Camille kicked off Top Chef in week 4
I love and hate the new season of a reality television show. If it’s a show that I watch regularly I get excited for a new season, wondering what kind of tasks and challenges the contestants will face. I hate the start of a new season because there are just too many contestants to get to know them all, and someone gets eliminated and I ask myself “who was that person?” That’s exactly what happened tonight on Top Chef. Camille was eliminated and I realized that the show never focused on her at all before this evening, and that I knew nothing about her other than the blub about her current position that runs under her name during her “confessional” type tidbits. And I really hate the fact that I didn’t know anything about her, and since she’s gone we won’t find out much else.
The quickfire challenge this evening had the contestants pairing a cocktail made with Bombay Sapphire Gin with an appetizer. The remaining chefs pulled knives to determine what cocktail they would have. The cocktails were created by the guest judge of the round, Jamie Walker. He is a Global Master Mixologist for Bombay Sapphire Gin. Walker thought that Casey, Tre and Dale created the best pairings, while Hung and Joey created the weakest pairings. Casey was named the winner of the quickfire challenge and got immunity for the elimination challenge.
For the elimination challenge, the remaining chefs had to team up in teams of three and work together to create a trio of dishes utilizing the same ingredient for a tasting menu. Initially everyone threw their names in a pot and it was agreed that the first three names pulled would do the first course, the next three names the second course, and so on. Once the teams were determined Dale mentioned that there really should be a dessert course on the menu, even though the chefs were not told there had to be a dessert course. Hung was supposed to be on the dessert team switched off to another team, and all the teams were kind of shuffled around until they panned out as follows:
First course (shrimp): Brian, Hung, Lia
Second course (tuna): Casey, Howie, Joey
Third course (beef): CJ, Tre, Sara N.
Fourth course (dessert/pineapple): Sara M., Camille, Dale
The chefs would prepare their dishes at Barton G’s restaurant for ten members of a fine dining society and the judges. Barton G. Weiss (owner of the restaurant) was guest judge for the elimination challenge. They had $150 to purchase the items for their dishes, and several of the teams mentioned that it just wasn’t enough money to be able to create the dishes they wanted to create.
The directors / producers of the show focused their time and efforts on showing us the teams preparing the tuna course and the dessert course – probably because they ended up being the worst courses in the judges’ minds. Howie and Joey were having some issues with Casey – mainly because they thought since she had immunity she should take a back seat to them and their ideas since they were the ones on the team in danger of being sent home.
Howie mentioned that it was difficult for him to work with people he’s competing against. I guess this is one way to look at the situation, but wouldn’t you put that aside for the few hours of the challenge to try and go balls to the wall together to win the challenge? Just my opinion.
The judges decided that the first course of shrimp was their favorite. Ted Allen went so far as to describe it as “poetic”. Lia was named the winner and her prize was to go to the Hamptons and be a gust chef for a charity event. It was a nice comeback for Lia after her problems in the comfort food challenge last week.
The worst two courses were the tuna and dessert courses. Chef Colicchio came right out and told the tuna team that Casey was the reason they were there, and that Howie and Joey were foolish for not trying her dish before it was plated and served. Casey got a major guilt complex over this, and started to cry. It did seem as if Howie and Joey put their differences with her aside to tell her it was ok. The dessert course was just trashed by the judges. Chef Tom said they were all pretty bad, and described Camille’s pineapple upside down cake as one of the worst desserts he had in five years. That’s pretty harsh comments in my opinion, but then again the judging has been brutal this year. (Are they trying to compete with Gordon Ramsay?) Ultimately the judges sent Camille home.
The judges said they didn’t understand why Dale and the others would choose to make desserts when they aren’t pastry chefs and that it wasn’t required. I agree. Did they not watch the previous seasons of Top Chef where desserts always seem to be a bit of a challenge and never seem to come out as well as the other dishes that are prepared? In Season 2 in the show before the Hawaii finale the remaining chefs had to do a five course meal. Dessert was not required then either, but Elia chose to make one and it wasn’t as successful as it could have been. The judges at that time also asked why you would choose to make dessert when you aren’t a pastry chef and it wasn’t required.
I’m also not feeling the show as I did in the previous two seasons. Season one was outstanding; season two not as strong but pretty good. I’m hoping things pick up for me because I really like the show overall – I’m just not as hyped up about it this season.
[tags]top chef, television, bravo, tv, reality, food, topchef, reality tv, top-chef, cooking, chef[/tags]
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