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Top Chef All Stars: Blais of Glory
Recap and Commentary by RTVC Senior Staff Writer Donna Emery
March 31, 2011
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A winner wins.
This week on Top Chef, a winner was declared – and, although it seemed as though his victory should have been a foregone conclusion – I was impressed at how good a showing the runner-up made.
Going into this season and looking at the chefs who would be competing, I predicted from the start Blais would be a major contender.
I thought he had a good chance to win it all. Although I believe Stephanie was the clear victor in her season and, thank God we have at least ONE female winner; from this show.
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I think Richard showed us his talents and skills during that season. When he began doing so again, this season, it was really no surprise.
What was a surprise was who he was up against.
No way did I expect Mike Isabella to make the finals. I’ve made no secret of my dislike for him. Some of his dishes showed skill and creativity and how many times did Gail Simmons mention his pepperoni sauce, in the finale episode?
But his personality made him insufferable. Perhaps the producers chose to show us only his most disagreeable moments, but he proved to be misogynistic, crude and vain.
I couldn’t blame Antonia for disliking him – and was as sorry as she was; to find out they may be “cousins”.
But, this episode showed me I may have to reframe some of my opinion of Chef Isabella. He “showed restraint” as one of the judges put it, and made some dishes that looked very delicious. He impressed the judges enough to name two of his courses as “winners”.
So, why did Blais win?
Of course, I think he was the better chef of the two going into the finale. But I think there were a few other factors in his favor.
For one, he got a much better team of sous chefs. Angelo and Antonia are both excellent chefs.
Antonia may have been a bit down because of the freshness of her elimination, but her expression at the judges’ table showed she believed in Richard and truly wanted to help him.
Who did Mikey get? Exactly the chef he had said he didn’t want to get: Jamie.
Surprisingly, she seemed more industrious in the kitchen and did what Mike asked her to do. As for Tiffani and Carla, Mike was blessed with those ladies in his kitchen.
For his third sous chef, Richard got Spike.
While Spike may not be the most consistent of chefs, Spike was invaluable to Richard in picking up some of the judges’ comments and bringing them to Richard’s attention.
It was one of those comments.....
Continued On Next Page
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