Top Chef Recap: Episode 6 – Fusilli Boy
This was the episode in any reality show when the producers wake up and say, wait a minute, we’re halfway through the season and for some reason we still have the most annoying and least talented person on the air. I wonder if our viewers resent that at all. Oh, poor Joey from Long Island.
Joey started the episode by declaring that things were really heating up and he was definitely going to throw someone “over the bus” or perhaps even “over the balcony.” Okaaaay.
For the quickfire, TC decided to forget about cooking altogether and just hold a food bee where the cheftestants had to identify crazy foods like Yucca and Chayote. The chefs didn’t do so well; I guess they have never been to Mt. Pleasant. The fix is clearly in for Casey, who not only gets hotter every episode, but also stumbles upon victories less convincingly. Her mystery food item to identify: bowtie pasta.
The elimination challenge was a theme only Liza could love: create a frozen pasta dinner. Cheating alert! Hilariously, both Joey and Sara M. got bitched out by their partners for choosing to use tri-color fusilli, the staple of such elegant settings as the Sbarro buffet line.
Long story short: Nothing too amazing is cooked, and they finally get rid of Joey for making another inedible concoction. Only one obnoxious fat guy left. The obligatory video of Joey bawling like a baby (and calling Rocco Dispirito a douchebag!) is actually pretty great.
Photo: flickr user richcianci
Come on, BS…”the fix is in?” Sure she’s good looking, but it’s not like she’s incompetent.
Casey had to identify five or six different items, including fish sauce and chayote (one of your “crazy foods”) to stay alive. Bowtie pasta was an early round for her…and it wasn’t that much easier than a cheese slicer or kidney beans, which other chefs had to identify.
If you haven’t read it yet, you should definitely check out Anthony Bourdain’s guest blog (taking Colicchio’s place). I love his brutally honest wit.
I thought it was interesting to watch for the sheer fact that so many of the chefs failed to grasp the concept of IQF. None of it was high cuisine, to be sure, but at least they had to cook the stuff before they could freeze it and turn it into a cheat for lazy Miamians.
wow – tony b. is harsh, especially on Rocco…I do agree that Hung is prob the guy to beat
My favorite line of the night was when Joey incorrectly guessed a food during the Quick Fire and then in his “voice over” said, “And there’s Padma looking all sexy…”
Don’t forget the fact that he also managed to call Rocco an a**hole in the same voiceover.
I’m pretty sure he was the one that dropped the ball on yucca, despite the fact that it’s been used in at least a few dishes by some of the other chefs (Howie’s dish for the Latino cuisine challenge comes to mind).
I think Hung is going to get himself too far out there and fall off – more of a Stephen Season One performance than a Marcel Season Two. Personally, I think Tre and Brian are the chefs to beat. Brian hasn’t been in the bottom of the pack since the first episode, and he’s consistently among the top choices for both Quickfire and Elimination. Tre’s got two Elimination Challenge wins already, and he seems to be strong overall. Dark horse choice would have to be Dale, who keeps getting praised for his creativity. If his dishes come together in the stretch, he’ll be a contender.
It’s weird, I don’t have a favorite at all this year…I agree dale is the kind of quirky guy they like to have win reality series…I also think CJ could have a shot – some of his stuff has been really inventive – even the way-too-healthy-looking tuna casserole he made during the “american classics” episode still seemed really original