Hello TCFLers! Have you missed me? Like, at all? That's okay. Life is a teeny bit different since the Season 17 finale. I hope everyone out there is happy and healthy, and safely enjoying whatever "new" "luxuries" they've added back to their lives as restrictions have been lifted.
I usually don't post over the offseason, but there's a couple of bits of news that I'd like to share:
Season 18 News | Champion Interview | Great British Baking Show League (?)
Season 18 News
Thanks to all of you who alerted me to the casting of Top Chef Amateurs. From Bravo:
"The Emmy Award-winning producers of 'Top Chef' and 'Top Chef Jr.' now bring you 'Top Chef Amateurs!' This is an exciting opportunity to experience the competitive world of a top chef! We are casting experienced and passionate home cooks who want to show off their skills and put their knives to the test! If you have an impressive cooking skill set, a fierce determination to win a big cash prize and the ultimate bragging rights, this is the show for you!"
Yes, I will absolutely be applying. What kind of Commish would I be if I didn't? I would absolutely go to compete on this show if given the chance. But would I watch it? No, definitely not. To more important news...
...Because of the various algorithms that are tracking me (and you) at all times (seriously, do watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix), Google put this website in front of my face one morning. The short of it is that Season 18 is currently filming and that the suspicion is that they are in Portland. This is great news for those of us (myself included) who were skeptical that they'd be able to film a season anytime soon, if at all. This is "meh" news for our Season 17 Champion, Jon, who will have to defend his title.
UPDATE: Five hours after this post went up, Bravo made it official. Season 18 will be in Portland, airing sometime in 2021! Check out the release here.
Champion Interview
Speaking of our Champion...
I'm proud to announce that our beloved Trophy/Cutting Board has been retrieved from its Season 16 location (a now seldom-used-due-to-COVID office building) and has been personally delivered to Season 17 Champion Jon.
Here's an interview I did with Jon back in July:
Q: What was your pre-season strategy, if any, when you drafted your team?Jon: I think I've watched every main line Top Chef episode ever created (no desserts/no kids/a bit of masters), so I definitely had a good number of favorites going into this season. Generally speaking, I think I mostly had my team pick going into the first episode (i.e., Las Vegas was definitely the best season, so had to take multiple from that season), except for Stephanie. I picked Stephanie as a flyer after the first episode, and it looked like a bad pick for most of the season, but turned out well.
Q: Do you think Boston is going to include this win in their "City of Champions" marketing and tourism material?Jon: I texted my Massachusetts based family as soon as I watched the last episode. I didn't play "We Are the Champions" as I normally would have though, mostly because the kid was sleeping.
Q: Do you plan on doing anything "foody/kitcheny" with your winnings?Jon: Most likely part of this will go to take out prix fixe "The Dabney" dinner. They have a $45 / 3 or 4 course meal to go, and it looks great. We went to Bresca for the takeout prix fixe earlier in the pandemic and it was definitely worth it. For Father's Day, Kim got me an air fryer, so I'm good on kitcheny stuff. I can't recommend the air fryer enough.
Q: When you were planning your house addition and kitchen renovation, did you consider/plan for a spot for the Board?Jon: Don't worry, I have a spot for it.
Q: So far, the Board has been used more as a showpiece, rather than an actual cutting board. Do you plan to do the same, or will you be the first to actually use it?Jon: Maybe charcuterie (sic?) board? I would say it would be a display board, but I don't see anyone ever anymore.
Q: How does Kim feel about being married to the Champ?Jon: Just another way that I impress her.
Q: Who was your favorite Chef this season and why?Jon: Kevin is my favorite of all time, and was great this season as well. He seems like a really nice guy, and mostly makes southern / pig-heavy meals - what more can you want?
Q: What's the best thing you've ordered in or cooked yourself during quarantine?Jon: Kim gets me a lot of kitchen-y gifts. During the home renovation she got me the pasta maker add on for her Kitchenaid stand mixer. I couldn't use it at all during the renovation, but I got to make my first home made pasta during the pandemic. I also made a Texas style brisket (in the oven) that came out pretty darn well.
Q: Depending on what happens with covid / how Bravo wants to approach it, you may be the last champion for a little while. What's your parting message for the group?Jon: When in a group of friends, rather than talking about volleyball (libero's and the like), plot how you are going to win Top Chef Fantasy League, and some day you too can be a champion.
Great British Baking Show League
Finally, let's talk about my second-favorite food competition show: The Great British Baking Show. If you know, you know, and I won't waste the space here to explain it (but if you want to message me, I'd be happy to do so).
I've toyed with trying a Fantasy League for GBBS and through a confluence of events (Netflix releasing episodes weekly & my being on paternity leave), we can try one. If you are a GBBS fan and want to test a Fantasy League with me, enter your team below!
Scoring
- +10 Points for being Star Baker
- -5 Points for being Eliminated
- Technical Challenge Points
- If there are 10 bakers remaining, and your baker comes in 1st, they get 10 points. 2nd place gets nine, etc. Last place would get 1 point.
- If there are nine bakers remaining, and your baker comes in 1st, they get nine points. 2nd place gets eight, etc. Last place would get 1 point.
- And so on...
- +10 Points for a 'Hollywood Handshake' (or whatever the equivalent will be)
- +25 Points for winning the Season
Teams
Choose four (4) bakers. These bakers will be your team for the remainder of the season (just like TCFL). But the twist: Your first pick will be who you are MOST confident in. Any points your #1 baker earns for you will be worth 4x (so if your #1 baker gets a 'Hollywood Handshake', it will be worth 40 points to your team, instead of the regular 10. Your #2 baker will be worth 3x points, your #3 baker will be worth 2x points, and your #4 baker will be worth the regular 1x amount of points.
Buy-In / Deadline / Minimum
Since this would be the inaugural and very experimental league, the buy-in will be just $5.00. Please send to me via Venmo, PayPal, Google Pay, or Zelle.
Submit your team before Netflix releases Episode 2 this coming Friday, October 2nd. The Entry Form below will close at midnight on Thursday evening.
I'd like to reach 10 entrants for the league to go live. If there isn't much interest and we don't hit 10 players, I'll refund your entry fee. As always, feel free to invite any friends who you think may enjoy our madness. Good luck!
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