Top Chef Chicago – April 30th Episode
Okay, so we are watching the lead ins to the show last night, and I looked at my daughter and said, “You know, I am pretty sure Mark is going home tonight” to which she asked “hun?” and then fell asleep.
So the Quickfire starts with at short challenge, only 15 minutes to fix an entree. Welcome to the real world people! The rest of the world, those of us who work and have families, do not have hours to prepare and make a meal, we have 15-30 minutes. I loved it! And it just about drove me nuts to listen to some of them complain about the time! Get real!
On the bottom; Mark, Stephanie and ???, you know what I can’t remember, but I think it might have been Andrew. On the top; Dale and Richard, no surprise there, and Antonia. Okay, you know Dale and Richard are just about always in the top and I have no problem with that, their food tends to be really good looking and sounds like it tastes good. Antonia in the top, well, you know that is a little bit of a surprise, seeing as she has been in the bottom the last two weeks in a row, but once we find out that she is a single mom, then it makes a little more sense that she would have a little more understanding of this challenge than some of the others. And the winner is…..Antonia! WOW!
The Elimination Challenge is to cook a nutrious meal for Four on a budget of $10! YEAH! A real-life challenge! And then Andrew has the nerve to say it can’t be done! I wanted to smack him! I feed a family of five every day of the week on a budget of around $10 per meal, and it can be done! Don’t tell me it can’t, I do it all the time, this is real-life, learn to deal with it! Now that being said, I think they all did a good job, although the kids that were tasting this menu are not your normal kids, because my kids would have NEVER eaten some of that stuff, the beets come to mind, and then there is my son who doesn’t like any food that is mixed another food.
Top three: Antonia, hummmmm, you know what, it has completely slipped my mind who else they liked! What does it matter, Antonia won, and then she said it would have been terrible if the single mom had lost this challenge, well, I think I actually agree there. Oh you know what, it was Nikki, she was in the top and I forgot, I guess because I still keep forgetting that she is there. She usually is in the middle and we never hear from her so I forget.
Bottom three: Mark, Lisa and Stephanie. Okay, so is anyone surprised that Lisa is there? Nope, not me. Then, when the judges are asking her about her dish, she doesn’t listen to what they are saying, doens’t take the cristism, actually she pretty much says your wrong and I’m right, which is exactally what she does say when she gets back in the glad-room. I am sorry, but you want me to think that the judges panel, which although has so much more experience than you doesn’t know what they are talking about? Okay, so that is something that has bothered me all season, in the glad-room, the chefs talking about the judges like they are a bunch of Denny’s cooks. Where is the respect? Have you no idea, and what are you going to do when it comes out and everyone sees this that you dis’d Tom or Ted Allen or any of the other judges like that? I would hazzard a guess that you will be looking for a new job. At this point, Lisa has got to go! I will take Spike over Lisa at this point!!
Stephanie, peanut butter and tomato? What the ? What were you thinkin? Did you actually think that would taste good? Oh please! And then there was Mark, you know I liked him, I thought he had a great attitude but at the same time, I think he might have been the least talented of the chefs, and so it just came down to a point where no one else screwed up worse and it was his time to go. I have to agree that I don’t think he made good use of his budget, but then I don’t think he has ever cooked for kids either, so I think he was in the dark on this one. Sorry to see you go Mark, but it was your time. It has been a fun ride.
Next week looks to be a wedding challenge! Yeah! Those are always fun! Can’t wait to see what they do, but at the same time I am ready for Lisa to pack her sorry knives and go!! At the moment she is my least favorite, yeah I even like Spike more than her. In fact, she has driven me nuts so much in the last two of three shows that I am actually not bothered by Spike anymore, although Andrew is starting to get on a nerve. Looking forward to next week!!
