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Top Chef is back! ... Kind of. After a less-than stellar last season in New Orleans, and before the next season (recently announced to be set in Boston), we’re getting Top Chef: Duels. Eighteen chefs from past seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters battling it out mano y mano. Curtis Stone is hosting, along with a rotating group of regular Top Chef judges (Gail Simmons, Wolfgang Puck, and everybody’s favorite unibrowed snarker Hugh Acheson) and a wide array of celebrity guest judges (Shailene Woodley, Pink, the “Grey’s Anatomy” cast, and more). Spoilers for past seasons will be unmarked, so proceed with caution. The first episode will air Wednesday, August 6, 10/9c on Bravo. Watch the trailer here. quote:In each episode, two chefs will face-off in three rounds of head-to-head battles testing their skill, creativity and speed. Rivalries will be intensified as Top Chef Duels ups the ante and allows the competing chefs to each pick one mini-duel based on the other’s perceived weaknesses in the kitchen. The third and final challenge of each episode will decide who moves on to compete in the ultimate high-stakes season finale where 10 chefs will be confronted with split second decisions as they lay it all on the line in the greatest challenge of their careers. In the end, only one chef will earn bragging rights and win the $100,000 grand prize and a culinary adventure that will be featured in Food and Wine magazine. The matchups: Episode 1: Richard Blais vs. Marcel Vigneron Molecular gastronomy showdown: the likable goofy guy against the annoying guy (though Richard does have an awful cackle in the preview). Richard Blais (Chicago runner-up, All-Stars winner) Infamous for choking in the Chicago finale and then coming back to win All-Stars four seasons later. Loves working with liquid nitrogen and molecular gastronomy, and known for bizarre dishes that turn out surprisingly well (fois gras ice cream). Marcel Vigneron (Los Angeles runner-up, All-Stars) The cheftestant that everyone loves to hate. Known for foams, molecular gastronomy, gels, foams, annoying the poo poo out of everyone around him, and foams. Episode 2: Shirley Chung vs. Brooke Williamson Near-finalist Shirley is going up against Brooke who came in second in Seattle. Special Guest Judge: P!nk Shirley (New Orleans) Shirley grew up in Beijing with her grandparents on their farm, and developed her skills with both Mexican and Chinese cuisine. Since nearly making it to the New Orleans finale, she has spent time traveling to other Asian countries and expanding her knowledge of global cuisine. Brooke (Seattle runner-up) The youngest chef to ever cook at the James Beard House, she lost to Kristen in round four of an Iron Chef-styled finale. Probably one of the most drama-free contestants ever to make it so far in any season of Top Chef. Episode 3: Mike Isabella vs. Antonia Lofaso It’s family grudge match time as Antonia and her (distant, she will assure you) cousin Mike go head-to-head. Special Guest Judges: Family members. Mike (Las Vegas, All-Stars) After nearly making it to the finals in Las Vegas (and going out on a dish of roasted leeks), Mike came back on All-Stars and made it all the way to the finale only to lose out to Richard at the very end. Along the way, a family-history themed episode revealed that he was distant cousins with none other than… Antonia (Chicago, All-Stars) …which immediately helped to explain why their relationship could best be described as “constantly fighting siblings”. Antonia went on to place third in All-Stars, eliminated after being given the unenviable task of creating a traditional Japanese meal for Masaharu Morimoto. Episode 4: CJ Jacobson vs. Stefan Richter It’s Seattle rematch time as the two Top Chef veterans fight it out. Special Guest Judge: Shailene Woodley CJ (Miami, Seattle) CJ was eliminated fairly early in the Seattle season after helping put out a dish that was the worst of a truly horrid bunch (all the dishes were so bad, the judges decided not to declare any winners, only losers). He went on to win six straight battles in Last Chance Kitchen, only losing out to eventual season winner Kristen. Stefan (New York runner-up, Seattle) After winning four elimination challenges and four quickfires in New York, Stefan lost out in the finale to Hosea. His time in Seattle wasn’t quite as distinguished, but he made it to the final stages before being eliminated on a “surf and turf” challenge when he made pork belly with cracklings hard enough to chip teeth. Episode 5: David Burke vs. Takashi Yagihashi Two experienced Top Chef Master alums, going head to head. David (Masters 2, 5) David has competed for Table to Table, a New Jersey charity that collects perishable food and distributes it to those in need before it goes to waste. Takashi Yagihashi (Masters 4) Takashi competed for Japanese Tsunami Disaster relief, making it seven rounds in on Season 4 of Masters. Episode 6: Tiffani Faison vs. Dale Talde I think the theme for this matchup is “people who saw themselves on television and felt thoroughly ashamed at their behavior”. Tiffani (San Francisco runner-up, All-Stars) Tiffani was the target of the first-season catchphrase “I’m not your bitch, bitch!” which was put on a T-shirt. On the All-Stars reunion episode, she stated that losing in S.F. was one of the best things that could have happened to her, since winning “would have validated all my bullshit”. Dale (Chicago, All-Stars) Known in the Chicago season for loud arguing in the stew room, going on rants, and punching the poo poo out of a locker and yelling “gently caress!” after his team lost a Quickfire. Less-known for going to anger management training between then and All-Stars. Proof of which is evidenced by how he manages to sit calmly through an evening of Marcel taunting him after the Dim Sum episode. Episode 7: Nyesha Arrington vs. Jen Carroll This is probably the episode I’m most looking forward to. Two strong women who left too early, and still have something to prove. Nyesha (Texas) Nyesha was a strong contender in the Texas season until a pairs elimination round sent her home because her partner overcooked their shared venison dish. She then hung on in Last Chance Kitchen for four rounds, keeping everyone’s hopes alive until losing to Beverly. Jen (Las Vegas, All-Stars) In the All-Stars reunion episode, Andy Cohen asked who would be willing to come back for a third season. Jen Carroll was one of the ones who threw their hands up, and it’s not hard to see why. After tearing up the Las Vegas season and almost making it to the finale, her shockingly early second-episode exit from All-Stars left everyone wanting more. Episode 8: Stephanie Izard vs. Kristen Kish Probably the episode I’m second-most looking forward to, with two season winners facing off! Stephanie (Chicago) The first woman to win Top Chef, and still the only winner to also win fan favorite of her season. She also managed to be at Judge’s Table (as high or low) in every single episode, which was probably about as stressful as it sounds. Kristen (Seattle) After throwing herself on her sword in her team’s loss in restaurant wars, Kristen fought her way back in Last Chance Kitchen to return to the stage and claim victory over Brooke as the second woman to win Top Chef. Episode 9: Kevin Gillespie vs. Art Smith Southern Cuisine Bearded Chef Battle! Kevin (Las Vegas runner-up) It’s the second coming of goon favorite Pork Jesus! After Las Vegas, he won Fan Favorite for the season and went on to do a bit of voice acting (as himself in Squidbillies, and a truck driver on an episode of Archer). Art (Masters 1,4) In his time on Top Chef: Masters, he raised money for Common Threads, a charity devoted to teaching children in underserved communities how to cook healthy affordable meals, and educate them about healthy choices in nutrition and diet. Between his two appearances, he was diagnosed with diabetes and managed to lose over 100 pounds, and now regularly runs marathons. Episode 10: Championship Finale Ten chefs go head to head (to head to head…) aiming for a $100,000 grand prize. How exactly this will work has yet to be seen. Summary / Results Table: Richard vs. Marcel: Round 1: Marcel's "Fire Ice" dessert challenge. Winner: Richard Round 2: Richard's "Burger & Side Dish" challenge. Winner: Marcel Final Round: "Five Senses" three-course meal: A visually deceptive dish, a dish to be eaten blindfolded, a dessert that features textures. Winner: Richard Shirley vs. Brooke: Round 1: Shirley's Geoduck challenge. Winner: Brooke Round 2: Brooke's Vegan Dessert challenge. Winner: Brooke Round 3: "Life Under the Big Top" three-course meal: A tableside preparation dish, a three element entree, a dessert that stands at least 6 inches tall. Bonus drink pairing for one course. Winner: Shirley Mike vs. Antonia: Round 1: Antonia's Italian Riceball challenge. Winner: Antonia Round 2: Mike's seafood mise en place & cooking race. Winner: Mike Final Round: "Italian Family Feast" three-course meal, with family members as guest judges: Family Heirloom dish, Carbonara interpretation, new spin on a traditional Italian dessert. Also, each gets to choose a family member to help out in the kitchen. Antonia chooses her brother, Mike chooses his wife. Winner: Antonia CJ vs. Stefan Round 1: Stephan's Smoked Dish challenge. Winner: CJ Round 2: CJ's Animal Butt challenge. Winner: CJ Final Round: "Foraged From the Wilderness" three-course meal: Seafood, Fowl, Land. Winner: CJ Takashi vs. David Round 1: Takashi's Egg challenge. Winner: Takashi Round 2: David's Crab challenge. Winner: Takashi Final Round: "Bizarre ingredients" three-course meal: Sea Squirt, Armadillo, Black Sapote. Winner: Takashi Tiffani vs. Dale Round 1: Dale's Dim Sum Redemption challenge. Winner: Dale Round 2: Tiffani's Craft Cocktail & American Canape challenge. Winner: Tiffani Final Round: "Heavy Metal Vegan" three-course meal: Skewer appetizer, Meat Substitute entree, Vegan dessert with a surprise. Winner: Dale Nyesha vs. Jen Round 1: Jen's Sea Urchin challenge. Winner: Jen Round 2: Nyesha's Bacon & Eggs challenge. Winner: Nyesha Final Round: Brooklyn Nine-Nine Three-course meal: Seafood & cheese "culinary crime" appetizer, "Steak"-out entree, Donut Dessert. Winner: Jen Stephanie vs. Kristen Round 1: Stephanie's Thai Street Food challenge. Winner: Stephanie Round 2: Kristen's Non-rustic pasta-from-scratch challenge. Winner: Kristen Final Round: "Garden of Eden" three-course meal. Masculine & Feminine, Temptation, Sinful dessert. One course must pair with Stella Artois. Winner: Stephanie Kevin vs. Art Round 1: Kevin's Pork Butchering and Cooking challenge. Winner: Kevin Round 2: Art's Critter-fry and baked side dish challenge. Winner: Art Final Round: Grey's Anatomy-themed "Cure what ails you" meal. Stress, Homesickness, Broken Heart. Winner: Kevin The Final Episode: Round 1: Create an all-black dish. Advancing: CJ, Tiffani Round 2: Create an all-white dish. Advancing: Kevin, Takashi Final Round: Create a "Love, Honor, Pride" three-course meal. One chef will be eliminated after each course. Winner: ****CJ**** The Knockout quote:Bravo is also borrowing from its Top Chef online companion series Last Chance Kitchen, which pits eliminated contestants against each other for a chance to compete in the finale, with the Top Chef Duel equivalent: The Knockout, hosted by Wolfgang Puck. The same essential rules apply, though there is one twist. Unlike Last Chance Kitchen, a chef only needs one battle win to quality for a place in The Knockout online finals, though the more wins a chef has, the better their chances are to earn the sole return spot on the show. Episode 1: Marcel vs. Brooke. One cheap ingredient, one luxury ingredient challenge. Winner: Brooke Episode 2: Brooke vs. Mike. Each chef chooses ingredients for both to cook with, as well as twice more during the cooking time. Winner: Mike Episode 3: Stefan vs. Mike. Butcher and clean three cuts of meat, each chooses what the other will cook. Winner: Mike Episode 4: David vs. Mike. Create a dish using only frozen, canned, jarred, and processed foods. Winner: Mike Episode 5: Tiffani vs. Mike. Choose-your-own challenges & twists. Winner: Tiffani Episode 6: Nyesha vs. Tiffani. Choose your opponent's ingredient to highlight and update. Winner: Tiffani Episode 7: Kristen vs. Tiffani. Build-their-own Omelet challenge. Winner: Kristen Episode 8: Kristen vs. Art. Recreate a traditional dish in raw or vegan form. Winner: Art Episode 9: Brooke vs. Mike vs. Tiffani vs. Kristen vs. Art. Each chef chooses a protein or vegetable or cuisine or technique for what they all have to create: A Spanish-style dish using spot prawns, branzino, potatoes, and a smoked element. Winner: Tiffani Since this isn’t a traditional season, I'll just update the Summary / Results section after each episode. Until then, feel free to talk about how much we still hate Marcel, crack jokes about product placement, look forward to the return of Hugh, and try to figure out what the hell happened to Richard. Beef Hardcheese fucked around with this message at 16:10 on Oct 11, 2014 |
# ? Jun 6, 2014 01:46 |
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# ? Apr 19, 2024 20:39 |
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Ugh, I hated the New Orleans season and swore I wouldn't watch Top Chef anymore, but all of these matches look so promising. But somehow Blais manages to look like more of a douche than Marcel in their photo. I also love how Kevin is the only regular contestant to face off against one of the masters.
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# ? Jun 6, 2014 04:19 |
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How do you take 9 prelim winners and one Knockout winner and crown a grand champion in one episode?
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# ? Jul 10, 2014 12:31 |
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Which was the season where they had to ski and then use an ice pick to remove their food from a huge block of ice and then Gail complained that her food was cold? That was the worst.
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# ? Jul 10, 2014 13:04 |
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I'm glad they realized a shake-up in the format was necessary. They should do these duels for like 3 seasons until they run out of people to use, but I guess they're going right back to the old format next season.
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# ? Jul 10, 2014 14:18 |
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Mu Zeta posted:Which was the season where they had to ski and then use an ice pick to remove their food from a huge block of ice and then Gail complained that her food was cold? That was the worst. Texas, which was a pretty bad season overall because of all the dumb gimmicks. In the reunion episode, there was an 'outtake' reel with (guest judge) Pee Wee Herman saying "So this is your jump the shark episode, right?"
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# ? Jul 10, 2014 15:22 |
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Beef Hardcheese posted:Texas, which was a pretty bad season overall because of all the dumb gimmicks. In the reunion episode, there was an 'outtake' reel with (guest judge) Pee Wee Herman saying "So this is your jump the shark episode, right?" The most amazing part of the season is that for all the gimmickry, racism, and crappiness, it still got to the right result.
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# ? Jul 10, 2014 17:39 |
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Basebf555 posted:I'm glad they realized a shake-up in the format was necessary. They should do these duels for like 3 seasons until they run out of people to use, but I guess they're going right back to the old format next season. I think this is a side series like Masters or Life After. They've already confirmed a regular season in Boston.
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# ? Jul 10, 2014 17:40 |
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Beef Hardcheese posted:Texas, which was a pretty bad season overall because of all the dumb gimmicks. In the reunion episode, there was an 'outtake' reel with (guest judge) Pee Wee Herman saying "So this is your jump the shark episode, right?" Texas was bad, but almost 'so bad that's its good' - Chef Tyler Stone coming back for the finale was so ridiculous
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# ? Aug 6, 2014 20:33 |
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Ooh, gently caress yeah! I recently went back and started rewatching, and watching through Season 4 again reminded me of my undying love for Top Chef. Stephanie/Kristen is gonna be a hell of a match, and I'm wondering which poor souls are going to have to cook for Shailene Woodley, because that girl is a crazy foraging hippie.
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# ? Aug 6, 2014 22:39 |
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So, it's gonna be like that Zoey Dechannel episode of Top Chef: Masters?
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# ? Aug 6, 2014 22:43 |
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You gave Richard Blais a challenge that explicitly involves liquid nitrogen. Jeez, Marcel are you retarded? edit: I suspect Shirley and Brooke are too nice to smack talk correctly. jscolon2.0 fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Aug 7, 2014 |
# ? Aug 7, 2014 03:05 |
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That wasn't terrible. Marcel seems to have matured a little (about time.)
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# ? Aug 8, 2014 01:33 |
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Where the gently caress is Angelo?????? (Glad to see Talde back, and the Lofaso/Isabella rematch will be good...) No Wave fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Aug 14, 2014 |
# ? Aug 14, 2014 02:21 |
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Too much adorableness at once. I can't take it.
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# ? Aug 14, 2014 03:01 |
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This is pretty awesome. I miss Jen and pork Jesus.
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# ? Aug 14, 2014 03:17 |
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drat, Wolfgang did not just say that.
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# ? Aug 14, 2014 03:20 |
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jscolon2.0 posted:drat, Wolfgang did not just say that. Yeah he did. That dude is awesome. I got to meet him in Atlantic City. Btw I do not like all of the slow mo poo poo. I hope they cut that out before Boston. LTBS fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Aug 14, 2014 |
# ? Aug 14, 2014 03:24 |
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Preview for Boston: http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/season-12/videos/top-chef-goes-to-boston, set to premiere Wednesday October 15 10/9c.
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# ? Aug 20, 2014 16:22 |
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Mise en Place! Yes! edit: Richard Blais will apparently be a recurring judge on the next season of Top Chef. jscolon2.0 fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Aug 21, 2014 |
# ? Aug 21, 2014 03:10 |
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Top Chef Boston running into problems with local unions. http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2014/08/21/top-chef-boston-filming-interrupted-by-charlestown-teamsters-local-25-group/ quote:The article reports that the Teamsters picketers planted themselves outside Steel & Rye restaurant in Milton, MA, where Top Chef reportedly filmed for multiple days this spring. Not only did the Teamsters try to “push their way into the restaurant during filming” but they also verbally assaulted cast and crew including host Padma Lakshmi, according to Deadline.com. Apparently, the Teamsters group was angry over the fact "that the show had not signed a Teamsters contract and that the production hired local PA’s to drive cast and crew vehicles," reports the article.
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# ? Aug 23, 2014 07:47 |
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What the gently caress. That's really gonna help their cause. I forgot how much I love Mike Isabella. That loving laugh gets me every time.
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# ? Aug 23, 2014 21:55 |
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LTBS posted:What the gently caress. That's really gonna help their cause. Maybe not but Magical Elves are definitely the bad guys if they're dicking over the local unions. Looks like I'll be taking a pass on Top Chef Boston. Gotta stand with my union brothers and sisters.
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# ? Aug 26, 2014 19:19 |
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Stefan getting stomped. We might be on our way to a sweep. Yup. jscolon2.0 fucked around with this message at 04:00 on Aug 28, 2014 |
# ? Aug 28, 2014 03:22 |
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Pretty boring episode, Stefan got curb stomped. Why does Gail tell us that in every episode either "this is the best food we have seen in top chef!" or "This was the closest its ever been in top chef!" You might have alzheimers, Gail. I was hoping CJ was going to get on his knees and propose to the teenage girl from Divergent. Question about the weird knockout web-series What the heck is up with the format. Brooke beats Doc Brown, then Mike beats Brooke. So... why is Mike competing against Stefan? Shouldn't it have been Stefan vs Brooke? I didn't watch all of the first two episodes so I feel like I am missing something. Also Stefan got robbed there, that meat was RAWWWWWW!
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# ? Aug 29, 2014 23:10 |
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spronk posted:Pretty boring episode, Stefan got curb stomped. Why does Gail tell us that in every episode either "this is the best food we have seen in top chef!" or "This was the closest its ever been in top chef!" You might have alzheimers, Gail. Because that's the same as Last Chance Kitchen format? It's King of the Mountain. You stay on until you lose. Then maybe you go beast mode like Nyesha did that one season and take like six scalps in a row.
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# ? Aug 29, 2014 23:15 |
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spronk posted:Question about the weird knockout web-series I think the way it works is that it's just like Last Chance Kitchen, except anyone who gets even a single victory competes in the Knockout Finale for the chance to be in the Duels Finale. So for example, if the first winner managed go 8-0 in the Knockout, they would be the only one in the Knockout Finale, and go straight into the Duels Finale. Or if every newcomer beat out every 'reigning champion', the Knockout Finale would have 9 people fighting for that one spot. It's convoluted as hell and not written out anywhere that I know of, if this is even how it's supposed to work. Fake edit: jscolon2.0 posted:Because that's the same as Last Chance Kitchen format? It's King of the Mountain. You stay on until you lose. Then maybe you go beast mode like Nyesha did that one season and take like six scalps in a row. I haven't seen the most recent episodes, but I remember Brooke kept saying "I'm already guaranteed to be in the finale", presumably of The Knockout. Which is some weird King of the Mountain hybrid.
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# ? Aug 29, 2014 23:21 |
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Shadow Puppet Of posted:Top Chef Boston running into problems with local unions. What the hell is a teamster? After reading the article and reading their website I still have no idea what they do besides mistreat top chef employees for no reason? I am happy there is another upcoming season of Top Chef. This duels thing is for the birds.
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# ? Aug 30, 2014 15:41 |
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I caught this randomly on TV this morning. Kinda interesting. 4, 6, 8 and 9 will be good.
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# ? Aug 30, 2014 16:06 |
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Top Chef Duels (and Masters) gives me a new appreciation for the job Padma does on the regular show. Good God is Curtis stiff as a board. Even Gail who I enjoy on the main show seems very stiff and scripted as someone upthread pointed out.
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# ? Aug 31, 2014 21:34 |
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Wow. I'm on the fence about unions in general (workers need bargaining power, but the unions themselves can go so corrupt), and that Teamsters action isn't very compelling. They're mad because they didn't get hired, and "locals" did instead. Maybe they were charging too much? Like, people deserve fair pay, but all that just reads like sour grapes.
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# ? Sep 1, 2014 00:52 |
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Looking forward to some great slow-mo dubstep seasoning shots in tonight's episode. There have only been four episodes so far but the Bravo editing has clearly reached new and exciting heights.
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# ? Sep 4, 2014 03:25 |
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NoEyedSquareGuy posted:Looking forward to some great slow-mo dubstep seasoning shots in tonight's episode. There have only been four episodes so far but the Bravo editing has clearly reached new and exciting heights. Throw some gratuitous slo-mo Gail's way, and all is forgiven. A young Paul Qui sous cheffing for Tyson Qui on the Iron Chef rerun on Cooking Channel right now.
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# ? Sep 4, 2014 04:07 |
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Just catching up on this series now, through ep 2 so far. The tempo is pretty good, though there's a bunch of filler (ala the slo-mo shots) that will hopefully go away in the Boston season once they have more than just 2 chefs to show. Also when did Wolfgang turn into such a hilarious dirtbag? I always remember him not giving 2 fucks about decorum but telling Gail that the food 'went straight to her chest' is a new level of perverted hilarity for him.
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# ? Sep 4, 2014 18:21 |
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Propaganda Machine posted:Wow. I'm on the fence about unions in general (workers need bargaining power, but the unions themselves can go so corrupt), and that Teamsters action isn't very compelling. Scabs will work for less than the wages the unions have negotiated. So, I mean, what it comes down to is that Magical Elves wanted to cut a few corners and they did it by hiring scabs. The question you have to ask yourself is whether you really believe the unions were "charging too much" to get the show made on a reasonable budget, or whether the money they saved by hiring scabs just went straight into some executive's pocket. I think it's generally regarded as a pretty gauche thing to do in the entertainment industry, anyway.
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# ? Sep 10, 2014 20:23 |
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So Melissa Fumero, what do you think about Nyesha's dish?
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# ? Sep 18, 2014 03:14 |
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Finally watching this and holy crap does it ever get better than Blais comparing eggs on burgs to fedoras??
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# ? Sep 18, 2014 14:52 |
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flashy_mcflash posted:Finally watching this and holy crap does it ever get better than Blais comparing eggs on burgs to fedoras?? Wolfgang talking about Gail's
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# ? Sep 18, 2014 14:56 |
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HORATIO HORNBLOWER posted:The question you have to ask yourself is whether you really believe the unions were "charging too much" to get the show made on a reasonable budget, or whether the money they saved by hiring scabs just went straight into some executive's pocket. So the plan here is to combat corrupt, hateful corporations by being corrupt and hateful with a big dash of racism? It appears that all the teamsters have done is convince Top Chef that they did the right thing by not employing these assholes.
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# ? Sep 18, 2014 19:24 |
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# ? Apr 19, 2024 20:39 |
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I partly watch the Top Chef series to see talented people in their profession do what they do. Watching Pork Jesus break down that pig during his challenge was a thing of beauty.
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# ? Oct 5, 2014 18:23 |