Some thoughts on the third episode:
This episode featured judges from Chopped. It made me realize that at this moment in time, the Chopped judges trump the Iron Chef America judges. They're who the ICA judges should be: charismatic, highly knowledgeable with top notch culinary credentials. They seem passionate about food and also they seem committed to doing the best job they can as judges on Chopped. And they're willing to turn the table on themselves. These chefs were represented in competition on Chopped.
On this show, they were represented by Scott Conant, Alex Guarnaschelli, and Marcus Samuelsson. Each of these judges selected a favorite dish. Rachael and Guy chose a member of their team to compete in making that dish. The losers of these three rounds would then compete in a separate cook-off.
In the first round, the dishes were fried chicken, pasta with a tomato basil sauce, and porterhouse steak. Here's what seems evident to me. If I was in the competition, I would want to be on Team Rachael, because she seems to me to be much more hands on. Guy seems like he listens. He will toss in a few sage words, but he expects you to do the heavy lifting. Rachael goes in there and rolls up her shirtsleeves. She will give detailed instructions on recipes. She will yell it to you step by step.
This also may be a reflection on the teams. It seems to me that Summer Sanders and Taylor Dayne really needed that kind of instruction to get through this round. Perhaps if Guy was faced with that situation, he would also step in.
The judging feels a bit circumstantial. To me, it has been established that there are certain team members who are highly experienced in the kitchen and others who are not as skilled or as experienced. Yet in these competitions, it is just judged on the dish, however you get it on the plate. So, in Round 2, it seemed mindboggling that two of the best cooks in the group, Lou Diamond Phillips and Cheech, were in the bottom three. The idea that Joey Fatone wins the cook-off between the three of them seems absurd, and yet it makes sense. The dish was grilled cheese. He was the only one who was able to make a sandwich where the cheese was melted. He made something very simple, the sandwich he made for his kids for lunch. The other two went fancy and overthought it and it just didn't work.
I'm sorry that Cheech was eliminated. It would have been hard for me to continue watching if it had been LDP. He is such a complete fan of All Things Food Network and such a smart and enthusiastic cook. I always look forward to hearing his comments; He is the one that I want to stick around.
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