Top Chef Masters Recap

By Jason Lee

August 14, 2009

She becomes a lot less likable this episode, anyway.

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The Masters get 2 minutes to interview each chef before they pick their teams. As can be expected, their own personality comes out during these interviews. Rick is looking for someone whose favorite flavors compliment his own culinary style. Anita is hugging Jaime, who used to work for her as a sous-chef in one of her restaurants. Hubert, already imagining his menu, is specifically looking for a chef with pastry expertise.

"What's your experience with French cooking?" he asks Betty.

"Only eating it," she responds. Ah, that's why I loved you, Betty.

The other amusing moment takes place when Richard introduces himself to Anita as the "runner up from Season 4," before pausing for a moment and adding, "but I really should have been the winner." As a fan of Stephanie, I take offense at that comment, Richard.

Michael is being a complete a-hole, forcing chefs to scurry around their kitchen, complete menial sous-chef tasks as quickly as possible as he inquires about their own culinary skills, all the while demeaning them like a berating mother whose child had just wet their pants in the grocery store.

Have I already mentioned that I dislike him?

Interviews finish and teams are selected . . . with poor Betty and Spike picked as the last two sous-chefs. That can't feel good.




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Team Michael: Fabio, Brian and CJ (pretty bad team if you ask me)

Team Rick: Richard, Alex and Betty (not bad but Alex is a pretty weak chef)

Anita: Jaime, Dale and Elan (this seems like the strongest team to me)

Hubert: Antonia, Elia and Spike (second best team IMO)

Rick circles his team up and asks for their input. Richard doesn't care, he just wants to make something with liquid nitrogen. Ah, Richard, you haven't changed a bit.

Anita is going Asian with a raw bar . . . and very quickly, alarm bells go off in my head. Tom Colicchio has said in the past that you can't just try and go middle of the road with your dishes, you must plan your dish knowing that it's good enough to win the challenge . . . and a raw bar just doesn't seem good enough to win. Jaime, apparently, feels the same way and suggests some Asian rolls or noodles but Anita wants to keep it simple. Oh boy . . .

Hubert goes the Rick route and polls his sous-chefs as to what they'd like to make. Elia suggests sliders. Oh Elia, don't you remember how Tom was not a fan of your burgers in restaurant wars? Bad suggestion.

Michael doesn't give a crap about what his sous-chefs think, saying that he has no time to understand what their strong points are as chefs. Yeah, you didn't have time. You were too busy telling them to julienne carrots and grill them on the correct pronunciation of your name.

Douchebag.


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