having non-foodies judge things really tilts me. as much as I watch the show for the contestants ability, I also watch for the judges critiques. I enjoy having a random guest judge every once in awhile, or even can stand average people's reactions ala restaurant wars, but I don't need a panel of novice judges. Even worse, novice celebrity look-at-me judges.

okay, i read the judges' blogs and i guess Dale's was pretty good otherwise, too salty but not inedible. they made it clear Fabio's was by far the worst.

More importantly, someone please post caps of Padma and Gail entering the restaurant.

Thought this was a pretty good ep. Fallon was less annoying than expected, and I thought they integrated his show pretty well.

Without even reading the blogs, I can just tell that they likely undersold how bad Fabio's burger was and there's no way they're sending Tiff home for a dish that wasn't technically bad, it just wasn't what they wanted. I assumed it was between Dale and Fabio with a strong lean to Fabio.

Fondue challenge was interesting. I thought the whole "Fondue party = swingers party" thing they tried to imply was pretty stupid. My boring as parents still have Fondue parties, and all that happens there is fondue. Richard's line was hilarious- everything after reminded me this show shares a network with the Real Housewives.

Very good episode.

Somewhat restricting on what they can cook. Good talk at the table. A little weird Fallon already had people he apparently liked and disliked. They sort of made Angelos sound the best while eating.

I don't know I just feel like a contestant's cumulative performance should be taken into account. The way it's structured now they aren't necessarily going to find the "top chef" just the "chef who never once made something that was really bad." Richard is pretty obviously the most skilled so far. So, if one week he just really screws up - it happens to everyone - he could get sent home before the likes of Tiffany?

It was even mentioned by one of them on this episode - I forget who - but they basically said "it doesn't matter if you ever win a given week. You just have to hang around long enough to win the last one." Just seems wrong that you will last longer by constantly being in the middle but never at the bottom than by always being at the top but once being in the bottom.

In the bonus footage it seems like there was a clear concensus to send Fabio home, Dale's dish was apparently good apart from the extra salt and Tiffany's was tasty as well.

Angelo seems to be the closest to Michael Voltaggio this season, in the sense that he'll take risks and mix ingredients that you never thought would go together in an attempt to create a totally new experience for you. Alot of the time he hits it out the park and when he doesn't he's liable to fail miserably.

Him and Richard definately need to be in the final 3 for an epic finale.

Antonia has really started to annoy me with her smug attitude for some reason, she never really won anything before and that's why we never got to see that side of her I guess.

Angelo won the first two elimination challenges, I don't recall if he has won a quickfire or not.

Well, it's a TV show. Using your logic Richard is going to win and everyone knows it. In that case, why bother?

That's why a bad day can send you home. That's the part that creates drama.

Fabio didn't make a burger, he made meatloaf and pussied out by putting cheese in a cup.

pleasepackyourknivesandgo has a pretty funny quip about him saying he's never cooked a burger... then linking to an old menu from Fabio's place... serving burgers

Yes, I know. I guess deep down I really wouldn't want them to change it. But maybe when the judges are making their decision they should at least account for cumulative performance somewhat. I think it would make for better TV. The better chefs you retain in the competish the better the drama will be down the line.

PICKS UPDATE

SJUHawks - Richard Blais
SJUHawks - Mike Isabella
SJUHawks - Tiffany Derry

Zygote - Angelo Sosa
Zygote - Carla Hall
Zygote - Antonia Lofaso

Snotboogy - Marcel Vigneron
Snotboogy - Tiffani Faison
Snotboogy - Dale Talde

gs3737 - Tre Wilcox
gs3737 - Fabio Viviani
gs3737 - Casey Thomson

EMc - Jennifer Carroll
EMc - Dale Levitski
EMc - Spike Mendelsohn

wezvidz - Elia Aboumrad
wezvidz - Stephen Asprinio
wezvidz - Jamie Lauren

gs3737 with a bad two-week stint.

Yeah, brag, I know.

thats pretty sick that we had 5 teams, and only 3 are left with 7 contestants remaining.

ONE TIME DALE T!

Thought it was pretty dumb that Fallon asked for both chicken pot pies and chicken and dumplings. They are basically the same dish. Otherwise good episode and I'm rooting hard for Carla, she's awesome.

all three of my picks on the top. if it there were points for competitions this game would already be over. watch out sju and snot

I could totally see Dale going out next. Maybe Mike

it would be pretty awesome for our bragging rights game if it was 3 vs 3 between the last 2

someone do the odds

It's been an ongoing theory ITT that exactly what you stated is exactly what is happening.

Ah. Well sry for grunching.

Yeah, this is pretty weird. I'd rate the possibility of winning as:

1. Blaise
2. Angelo
3. Dale
4. Carla
5. Antonia
6. Mike
7. Tiffany

Although 2/3 are really close, as are 4/5, imo.

This was a great episode, I thought.

Jimmy Fallon couldn't be much more personable. He's the right kind of guy to have on the show.

The bottom three were really poor showings. Dale actually said he FORGOT about the salt in the pretzel bread. That seems pretty unforgivable.

Tiffani's chicken and dumplings wasn't even remotely chicken and dumplings. I mean, why didn't she just serve them some French toast or something instead?

Fabio's burger was go home-worthy. It was so obviously not a burger that it seemed pretty obvious he was going. Forget the stupid cheese sauce. It wasn't a hamburger. He lives in L.A. It's not like he lives in freaking Rome or something, and we could say he has never had a burger or been around burgers before. Short rib? Pork? Jesus. Google "hamburger," you dope.

Padma looked genuinely sad Fabio was leaving. Maybe she was shagging him too.

Think about it.

Meanwhile, credit to Fabio for NAILING his exit. Well done, sir.

Yeah, even if you're a Fabio hater, you have to admire that exit. Could not have been better.

I usually don't care about product placement, but that segment where they discussed which Butoni premade pasta was the best was terrible.

Yeah the tough thing is always how much variation to put on the classic dish. If you execute it perfectly with no innovation you get slammed (see: Richard's ramen). If you go too far off like Fabio did you also get slammed. I think the key is to go traditional with like one twist. Although deconstructions often work well too.

Yeah obv the product placement is horrible on this show but the Butoni thing was egregious.

* personal anecdote* right after I got married the second time, my hubby cooked dinner for us- nothing fancy, just hamburgers. Well, he made meatloaf burgers. And they were pretty disgusting. It's hard to screw up hamburgers, but a meatloaf burger is gross.

we are no longer married. *end of personal anecdote*

if Fabio actually thought as a chef that representing a hamburger in that manner was "good", then he just totally deserved to go home for bad judgment. Obviously, I have a predisposed prejudice.

(this post is not to be taken seriously)

Yeah- that was pretty blatant. Not really bad because of product placement, but bad because it was boring and added nothing to the "story" beyond product placement (also that ravioli is terrible, I haven't had that flavor, but others, and they're not very good).