Top Chef

Started Top Chef a little while back and am 8 seasons in. One thing that stands out is early on, contestants who play it down the middle of the road last longer than those who take a swing and miss, boring being safer than imagination.

The flipside is if there is a creative chef, they inevitably get feedback about something being busy or not working conceptually. If they then pivot to making a very well executed straight forward dish, the judges always seem to comment that it was good but they wanted more flair.

What is your pet peeve or observation that sticks with you?

The chefs take a trip to Highclere Castle for the Elimination Challenge, where they must work together to create and serve an elevated picnic basket.

I’ve watched all of this season, and the dumb last chance kitchen nonsense. But today I woke up and it’s Thursday, and I…don’t really care who wins? I’ll eventually watch but it’s weird that I don’t feel any desire to. I love Kristen and I want to see so much more from her. I don’t know, I just kinda don’t care. Does anyone understand?

The chefs take a trip to Highclere Castle for the Elimination Challenge, where they must work together to create and serve an elevated picnic basket.

I’ll start:

• “it’s top chef, not top scallop”

• Anthony Bourdain asking the judges “what kind of crack house are you running here?”

• the Cheeto dish for the vending machine quickfire

• Hung’s Smurf village

• Hung breaking down the chickens during the mise en place race

• Carla geeking out over chicken pot pie

• Stefan flirting with Kristen 😂

I’m probably forgetting so many! What are yours?

Top Chef just finished its season, which took place in Wisconsin and spotlighted that state's food traditions, like fish boils, supper clubs, and cheese. If Top Chef filmed a season in PA, what Pennsylvania stuff would the show utilize?

For the Quickfire Challenge, the chefs are challenged to create a dish using fish and cheese. Kristen, Tom, Gail and Helim Smeulders preside as judges.

If there were a season of past contestants, who would you want to see return?

Split into two teams, the chefs are tasked to conceptualize and create two restaurants that feature a three-course progressive menu with at least two options for each course.

For the Quickfire Challenge, the chefs are challenged to create a dish using fish and cheese. Kristen, Tom, Gail and Helim Smeulders preside as judges.

The three remaining chefs must create the best four-course progressive meal of their careers; the chefs will present their dishes to a lineup of culinary greats.

For the Quickfire challenge, the chefs undergo a blind taste test where they must identify as many ingredients as they can. Guest judge Paul Bartolotta joins the host judges.

Does anyone else have the experience of falling in love, just a little bit, with half of the cast every time they watch Top Chef? I think it's a couple things, first off it's refreshing to see real people on TV, and you're getting to know them through what they're most passionate about. That passion is infectuous, and watching someone who's incredible in their craft, it's hard not to be in awe of them. And the show really lets you get to see them in their whole, especially as the season continues, you hear about the chef's families, childhoods, hardships and their hopes for the future. You watch them make friends with the other contestants and learn their sense of humor. And it's really not about their appearcance, nor is it a sexualization, just I think so much admiration and appreciation that it's maybe best embodied by the term crush.

In the last two seasons I've watched, season 20, and season 15 that recently was released to Netflix, I think I had little crushes on so many of the contestants. Ali, Charbal, Gabriel, Buddha, Begona, Amar(!) as well as Fati, Chris Scott, Joe Flam, Bruce, even Carrie- who I didn't think I'd like after the first episode.

anyway TLDR, who are your top chef crushes?

A Last Chance Kitchen surprise changes the game; Milk Bar's Christina Tosi joins Kristen for a sweet Quickfire that requires the chefs to create a dairy-forward dessert; the chefs must serve a dish that exemplifies chaos cuisine.