watch and listen to the judges -- and I really just want to see some "star cooking".

Anyone else in agreement?

Your hair looked fine, if a little fluffy. But you really should make a habit of wearing the white bucks more often. They were snazzy.

Great blog entry. I laughed out loud several times. Thanks, Hugh!

I think Hugh is a perfect addition to the show, brings in new blood and a little snark. As I was watching last night, I said the exact same thing to my husband, His hair looks like Pebbles from the Flintstones! Love your blogs, the best of this season. Good luck with the book!

I'm in agreement with Dakota & Beverley - Heather is a bit of a bully. I understand she is a seasoned chef, but how can you lead a team with that kind of attitude? I realize that the judges had no way to know her winning cake was made with Ed's recipe, and she clearly did not feel the need to give him any credit. Really felt for Ty in this challenge, and I wish Lindsey had owned up to being behind the premature flashing of the steaks.

I love your commentary. The writing style in these entries and your recent cookbook is fantastic. I'd urge everyone to take a look in their local book store. Keep up the great work!

While I sincerely dislike your arrogance at Judges' Table, I enjoy your blog. I am particularly tickled by the mental image of the sleeper hold! Heather is quickly turning into the villainess of the season.

Lemme tell you, if I was there and all Beverly did for two days was prepare shrimp I would be po'd too. It's a team challenge. If Beverly was in my platoon and we were going somewhere and all she cared about was herself, my actions would not be dissimilar to Heather's. Hate her all you want, but she got food out of the timid kitchen.

Nice blog and I enjoy that you're not completely circumspect when speaking about the contestants because it's real and not just really mean.

Heather, so far, has been backing up her words where it counts: with winning dishes! Regis Philbin can outcook Richie Farina should enroll for lessons from Heather. Lindsay Autry worries too much and almost made Boring Ty-Lor over and done. Everyone -- heed these words: Stay Away from Lindsay!

awesome entry, thank you for that bit about heather. it was driving me nuts. i have to admit i was wondering why she kept cooking asian food, but hell if that's her style, i don't see anyone bitching about chuy repeatedly adding a cultural flair to his food (though he did get booted...). i look forward to your comments for next week's episode. just one request... can you please consider changing up your look, maybe one that incorporates two eyebrows? :D kidding.

I love Hugh's writing style - the sarcasm is phenomenal and makes me think this is what it would be like if Mystery Science Theater 3000 covered Top Chef.

The early flashing of the steaks was Lindsay's fault. I am surprised this never came up in the end! They were over 10 minutes ahead, trying to hold the meat temps at MR.

The early flashing of the steaks was Lindsay's fault. She flew back to the kitchen and forced people to begin over 10 minutes too soon. I am surprised that this never came up at the judge's table!

Worst cheftestant slate ever.

Great blog. Yes, Lindsey made a mistake, but she shouldn't have been even a part of this course. There were four chefs on this team, so shouldn't having one extra person be at an advantage? Also, Ty-lor cut himself helping Nyesha prep the bone marrow for her sauce, so maybe she should have stepped up too, especially if she's on this course. It may have been Ed's receipe but she executed it, so don't feel too wrong Ed. If you wanted to do the cake, you should have stepped up. By the way, if this was about steak, I think Chris J should have won.

I think your brows are great! Baby birds can nest in them. Two thumbs up!

+1 for Heather is a bully. Why was Heather the only person that had a problem with Beverly's performance? If it was a serious issue, then all the chefs should have spoken up. Also, why was Beverly singled out for having to clean 200+ shrimp? If they wanted her to do more, then you should have planned better.

Also, it wasn't Ed's fault for flashing the steak too early. He just did what he was told to do by the so-called "leaders".

"Roux dat."

Most hilarious phrase to ever grace the Internet ever. EVER.

I love Top Chef but am finding this season difficult to get into. I didn't like the two-episode opener and I don't like that we don't have an "official" Top Chef kitchen. I know it seems small, but somehow that is making a difference. I hope you all go back to the regular set up next season. Thanks for a good show.

Response to 'jedidiah': Unfortunately, yes, your perception is incorrect. Ed did not "screw up" by flashing the steaks too early. He simply was following the instructions from Lindsay, whose nervousness and anxiety caused her to order the steaks to be fired long before the diners were ready for the third course. There are clues throughout the entire episode showing how Lindsay was getting anxious that no one seemed to be taking a "leadership" role, causing her to step up at the wrong time and make a premature decision.

Tom Colicchio said it in his blog on this episode: Ty-Lor was incredibly noble to take full responsibility for this mis-steak. It wasn't wholly his fault.

I live in Texas, have been to the Cattle Baron's Ball and let me tell ya the only way you can serve a crowd full of Texans cut up Ribeyes is with the Southfork Ranch brand danglin' outta your Wranglers!

Submitted by jedidiah on December 7, 2011. I've never had red meat, so, I have no experience with steaks, but to my untrained eyes, it seemed that the problem wasn't how Ty-Lor cooked them (even if he shouldn't have done individual steaks) but rather how Ed screwed up by flashing them too early. Is my perception incorrect?

Um, unless it was the editing, Ed wasn't the one that flashed the steaks early. They clearly showed Lindsay put the steaks in the oven. What makes it even worse is that Lindsay was one of the ones expediting so she had no excuse for not knowing that it was too soon.

Hugh, love, Love, LOVE your writing!!!!!

Fun read! I don't get how Heather is a bully. She stepped up to the plate when no one else seemed inclined, that's all. I have the feeling that if she were a hunky guy, the same behavior would be swoon worthy.

I'm in full agreement that the contestants this year are lackluster and it's hard to find a favorite, or even care. It's always fun to watch the show, but really, let's hope one of these chefs starts to wow us so we can get worked up about something!

And Hugh, I honestly did not notice your hair, sorry!! Thanks for the chuckles though!

Clearly I'm not first to say this here, but Chef Hugh is quite the skilled writer. Thanks of a bit of unexpected skill. Maybe he could lend a hand to the interns doing the blogging for the others....

Hey, Dude, I, for one, don't miss Ritchie. Chris' melancholy is laughable. He should thank his lucky stars that he wasn't sent home for making that disgusting cigar appetizer that wasn't appetizing. From your first sentence, it sounds as though you wrote a book? Well, I sure hope it's better than this blog. Your rehash of the ep is too simple and uninformative. An 8 year old could have done a better job. Take a look at Tom's comments for inspiration, Dude.

I, too, have thought the judges seem a little too critical at judges' table, until I read these blogs. As for the "boring" contestants, I think Tom explained that well, this is the first time most of the contestants seem to be worrying about just not getting eliminated so they're just not taking the risks we're used to seeing. I love Hugh's additions - both to the show and to these blogs. We are beginning to see the heroes and the villian(esses) appear so I expect things will begin to heat up soon (no pun intended with reference to the heat wave in Texas during filming). All in all, while not yet exciting, I still love this show and will continue to watch. I am certainly not a professional chef (and wouldn't even try some of the things they make), but I continue to learn by watching. Thank you TOP CHEF!

I enjoy your blog much more than Tom's, and I think I just fell in love with you for saying what you did about Heather. I am also glad to see some people calling out Lindsey for firing the steaks early. How did she escape judges' table? I hope Heather AND Lindsey go home tonight. Go Grayson!!!

Wow. Heather needs to stop being a bully. And Beverly needs to stand up for herself for once. Hugh had it right: why pick on Beverly for cooking her style of food? I can list a number of other Cheftestants in the past who've gone far through cooking with an Asian flair.But I have to admit that while the cheftestant slate isn't as high as it has been in previous seasons, at least there's some pretty darn good drama. I'm so annoyed every time I hear Heather talk and roll her eyes at others. Definitely not voting for her.

Heather is incredibly obnoxious. As a woman living in Chicago I'm a bit horrified by how both remaining female chefs behave. Lots of bullying and throwing others under the bus. Sarah and Heather make me never want to eat at their restaurants again.

Hilarious! Had to stifle my laugh in case I wake up my little one. Great, to the point observations. That Heather is a real bully. Glad that Nyesha stood up and said something in the judge's room. Why wasn't Heather outspoken about the chef who ordered the flashing of the steaks way too early?

ASPOTHEOETHE "Again, he is alone in his caste still sad about his Richie. Dude, we all miss Richie."

I can't even with your blog sometimes. Your words make me happy.

Lol I just had massive amounts of love for Chris Jones and Richie, and now that Richie's gone, I'm just backing Chris all the way. XP I mean, I'm a fan of some of the other chefs' cooking, but in my heart of hearts, I'm a Chris fan.

I do like Ed though. Ed is cool.

OK, Hugh..so hypothetically asking, what would you do if you were competing against Heather and she belittles your style of cooking and work ethic? How would you stand up to her?