Some quick observations:
1. It seems to me that they may be grooming Chef Guarnaschelli to be the next Iron Chef. She had the crisis in the kitchen this week, and she said she had to think about what an Iron Chef would do. It seemed to me to be perhaps the laying of the groundwork for the Making of the Iron Chef story. She seems to be getting more air time than Chef Burrell. She oddly seems more comfortable with the camera.
2. I'm still very surprised with Chef Burrell. She now seems to be hitting on all cylinders with her cooking, but she is not coming across as I imagined a seasoned veteran of Iron Chef America would. She could be playing that card and talking about her experience there, but she is not at all. She talks a lot about how nervous she is. She looks ill at ease. It's very surprising to me. In the Chopped competition and on Iron Chef America, she seemed unflappable. Now she doesn't.
3. For Chef Zakharian to say that he will continue to flout the rules and cook like he does seems to me like sheer folly. I can see him going a round or two more just based on his sheer talent, but I can't imagine him winning if he never listens to the judges.
4. Can I just say that I don't like Chef Chiarelli? I can see that he's making incredible food, but there's something about him that I really do not like.
5. The judging process to me is sometimes hard to understand. The judges thought Chef Falkner's dish was great, but they faulted her story telling. To me, she told the story in a lowkey manner. I don't think there's anything wrong with telling a story matter of factly with quiet authority. Chef Samuelson, to me, told the most intimate story, and the judges said they didn't understand it. I was sad to see him go.
6. It seems to me that often in the judging, particularly in the final elimination, there seems to be a division between the judges. The Iron Chefs seem to have one consensnus and Simon Majundar another. Michael Symon is quite blunt in his assessments, and then his verdict seems to take effect. Symon tweeted last night that fans of this show were crazy. I think he continues to take heat for his bluntness, even though he is just one vote. I don't think he has any extra clout. I think he is just willing to put it out there.
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