“Top Chef” — Family Favorites
CJ couldn’t see just how awful his food looked because it’s hard to see anything on a table when you’re nine feet tall.
The episode started off with Joey saying that he and Howie were now cool because they said what needed to be said. Yeah, right. Seconds later we were smack dab in the middle of the Quickfire Challenge. This show wastes no time. Added to an increasingly long list of reasons why I love this show is the fact that there is so little exposition and what other reality shows would call “character development†it never allows you a reason to become bored – unless you’re generally bored by food, in which case you’re probably tuning in for the wrong competition. More after the break…
Brian won the Quickfire by producing a simple plate of shellfish (the requisite ingredient). This late proved to be helpful as he completely spit in the face of the rules for the elimination challenge by saying the hell with health food and using excess amounts of lobster – not an untasty decision, just a wrong one. He might have been bounced had he not won immunity earlier.
Also in the Quickfire we were shown a bit of Hung’s general uninterest in what some would consider manners. Here he dropped a poor crawfish on the floor and opted not to pick it up. Later he turned off an over that was about to be used by an opponent. Hung is a tricky duck (or geoduck) as he’s simultaneously portrayed as the cut-throat jerk-face and as the guy you want next to you when you’re plating 30 entres.
The elimination challenge was good for Howie (good for Howie!) as he finally produced something that wasn’t marred with controversy – and producing one of the few dishes that I wanted to absolutely inhale upon its completion.
On the bottom end of the spectrum was Micah, whose anti-American snobbery proved to be a bit much for the judges (seriously, what was up the “you people†ketchup comment?) as for myself. I’m glad she’s out. What a whiner. C’mon people let’s be in it to win it, right? Right?
Also noteworthy was Padme’s pre-judge’s table announcement of which castmembers they need to see. It’s brilliantly cheesy in way she tries to keep the people guessing as to whether or not they’re in the top or the bottom of the pack, not like anyone is ever really on the edge of their seat. They know as much as we know when it comes to who performed well and who didn’t. From the moment the food hits the plate they have to know (sure, there have been a few exceptions — like in season 2 when Sam tried the watermelon gnochi). Still, you have to smile at this preposterously beautiful woman trying to “act” so menacing. It’s even funnier when campared to us seeing her actual reactions to the food she’s tasting. You can see it in her eyes if she’s loving it or if it makes her want to wretch. Here, though, it’s just comical.
