Top Chef Season 19

Continuing my project to archive everything I’ve been tweeting about Top Chef the past few years, my thoughts on season 19 can be found after the jump!

Episode One:

• I have decided that as long as I wait a week after they air, I can say whatever I want about episodes of the current season of TOP CHEF. So here are some miscellaneous thoughts on S19E1 as we count down the minutes to E2:
• To start with the obvious, the “everybody in” moment right before judges’ table is a strong indicator that we’re still in the “Nice” TOP CHEF era! Otherwise, though, there don’t appear to be many indicators here about what we should expect moving forward.
• Three chefs really caught my eye: Sam (utterly delightful), Jo (serious contender vibes), and Robert (seemed to get the challenge better than everyone else, plus he won of course).
• We’ll also be rooting for Jackson in our house, since his bio indicates he went to Cornell: https://bravotv.com/people/jackson-kalb…. The whole not having his full sense of taste thing is kind of crazy, too.
• Last but not least, I dig it that the field includes both a private chef (Robert) and a chef de cuisine (Demarr). Old school! All in all it seems like a strong, diverse group, and I’m looking forward to watching them compete!

Episode Two:

• Settling in to watch TOP CHEF S19E3, and I just realized I never tweeted about E2! I don’t have *much* to say about it, but that’s not the same as nothing. To wit: 1) I like this year’s set! Not just the glittery Houston sign, the whole kitchen.
• 2) I was glad that Sarah clearly wasn’t ever in serious danger of getting eliminated because I didn’t want to hear another word about canned chickpeas or bad strategy re: when to present dessert. The former is a totally legit ingredient, the latter is part of the darn game.
• Meaning: if you have the weakest of the three worst dishes that failed to win a head-to-head competition, you probably aren’t going far anyway. 3) Loved the queso Quickfire! Remind me to tell y’all about my Nacho Bar restaurant concept sometime. Or, you know, don’t.
• 4) Last but not least, power rankings! Of course I have them. This week’s big risers for me were Damarr (duh) and Monique, who both moved up five spots. The big fallers was Evelyn, who got passed by four people. Jo, Buddha, and Robert remain 1-3 for me. That is all!

Episode Three:

• Counting down the hours until the start of TOP CHEF S19E4, so here are miscellaneous thoughts on E3: 1) I don’t think I rued losing my hair even once until just last week. But ever since I laid eyes on Hung’s magnificent do, I’ve been insanely jealous. Talk about a silver fox!
• 2) I love challenges like this where everyone draws knives to get a cuisine and then gets to taste food prepared by experts in it and ask them questions. As Jo notes, having experience in the style you’re cooking in is as likely to hurt you as to help you.
• The reason for this, I think, is that these challenges are more about listening and tasting than they are about previous knowledge. And while we the audience can’t taste, we can listen, so we get something closer to actually being there than usual. Plus we often learn something!
• 3) I’m sorry to see Sam go, but it’s hard to argue with the decision. He would have plummeted in my power rankings even had he squeaked by. Speaking of which: Evelyn is back in the neighborhood I had her in after E2, but no one else moves up or down more than a spot or two.
• My new top three = Jo, Robert, and Evelyn, but there’s not a ton of distance between them and the next five on my list. It seems mean to call out the chefs I have on the bottom, so I won’t. This next challenge ought to be a fun one–back with musings on it next week!

Episode Four:

• Done with work for the day, so my countdown to TOP CHEF S19E5 has begun! Miscellaneous thoughts on E4:
• I thought this week’s challenge sounded great when I read about it in a season preview, and it did not disappoint! Buddha and Jackson’s winning pair of dishes would likely be on any Top 10 Dishes In TC History I Most Want To Try list I might make.
• I love love love it that after nearly 20 seasons they’re finally showing us every dish from the Quickfire challenge! I meant to say this two weeks ago. Hopefully I didn’t just jinx it!
• We’ve been *rooting* for Jackson in our house because he went to Cornell, but could he actually be a contender? This group is so hard to rank in general, because no top or bottom tier has emerged. I’ve now got Damarr, Jo, Evelyn, Monique, and Buddha in my Top 5. Then Jackson.
• Last but not least, enough with the three-panel split screens! They aren’t ADDING anything, and there’s often one shot that I think is much better than the others that I wish I could just look at without the other two distracting from it. P.S. I am not a crackpot.

Episode Five:

• It’s Thursday and I’m off the clock, so it’s time for miscellaneous thoughts on *last week’s* episode of TOP CHEF S19! To wit:
• As anyone who follows me knows, I *recently* re-watched all 18 previous seasons of TC, but I honestly cannot remember enjoying a single episode as much as I did this one! I am starting to become seriously psyched about this season. Why?
• S18 is widely regarded as the best in TC history. The cast, which was the most diverse, most experienced/successful (100% executive chefs), and nicest one in the show’s history deserves most of the credit. But I think the challenges + how they were presented should get some, too!
• It’s still too early to compare S19’s chefs to S18’s, although they are obviously a talented bunch + evenly matched. But S19 already represents an improvement over S18 in one important (to me, at least) respect: TC is addressing some of my biggest long-standing grievances!
• I talked about how excited I was that they are finally showing every dish made for the Quickfire challenges last week. Which: this is HUGE from a standpoint of being able to actually evaluate the chefs!
• Now in E5 they solved the problem of how elimination challenges based on long cook times should work! In previous seasons they forced people to pull all-nighters, which I hated. Competition formats are hard enough already + and I want to see these folks at their BEST, not worst.
• Don’t make them work on no sleep! Well, it turns out that you basically just need to start the challenge earlier in the day. And when you do that, you can even sneak the Quickfire in during the 12-hour cook time. I loved it!
• Anyway, high praise for Evelyn from the judges, who moves up to second in my power rankings behind only Damarr. Buddha is third, then Jackson. I think this might finally be a group of contenders, but watch one of them get eliminated this week. Till next Thursday!

Episode Six:

• It’s Thursday evening, so time for miscellaneous thoughts on last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! Although I don’t actually have much to say about this one.
• Everyone did well in the Quickfire, which: cool! But no dishes stood out to me here or in the Elimination challenge. At least not in a good way: who cuts a fried oyster in half!?
• I was glad to see all of the chefs I identified as contenders last week not just avoid elimination, but also make another appearance in the winner’s circle. I feel like Damarr just missed out twice in a row, but Evelyn does ascend to the #1 spot in my power rankings ahead of him.
• On the other side of the tracks, I’m sure Luke has some tricks left up his sleeve, but he’s got a lot of work to do to climb out of the cellar. Which: no disrespect! This is just a good field, is all.
• Finally, they’re all in on “makes Dad jokes” as one of Tom’s character notes this year, huh? And that’s all I’ve got. Happy Restaurant Wars Eve, y’all!

Episode Seven:

• Thursday PM = time for miscellaneous thoughts on last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! This was a silly elimination challenge, but a fun one. I was sorry to see Jo go: based on her bio and performance early on, I thought she was a potential winner.
• Conversely, I was glad to see Kwame come back and show everyone how to do the whole former contestant mentor/guest judge thing right. Part of the fun is watching these folks *teach* the current cast something, which the last few haven’t done.
• It seems increasingly hard to deny that there are 3-5 true contenders, depending on how you feel about Damarr and Nick. I’d argue that Damarr, for sure, belongs in this group, and Nick probably does as well.
• Jae also has an elimination challenge win, but she has nearly gone home a couple of times as well. Ashleigh has won a quickfire challenge, but she has also already gotten eliminated once. Luke has won nothing.
• Restaurant Wars is a great equalizer, though, so who knows what will happen this week? This is also a key episode for judging S19 against S18. Here’s hoping the chefs rise to the challenge! If not, we’re probably looking at S16 as the best comp.

Episode Eight:

• Thursday PM = time for tweets about last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! So: Restaurant Wars! One thing that I can’t ever (and don’t particularly aspire to) forget when watching a show like TC is that we aren’t actually in a position to agree or disagree with the judges’ decisions.
• When we SAY “they sent the wrong person home,” what we MEAN (whether we realize it in the moment or not) is more like “the denouement of the story I was just told doesn’t seem justified by that which preceded it.” Because we can’t taste the freakin’ food, right?
• Which means we don’t have much ground to dispute someone’s assessment of a dish or meal as delicious or not. But we CAN point out that the logic of their own arguments at judges’ table or TC precedent seems to suggest that Chef A should have been eliminated instead of Chef B.
• Even more important and much less visible is the work of the show’s editors. I have tons of respect for these folks. First, they need to cut what is presumably hours of footage down to a suspenseful ~40 minute episode: it’s no fun if we KNOW who’s going to win and lose.
• But here’s the tricky part: afterward, it has to make sense to us that so-and-so won while so-and-so lost. It has been a very long time since I’ve been confused by a result, which I think is a testament to how good TC’s editors are at their job.
• Every now and again, though, you get the sense that they’re making it look closer than it is for dramatic purposes (see: the S17 finale). And sometimes I think they go to great lengths to highlight a chef’s errors to make sure we understand why they went home.
• Which (finally!) brings me to my point: I have a hunch that Jackson didn’t actually do that bad at front of house. I’m basing this on three observations: 1) the judges seemed pretty happy with restaurant No Nem over all,
• 2) Luke left judges’ table certain that he was a goner, leading me to surmise that they gave him hell, and 3) Jackson and his teammates noticed the judges complaining and (unlike last year’s losers) made adjustments, so even if his service wasn’t great at first, it got better.
• Rather, I think Jackson’s fatal errors were conceptual, most notably convincing the team to serve family style. The judges deemed THIS to be No Nem’s biggest problem and Jackson’s service and dessert weren’t good enough to save him, so he got the ax, not Luke.
• Granted, none of this probably matters that much in the great scheme of things, since Jackson will forever be The Guy Who Didn’t Tell Everyone Else He Couldn’t Taste Anything pending some future All Stars redemption story arc. Speaking of which: why tell everyone *now*?
• I can see not wanting to give your competitors an edge and/or make things weird. But then why not wait and let everyone find out at the same time when the show airs? Easy for me to say, I guess.
• Anyway, kudos to restaurant Matriarc, where I would love to eat. I’m sliding Ashleigh ahead of Jae in my power rankings and moving Buddha up to #1, but there’s no change otherwise aside from Jackson going away. Evelyn, Damarr, and Nick are 2-4, Luke is #7.
• S19 remains behind S18 for now in the intra-“Nice” TOP CHEF Era standings , but this episode was not as decisive as I thought it might be. And that’s all I’ve got for now. Till next week!

Episode Nine:

• Thursday PM = time for miscellaneous thoughts on last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! I *could* keep this to just two words: Kwame’s glove. You people pay good money for these tweets, though, so:
• Luke has been in last place in my power rankings for the past month, but I was glad to see him go out on a high note. Seems like a super nice guy, and not just anyone can hold down a job at Noma for nearly a decade! I thought he might have a surprise win in him, but oh well.
• E9 was deserving of the extra 15 minutes Bravo gave it. Fun quickfire followed by a compelling elimination challenge that both brought out the very best in all the chefs. This could stand toe-to-toe with anything from S18. Which: I’m *still* not convinced S19 is a step back.
• I think this might be more of a LAST CHANCE KITCHEN (which I’m also watching, natch) comment, but I’m glad to see this crew finally embracing the wood-fired oven. And actually, while we’re talking LCK, hello palate test! Always a favorite.
• To backtrack a bit, I’m also very fond of monochrome plate challenges. This = related to what I was nattering on about last week about not being able to taste the food: I feel like we experience MORE of each dish when the “brief” (as they say on GBBO) is partly visual.
• In conclusion, I remain very engaged and impressed! Looking forward to what appears to be maybe be a repeat challenge from S7? Then to seeing who comes back from LCK, then the homestretch. Till next week!

Episode 10:

• Thursday PM = time for miscellaneous thoughts on last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! Which: I actually thought this one was kind of meh. Fajitas are a fine quickfire, but I was surprised by how much the chefs struggled with it.
• Then the elimination challenge was a retread of S7E12 and didn’t produce anything revelatory. With one final person returning to the competition from LAST CHANCE KITCHEN this week, though, it’s a good time to take stock before the stretch run, so let’s do that!
• In alphabetical order, Ashleigh has one quickfire win + one elimination challenge win. Buddha has 2 + 2, Damarr has 2 + 1, Evelyn 0 + 3, Nick has 4 + 2, and Sarah just destroyed LCK. I am clearly underrating Nick, who would actually seem to be the favorite.
• Seeing the tallies laid out like this also makes me wonder if maybe I’m OVERrating Damarr just a bit? He clearly shouldn’t be higher than 4th, and I think Sarah should be considered a legit contender until she proves she isn’t. I’m going to regret this, but final decision:
• 1. Nick, 2. Evelyn, 3. Buddha, 4. Sarah, 5. Damarr, 6. Ashleigh. Why Evelyn over Buddha? Because he seems more high-variance than her. I could see ANYONE here winning the whole thing, so this exercise will no doubt serve no other purpose than to embarrass me. Till next week!

Episode 11:

• I’m on vacation, so no need to wait until after work to post miscellaneous thoughts on last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! To wit:
• Challenges that involve family members and/or mentors are always a great way to get to know the chefs better + frequently quite moving. They also sometimes feature some of the season’s most interesting food. Re: E11, two out of three ain’t bad!
• My complaint isn’t that there WEREN’T ANY great dishes. It’s that the way they were described didn’t give us much insight into what was good about them. The judges liked Buddha’s amatriciana sauce. Awesome! But executing classics well isn’t always (or even usually) enough to win.
• What made this bowl of pasta different? The explanation must be on the cutting room floor. We DID get the lowdown on what made the bottom three bad. I’m cautiously chalking Sarah’s performance up to first night (back) jitters, but still dropping her below Damarr in my rankings.
• Ashleigh didn’t do as well as she wanted to and was last in my ranks. I would leap at an opportunity to eat at one of her restaurants, though. Loved the seafood tower quickfire! Last but not least, I’ve intimated previously that I thought this season might be just as good as S18.
• That is no longer true. The best TC seasons really take off after Restaurant Wars, and this one isn’t. It’s a fine example of “Nice” TOP CHEF, though, and very enjoyable. Plus the finale still has the potential to be first rate. Till next week!

Episode 12:

• It’s Thursday PM, so time for miscellaneous thoughts on last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! I just got back from vacation, so I’ll keep this relatively brief:
• The highlight of the episode for me was definitely Sarah’s pair of dishes. Her play on a “pastrami sandwich” in particular was one of the most interesting and tasty-sounding things we’ve seen all season. She has definitely established herself as a legit contender!
• On the other side of the ledger, I think Nick just had a bad day in the kitchen, plain and simple. With better execution, I suspect he would have knocked Damarr out, and maybe even would have taken Evelyn’s place in the middle. I would have loved to see his finale menu. Oh well!
• As far as the challenge itself goes, I’m happy for the chefs that they get to have experiences like catching fish and then cooking them. I do wish there had been more quickfires this season, though!
• The final four is tricky to rank. Buddha and Damarr have shown that they have a ton of upside, but Evelyn is far more consistent. Meanwhile, count out Sarah at your peril! I’m going with Evelyn–>Buddha–>Sarah–>Damarr, but I don’t feel great about it.
• So, with that, I guess it’s on to Tucson then, huh? Till next week!

Episode 13:

• Thursday PM = time for my penultimate set of thoughts on last week’s episode of TOP CHEF! I have to admit: when they announced that the final rounds would be in Tucson, I wasn’t all that excited. This was a terrific pair of challenges, though!
• First, I don’t believe I’ve ever eaten carne seca before, but this is a situation I will rectify ASAP. Next, although I think I still prefer S17’s Parmigiano-Reggiano/Prosciutto di Parma showdown to this year’s cactus/chiltepin one, we’ve clearly got a keeper template here.
• Chiles rellenos and curd are two of my favorite things to make and eat, so Evelyn’s winning dishes definitely spoke to me. With something close to home field advantage, I think she has to be considered the favorite, right?
• Buddha’s cooking style seems custom built to impress the judges for a “cook the best n-course meal you’ve ever made” challenge, though! And Sarah has been on fire for three straight challenges, so you’re kidding yourself if you think she doesn’t have a legit shot, too.
• We should be in for a good finale, is what I’m saying! I’m sad that Damarr isn’t in it, but I wouldn’t want to drop anyone else to make space for him. I’m going to save my thoughts on the series as a whole for next week, so I think that’s all for now. Till then!

Episode 14:

• Thursday PM = time for my final set of rambling thoughts on TOP CHEF Season 19! To start with the finale, it has been a long time since there was so little doubt who would win–maybe even since S10 when Kristen beat Brooke in that year’s wonky format?
• To be clear, I mean no disrespect to Evelyn or Sarah! They were just clearly behind Buddha from dish #1 and never really got closer. I enjoyed Sarah’s menu a lot, but her concept didn’t feel like a winner to me, timely though it may be.
• Her problem was that it’s not new + exciting: there’s a rabbit dish that utilizes scraps to minimize waste + give the diner a taste of “what the bunny ate” in Bill Buford’s 2006 book HEAT, for instance. Or see Darren MacLean vs. Timothy Hollingsworth in the finale of FINAL TABLE.
• Evelyn’s tale of woe is even more straightforward yet. Her menu progression reminded me a bit of Shota’s last year, and like him I think she could have won a LOT of finales with it. But how many TC champions would have topped Buddha with their dishes?
• S18 Melissa, definitely, but anyone else for sure? So: great cooking and lots of fun to watch even though it wasn’t suspenseful, is what I’m saying! As far as S19 as a whole goes, I’m not sure I have much to add to what I’ve written about it over the past few months.
• This was one of the best-LOOKING seasons of the show to date, and they made some long overdue improvements to the way challenges are designed (no more all-nighters!) + presented (show all the dishes made during quickfires!) that I *very* much hope are here to stay.
• None of this rises to the level of suggesting that we’re about to embark on a new era, though: S19 is “Nice” TC to its core. Which is not a complaint! It *might* be a top 5 all-time season, and definitely makes my top 10 list. But this will start to get boring SOMEDAY, right?
• But that’s a thought for another day years down the road: if Bravo just says “more please!” to the producers for S20, I’m good. They officially announced Houston as the host city for S19 in October last year, but I think this is a wrap until thenabouts. Thanks for reading!

Links to previous posts about Top Chef can be found here.