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I obviously misunderstood the commercials that Bravo was running to promote the "two hour Las Vegas finale" for the show, Top Chef. You see, I assumed that the two hours would be run consecutively. I was wrong. This week only featured the first half of the finale and was based around one very long challenge.
When the chefs arrived in Las Vegas, the found themselves staying in the ultra-posh Skylofts at the MGM Grand, where guests get flowers and their initials monogrammed onto their pillows. As they caught up with each other, we learned that Dave's restaurant had been sold, Tiffani has must been working as usual and Harold is trying to open his own place in New York City. The chefs had some wine and were right to worry about the challenge the next day because the quickfire challenge this week was actually an elimination challenge.
For the challenge, which featured guest judge Hubert Keller, the chefs had to prepare 3 separate room service orders for three separate sets of clients, making sure to meet the needs of those clients based on the judge's descriptions of them. The worst part was that they had only 10 minutes to familiarize themselves with the massive kitchen that they were to work in and only 30 minutes per order to come up with an idea, cook it and plate it. Of course, all the chefs hate these heavily time-based challenges, but they settled in to give it their best.
For the first order, to a VIP suite, the chefs had to prepare two seafood dishes, one hot and one cold.
- Dave made Crab Stack & Prawns with Court Bouillon and Cinnamon Nutmeg Rubbed Opah
- Tiffani made Campeche Carpaccio Crudo and Roasted Lobster and Fennel
- Harold had another raw seafood dish with his Snapper Crudo, followed by his Mussel and Smoked Paprika Soup
The "guests" in the suite were actually Stephen, LeeAnne and Miguel, who said "where's the caviar?" before critique the dishes. They liked the flavors of Dave's food, but didn't think the plating was fancy enough for VIPs. Tiffani's Campeche was poorly sliced and Harold's only needed a bit of lime to spice up his Snapper. Overall, they picked Harold's dishes as the best.
The second order went to a room full of world champion poker players. It seemed that all the chefs play poker and considered themselves to be authorities on what poker players like to eat.
- Dave made fried shrimp, egg rolls, salami panini and chocolate covered strawberries.
- Tiffani made potato chips, tomato and cheese sandwich stacks, cheese crackers with quince paste and herbed grissini.
- Harold went for the classics: onion rings, beer-battered chicken wings, mini pizzas and mini grilled cheeses.
The players loved Harold's chicken wings, though they simply came out of a bag in the snack pantry of the kitchen. They thought his food was what they would expect to be served while playing. They thought Tiffani's food was too "sophisticated" for poker, since you really needed a fork to eat it; it wasn't snack food. Dave's food was a huge hit, with the players raving about the flavors and appreciating the inclusion of the sweet berries. Overall, Dave won this round
The final order was for the performers of Cirque du Soleil, who requested high-protein, high-carb and very low fat foods. The chefs really seemed to have a problem with the low fat part, especially since all of the chose to serve Kobe beef, which is prized for its unusually high fat content.
- Tiffani whipped up some Kobe Rib Eye w/ Tomatoes and Balsamic, Karabuto Pork Milanese and Blue Crab & Caviar Salad.
- Harold's dishes were Roasted Chicken with Gnocchi, Seared Kobe Beef on Toasted Bread and Lobster Fettulini with Orange Tomatoes.
- Dave, accidentally, only made two dishes for this service: Pasta Marinara with No Oil and Seared Kobe Tenderloin w/Balsamic Fig Sauce.
The performers did not like Tiffany's rubbery pork, too-rare beef or fishy pasta dish. They really enjoyed the fact that Harold used a chicken dish to introduce some lean protein to his meal. Dave's food was their favorite, though, and even the performers who weren't red meat fans liked his no-oil grilled Kobe, which they said was very moist. Dave would have won this round, too, but because he lacked a dish, Harold was the winner again.
Throughout the final, official judging, Tiffani kept mentioning how she "knows" Vegas and what the people who work and play there want. Though she does work in Vegas, since she didn't win any fans with her dishes, it's pretty clear that she doesn't necessarily know what they want as much as what she thinks that they should want. She wouldn't answer the judges' questions directly, either, as she was so convinced that she was correct in her assessments of the tastes of the city of Vegas. Dave, on the other hand, accepted responsibility for his error in the Cirque du Soleil dishes, instead of making excuses. Harold, the only chef with no errors (beyond using frozen chicken wings and onion rings in the poker challenge, which none of the chefs liked very much), was declared the overall winner.
Despite the fact that Dave won the poker tasting and nearly won the Cirque du Soleil tasting, he was still eliminated because his failure to produce the third dish in the final component of the challenge couldn't be overlooked by the judges, so Tiffani, along with Harold, will be competing again next week in the second part of the finale.
Read through the whole season here:
Episode 1 recap
Episode 2 recap
Episode 3 recap
Episode 4 recap
Episode 5 recap
Episode 6 recap
Episode 7 recap
Episode 8 recap
Episode 9 recap
Reunion show recap
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5-18-2006 @1:21PM Len said... I'm disappointed, but not really surprised.
Either we didn't see the same things that the judges did, or they believe that they know better than their customers. I could have seen Dave losing if he and Tiffani had been more-or-less in a dead heat otherwise, but that's not how things were presented.
Also, it looks like the judges really believe - as one stated several weeks ago - that personality doesn't matter. Or is it acceptable to have a bad attitude as long as you're a member of their "club"?
Unless TPTB at Bravo made the final call ... but in any case I'm not sure if I'll bother watching a second series if they put one together.
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5-18-2006 @3:40PM tr said... personally, i would've kicked tiffani off, because 1. her attitude (which the jduges talked about in earlier episodes) 2. people really didn't like her food. then again, dave really did screw up not coming up with three dishes. hell, it seemed like even if he lied to the judges, and said he had a third dish, but didn't get it out in time, then he would've been okay.
oh well, here's to my pick from the start, harold: go kick tiffani's ass!
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5-18-2006 @4:51PM FJK said... I have felt a lot of the "final" decisions in this series have been affected by producers or other forces (a factor I call the Wendy Pepper affect on my write ups on my blog).
I wasn't taking notes during the show, but after the build up the judges gave Dave and the ripping they gave Tiffani, I was a bit surprised he went and she stayed.
In the past Tom's bravo log has been very open about his true feelings. I haven't read it since the show aired, so I'm curious to see what he has to say about the choice of Tiffani over Dave.
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5-18-2006 @4:57PM Molly Zenobia said... I will argue that the card players did love Tiffany's food, one was quoted as saying that if it had been in an easier form to eat with your fingers that she would have won to them hands down.
On another note... does anyone know what Dave Martin is up to now?
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5-18-2006 @7:47PM Ron Galentine said... Cmon at least Dave took ownership of a mistake (not preparing 3 dishes)and he still won a challenge! Ni way Tiffani should have gone on. Her food was lacking in seasonings...Didn't Dave get ripped fpr that in the past? A positive attitude goes a long way in a kitchen...Who do you think they will hire to work in their restaurant? Dave or Tiffani? With all her attitude and confrontation ways? Go ahead Dave you took the high road and you rule!
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5-19-2006 @11:03AM Joe Bussell said... When I dine the food is the number one thing. Yes a dripping waiter like Stephen or a snooty chef like Tiffany that creates "energy" in the dining room can ruin great food. Dave was obviously an entertaining likeable fellow that produced a pleasing product, so said the foodies and the LV gamblers and performers. Question, why did Dave get kicked off? Did he make a deal with the Food Network? Did he get a place? Tell tell.
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5-19-2006 @11:38AM Starr said... I was disappointed that Dave was asked to go. He never seemed very comfortable with these quickfires. I think he is a person who likes to plan and then is better able to execute his meals. Dave won at least one part of the Challenge compared to Tiffani not winning any. It wasn't stated whether his not completing the third dish in the third part of the competition was the whole reason he was axed. If it was, the judges should have said so, and I for one would have accepted that, rather than leaving it to conjecture. It seemed like all three parts were cumulative since they made it a point to mention that Harold won 2 of the three parts and Dave won 1 of the three. But then they asked Tiffani to stay. I turned the tv off right then, and I don't think I am going to watch the final show. I would have really like to see all three of them go head to head with a final meal with prep time and assistance. Then pick the Top Chef.
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5-19-2006 @4:19PM christie said... Im effing pissed about that episode.
Are you KIDDING me? They kicked Dave off over Tiffani? She didnt even win anything! No one in any of the challenges liked her food at all. Blueberries and fish??!! C'mon, Tiff. Plus shes a brat. And Dave was so fun to watch! Anyways, it doesn't matter, because Harolds going to win.
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5-22-2006 @3:36PM Tess Trueheart said... My husband insisted that the cast was selected not primarily for cooking talents, but for an obvious interactive chaos that would be marketable. All the while, the judges proclaimed that the food quality was the main criteria for retention/elimination. It became obvious pretty early that scenes were staged, and "chefs" were asked to leave simply to help ratings and peak interests. I feel manipulated because Top Chef was sold as a true contest, but was merely a TV series like any other---with the story line written to maximize viewer's interest. I will not watch it again.
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5-23-2006 @11:30AM Sandy said... I really have enjoyed your show - The final two are the correct choice. Tiffani learned from her viewing the past tapes she is not as bad as that Chef from H_ _ _ _. She wants things done right. She and Harold and Dave were the ones who alway seem to be working up a storm around the others. I was sorry to see Dave go but I think when it comes right down to it IF Tiffani learned from her mistakes in attitude She should be the TOP CHEF. Harold is wonderful but I am really pulling for Tiffani.
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5-23-2006 @2:42PM Me said... total bullsh*t to kick off Dave, when stupid Tiffany should have been. It just goes to show you the judges don't really care about the quality of the chef's as much as they care about the drama. I am SO pissed!!
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5-24-2006 @6:45PM Kate said... "Does this jacket say 'Top Kiss-Ass', Tiffany?"...Man, couldn't be more disappointed with the outcome in the Finale Part One. Harold should serve Tiffany some whoop ass on tonight's finale, part deux! Go Harold!
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5-25-2006 @1:15AM angela said... TIffani sucked. her attitude sucked and all i really remember about her besides her attitude is how salty her beef was when they served the cast of Cirque De Soleil. She doens't seem to be a well rounded chef, unlike Harold whom not only is the "popular one", but is a great chef in comparison.
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5-26-2006 @6:15PM kitty said... It''s obvious why they kept Tiffani. It's much more dramatic. Everyone wants her to lose. In these reality shows, it's never about who is better or worse, but who creates the most tension. Whenever it's been close to having Tiffani off the show, they always keeps her. Why? Because the public doesn't like her, and that's compelling TV. Bullshit on this particular episode, and I thought she totally should have went in the Napa challenge, too.
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