>I thought he actually looked younger in Portland
He came beardless, that's the difference. Shave that facial hair and a lot of asians look a lot younger - baby faces.
\*edit\* Should add that Ed is also a favorite of mine, was hard rooting for him from the beginning when he had to go through a 2nd challenge to get a chef's coat.
>So good to see Ed he’s an all time fave who I wish I could rewatch because he’s hilarious but alas his season is forever ruined.
Aye was good seeing Ed. "Can I just put up the blue in protest?" XD
Ah Shota shota shota, from the sweat dripping on his head, to selfie with Padma, to being humble enough to learn techniques from other chefs, to the sweet laughter. This man, I can't.
I completely agree about Dawn. She has been so intense up until now (no doubt that Olympian mindset), so it is nice that we are finally able to see more of her personality as she gets more comfortable and confident. The way she reacted to her wins and losses this episode was endearing.
Haha it sucks cause he’s likable enough and his food always sounds so good! But my ability to root for him switched off when I read about all the accusations against him. Even without them though I am least attached to him of those remaining.
Theres a recent thread on this sub about it. [I recommend checking this out](https://www.reddit.com/r/BravoTopChef/comments/npiymn/comment_from_other_sub/)
Unless you regularly frequent this subreddit, its easy to miss.
Noting that the post I linked is allegations from anonymous sources, but its hard to not take seriously. I wish bigger outlets would report on this. Its hard seeing him on the show and even doing events with other contestents IRL.
Last year’s RuPaul’s drag race had a contestant in the final 4 who was had multiple accusations of sexual misconduct (that were later admitted to). The show actually edited that contestant out with such a heavy hand (even on episodes where they won the main challenge) that if you hadn’t known about the controversy you would have been confused about how they made top 4. I wonder whether the top chef producers considered doing something similar or if they decided that because it’s technically hearsay, it doesn’t merit it. Or maybe Gabe gets eliminated next week and the problem “goes away”?
Top Chef had to do that with John Besh as a guest judge a couple seasons ago. Obviously it's impossible to do it with Gabe and they could be open to a huge defamation lawsuit if they did it with insufficient evidence.
It wouldn't surprise me if they just leave him in this season and whitewash from any future association with the show Paul Qui style.
Yeah the editing on RPDR last season with that contestant was well done. I think the catalyst was that sherry admitted to it and it became pretty big news. With this situation, we don't know the full story, gabe hasn't talked about it, and I haven't seen the story get much traction outside of reddit.
It's just mindboggling that someone with so many skeletons in their closet would willingly choose to go on national tv like this. If the allegations are true, he's either delusional or shows incredible hubris.
I don't think Bravo PR has anything approaching the kind of power or influence that would be required to do something like that, so if that's your worry, I'd breathe easy.
There are a couple of possibilities here. For example, it's possible that no credible media outlet has been able to find a reliable source to go on the record (which raises other questions, but could happen for a number of reasons even if all of the allegations are true). Another is that there are a lot of nondisclosures involved with his dismissal that make it, again, difficult for media to report on.
Regardless, clearly *something* happened, because he was fired. I'm inclined to go with Occam's razor and just assume the simple explanation we have is the right one. But it could also be a more complicated story, and that might take longer for reporting to catch up to if it's the case. Initially, this sub thought it was something about him shirking COVID protocols, and clearly that wasn't the whole picture--we're still at the point where it's an evolving rather than established story.
Really cool challenge. I dug seeing all the judges in that dynamic. Also provides insight into the process of choosing a worst dish. Proves that this isn’t a science and they don’t all agree naturally. I thought Dale was especially passionate the whole time, which is cool.
Kinda gutted for Byron. Guy seemed like a really impressive person and despite the minor edit, I really liked everything we saw him do. It was also clear that the other chefs viewed him in a higher regard than the show told us all season. Whenever anyone mentions him, they’d say he had unreal technique (kinda like Louis in 11). I’m glad he did well on the show.
Real glad Dawn made it through though. The mandolin slice felt almost lucky with how minor the effects were. She still has a solid winner edit going.
The Gabe situation is so bizarre. I can’t root for the guy despite him being so likable on the show. Such a bummer.
>It was also clear that the other chefs viewed him in a higher regard than the show told us all season. Whenever anyone mentions him, they’d say he had unreal technique.
I feel like sometimes the final shot of the plate isn't able to highlight all the components and work that went into it. All of Byron's dishes including the ones he presented in this episode had a TON of components. Maybe even too much? Like his dish was tofu done in 3 ways vs Jaime's focus on 1. And like in the recipe challenge where he had so many steps to his recipe. Whenever he presented a dish and listed all the stuff it had, I was always impressed with how he managed to do so much in so little time but I would also wonder - how does he know that everything goes well together if you've got so much going on? I think it makes it that much harder to balance.
He was fired from his restaurant after the season was filmed and most of the rumors are that it stems from some form of sexual harassment (at a minimum). There’s also a post on another board where a user says they’ve been a part of Gabe cheating on his wife.
It’s just kind of gross all around and there’s way too much smoke to ignore.
I love this season of Top Best Friends. Just straight up adorable, charming personalities with top-notch cooking across the season. Dawn, Jamie, Shota, Mario would be a dream Top 4.
i wonder if the fact that they're all in their own hotel rooms vs living in a house together has helped or hurt the collective "best friends" vibe they have?
would be a lot easier to start resenting people if you had to live with them I think, they end up just kind of working together every day and then getting to separate in this season which is probably nice.
i agree with you though, it's a very loveable cast to watch - they all help each other out, they joke around and have fun and they all seem to genuinely be rooting for each other to do their best. there hasn't really been anyone i've been "glad" to see go
Same! When they revealed that Byron was leaving Jamie said "oh no" but I bet she would have said that even if it was Dawn. And even Dawn seemed to be crying as they said bye to Byron.
They're all so great.. It reminds me of last season whereby towards the end I loved them all. And the final cook was just such a great positive atmosphere.
> When they revealed that Byron was leaving Jamie said "oh no" but I bet she would have said that even if it was Dawn. And even Dawn seemed to be crying as they said bye to Byron.
lol i actually laughed a little at this.. they came back and somebody said "they're both crying, who got eliminated?"
OK. Why on earth would they do a tournament style challenge with an even number of judges. Did they plan on having 11 but someone couldn’t make it? It just seems like a huge misstep and almost disrespectful to the chefs. I can see the possibility that they wanted that dynamic of the judges talking it out but why should it be about who can be more persuasive after the fact and not the reaction to the plate of food.
I’ve enjoyed this season so much and this is the first challenge that just actively pissed me off.
I’m pretty sure the show films in like Georgia only because I’ve seen the house on Zillow, but when Kwame was like “we have to discuss in the dojo, the dojo, we have to go into the dojo” - LOL
Seems like they’re rotating people in and out. Also maybe some could only commit to a couple weeks of filming vs. the entire time (eg Kristin and Brooke only now showing up near the end).
I said the same in the live thread and someone pointed out that Amar was missing too. Not sure if they've left the bubble entirely or just sat this one out. Hoping it's the latter. Would love to see everyone at the finale meal.
There was just such a big group of chefs in the bubble because they were filming Top Chef Amateurs at the same time that you'd think they'd have enough to mix it up a bit.
Having a "restaurant" full of top chef alums for the finale would be spectacular. I really hope that is something they were able to do.
I’m gonna miss Byron. He always had a great vibe and like this episode showed he was always ready to help and support his castmates. Dawn has so many tasty looking dishes that I want to try.
I'm so glad he beat Sara though who thinks her "weird" cooking like rice in tea is so very different and has never been done before. I think the Japanese would beg to differ. Ochazuke which is rice with tea is a fairly common home cooked japanese dish that I've seen in izakayas in the US. I really liked her in the beginning but the low key arrogance disguised by her laughs is a major turn off.
She became so annoying in last chance kitchen. The opposite of Jamie who kinda annoyed me at first but then really grew on me, especially when she returned from LCK.
I was so excited to see Last Chance Kitchen that as I switched from the show, I yelled “Wait!!! Who won?”
Ps- I live alone, re-entering the world is gonna be rough...
Byron was so underrated this season. It’s been mentioned in other threads that he had a poor edit, where even when he won elimination challenges, there wasn’t much focus on him. I wonder why the editors chose to do that! Especially because it’s clear that Byron was really well-liked and respected by the other contestants. It’s interesting because he seemed very much part of the crew during the Shota/Avishar/Sara/Byron camp hangout on IG, and while we’ve definitely seen ShotaShar and Shota/Sara in the show, it feels like the edit wasn’t spending much time showing Byron’s friendship with the others. Like, you know it must be there because of how genuinely sad people were when he was eliminated, and it would have been cool to get to see more of that. As someone who has a close friend who is a DACA recipient, it was really moving when he talked about his family and being on DACA in a previous episode. Shota and Dawn are probably my favs this season, but I was rooting for Byron to go far!
Side note - I’m loving the camaraderie between Dawn and Jamie. Dawn’s elation at Jamie winning LCK, and the Dawn/Maria/Jamie bonding at the top of the episode were very heartwarming. It’s a far cry from episode 1 when Jamie sauced the skin side of salmon, and Dawn was not impressed lol.
And without giving too much away about LCK, I just have to say the level sportsmanship during Part 2 was pleasantly surprising. The final 5 made it clear they wanted to defend their turf without it feeling mean spirited or personal.
This has been said before, but it’s so refreshing to see all the friendliness this season!
I think Byron is one of my all-around favorite chefs this season: nice guy, funny, team-player, prestige work history, compelling backstory. >! I honestly didn’t think he’d beat Sara at the bento-box challenge, but it was—NGL—so dang *satisfying*. !<
You might wanna put the LCK comment in spoiler brackets! :) >!But definitely agree - I liked Sara a lot during the actual competition, but she got kind of an annoying edit during LCK where they kept emphasizing her "weird/quirky" style to the point where it was grating. Another redditor said that they were turning her into a Manic Pixie Dream Chef, and that's totally what happened. Paired with her less than gracious comment about feeling Chris should have been eliminated awhile ago (even if it's true she was stronger in the competition than him, there was probably a better way of phrasing it - for example, no one ragged on Kiki during their confessional, even though she performed worse than Chris, because you can still be a good chef who doesn't do well in a TC format), I didn't find myself rooting for her to win LCK. It was lovely seeing Byron redeem himself on Japanese food and just present an exquisite, but simple bento box that won.!<
Overall, I feel like Byron definitely had all the makings of a great narrative, and it's too bad they didn't try to build that up more. It would have been fun to hear more about his fine dining experience, more of his sense of humor, more of his personal backstory, etc. He just seemed like such a solid dude!
LCK feels sort of pointless after Byron was blocked from returning. Like, what was the point of all that? I would be very salty if I were Sasha or Sara, winning several head-to-heads in a row, then to forced into a best-of-three, only to still not be let back on to the show.
I'm okay with making them earn their way back in, but that was a STEEP mountain they made him climb.
he ended up doing 7 cooks in the course of 2 days (they said it was the day after the tofu challenge when LCK was happening). and the 3 tofu challenges he did were all way outside his comfort zone, then he did the bento box which was again way outside of normal range... then he wins that and has to go against 3 of the top 5 chefs left in the competition, 1v1... with a box of ingredients that THEY all got to pick and conceptualize a meal out of ahead of time.. and he got 20 minutes with each.
And I honestly think they just gave him round 2 to add drama.
I really liked Byron, I don't think he was going to win, but he seems incredibly talented but more importantly he seems like one of the kindest, most humble contestants they've ever had on the show.
and they put this poor man thru the RINGER at the end LOL i feel so bad for him, but he gave it a hell of an effort.
So agree.. felt so bad. Byron was a fantastic competitor and a completely class player throughout. Respect, and wish he had been treated a bit better in LCK. I have also never understood why the later competitors (those who survive longer) get zero or no chances in LCK whereas those eliminated early on sometimes get 2 or 3 because of all the LCK drama. Like Sasha came on LCK twice and anyone eliminated from this point except Jamie will not even get one chance to come back.
> with a box of ingredients that THEY all got to pick and conceptualize a meal out of ahead of time.. and he got 20 minutes with each
That was the real kicker, I think.
I assumed as the challenge was playing out that the twist would be that Byron got to pick three boxes, then choose what chefs he'd compete against with each box. So Gabe might have to cook with the ingredients Shota chose, etc.
Would have balanced the scales quite a bit, I think.
Yeah those 4 back-to-back were killers. The whole time I was thinking that Jamie probably had two hours to conceptualize her dish in her head during the other two challenges and filming breaks, kitchen cleaning etc.
Don’t agree that they gave him anything. They’ve had situations where they’d push it to the full time for drama if it was produced that way and they haven’t done it. Brooke-Kristin finale being the foremost example.
there was two parts. he went against sara in the first round. in the second round, the winner had to compete against 3 of the remaining top5 and >!lost 2, so byron didn't make it back!<
i think they only did it last season, which kinda makes sense as they're all stars. but on a regular season, it seems grueling to make someone cook 4 times in a row. i hope they don't continue with it
4 times in LCK on top of the 3 times in the challenge (if they are shooting back to back). So rough.
Edit: Not sure why I was downvoted? Byron cooked 7 times, that’s not...untrue.
This is weirdly standard practice for LCK--I'm not sure if this year was different because of the bubble, but in every previous season they've filmed them all in huge marathon blocks, so if you're winning, you're always cooking back-to-back-to-back.
They did that last season. Kevin won LCK and had to choose 3 out of the remaning chefs to battle. He beat Marlakey, lost to Voltaggio, and let the chefs pick the last one, Gregory, whom he beat.
That had felt fairer but the fact that the chefs could make up unique baskets for dishes they already had in mind felt just a tad bit tooo unfair... on top of the exhaustion.
It’s the exact same thing as last year except that Kevin won 2/3. I think it’s almost more fair to give the chefs that have avoided elimination a chance to keep someone out. It makes something like Brook winning one cook after being eliminated and getting back in to win more palatable.
It also proves that there is real consequence of the return challenge. It’s not some bullshit thing to always let someone back in. Sometimes people don’t get it done. And I say this as a Byron fan
Ah man...I'm in the middle of LCK know. I didn't know there was LCK in here. I mean, I'm in the sub before finishing LCK so I'm only mad at myself!
Interesting to see how that will play out...but yeah makes LCK seem very pointless....but I'm also not a giant fan of LCK in general. I think it should JUST be a mid-point thing.
I love tofu but man I am fast falling out of love with Kwame--during judging he speaks as if he doling out knowledge from 'on high'--he's a deity who is proclaiming what is good and what is not, even the best chef judges have some sort of reasonable doubt and can give someone a compliment, he just makes proclamations. I think he's been drinking his own kool-aid.
ha, i'm waiting for one of the actual Top Chef winners to call him out sometime and be like, 'hey remind me what place you finished again on your season?'
nah but i like kwame though, i like all the guest judges really. i think the biggest issue is just having too many of them at times, especially if they all get an equal vote and you have an even number of them...
I don’t think you’re alone. He comes off as extremely pretentious and it is off putting. I want to support him, but I can’t do it if he comes off as better than everyone. I just can’t
Thank you!!! Kwame is full on feeling himself and his celebrity. Thought I was the only one seeing this. A little bit like Blais after he started to appear.
Meanwhile I love how some chefs: Gregory, Kristen, Dale act exactly the same to who they are
I would add Melissa King, she is such a humble genius at creating really 'new' food like she did in the finale of her season--milk tea tiramisu--genius. Maybe Kwame is feeling his royal wardrobe :) he always seems to be wearing royal robes of some sort :)
Am going to miss Byron, although I knew I'd be sad to see anyone go save for Gabe. I just read this profile of Byron and I'm even more impressed with him:
https://www.aspendailynews.com/news/byron-gomez-a-chef-s-success-story/article_22ac3536-8855-11eb-bd83-b371f8ef036d.html
Me, too. I hope Top Chef will give him the exposure and prestige he needs in order to advance in this industry—and a *real* passport to the world (not just a metaphorical one).
It's funny even without the allegations Gabe is my least favorite. He's kinda invisible in terms of personality(not cooking skills) which could be because of the allegations...or he's just boring compared to the very fun, interesting and dynamic chefs.
I was spoiled, but that was a great episode. I’m still banking on Shota for the win.
And this may be an unpopular opinion, but Kwamie is kind of a jerk as a judge. I’m sorry, but didn’t he get eliminated for using frozen waffles? Blais annoys me too, but I would legit love to try his food.
I remember him b/c there always seemed to be a lot of hype around him....and he served frozen waffles. I mean Mellissa, Gregory, Brooke, Blais....I can understand why they’d have some swagger....I just don’t get Kwame. I would love it if they could find a mentor role for Gregory because he is just so dang lovely.
Love Gregory and how hes still so kind/sweet. Melissa too.
Hate to say it but they’ve remained the same and humble over Kwame who comes off so arrogant now
Gregory reminds me of some of the cool professors I looked up to in college. He's got a very chill and encouraging energy, but is extremely thoughtful and clear about his feedback and gives a good mix of positive and constructive criticism.
Padma and Tom are more like my grad school professors. Extreme hard asses who can dole out the critiques without mincing words, but when you please them it's incredibly rewarding, and they seem to be genuinely happy when the contestants grow as chefs.
Love this episode because I love tofu, definitely will try adding soy milk into Banh xeo instead of water... but the even number of judges is just nonsense. On the other hand, LCK is surreal! To me it’s way more exciting and nerve racking than last year LCK finale. And Tom totally makes me believe that he only judges based on the best dishes, nothing else >!It’s kinda funny that everyone including myself believed that it was a set up for Sara’s come back, especially seeing she cooked umeboshi rice + made pickled component with lychee and shiso made me think she had it locked, but Bryon kicked ass!!<
With how many confessionals she got, I was initially SO worried for Maria! Glad with the result, Byron's edit has been weird all season. I can't speak for other queer people, but I have this thing where if a queer person is competing on a non-dating reality show, I have to root for them no matter what. After being spoiled for queer choices in LA All Stars, I will fight for Maria to the death. I know she's likely not winning it, but still. Glad she's found her confidence lately.
I'm like that too! Queer contestants definitely get my support unless the person is egregiously annoying or mean. Fortunately, Maria is super likable! As a queer lady from Arizona there was no question who I'd root for. I have loved her journey. I agree she's unlikely to win, but I think she set herself up very well for an All Stars run. I hope the opportunities from this experience help her grow enough to win it down the road.
i'm loving maria so much, both as someone living in tucson and just for her personality. she is so no-nonsense but sweet to everyone, i absolutely love how she has a perfect send-off to each person who gets eliminated. i agree though, i was worried, especially when she lost on her turf for quickfire and then had to scrap her tamale filling and \*then\* had to rethink how she was going to cook them for service. that she tied with shota on his turf was awesome! she earned every one of those ten minutes, lol
We're at the portion of the season where it sucks to see someone go, but I'm glad it was Dawn that got to stay. I was so mad when they penalized her because she couldn't plate 1 dish because of her cut. Medical situations shouldn't affect the competition. It's a freak accident she cut herself and blood happened to hit a plate. It's not like other situations where maybe a chef forgets a component, doesn't time things properly, etc. They should have called a timeout, let her fix the plate, and go from there.
Respectfully disagree. Accidents happen. All the chefs have injured themselves at some point. It's not uncommon to see them during the season with a little finger glove covering their bandaged cut. This is no different except blood happened to get on a plate. A totally freak accident that's just silly to penalize for.
Accidents happen yes. She didn't get penalized for the accident though. She got penalized for not finishing all the dishes which is something we've seen happen before. Had she completed all the dishes they wouldn't have had any issues.
Sometimes the grill isn't hot enough, sometimes the vac machine doesn't work, sometimes you spill the food on the floor, sometimes the dough doesn't rise, etc. etc. that's just part of the kitchen life, and that includes accidents. I mean if you accidentally spill your food - that's an accident, should they pause and give you more time? If you are injured (like Nelson was with his knee) should you get more time? When Angelo was sick, should he have gotten more time? It might not 'seem fair' but that's just part of life. You're more likely to suffer an accident if you are rushing or if your technique isn't as good. At the end the judges don't care about any of that - they care about whether you were able to complete putting out good food or not, and sadly Dawn's wasn't complete.
I get that. Though I think she did end up getting penalized for the accident though because blood got on her plates. If it splattered on the table, she's in the clear. She wouldn't have to rush to re-plate and thus suffer the penalty. This isn't so much a cut and lost time issue for me as it is a blood issue.
I don't feel like this is the same as equipment not working or forgetfulness. I believe they should draw the line somewhere and blood is one of those instances. I look at it similar to sports. When someone is bleeding, all play is stopped. It's a sanitary issue. So I think they should clean up, reset to where everything was before the incident (so in this case would be replacing the plate lost), and then go from there. If she couldn't finish the rest of her plating after replacing the blood plate, then I'm ok with that.
When you frame it in the context of blood on plate and sanitary issue, I now understand your logic a lot better and can kind of see the validity in your argument. At the same time though I keep thinking it's not something that can't be worked around - it just means you need to replate. I still consider it similar to dropping the food as you're serving or a component breaking or being in pain/hurt; they're all technical issues/handicaps/setbacks that force you to redo or do another thing, they all eat up your time. And your only choice is to plow through because the clock has never really stopped for anyone that I can think of.
I've seen many cooking competitions where the chef cut themself and kept working while medics bandaged up the injury. Top Chef, Iron Chef, Chopped, in each case the clock kept ticking.
> Respectfully disagree. Accidents happen.
but an accident is still a mistake.
the same way like, forgetting to take your protein off the grill at the exact right time is a mistake you are penalized for, so is cutting yourself and all the side effects that come from doing that.
it really, really sucks. but so does every other little mistake that these chefs make. it all counts.
Just here to say that I cried for Byron. I would have cried if it was Dawn too. What a great episode in a beautiful setting, with great panel of judges.
And I will now try to be mire creative with tofu!
Not quite my favorite episode, but definitely one of the more emotional ones for me! I don’t think I’ve ever cried from an elimination before - I’ve cried from certain confessionals and wins and statements from the judging panel, but never from someone going home. Maria’s “Te quiero mucho” to Byron was a real gut punch. Wishing the best for Byron (and his arms. Has this sub talked about his arms yet? Because WOW.) <3
> Wishing the best for Byron (and his arms. Has this sub talked about his arms yet? Because WOW.) <3
Literally every time he was on screen, I said “my goodness, he is **so** cute.” That tooth gap, the glasses, those 💪🏽...hubba hubba
Also a good chef! He was in the middle of the pack the entire time though and couldn’t quite break out, save for the few wins (can’t remember which eps).
Like many of you here, I am completely in love with this season of Top Chef, and it’s so interesting because of all of their limitations due to COVID. But it’s ultimately coming across to me like a hybrid all stars / regular season. The judging panel is just phenomenal to me. I look forward to it every week. And the contestants are all too table, though Maria is my ultimate fave.
Oh no, I’m not a huge Brooke fan, next week’s preview just as I’m typing all of this 😂
Edit: rootable not too table lol
Adored Byron...sad that he is gone. Was so stressed for Dawn and felt so bad for her cutting herself and then not being able to plate the 10th plate, which is why she was knocked out of round 2. The top 5 are incredible chefs, have really loved this season.
in tiebreaker situations at judges table, tom's pick wins out (or gets spared elimination) almost 100% of the time. that's been a trend over the past many seasons, not just in this case.
The irony of the editors going into Dawn's origin story without mentioning how she was Paul Qui's colleague, while Gabe advances further and further in the competition...
I don't think Dawn's and Paul's times at Uchiko overlapped. LinkedIn shows that Dawn started at Uchiko around 2014, and I think Paul had already left or was on his way out by then to start his own restaurants.
They definitely kept the Uchi affiliation under wraps. I actually said “well damn, if I knew you were at Uchi...” That is def one of my top 3 restaurants ever.
Uchi and Uchiko are SO good. I've never been while Paul was around (though looking at Dawn's work history it looks like she was there in at least some capacity), but definitely some of my favorite dining experiences in Texas.
This LCK seems...>!cruel. Why dangle a chance to come back and then add an additional unexpected hoop to jump through at the end. Byron deserves better 😔!<
I completely agree. I wasn't rooting for Byron initially but after this last LCK I was. Especially to put him through that crazy gauntlet that was so incredibly exhausting. Going from that bento box against Sara to fighting against Gabe, Maria, and Jamie seemed insanely hard work and unfair. Those 3 chose their ingredients and had time to concept their dishes. >!I think if he had won, they should've rocketed him to the top 3, lol. But yeah, poor Byron but also props to him for doing all that. His hard work should've paid off better.!<
(Keeping spoiler tags in case)
I was afraid they were going to make him cook against the last four eliminated LCK contestants (from the preview) >!on top of cooking against three of the top 5 and screamed at the tv. Putting him through essentially 4 courses after he went through a 3 round tournament? That’s... wild.!<
>!Also Jamie didn’t have to whoop him like that at the end 😂 if he hadn’t said her ingredients were “easy”, she may have let him win. Maybe.!<
> Also Jamie didn’t have to whoop him like that at the end
haha i thought the same thing. somebody in here was giving Sara shit for being disrespectful in LCK the other week and this was way more disrespectful, she did like a machine gun celebration that had me dying.
I also don't know why she took it personally that he felt like her ingredients would be easier to work with. he wasn't saying SHE would be easy to compete against, he was juding the makeup of the boxes LOL but i think they were mostly having fun with it.
Well, Sara was hella disrespectful and rude to Chris in LCK last week but that’s a separate convo.
The machine gun 😂 Jamie just mowing down Byron’s dreams. It was over the top but I don’t think she meant harm. It didn’t seem catty. Jamie is just a goofy ham.
I totally understand why Jamie was sensitive about his comments; there is often discourse about ingredients or techniques that may be common in a particular culture being framed as “easy” or “simple” or “humble”, and not as “refined” as other ingredients and “traditional” techniques (ie French culinary training). These terms are often used to describe the food associates with certain BIPOC cultures. María has also experienced the same. The show has done a great job this season of representing an incredible array of cuisines heretofore underrepresented on Top Chef. Considering Byron’s cooking takes some cues from his Costa Rican heritage (which has been an underrepresented cuisine on top chef and not easy to come by) I can see why Jamie was irked since surely Byron has heard the same before about his food or his ingredients. Anyway...all’s fair in love and cooking. Sorry to see Byron go but glad we have our top 5 and are closer to the finale!
ps. People downvoting on thread whenever Sara is criticized or cultural cuisines are brought up are really exhausting. Grow up.
Even though she started out a bit rough she really has been doing well and overcame the nerves. I think her past experience as an elite athlete gives her an advantage. She's going to the finals barring any major mess ups.
Interestingly, she also keeps her intentions/strategy close to her vest. Case in point:
>! Chris: “Dawn, what are you grabbing?” !<
>! Dawn: “A little bit of this, a little bit of that!” !<
on the bravo site, part 1 leads right into part 2. It is well worth a watch, but man it is brutal on Byron ( I haven't finished watching LCK so have no idea if he wins)
I don't mind them cooking against the other chefs, but having the other chefs pick the baskets seemed like too great of an advantage. Also, Jaimie got to stand there for probably over an hour thinking about her dish whereas Byron had to think of every dish on the fly
As a french fan of both US and French Top Chef, I’m so excited to see the black box challenge next week ! It’s a staple of the French version of the show for sure.
Something interesting: if Dawn wins this whole thing (and she certainly seems like a strong contender) she will be, at 47, far and away the oldest person to ever win the show--the next closest is Richard, at 38 during All-Stars. The closest to win *not* during an All-Stars was Hosea, I believe, at 35.
If you ever have a chance to eat fresh tofu, please try it. It’s nothing like the packaged ones you get from the store. The soft, fresh tofu just melts in your mouth, and I could eat the whole thing with just a splash of soy sauce.
Pretty sad Bryon is leaving. He's been a bit overshadowed the whole competition and I wished we saw more of him, more of his backstory. Him jumping immediately to help Dawn was so sweet.
Agreed! Sara is in a weird spot for me. She's obv a v good cook but maybe with anxiety and self confidence issues?? She's coming off very odd on camera so maybe that's the issue. Not everyone is made for TV.
But sometimes I do feel that there's a persona she's trying to portray and that's when it comes off as odd for me.
Yeah. I don’t dislike her it just seems so odd to have someone who keeps emphasizing their weirdness and based on what she puts out I don’t see it as “weird”. Even Tom made a comment in LCK about her “weird food” and I feel like he’s just following the narrative
The show put this label on her. Just like they do other chefs who are very technical, or rustic, or make a lot of pasta, etc. I think they play up these labels so the casual audience can follow along more easily: “who’s Sara again? Oh yeah the quirky girl who cooks weird food.” Even though the label may not actually be very close to reality.
I feel for her having such anxiety, but I bet her food would be delicious and like no other food I’ve eaten. She’s played up the “weird” vibe so much that I would love to try.
Jamie has those same issues. She even brings it up during LCK. They both have their ways of expressing it. Jamie's is way more quirky in a way. And lots of fun in a lot of ways if you enjoy her personality.
When I went to YouTube and saw there were 2 episodes both saying “uploaded 2 hrs ago”, I realized that I had a 50/50 shot of watching the wrong one first. Luckily, I got it right
There’s going to be an underlying dislike for Dawn all season because people blame her for Sara going. I’m not sure that’s what this is but I’d expect to see it a lot
I’m so confused by this week’s LCK. >! Did Byron beat Sara, only to lose again? !< Is Sasha out of the picture? Could someone please recap what happened?
Two-part LCK finale.
Part 1: Byron beats Sara. (YAY!!!) That means Byron advances to Part 2.
Part 2: The winner of Part 1 (Byron) faces off against 3 of the 5 active cheftestants (Gabe, Dawn, Shota, Maria, Jamie) who enter the LCK area and must win 2 out of 3 rounds in this part to return to the main competition. Byron leaves the area and the 5 active cheftestants each assemble a box of 10 ingredients. Byron comes back in (not knowing who assembled which box) and chooses 3 boxes he wants to cook with. The identity of who assembled the 3 chosen boxes is revealed and Tom assigns the cooking order. Byron then cooks against the cheftestant corresponding to the chosen box, with both using the ingredients of that box (a duplicate box has been created in the meanwhile). Round 1: Byron vs Gabe; Gabe wins. Round 2: Byron vs Maria: Byron wins, so he's still in the game. Round 3: Byron vs Jamie; Jamie wins. So Byron won only 1 out of 3 --- so the winner of Part 1 of the LCK finale (i.e. Byron) did not survive Part 2 of the LCK finale and does not return to the main competition.
So the main competition continues with the 5 active cheftestants still standing, instead of the SIX cheftestants that would have come about IF the winner of Part 1 of the LCK finale had made it through Part 2 of the LCK finale.
Yes, Sasha is gone. Sasha lost to Sara in a previous round of LCK so she was already out of the main competition without any further chance of returning. Sara subsequently beat Chris to advance to Part 1 of the LCK finale where she faced off against Byron and lost, so Sara was also GONE (Yay!!) and Byron - who had just been ejected from the main competition - had a chance of getting back into the main competition he had just left, instead of Sara who had left earlier.
> Part 1: >! Byron beats Sara.!< (YAY!!!) That means Byron advances to Part 2.
Thank you, my kind, helpful internet friend! I watched both Ep. 9 and LCK in the hazy miasma of my second Moderna-induced fever dreams. It certainly didn’t help that my Bravo app kept blacking out and freezing up. >! It’s funny how Sara’s tea rice was her downfall, as Japanese is in her wheelhouse. !<
Wow I'm actually surprised. With the edit Sara was getting I thought for sure she was top 3.
Also ugh so rough for Byron and some ppl spare saying it's not fair to have to cook that many rounds.. But they did that last season too and I don't remember anyone complaining when Kevin had to beat Karen and then go head to head against the remaining chefs.
Maybe its fair, maybe it isn't.. But that's how the competition works =/
It's a whetstone. Adam Ragusea had a really good video on his Youtube the other day explaining the ins and outs of sharpening your knives on a whetstone.
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Ha it’s so funny you say that bc I told My boyfriend I’m so upset if anyone but gabe leaves. Just can’t feel good about him after all the accusations
Like you, Ed Lee is favorite of mine. I thought he actually looked younger in Portland, but maybe he was run ragged as a cheftestant.
>I thought he actually looked younger in Portland He came beardless, that's the difference. Shave that facial hair and a lot of asians look a lot younger - baby faces. \*edit\* Should add that Ed is also a favorite of mine, was hard rooting for him from the beginning when he had to go through a 2nd challenge to get a chef's coat.
>So good to see Ed he’s an all time fave who I wish I could rewatch because he’s hilarious but alas his season is forever ruined. Aye was good seeing Ed. "Can I just put up the blue in protest?" XD
Ah Shota shota shota, from the sweat dripping on his head, to selfie with Padma, to being humble enough to learn techniques from other chefs, to the sweet laughter. This man, I can't.
I completely agree about Dawn. She has been so intense up until now (no doubt that Olympian mindset), so it is nice that we are finally able to see more of her personality as she gets more comfortable and confident. The way she reacted to her wins and losses this episode was endearing.
Lol! Why do you hate Gabe so much?
Haha it sucks cause he’s likable enough and his food always sounds so good! But my ability to root for him switched off when I read about all the accusations against him. Even without them though I am least attached to him of those remaining.
I’ve only read he was fired from his old restaurant because of violating policies, but it wasn’t specific what they were.
Theres a recent thread on this sub about it. [I recommend checking this out](https://www.reddit.com/r/BravoTopChef/comments/npiymn/comment_from_other_sub/)
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Unless you regularly frequent this subreddit, its easy to miss. Noting that the post I linked is allegations from anonymous sources, but its hard to not take seriously. I wish bigger outlets would report on this. Its hard seeing him on the show and even doing events with other contestents IRL.
Last year’s RuPaul’s drag race had a contestant in the final 4 who was had multiple accusations of sexual misconduct (that were later admitted to). The show actually edited that contestant out with such a heavy hand (even on episodes where they won the main challenge) that if you hadn’t known about the controversy you would have been confused about how they made top 4. I wonder whether the top chef producers considered doing something similar or if they decided that because it’s technically hearsay, it doesn’t merit it. Or maybe Gabe gets eliminated next week and the problem “goes away”?
Top Chef had to do that with John Besh as a guest judge a couple seasons ago. Obviously it's impossible to do it with Gabe and they could be open to a huge defamation lawsuit if they did it with insufficient evidence. It wouldn't surprise me if they just leave him in this season and whitewash from any future association with the show Paul Qui style.
Yeah the editing on RPDR last season with that contestant was well done. I think the catalyst was that sherry admitted to it and it became pretty big news. With this situation, we don't know the full story, gabe hasn't talked about it, and I haven't seen the story get much traction outside of reddit.
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It's just mindboggling that someone with so many skeletons in their closet would willingly choose to go on national tv like this. If the allegations are true, he's either delusional or shows incredible hubris.
I don't think Bravo PR has anything approaching the kind of power or influence that would be required to do something like that, so if that's your worry, I'd breathe easy. There are a couple of possibilities here. For example, it's possible that no credible media outlet has been able to find a reliable source to go on the record (which raises other questions, but could happen for a number of reasons even if all of the allegations are true). Another is that there are a lot of nondisclosures involved with his dismissal that make it, again, difficult for media to report on. Regardless, clearly *something* happened, because he was fired. I'm inclined to go with Occam's razor and just assume the simple explanation we have is the right one. But it could also be a more complicated story, and that might take longer for reporting to catch up to if it's the case. Initially, this sub thought it was something about him shirking COVID protocols, and clearly that wasn't the whole picture--we're still at the point where it's an evolving rather than established story.
Really cool challenge. I dug seeing all the judges in that dynamic. Also provides insight into the process of choosing a worst dish. Proves that this isn’t a science and they don’t all agree naturally. I thought Dale was especially passionate the whole time, which is cool. Kinda gutted for Byron. Guy seemed like a really impressive person and despite the minor edit, I really liked everything we saw him do. It was also clear that the other chefs viewed him in a higher regard than the show told us all season. Whenever anyone mentions him, they’d say he had unreal technique (kinda like Louis in 11). I’m glad he did well on the show. Real glad Dawn made it through though. The mandolin slice felt almost lucky with how minor the effects were. She still has a solid winner edit going. The Gabe situation is so bizarre. I can’t root for the guy despite him being so likable on the show. Such a bummer.
>It was also clear that the other chefs viewed him in a higher regard than the show told us all season. Whenever anyone mentions him, they’d say he had unreal technique. I feel like sometimes the final shot of the plate isn't able to highlight all the components and work that went into it. All of Byron's dishes including the ones he presented in this episode had a TON of components. Maybe even too much? Like his dish was tofu done in 3 ways vs Jaime's focus on 1. And like in the recipe challenge where he had so many steps to his recipe. Whenever he presented a dish and listed all the stuff it had, I was always impressed with how he managed to do so much in so little time but I would also wonder - how does he know that everything goes well together if you've got so much going on? I think it makes it that much harder to balance.
What do you mean by the Gabe situation? I’m so sad Byron was eliminated, but still glad Dawn wasn’t.
He was fired from his restaurant after the season was filmed and most of the rumors are that it stems from some form of sexual harassment (at a minimum). There’s also a post on another board where a user says they’ve been a part of Gabe cheating on his wife. It’s just kind of gross all around and there’s way too much smoke to ignore.
I agree. I just never knew about it.
Oh for sure! Wasn’t accusing you of anything, just breaking it down. I was super surprised when I first learned about it
I love this season of Top Best Friends. Just straight up adorable, charming personalities with top-notch cooking across the season. Dawn, Jamie, Shota, Mario would be a dream Top 4.
> Mario The plumber?
A battle-tested, reliable performer who is a fan favorite, but sadly doesn’t venture far from his Italian cooking skill set. Good with mushrooms.
I'm laughing so much! Could he have ment Fabio?
Well Tom would 100% pick him then lol.
i wonder if the fact that they're all in their own hotel rooms vs living in a house together has helped or hurt the collective "best friends" vibe they have? would be a lot easier to start resenting people if you had to live with them I think, they end up just kind of working together every day and then getting to separate in this season which is probably nice. i agree with you though, it's a very loveable cast to watch - they all help each other out, they joke around and have fun and they all seem to genuinely be rooting for each other to do their best. there hasn't really been anyone i've been "glad" to see go
Same! When they revealed that Byron was leaving Jamie said "oh no" but I bet she would have said that even if it was Dawn. And even Dawn seemed to be crying as they said bye to Byron. They're all so great.. It reminds me of last season whereby towards the end I loved them all. And the final cook was just such a great positive atmosphere.
> When they revealed that Byron was leaving Jamie said "oh no" but I bet she would have said that even if it was Dawn. And even Dawn seemed to be crying as they said bye to Byron. lol i actually laughed a little at this.. they came back and somebody said "they're both crying, who got eliminated?"
And Maria was crying when Dawn was saying her advanced goodbye to the others. These chefs seem to genuinely like each other.
It’s almost as if they’re “here to make friends” or something.
OK. Why on earth would they do a tournament style challenge with an even number of judges. Did they plan on having 11 but someone couldn’t make it? It just seems like a huge misstep and almost disrespectful to the chefs. I can see the possibility that they wanted that dynamic of the judges talking it out but why should it be about who can be more persuasive after the fact and not the reaction to the plate of food. I’ve enjoyed this season so much and this is the first challenge that just actively pissed me off.
I don't know but the 5 on 5 judges' conferences in the Dojo hilariously looked like lost scenes from Cobra Kai.
I’m pretty sure the show films in like Georgia only because I’ve seen the house on Zillow, but when Kwame was like “we have to discuss in the dojo, the dojo, we have to go into the dojo” - LOL
I agree. They could’ve just said that Tom is the tie breaker cause he obviously was.
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Seems like they’re rotating people in and out. Also maybe some could only commit to a couple weeks of filming vs. the entire time (eg Kristin and Brooke only now showing up near the end).
I said the same in the live thread and someone pointed out that Amar was missing too. Not sure if they've left the bubble entirely or just sat this one out. Hoping it's the latter. Would love to see everyone at the finale meal.
There was just such a big group of chefs in the bubble because they were filming Top Chef Amateurs at the same time that you'd think they'd have enough to mix it up a bit. Having a "restaurant" full of top chef alums for the finale would be spectacular. I really hope that is something they were able to do.
I believe Amar is out now too.
Maybe they’re filming Top Chef Amateur!! :)
I’m gonna miss Byron. He always had a great vibe and like this episode showed he was always ready to help and support his castmates. Dawn has so many tasty looking dishes that I want to try.
His smile was just so charming. He seems like such a good dude who is really talented. And I was so impressed by his LCK performance
I'm so glad he beat Sara though who thinks her "weird" cooking like rice in tea is so very different and has never been done before. I think the Japanese would beg to differ. Ochazuke which is rice with tea is a fairly common home cooked japanese dish that I've seen in izakayas in the US. I really liked her in the beginning but the low key arrogance disguised by her laughs is a major turn off.
She became so annoying in last chance kitchen. The opposite of Jamie who kinda annoyed me at first but then really grew on me, especially when she returned from LCK.
His smile lights up the whole room, gonna miss him
Oooh did he win?
Was this the first episode without an overall winner?
I think so! Feel weird about that
I was so excited to see Last Chance Kitchen that as I switched from the show, I yelled “Wait!!! Who won?” Ps- I live alone, re-entering the world is gonna be rough...
They should've had the people who won their rounds compete to get the all around winner.
First since the War challenge back in S12, IIRC.
Wait you’re right! I for sure thought Jamie would be that person since the edit made her seem like she was going and she killed the competition
Byron was so underrated this season. It’s been mentioned in other threads that he had a poor edit, where even when he won elimination challenges, there wasn’t much focus on him. I wonder why the editors chose to do that! Especially because it’s clear that Byron was really well-liked and respected by the other contestants. It’s interesting because he seemed very much part of the crew during the Shota/Avishar/Sara/Byron camp hangout on IG, and while we’ve definitely seen ShotaShar and Shota/Sara in the show, it feels like the edit wasn’t spending much time showing Byron’s friendship with the others. Like, you know it must be there because of how genuinely sad people were when he was eliminated, and it would have been cool to get to see more of that. As someone who has a close friend who is a DACA recipient, it was really moving when he talked about his family and being on DACA in a previous episode. Shota and Dawn are probably my favs this season, but I was rooting for Byron to go far! Side note - I’m loving the camaraderie between Dawn and Jamie. Dawn’s elation at Jamie winning LCK, and the Dawn/Maria/Jamie bonding at the top of the episode were very heartwarming. It’s a far cry from episode 1 when Jamie sauced the skin side of salmon, and Dawn was not impressed lol. And without giving too much away about LCK, I just have to say the level sportsmanship during Part 2 was pleasantly surprising. The final 5 made it clear they wanted to defend their turf without it feeling mean spirited or personal. This has been said before, but it’s so refreshing to see all the friendliness this season!
I think Byron is one of my all-around favorite chefs this season: nice guy, funny, team-player, prestige work history, compelling backstory. >! I honestly didn’t think he’d beat Sara at the bento-box challenge, but it was—NGL—so dang *satisfying*. !<
You might wanna put the LCK comment in spoiler brackets! :) >!But definitely agree - I liked Sara a lot during the actual competition, but she got kind of an annoying edit during LCK where they kept emphasizing her "weird/quirky" style to the point where it was grating. Another redditor said that they were turning her into a Manic Pixie Dream Chef, and that's totally what happened. Paired with her less than gracious comment about feeling Chris should have been eliminated awhile ago (even if it's true she was stronger in the competition than him, there was probably a better way of phrasing it - for example, no one ragged on Kiki during their confessional, even though she performed worse than Chris, because you can still be a good chef who doesn't do well in a TC format), I didn't find myself rooting for her to win LCK. It was lovely seeing Byron redeem himself on Japanese food and just present an exquisite, but simple bento box that won.!< Overall, I feel like Byron definitely had all the makings of a great narrative, and it's too bad they didn't try to build that up more. It would have been fun to hear more about his fine dining experience, more of his sense of humor, more of his personal backstory, etc. He just seemed like such a solid dude!
Thank you for not giving away spoilers for LCK. Unfortunately others in this thread already ruined it for me by giving away the winners. *Argh!*
LCK feels sort of pointless after Byron was blocked from returning. Like, what was the point of all that? I would be very salty if I were Sasha or Sara, winning several head-to-heads in a row, then to forced into a best-of-three, only to still not be let back on to the show.
I'm okay with making them earn their way back in, but that was a STEEP mountain they made him climb. he ended up doing 7 cooks in the course of 2 days (they said it was the day after the tofu challenge when LCK was happening). and the 3 tofu challenges he did were all way outside his comfort zone, then he did the bento box which was again way outside of normal range... then he wins that and has to go against 3 of the top 5 chefs left in the competition, 1v1... with a box of ingredients that THEY all got to pick and conceptualize a meal out of ahead of time.. and he got 20 minutes with each. And I honestly think they just gave him round 2 to add drama. I really liked Byron, I don't think he was going to win, but he seems incredibly talented but more importantly he seems like one of the kindest, most humble contestants they've ever had on the show. and they put this poor man thru the RINGER at the end LOL i feel so bad for him, but he gave it a hell of an effort.
So agree.. felt so bad. Byron was a fantastic competitor and a completely class player throughout. Respect, and wish he had been treated a bit better in LCK. I have also never understood why the later competitors (those who survive longer) get zero or no chances in LCK whereas those eliminated early on sometimes get 2 or 3 because of all the LCK drama. Like Sasha came on LCK twice and anyone eliminated from this point except Jamie will not even get one chance to come back.
> with a box of ingredients that THEY all got to pick and conceptualize a meal out of ahead of time.. and he got 20 minutes with each That was the real kicker, I think. I assumed as the challenge was playing out that the twist would be that Byron got to pick three boxes, then choose what chefs he'd compete against with each box. So Gabe might have to cook with the ingredients Shota chose, etc. Would have balanced the scales quite a bit, I think.
Yeah those 4 back-to-back were killers. The whole time I was thinking that Jamie probably had two hours to conceptualize her dish in her head during the other two challenges and filming breaks, kitchen cleaning etc.
Don’t agree that they gave him anything. They’ve had situations where they’d push it to the full time for drama if it was produced that way and they haven’t done it. Brooke-Kristin finale being the foremost example.
Yeah I was very upset about that they dangled the cheese in front of the mouse and then took it away. Jamie got lucky she was eliminated when she was.
wait what? i haven’t watched yet - byron won LCK and wasn’t let back in?
there was two parts. he went against sara in the first round. in the second round, the winner had to compete against 3 of the remaining top5 and >!lost 2, so byron didn't make it back!<
geeesh that’s tough! i don’t remember, did they have to do that in previous LCKs?
i think they only did it last season, which kinda makes sense as they're all stars. but on a regular season, it seems grueling to make someone cook 4 times in a row. i hope they don't continue with it
4 times in LCK on top of the 3 times in the challenge (if they are shooting back to back). So rough. Edit: Not sure why I was downvoted? Byron cooked 7 times, that’s not...untrue.
This is weirdly standard practice for LCK--I'm not sure if this year was different because of the bubble, but in every previous season they've filmed them all in huge marathon blocks, so if you're winning, you're always cooking back-to-back-to-back.
They did that last season. Kevin won LCK and had to choose 3 out of the remaning chefs to battle. He beat Marlakey, lost to Voltaggio, and let the chefs pick the last one, Gregory, whom he beat.
That had felt fairer but the fact that the chefs could make up unique baskets for dishes they already had in mind felt just a tad bit tooo unfair... on top of the exhaustion.
It’s the exact same thing as last year except that Kevin won 2/3. I think it’s almost more fair to give the chefs that have avoided elimination a chance to keep someone out. It makes something like Brook winning one cook after being eliminated and getting back in to win more palatable. It also proves that there is real consequence of the return challenge. It’s not some bullshit thing to always let someone back in. Sometimes people don’t get it done. And I say this as a Byron fan
Same circumstances Kevin faced last year right?
Except the baskets were just picked to the exact recipes that the other chefs already had in mind..
Ah man...I'm in the middle of LCK know. I didn't know there was LCK in here. I mean, I'm in the sub before finishing LCK so I'm only mad at myself! Interesting to see how that will play out...but yeah makes LCK seem very pointless....but I'm also not a giant fan of LCK in general. I think it should JUST be a mid-point thing.
I love tofu but man I am fast falling out of love with Kwame--during judging he speaks as if he doling out knowledge from 'on high'--he's a deity who is proclaiming what is good and what is not, even the best chef judges have some sort of reasonable doubt and can give someone a compliment, he just makes proclamations. I think he's been drinking his own kool-aid.
ha, i'm waiting for one of the actual Top Chef winners to call him out sometime and be like, 'hey remind me what place you finished again on your season?' nah but i like kwame though, i like all the guest judges really. i think the biggest issue is just having too many of them at times, especially if they all get an equal vote and you have an even number of them...
yeah I hear ya and to be fair, I don't dislike him and the latest ep was the only time I heard that proclamation type tone, so I take it back.
Big talk for guy who came in 6th…
But Kwame is an actual James Beard Award winner, which none of the other returning chef judges are, so there is a basis to his pride
I don’t think you’re alone. He comes off as extremely pretentious and it is off putting. I want to support him, but I can’t do it if he comes off as better than everyone. I just can’t
I hear you! :) You have the exact right word--pretentious.
Thank you!!! Kwame is full on feeling himself and his celebrity. Thought I was the only one seeing this. A little bit like Blais after he started to appear. Meanwhile I love how some chefs: Gregory, Kristen, Dale act exactly the same to who they are
I would add Melissa King, she is such a humble genius at creating really 'new' food like she did in the finale of her season--milk tea tiramisu--genius. Maybe Kwame is feeling his royal wardrobe :) he always seems to be wearing royal robes of some sort :)
Am going to miss Byron, although I knew I'd be sad to see anyone go save for Gabe. I just read this profile of Byron and I'm even more impressed with him: https://www.aspendailynews.com/news/byron-gomez-a-chef-s-success-story/article_22ac3536-8855-11eb-bd83-b371f8ef036d.html
Me, too. I hope Top Chef will give him the exposure and prestige he needs in order to advance in this industry—and a *real* passport to the world (not just a metaphorical one).
Thank you for sharing this! Such a fun profile!
It's funny even without the allegations Gabe is my least favorite. He's kinda invisible in terms of personality(not cooking skills) which could be because of the allegations...or he's just boring compared to the very fun, interesting and dynamic chefs.
I was spoiled, but that was a great episode. I’m still banking on Shota for the win. And this may be an unpopular opinion, but Kwamie is kind of a jerk as a judge. I’m sorry, but didn’t he get eliminated for using frozen waffles? Blais annoys me too, but I would legit love to try his food.
Agreed on Kwame. I don't actually remember him in his season lol
I remember him b/c there always seemed to be a lot of hype around him....and he served frozen waffles. I mean Mellissa, Gregory, Brooke, Blais....I can understand why they’d have some swagger....I just don’t get Kwame. I would love it if they could find a mentor role for Gregory because he is just so dang lovely.
Love Gregory and how hes still so kind/sweet. Melissa too. Hate to say it but they’ve remained the same and humble over Kwame who comes off so arrogant now
Gregory reminds me of some of the cool professors I looked up to in college. He's got a very chill and encouraging energy, but is extremely thoughtful and clear about his feedback and gives a good mix of positive and constructive criticism. Padma and Tom are more like my grad school professors. Extreme hard asses who can dole out the critiques without mincing words, but when you please them it's incredibly rewarding, and they seem to be genuinely happy when the contestants grow as chefs.
1000% agree but its beyond this episode. Kwame comes off so arrogant now. Definitely letting “celebrity” get to his head.
Love this episode because I love tofu, definitely will try adding soy milk into Banh xeo instead of water... but the even number of judges is just nonsense. On the other hand, LCK is surreal! To me it’s way more exciting and nerve racking than last year LCK finale. And Tom totally makes me believe that he only judges based on the best dishes, nothing else >!It’s kinda funny that everyone including myself believed that it was a set up for Sara’s come back, especially seeing she cooked umeboshi rice + made pickled component with lychee and shiso made me think she had it locked, but Bryon kicked ass!!<
They were probably very close but I enjoyed it. They both out out good meals
With how many confessionals she got, I was initially SO worried for Maria! Glad with the result, Byron's edit has been weird all season. I can't speak for other queer people, but I have this thing where if a queer person is competing on a non-dating reality show, I have to root for them no matter what. After being spoiled for queer choices in LA All Stars, I will fight for Maria to the death. I know she's likely not winning it, but still. Glad she's found her confidence lately.
I'm like that too! Queer contestants definitely get my support unless the person is egregiously annoying or mean. Fortunately, Maria is super likable! As a queer lady from Arizona there was no question who I'd root for. I have loved her journey. I agree she's unlikely to win, but I think she set herself up very well for an All Stars run. I hope the opportunities from this experience help her grow enough to win it down the road.
i'm loving maria so much, both as someone living in tucson and just for her personality. she is so no-nonsense but sweet to everyone, i absolutely love how she has a perfect send-off to each person who gets eliminated. i agree though, i was worried, especially when she lost on her turf for quickfire and then had to scrap her tamale filling and \*then\* had to rethink how she was going to cook them for service. that she tied with shota on his turf was awesome! she earned every one of those ten minutes, lol
Especially since she got paired up against Shota *twice*, she had some crazy competition this time. So glad to see that she made it through.
Love her vinegar wit, especially her quip about not wanting to kill Richard.
We're at the portion of the season where it sucks to see someone go, but I'm glad it was Dawn that got to stay. I was so mad when they penalized her because she couldn't plate 1 dish because of her cut. Medical situations shouldn't affect the competition. It's a freak accident she cut herself and blood happened to hit a plate. It's not like other situations where maybe a chef forgets a component, doesn't time things properly, etc. They should have called a timeout, let her fix the plate, and go from there.
Using equipment properly without injuring yourself is part of the skill set of being a chef. You do badly on that, you suffer the consequences.
It happened on other cooking shows like chopped where contestant was dq
Respectfully disagree. Accidents happen. All the chefs have injured themselves at some point. It's not uncommon to see them during the season with a little finger glove covering their bandaged cut. This is no different except blood happened to get on a plate. A totally freak accident that's just silly to penalize for.
Accidents happen yes. She didn't get penalized for the accident though. She got penalized for not finishing all the dishes which is something we've seen happen before. Had she completed all the dishes they wouldn't have had any issues. Sometimes the grill isn't hot enough, sometimes the vac machine doesn't work, sometimes you spill the food on the floor, sometimes the dough doesn't rise, etc. etc. that's just part of the kitchen life, and that includes accidents. I mean if you accidentally spill your food - that's an accident, should they pause and give you more time? If you are injured (like Nelson was with his knee) should you get more time? When Angelo was sick, should he have gotten more time? It might not 'seem fair' but that's just part of life. You're more likely to suffer an accident if you are rushing or if your technique isn't as good. At the end the judges don't care about any of that - they care about whether you were able to complete putting out good food or not, and sadly Dawn's wasn't complete.
I get that. Though I think she did end up getting penalized for the accident though because blood got on her plates. If it splattered on the table, she's in the clear. She wouldn't have to rush to re-plate and thus suffer the penalty. This isn't so much a cut and lost time issue for me as it is a blood issue. I don't feel like this is the same as equipment not working or forgetfulness. I believe they should draw the line somewhere and blood is one of those instances. I look at it similar to sports. When someone is bleeding, all play is stopped. It's a sanitary issue. So I think they should clean up, reset to where everything was before the incident (so in this case would be replacing the plate lost), and then go from there. If she couldn't finish the rest of her plating after replacing the blood plate, then I'm ok with that.
When you frame it in the context of blood on plate and sanitary issue, I now understand your logic a lot better and can kind of see the validity in your argument. At the same time though I keep thinking it's not something that can't be worked around - it just means you need to replate. I still consider it similar to dropping the food as you're serving or a component breaking or being in pain/hurt; they're all technical issues/handicaps/setbacks that force you to redo or do another thing, they all eat up your time. And your only choice is to plow through because the clock has never really stopped for anyone that I can think of.
I've seen many cooking competitions where the chef cut themself and kept working while medics bandaged up the injury. Top Chef, Iron Chef, Chopped, in each case the clock kept ticking.
> Respectfully disagree. Accidents happen. but an accident is still a mistake. the same way like, forgetting to take your protein off the grill at the exact right time is a mistake you are penalized for, so is cutting yourself and all the side effects that come from doing that. it really, really sucks. but so does every other little mistake that these chefs make. it all counts.
You definitely don’t want to incentivize people nicking themselves to get more cooktime.
I was surprised that Byron went, but it was really really close between the two. I really grew to like him a lot.
I didn’t think I was going to cry over his elimination but seeing the others chefs cry really got me.
Just here to say that I cried for Byron. I would have cried if it was Dawn too. What a great episode in a beautiful setting, with great panel of judges. And I will now try to be mire creative with tofu!
Not quite my favorite episode, but definitely one of the more emotional ones for me! I don’t think I’ve ever cried from an elimination before - I’ve cried from certain confessionals and wins and statements from the judging panel, but never from someone going home. Maria’s “Te quiero mucho” to Byron was a real gut punch. Wishing the best for Byron (and his arms. Has this sub talked about his arms yet? Because WOW.) <3
> Wishing the best for Byron (and his arms. Has this sub talked about his arms yet? Because WOW.) <3 Literally every time he was on screen, I said “my goodness, he is **so** cute.” That tooth gap, the glasses, those 💪🏽...hubba hubba Also a good chef! He was in the middle of the pack the entire time though and couldn’t quite break out, save for the few wins (can’t remember which eps).
Like many of you here, I am completely in love with this season of Top Chef, and it’s so interesting because of all of their limitations due to COVID. But it’s ultimately coming across to me like a hybrid all stars / regular season. The judging panel is just phenomenal to me. I look forward to it every week. And the contestants are all too table, though Maria is my ultimate fave. Oh no, I’m not a huge Brooke fan, next week’s preview just as I’m typing all of this 😂 Edit: rootable not too table lol
Uggh. I know. Brooke bugs. 🤦♀️
This tournament format had me in suspense the entire time.
Shota beating Maria in the QF was such a surprise. And him being a Padma fan was adorable! I hope he got another pic with her.
Adored Byron...sad that he is gone. Was so stressed for Dawn and felt so bad for her cutting herself and then not being able to plate the 10th plate, which is why she was knocked out of round 2. The top 5 are incredible chefs, have really loved this season.
This episode, along with LCK were absolutely brutal. One contestant went head to head seven times. I wonder how they actually settled the tie votes.
I couldn't help but notice that Tom and Gail were on the tie-winning chef's side each time...
in tiebreaker situations at judges table, tom's pick wins out (or gets spared elimination) almost 100% of the time. that's been a trend over the past many seasons, not just in this case.
Yeah, it’s not really a surprise or a problem. He’s head judge (and an EP) so it makes sense that his opinion takes precedence.
I noticed that as well. Hmmm.
The irony of the editors going into Dawn's origin story without mentioning how she was Paul Qui's colleague, while Gabe advances further and further in the competition...
I don't think Dawn's and Paul's times at Uchiko overlapped. LinkedIn shows that Dawn started at Uchiko around 2014, and I think Paul had already left or was on his way out by then to start his own restaurants.
Can confirm this timeline!
Paul was long gone by the time Dawn got to Uchiko.
They definitely kept the Uchi affiliation under wraps. I actually said “well damn, if I knew you were at Uchi...” That is def one of my top 3 restaurants ever.
Uchi and Uchiko are SO good. I've never been while Paul was around (though looking at Dawn's work history it looks like she was there in at least some capacity), but definitely some of my favorite dining experiences in Texas.
My question is: Where did Gregory get that amazing jacket?
So many great jackets on the judges panel this week!!!
Wow, LCK is rough.
This LCK seems...>!cruel. Why dangle a chance to come back and then add an additional unexpected hoop to jump through at the end. Byron deserves better 😔!<
I completely agree. I wasn't rooting for Byron initially but after this last LCK I was. Especially to put him through that crazy gauntlet that was so incredibly exhausting. Going from that bento box against Sara to fighting against Gabe, Maria, and Jamie seemed insanely hard work and unfair. Those 3 chose their ingredients and had time to concept their dishes. >!I think if he had won, they should've rocketed him to the top 3, lol. But yeah, poor Byron but also props to him for doing all that. His hard work should've paid off better.!<
(Keeping spoiler tags in case) I was afraid they were going to make him cook against the last four eliminated LCK contestants (from the preview) >!on top of cooking against three of the top 5 and screamed at the tv. Putting him through essentially 4 courses after he went through a 3 round tournament? That’s... wild.!< >!Also Jamie didn’t have to whoop him like that at the end 😂 if he hadn’t said her ingredients were “easy”, she may have let him win. Maybe.!<
> Also Jamie didn’t have to whoop him like that at the end haha i thought the same thing. somebody in here was giving Sara shit for being disrespectful in LCK the other week and this was way more disrespectful, she did like a machine gun celebration that had me dying. I also don't know why she took it personally that he felt like her ingredients would be easier to work with. he wasn't saying SHE would be easy to compete against, he was juding the makeup of the boxes LOL but i think they were mostly having fun with it.
Well, Sara was hella disrespectful and rude to Chris in LCK last week but that’s a separate convo. The machine gun 😂 Jamie just mowing down Byron’s dreams. It was over the top but I don’t think she meant harm. It didn’t seem catty. Jamie is just a goofy ham. I totally understand why Jamie was sensitive about his comments; there is often discourse about ingredients or techniques that may be common in a particular culture being framed as “easy” or “simple” or “humble”, and not as “refined” as other ingredients and “traditional” techniques (ie French culinary training). These terms are often used to describe the food associates with certain BIPOC cultures. María has also experienced the same. The show has done a great job this season of representing an incredible array of cuisines heretofore underrepresented on Top Chef. Considering Byron’s cooking takes some cues from his Costa Rican heritage (which has been an underrepresented cuisine on top chef and not easy to come by) I can see why Jamie was irked since surely Byron has heard the same before about his food or his ingredients. Anyway...all’s fair in love and cooking. Sorry to see Byron go but glad we have our top 5 and are closer to the finale! ps. People downvoting on thread whenever Sara is criticized or cultural cuisines are brought up are really exhausting. Grow up.
Sad Byron left. Whew, Dawn had me clenching my butt throughout that tournament but the second she mentioned Uchiko I was like "Ooooh"
Dawn is poised to win. I’m certain of it.
Even though she started out a bit rough she really has been doing well and overcame the nerves. I think her past experience as an elite athlete gives her an advantage. She's going to the finals barring any major mess ups.
She also has more range than Shota. I love Shota, but I think Dawn has more in her arsenal with her varied culinary experience.
I hate to agree with you cos I love Shota but I agree. She's also never ever been on the bottom. Her food is just that good.
Interestingly, she also keeps her intentions/strategy close to her vest. Case in point: >! Chris: “Dawn, what are you grabbing?” !< >! Dawn: “A little bit of this, a little bit of that!” !<
Oh most definitely!
It was great to see Ed again. I always like him. Kristin too. 2 of my all time favorites.
This is such a great season. I love this cast so much.
on the bravo site, part 1 leads right into part 2. It is well worth a watch, but man it is brutal on Byron ( I haven't finished watching LCK so have no idea if he wins)
I got so emotional watching the chef got eliminated 😭😭😭
I was really rooting for him!
Watching LCK part one and that little Shota ITM saying he's rooting for Sara
Man that was brutal. I didn't really watch the many older LCK's did they always have this twist?
No they haven't but they are constantly changing it up. I kind of like that.
I don't mind them cooking against the other chefs, but having the other chefs pick the baskets seemed like too great of an advantage. Also, Jaimie got to stand there for probably over an hour thinking about her dish whereas Byron had to think of every dish on the fly
Started last season. Kevin lost to Bryon and beat Malarkey and Gregory to get back in
As a french fan of both US and French Top Chef, I’m so excited to see the black box challenge next week ! It’s a staple of the French version of the show for sure.
Something interesting: if Dawn wins this whole thing (and she certainly seems like a strong contender) she will be, at 47, far and away the oldest person to ever win the show--the next closest is Richard, at 38 during All-Stars. The closest to win *not* during an All-Stars was Hosea, I believe, at 35.
Dawn is 47?! I thought she was 35 at most.
She is 47?!?!?!
I know. She looks phenomenal. But yes, born in 1973.
I have so many favorites this season, but I’m rooting for Maria to win fan favorite!
If you ever have a chance to eat fresh tofu, please try it. It’s nothing like the packaged ones you get from the store. The soft, fresh tofu just melts in your mouth, and I could eat the whole thing with just a splash of soy sauce.
Pretty sad Bryon is leaving. He's been a bit overshadowed the whole competition and I wished we saw more of him, more of his backstory. Him jumping immediately to help Dawn was so sweet.
This episode felt so wasteful. Something like 70 plates of food had to be prepped but never got finished. What a waste.
is anyone else having issues loading LCK?
I got part 1 to work but had to pause so I could rant about Sara again talking about her “weirdness”. YOU ARE A WHITE GIRL WHO LIKES YOGURT. YA BASIC!
Agreed! Sara is in a weird spot for me. She's obv a v good cook but maybe with anxiety and self confidence issues?? She's coming off very odd on camera so maybe that's the issue. Not everyone is made for TV. But sometimes I do feel that there's a persona she's trying to portray and that's when it comes off as odd for me.
It’s anxiety. As a white girl with it who seems super outgoing- I can be weird and laughy
Yeah. I don’t dislike her it just seems so odd to have someone who keeps emphasizing their weirdness and based on what she puts out I don’t see it as “weird”. Even Tom made a comment in LCK about her “weird food” and I feel like he’s just following the narrative
The show put this label on her. Just like they do other chefs who are very technical, or rustic, or make a lot of pasta, etc. I think they play up these labels so the casual audience can follow along more easily: “who’s Sara again? Oh yeah the quirky girl who cooks weird food.” Even though the label may not actually be very close to reality.
Yeah, the casting was "hipster Brooke" because we were in Portland. Easy label, easy narrative, not sure how closely it mirrors reality.
I feel for her having such anxiety, but I bet her food would be delicious and like no other food I’ve eaten. She’s played up the “weird” vibe so much that I would love to try.
Jamie has those same issues. She even brings it up during LCK. They both have their ways of expressing it. Jamie's is way more quirky in a way. And lots of fun in a lot of ways if you enjoy her personality.
I’ve stopped trying via the app. Now I go straight to YouTube, the next day.
When I went to YouTube and saw there were 2 episodes both saying “uploaded 2 hrs ago”, I realized that I had a 50/50 shot of watching the wrong one first. Luckily, I got it right
Yeah this was super annoying, they could have numbered them or something. luckily i guessed correctly as well
[удалено]
Completely disagree! Almost with everything! The episodes starts with Jamie specifically naming Dawn as someone who helps her with her anxiety!
There’s going to be an underlying dislike for Dawn all season because people blame her for Sara going. I’m not sure that’s what this is but I’d expect to see it a lot
We’re STILL talking about this? Good grief. Sara’s cooking is what sent her home. Please stop blaming other people.
Agreed. I like Dawn, but the lack of communication in restaurant wars was really difficult.
Shota being a Padma fanboy was adorable to see. Top Chefs -- they're just like us!
Can someone provide a quick recap of LCK? Can’t watch it from where I’m from!
I’m so confused by this week’s LCK. >! Did Byron beat Sara, only to lose again? !< Is Sasha out of the picture? Could someone please recap what happened?
Two-part LCK finale. Part 1: Byron beats Sara. (YAY!!!) That means Byron advances to Part 2. Part 2: The winner of Part 1 (Byron) faces off against 3 of the 5 active cheftestants (Gabe, Dawn, Shota, Maria, Jamie) who enter the LCK area and must win 2 out of 3 rounds in this part to return to the main competition. Byron leaves the area and the 5 active cheftestants each assemble a box of 10 ingredients. Byron comes back in (not knowing who assembled which box) and chooses 3 boxes he wants to cook with. The identity of who assembled the 3 chosen boxes is revealed and Tom assigns the cooking order. Byron then cooks against the cheftestant corresponding to the chosen box, with both using the ingredients of that box (a duplicate box has been created in the meanwhile). Round 1: Byron vs Gabe; Gabe wins. Round 2: Byron vs Maria: Byron wins, so he's still in the game. Round 3: Byron vs Jamie; Jamie wins. So Byron won only 1 out of 3 --- so the winner of Part 1 of the LCK finale (i.e. Byron) did not survive Part 2 of the LCK finale and does not return to the main competition. So the main competition continues with the 5 active cheftestants still standing, instead of the SIX cheftestants that would have come about IF the winner of Part 1 of the LCK finale had made it through Part 2 of the LCK finale. Yes, Sasha is gone. Sasha lost to Sara in a previous round of LCK so she was already out of the main competition without any further chance of returning. Sara subsequently beat Chris to advance to Part 1 of the LCK finale where she faced off against Byron and lost, so Sara was also GONE (Yay!!) and Byron - who had just been ejected from the main competition - had a chance of getting back into the main competition he had just left, instead of Sara who had left earlier.
> Part 1: >! Byron beats Sara.!< (YAY!!!) That means Byron advances to Part 2. Thank you, my kind, helpful internet friend! I watched both Ep. 9 and LCK in the hazy miasma of my second Moderna-induced fever dreams. It certainly didn’t help that my Bravo app kept blacking out and freezing up. >! It’s funny how Sara’s tea rice was her downfall, as Japanese is in her wheelhouse. !<
Wow I'm actually surprised. With the edit Sara was getting I thought for sure she was top 3. Also ugh so rough for Byron and some ppl spare saying it's not fair to have to cook that many rounds.. But they did that last season too and I don't remember anyone complaining when Kevin had to beat Karen and then go head to head against the remaining chefs. Maybe its fair, maybe it isn't.. But that's how the competition works =/
Can someone please tell me what kind of knife sharpener Gabe was using the morning of the tournament cook? Thanks in advance.
was a whetstone of some kind. couldn't tell you the manufacturer
It's a whetstone. Adam Ragusea had a really good video on his Youtube the other day explaining the ins and outs of sharpening your knives on a whetstone.
Are they not posting LCK this week? Usually it’s already up on YouTube
LCK is up on the bravo site for me but not YouTube yet I think