All-Stars 12/1 Show Discussion **Spoilers**

[texasgal26]

Loved this from Bourdain's blog (http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/seas...f-gin?page=0,1)

"Did it taste that bad? Did it -- and by extension -- Fabio, deserve the kind of scorn I heaped on him?

I don't know. Clearly, I hurt his feelings. And seeing that, I feel bad. Really. To the extent that you can like anyone you know only from TV, I like Fabio. And I liked how he stood up for himself and gave some back at Judges' Table. If I were an employer looking to hire a chef from the among the All Stars, I'd think very seriously about Fabio. He's smart, likable, steady, level-headed in a crisis, and hence not easily flustered -- and I'm guessing he's a much better chef than evidenced on this first day, where he was challenged to "fix" a dish he's surely had plenty of time to think about. But...look at that thing. Really! Look again."

Fabio posted a response:
"Tone dont hold back we like the way you are.... maybe once in a while you'll get a slap back !! :-) Love you !!
Fabio Viviani"

[ilovefootball25]

I wasn't to sad to be Elia get eliminated. She was never one of my favorites. Now if Fabio had gotten kicked off first...that would have been terrible. I love him.

[Tilden]

Loved this from Bourdain's blog (Anthony Bourdain - Top Chef - The Sorrows of Gin - Blog - Bravo TV Official Site)

"Did it taste that bad? Did it -- and by extension -- Fabio, deserve the kind of scorn I heaped on him?

I don't know. Clearly, I hurt his feelings. And seeing that, I feel bad. Really. To the extent that you can like anyone you know only from TV, I like Fabio. And I liked how he stood up for himself and gave some back at Judges' Table. If I were an employer looking to hire a chef from the among the All Stars, I'd think very seriously about Fabio. He's smart, likable, steady, level-headed in a crisis, and hence not easily flustered -- and I'm guessing he's a much better chef than evidenced on this first day, where he was challenged to "fix" a dish he's surely had plenty of time to think about. But...look at that thing. Really! Look again."

Fabio posted a response:
"Tone dont hold back we like the way you are.... maybe once in a while you'll get a slap back !! :-) Love you !!
Fabio Viviani"

This exchange makes me like both Tony and Fabio better, because they were able to have an argument, reconsider what the other side said, and behave like adults about the whole thing. It's pretty clear neither is holding a grudge and, despite this disagreement, still respect each other. That's nice to see.

[ASassyKat]

*happy sigh* I'm so loving the show. My faves are Fabio, Angelo, Carla and Texas-Tiffany.

I still dislike Dale and Marcel.

Looks like we're in for some sparks at judges' table this season.

[ChelsieFan]

Ilia wasn't one of my faves either nor is Stephen . I do think Ilia is the better chef on the whole so would have preferred to see what she did from here on out versus Stephen. I don't think Stephen is long for the show either way. He's out of his league.

[bloop]

This exchange makes me like both Tony and Fabio better, because they were able to have an argument, reconsider what the other side said, and behave like adults about the whole thing. It's pretty clear neither is holding a grudge and, despite this disagreement, still respect each other. That's nice to see.

For a hoot, check out what Ripert has to say to Bourdain in his video blogs. He gleefully admonishes Bourdain to behave "like a gentleman" on the show and warns Tony that he may have to use his excellent "knife skills" to defend himself bodily from irate contestants.

In his own courtly way though, Ripert is harsher on Fabio on his blog than Bourdain is on his own. Fabio's dish was crap and Ripert firmly brings the conversation back to the fact that Bourdain's grasp of Italian cuisine is impeccable (both married to an Italian and having spent large chunk of time there) as well as the fact that the entire thing with the paper and the overdressing was culinary nonsense.

For his part, I distinctly got the impression that Fabio purposefully overplayed his outraged for camera time as he knows he's not long for the show in terms of cooking chops. I remember that Cohen gave Fabio a dry run to his own Bravo show after season 5 hosting the reunion show and Fabio certainly understands the dynamics of Top Chef production and how to maximize his exposure. It's not going to be through cooking. His responses to Bourdain seemed canned and very reminiscent of the exchanges that he had with Marcel over questioning about being assaulted ("this is my job" "this is serious business to me" "if we were on the street you might get a different reaction from me").

Maybe those are old standbyes for how Fabio deals with friction in real life but seemed more manufactured than geniune. And honestly it worked, the show was otherwise a bit boring as other contestants seem to still be feeling out their "roles" on the show.

[live4romance]

I wasn't to sad to be Elia get eliminated. She was never one of my favorites. Now if Fabio had gotten kicked off first...that would have been terrible. I love him.

Loved that Angelo won. I'd forgotten how strong some of these personalities are and I loved that Angelo was more "quiet" or headstrong as he appeared last season. I'm rooting for Angelo and Fabio F2.

[Little Sew&Sew]

Did it seem to anyone else like Elia was never in it? To not test the fish, to barely change the original dish, to not even notice that the top of the fish was raw? That's crazy....I wonder if she got in there and realized she just didn't want to go through another season, because she's obviously a better chef than that.

I thought the same thing. Especially when they found out they could see/hear the other contestants critiquing their dishes. She went into the depths of the kitchen and couldn't bear to watch. Guess what they say is true: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.


Pity though . . . would much rather have had her stick around than Stephen.

And Angelo needs to work on his "poker face". That shocked "who me?" look is contrived calculated.

[Yardgnome]

I am so happy to have this back and even more excited about the All-Stars. I enjoyed Just Desserts but it was missing a lot of elements that regular Top Chef has that was evidenced in last nights episode. There are a lot of people I can easily see taking this season. I think the early front runners are Richard Blaise and Tiffani from Season 1. As much as I disliked her Season 1, she seems to have calmed down a bit. I think she is going to be a tough person for most of these people to beat.

I'm just so excited for this season. I almost wish the first couple of episodes were an hour and a half so we could see a little more of the cooking.

[Bearcata]

I know a lot of people commented that Stephan was brought back for his personality and not for his cooking. During his season his cooking skills were spot on but he is now more interested in creating a restaurant empire. I really hated and loved Stephan during his season. One aspect I truly do like about him is that he did not realize how abrasive and condescending he came across to other people until he saw himself on TV. He apologized to those he offended during his reunion. I wish Marcel could have done the same as Stephan and learn from watching his own appallingly arrogant behavior but he has not. Therefore I applaud Stephan and boo hiss Marcel.