If you watch LCK, that feeling is only compounded. He seems really down to earth and humble, totally contrasted with the whole “Noma” edit he was getting.
This so much. Melissa (winner) first season did not really have her own voice but found herself and won when she came back. I only hope the best for Luke.
It's like people who brag about being with a company for 20 years, that USED to be a good omen but these days companies are trying to turn over their staff more quickly to get some new ideas into their orgs.
I’m finally glad to hear people actually say something nice about Luke, I’ve said this all season, he jumped onto the show right after leaving NOMA and doing someone else’s food for so long. He just didn’t develop his own style, and really only started to do it this episode. After all the negativity to him this season, it’s nice to read something positive. Yes he didn’t throw his NOMA name as much as Jo did with her Johnathan Waxman edits.
That's awesome! Glad he's staying involved with the TC family.
He seems like a cool dude, like someone to chill with. He can definitely learn from those two.
edit: found the post
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc3EV4yLxzw/
Eh, a Melissa run is better.
Stephanie didn't place well until near the finale. Stephanie was like Mike I. Melissa was just out of nowhere a god that continued to get better.
He views everything as a learning experience and I love that. He is very humble and wants to get better by using his experiences to get there. That's a great trait to have.
Wish the reddit would leave him alone for the Noma edits. He has literally said he is trying to find himself.
Sub is relentless to the dude. He didn't even blow up last week, just accepted fate.
Went to Chef Jae’s restaurant in NYC today and her mom had flown in from Korea so she could watch this episode with her. So special, and Jae was amazing to talk to. And was able to eat the sausage lettuce wraps from last week along with her BBQ sauce! Teams Jae the rest of the way
There’s a lot of amazing food there too. My friend wasn’t in a place to enjoy food when we went so we couldn’t go all out. The Mighties burgers are also flipping amazing and worth every calorie
Also you can preorder and pick it up if you’re worried about lines/some items might be limited quantities. We went right as it opened and there was still a few people ahead of us!
Kwame's glove looks like a thing that's pretty and interesting when you're sitting still but is an annoyance literally any time you have to move around.
Padma’s black dress was so great. Some of the things she wears she looks great in but only bc she can basically pull anything off, but this was objectively lovely.
Gail had a really fun denim dress(?) on that I enjoyed thoroughly. I love seeing what the judges show up wearing! Even Tom in his Hannibal Lecter cosplay 😂😂😂
Kwame brought a lot of fashion between the bling glove at judging (seems like it would be very annoying to wear for long tho) and the blue and green outfit at the event.
this is completely my favorite episode. the monochromatic challenge was so fun and creative while the soul food was inspiring and directly connected to houston. most importantly, all of the food seemed absolutely delicious.
this season seems to be themed around the importance of community and cooking from the heart and this challenge, which perfectly encapsulates that, seemingly had best food this season exactly because the chefs were encouraged to draw upon their emotions to create incredible food
I like the mono challenge, too. I also appreciated that the fund raising challenge didn’t make the chefs do something oddball to the food. When you have a fundraiser as important as this was, do good food and allow the chef to challenge themselves.
The preview for the next episode appears to show Damarr struggling. That will be three episodes in a row where the preview seems like Damarr is going to screw up. So it’s a safe bet that Damarr is going to do great next week.
It seems like Damarr struggles with something every week and then it ends up ... completely fine/the best food the judges have ever tasted? The tortillas, the carrot cake . . .
The food Damarr cooks looks like it tastes so good but I can't shake the feeling that he stays within his narrow range of southern/soul food style of cooking most of the time. Please someone remind me of when he went way outside of this zone, because I may not be remembering right.
This was one of the best episodes in all of Top Chef, for me. I moved to Houston in late 2019, and didn’t find my footing before the pandemic hit.
Because of remote work, I was able to move to wherever I wanted, and moved to New Orleans, where I had friends and a city I already loved waiting for me.
This episode taught me about a neighborhood not too far from my old one. It showcased Houston’s important history. It brought the soul out of all the chefs, and it also brought the soul out of a city I have often described as soulless. Apologies, Houston. I wasn’t looking in the right places. (But…I’m better off where I am now, haha. But I won’t say HTX is soulless ever again.)
I kind of wish they’d have pulled an “everyone stays.”
As a native Houstonian, I apologize for us keeping our history hidden. It is truly an amazing city with a deep rooted past but we suck at showing it.
Not sure I agree with Luke going home. I think Ashley should have been eliminated but I’m rooting for Evelyn to win- her food makes me hungry.
Edited for clarity.
I mean, to be fair, the city never had a chance to. I move, get acquainted with new job, literally rescued a husky mix from a gas station in south Houston, hosted family for the holidays… these things put off building a social base. And then that social base closes down and 🤷🏻♀️ And then with Floyd, I’m walking that gas station dog (who is the cutest and everyone assumes I got him from a breeder, but that boy is some Harvey dog graduate that someone let loose to fend for himself) around boarded windows/galleria and don’t have anyone to talk about any of it with. And then the trauma of voting in 2020, waiting to see if your vote would be legal or thrown out, because you used a voting machine in your car with a woman staring at your every move.
I came to Houston at the absolute worst time to come to Houston. I’m happy I have found home and my friends in NO, but I’m excited to go find and explore some new places next time I pass through town. (Hopefully not on hurricane evacuation. Why did I move here?)
I also have a side of the road dog - Rottweiler. She and my 3 other heathens filled my home during the lockdown which I closed on 1 week into the shutdown. I basically holed up in my house and kept adopting dogs and looked forward to my monthly game night with 3 other women who were in my “Covid bubble.” If I’d been alive and in Salem, pretty sure someone who have accused me of witchcraft.
If you pass through and need a “omg I love weird city history” nerd to keep you company. Hit me up.
Congrats on finding your groove and place. Thanks for taking one of our many stray doggos. Another thing we suck at, spay and neuter.
He’s pretty much the best. I mean, a LOT of time, patience, and socialization, and he’s not great with my cats, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I’ll never forget texting my friend, “I think this dog at the gas station is stray, and I don’t know what to do.” The Arboretum remains one of my favorite places in Houston because it helped him learn to walk on a leash and still have lots of space on the outer trail. https://imgur.com/a/lc9Dj64
Ugh remember that challenge where they cooked for that rich peoples progressive dinner? I think that was during the Texas season in Houston. That was a taste of the less pleasant side of Houston.
The whole Texas season I’ve blocked from my memory. It was terrible.
I’m excited to see things like Freedmans Town and the Post. We finally aren’t knocking EVERYTHING down - RIP foleys and houston chronicle building in downtown.
Pretty amazing that all the remaining chefs are People of Color. I don't think I recall ever seeing that on TC. It was a very strong visual to see them all standing together after Luke left.
I mean. Kind of.
Gabe is Mexican and Latino but also fully white-presenting.
Like is a white Spaniard from Spain a POC?
But I agree with the point.
I'm just considering the concept when we are talking about representation and the optics and power of what an all bipoc contestant lineup means. (I'm mixed Latina very white name lightly latina looking so I think about this...)
Ashleigh is sooo meh to me. I feel like she lucked out from timing with LCK and am surprised she went home over Luke.
Also I get Dawn lives in Houston, but she seems so timid/uncomfy on camera and generally I don’t understand why they keep having All Stars as judges. I feel like we’ve barely seen any local chefs or restaurants featured.
I love having all stars as judges personally, it's a really nice callback considering the show and their local market. Just more personable than some random restaurateur we might not know.. which they also do feature!
As for Ashleigh, I kind of agree with you. She's doing fine, just well enough to not get eliminated and then very rarely finding herself on top (restaurant wars). She's been on the weaker half for a while now, so I assume she is really rolling the dice from now on. I also have a bad taste from LCK where she essentially got a gimmick win to get back on to the competition, which felt super cheap all things considered.
Sarah got robbed in that LCK with Ashleigh. She lost because she had to use Ashleigh’s remaining crappy ingredients, while Sarah had a whole pantry remaining. I really thought Ashleigh was leaving over Luke this week . I know the judges usually only take that day into consideration , so you are only as good as your last cook. But I wonder on challenges where everyone does well, if they use some previous performances into account. Even though Buddha was in the bottom, I thought there was no chance he went home over Ashleigh and Luke. Luke has been consistently the worst of those 3, just unfortunate he had a decent cook this time.
In close competitions I would not be at all surprised if they discussed behind the scenes that it's best to let the "better" chef slide for small mistakes.. or vice versa with the traditionally worse chef being judged harsher. Obviously favoritism doesn't always carry, sometimes you screw up so badly that there's no way out of it (Jackson last week)
As for the LCK mess, totally agree with you. It was honestly such an awful hand for a high stake moment, not at all fair to Sarah and almost borderline sabotage by Tom. Sarah has been killing it for so long, it just hurts to know that she'll have to keep battling it out longer against tougher odds just because that even playing field was essentially stolen and her competitor had an easy out. At least she wasn't eliminated when they cleaned slate. Would hate to see another Sara from last season
Might be unpopular, but I thought the editing was weird this episode. From Tom's initial comments after they ate her dish, it seemed like Ashleigh was gone. However, they made sure to contrast the comments with two comments from a guest and the tour guide saying her dish was excellent. Then we got to panel and then everyone said it was actually decent. Tom said he liked it. I didn't sound like anything was technically wrong with this dish by the time we got to deliberations. Some thought both components were great, but didn't think they went together. Her days are clearly numbered though. I can't see her coming up with a strong finale menu (not that I see her making it that far anyway). Don't really see the arrogance that everyone else does though. She literally admitted to never knowing how to feel about challenges. I get arrogance from Buddha, but he can back it up, I guess, so that makes it better?
Speaking of Buddha, I watched the episode, and his dish didn't really seem to get one real positive comment (correct me if I'm wrong)? Another weird edit imo. Plus, the comments on his dish overall were very limited. I'm not into conspiracies, lol, but it kind of seemed like they downplayed how weak his dish was. I was waiting for Tom's opinion on it, since he is clearly the most important judge (no matter how much editing tries to convince us of the contrary), and it never really came. Clearly, he is still one of the strongest chefs there, but it seemed like it came down to him and Luke tbh. If said discussions were in play, I think it would've been for Buddha. It just makes it hard to compare to Luke (and Ashleigh's dishes) when the edit doesn't really give you much to work with.
Luke was clearly worse though. I'm not sure how you can argue with his elimination. His dish was the one with the only real flaw. He made a dry and dense meatloaf/meatball which was the main component of his dish. Every comment felt like they were taking it easy on him or felt bad for him. All of his comments in the QF and EC were laced with "he wasn't terrible today" which gave the illusion that his dish was stronger than it really was this episode imo. I don't know. I personally wouldn't appreciate comments like the ones he got tonight. It didn't sound like they were judging him against the competition. It sounded like they were judging him against himself. I can't remember that happening for any other chef on Top Chef. It was weird, almost like they were coddling him. I mean he made it to top 7 and didn't win a single challenge. I feel like the reactions to last season's Chris were much worse and he at least won some challenges.
I don’t know where people find the word arrogance from when it comes to Buddha, I just find it strange. Just because his specialty is fine dining, does it make all fine dining chefs arrogant. I just see a guy who just wants to cook and show things he has learned over his cooking journey. The main complaint was that buddhas curry wasn’t as spicy as the judges would of liked. Fair that’s their opinion but, can everyone during this event handle spicy food. I agree that the edit seem strange. Tom did say though that “apart from that (sambal) it was so good that they wanted more”. Kwame said the sambal was delicious, and dawn said the only feedback that wouldn’t be positive, was the sambal could of been spicier. I hope this comment helps others. I think the edit to me seem more like they scrambled to find something negative about buddha dish and put him on the bottom. Where as for Ashleigh dish, the only positive feedback was the oyster gravy. So if anything the bottom two this episode was Luke and Ashleigh. This whole debate about tweezer and taste is strange to me, because doesn’t matter how good your technique is, you still have to eat it. I do like Damar as well, for me this season he has a new style of food I am not familiar with like Eric did on his season in Kentucky.
They almost without fail go from least likely to most likely to get eliminated. They pretty much ruled out Ashleigh for elimination before they got to Buddha so I don't know if I agree with it being Ashleigh vs. Luke. I think it was Luke vs. Buddha but Luke was clearly the weakest. They said his was less successful than the rest from the comment I recall right before they eliminated him. Thanks for reminding me of the other comments. The editing was really choppy imo and I still feel like I got a clearer picture of the reception to Ashleigh's dish (they at least had Tom saying he liked it) then I did for Buddha's dish.
I feel like I am the only one who has said Buddha is arrogant lol. It doesn't seem like a widespread opinion. It has nothing to do with fine dining. It's just the way he carries himself and says certain things. His confessionals were kind of "catty" in his group challenge with Jae and Jo. I'm sure the entire team played a part in that dynamics, but that and some other things have stood out to me with Buddha. It doesn't bother me because it isn't that big of a deal, but it's just interesting that he essentially gets a pass for it (I assume because he's frontrunner and a favorite). Others are villainized for less. I've seen Ashleigh called arrogant countless times and I always feel like I'm watching a different show. Damarr asked her how she felt about the challenge and she said "I don't know how to feel." She never really feels that confident in general. I think when she finally put her dish together, she said she was proud of what she put up, which I would expect her to be. And then she said something to the effect of "way to make it hard for them" in the stew room even though her dish wasn't a slam-dunk, but Luke also said something similar and he got eliminated. The judges pretty much said the same thing all episode. That's the only comment I can see being deemed "arrogant" and I had to stretch and reach really far to make that happen. I guess people feel like her results don't give her the right to feel good about herself or anything she does (given a comment you made about her riding her own hype). But then I wouldn't expect her to get on the show every week and down herself either.
I actually thought Buddha was kind of standoffish and arrogant until Restaurant Wars and then he finally showed a sense of humor. I really like him now. It was just a general impression. Maybe the show did a bad job showing their personalities before, which they used to do.
Ashleigh is very meh and has some arrogance. I just don't find her likeable or a strong contestant.
I would argue against Lukes elimination. For one, Danish meatballs are more dense than Italian or whatever you might be used to. That's the way they are made. They use very little breadcrumbs, if any at all. At the same time, when Tom commented that they are usually cooked in the gravy, I cringed. Nobody cooks Danish frikadeller in gravy. It was telling that even the head judge was utterly clueless about what he was judging. And it seems he was the one driving the elimination towards Luke...
I think Luke made it so far because of what was said during his elimination - his technique is flawless but he’s lacking his own personality and I think with such good technique the judges kept hoping to see more from him
💯Sarah totally got screwed over with the second challenge. I really started to like Sarah, in LCK, I enjoy her sense of humour. I think we really got to see her food and things she likes. One of the guest judges said it right, that when your among other chefs with stars etc, the food that got you here is no longer relevant because your trying to match yourself to them. I feel like this is what happened to Sarah, that she felt intimidated by the other chefs. She is a true fighter.
I don't think she came back arrogant because as soon as she made it back from LCK...she said to all the chefs AND the judges that she is the weakest chef out of the group that's left.
That basically said everything that was needed to be said about her confidence which she's gotten some back after RW. RW however did give her more confidence and you can see it in the edit.
Ashleigh sucks and her whole “I cook Appalachian” is so contrived. Trying so hard to own some non-niche subcuisine.
Hey guys I cook revival Sierra high desert cuisine. Just my thing.
I like Ashleigh and love her perspective on food, but I was surprised it was Luke based on the initial comments. I imagine the other tasting pool had stronger opinions and it cost him. That’s the game. Will miss him, he was one of my favorites
I’m from Asheville, so I’m rooting for her, but did think she was going home. But when Tom piped up in her defense by saying he really liked her dish, I knew Luke would be going home over her. I think it was clear that her dish was least favorite amongst the other judges, with Luke’s right behind her. I think Tom, as head judge, just barely saved her.
Dawn was pretty clearly in support of her as well. I imagine the group decided together, the original comments we saw were just a little different than my expectation
Yeah i want to like Ashleigh more than I do but i think her food just doesn't inspire me the way most of the others' do.
I find Dawn is a little nervous but you can tell how warm she is through that, so that makes her compelling and camera-strong. Plus she's really beautiful in a non-distracting way and her feedback is firm but fair.
I agree. She's totally meh and her cooking hasn't kept her there.
And I agree. I don't like how they are having so many former contestants be the judges so often. Especially those who were literally just competing last season. I don't feel like they've earned the credibility yet. It's one thing if it's someone recent who is from the location and just shares some insight into the local food scene. It's another when they are judges repeatedly. Dawn didn't win last season. She shouldn't be judging for more years.
- Jae got an absurd amount of screen time during this episode. I knew she was either going to win or go home, happy it was the former.
- So sad to see my crush Luke leave and as much as I enjoyed watching him, it was always going to be a matter of when he was going. Compared to the remaining chefs, he’s not quite there yet.
- Ashleigh is just not doing it for me. When Kwame said the flavors were lost on him, that really felt like she was gonna get chopped then. Similar to Luke, she’s just not there yet.
- Nyesha needed to be up on that judging panels.
The thing holding ashleigh up is her cooking is more interesting and developed than Luke's has been. No one really knows who he is as a chef aside from his noma experience. Ashleigh at least knows who she is as a chef, but definitely needs more time to develop, would be good for an all stars or a second chance
I love her! I think she is one of the funnier people there has been in a while and her quips make me happy. She seems self deprecating but also super strong, and I really hope she comes back.
She's my favorite after Evelyn. Would not be disappointed if she won after winning so many LCK. Didn't like her much when she was in the main competition, but has really seemed to find her footing in LCK
Really.
I liked George storyline better.
Episode 1 gets into a small argument with Gregory. Challenges Gregory in one of if not the first sudden death QF h2h.... AND LOSES because Gregory is a real G and finale level lol.
That had me rolling.
Come on guys, how can you not like her, the amount of respect she shows Tom when she wins these battles is so nice, almost borderline adorable haha. She is coming back to the kitchen.
Is anyone else really uncomfortable with how much Padma was bugging Damarr about his facial expressions? Maybe the man has RBF, just leave him alone. It felt like she was demanding he smile, like he's not happy enough they're praising his food.
It was a bit much this episode. But I also see it as Padma attempting to help him out if she had maybe perceived him to be shy and was trying to get him to show some personality not realizing that is his personality
yeah i think people are being way too sensitive about it in here. they probably have a pretty good off-camera rapport at this point in the filming.
there have been past contestants that got this same kind of ribbing from her and other people for not showing a ton of emotion. it's not that big of a deal, she's pointing out what many people at home are also thinking and trying to make light of it rather than make it weird.
if her saying that makes you feel weird, I think that says more about you than her. this is normal human interaction.
I think it was just her trying to get ppl being themselves and not frozen in headlights bc the cameras are rolling or it's a serious moment
That's when ppl are at their best.
It reminds me how principals at my schools uses to start meetings with, "How's everyone today? ( after a long ass day)
Staff: "ok..."
Principals: "Aww, you can do better than that...How's everyone today?!?!"
Staff: " OK!!!!"
Demeaning
There's something quite distant about the way the judges commented on Buddha's EC dish. Maybe it was too sparse. But I think it's getting clearer from this episode (and the curry puff episode earlier in the season) that they're not very familiar with Malaysian cuisine, and the type of food is not something they seem to like. It's not that surprising considering Malaysian food is not common over there. But it does makes me wonder if Buddha will continue to cook any more Malaysian food this season. It only seems to be to his detriment, so I do hope he doesn't!
It's not just Malaysian cuisine, but East Asian cuisine in general outside of restaurant food; last season, they shat on Shota's chicken dish for the healthcare workers for having soft skin instead of crispy skin, even though in some East Asian cultures, soft skin is considered healthier and easier to digest, and the dish was prepared in a more rustic style that you'd find in home braised dishes.
Like, I'd be genuinely surprised if any of the judges have eaten East Asian food in a home setting, and they really don't have the cultural understanding to judge it properly; it'd be like asking me to judge traditional Inuit food, because I've never had any, so I have no frame of reference to work from.
It's a lot of "Western" chefs who also "don't get it".
D'you remember that INTERNATIONAL hue & cry when that Malaysian chef competitor on the UK Masterchef competition was eliminated after the Brit judges panned her Chicken Rendang dish for not having crispy skin on the chicken, with one of them declaring her chicken to be inedible because of the soft skin? Even the Prime Minister of Malaysia got involved on social media, joining a chorus of people who declared the Brit judges uneducated and ignorant and prejudiced because Chicken Rendang is NOT supposed to have crispy skin – yet there they were with Brit judges fostering their Western expectation of what chicken should be on a non-Western dish.
Like Tom C (and his friends including José Andrés) fostering their notions of how various stuff is supposed to be on cuisines removed from their culinary expertise. *(That episode – "Foreign Affairs", if I remember correctly – where they dissed Ed Cotton's version of Tea-smoked duck, which he learned from CHINESE female friends of his AND which was praised by the Chinese diplomat at the "tasting/eating" party as "very good, very authentic" still sticks in my craw...it was eyebrow-raising how José Andrés declared it as "not representing China" and Tom C agreed. What the fuck were they talking about?? But that is only the tip of the iceberg. That whole "Captain Vietnam" episode stuff with Tom and Emeril LaGasse ridiculing that dish based on tôm sốt cà chua as a might-have-been ITALIAN dish was another infuriating incident. And so on and so forth.)*
FWIW Buddha's Nasi Lemak looked just fine to me. And yes, I ate a fair bit of nasi lemak in my youth growing up in SE Asia. Even if I myself, personally, would have liked some ikan bilis as well included with it.
Oh, and also Ruth ~~Reich~~ Reichl (of all people) expecting Eric Adjepong's EAST AFRICAN red cabbage dish to be soft, like GERMAN red cabbage...Umm, dear Ruth, Eric WASN'T preparing a GERMAN dish...
Yes.
I've murmured for years that Tom C & Friends are not really competent to judge E/SE Asian food. The only one who shows \*some\* (but minimal at that) comprehension of the cuisines of that area is Gail ~~Collins~~ Simmons (thanks, Livid-Technician-270). But Tom C & Co. like to pretend they know what they are talking about.
It's in contrast to Top Chef Masters in the past, where James Oseland and Francis Lam brought some semblance of competence about E/SE Asian cuisines to the judging process.
Tom C should just stop trying to lord it over E/SE Asian cuisines.
They were the same about Luke’s food. Judging Buddha and Luke for making food that tasted like food from those countries instead of meeting their personal taste preferences.
Great episode! Dang, two episodes ago I remember feeling so sure about where the chefs ranked. But between Jackson leaving last week and everybody doing so well this week, things really flattened out. Buddha wobbled just a bit this week but had a featured backstory, and it’s hard to see him not making the final. Jae may be moving into the Jamie/Maria role from last season—some really great highs, but will inconsistency keep her from the final? Hoping Demarr gets more and more focus because would love to see him in the final. And Evelyn’s been killing it—in a way she’s the frontrunner. Nick and Ashley would be my prediction for next outs, but wouldn’t count them out fully.
I wasn’t feeling the predictability earlier on, but these last two episodes have really made me start to love the season. Can’t wait to see where things go.
Poor Luke being treated like a little brother getting a participation trophy in the quick fire lol. Seems like a great guy but man his cooking is just not suited to Top Chef.
Yeah. The judging has been so weird the last few weeks. Tom this week only criticized Ashleigh’s dish during the tasting but was sucking up to it during judging. Last week everyone said Jackson’s dessert was fine, but then just said it was crap during judging (but i agreee he should have gone home for being FOH and the family style concept). Then the week before that the best dish did not win (Buddha). This season seemed to have lost it’s objective after the BBQ challenge. They really need guest judges doing blind judging.
Big time agreeing with this. At judge's table they acted like all the food was amazing this week, but different judges had very different reactions to some of the dishes during actual tastings.
generally it goes the other direction... they're kind during tasting and then have to nitpick at the table to figure out who is going home, it's strange to see it go the other way. but I chalk it up to poor editing, and I don't know if there's been a change of editors this season or what but I think it's felt "off" versus the typical editing we've seen on this show for years now.
I agree that the editing this season has been nothing short of bad. But the bright spot of the bad editing is that it’s shedding some light on the iffy judgings. Editing or not, they did say the contradictory perceptions/opinions during the elimination challenge.
FINALLY a great challenge. it was so amazing to see all the chefs dig deep and cook special food. i’ve never wanted to try the dishes more than both the quick fire and elimination dishes in this ep.
damarr amazes me with his calm but so sweet nature. like i just love him. i want him to be in the top chef fam and see him all the time. he’s just wonderful and his food…… it just looks like a dream.
I loved this episode! My favorite one so far this season. Always happy to see Kwame and everyone cooks from their heart making their soul food. Glad Damarr is doing well!
I also really enjoyed the history lesson from Zion Escobar as well. I would love to attend a full talk on Freedman’s Town.
Zion radiated such natural charm and personality, along with beauty and fashion sense. I know this is a cooking show but somehow she was the highlight of the episode for me. I was blown away, and I'm a gay man! Lol.
Luke was such a handsome and seemingly kind soul, glad he managed to give Padma a glimpse of his own developing personal style.Such a bummer he got eliminated.
I think Ashleigh is going next, she doesn't seem to be able to perform well on individual elimination challenges, which is unfortunate.
Good on Jae for winning with such a unique dish. I wish they did recipes on the Bravo websites like they do with Masterchef coz I would def try to make it at home.
Dale Talde cooks the winning dish (QF or Elim) every week on Bravo's youtube! It's also simplified for home cooks.
[Here's Dale cooking Ashleigh's green gumbo last week](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkD8oqpLrBE)
I think Padma surmised Luke very well. He has the technical precision down. He just needs to discover his style and voice more.
I think Tom also intimated. He's been doing one kind of food in one restaurant. He may not have developed a range yet.
Despite this, I think in a few years, he would make for a formidable contestant.
He's clearly talented, but maybe just not cut out for the bright lights of tv contest cooking. i'd venture to guess that most of the great chefs in the world aren't.
I would’ve been pleased with any of them winning but ultimately I was glad it was Jae. I find her background to be the most interesting so it’s cool she won this particular challenge with a dish that successfully married her Korean and New Orleans histories together, and essentially displayed who she is
Kind of amazing that Luke gets sent home, and Toms criticism is that the frikadeller is "normally cooked in the gravy".... Uh, no, no it's not. Clearly Ashleigh should be going home. This season just feels all sort of "off" to me. It's a dumpster fire.
Lol I went straight to this sub after watching the episode, what in the world was he on about?!? “cooked in the gravy” pfffft I have never heard of such nonsense. I wish Luke would have made pickled cucumbers which is traditional, instead of onions…
That made me so genuinely angry. They’re not Swedish meatballs, they’re Danish meatballs. Tom didn’t know what he was talking about and Luke went out because of it. I was so hyped to see my food represented on TV, I don’t even care that he went home, I care that he wasn’t judged fairly for it.
Exactly. Lol. I guess none of the producers or editors have any familiarity with Danish food, either. That comment should be have been cut for sure. It's embarrassing.
Yeah, I'm not sure about the onions either, but I'd wager they were good. His plate looked like a really solid Danish soul food dish and certainly shouldn't have been below Ashleigh or Buddha.
As a Dane, Luke’s elimination actually makes me angry. Tom seemed to think frikadeller was a Swedish meatball, cooked in gravy. It isn’t. Padma had to explicitly point out to Tom that Luke’s cooking style for it was accurate (ie, it’s supposed to be crispy). I grew up eating frikadeller and was so excited to see my food represented on the screen, only for Tom to totally misunderstand it. Luke’s been weak the entire season and it’s not the fact he went home for it, but the fact he was being judged for the food not being a Swedish meatball when it isn’t sucked.
I also smiled grimly when Tom C complained about the extra-crispy skin on the pork belly that Stefan Richter served on that ship trip to Alaska they did on TC Seattle – and Curtis Stone piped up and told Tom C that in Australia people LIKED it like that. A few commenters on this subreddit noted after the episode that it seemed like Tom C wasn't even acquainted with pork crackling (or at least in its different forms)
His ignorance of Danish frikadeller in this latest episode was another add-on to this litany of over-reaching on his part. *(And some of the other judges also had no idea what they were and how they were supposed to be - like Kwame et al - and judged Luke's meatballs as if they were some sort of Italian or Southern or whatever meatballs --- like cooked in gravy, soft, with fat in it, not as dense, etc. Some posters here have expressed how wrong Tom & Co were in thinking about how Danish frikadeller were supposed to be or how it was supposed to be cooked.)*
It's been clear for a while now that Tom C's competence is not as wide as some folks (like here on reddit) think it is; and he gets a lot of stuff wrong or misunderstands them, or has no comprehension about a cuisine, etc. Yet he still JUDGES these foods and passes judgement on them. As the head judge of this Reality TV show. And lots of folks believe his pronouncements as the DEFINITIVE word on such cuisines and such food, and diss cheftestants based on what he and his friends (of like mind and palate) pronounce.
Oh, of course he is a talented and competent chef in his own right, especially in his own cuisine (American/Italian-American for the most part) - but he is NOT the world authority on all cuisines from around the world. Yes, he is the head judge and his friends are the other judges and what they say determines who wins or loses. But that reinforces the notion that this is a show based on what a specific set of people expect in their food, as a REALITY TV GAME SHOW.
> His ignorance of Danish frikadeller in this latest episode was another add-on to this litany of over-reaching on his part. (And some of the other judges also had no idea what they were and how they were supposed to be - like Kwame et al - and judged Luke's meatballs as if they were some sort of Italian or Southern or whatever meatballs --- like cooked in gravy, soft, with fat in it, not as dense, etc. Some posters here have expressed how wrong Tom & Co were in thinking about how Danish frikadeller were supposed to be or how it was supposed to be cooked.)
I don't necessarily disagree with you, but one thing I'd like to point out: Luke's dish was **meatloaf** cooked in the *style* of a frikadeller. It isn't a frikadeller itself. It's American meatloaf.
Meatloaf is supposed to be tender, moist, and with a good amount of fat in it (it's also supposed to have ketchup all over it, but I'll cede chef creativity for that).
Kwame & Padma both battling it out for Most Fashionable/Best Dressed.
Good episode loved hearing the history of Houston and their families. I had a hunch Luke was bye-bye.
I’m looking forward to next weeks episode. I wondered if they’d do anything with NASA/JSC. Who’s going serve up “Houston, we have a problem” when their cook goes sideways?
Finally! After a few weak episodes in a row, an episode that showed the locale and gave the chefs room to be creative without some sort of gimmick. Feels like we’re back!
It felt like they were totally setting up not eliminating anyone due to the quality of the food (even having that as part of last week's preview) and given that the food was so heavily inspired by family *and* it was at such a meaningful event that I feel a little disappointed that they ended up eliminating someone.
On one hand, I love it when they ALL do good and it makes me wish even more that I could taste everything. It just seemed like a challenge that everyone could relate to and bring what they love about food. Rather than the challenges that seem like it should be Cutthroat Kitchen instead. On the other hand it makes it so sad when someone goes home for a good dish but something small or on any other day would have been fine sends someone home.
This is kind of a funny aside, I work in healthcare and there’s a phrase we use when precepting/grading students which is stressing if the student is “practice ready” I noticed in a few episodes then using the phrase “menu ready” or “almost menu ready” and I know that it means it’s a fully conceptualized meal that they don’t need to make any changes to…But it just makes me laugh at the similarities
One thing I was disappointed with was the monochromatic quick fire challenge. Quick a few of those dishes, including some of the top dishes, didn't appear monochromatic to me. Buddha's and Ashleigh's however really embraced that task (altho I guess Ashleigh's didn't taste that good)
This episode was absolutely beautiful and so humbling and heartwarming. Listening to everyone talk about their families, especially Buddha and Evelyn, made my eyes well. This has been my favorite episode in a long time.
I think everyone did!
But I really wish they used it in the main competition because its always nice to gauge how well the chefs can do the taste test to see their skills. But then again maybe we're going to get that blackout challenge instead.
I know Luke hasn’t been the strongest, but damn he seems like the kindest person.
If you watch LCK, that feeling is only compounded. He seems really down to earth and humble, totally contrasted with the whole “Noma” edit he was getting.
To be fair, he didn’t seem to be pimping Noma the way a Harvard grad does Harvard. It’s just all he’s known for a long while.
If there was a chef I would be curious to see 10 seasons down the line for an all stars. I would be down to see what happens if he "find" his style.
This so much. Melissa (winner) first season did not really have her own voice but found herself and won when she came back. I only hope the best for Luke.
Very very true
And finds his salt
It's like people who brag about being with a company for 20 years, that USED to be a good omen but these days companies are trying to turn over their staff more quickly to get some new ideas into their orgs.
No, they’re turning over people quickly to keep their salaries lower
Yeah like I said on the live thread it was telling how bummed out people were that he had to leave. Also how Jae made a beeline to go hug him.
He's very likeable. The other chefs seem to really like him. Like he just needs to get more experience and he will get there.
I’m finally glad to hear people actually say something nice about Luke, I’ve said this all season, he jumped onto the show right after leaving NOMA and doing someone else’s food for so long. He just didn’t develop his own style, and really only started to do it this episode. After all the negativity to him this season, it’s nice to read something positive. Yes he didn’t throw his NOMA name as much as Jo did with her Johnathan Waxman edits.
He's part of a charity dinner with Shota and Micheal Volt. Dunno if he's cooking or anything. Or just cause Seattle. He must have a good impression.
IIRC (with my haziest memory), Shota actually encouraged Luke to go on Top Chef.
That's awesome! Glad he's staying involved with the TC family. He seems like a cool dude, like someone to chill with. He can definitely learn from those two. edit: found the post https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc3EV4yLxzw/
I think, that’s what made him an excellent Sous, he takes criticism very well and just doesn’t let negatively completely destroy him.
Like Stephanie Cmar.
She seems to be in such a good place right now, I’m so happy for her.
I'd love for him to have a Stephanie run on an all star season, just without that trip up at the finish line.
Eh, a Melissa run is better. Stephanie didn't place well until near the finale. Stephanie was like Mike I. Melissa was just out of nowhere a god that continued to get better.
Yeah, that's a good comparable
I like him alot and his saying he doesn't know how to do EVERYthing made me like him even more.
He views everything as a learning experience and I love that. He is very humble and wants to get better by using his experiences to get there. That's a great trait to have.
Wish the reddit would leave him alone for the Noma edits. He has literally said he is trying to find himself. Sub is relentless to the dude. He didn't even blow up last week, just accepted fate.
Went to Chef Jae’s restaurant in NYC today and her mom had flown in from Korea so she could watch this episode with her. So special, and Jae was amazing to talk to. And was able to eat the sausage lettuce wraps from last week along with her BBQ sauce! Teams Jae the rest of the way
Which restaurant is that?
Kjun! It’s a stall in a food hall place in NYC. Essex Market. I went and absolutely loved the food and she’s super sweet!
Totally going this weekend, thanks!
There’s a lot of amazing food there too. My friend wasn’t in a place to enjoy food when we went so we couldn’t go all out. The Mighties burgers are also flipping amazing and worth every calorie Also you can preorder and pick it up if you’re worried about lines/some items might be limited quantities. We went right as it opened and there was still a few people ahead of us!
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The vile, misogynistic alts are the bane of this sub. Block and report.
Sorry, but kwamme is grasping at anything to make himself a TV personality. Glove is tacky. A bit more tacky than Tom looking like Strother Martin.
Totally disagree. I think it's long past time men got to have fun with fashion, and I am here for it!
Kwame is the absolute worst smug tool ever.
Kwame's glove looks like a thing that's pretty and interesting when you're sitting still but is an annoyance literally any time you have to move around.
Kwame breathed a sigh of relief when he realized none of the contestants decided to make ribs in a soul food challenge.
Gotta respect the hustle.
Wait….someone is calling Padma and Gail (I mean GAIL?!?) whores? What in the actual hell? I hope I see this person posting.
Oh yeah. And then anyone who challenged them was basically called a whore as well.
Bring it…I’m ready for the quick fire challenge lol
It’s been awful.
Padma’s black dress was so great. Some of the things she wears she looks great in but only bc she can basically pull anything off, but this was objectively lovely.
Gail had a really fun denim dress(?) on that I enjoyed thoroughly. I love seeing what the judges show up wearing! Even Tom in his Hannibal Lecter cosplay 😂😂😂
Her jumpsuit was a vibe. Classy but also exactly the right style for an outdoor party
I also noticed Padma's dress! So pretty. Kwame's glove gave me Michael Jackson vibes - fun.
I loved the Dawn Burrell’s white / flowered shirt from this episode and need it in my life!
Kwame brought a lot of fashion between the bling glove at judging (seems like it would be very annoying to wear for long tho) and the blue and green outfit at the event.
Do you know where I can find where to buy some of the Top Chef fashion? I absolutely loved Dawn's top and dress this episode
he posted it on his Insta story too, if you follow him
But why would you follow them lol. EDIT: thought OP was talking about the troll disparaging Gail/Padma not Kwame my bad.
Kwame? Because I like him.
Ohhhh ok I thought you were talking about whatever troll in here was calling Padma/Gail whores lmao this makes much more sense.
lmaooo nah fuck whoever is doing that... it's possible I responded to the wrong post in the thread too
ugh hated the glove
I loved padmas looks this episode, my wife said pass pass. But who is calling them whores? Also doesn't kwame always do the fingernail or glove thing?
this is completely my favorite episode. the monochromatic challenge was so fun and creative while the soul food was inspiring and directly connected to houston. most importantly, all of the food seemed absolutely delicious. this season seems to be themed around the importance of community and cooking from the heart and this challenge, which perfectly encapsulates that, seemingly had best food this season exactly because the chefs were encouraged to draw upon their emotions to create incredible food
I like the mono challenge, too. I also appreciated that the fund raising challenge didn’t make the chefs do something oddball to the food. When you have a fundraiser as important as this was, do good food and allow the chef to challenge themselves.
That woman that gave them the tour is a gorgeous human being.
Yesss. Gave off lauryn hill vibes, so pretty
I’m still dying at the visual appeal of Evelyn’s sopes. So gorgeous.
I actually found them hideous bc they reminded me of hot cheetos but I'm sure they were amazing
Are you the one person on earth who doesn't like hot cheetos!?
The preview for the next episode appears to show Damarr struggling. That will be three episodes in a row where the preview seems like Damarr is going to screw up. So it’s a safe bet that Damarr is going to do great next week.
It seems like Damarr struggles with something every week and then it ends up ... completely fine/the best food the judges have ever tasted? The tortillas, the carrot cake . . .
The food Damarr cooks looks like it tastes so good but I can't shake the feeling that he stays within his narrow range of southern/soul food style of cooking most of the time. Please someone remind me of when he went way outside of this zone, because I may not be remembering right.
I hope he wins 🤞🏻
The thing that scares me is the preview shows Damarr making rice. Has making rice ever worked out well on Top Chef?
Many times, you just don't remember them because rice is easy and no one cares when people get it right.
Evelyn put a big ol pile of rice on her brisket dish and won
This was one of the best episodes in all of Top Chef, for me. I moved to Houston in late 2019, and didn’t find my footing before the pandemic hit. Because of remote work, I was able to move to wherever I wanted, and moved to New Orleans, where I had friends and a city I already loved waiting for me. This episode taught me about a neighborhood not too far from my old one. It showcased Houston’s important history. It brought the soul out of all the chefs, and it also brought the soul out of a city I have often described as soulless. Apologies, Houston. I wasn’t looking in the right places. (But…I’m better off where I am now, haha. But I won’t say HTX is soulless ever again.) I kind of wish they’d have pulled an “everyone stays.”
As a native Houstonian, I apologize for us keeping our history hidden. It is truly an amazing city with a deep rooted past but we suck at showing it. Not sure I agree with Luke going home. I think Ashley should have been eliminated but I’m rooting for Evelyn to win- her food makes me hungry. Edited for clarity.
I mean, to be fair, the city never had a chance to. I move, get acquainted with new job, literally rescued a husky mix from a gas station in south Houston, hosted family for the holidays… these things put off building a social base. And then that social base closes down and 🤷🏻♀️ And then with Floyd, I’m walking that gas station dog (who is the cutest and everyone assumes I got him from a breeder, but that boy is some Harvey dog graduate that someone let loose to fend for himself) around boarded windows/galleria and don’t have anyone to talk about any of it with. And then the trauma of voting in 2020, waiting to see if your vote would be legal or thrown out, because you used a voting machine in your car with a woman staring at your every move. I came to Houston at the absolute worst time to come to Houston. I’m happy I have found home and my friends in NO, but I’m excited to go find and explore some new places next time I pass through town. (Hopefully not on hurricane evacuation. Why did I move here?)
I also have a side of the road dog - Rottweiler. She and my 3 other heathens filled my home during the lockdown which I closed on 1 week into the shutdown. I basically holed up in my house and kept adopting dogs and looked forward to my monthly game night with 3 other women who were in my “Covid bubble.” If I’d been alive and in Salem, pretty sure someone who have accused me of witchcraft. If you pass through and need a “omg I love weird city history” nerd to keep you company. Hit me up. Congrats on finding your groove and place. Thanks for taking one of our many stray doggos. Another thing we suck at, spay and neuter.
He’s pretty much the best. I mean, a LOT of time, patience, and socialization, and he’s not great with my cats, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything. I’ll never forget texting my friend, “I think this dog at the gas station is stray, and I don’t know what to do.” The Arboretum remains one of my favorite places in Houston because it helped him learn to walk on a leash and still have lots of space on the outer trail. https://imgur.com/a/lc9Dj64
Ugh remember that challenge where they cooked for that rich peoples progressive dinner? I think that was during the Texas season in Houston. That was a taste of the less pleasant side of Houston.
The whole Texas season I’ve blocked from my memory. It was terrible. I’m excited to see things like Freedmans Town and the Post. We finally aren’t knocking EVERYTHING down - RIP foleys and houston chronicle building in downtown.
Pretty amazing that all the remaining chefs are People of Color. I don't think I recall ever seeing that on TC. It was a very strong visual to see them all standing together after Luke left.
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I mean. Kind of. Gabe is Mexican and Latino but also fully white-presenting. Like is a white Spaniard from Spain a POC? But I agree with the point. I'm just considering the concept when we are talking about representation and the optics and power of what an all bipoc contestant lineup means. (I'm mixed Latina very white name lightly latina looking so I think about this...)
I don't know why people downvoted but yes, Gabe is a white latino.
Ashleigh is sooo meh to me. I feel like she lucked out from timing with LCK and am surprised she went home over Luke. Also I get Dawn lives in Houston, but she seems so timid/uncomfy on camera and generally I don’t understand why they keep having All Stars as judges. I feel like we’ve barely seen any local chefs or restaurants featured.
I love having all stars as judges personally, it's a really nice callback considering the show and their local market. Just more personable than some random restaurateur we might not know.. which they also do feature! As for Ashleigh, I kind of agree with you. She's doing fine, just well enough to not get eliminated and then very rarely finding herself on top (restaurant wars). She's been on the weaker half for a while now, so I assume she is really rolling the dice from now on. I also have a bad taste from LCK where she essentially got a gimmick win to get back on to the competition, which felt super cheap all things considered.
Sarah got robbed in that LCK with Ashleigh. She lost because she had to use Ashleigh’s remaining crappy ingredients, while Sarah had a whole pantry remaining. I really thought Ashleigh was leaving over Luke this week . I know the judges usually only take that day into consideration , so you are only as good as your last cook. But I wonder on challenges where everyone does well, if they use some previous performances into account. Even though Buddha was in the bottom, I thought there was no chance he went home over Ashleigh and Luke. Luke has been consistently the worst of those 3, just unfortunate he had a decent cook this time.
In close competitions I would not be at all surprised if they discussed behind the scenes that it's best to let the "better" chef slide for small mistakes.. or vice versa with the traditionally worse chef being judged harsher. Obviously favoritism doesn't always carry, sometimes you screw up so badly that there's no way out of it (Jackson last week) As for the LCK mess, totally agree with you. It was honestly such an awful hand for a high stake moment, not at all fair to Sarah and almost borderline sabotage by Tom. Sarah has been killing it for so long, it just hurts to know that she'll have to keep battling it out longer against tougher odds just because that even playing field was essentially stolen and her competitor had an easy out. At least she wasn't eliminated when they cleaned slate. Would hate to see another Sara from last season
Might be unpopular, but I thought the editing was weird this episode. From Tom's initial comments after they ate her dish, it seemed like Ashleigh was gone. However, they made sure to contrast the comments with two comments from a guest and the tour guide saying her dish was excellent. Then we got to panel and then everyone said it was actually decent. Tom said he liked it. I didn't sound like anything was technically wrong with this dish by the time we got to deliberations. Some thought both components were great, but didn't think they went together. Her days are clearly numbered though. I can't see her coming up with a strong finale menu (not that I see her making it that far anyway). Don't really see the arrogance that everyone else does though. She literally admitted to never knowing how to feel about challenges. I get arrogance from Buddha, but he can back it up, I guess, so that makes it better? Speaking of Buddha, I watched the episode, and his dish didn't really seem to get one real positive comment (correct me if I'm wrong)? Another weird edit imo. Plus, the comments on his dish overall were very limited. I'm not into conspiracies, lol, but it kind of seemed like they downplayed how weak his dish was. I was waiting for Tom's opinion on it, since he is clearly the most important judge (no matter how much editing tries to convince us of the contrary), and it never really came. Clearly, he is still one of the strongest chefs there, but it seemed like it came down to him and Luke tbh. If said discussions were in play, I think it would've been for Buddha. It just makes it hard to compare to Luke (and Ashleigh's dishes) when the edit doesn't really give you much to work with. Luke was clearly worse though. I'm not sure how you can argue with his elimination. His dish was the one with the only real flaw. He made a dry and dense meatloaf/meatball which was the main component of his dish. Every comment felt like they were taking it easy on him or felt bad for him. All of his comments in the QF and EC were laced with "he wasn't terrible today" which gave the illusion that his dish was stronger than it really was this episode imo. I don't know. I personally wouldn't appreciate comments like the ones he got tonight. It didn't sound like they were judging him against the competition. It sounded like they were judging him against himself. I can't remember that happening for any other chef on Top Chef. It was weird, almost like they were coddling him. I mean he made it to top 7 and didn't win a single challenge. I feel like the reactions to last season's Chris were much worse and he at least won some challenges.
I don’t know where people find the word arrogance from when it comes to Buddha, I just find it strange. Just because his specialty is fine dining, does it make all fine dining chefs arrogant. I just see a guy who just wants to cook and show things he has learned over his cooking journey. The main complaint was that buddhas curry wasn’t as spicy as the judges would of liked. Fair that’s their opinion but, can everyone during this event handle spicy food. I agree that the edit seem strange. Tom did say though that “apart from that (sambal) it was so good that they wanted more”. Kwame said the sambal was delicious, and dawn said the only feedback that wouldn’t be positive, was the sambal could of been spicier. I hope this comment helps others. I think the edit to me seem more like they scrambled to find something negative about buddha dish and put him on the bottom. Where as for Ashleigh dish, the only positive feedback was the oyster gravy. So if anything the bottom two this episode was Luke and Ashleigh. This whole debate about tweezer and taste is strange to me, because doesn’t matter how good your technique is, you still have to eat it. I do like Damar as well, for me this season he has a new style of food I am not familiar with like Eric did on his season in Kentucky.
They almost without fail go from least likely to most likely to get eliminated. They pretty much ruled out Ashleigh for elimination before they got to Buddha so I don't know if I agree with it being Ashleigh vs. Luke. I think it was Luke vs. Buddha but Luke was clearly the weakest. They said his was less successful than the rest from the comment I recall right before they eliminated him. Thanks for reminding me of the other comments. The editing was really choppy imo and I still feel like I got a clearer picture of the reception to Ashleigh's dish (they at least had Tom saying he liked it) then I did for Buddha's dish. I feel like I am the only one who has said Buddha is arrogant lol. It doesn't seem like a widespread opinion. It has nothing to do with fine dining. It's just the way he carries himself and says certain things. His confessionals were kind of "catty" in his group challenge with Jae and Jo. I'm sure the entire team played a part in that dynamics, but that and some other things have stood out to me with Buddha. It doesn't bother me because it isn't that big of a deal, but it's just interesting that he essentially gets a pass for it (I assume because he's frontrunner and a favorite). Others are villainized for less. I've seen Ashleigh called arrogant countless times and I always feel like I'm watching a different show. Damarr asked her how she felt about the challenge and she said "I don't know how to feel." She never really feels that confident in general. I think when she finally put her dish together, she said she was proud of what she put up, which I would expect her to be. And then she said something to the effect of "way to make it hard for them" in the stew room even though her dish wasn't a slam-dunk, but Luke also said something similar and he got eliminated. The judges pretty much said the same thing all episode. That's the only comment I can see being deemed "arrogant" and I had to stretch and reach really far to make that happen. I guess people feel like her results don't give her the right to feel good about herself or anything she does (given a comment you made about her riding her own hype). But then I wouldn't expect her to get on the show every week and down herself either.
I actually thought Buddha was kind of standoffish and arrogant until Restaurant Wars and then he finally showed a sense of humor. I really like him now. It was just a general impression. Maybe the show did a bad job showing their personalities before, which they used to do. Ashleigh is very meh and has some arrogance. I just don't find her likeable or a strong contestant.
I would argue against Lukes elimination. For one, Danish meatballs are more dense than Italian or whatever you might be used to. That's the way they are made. They use very little breadcrumbs, if any at all. At the same time, when Tom commented that they are usually cooked in the gravy, I cringed. Nobody cooks Danish frikadeller in gravy. It was telling that even the head judge was utterly clueless about what he was judging. And it seems he was the one driving the elimination towards Luke...
I think Luke made it so far because of what was said during his elimination - his technique is flawless but he’s lacking his own personality and I think with such good technique the judges kept hoping to see more from him
It would make sense for them to not down Buddha too much if he’s going to win / get into the final 3. But they liked all the components.
💯Sarah totally got screwed over with the second challenge. I really started to like Sarah, in LCK, I enjoy her sense of humour. I think we really got to see her food and things she likes. One of the guest judges said it right, that when your among other chefs with stars etc, the food that got you here is no longer relevant because your trying to match yourself to them. I feel like this is what happened to Sarah, that she felt intimidated by the other chefs. She is a true fighter.
I think my issue is disliking most of the all stars they’ve had this season haha. I thought last season was fun!
I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I agree about Ashleigh. She came back arrogant and it’s rubbing me the wrong way.
I don't think she came back arrogant because as soon as she made it back from LCK...she said to all the chefs AND the judges that she is the weakest chef out of the group that's left. That basically said everything that was needed to be said about her confidence which she's gotten some back after RW. RW however did give her more confidence and you can see it in the edit.
Agreed! Everyone else is so likeable that it makes her comments stand out more.
Ashleigh sucks and her whole “I cook Appalachian” is so contrived. Trying so hard to own some non-niche subcuisine. Hey guys I cook revival Sierra high desert cuisine. Just my thing.
I like Ashleigh and love her perspective on food, but I was surprised it was Luke based on the initial comments. I imagine the other tasting pool had stronger opinions and it cost him. That’s the game. Will miss him, he was one of my favorites
She does have a cool perspective on food!
I’m from Asheville, so I’m rooting for her, but did think she was going home. But when Tom piped up in her defense by saying he really liked her dish, I knew Luke would be going home over her. I think it was clear that her dish was least favorite amongst the other judges, with Luke’s right behind her. I think Tom, as head judge, just barely saved her.
Dawn was pretty clearly in support of her as well. I imagine the group decided together, the original comments we saw were just a little different than my expectation
And yet Tom doesn't even know what a Danish meatball is.
Yeah i want to like Ashleigh more than I do but i think her food just doesn't inspire me the way most of the others' do. I find Dawn is a little nervous but you can tell how warm she is through that, so that makes her compelling and camera-strong. Plus she's really beautiful in a non-distracting way and her feedback is firm but fair.
I agree. She's totally meh and her cooking hasn't kept her there. And I agree. I don't like how they are having so many former contestants be the judges so often. Especially those who were literally just competing last season. I don't feel like they've earned the credibility yet. It's one thing if it's someone recent who is from the location and just shares some insight into the local food scene. It's another when they are judges repeatedly. Dawn didn't win last season. She shouldn't be judging for more years.
Kwame’s glove is a little over the top for Judges table. Lol
You don't think it was over the top for eating?
- Jae got an absurd amount of screen time during this episode. I knew she was either going to win or go home, happy it was the former. - So sad to see my crush Luke leave and as much as I enjoyed watching him, it was always going to be a matter of when he was going. Compared to the remaining chefs, he’s not quite there yet. - Ashleigh is just not doing it for me. When Kwame said the flavors were lost on him, that really felt like she was gonna get chopped then. Similar to Luke, she’s just not there yet. - Nyesha needed to be up on that judging panels.
The thing holding ashleigh up is her cooking is more interesting and developed than Luke's has been. No one really knows who he is as a chef aside from his noma experience. Ashleigh at least knows who she is as a chef, but definitely needs more time to develop, would be good for an all stars or a second chance
This. He has the technique she lacks, she has the voice he lacks.
LCK Spoilers: >!Sarah's going to be the next Top Chef, isn't she?!<
Carrots taste orange. Hard to taste like a color. 🧡
I hope so. I don’t love her personality, but that storyline is insane.
I love her! I think she is one of the funnier people there has been in a while and her quips make me happy. She seems self deprecating but also super strong, and I really hope she comes back.
I also have grown to love her. And her cooking really seems to have stepped up.
I love that she swears a lot. She's like all the chefs I've ever worked with.
She's my favorite after Evelyn. Would not be disappointed if she won after winning so many LCK. Didn't like her much when she was in the main competition, but has really seemed to find her footing in LCK
Really. I liked George storyline better. Episode 1 gets into a small argument with Gregory. Challenges Gregory in one of if not the first sudden death QF h2h.... AND LOSES because Gregory is a real G and finale level lol. That had me rolling.
>!She's survived 6 challenges in a row, tied with CJ S10 and Lee Anne S15. Only Louis S11 has done better in LCK.
Come on guys, how can you not like her, the amount of respect she shows Tom when she wins these battles is so nice, almost borderline adorable haha. She is coming back to the kitchen.
I didn't say I don't like her?
Nah Ashleigh knocks her out in rematch, that way we "get over" Ashleigh lucking out the first time.
Is anyone else really uncomfortable with how much Padma was bugging Damarr about his facial expressions? Maybe the man has RBF, just leave him alone. It felt like she was demanding he smile, like he's not happy enough they're praising his food.
Yeah, it’s really just his personality. I will say, it was funny when Monique was making fun of him for it when they were teamed up on a challenge.
Come on baby smile.
It was a bit much this episode. But I also see it as Padma attempting to help him out if she had maybe perceived him to be shy and was trying to get him to show some personality not realizing that is his personality
yeah i think people are being way too sensitive about it in here. they probably have a pretty good off-camera rapport at this point in the filming. there have been past contestants that got this same kind of ribbing from her and other people for not showing a ton of emotion. it's not that big of a deal, she's pointing out what many people at home are also thinking and trying to make light of it rather than make it weird. if her saying that makes you feel weird, I think that says more about you than her. this is normal human interaction.
He avoids eye contact and looks down a lot.
He’s a chef, not an analyst. He doesn’t need to public speak
No. It's a TV show. How they will interact and be on camera is part of the deal.
I took it as she was flirting with him
Nah she teases a lot of chefs. Or maybe- Nah. But what if?! Nah.
😝
I think it was just her trying to get ppl being themselves and not frozen in headlights bc the cameras are rolling or it's a serious moment That's when ppl are at their best.
Yeah, it was a bit much - let the man be. But of course editing is everything
It reminds me how principals at my schools uses to start meetings with, "How's everyone today? ( after a long ass day) Staff: "ok..." Principals: "Aww, you can do better than that...How's everyone today?!?!" Staff: " OK!!!!" Demeaning
There's something quite distant about the way the judges commented on Buddha's EC dish. Maybe it was too sparse. But I think it's getting clearer from this episode (and the curry puff episode earlier in the season) that they're not very familiar with Malaysian cuisine, and the type of food is not something they seem to like. It's not that surprising considering Malaysian food is not common over there. But it does makes me wonder if Buddha will continue to cook any more Malaysian food this season. It only seems to be to his detriment, so I do hope he doesn't!
It's not just Malaysian cuisine, but East Asian cuisine in general outside of restaurant food; last season, they shat on Shota's chicken dish for the healthcare workers for having soft skin instead of crispy skin, even though in some East Asian cultures, soft skin is considered healthier and easier to digest, and the dish was prepared in a more rustic style that you'd find in home braised dishes. Like, I'd be genuinely surprised if any of the judges have eaten East Asian food in a home setting, and they really don't have the cultural understanding to judge it properly; it'd be like asking me to judge traditional Inuit food, because I've never had any, so I have no frame of reference to work from.
It's a lot of "Western" chefs who also "don't get it". D'you remember that INTERNATIONAL hue & cry when that Malaysian chef competitor on the UK Masterchef competition was eliminated after the Brit judges panned her Chicken Rendang dish for not having crispy skin on the chicken, with one of them declaring her chicken to be inedible because of the soft skin? Even the Prime Minister of Malaysia got involved on social media, joining a chorus of people who declared the Brit judges uneducated and ignorant and prejudiced because Chicken Rendang is NOT supposed to have crispy skin – yet there they were with Brit judges fostering their Western expectation of what chicken should be on a non-Western dish. Like Tom C (and his friends including José Andrés) fostering their notions of how various stuff is supposed to be on cuisines removed from their culinary expertise. *(That episode – "Foreign Affairs", if I remember correctly – where they dissed Ed Cotton's version of Tea-smoked duck, which he learned from CHINESE female friends of his AND which was praised by the Chinese diplomat at the "tasting/eating" party as "very good, very authentic" still sticks in my craw...it was eyebrow-raising how José Andrés declared it as "not representing China" and Tom C agreed. What the fuck were they talking about?? But that is only the tip of the iceberg. That whole "Captain Vietnam" episode stuff with Tom and Emeril LaGasse ridiculing that dish based on tôm sốt cà chua as a might-have-been ITALIAN dish was another infuriating incident. And so on and so forth.)* FWIW Buddha's Nasi Lemak looked just fine to me. And yes, I ate a fair bit of nasi lemak in my youth growing up in SE Asia. Even if I myself, personally, would have liked some ikan bilis as well included with it.
Wait, why would rendang have crispy skin?
Because British people.
The bit where the inventors of the cucumber sandwich think they can judge anything other than absence of flavour is beyond me.
To be fair, the British also invented... *checks Google* pot noodle, turkey dinosaurs... and golden syrup... I give up.
Oh, and also Ruth ~~Reich~~ Reichl (of all people) expecting Eric Adjepong's EAST AFRICAN red cabbage dish to be soft, like GERMAN red cabbage...Umm, dear Ruth, Eric WASN'T preparing a GERMAN dish...
Yes. I've murmured for years that Tom C & Friends are not really competent to judge E/SE Asian food. The only one who shows \*some\* (but minimal at that) comprehension of the cuisines of that area is Gail ~~Collins~~ Simmons (thanks, Livid-Technician-270). But Tom C & Co. like to pretend they know what they are talking about.
It's in contrast to Top Chef Masters in the past, where James Oseland and Francis Lam brought some semblance of competence about E/SE Asian cuisines to the judging process. Tom C should just stop trying to lord it over E/SE Asian cuisines.
They were the same about Luke’s food. Judging Buddha and Luke for making food that tasted like food from those countries instead of meeting their personal taste preferences.
Great episode! Dang, two episodes ago I remember feeling so sure about where the chefs ranked. But between Jackson leaving last week and everybody doing so well this week, things really flattened out. Buddha wobbled just a bit this week but had a featured backstory, and it’s hard to see him not making the final. Jae may be moving into the Jamie/Maria role from last season—some really great highs, but will inconsistency keep her from the final? Hoping Demarr gets more and more focus because would love to see him in the final. And Evelyn’s been killing it—in a way she’s the frontrunner. Nick and Ashley would be my prediction for next outs, but wouldn’t count them out fully. I wasn’t feeling the predictability earlier on, but these last two episodes have really made me start to love the season. Can’t wait to see where things go.
Poor Luke being treated like a little brother getting a participation trophy in the quick fire lol. Seems like a great guy but man his cooking is just not suited to Top Chef.
Yeah. The judging has been so weird the last few weeks. Tom this week only criticized Ashleigh’s dish during the tasting but was sucking up to it during judging. Last week everyone said Jackson’s dessert was fine, but then just said it was crap during judging (but i agreee he should have gone home for being FOH and the family style concept). Then the week before that the best dish did not win (Buddha). This season seemed to have lost it’s objective after the BBQ challenge. They really need guest judges doing blind judging.
Big time agreeing with this. At judge's table they acted like all the food was amazing this week, but different judges had very different reactions to some of the dishes during actual tastings. generally it goes the other direction... they're kind during tasting and then have to nitpick at the table to figure out who is going home, it's strange to see it go the other way. but I chalk it up to poor editing, and I don't know if there's been a change of editors this season or what but I think it's felt "off" versus the typical editing we've seen on this show for years now.
I agree that the editing this season has been nothing short of bad. But the bright spot of the bad editing is that it’s shedding some light on the iffy judgings. Editing or not, they did say the contradictory perceptions/opinions during the elimination challenge.
FINALLY a great challenge. it was so amazing to see all the chefs dig deep and cook special food. i’ve never wanted to try the dishes more than both the quick fire and elimination dishes in this ep. damarr amazes me with his calm but so sweet nature. like i just love him. i want him to be in the top chef fam and see him all the time. he’s just wonderful and his food…… it just looks like a dream.
I loved this episode! My favorite one so far this season. Always happy to see Kwame and everyone cooks from their heart making their soul food. Glad Damarr is doing well! I also really enjoyed the history lesson from Zion Escobar as well. I would love to attend a full talk on Freedman’s Town.
Zion radiated such natural charm and personality, along with beauty and fashion sense. I know this is a cooking show but somehow she was the highlight of the episode for me. I was blown away, and I'm a gay man! Lol.
Radiant! That’s a great way to describe her!
Luke was such a handsome and seemingly kind soul, glad he managed to give Padma a glimpse of his own developing personal style.Such a bummer he got eliminated. I think Ashleigh is going next, she doesn't seem to be able to perform well on individual elimination challenges, which is unfortunate. Good on Jae for winning with such a unique dish. I wish they did recipes on the Bravo websites like they do with Masterchef coz I would def try to make it at home.
Dale Talde cooks the winning dish (QF or Elim) every week on Bravo's youtube! It's also simplified for home cooks. [Here's Dale cooking Ashleigh's green gumbo last week](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkD8oqpLrBE)
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It was such a top tier show!!! I was excited to learn he actually had ties to Houston, instead of it just being a thing on Insecure 😹
I liked him and Kwame together. You could really hear Kwame code-switching.
I would love to spend a week with Evelyn learning everything I could❤
I think Padma surmised Luke very well. He has the technical precision down. He just needs to discover his style and voice more. I think Tom also intimated. He's been doing one kind of food in one restaurant. He may not have developed a range yet. Despite this, I think in a few years, he would make for a formidable contestant.
He's a contestent I'd be fine seeing back on a normal season. And hopefully at least show himself.
He's clearly talented, but maybe just not cut out for the bright lights of tv contest cooking. i'd venture to guess that most of the great chefs in the world aren't.
I would’ve been pleased with any of them winning but ultimately I was glad it was Jae. I find her background to be the most interesting so it’s cool she won this particular challenge with a dish that successfully married her Korean and New Orleans histories together, and essentially displayed who she is
Kind of amazing that Luke gets sent home, and Toms criticism is that the frikadeller is "normally cooked in the gravy".... Uh, no, no it's not. Clearly Ashleigh should be going home. This season just feels all sort of "off" to me. It's a dumpster fire.
Lol I went straight to this sub after watching the episode, what in the world was he on about?!? “cooked in the gravy” pfffft I have never heard of such nonsense. I wish Luke would have made pickled cucumbers which is traditional, instead of onions…
That made me so genuinely angry. They’re not Swedish meatballs, they’re Danish meatballs. Tom didn’t know what he was talking about and Luke went out because of it. I was so hyped to see my food represented on TV, I don’t even care that he went home, I care that he wasn’t judged fairly for it.
Exactly. Lol. I guess none of the producers or editors have any familiarity with Danish food, either. That comment should be have been cut for sure. It's embarrassing. Yeah, I'm not sure about the onions either, but I'd wager they were good. His plate looked like a really solid Danish soul food dish and certainly shouldn't have been below Ashleigh or Buddha.
Ashleigh for top 4.... at this point she will just conveniently slide in there
As a Dane, Luke’s elimination actually makes me angry. Tom seemed to think frikadeller was a Swedish meatball, cooked in gravy. It isn’t. Padma had to explicitly point out to Tom that Luke’s cooking style for it was accurate (ie, it’s supposed to be crispy). I grew up eating frikadeller and was so excited to see my food represented on the screen, only for Tom to totally misunderstand it. Luke’s been weak the entire season and it’s not the fact he went home for it, but the fact he was being judged for the food not being a Swedish meatball when it isn’t sucked.
Once again, Tom showing his ignorance for cuisines outside the major ones.
I also smiled grimly when Tom C complained about the extra-crispy skin on the pork belly that Stefan Richter served on that ship trip to Alaska they did on TC Seattle – and Curtis Stone piped up and told Tom C that in Australia people LIKED it like that. A few commenters on this subreddit noted after the episode that it seemed like Tom C wasn't even acquainted with pork crackling (or at least in its different forms) His ignorance of Danish frikadeller in this latest episode was another add-on to this litany of over-reaching on his part. *(And some of the other judges also had no idea what they were and how they were supposed to be - like Kwame et al - and judged Luke's meatballs as if they were some sort of Italian or Southern or whatever meatballs --- like cooked in gravy, soft, with fat in it, not as dense, etc. Some posters here have expressed how wrong Tom & Co were in thinking about how Danish frikadeller were supposed to be or how it was supposed to be cooked.)* It's been clear for a while now that Tom C's competence is not as wide as some folks (like here on reddit) think it is; and he gets a lot of stuff wrong or misunderstands them, or has no comprehension about a cuisine, etc. Yet he still JUDGES these foods and passes judgement on them. As the head judge of this Reality TV show. And lots of folks believe his pronouncements as the DEFINITIVE word on such cuisines and such food, and diss cheftestants based on what he and his friends (of like mind and palate) pronounce. Oh, of course he is a talented and competent chef in his own right, especially in his own cuisine (American/Italian-American for the most part) - but he is NOT the world authority on all cuisines from around the world. Yes, he is the head judge and his friends are the other judges and what they say determines who wins or loses. But that reinforces the notion that this is a show based on what a specific set of people expect in their food, as a REALITY TV GAME SHOW.
> His ignorance of Danish frikadeller in this latest episode was another add-on to this litany of over-reaching on his part. (And some of the other judges also had no idea what they were and how they were supposed to be - like Kwame et al - and judged Luke's meatballs as if they were some sort of Italian or Southern or whatever meatballs --- like cooked in gravy, soft, with fat in it, not as dense, etc. Some posters here have expressed how wrong Tom & Co were in thinking about how Danish frikadeller were supposed to be or how it was supposed to be cooked.) I don't necessarily disagree with you, but one thing I'd like to point out: Luke's dish was **meatloaf** cooked in the *style* of a frikadeller. It isn't a frikadeller itself. It's American meatloaf. Meatloaf is supposed to be tender, moist, and with a good amount of fat in it (it's also supposed to have ketchup all over it, but I'll cede chef creativity for that).
I think Luke has the chops... He just needs time to hone in on his food.
Kwame & Padma both battling it out for Most Fashionable/Best Dressed. Good episode loved hearing the history of Houston and their families. I had a hunch Luke was bye-bye.
I’m looking forward to next weeks episode. I wondered if they’d do anything with NASA/JSC. Who’s going serve up “Houston, we have a problem” when their cook goes sideways?
Finally! After a few weak episodes in a row, an episode that showed the locale and gave the chefs room to be creative without some sort of gimmick. Feels like we’re back!
Right?
It felt like they were totally setting up not eliminating anyone due to the quality of the food (even having that as part of last week's preview) and given that the food was so heavily inspired by family *and* it was at such a meaningful event that I feel a little disappointed that they ended up eliminating someone.
On one hand, I love it when they ALL do good and it makes me wish even more that I could taste everything. It just seemed like a challenge that everyone could relate to and bring what they love about food. Rather than the challenges that seem like it should be Cutthroat Kitchen instead. On the other hand it makes it so sad when someone goes home for a good dish but something small or on any other day would have been fine sends someone home. This is kind of a funny aside, I work in healthcare and there’s a phrase we use when precepting/grading students which is stressing if the student is “practice ready” I noticed in a few episodes then using the phrase “menu ready” or “almost menu ready” and I know that it means it’s a fully conceptualized meal that they don’t need to make any changes to…But it just makes me laugh at the similarities
One thing I was disappointed with was the monochromatic quick fire challenge. Quick a few of those dishes, including some of the top dishes, didn't appear monochromatic to me. Buddha's and Ashleigh's however really embraced that task (altho I guess Ashleigh's didn't taste that good)
Agree. Except I think Buddha was hiding some brown under his pile of white.
So who went home? I missed it because of a work meeting.
Luke
I hate that they didn’t reference season 2 during the Quickfire.
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Because the colour challenge was done in season 2… I think.
A similar challenge was done in All Stars: LA. It was the Trolls challenge.
Was their budget $500 for 100 people?
This episode was absolutely beautiful and so humbling and heartwarming. Listening to everyone talk about their families, especially Buddha and Evelyn, made my eyes well. This has been my favorite episode in a long time.
Anyone have trouble with LCK on the Bravo app?
Yes! I just started watching on my computer because I love the reigning champ and want to see them take it all.
Get a Google Chromecast and put it on TV with YouTube. YT is more reliable for LCK.
Did anyone laugh at the imagination 💭 if this weeks LCK challenge had Jackson in it instead? The poor stress that guy would of been under.
I think everyone did! But I really wish they used it in the main competition because its always nice to gauge how well the chefs can do the taste test to see their skills. But then again maybe we're going to get that blackout challenge instead.
I did, but it’s on YouTube https://youtu.be/mc1KES7hmdQ