Top Chef: Olympic Dreams

January 19, 2018 11:01 AM - Season 15, Episode 7

"On the eve of the Quickfire, one of the chefs has a very special delivery. Padma and Season 14 Winner Brooke Williamson surprise the chefs at their house with breakfast ingredients and task them to create a delicious breakfast dish featuring Nutella. Then, Olympians Meryl Davis, Gus Kenworthy and John Daly inspire the chefs to focus on precision, speed and creativity in the first-ever Top Chef Olympics where the chefs will face off in three head-to-head heats. Who will win the gold and which bronze medalist will be sent packing?" (description from Bravo)
posted by primalux (9 comments total)

There was waaaay too much of Bruce in this episode for my liking. I didn't mind the personal stuff about the baby, but in the kitchen I find him overbearing. I appreciate he's the respected elder of the group (as well as Tanya) but I find him irritating.

I'm feeling the love for Chris. I'd love to see him, Carrie and Fatima in the finale. But I suspect it might end up as Bruce and the two Joes. Ugh.
posted by essexjan at 12:16 PM on January 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Chris’s talk about how he looked up to Tanya as an elder fell completely flat for me after the elimination challenge. He and Claudette backed Tanya into doing the Precision Challenge, which was her weak area, and he was no help to Tanya with either her dish or her account of how she was treated by Claudette.

I liked Claudette fine on LCK, but this challenge brought back why I was happy she went home the first time. She’s very willing to assume control, but actively lies about her actions at Judges’ Table in order to blame shortcomings on her competitors. It made me angry to see her lack of integrity.

I’m loving the rise of Carrie. Carrie/Fatima final? Fingers crossed!
posted by epj at 7:12 PM on January 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

I understand this was the episode that John Besh had to be edited out of. Post-production did a great job. I had no idea he was there.
posted by essexjan at 1:35 AM on January 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Agreed – some of the cuts and framing were a little weird to me, but nothing that made me realize they removed him altogether. So yes, nice job!

This ep left me feeling a little flat, because it was so gimmicky and corporate synergy-y. Bruce was getting a hero edit for obvious reasons but it made me wonder if he was just going to up and leave (because my wife and I have been saying that since day one. YOUR CHILD IS BEING BORN AND YOU CHOSE TO BE ON TELEVISION INSTEAD. Ugh.)

The Claudette-Tanya-Chris team was very much a, "Well, we're the three left so maybe us?" team and it showed.
posted by hijinx at 5:41 AM on January 20, 2018

Someone found all the brief glances of Besh and posted them at the top this Reddit thread. I had no idea he was there until it was pointed out to me. Some great editing!
posted by Frayed Knot at 8:50 AM on January 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Tanya was tired, grouchy, and ready to go home. Stamina is important. My prediction would be that Bruce Bruce goes very soon. They were squeezing one more story line out of his character before he leaves.
posted by mumblelard at 3:36 PM on January 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

I dug Tanya telling off the white dudes for being so consistently emotionally oblivious in the Stew Room.

They're insufferable.
posted by painquale at 7:02 PM on January 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

I love that Tom called him "Mustache Joe"! Oh man.

I love Mexican cooking and I was rooting for Claudette, and I don't know whether she's getting the villain edit, but she seems like a beast to get along with. Ugh.
posted by chainsofreedom at 5:39 PM on January 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

I was a fan of Tanya's, in part because I've eaten at her restaurant. Sad to see her go. Especially in such a dumb way. As the chefs all said; no one does formal batonnets and brunoise in American cooking, even fine dining. And Brown Sugar Kitchen isn't the kind of restaurant that is going to cook meat to a precise numeric temperature. She was judged on skills she doesn't need or use and I'm sorry she got stuck in that position. Bonus link: Tanya Holland Describes “Bro Culture” on Top Chef Season 15.

Are all "the bears" heterosexual men? I have the impression they are and it grates on me a tiny bit every time they use the word. I mean "bear" isn't exclusively a gay term, but it almost is. Oh well.

I'm on Team Fatima.
posted by Nelson at 7:49 AM on January 27, 2018 [1 favorite]