Busy busy Jessie working hard to catch up on shows. Well, I can't do much that's active while I'm still recovering from my accident, so you few readers get to benefit. I just took a pain pill, though, so we'll see how long I'm awake to entertain y'all.
The camera challenge this week is right up my alley: The Best Thing I Ever Ate - Chelsea Market. I want to visit Chelsea Market the next time I'm in NYC, and the first thing I did to play along with Food Network was choosing the best thing I ever ate to fit each episode's theme. (Dave: Yeah, no kidding--we've been known to play along with that show at home, though our lack of time spent in New York City seems to be a bit of a handicap.) Mary Beth thinks she's got an edge in describing her choice thanks to being a food writer...we'll see. (Dave: Um, talking about a crepe being as thin as ladies' lingerie is NOT exactly appetizing to much of your audience!) I do like her description of needing to say how the food tastes since people can't lick the tv. Jeff is the first to fully describe his dish, and, in a typical Jeff move, steals another bite of his Reuben on the way off stage. Whitney films right after Mary Beth, which wouldn't be an issues except for the fact that they were both talking about crepes from the same stall. Jeff is on a roll, winning the Rachael Ray star challenge and then the Best Thing camera challenge.
(Dave: Forget whatever it was that Mary Beth said, her appearance on camera on the "set" of the show was absolutely dead on. Her emotion, her physical movements, everything was just perfect for Best Thing. Granted, I agree that Jeff should be the winner based on the content of what he said, but Mary Beth's performance shouldn't be underestimated.)
Star Challenge: Roasts. I hope Bobby gets roasted...I'd love to see that! That's a new one on us. Each contestant gets a different protein. They get 4 hours for prep and cooking...potentially tight, depending on the cut, but a reasonable amount of time. Vic gets the Vegas staple of prime rib. Mary Beth gets duck, which she's never worked with before. At the store, Mary Beth gets a lesson in roasting duck from the butcher, leading the other contestants to wonder if Mary Beth's dish will really belong to her or the butcher.
Unfortunately, it's the contestants being roasted instead of Bobby. (Dave: Wait, I thought they promised A-list comedians--what the hell is Louie Anderson doing there? He sounds like he eternally has his nostrils pinched shut!) We'll have to see how well the contestants keep their cool during presentation. (Dave: Well, Vic seemed to get his name confused with his point of view. A little painful to see after really developing "Mama's Boy.") Jeff has his head in the right place, remembering that while he used to be a comedian, today he's a chef. The only question is what the exact joke about his Mojo Monk Headband will be. Oh, wow, Mary Beth actually managed to do the duck well. Too bad she comes across as pedantic instead of warm and open in her presentation. (Dave: It's pretty clear we have no clue what her show concept is from her presentation. That's a BIG problem.) Jeff's presentation is good, and we find out that, unlike Dave, Jeff is an Ass Man with his rump roast. He gets asked what his opening joke was, and Gilbert Gottfried responds that he'd give Jeff a cooking show if only to keep him from ever doing stand-up again! Ooh, we see Suzie's background during presentation for the first time. (Dave: It's hard for me not to see her as the big winner here, no offense to Jeff. She was really from the heart, she had fun with the comedians, and her food, to me, looked the most appealing--just beautiful on the plate!) Whitney tears up during presentation. Hmmm, maybe we don't want her to open up after all. One Alicia was enough thankyouverymuch.
Evaluation time. For the first time, the judges deem everyone's food to meet the expectations they have for a FN star. Vic is told that he needs to be more Mama's Boy and less Vic Vegas (Dave: ...which is kind of hard to do less of when it's, um, TATTOOED ON YOUR ARM!). Susie tells Jeff that he was actually kinda sexy! Jeff sweeps the episode by winning the star challenge, and he, Vic, and Suzie are safe. (Dave: I'm kinda surprised by this--a different week and Vic wouldn't have been safe, and I don't know what more Suzie really could have done.) Suzie feels good about having bounced back. Whitney and Mary Beth face the firing squad. I'd send home Whitney, but I'd probably end up sending home Mary Beth next weekend. (Dave: I can believe that, though Mary Beth would certainly have a better chance to get into the final three, I think, with an Iron Chef challenge, particularly on commentary. A couple weeks ago, it looked like a lock for either Suzie or Vic, but Jeff has really turned things up a notch.) They can't lose whichever they choose, neither one of them is a star. (Dave: Comparatively speaking, I'd agree. It's like the distinction between the Hall of Fame and the Hall of Really Good or Hall of Damn Nice.) Whitney goes home, and the Final Four is set. Whitney manages to hold back the tears until the hugging upstairs.
Next week is the Iron Chef battle with returning contestants. Can you guess who gets stuck with Penny?
I agree that only Jeff, Vic, & Suzie are star material, that Mary Beth is not. Pendantic is right - she lacks the warmth of the other 3 & I wouldn't watch her. Plus, she's not a chef. I don't mean hasn't had formal culinary training - I mean her food is often lackluster, average. Not what you watch FN for. At this point, of the 3, I don't know who I want to win. I can't say I'd watch any of them personally. I like all 3 but don't know that I'd want to cook any of their foods. We'll see. Personally, I'm moving toward vegetarian with seafood included, so I'll have to totally rethink food.
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