More Top Chef Discussion

As always, spoliers.

Laura asks:

If the school lunch episode ruffled your feathers, then what did you think about episode four and the double elimination challenge? I’m trying to piece together what was edited out and then vaguely alluded to just before the final credits.

Could it be that the producers are trying to keep Kenny in the competition against the wishes of the judges?

I got a little spoiled myself before this episode — a friend tweeted that he had never been angrier about a Top Chef elimination. I braced myself for the worst… and didn’t quite get it. Yes, all four chefs on the chopping block were worthy contenders, and it was a shame to see any of them go. But given the rules as I understood them, I thought the correct team got the boot. The point of this was to make a dish that the Hilton would want to add to its menu. And Arnold and Lynn presented what? “Pineapple Red Curry Mussels with Squid Ink Pasta?” Over on Project Runway, this would be called “forgetting about the needs of your client.” (Arnold pretty much said this dish was “all about who he was.” Hey, that’s great, except this challenge was not supposed to be about you. Should have saved that for the finale, my friend.) Add in the undercooked pasta, and the judges’ decision seemed pretty solid to me.

I grant you that this lack of cohesion between the dish and the Hilton didn’t actually come up at the judge’s table. I’m only saying why I think it was the right decision.

All that said, I missed the “vague allusions” you refer to, Laura, probably because these days I must simultaneously watch Top Chef and play squeaky-toy-fetch with an energetic four-month-old puppy. What are these allusions?

I’ll tell you one thing I found curious: If I was the Hilton rep, I would have wanted to select the winning menu item from among all the meals presented — breakfast and lunch included. Has there ever been a challenge where, by design, the strongest teams were eliminated from the potential win?

And finally, to actually answer your question: Yes, I think it was clear from five minutes into the first episode that the producers planned on making the Kenny/Angelo rivalry a focal point for the season. Does that mean the producers are holding sway over the judges to keep Kenny around? I have no idea, though it wouldn’t surprise me. Even if the producers don’t want him booted this early, though, I can’t see the Kenny we’ve seen so far making the finale. He needs to improve his game.