TCFL 16 // Episode 10 Recap

Let's start at the end this week... with the waffles. I've been writing for a couple weeks now that this cast seems like the closest we've ever seen. It seems like that lulled Sara into a false sense of security. I don't see how "we've never played like that" is a justification for her complaints. What Adrienne told Tom and Ed during prep seemed not only like playful (non-malicious) banter, but was also in the spirit of the competition vis-à-vis Top Chef at large and the Elimination Challenge specifically. Did Eric and Justin go too far? Meh. There's a crowd there. Play it up.

I was really hoping that the B-word wouldn't get brought up (Michelle eventually did it). I do think that bullying has been and always will be an issue, especially on social media, but I feel like the word has almost lost its meaning due to its over-use. In my opinion, this was not bullying. Beverly was bullied. Robin was bullied. Sara was embarrassed and couldn't articulate it properly.

I'm curious to know what you guys think. Hit the poll below and/or leave your comments at the end of the post. Am I being too insensitive?

How did you feel about Waffle-gate?

A) Sara was just butt-hurt and oversensitive. Get over it.

B) Eric and Justin bullied her both in Rupp Arena and in the stew/locker room after.

C) Adrienne shouldn't have brought it up to Tom in the first place. It was dirty.

D) B & C are both true.

pollcode.com free polls

Random Thoughts:

• Our Top Chef Alum/guest for the week is Ed Lee. Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, Ed seems to be the most visible alum to come out of his season. Surprising because he finished 5th overall. Unsurprising because the winner of that season is probably someone that Bravo wants to distance themselves from.
• To check out Mrs. Commish and my meal at 610 Magnolia, Ed's Louisville flagship, check out the post from our trip from over Christmas.
• Why do Ed and Padma need to stand on a mat?

• The Bouillon Quickfire was cute but forced. They obviously gave them 35 minutes so that they'd have more than enough time (five minutes) to solve the riddles then have a normal Quickfire amount of time to cook.
• As a person that grew up on, and still loves instant noodles, the fact that Kelsey adds a bouillon cube to her already-prepared instant stuff is insane.
• Mrs. Commish's Shade of the Week -- (on Ed telling Sara that he's heard good things about her, being that they're both in Kentucky): "False. You haven't heard shit about her."
• I love when Padma plays the race card. And she's right: Asians aren't afraid of MSG. And you shouldn't be either.
• I don't think the Bravo producers could have anticipated that Eddie would be comic gold. Dear sweet Eddie 1) refusing to believe Padma that he has immunity and doesn't have to cook, 2) only being shown eating in the entire rest of the episode, Rusty Ryan-style, and 3) being in the color commentator spot at Rupp Arena is unintentional (but totally intentional) comedy that I can't recall ever seeing on Top Chef. I keep thinking they are going to cool it with him being goofy, but they keep coming back with more.
• If they are doing Fan Favorite this season, I would think that Eddie has it locked up based solely on this episode.
• The Commish House boxed pancake/waffle mix of choice is Aunt Jemima. We recently changed over from Bisquick and it's a big deal.
• Kelsey watching her kids' "firsts" via FaceTime is heartbreaking.
• Yes, everyone makes a Church League team. I was on the Orange Team. I wore #5. I was not good.
• I was not expecting a Knicks reference during my Top Chef-ing. Please keep that disaster separate from here. Top Chef sparks joy. The Knicks do not.
• Remember the 0.1% from last week where I don't support Padma? Her braids in this episode are also included.
• Coach Cal brought absolutely nothing to the table. To be fair, they didn't really give him a chance to.
• We had helper scoring this week! Brian and Caitlyn (if anyone had picked her) earned +2 each this week for helping the winning team and David and Dubuque earned -2 each for helping the losing team.
• As much as I dislike Sara, I do think that they made the right decision. Soggy ribs are worse than a soggy waffle.
• Scoring can be found here, as always.

Finally for this week, a podcast recommendation: Check out Hugh Acheson's new show, Hugh Acheson Stirs The Pot, specifically the first episode with guest Tom Collichio! They talk about a lot of different things, including Top Chef. If you have any interest in the restaurant industry or the idea of chefs in media, it's a worthy listen.