MagneticMediaFed

It’s always fun to see how long it takes in a given episode of Top Chef for the very first product to be placed. This week we started out with some quick reflections of the departure of Joey before — COLD STONE CREAMERY!

The Quickfire seemed almost a little too simple: create something to mix into the Cold Stone ice cream. Obviously those that tried something a little off the wall (Hung with his chocolate cauliflower foam, and Casey with her sriracha sauce) would be expected to have an edge, though as the judge was going from table to table he seemed most inclined to react positively to those flavors that — get this– tasted good. Howie and Dale scored big for doing things simply. Good and simple seems to really deliver this season, which is why I’m putting early money on Howie, despite the fact that he is the most uneven of all the chefs. If Howie were an era of Woody Allen films he’d be “Hannah and Her Sisters” through “Alice.” More thoughts after the jump…

After the Quickfire the instructions by the preposterously attractive Padma Lakshmi are not those of the elimination challenge, but instead the mom-like directive to go out tonight in Miami and have some fun. I can do that! I should be on this show. To their dismay (dismay, a key ingredient to reality competitions, no?), the night on the town turns into a night of preparing food for drunk people (all while dressed in their Miami whites and cleavage-baring dresses). Dale, who won the Quickfire gets to sit this one out. Lucky sonofabitch.

The chefs divide into two groups. One group seems perfectly content and ready to work. The other group has Howie. Howie, as we start to realize, is not well liked by anyone. How can this be? Is it because he’s always exceptionally sweaty? What ever happened to people hating Hung?

While everyone was out shopping for their menu, CJ (the giant) had one of the best lines ever: “I know about the team dynamic because I played volleyball professionally for three years. I know what it takes to win.” OK. Cool. Wait. What? Professional volleyball? Suddenly I stopped seeing CJ, the fifteen foot tall private chef, and started seeing CJ the fifteen foot tall professional volleyball played decked out in tight short-shorts, a tank-top with those really big, drooping arm holes, and one of those hats that has the bill flipped up. CJ, you are the man.

Back to the competition, the cooking doesn’t begin until until midnight, which is pretty cool. Also everyone is packed like sardines in these food trucks, which is pretty cool for me, someone who likes watching people get on other people’s nerves — or watch Howie sweat the Dead Sea.

Once the drunks show up it’s pretty clear which side is winning: the side with Ryan. Ryan is going out of his mind with hospitality. He’s yelling and chanting and acting generally creepy, but if you’re hammered and want food, cheesy works. Also Colicchio couldn’t get served a damn slider. C’mon! In a way it can’t possibly matter if the food is any good, here’s it’s all about selling it and being ready for the masses when they come calling. Honestly, what so great about being able to make good onion rings in a truck? The skill is how you get those onion rings out of the truck.

So Padma is still doing the “straight-faced” call over for the winning team, which doesn’t really make any sense as the first group picked is always, ALWAYS, the winner. And yet here she is with the sad-face and the “please come with me.” Just be happy Padma. That’s how we like you. Either way, Tre won the challenge with his shrimp, grits and bacon. Go Tre. Tre is a champ.

With the loser group, Howie was being particularly dickish — calling Sara (air-a) the baby of the house was a low blow. That she was the one who was booted, just reaffirms my belief that Howie will go really far in the competition — said best by the departing Sara, “There’s a really fine line between competitive and just being an asshole.” Though the tone of the series has certainly shifted and suggests Howie might not be around much longer. Either that or he usurps Hung as this season’s Marcel and makes it to the finals.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 9th, 2007 at 1:58 pm and is filed under Bravo, Top Chef. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.