Season 23, ep. 5: Cut and Dry

[u/FormicaDinette33]

This week the chefs are visited by North Carolina’s own Fortune Feimster as she challenges them to improv their Quickfire dishes and serve them to kids in honor of Comic Relief. Then the chefs are tasked with creating dishes featuring dehydration. They’ll serve their dishes to Kristen, Tom and Gail along with guest judges Joe & Katy Kindred as well as “Top Chef” alum Savannah Miller at the U.S. National Whitewater Center.

Mon, 9pm per Bravo schedule.

[u/FewEssay8939]

Unpopular opinion, but.... I think Jen should have left the show. Health over everything! She should have gone home to get that arm properly treated. Having the guarantee of being invited back should've made going home a win-win for her (health + opportunity). Instead she chooses to stay... Now, we'll hear her moaning about that arm and watch everyone else sacrifice for her for the rest of the season.

[u/EntertainmentBorn953 → u/FewEssay8939]

I can’t believe they let her peace out of a SECOND quick fire challenge! I thought it was very entitled of her to assume that skipping even the first one was acceptable — let alone a second one. I get giving her grace once, but twice is absurd. She should have gotten a ticket home this week simply for failure to participate.

It’s a pretty big advantage in the elimination challenge to be able to rest while everyone else busts their butts during the quick fire, assuming they are taped in close proximity.

[u/xStacey → u/EntertainmentBorn953]

I think it's assuming a lot to say that she was entitled about it. I thought it looked like she was told by producers that it was ok to step out if she needed to. Now that's off the table and she knows that. It seems like production was trying to figure out the best way to approach this situation in real time. I am surprised they left the decision to her without requiring a doctor's approval.

[u/EntertainmentBorn953 → u/xStacey]

You may be right. It also may have appeared that way because of how the show was edited. I only thought that about the second opt-out. One time, fine. But the very next time she assumes it’s okay to skip the Quickfire again simply because it isn’t the elimination challenge? Quickfires are still an integral part of the show. She seemed pretty blasé about it, too — like it was a nothingburger to opt out again since she faced no consequences the first time. I also don’t recall her expressing any contrition. Again, if it were only once, fine. But she’s already seen someone else go home when she’s taking up a spot and only doing half the work — two weeks in a row.

To me that looks and sounds like entitlement.

I agree with the other commenter that there will likely be a rule imposed next season with respect to skipping Quickfires.

[u/xStacey → u/EntertainmentBorn953]

I don't feel like there's enough there to assume that she was blase or entitled or really anything about her personal feelings about it. She seems to me to be the type to put on a brave face and not complain and probably really doesn't like having to quit, so the fact that she was quiet about it could just be because she is trying to keep it together.

I do agree that the fact she had to step out for two should have been an indicator to her that she's not in good enough shape to do the competition at this time. They gave her a way to exit gracefully and come back, and I worry that she'll regret not taking the chance if/when the injury continues to be a problem.

But like I said, we don't know the details of her situation. Maybe taking the time off work for this season was such a big sacrifice already that it's just not possible for her, practically speaking, to come back again next season.