Is It Better In the Bahamas?

After last week's wonderful food from our five remaining chefs, I had high hopes that they would build on that momentum and step up their culinary game...and I'm not talking about the chefs, I'm talking about the show. It's part one of the Finale, it should be about food, high end, letting the chefs show the best that they can produce. Or at least in my mind that's the way it should be.

Apparently my mind is out there in some unknown hinterland because what we got instead was Induction Cooking Theater. Which is kinda hilarious considering what happens later because one of the selling points of induction cooking is that you won't burn yourself. I would have liked this challenge a whole lot more if all the chefs had real kitchens and equipment to work with.

The Quickfire is simple. The Chefs must cook against the Top Chef winner of their season. That means the winners of Season 4, 5, 6, and 7. Each season gets a different secret ingredient. If the challenger wins, they get $10,000 and if the Top Chef wins, they get the money. Already Richard is salivating to beat Stephanie, the woman who stole his title, because he knows he was the best during his season and this way he can finally prove it. I can only assume then by that logic everyone who won a Quickfire during this season against Richard is the best chef....

Richard fans should probably skip on down...

That means Tiffani, Tre (won $20,000), Mike (won a car), Dale T., Dale T. again (won a trip), Mike again (won $5000) and Carla are all better chefs than Blaise. As a matter of fact, the only Quickfire Richard won on his efforts alone and not as a part of a team was the one Quickfire that wasn't judged on taste, just presentation. I said it before and I'll say it again...Dude, you didn't win your season, you weren't the best, Stephanie was and nothing you can do or say will ever change that. During your season, Stephanie was the first chef to win four Elimination Challenges and be in the top of the Elimination Challenges ten times. Not to mention winning fan favorite. In the category of what people have done lately, it's Izard's Girl and The Goat restaurant that's up for a James Beard 2011 Best New Restaurant. It's also Kevin Gillispie who was nominated for a James Beard Rising Star and Dale Levitski's Sprout up for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region. I don't see Richard's name or his restaurant anywhere on the 2011 nominee's list. Perhaps you should not pin all your hopes and dreams on winning the title of Top Chef. Just ask Ilan Hall how that's worked out for him.

OK rant is over...for now. Back to the Quickfire. Of which the most important question is...

...just how much duck fat did he use in his hair? Perhaps that's why he loses against Mike in Battle Duck.


Hosea apparently has his own ax to grind against the Haters who think he didn't deserve to win in Season 5. We don't hate you Hosea, you just bore the hell out of us. Frankly, even the most ardent Top Chef Crack monkeys have a hard time remembering who you are. Still he finds a $10,000 validation in beating Carla in Battle Lamb which is fine because you can never tear Carla out of our hearts. There she will always reign supreme.


Wow....what a surprise....Team DC has pork at their mystery ingredient. Tiffany who has not won one Quickfire or Elimination challenge finally wins $10,000 for beating Kevin.

Stephanie gets to compete against two chefs and a rack of veal. In a split decision she wins against Antonia but loses against Richard.

The losers? Induction table top units for unreliability. Hope they didn't pay too much for that pimpage.

Next up - Burning Down the House.