Top Chef 12/2 Discussion Thread *Spoilers*

[Little Sew&Sew]

I actually like him. On these shows, usually the only people who really bug me are people who get really far even though they spend much of their time in the bottom and keep sliding by (like Robin).

While I think the competition brings out a nasty side of MV's personality at times, he was incredibly gracious when he split his RW winnings with his entire team... even Robin, whom it was clear he couldn't stand. It leads me to believe he's not such a bad guy but competition and jealousy bring out the big ugly in him.

I agree. He gives the impression of being hard and edgy on the outside, but inside is probably a whole different story for those who are close to him.

[graycat11]

Oh man! Jennifer sent home! I can't believe it! Oh well, her record was the weakest of the four I suppose.

Her dish was over salted, you cannot save a salty dish. At first I thought Brian or Kevin would be leaving. Brian's dish needed more flavor, salt or pepper and you can add something to an under salted dsih.

[Jexter]

All I now is that I'm super glad Kevin and his simple food made it. If he's good enough for the booze-cooze (or whatever that's called), he's good enought to win!

Of the final 4, his food is the one I'd like to taste the most. Michael's is second just because it is rather innovative and I like new/different.

[Ger]

I was sorry to see Jen go home last night but I agree that she has been going down hill for the past few weeks and it seems nerves have gotten the best of her.

I am not rooting for Kevin to win !!!!

[beesknees]

Team Kevin.

[babymay]

I want Bryan to win. I think his brother has tarnished his rep. He seems quite stoic, with just a glimpse of charm. I read his response to the Burning Questions on Bravo and found him quite whitty. It was regarding the French Challenge.

He has been consistent throughout the cometition.

I like Kevin, but I am worried his nice guy edit is foreshadowing for Nice Guys Finish Last.

The Final 3 deserve to be there and really would be happy with any of them winning. I don't have to worry about a "Lisa" pulling through in the end.

[hanna122]

I'm another Kevin fan... he's the only one who's not so full of himself. I hope he can pull it off.

[texasgal26]

Based on performance the whole season, it makes sense that Jen went home. But time and time again, Tom has blogged that the judges don't judge cumulatively; they evaluate the food served at just that elimination challenge, and decide who to send home.

Yeah, I should clarify... earlier I commented something like, "Oh well, she had the weakest record." I didn't mean that this is why she got sent home - it sounds like her dish was the weakest because it was over-salted.

But I find myself less bothered by an elimination if the contestant's elimination coincides with a relatively weaker record. When Sam went home before Elan, or Trey (TC3) before the many people with poorer track records, it drives me nuts! Based on track record alone, these three contestants (Brian, Michael and Kevin) seem like the strongest contenders. I like to see people with consistently strong performances in the finale.

[Jexter]

I'm a Kevin fan, but I have to say that I think Bryan will take it. Kevin has had sooo much airplay and Bryan so little that it would anticlimactic any other way.

Michael is too inconsistent to thing stongly that he'd win. He could, but I don't think the odds are good.

I was just thinking....I think it's got to be very awkward for Kevin to be sort of a 3rd wheel and a possible impediment to either of the brothers. He really is on his own. Almost a 2 against 1 scenario.

Plus, I've watched Kevin dialogue with the brothers in the back room during judges table. It is clear that he is picking and choosing his words carefully when he speaks to the brothers to avoid hostility. I feel a vibe of "walking on egg shells".

[Krom]

Just saw this.

Like many of the episodes in the last half of the season I saw a disconnect between the actual food served (or at least what we were told about them) and who went home. Of the 3 left standing at the end, Jennifer's dishes seemed to have the least wrong with them. BOTH dishes were praised, even with the salt rationale. Whereas both of the guys each had a dish which was a failure.

Again, like a lot of the episodes in the last half of the season, she was sent home more for her total record than what she did that day. This is complicated by the fact that arguably she probably should have gone home a week or two previously, but then someone else who'd had a worse season that her to that point went instead (so she's benefited from this strange policy up UNTIL now and its finally come back and bit her).

So its weird to take Tom seriously when you see he's sometimes talking out of his ass. The show is working on a basis of "determine who are the best chefs overall and eliminate them in order" now, not "week to week", like they'd have us believe. But then Tom comes out with this LAME justification that she's being booted for telling him she planned to wood fire cook the duck then didn't? Bull. Sh@t. That's no valid reason. You judge the results, not the intentions. If she was "scattered" and let a fire go out? That's not a punishable offense if she picked up her game afterwords and got the dish right another way. In fact, people are usually rewarded on shows like this for overcoming a problem. If Tom is to be believed, she got booted for ADMITTING she let the fire get low. So, Tom, if she'd simply lied and said she'd changed her mind the judging would have been different? Come on, Tom. At least man up and be honest she got booted for having the weakest record. If that's been the standard for the whole last half of the season, then so be it. Just don't lie, Tom.

She never stood a chance of winning (because of her inconsistency) but it does make you look at the show a different way.