*ahem*...calling a picture "Dale's winning rib dish" before the cut isn't exactly spoiler free, especially for a show that aired just last night...and later than I go to bed :)

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It was actually a Bears game they were at, and not a Cubs...the Cubs play at Wrigley Field, the Bears at Soldier Field...

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Spike's comment was unneeded, but it can be annoying when people have their sexuality up in your face whether they're straight, gay, or metrosexual.

Glad Mark didn't get sent packing, but he really was a big mess. What's up with that?

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As a life-long Angelino, I'd like to point out that I've never known anyone to think that California cuisine = grilled pears at a tail-gate party. Just because Ryan said it while floundering around in front of the judge's table, doesn't make it true. So don't hold it against us :P

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First of all, I have to say that this may have been my favorite Top Chef episode, ever. (And I've seen every episode of Top Chef, and I've loved a lot of them.) A few reasons:

1. I finally feel like there are some cheftestants that I like.

2. It was a good cooking challenge, and the people who aced it seem to have really aced it. (That's hard to know for sure as a viewer, since I didn't taste the food... but I'm taking Chef Tom's word for it.)

3. The Bears. The Bears. The Bears. Especially Gale Sayers and William "The Refrigerator" Perry. The frickin' Fridge. My only complaint about the whole episode is that he should have been the guest judge. His nickname is a piece of kitchen equipment for frick's sake.

Also:

• Why does anyone care if the guys like to hang out in the tub? The awkward thing wasn't that they were in the tub together, but that the producers tried to get milage out the whole "straight guys acting gay" thing. It wasn't funny, and it was uncomfortable. What if they were two gay guys? Or two girls (gay or not)? Antonia's "West Hollywood" comment (she works in West Hollywood, which is the traditionally gay neighborhood of LA) was inappropriate. What's the big deal if a couple of guys want to enjoy some bubbles and bubbly together?

• Andrew loses points for the "When was the last time they won the Superbowl?" comment. Not that its a problem that he doesn't know about football. Virtually none of them do. But don't pretend to be a Bears fan, then ask the question. Any fan of any team knows the last time their team won the championship. It's a lose-lose question. If the Bears had won last year, he looks like an idiot for not knowing. If they haven't won in a while (like, say, 23 years), he pisses off the fans. I have to say that I like Andrew for marching to the beat of his own drummer, but I think he needs to stop saying stupid things at every opportunity. Also, was Gail flirting with him?

• Mark gets a lot of credit in my book for a few reasons. First, even though he's from New Zealand and (presumably) knows little about tailgating, he understood the essence of a midwest tailgate in cold weather. He served grilled food (skewered meat), slaw, and a warm soup. Good idea. Second, he gets a shitload of credit for cooking on charcoal. Colicchio mentioned this at judges table as a flavor decision (as if the rest of the chefs chose gas because they didn't need the flavor of charcoal). That's crap. The rest of the cheftestants chose gas because it was easier. Gas doesn't need to be hand-lit. No coals that need TLC. No heat management. Lots of horizontal grill space. Charcoal, on the other hand, is how real men cook. (And -- if my chauvinism bugs you -- it's also how real midwesterners cook. This is Chicago, not Napa. Coal, coal, coal.) Mark -- the dude with the foreign accent for gossakes -- cooked like a true tailgater. He botched the execution, but he deserved to live for another week.

Much was also made of Mark's being sloppy and unsanitary. I get that all these guys are professional chefs who cook in professional kitchens, and they take this stuff seriously. They should take this stuff seriously. But lets get a grip for a sec. Mark is cooking on a finicky grill, outside, surrounded by hundreds of rabid Bears fans. This is how manly men football fans cook. Taste the sauce, then put the spoon back? No problem! Come on, Chef Tom. Get a grip.

• I'm a little irked that Jen won it, because I think she's annoying and I was sick of her whole "I miss my girlfriend" shtick about eight seconds into the episode. I also wasn't all that interested in eating her food. It seemed a little too easy to me, and it wasn't as well thought-out as Stephanie's.

Speaking of Stephanie's dish... Wow. She tasted her beer (Hoegaarden, one of my favorite beers), and picked a food that went with it. She also used some of the beer in the dish. The clincher for me: Hoegaarden is usually served with a slice of orange, and she used citrus in the dish. Perfect. It made the guest judge's top three, so it could of won. And it should of. Jen annoys me. This challenge sealed Stephanie as my favorite female cheftestant.

Also, I'm hesitant to bring up the following, because it's probably not a fair criticism. It's even less so after the inappropriate (bigoted?) lesbian comment Spike made after Jen won (which totally should not have been put on the air). But the judge was a butch chick with tattoos, and she picked the dish by the butch lesbian contestant. I think -- all things being equal -- that might have given Jen that little edge she needed. Then again, maybe I'm just bitter because I wish Stephanie won. Also, some of my best friends are butch lesbians.

• It would have been awesome if Dale took his prize Bears jersey and asked, "Um, what am I gonna do with my name on a Brad Maynard jersey?" Anyone else think it was weird that all the judges wore the punter's number? Like I said, woulda been cooler if Fridge had been the guest judge, and then they all could have worn 72.

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Why is the tag Chicago Cubs, the Cubs are not involved at all. And what does that mean "Cubs jersey and a beret-how fitting"?

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Both Paul Kahan and Grievson were poor choices for the show. Neither one of them has even the slightest bit of personality, esp. Grievson. She obviously wasn't happy to be there, and was dressed like some street urchin. Her whole demeanor just screams "disaffected lesbian". Kahan might be a fine cook and restaurateur, but he came off as limp and flavorless, and it was obvious from the editing Bravo was doing their best to keep him out of as many shots as possible.

And thankfully, Spike at least has the balls to say what every man on screen and at home was thinking. Spike is definitely my new favorite chef (behind Dale).

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Spike's a turd of a chef. "Yay lesbians"? Classy, sir.

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I feel that bravo is gunning for a female chef to finally win this season, hence the (lovingly-put) mullet of lesbian contestants. The other women chefs seem to be strong as well.

None of the male contestants are likable, cool-tempered, or particularly hot. Most of them are annoying and hairy.

Yay lesbians, I guess!

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Hello

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The soak in the tub looked like it started as a couple of tired chef's soaking their tired feet. No porno there IMHO.

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