Finisher

Good riddance to Nimma and her overbite. Funny how she didn't salt the pizza then oversalted the shrimp (probably trying to compensate).

Agree on the lack of eye candy.

FantasticVSDoom

Agree with all this 100%

GreenVulture

Another site you might be interested in is Chow, especially in regards to this show, since, for the past couple of seasons, they've always had a weekly interview with the latest Top Chef contestant to get the knife. I imagine that trend will continue this season.

By the way, I loved how awesome it was having both Anthony Bourdain and Rocco DiSpirito as judges in the same episode. Considering how much the former was slagging off the latter in his blog for the show last season, it must have killed Bourdain (or more specifically, Bourdain's ego) to have his opinions have as much weight as DiSpirito's.

Hey matta, didn't you say during last season's finale that one of your friends had gotten accepted as a contestant for this season? Please tell me it isn't Mr. Bald Swearing "In Your Face" Douchebag.

FinkPish

"And then Padma was all, casa motherfuckers" was about the dumbest things I've ever heard anyone say on this show. That guy seems so insecure; he's a loudmouth but didn't have the balls to go over to male fauxhawk contestant (not to be confused with female fauxhawk contestant) and ask for the deepdish pan; the guy obviously took 2 thinking there were more than just one per person.

The show is always a little bit slow getting going, since it seems like they are trying to figure out who these contestants are as well. I'm glad Nimma went as well; both her dishes were crappy and she just didn't seem to even want to interact with anyone else at all.

Tsar Chasm

Crewcut NY Chip on his shoulder guy has to go, what a whiny bitch.
I like his competition guy from GA that made the peach pizza;
His doppelganger - spiky lesbian and Marmite Aussie guy.
I think tattooed bald guy is going to be seriously humbled the first part of this season, if he can come around, he'll have a shot.

Padma's scar is as beautiful as ever.

Lurker1999

Where's Anthony Bourdain's blog on the website for season 4? Please tell me they convinced him to write one! That's the most entertaining part of every week. Reading him shred people and food where deserved and calling good food, good food.

BDB

I like the cocky new york guy. He brings an attitude, fauhawk dude was upset that he didn't wiley didn't love his stuff..

Some of the choices were bad in prep etc, but most of these people prob work in a rest where they don't have to have 200 things sitting on the shelf ready to serve.

I really like the Aussie guy as well..

LiquidSky

He looked like he was gonna cry. He gets on my nerves.

Jadzia

It figures these "chefs" are unable to make a creative vegetarian meal, even when they are given a Gorilla's diet to emulate. "Let's add meat!" These trained chefs are so close-minded, having to put meat in everything. I wished the judges had called them on it, but they are unfortunately of the same mind-set.

orangerory

That was my exact thought! I really wish they would have a real vegetarian (or even vegan) challenge. Because I'm sure if it were just vegetarian, everything would be cheese-based. I have had some amazing meals where I've gone to a nice restaurant with great chefs where there was nothing on the menu I could eat and I said, "tell the chef to make me something vegan. I don't care what it is. I'll eat it."

I love this show even though it's all about the meat...

Wazootyman

Well, after 3 episodes, I'm finally A. Remembering Chef's names and B. Growing to like some of them.

Andrew, Mark and Spike are really starting to grow on me. When Blue lost, I was thinking... crap, 2 of the guys I like are on this team. When it got narrowed down to the bottom 3 and Andrew and Spike were okay, I stopped paying attention.

Surprised to see Erik go, since his cockiness should have translated into good dishes (from past Top Chef experience) but not torn up about it. Oddly enough, his dish was the one I was most wanting to try

LiquidSky

Too bad Nikki didn't get the axe: last week doo doo mushrooms and this week hard-as-a-rock mac and cheese. I wonder how long she will squeak by?

Jadzia

No shit. What kind of idiot can't make Velveeta creamy? That is what it is for. I can't believe she baked it! All she had to do was just melt it over the pasta to make it creamy. I think she overthought it.

And Zoi whining about having to make pasta salad? What kind of crappy chef are you if you can't make a kick-ass pasta salad? These people are so narrow-minded. There are so many things you can do to make a pasta salad awesome. I make a Southwestern styled one that is absolutely delicious.

LiquidSky

I really thought she would be going home. Bet they kept her because she's part of a couple and could be some good drama later on.

BDB

I too thought that Zoi was a goner. I knew Ryan wasn't going to be going home, I think they like having him around.

I still like Andrew, and Mark and Spike.

GreenVulture

Dear Top Chef producers,

Next season, when you want to make a sequence like the ingredient goose chase look less stupid and scripted, please cut back on things like having the camera already inside the house before the owner opens the door and lingering, loving shots of sponsor products like KC Masterpiece and Velveeta.

Sincerely yours,
GreenVulture

Sweet Baby James

I finally caught the first 3 episodes this weekend. Nobody really stands out as frontrunners right now. I guess that tough guy Andrew, faux hawk Richard and the Aussie guy would be my pick as the favorites. In previous seasons, the stronger cheftestants had surfaced by now. I wish Colicchio would have had a couple of security guards standing behind him when they brought the losing team back in to announce the eliminated chef. I would have loved to see Andrew's reaction to the security guards standing there.

LiquidSky

I thought Andrew was gonna kick someone's ass if he got sent home.

nemein

What's the deal w/ that anyway? I just started watching this season and was just curious...

Sweet Baby James

Car accident when she was young.

Speaking of Andrew, he needs to lay off of the Red Bull. He's way too hyper.

LiquidSky

Well I wonder who will be packing their knives this evening?

***************
Edited to add: Nikki could have chosen "Pink Flamingos" as her favorite movie and served those dog poo mushrooms!! From the previews for next week, looks like there is high drama in the kitchen (or crafty editing to tease us).

DRG

I liked the idea behind the challenge, but I hated that most of the groups put the cart before the horse and picked a movie to fit their dishes rather than the other way around. The Top Secret team may have had the second best dish, but their rationalization for the theme was far too thin.

And I was really annoyed at Zoi and the pompous ass in the hat bitching about the judges liking the Willy Wonka dish. "There's no way that tastes good" and "If that's the type of dish they're looking for..." Ugh. I dislike the limited-view contestants that complain about anything that doesn't fit in the 'box' of what they learned at culinary school. They're almost as bad as the ones who think certain challenges are 'beneath them'.

cornyt

I agree completely. I thought that dish sounded great. I was really disappointed in Manuel (Memo). I'd read about him before this season and how he was featured in Bill Buford's book, "Heat," working in Mario Batalli's Babbos, where I've had one of the best dinners ever. But boy, he never stepped up.

BDB

No loss with Manuel going, I don't think he was all that good so far. So not a surprise, I do think they are trying to keep the chefbian (eater.com ©) couple around for a little while longer, but from what I can see of the 2 Jen is way way better than Zoi

Aphex Twin

Yeah, when I first heard the challenge being announced, I was hoping someone would have chosen Salo.

Also, I thought Dale would have tried to sabotage Andrew, considering Andrew is probably the best chef right now.