Top Chef: Whatever Floats Your Boat

January 25, 2019 7:47 PM - Season 16, Episode 8

For an elimination challenge, the chefs are split into teams and tasked with throwing houseboat parties on Lake Cumberland; chef Emeril Lagasse joins Padma, Tom and Nilou, along with Capts. Sandy and Lee from "Below Deck" for houseboat hysteria.
posted by supercres (10 comments total)

Eddie really couldn’t have picked those teams worse, huh? In his shoes I feel like for a party I might have picked solid and outgoing Justin and Kelsey, but then also the ever-consistent Michelle. In retrospect I’m torn about picking the larger vs smaller team. Probably Eric if he needed one more; Sara seems like a liability.

The Jell-O shots were a good idea. I’m curious what Padma hated about em.

Brian’s choices this episode were pretty bad top to bottom. That hot tub idea... yikes.
posted by supercres at 7:55 PM on January 25, 2019 [4 favorites]

I wanted to attend this party! What a fun episode. I’m glad the green team won. I’m not surprised Brian was sent home. Roast pork was an odd choice for a boat party, and cooked improperly.
posted by gryphonlover at 10:14 PM on January 25, 2019

I'm so glad to see Brian pack his knives and go. He is a legend in his own lunchtime, nowhere near as good as he thinks he is.

Eddie's choices were poor and I don't think anybody on that team had ever been to a party before. If you're throwing a party on Top Chef this season, you're going to want the most fun person in the house, Kelsey, on your side.

Unrelated to this season, but I was so, so sad to see that Fatima Ali from Season 15 died yesterday. She was such a great chef, and her THs during her season were snarky as hell. Fuck cancer.
posted by essexjan at 1:08 PM on January 27, 2019 [7 favorites]

Out of curiosity, how does the pork mistake happen? I know Brian said something about tying it too tight and Tom said he should not have brined it, but is that why the eye fell out?

. for Fatima
posted by soelo at 7:54 PM on January 27, 2019

So Brian's explanation didnt make a lick of sense. . . EXCEPT that the "i tied it too tight" was supposed to be some sort of humblebrag - im pretty sure he said he tied it too tightly, then had to finish them untied which is when the belly pulled away from the loin it was wrapped around.

I guess im glad they didnt (really) frame it this way but i knew he was going to have equipment/execution issues as soon as he said he was trying to do porchetta on a boat.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:23 AM on January 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

Also him deciding to serve from the hottub was such a dumb idea, I'm still not over that.
posted by Carillon at 12:37 PM on January 28, 2019 [1 favorite]

Nothing says "we're at a party on a boat" like a fully dressed sober man standing in a hot tub, working hard to serve food.

This episode had all the things I hate in cooking competitions. The weird random mishaps that disrupt the cooking. The badly chosen teams. The lack of a theme for proper cooking. I felt like someone who made a particularly well fried jalapeno popper probably could have won.

Get back to the grownup cooking please.
posted by Nelson at 9:26 AM on January 30, 2019 [2 favorites]

I realize I said last thread that Brian went home, but that's because I commented a few days after watching and I really thought Brian was sent home! Anyway I stand by my comments, he's out of his league at this point. It's been fun but bye.

Props to David for saying the electricity issue wasn't what put them on the bottom - from Tom's response it seems like they would have gotten a break for that if that had said it affected their final dishes.

Eddie definitely did terribly at picking his team. He did say in his talking head he had no idea who to pick and just chose people in his line of sight.

Padma being disgusted by the jello shot made me laugh for some reason. My husband pointed out that they never brought that up in judging. I guess if you win the fact that Padma literally spit out something you made in disgust is irrelevant.

So sad to hear about Fatima Ali. From what she posts on social media, Padma became quite close with Fatima and her family.
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:15 PM on February 3, 2019

. for Fatima.

As for this episode... I thought it was a fun episode! Can't really use the hot tub if there's a man standing in it in his tennis shoes though...
posted by tofu_crouton at 1:36 PM on February 5, 2019

:o Top Chef / Below Deck crossover -- I gotta see this!
posted by batter_my_heart at 2:53 AM on June 17, 2019