Top Chef Masters 4

[the wicked child]

So it is upon us again. Experienced chefs have come together to subject themselves to the culinary gauntlet that is Top Chef in the name of charity. Some are back for a second try. Will they find redemption? Or will TCM bring them to their knees once again?

Okay so hopefully this is enough rambling that my next comments will not show up in the preview...

Episode 1 & 2 spoilers

Spoiler:

So far, Chris and Patricia are in straight up beast mode. The other chefs will need to pick up their game or hope that they stumble.

Missy had to feel like a real chump cutting herself so bad on day 1 that she had to go home... I know I would and I am hardly an accomplished chef.

That Wedding Cake was... sad. I know they didn't have much time... but man, it looked like dump... even before it fell.

The women are dropping like flies...

[tifosi77]

Aside from returning loser ex-Cheftestant Art Smith, the only name I recognized when the cast list was published was Chris Cosentino.

Spoiler:

And his performance through two weeks should be reason enough to understand why his name was familiar.

Sad to say, but I'm seriously unimpressed with TCM. As it has gone from season to season, the quality of the cheftestants has seriously waned. The first season was decent, the second was okay. The third group was very weak overall, imo, and this fourth year is just a bunch of headscratchers. (Except for Cosentino.) Of course, I'll still watch..... I'll watch anything cooking related as long as there's no Guy Fieri, or show with the words "********'" or "Baron" in the title. But I'm hoping to be surprised.

[the wicked child]

I'm familiar with Patricia Yeo from Iron Chef America... she competed once and was a former sous chef for Morimoto on there as well iirc... in her battle against Morimoto she lost despite a near perfect score... because Morimoto got a perfect score. She may have competed in one of the Next Iron Chef competitions... don't remember. I have seen her face around on those kind of shows though.

Cosentino competed in the first season of The Next Iron Chef and made it to the top 3, ultimately losing out to Symon and Besh.

In general, the spin off versions of Top Chef have not lived up to the original. Just Deserts is the worst though... so many drama queens. My biggest problem with Masters is that I feel like sometimes their decisions are made based on how much someone has won for their charity (see Floyd, season 3).

I guess it isn't too shocking that the quality of the chefs in masters has gone down over time... a lot of chefs probably aren't willing to take time away from their restaurants to potentially look like fools on TV when presented with some ridiculous challenge.

[bhaw]

I'm familiar with Patricia Yeo from Iron Chef America... she competed once and was a former sous chef for Morimoto on there as well iirc... in her battle against Morimoto she lost despite a near perfect score... because Morimoto got a perfect score. She may have competed in one of the Next Iron Chef competitions... don't remember. I have seen her face around on those kind of shows though.

Cosentino competed in the first season of The Next Iron Chef and made it to the top 3, ultimately losing out to Symon and Besh.

In general, the spin off versions of Top Chef have not lived up to the original. Just Deserts is the worst though... so many drama queens. My biggest problem with Masters is that I feel like sometimes their decisions are made based on how much someone has won for their charity (see Floyd, season 3).

I guess it isn't too shocking that the quality of the chefs in masters has gone down over time... a lot of chefs probably aren't willing to take time away from their restaurants to potentially look like fools on TV when presented with some ridiculous challenge.

Or almost chop off their finger like that one chick did in episode 1.

At some point Masters and normal Top Chef will converge as they run out of the more well known chefs. It seems like at this point, they are basically there. Top Chef Slightly More Accomplished Chefs Season 1?

[columbia]

They just need to show TCM Season I again....because I never saw that.

[jimjom]

Glad this thread has been started-I meant to but was waiting for Doan to make a decision on Pens Related.

I'm a big Cosentino fan, because of his usage of all of the animal, "nose to tail", nasty bit philosophy.

[the wicked child]

I enjoyed watching Cosentino on the Next Iron Chef, so I am definitely rooting for him here. Well that and I don't really know anyone else.

[columbia]

It's difficult to sanction anyone making fried rice and moving on.
An, no, I won't be going to Taco Bell to better appreciate her genius.

[the wicked child]

Yeah have to agree.. And she did so poorly at that.

[the wicked child]

Spoiler:

I was absolutely shocked by which teams ended up in the top and bottom. Annoying that Lorena was even still around after failing to execute rice properly, but I digress. (and the same goes for Art and his **** wedding cake). And WTF was up with them winning the poll for "strongest team"?!?!

So I'm pretty sure that the quickfire this week is the only challenge that Chris has not been in the top for. I'm also convinced that they are strategically not giving him the win every week so the other charities get some money.

Overall, I have to wonder if this will be the last season of Masters... the talent just isn't there outside of a couple chefs.

[the wicked child]

I am so over Lorena Garcia at this point. Her "passion" is obnoxious.

[columbia]

Lorena is the Sarah Palin of TCM.

My fear is that her boutique, Taco Bell line means that she won.

[the wicked child]

Blah I hope not.

[the wicked child]

Spoiler:

GRRR.

[columbia]

I'm going to watch it tomorrow, but I think I know what that means,

[columbia]

Spoiler:

She had better not win.

Otherwise, this season has been very meh.
It might be time to retire the Master part of the franchise.

[the wicked child]

Agreed... The spin offs need to go away.. they just can't compete w the original... and we don't need a Top Chef all the time... it waters it down.

That said, Chris has been a beast throughout this competition and should win... but I have been skeptical of their choices the last 2 times.

[tifosi77]

My pick for the other half of the final got sent home in the Sugar Ray Leonard challenge.

This is Cosentino's to lose now, even more than it was when the competition started.

[columbia]

[the wicked child]

[the wicked child]

Spoiler:

[columbia]

Interesting....

That might have been the best TCM finale, which is nice because the season was a snoozer.

[the wicked child]

Yeah. It was a great finale.

[the wicked child]

I left the "after show" or whatever on since Colicchio and the 2 finalists are on... loved Colicchio'sdig @ Lorena.

The host announced that Lorena and Takshi were the 2 finalists for fan favorite and Colicchio asked if it was sponsored by Taco Bell.

[tifosi77]

I approve of this result.