Top Chef Las Vegas: Robin Won’t Fly Away! Ranking The Top 7
Commentary and Scoreboard by Joseph Braverman
October 27, 2009
It was Restaurant Wars this week on Top Chef: Las Vegas!
I must say, even though my favorites Kevin and Jennifer were close to elimination, this episode happened to be my favorite of the season. The season as a whole has been stellar, with great casting, appropriate eliminations (except for Ashley), and enough drama and good food to satisfy the average viewer.
This week, however, went beyond the usual greatness exhibited on this show, and we actually saw individuals in a realistic setting where they show off how well they manage their restaurants.
That being said, the majority of the chef’s performance during the episode was not entirely indicative of their overall cooking talent. Look at Jennifer and Kevin for instance – the two are always stellar yet both made critical mistakes. Jennifer took on more dishes than she could handle, and Kevin could not tell the difference between rare and medium-rare, and as a result his lamb was impossible for the judges to swallow, much less chew.
Even though these favorite chefs were on the brink of elimination, there is still no way I say they finish lower than fourth place – their past performances speak for themselves. On their kitchen team, Team Mission, Michael Isabella clearly played it safe the entire evening. In his interviews, he seems like he is the dominating sort with a giant personality to back it up, but it just seemed his strategy was to law low, serve average dishes, and let Jen and Kevin take the fall. It was a strategy, no doubt, but not quite an honorable one as far as team effort is concerned.
As for Laurine, she is in a category of her own. I think tonight’s episode was the first time many viewers probably acknowledged her presence in the competition, but for all the wrong reasons. She has about as much personality as a utensil, and thankfully she is in a competition where personality is less important than the food you serve. Unfortunately for her, she idiotically chose to take on a role that would require high levels of personality as well as management which requires clear authority. Her maître de role was poor, and it was laughable that she didn’t even explain to the judges what dishes they were being served.
To top it off, she let down both Kevin and Jen for not instructing where the judges were at presently, and also the appropriate temperature to cook the lamb. In all, Laurines dismissal was evident from the beginning, but rest assured – I was positively panicky for Jen. I think her comparison between her broken trout and her broken spirit is probably the saddest I’ve felt for a reality competitor all season, and it looked as if she would break in tears. Thankfully, the judges noted her past excellence, and rightly sent how the incompetent, and always invisible, Laurine.
As for the winning team, Team Revolt, I have to say there was only one stellar performer on their side. Eli is probably one of the more annoying contestants of the season, and even his middling job serving as the maitre de of the restaurant could not bring his team down. I am pretty sure the audience despises Eli more than the judges do – there is something about his mannerisms that is downright elitist and snobbish. Surprisingly, he even makes Robin somewhat likeable.
As far as disappointments go, Brian was probably the weakest member of the team overall this week. Even though he has been in the top more times than anyone, and ties with Kevin for the most Elimination Challenge wins, I feel as if he has peaked in the competition. He let his brother completely dominate the entire team, creatively and executively, and it just shows that Brian lets people walk all over him. His dishes were rather bland and boring, and as was mentioned in last week’s Quickfire Challenge, Brian plays it safe. Yes, Brian’s dishes taste great, but as a chef Brian doesn’t have the kind of creativity or cooking inspiration that his brother Michael has.
Now let us discuss the dichotomy that is Robin and Michael Voltaggio.
Those two could not be more polar opposite than Siberia and the Sahara wastelands. Robin is so meek, talentless, and relies too much on homey cooking than actual fine dining. Michael V. on the other hand goes all out, takes risk after risk, and probably has the best palate of every competitor. He leads whereas Robin follows like a blind sheep, and so it was extremely random that Robin blew up on Michael V. like that.
Granted, Michael probably could have toned down his voice a bit, but Robin’s dish was successful because of the sophisticated spin Michael put on it – simple as that. In the history of Top Chef, I wouldn’t be surprised if Robin is the least deserving chef to make it this far in the competition. Other than that one Quickfire where her dessert dish triumphed, she has always been either in the very low middle or the bottom. She consistently performs poorly, has others do her work for her, and to top it off her original dessert dish was made even better by a chef who had no history with working in that pastry field whatsoever.
Clearly, this woman should have been eliminated eons ago back in week four or five, but she just keeps skating by. What is it going to take for Robin to finally lay her last egg and fly away from her nest in Las Vegas? I sincerely hope that next week in the end for Robin, because if for some reason she is the last female standing, you will see a very furious commentator.
Alright folks, here are the rankings for the final seven contestants! Dig in:
Michael V. Current Ranking: 1 Previous Ranking: 4
Arrogant, cocky, a jerk, whatever you may want to call him, one thing you cannot call him is a bad chef. Quite the opposite in fact – Michael V. proved this week he is the most accomplished Top Chef of the bunch. He exerted authority with clarity and strength, lead his team to a win, and even while leading he managed to produce two of the best dishes of Restaurant Wars. I was worried that Michael V’s strong personality would hurt him in future, but as was demonstrated this week, it’s an extreme advantage, especially when compared to Brian’s robotic handling of the kitchen. Michael V. has been in the top echelons more times than anyone in the completion, and his two wins later in the competition prove he is on a clear path toward victory.
Kevin Current Ranking: 2 Previous Ranking: 1
Kevin continues to be a consistent force of reckoning in the competition. He truly brought together a delicious fish dish during the Quickfire Challenge by utilizing all the other ingredients his teammates provided. The success showed that Kevin is can easily adapt food to perfection in stressful situations. However, he was not so successful in cooking the lamb during Restaurant Wars. What was most embarrassing was that he, as an accomplished chef and James Beard award nominee, could not figure out the difference between a lamb cooked rare and medium-rare. Isn’t that just a basic knowledge? I thought out of everything so far in the competition, that little piece of misinformation was a glaring weakness of Kevin as a chef. Those details are especially important in running a restaurant; if you cannot tell your degree of cooking from each other you will have consistently disappointed customers. However, Kevin has not done poor enough to warrant him ranked any lower than second place.
Jennifer C. Current Ranking: 3 Previous Ranking: 2
This week was easily Jen’s worst week in the entire competition. She won another Quickfire challenge on the upside, which makes her the chef who has won the most Quickfire’s of the season, but it still was not enough to discount her poor performance in Restaurant Wars. Jen got way too nervous, and floundered during the cooking, which resulted in poor mushrooms, and even poorer trout dish. The problem was that Jen was handling way more than was realistically possible in that small amount of time, and she certainly was not superwoman as she described to Tom Collichio. However, the judges could not send Jen home because her past work has been so stellar and outstanding. Also, part of the reason she screwed up was she was receiving poor communication instructions from Laurine, who time after time failed to instruct Jen where the judges were at. I felt so bad for Jen when she was near tears, and my heart thumped loudly right before Padma gave the announcement of who was getting the ax. I sighed in relief when Jen’s name was not called. This girl has been my favorite from day one, but she is so hard on herself! She needs to believe in herself, take her time, and deliver outstanding dish after dish like I know she is capable of.
Bryan Current Ranking: 4 Previous Ranking: 3
Even though Bryan has been on the top so many teams, including this week, he did show clear signs of weakness throughout the competition. The most disastrous one was how easily he let his brother walk all over him. Even though Michael V. was right mostly every time he corrected Bryan, it still should not have prevented Bryan from being so quiet and tight-lipped in the kitchen. Usually Bryan’s lack of personality is made up in his outstanding dishes, but even his dishes were the worst of his team this week. They were bland, blasé, and worst of all they were too safe and lacked the creativity needed to define a winner. I think Bryan has peaked in the competition, and even though the production wants us to think there will be a brother showdown, it’s hard to believe that Bryan can show more than he has already have. Has he already showed all his cards in the kitchen?
Michael I. Current Ranking: 5 Previous Ranking: 5
This week Michael actually was the best on his team, but that was only because he played it safe the most and didn’t venture into any risky territory. It was odd, seeing how Michael I. continuously says he is a great chef who goes all out, and yet he was the most reserved cook of his entire team. You would have thought he would have taken on the role of the maitre de due to his overblown personality, but he shied away from the task and instead produced an average char dish. I think Michael talks more than he cooks well, and that could hurt him in the future. He seemed lost at the Quickfire challenge to some degree, but his experience and decent run in the competition thus far plants him firmly in the middle.
Eli Current Ranking: 6 Previous Ranking: 7
Eli barely hangs on in the competition, and that’s mostly because Robin is far and away the worst chef remaining. Eli’s attitude is poor and whiny, and even though he did decently as the maitre de, his dish was another display of Eli not putting forth as much as he is capable of. I think he is a decent chef, but he clearly lacks the experience that the majority of the chefs share, and he seems to think that he is so much better than all of the other competitors. Eli is way in over his head in the competition, and if not for Robin’s continuous presence, he would be my choice for the next one eliminated.
Robin Current Ranking: 7 Previous Ranking: 9
Wow, Robin is still here! It is truly hard to believe, because Robin has never delivered anything remotely close to credible talent in the competition. It seems that one person just manages to do worse than Robin this week, or that Robin manages to be in a winning partnership, which is what happened this week. Her dessert dish was not terrible, but its success was mostly attributed to because of Michael V’s magnificent input in updating it to fit the mold of fine dining. The point being is Robin cannot do anything successful by herself, and it is mind-boggling to see her still in the competition. She must know that she has no way of winning this competition, and seems to be taking her winnings when and if she can get them. I cannot fathom Robin lasting an additional week, especially when the competition is coming to a close end. Therefore, I predict Robin will be the next chef eliminated from Top Chef: Las Vegas.
Laurine Eliminated
It is fitting how the most invisible contestant of the competition who is derived of a personality was eliminated because of these qualities. Laurine seemed to want to hide more than direct as the maitre de, and she never inspired the judges to even care about the food being served, because she did not even bother to explain what the dishes were! Laurine provided little to zero communication in the kitchen, causing Kevin to cook rare meat and Jennifer to cook her mussels on order. Laurine seemed to have zero drive, and looked relieved when she was finally given the boot. I have been predicting Laurine would be booted eventually, and finally the week occurred!
Ash Eliminated
Even though it was clear Ash should have left the week prior, I thought perhaps Ash may last an additional week, but it seemed the judges, especially Padma, was fed up his excuses and bad cooking. The fact that Ash could not even cook a style he was most comfortable with was an embarrassment, especially after he professed this fact to skeptical Tom Collichio. Although Ash started out fairly strong in the competition, he got worse as the weeks went on, and all the mistakes made counted too much against him, that it was impossible for the judges to cut any other chef.
Ashley Eliminated
After criticizing Ashley for the first part of the season, I have to say I am completely outraged that she was eliminated in the last episode. For three weeks now, she has improved tenfold, producing successful dish after successful dish. Even in the Quickfire this episode, her dish was one of the ones that stood out the most. Sure, her undercooking of the shrimp and over-salting of the gnocchi was a huge no-no, but at least she knew her mistakes. Eli seemed totally unaware of the dish’s failure, and Ash seemed to just throw in the towel. Ashley should not have packed her knives, and despite her inconsistency and mangled hair, I still felt she could have been a dark horse if she had stayed just a bit longer.
Ron Eliminated
Ron knew enough about deconstruction as he did about producing a successful dish – in other words, he knew absolutely nothing. He stumbled along week after week on the hope that his Caribbean roots would help him establish some authentic and unique dishes, but each week he just kept getting worse. He had no clue about the challenge, and I am so glad I predicted his demise, because otherwise it just would have seemed cruel to keep him any longer. Despite a strong dish in the first episode, Ron failed to ignite the judge’s interests in both him and his dishes.
Mattin Eliminated
I’m very embarrassed I ranked Mattin in third place after episode one. I thought he would be an excellent European chef that would take the competition by storm, but week after week he disappointed severely. I knew he wouldn’t win after failing to make edible French food, but I still suspected somehow he would pull himself out of the rut and stay for awhile longer. It turns out, Mattin was far too overconfident with his dishes, that even the terrible ones he would not admit were inedible and horrid. His refusal of acknowledging his mistakes in the kitchen is ultimately what did him in. I liked Mattin, but he was an embarrassment to European cooks everywhere, especially French chefs.
Hector Eliminated
This elimination was definitely a shock from the outset. I predicted that a male would finally be kicked off during the Elimination Challenge this week, but I thought it would have been the dull Ron, and now Hector who seemed to be making great strides in the show ever since his week one disaster. However, Hector’s biggest weakness throughout the entire competition was overestimating himself and thinking he knew more than the judges or other chefs did, and that is ultimately what bit him in the butt. He thought he could easily handle the time crunch of searing and cooking the steak, but it turns out he definitely could not handle it and was sent packing as a result. I think post dishes being served, Hector was the logical choice to be cut, but before the episode began I never would have imagined Hector, who seemed like a consistent chef so far, would have been eliminated. Color me shocked, Top Chef: Las Vegas!
Jesse Eliminated
I guess Jesse’s nine lives had finally run out, and producers must have felt they were giving this non-culinary school attendee too many chances. I thought since Jesse did so well in the first Quickfire Challenge that she may have a chance to make it through the week, but I was dead wrong. Everything about that girl reeked of low confidence, and that is something a competitor absolutely must not have in this competition if they are ever going to be considered a winner. It was Jesse’s time, and even though she had one of the best personalities in the bunch, there is no excusing personality as a means of staying when the talent is so consistently bad.
Preeti Eliminated
Who didn’t see Preeti’s elimination from a mile away? She was unmemorable in her cooking and dishes throughout her entire time on the show, and she never seemed to get any stronger during the challenges. In the end, the judges were forced to cut her when she seemed not to understand how uncreative, bland, and third-rate her vegetarian pasta salad was. I am glad Preeti is gone, because I was starting to feel sorry for the small ounces of hope she was establishing for herself in the competition. I do respect that Padma pronounced Preeti’s name correctly. In fact, this was probably my favorite Padma showing yet! She rocks when angry!
Eve Eliminated
Wow, my elimination prediction was correct! Although to be fair, I don’t think anyone would say Eve’s elimination was a surprise. No matter what Eve did, her cooking sucked, and even though she defended herself by saying that her style of cooking is incomprehensible to the judges, at the end of the day you are trying to impress them and make food everyone, not just yourself, can love and enjoy. Eve may be all smiles, and she seems like a nice lady, but I am glad the judges decided not to string her along and just give the woman a boot. Eve took it with class, but I am not sorry she left. She was the worst of the worst – not being able to deliver a single good dish is no excuse after two episodes and four challenges.
Jennifer "JZ" Z. Eliminated
So JZ is eliminated, which is awesome because I won’t have to differentiate the Jennifer’s anymore, especially since Jennifer C. is my favorite contestant this season! JZ just had a horrific dish more suited to the devil than top chef judges, and it is no wonder why they sent over-ballsy JZ home. I think she could have done better than Eve overall in the competition, but serving a dish so horrific it makes the judges consider never coming over for a simple home-cooked meal, you know your goose is cooked.
Well those are my rankings for the ninth episode of Top Chef: Las Vegas. Comment away and enjoy! Feel free to email me. I got a lot of emails during my last articles on DWTS and SYTYCD!!
Joseph Braverman is a 20 year old film student at the University of Santa Cruz,
California. Aside from being a reality tv junky, he loves reading, watching
films, and spending time with friends and family. You can contact him at
jbravj@gmail.com.
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