Last night's episode of Top Chef All-Stars was all about cooking for kids. As you might expect, there was lots of sugar, dinosaur-inspired meals, a Jonas brother and even a couple of tantrums. Read on for our thoughts on the episode and a reveal of the winner and loser.
Midnight snack in the museum: For the Quickfire, the chefs had to whip up a midnight snack for 150 kids who were spending the night at the Museum of Natural History. Sugar seemed to be the prevailing theme, but Spike's (admittedly odd-sounding) savory potato and carrot chips with marshmallow dip were picked as a finalist by guest judge/preteen heartthrob Joe Jonas, as were Tiffani F's rice crispy treats with malted milk and graham crackers. The two snacks were served to a room of screaming kids at the museum and Tiffani's came out on top. We admit to being mildly hopeful the kids would pick the carrot chips over crispy treats, but no such luck — sugar wins again!
T. Rex versus Brontosaurus: The chefs worked in two teams in the Elimination Challenge, which seemed to have a lot of catches. They were to make breakfast for the kids and their parents at in the morning, but the first catch: they had to spend the night in the museum with the kids. And also, they could only use the ingredients in the museum kitchen. Oh yeah, and each team could either use meat, eggs and dairy only (Team Tyrannosaurus) or only fruits and vegetables (Team Brontosauraus). Finally, they would be operating on just 45 minutes of sleep. As the Quickfire winner, Tiffani got to choose her team's dinosaur and she quickly picked Tyrannosaurus, although she later admitted she thought T. Rex ate "everything" and was disappointed by her team's limited ingredients.
"Just two stitches?": Jamie sliced into her thumb while cutting a piece of pork belly and was told by the medic that she needs stitches. Instead of just duct-taping the wound and getting on with it, as many of the other contestants said they've done, she decided to leave, giving a half-hearted apology as she departed. As sympathetic as we are to kitchen injuries, there is something about her attitude this episode that seemed checked out, like she wasn't giving it her all.
Battle of the big egos: As we've mentioned, we aren't fans of either Marcel or Angelo, so it amused us to see the two of them tussling over the size of the plums in the banana parfait they made with Richard. Marcel wanted larger pieces of plum and seemed seriously annoyed when Angelo told Carla to start halving them. Nevertheless, their banana puree topped with fruit was both beautiful and tasty, and the three shared the week's win.
"Welcome to Jen All-Stars": Jen, usually a strong competitor, was in the bottom for her soggy pork belly topped with tasteless hard-cooked egg. Unable to believe it, she had a meltdown at Judge's Table, rudely talking back and rolling her eyes like a fifteen-year-old called to the principal's office. It was painful and only became more so after she was eliminated, walking out of the stew room with an indignant screech. "Second place is still losing," she said a couple times last night. But sore losing is the worst of all.
What did you think of last night's episode? Were you surprised by the judges' decision?
Related: Top Chef All-Stars: A Second Chance at First Place
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Did anyone else think that Jen was completely off her rocker? My husband and I loved her on her season, but last night we were left wondering if she was on drugs--or if she just can't function on little sleep.
I can't believe the cockiness of some of these chefs this season. I think some of them have let their 15 min. go to their heads. Jamie acts like she couldn't be bothered to be there and Fabio basically threatened to beat up Bourdain if they were in a different setting. And I agree w/ mandypkeaton, Jen seemed really aggressive and off her rocker. Tom looked like he felt a little sorry for her when she went off like that.
I was completely appalled by Jen's behavior and the disrepectful tone she had with the judges. I was a fan of hers during her season, and really thought she would go all the way to the final 2 or 3 this time, but eek, she was crazed last night!
I was really sad to see Jen go and surprised by her crappy attitude. She had a point in defending her dish, but as Tom said, ultimately it's the food that sends you home. That bacon and eggs didn't look too tasty.
I was also really confused by Jamie. I couldn't tell if the producers made her leave, or if she really wanted to get those two stitches because she knew that Jen's dish wouldn't be successful.
Totally disappointed in Jen Carroll. I think she's coming from a different culture working under Eric Ripert. I have a friend that went through an old-fashioned culinary program and basically left because of how they treated women. I know not all programs are like that, but I bet Jen's defensive bit last night came from having to constantly stand up for herself. As much as I could see that (and some editing) creating what we saw last night, I'm still totally disappointed that she was unable to take criticism about her dish. So sad to see her go, but if this is "Jen All-Stars", it wasn't going to last long.
Also, I LOVE Fabio (mostly for his quirkiness and charm) and would love to see him come into his own in this competition.
So many good competitors! Love this show!
I love Marcel, if only because he's withstood the abuse of his colleagues with grace and courage. Also, as we can see with Jen, their personalities are constructed by the editors. I suspect there is a lot of protesting during the judge's third degree, we just don't see it. For some reason, it suited the show more to get out Jen rather than Jamie. That was a no-brainer, but oh well. Maybe the producers wanted to shatter the preconceptions of the fans by kicking out one of the most assured finalist. Also, two women in a row, both decisions questionable.
Not really into the All Star season. I thought the challenges were odd, the midnight snacks all sounded disgusting (granted, I know its for kids - but still!), and they definitely don't have enought material to keep it interesting for an hour and 15 minutes. And I will say that I was sad to see Jen go, even with her crappy attitude.
I'm surprised no one has said this..Jen was absolutely drunk, no doubt about it. A shame, because she was really great on her season and I was rooting for her until she couldn't handle her booze.
I pretty much feel the same way everyone does regarding Jen. So sad to see her leave. But, the challenges of this episode were boring and crappy all around. Joe Jonas, really? (Or whichever brother he is.)
Good point katvetrano, I bet she was drunk. All I kept wondering watching that train wreck was, "Is this chick on drugs?" Jen was cocky in her season but she was still likeable. She was acting totally coked out last night. But then I remembered all the drinking that used to go on in the stew room. I'm sure alcohol, no sleep and a cocky attitude didn't do her any favors.
Lack of sleep has the exact same effect as several cocktails. Producers are, obviously, interested in encouraging 'drunken' behavior to create dramatic situations. I love Jen; she is a strong voice in a very tough world; less than 5% of certified executive chefs are women.
When you're thinking about the chefs being 'rude' to the judges, think about how you would feel if you had spent years working to move ahead in your field and had a model, a celebrity chef who rarely cooks, and sundry personalities telling you that you don't measure up...
I support Jen and Fabio's comments to the judges on Top Chef. Even Collichio commended Jen for defending her dish, and said to the other judges that he 'was not bothered' by opinionated chefs.
I'm with ya @sideworkends - that was an admirable thing for Tom to say. Nobody should EVER be disqualified for the things they say instead of what they cooked. Jen was insane the other night, but I think Jamie should've gone home. To say she wasn't "giving it her all" is a complete understatement. I did watch part of her season but don't remember her being as unbelievably egotistical as she is now.. saying people come from "all over the world" to see her. Whoooo. I'd go to DC to see Spike but that's a different story...
Also I love Mike Isabella. I think I'm the only one.
Team Fabio! I think my hubs even has a crush on him.
I think Jen needs a little therapy to un-do whatever it is her Daddy did to mess up her attitude.
I found Jamie's pragmatic response to her injury refreshing. You don't mess with your hands. There could be nerve damage; it could have gotten infected... if things went badly, it could ruin her career. Taking that chance, no matter how slim, for a reality television show would be totally Fabio... I mean, stupid..