Let's Dish: Top Chef 4.5 — Out of Their Elements

April 10, 2008

So what did you think of the latest episode of Top Chef? Were you — based on the commercials and previews — expecting a bit more drama? I was. Yet, it was still a fun episode, and interesting to see chefs who had been so successful make mistakes. I've got a bunch of thoughts on the episode and would love to hear what you thought of it all, so let's dish! Just, read more.

Is anyone else loving Ming Tsai's slightly retro hairstyle?
I liked the high-end/low-end twist on the blind taste test, how about you? Also, how do you think you'd have done?
Richard mentioned that his charm was wearing off on Chef Tom. How about you? Has he charmed you at all?
Would you have rather worked with Lisa or Spike?
Which element would you want to cook? And what would you serve?
Did you think it was weird for Andrew to serve up the faux tapioca caviar for the second week in a row?
Let's hear it for the Bravo editing team. Up until they served the food, I actually thought Lisa was going home!
And now let's boo them. Where was all that drama they promised us?
Did you think Zoi deserved to go home? How do you think her departure will affect Jen?
And finally, who are you rooting for?

Photos courtesy of Bravo

14 Comments

kwikwit 5 years

Does anyone here watch Project Runway? If so, then I think Spike's hats remind me of Ricky's - they're so random!! However, I think I'd rather have Ricky around than Spike - Spike is a pretty angry guy. I have to admit, I don't have a favorite at all so far this season. I think Andrew is nice but he reminds me of a mathlete - extraordinarily at-ease when it comes to cooking but awkward in every other situation. I would have to go with Jen or Stephanie as my favorites so far.

anniekim 5 years

Love Ming! Zoi needed to go--she did not perform well, had an inflated opinion of her own worth and complained too much. I think Jen could shine on her own. Stephanie is the one to beat, I think, and the most likeable.

rainydaybleus 5 years

1. I agree with the smile comment. He does have a great smile. 2. Taste test... probably gotten half of them 3. Yes, over Richard. He knows his stuff, but enough with the gadgetry... 4. Lisa or Spike??? I think Spike would eventually shut it and just cook... 5. Air, a savory souffle perhaps 6. Yes, why would you serve something back to back like that? 7. Yes, Bravo! to the editing team. Compared to the other competitive cooking shows (like the next iron chef), they rock it. 8. They tricked us, I thought there was going to be major drama between the crew. 9. Zoi wasn't as brilliant as Jen always reassured her. Jen will probably revenge cook and get Spike booted. 10. Stephanie. She is totally under the radar, but yet is always a finalist as a winner. Kudos girl.

sauterhead 5 years

I gotta say I would rather work with Spike though he still really annoys me with all the cockiness - then he fades into the background once they stop talking and get cooking. I want to see him fail or flourish on his own. I like a lot of the chefs, actually - Stephanie! (Totally agree - done really well, not annoying), Mark, Richard, Antonia. I want Lisa to leave. I want Ryan to prove himself. I want Andrew to get put in his place and either shut up or go home.

kiddylnd 5 years

Glad Zoi left, she never contributed anything good or memorable and my friends and I had trouble even remembering what she made for any of the shows. Jen got a little too pissed though. I had to laugh when Zoi said on her exit interview that she didn't enter to be in a competition. UM, then WHY DID YOU ENTER A COOKING COMPETITION ON NATIONAL TELEVISION? Duh. Faux tapioca two weeks running is overkill. It was whimsy the first time, dumb the second. You can make perfectly tasty food with cheaper ingredients if you know what you are doing. Food is overpriced anyhow. My friends and I all thought that the teams really missed the mark on the elements. We imagined a much better menu than what most came up with. I think they weren't really thinking outside of the box. More thinking of the task of serving for 80. Whatevs...I'm so over the group/team challenges. Hello - TOP CHEF, not TOP GROUP OF FOLKS COOKING TOGETHER.

mins15 5 years

1. I love ming!! 2. The high end/low end was different which is good dislike the girl who won though. 3. Richard tries way to hard, I think he should have gone home scales on the fish unacceptable. 4. Definatly Spike 5. I think air anything would have been more creative then duck. 6. Yes, I like Andrew but you can't be serving the same thing. 7. I have always liked bravo's reality shows. 8. I was enjoying the show too much to notice the lack of drama. 9. I thought richard should have left but zoi had been in the bottom a few times then again so had spike. 10. Stephanie!

sonnabobble 5 years

it was an o.k. episode, but i'm sick of the teams already. i want everyone to do their own thing. go stephanie and dale!!

CaterpillarGirl 5 years

1)All i ever notice on ming is his smile. 2)I always like the blind taste tests, but i didnt like the "high end low end" twist to it, not as exciting. I want to go "those are edemame not snap peas!" 3)Richard never charmed me, he thinks he knows it all, but frankly anyone can tell you not to cool salmon that way! 4)spike, lisa is a strange angry girl 5)I would want Fire, since i love spicy foods that are tasty not just hot. 6)enough with the "i know one cool way to cook" and exploiting it a la Marcel and his foams I am personally sick of the "top chef caterer" challenges, enough of serving tons of people at a time,(the zoo, block party, this challenge) i know there are alot of people left but lets get down to perfecting the dish, not mass producing it. I am rooting for my aussie

ayanaphil 5 years

I would just like to say why did we have to see not one, not two, but THREE ugly hats on Spike's head through this episode? As he goes on in the competition, the hats just keep getting uglier and uglier. I would have much rather worked with Spike. I cannot stand people that have something negative to say about everything and I would most definitely go off on her. Can we finally lay off of the team challenges? Lets get some individual challenges going on. I really don't want to see another challenge were you have someone like Dale mad that Lisa won for making bacon (there was much more to it than that) or them playing the blame game. It's getting a little old. I would like to see Ryan step it up, but Andrew is still my fav.

clickmichelle 5 years

1. Ming Tsai is fabulous, I didn't notice his hair. 2. Loved the high-end/low-end twist. I think I'd have done well. 3. Richard reminds me of the kid who tries too hard to be liked. I like him well enough, but not like the chefs from season 3. 4. I'd rather work with Spike. 5. I'd love to cook air, and make some sort of a mousse or incorporate a foam with a strong but delicious aroma. 6. I'm way tired of seeing faux caviar. Not only the second week in a row, but the third time this season. Stop it already. 9. I'm sort of glad Zoi went home. But I'd rather have seen Andrew leave. Jen is a big grown up girl, and if the departure of her partner affects her work, she's really not of the same caliber as the others, who left their partners, SOs, and friends at home. 10. I'm nore sure who I'm rooting for this season. I don't have a real favorite. Maybe Dale or Richard, or Stephanie. But all of them are just so -meh-.

jopperma 5 years

I like Stephanie! I'd like to see a female Top Chef and she has done really well so far and is not nearly as annoying as some of the other contestants. All that craziness at the end was just embarrassing... I don't even know how Dale and Lisa got to yelling at each other (probably b/c Dale was mad Lisa won for "making bacon") ... and then Jen was clearly just reacting to her girlfriend being kicked off and could have in no way been making an objective determination of who should have gone. It was time for Zoi to go, she hasn't done anything substantial or fanstatic the entire show. Also enough with the faux caviar already...

LaLa0428 5 years

I really like the Aussie dude, thats about it for me this season. All these people are annoying. I like the swearing kid too. Pretty sure I would have done poorly on the quick fire, my pallet is kind of lazy I think.

kaileejune 5 years

1. Not loving the hair. Sorry! But do love Ming! 2. Thought that was a brilliant idea! I would have nailed the sake test. I love me some sake! 3. Eh, not really. He is a clever and experienced chef, though. He'll be around for awhile. 4. Lisa! Hands down! 5. I would have liked fire. I might have made something with a spicy, Indian influence. 6. Not weird, but tired. Get a new schtick! Reminds me of how tuna tartare was seemingly always in the rotation last season. 7. Yeah, me too! 8. I think it was her time. She had been in the bottom for a few challenges. I really didn't think their couple dynamic added anything in terms of drama. 9. I like Mark too!

verily 5 years

1. Ming is fab. 2. I would have done well on ingredients I was familiar with and a 50/50 toss-up on the rest. Cheese, chocolate, crab, maple syrup...easy. Sake, caviar, soy sauce...fail. 3. He hasn't charmed me, but I've considered him a capable cook so far. I'm not a fan of molecular gastronomy though. 4. Lisa, even if she is a negative nancy. She totally deserved the win last night. 5. Fire. 6. It was lazy. 7. From the commercials, I thought Jenny was going to kick some ass over Zoi going home. Not getting into the fight with Spike & Antonia... 8. The ending was kind of funny... 9. I hated the whole couples thing in the first place. And Zoi wasn't -that- great. 10. Haven't decided yet. Mark's kind of cute in a kicked puppy sort of way.

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