"top chef all stars" news and stories

We were promised a "shocking elimination." The ads made it look like most tense Top Chef ever. We were sure the judging would be harsh, the challenges labyrinthine, the stakes higher than a World Championship Poker Tournament. The remote darn near fell out of our hands, our palms were sweating so much.

So -- what were the Muppets of Sesame Street doing judging the Quickfire? And why were the chefs on a Target shopping spree? The trappings of this week's episode transformed it from a bare-knuckled brawl into a Nerf-ball fight in a McDonald's Playplace.

Let the head games begin -- in earnest -- on "Top Chef All-Stars." Now that we're down to eight chefs and immunity is out the window, things are starting to get interesting. It helps that our friends at Bravo are ratcheting up the utter-randomness factor -- for both fans at home and the cheftestants themselves.

First, they have them judge each other's Quickfire challenge -- a fondue contest, no less. This means lots of sidelong glances and "who do I hate the most" scheming, not to mention references to how hopelessly retro fondue is, how the '70s were such a swinging time, and how Mike has "never been to these gay fondue parties." Hmm -- by "gay," you meant "happy and delightful," right, Mike?

No sooner did the chefs choose the best among them -- Dale, who dipped little beef-and-bread skewers into a fondue-pot full of simmering pho -- than they were whisked, mysteriously, to Bravo's big brother, NBC studios. We find it somewhat hard to believe that they were dumped unknowingly onto the set of the "Jimmy Fallon Show," but hey -- Carla seemed genuinely discombobulated -- way more than usual. And that's saying a lot.

Spoiler alert: Winner and loser are revealed after the jump.

The big Italian showdown on this week's episode came down to a few grains of rice. Wednesday's elimination challenge had the cheftestants cooking family-style Italian for Lorianne Bracco and the owners of New York's Rao's restaurant. Dale Talde, Tre Wilcox, and Mike Isabella were all called out for their horrible primi dishes, but the judges ultimately sent Tre home for a risotto they said was too stiff. Read why the Dallas-based chef is still thrilled with his experience, why he regrets his turn on Season 3, and who he's picking to win it all this season.

Here's this week's installment of Slashfood's exclusive exit interviews with the latest "Top Chef All-Stars" contestant to get the boot. In an effort to prevent spoilers, we've included the text after the jump.

Oh, we could see it coming. And quite frankly, it was about time: A full Marcel meltdown. In a season full of overactive (mostly male) egos, the weasely little chef from season two has been tops on our list of Most Deserving of a Piping-Hot Serving of Humble Pie. And yet, he managed to survive the ax several times. We were starting to wonder if maybe we were being too harsh.

If overuse of food foam and the word bro were crimes punishable by law, however, Marcel would be given life without parole. And his interpersonal skills? We liken them to a three-year-old trying to share a Tonka truck at daycare. True, we admire his manic spirit -- but all too often, as Tom put it, "It's a weird energy" Marcel imparts.

Combine that energy with Restaurant Wars, and you have one hell of a super-sized episode. It was good to see our favorite cuss, Tony Bourdain, back, front and center, daring the chefs to butcher fish perfectly and cook only the leavings: heads, cheeks, skeletons, organs. This was a Quickfire the overconfident (but with the skills to back it up!) Dale cleaned up on, serving up not one but two dishes: a hearty bacon dashi made with cod collar, and a little fluke-backfin sashimi with fluke liver sauce. This provided one of the evening's choice Tony quotes: "Really dug that you used the liver, man!"

Spoiler alert: Winner and loser are revealed after the jump.