Top Chef 8/11 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

[Yardgnome]

She definitely gives input into the final decisions, otherwise she wouldn't sit there with them for hours while they deliberate. Tom has the final say and is the tiebreaker. Her title is Host, but as far as I've read and observed she is involved in the judging.

Yeah, that's the impression I get and what I've read about the show. Tom is head judge and the rest put in their opinion.

I personally don't like her and don't think she has very good food cred. I know she's put out a cookbook, etc., but the remarks she makes on the show aren't very intelligent or constructive for that matter. Anyone can put out a cookbook, Theresa from Real Housewives of NJ is a perfect example of that. I personally think she should just stick to hosting and not sit at judges table.

[ChelsieFan]

She does help judge but she shouldn't. She doesn't have the education and training to judge professional chefs and their food. It's odd they let her and I never thought it should have been allowed.

[Poppy Fields]

You might be wrong, but I agree, I've never felt like they took her opinion particularly seriously. I can't imagine her opinion overriding Tom's, for example.

I don't understand what would be the problem with her voting if she's the host though? I'm genuinely curious as to why you feel that way.

I guess because she is "eye candy" and not a chef. I know she's written a cook book, but if you own it you know that it's not exceptional in terms of the recipes, and the photos are of her (sometimes in various stages of provocative dress/undress) and they are kind of food porn-ish.

Don't get me wrong, I admire Padma for a lot of reasons and I think she brings a lovely element of taste, culture, and class to the show. But... she's not a chef, and doesn't qualify as a resident judge (in my opinion). To her credit, she has never stated that she is a judge on Top Chef. I genuinely doubt that she a vote, and I consider that appropriate.

[Bearcata]

Gail Simmons is not a chef either yet she gets a vote. She is foodie like Padma.

[tears.and.rain]

Well, Gail's qualifications are a little more extensive than Padma's. She is/was editor of Food and Wine magazine. That's a big deal, the girls knows her food.

Education or no, anyone can say "that was too sweet" "that was too salty" "that was overcooked." That's pretty much all Padma says. I think the great thing about this show is that you DON'T really have to be all that educated about food to know what's good and what isn't!

[MFWalkoff]

Gail has training and kitchen experience. From her Bravo bio:

Gail was born in Toronto, Canada and moved to New York City in 1999 to attend culinary school at what is now the Institute of Culinary Education. She then trained in the kitchens of legendary Le Cirque 2000 and groundbreaking Vong restaurants, and worked for esteemed food critic Jeffrey Steingarten at Vogue. Throughout her career, Gail has contributed to several cookbooks, including It Must’ve Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City and The New American Chef, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.

[Rembrant]

I just figure, why does she need to be a chef or have cooking experience or whatnot to qualify to be a judge? I mean, look at Iron Chef America. You got chefs, food critics and the such as judges, but sometimes they got people like Julie Chen, Julie White, Jeri Ryan, Anthony Anderson, Dave Batista, Tia and Tamera Mowry, amongst others, serving as judges. They may not be chefs, as far as I know, but they just enjoy food.

And I really like that, actually. Someone who won't be all gung-ho about which rare ingredients were used or how, or which techniques for cooking or whatever. Just someone who says if they enjoyed the presentation and flavors or not, because they just enjoy food as it is.

[Passepartout]

Hope that Gail will be a great host for TCD. As she may not be a chef. But she does know her food. And her way around a kitchen it seems.

[tears.and.rain]

I just figure, why does she need to be a chef or have cooking experience or whatnot to qualify to be a judge? I mean, look at Iron Chef America. You got chefs, food critics and the such as judges, but sometimes they got people like Julie Chen, Julie White, Jeri Ryan, Anthony Anderson, Dave Batista, Tia and Tamera Mowry, amongst others, serving as judges. They may not be chefs, as far as I know, but they just enjoy food.

And I really like that, actually. Someone who won't be all gung-ho about which rare ingredients were used or how, or which techniques for cooking or whatever. Just someone who says if they enjoyed the presentation and flavors or not, because they just enjoy food as it is.

That's how I feel too. It doesn't take a high fallutin food education to know when something doesn't taste good, when something's overcooked, oversalted, too sweet, etc. That's all she ever really says, she doesn't pretend to know more than she does. I think it would be more unfair if she tried to act like she knows all the finer points of the culinary world.