Top Chef: Spurred Lines
April 11, 2023 2:13 PM - Season 20, Episode 4 - Subscribe
After a biscuit-based quickfire (aka cookie in American), the cheftestants head to the Tottenham Hotspur football stadium for a team-based showdown.
CHARBEL: This is really cool. I feel like I'm some kind of athlete.
PRODUCER: Are you athletic?
CHARBEL: No.
Round 1 has Victoire/Amar/Nicole vs. Begoña/Luciana/Gabri cooking with Stilton cheese, and Ali/Buddha/Tom vs. Charbel/Sylwia/Sara cooking with Wensleydale cheese.
Round 2 has Begoña/Luciana/Gabri vs. Ali/Buddha/Tom cooking with Bramley apples.
Round 3 has Begoña, Luciana and Gabri competing head-to-head with English Peas.
CHARBEL: This is really cool. I feel like I'm some kind of athlete.
PRODUCER: Are you athletic?
CHARBEL: No.
Round 1 has Victoire/Amar/Nicole vs. Begoña/Luciana/Gabri cooking with Stilton cheese, and Ali/Buddha/Tom vs. Charbel/Sylwia/Sara cooking with Wensleydale cheese.
Round 2 has Begoña/Luciana/Gabri vs. Ali/Buddha/Tom cooking with Bramley apples.
Round 3 has Begoña, Luciana and Gabri competing head-to-head with English Peas.
That reminds me, Wensleydale is a gross novelty cheese and, among UK cheeses, a disappointing choice for this competition.
posted by praemunire at 4:15 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 4:15 PM on April 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
Victoire got quite the backstory both in this episode and the next. Seven languages! English, Italian, French, probably Spanish, and presumably at least a couple out of Lingala, Kituba, Kikongo...
It's always hard to tell with the editing how long it was between when she started reacting to the nuts and when she was taken off; the first time she's showing any sign to me, it looks like the plates are out for plating the dishes; then there's a cut of Padma announcing 90 seconds. It's after the green team starts plating with 6ish minutes left. If there are no hijinks in the edit, then it seems like 5 minutes or less from exposure to the medical team stepping in; it's entirely plausible to me that they weren't expecting such a reaction (she didn't tell the other chefs, they're cooking outdoors), and that she went downhill really quickly and was resistant to leave.
I don't like team challenges, but this setup was excellent; the team had two chances to win and then each chef competed on their own merits.
posted by Superilla at 12:06 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
It's always hard to tell with the editing how long it was between when she started reacting to the nuts and when she was taken off; the first time she's showing any sign to me, it looks like the plates are out for plating the dishes; then there's a cut of Padma announcing 90 seconds. It's after the green team starts plating with 6ish minutes left. If there are no hijinks in the edit, then it seems like 5 minutes or less from exposure to the medical team stepping in; it's entirely plausible to me that they weren't expecting such a reaction (she didn't tell the other chefs, they're cooking outdoors), and that she went downhill really quickly and was resistant to leave.
I don't like team challenges, but this setup was excellent; the team had two chances to win and then each chef competed on their own merits.
posted by Superilla at 12:06 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
she went downhill really quickly and was resistant to leave.
Point about the filming, but it looks like they let her get through the plating, and, if that's right, they shouldn't have. Also, I'm a little surprised that in 2022 they wouldn't have identified food allergies in advance.
posted by praemunire at 7:27 AM on April 12, 2023
Point about the filming, but it looks like they let her get through the plating, and, if that's right, they shouldn't have. Also, I'm a little surprised that in 2022 they wouldn't have identified food allergies in advance.
posted by praemunire at 7:27 AM on April 12, 2023
I was really worried that Victoire would be sent home, because usually when someone on a team has a medical issue, their team loses, and they go home. I'm glad that didn't happen here. I also liked that the final cook off was individual. There have been way too many team challenges where someone went home because of their teammate's mistakes.
posted by Spike Glee at 7:54 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Spike Glee at 7:54 AM on April 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by praemunire at 3:08 PM on April 11, 2023 [2 favorites]