Top Chef: Seattle Recap

By David Mumpower

February 20, 2013

At least he can say he knew how to make fried chicken.

New at BOP:
Share & Save
Digg Button  
Print this column


The Quickfire challenge is located at Eagle Crest. Wait, no. All that is located at Eagle Crest is a helicopter. This aircraft will carry the cheftestants to the proper area for their challenge. The only problem is that Brooke hates helicopters more than cruise ships. She breaks down in tears and has to be reassured by the pilot before she will board the helicopter.

“I’ve got survival gear for seven days. Should only be about 15 minutes to get there.” This sounds like dialogue from Alive, and my mind starts to calculate who would be eaten first. Brooke and the female pilot are too thin, so the choices are Sheldon and Josh. If the situation is handled democratically, I think everyone would ultimately choose Josh, who is a bit doughier. In a fight a death, however, his wrestling training would give him the advantage over Sheldon. These are the things I think about while writing reality show recaps.

During the trip, Brooke puts her head down and shuts her eyes tight. After a bumpy moment of turbulence, she looks up and from that moment forward, she is too hypnotized to look away. The view is as HD-friendly as anything I’ve ever seen on television. Relatively untouched by man, these Alaskan mountains are breathtaking. As Sheldon exits, he mentions that he “would die for some good reefer.” I don’t think the view is like a Pink Floyd laser lights show, dude.

Anyway, the chefs are still not at their destination. Instead, they realize that their next journey will require travel by dogsled. Alaska really needs a good monorail system. This part of their trip is much more successful than Eight Below, the Paul Walker movie that doubles as a doggie snuff film. No animals are harmed during the journey. Also, neither Sheldon nor Josh wounds up being eaten. That would have been a very awkward Quickfire challenge. “I feel like you could have used Sheldon’s nature better than this. Also, his flesh was under-seasoned.”




Advertisement



Finally, the players reach Padma and Tom. Dressed in Alaska coating and wearing thick sunglasses to provide protection from the glare of the snow, Padma is accidentally doing a fine impersonation of Kelly McGillis. This is reinforced when she barks out instructions to the remaining three people. “We’re at the Alaska Heli-Mush Dogsled Camp where training is going on for the Iditarod.” Brooke, Josh and Sheldon are required to cook food for the dog-sled athletes.

The challenge is heightened by the conditions. The trio of chefs is stationed in one tent with modest cooking equipment. None of appliances are electric; there is also the distraction of dogs barking excitedly in the background. Two of the three chefs basically fail because of the conditions. As would be expected, the person who meets the challenge is Brooke.

Brooke’s pan-roasted halibut is a huge hit with the Iditarod crowd. Meanwhile, Josh cooks breakfast. Again. Padma is even sardonic about it, noting that if she sees a breakfast food, it must be Josh’s dish. He has ruined the egg by failing to scramble them correctly. Sheldon fails with his sauce, over-seasoning it. This Quickfire challenge is a blowout. Brooke wins in a walk.


Continued:       1       2       3       4       5       6

     


 
 

Need to contact us? E-mail a Box Office Prophet.
Friday, March 29, 2024
© 2024 Box Office Prophets, a division of One Of Us, Inc.