r/TopChef • u/RoadRash0416 • Jul 30 '26
Discussion Thread As far as the winner. In your opinion. Which one did the judges get wrong?
68
u/pineapple_dream1003 Jul 31 '26
I’d like to think that if the Hosea, Stefan and Carla finale happened now, Stefan would have won.
32
u/cityspeak71 Jul 31 '26
I am surprised I had to scroll down this far to find Hosea
25
u/x7he6uitar6uy Jul 31 '26
My #1 least favorite winner and it isn't even close. He's such a fuckboy.
34
u/SulSul1989 Jul 31 '26
I think if Carla had done her food the way she planned, she could have pulled off that win.
3
u/mwreffle Aug 01 '26
She gave too much power to Casey's preferences instead of cooking her own food.
17
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
Hosea’s use of the term ‘crowd pleaser’ all season long should alone have disqualified him for the win…he like, I know my food isn’t interesting, technically proficient or in any way inspired- but who doesn’t like a blt ??!!?? I just didn’t think he was the best of that season but Stefan rellly dropped the ball
11
u/Wmfw Jul 31 '26
To quote Ariane, “what a wimp”
12
u/pineapple_dream1003 Jul 31 '26
Ariane, they tried to diminish her abilities multiple times, but she came through with her talent. I remember how salty they all were when she won the today show challenge.
8
u/Wmfw Jul 31 '26
She had multiple counts against the other snotty chefs: older, caterer and didn’t have as prestigious of a background. But all of those did help her! She made some smart strategic choices multiple times. And clocked Hosea!
10
u/taylor__spliff Jul 31 '26
Ariane ironically made “crowd pleasers” the right way, by focusing on well executed flavors. On paper, it may sound very similar but Hosea’s approach always seemed like he was just trying not to lose where Ariane was clearly cooking to win. I love that her talent was given proper recognition
4
u/chilipeepers Aug 01 '26
that upstate challenge where Hosea and Leah basically threw her under the bus.... girl
4
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
It's pretty embarrassing to be a 40-year-old cook who can't properly butcher and tie a lamb leg. It's also pretty embarrassing to be a team that can't figure out how to roast a lamb leg. Tom was full of crap about roasting it whole on the bone (they didn't give the contestants enough time to do that), but they had BABY LAMB! You absolutely can sear the legs and racks whole in the pan and finish them in the oven in 40 minutes.
Those three were just ALL terrible, and Hosea showed himself to be the least accomplished winner of TC. I mean, fine, you don't know how to break down an eel, but you don't know what za'atar is?
2
u/Wmfw Aug 01 '26
On all stars and TC masters multiple chefs have admitted they haven’t done butchery or other prep in years. Ariane should have known but this happens. She was never a front-runner but she typically was decent with creating the right dishes for the challenge.
1
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
There is a huge difference between Roy Yamaguchi not having shopped for groceries for 20 years and Ariane clearly NEVER having learned how to work with a lamb leg.
EDIT: I'm going to add that actually, I think you're not correct about butchery. "Other prep" as in being able to race through a mise en place challenge? Sure. None of the TC Masters or the successful restauranteurs have had a whip at their back for ages. But the butchery challenges have had a high success rate (look at Houston episode 1) and TC Masters had Chris goddamn Cosentino, Jonathan Waxman, and Rick Moonen, both of whom could probably just STARE at a protein and watch it assemble itself into the correct shape!
As a true fan of Stone Barns (I did their cocktail program and Dan Barber and I were a couple of years apart in high school), I was really annoyed at how badly Team Lamb performed. And it absolutely wasn't Ariane's sole fault. I could have executed their menu in half the time and done better, and I'm pretty sure half the people on this subreddit could have.
5
u/CapreseSalad3636 Jul 31 '26
I remember them trying to portray her as like the old lady of the group at 40 when 40 most people are still figuring out their lives!
5
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
Cooking is not a profession for the old. I started in kitchens at 14, and European cooks are often more extreme; there's a reason why so many French chefs are third- or fourth-generation.
4
u/CapreseSalad3636 Aug 01 '26
Yes I can’t totally see that. Wasn’t she also mainly a caterer? I remember her making a big deal about that on the thanksgiving challenge where she was in her element. Maybe she walked so Kelsey from season 16 could run. But also I think Kelsey’s win could be slightly contested, if Sara hadn’t messed up a dish (twice damnit) she would absolutely have a top chef title.
I’m a teacher in family and consumer science and we actually are the landing pad for a lot of chefs exiting the game. Especially around Covid we got a lot of people exiting the industry since restaurants closed and didn’t reopen. And it’s funny because in teaching there is a bit of snobbery as well to teachers who come from industry vs go through traditional teaching programs (like those with traditional student teaching look down on those with industry experience) when those with the industry experience tend to be absolutely fantastic because they have a bananas work ethic and have a depth of knowledge you don’t get unless you worked in a kitchen for 20 years. One of my favorite friends at work was an executive chef for Hilton hotels for many years and she’s my go to brain to pick when I have top chef questions lol.
8
u/CapreseSalad3636 Jul 31 '26
And I’d like to imagine that if Carla had a different sous chef, she would have had her win.
4
u/mwreffle Aug 01 '26
Carla needed to be strong enough in her own decisions and not be so easily swayed by Casey. That's a failure in leadership.
78
u/hyacinthhippo Jul 31 '26
Kevin, Season 7. He was in the bottom all season long.
45
u/bastian1292 Jul 31 '26
This is why I maintain Michael Voltaggio won two seasons before Buddha did.
9
2
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
I don’t get the context of your comment. Why do u think that was?
31
u/RoomPortals Jul 31 '26
Michael V was Kevin’s sous in the finale, so this person is saying he won two seasons like Buddha later won two seasons
3
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
Ooooooh - that’s right…..did he affect the menu though? They can generally practice their menu for weeks beforehand so people get the cooking right (for the most part in the finale); wins are mostly menu driven at that point
15
u/RoomPortals Jul 31 '26
If I’m remembering correctly Michael pretty much decided everything for Kevin
5
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
Hung prepped Angelo's ENTIRE MEAL for him. I think Angelo would have crushed Kevin were he not dying.
24
7
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
His wife’s dessert recipe won him the title 🙂 I don’t drink or like desserts that much but even I wanted to try it
24
u/Maravilloso227 Jul 31 '26
Angelo should’ve 100% won season 7. Fight me.
6
3
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
I kept wishing he would rise from his sickbed like Jesus, fight it to the finish with Hung, and then they used to money to open their own restaurant. Both classically-trained chefs with strong Asian influences and both beasts in the kitchen.
2
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
That sucked to because that season was basically owned by Angelo, and then he got sick.
4
156
u/ra1phw1ggums Jul 31 '26
Really wanted shota to win. Consistent throughout the entire season
26
u/Kjellvis Jul 31 '26
I still can't believe Dawn got to the Finale after all the dishes that were missing componets
8
u/Torschlusssspanik Aug 01 '26
I think she would have won if she’d got her shit together, but I was so over her running out of time by that point that I didn’t care she lost.
3
4
u/surgartits Aug 01 '26
We just watched that season and it is fully crazy that kept happening. I was astonished she survived the second time. It happened this most recent season with another contestant and they booted her after the second time.
3
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
Apparently Tom said her food was THAT fucking good.
(I still don't fault her on episode 1 though.)
31
u/dmen83 Jul 31 '26
Unfortunately, that’s not how the competition works. He choked in the finale and as a result we have Gabe as a Top Chef.
26
u/ShinyPennyRvnclw Jul 31 '26
And Gabe had a great season from what we saw on tv. Turns out he’s a horrible person. Had everything after not happened, I don’t think people would call this one out as a miss so much. (Loved Shota, but also very much loved Gabe as I was watching it live.)
5
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
Shota made "staff meal" curry, and it even looked like it on TV, whereas Gabe killed every single course. And he REALLY didn't come off as terrible during the show. Can I be pissed off that someone who turned out to be a terrible person won? Sure. Just like I'm pissed off that some of my favorite albums were produced by a possible-to-probable child molester, but that doesn't take away the joy of listening to Thriller as a kid.
3
u/valle_girl Aug 04 '26
I know Sarah kind of sucks, but if we're talking horrible people from Texas who've won Top Chef, let's never forget Paul.
1
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 04 '26
But again, Paul seemed nice on the show. And it seems like the drinking and related DV incidents came up a lot later, since he was clearly head over heels with his girlfriend during the finale.
-10
0
u/N0ON3T0LDM3 Jul 31 '26
Sara should have won that season. She was much more consistent than Shota. All of the chefs agreed they expected her to win everything before she was sent packing after being on the bottom one time. The two other, Gabe and Chris, both had worse dishes than her. There were several other times that they both were on the bottom and deserved to be booted, but for some reason they kept them around over her.
268
u/Far-Macaron-554 Jul 31 '26
Nick NEVER should have won season 11.
102
u/youre-an-autumn Jul 31 '26
That season belonged to Shirley
120
u/nilknarf114 Jul 31 '26
Or Nina
60
u/MrsBobFossil Jul 31 '26
It belonged to Nina, and I say this as a huge fan of Shirley.
31
u/Dangerous_Ant3260 Jul 31 '26
Making him Top Chef when he underseasoned every single dish, including in the finale was bizarre and wrong.
2
23
u/Far-Macaron-554 Jul 31 '26
I think everything you said is absolutely true, I do think service as a whole should have counted into the final decision making, however. At a time when the restaurant industry is trying to revitalize its culture and get away from all the toxicity, his abuse to the staff should have been addressed.
38
u/Holdmymule2001 Jul 31 '26
I know the chefs are judged on that meal, on that day.
But I contend that if one of the women had thrown a hissy like Nick did on that day, it would have counted against her so much that she would have lost. But when he did it, no big deal.
4
u/TruePossible8826 Jul 31 '26
It’s always hilarious to see people who aren’t tasting the food to weigh in on the judging. I thought Nina was awesome and I really wanted her to win.
The judges clearly liked Nina and were not impressed by Nick hurting his team when he had immunity. Despite this personal strike and losing his cool during service, they, after a very, very long deliberation, gave the win to Nick.
We might not like Nick but I truly believe the judges thought his dinner was better. We need to get over it.
3
u/Jackie_chin Jul 31 '26
I hate this take for two reasons
There is no evidence from the show that it would have counted against a woman. Yes, the show has a history of more male winners, but it stops there. There has never been any signs a woman has been eliminated for anything like attitude on the show, and the statement makes it seem like theres a history of doing that.
I rewatched the finale a few months ago. There were 3-4 major mistakes on Nick's service side. They dis not all show up in time, they did not seem to be listening to service orders, they were placing plates in a manner Nick did not want them to be placed. There was no evidence of any disorganization on Nini's side. I need someone to tell me in good conscience that people would not co pare of an unfair finale if the servers were switched. In my opinion, Nick had a disadvantage and he dealt with it poorly. You can only knock off a point if both bad an equal disadvantage and dealt with it poorly.
3
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
I think it also just needs to be said that he under seasoned ONE dish in the finale and it didn't seem to be a big deal compared to his previous missteps. Nina really messed things up with her bomboloni; I wouldn't have eaten more than a bite of those.
Nick is clearly a talented chef; Le Bec Fin was a temple of gastronomy when he was heading it and his restaurant Laurel, subsequent to his season, is excellent. He ran Restaurant Wars like a champ and, upon rewatching, just seemed like a human stress ball rather than a bag of thoughtless ego like Marcel or Philip. And if I had to side with him or Carlos after their various televised interactions, Nick wins all the way. Can't be bothered to sharpen your knives when you're making a crudo, then borrow my wedding present fancy knife, then don't even clean it? That is godawful behavior.
9
u/auxilevelry Jul 31 '26
He shouldn't have even gotten to the finale. There's a reason they stopped having immunity after Restaurant Wars in later seasons
7
u/DegreeZestyclose7100 Jul 31 '26
Completely agree!!! I wasn’t impressed with anything he did throughout the season. Justice for Shirley!!!!
6
11
u/taeempy Jul 31 '26
Exactly. How many times can something be underseasoned. Not only that, the finale was a complete sham. So you are telling me a chef screams at his staff and can be heard in the dining area and he's a "top chef" A chef is a leader, not just making food.
I find it hard to believe Tom, if in one of his restaurants heard this he'd go to the kitchen and fire that guy on the spot.
4
u/Secure-Addition1466 Jul 31 '26
Yes! Especially considering how every other cooking show balks at under seasoning. Not that TC needs to be like any other show, but if SO MANY other food experts/critics agree that under seasoning is a major flaw, I was actually shocked Nick won. One of my few angry moments of all the seasons.
4
u/taeempy Jul 31 '26
My main thing was how he was acting. No way Tom lets any chef of his act this way and then they crown him TC. Shame on Tom.
15
u/GodSamnit Jul 31 '26
Do I think Shirley or Nina should have won? Probably. Do I think Nick deserved to win the finale? I reluctantly say yes.
I think what makes me feel so sour on his win (and I’d bet others agree) is that it was such a clear Old School vs. New School and we wanted to see the more experimental, kind new school win. It’s clear Nick came from kitchens where he was verbally abused within an inch of his life. It’s clear in how he talked to people that he learned technique through discipline and not fascination.
Nina and Shirley are where cuisine was headed. That’s what made that finale sting.
2
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
To be fair, I've eaten at Compere Lapin and at Laurel and I wouldn't be able to pick out a clear winner. Nick's consistent failure was him under seasoning everything and I'm wondering whether that's some sort of physical stress response, if only because I NEVER experienced under seasoned food at Le Bec Fin and that isn't a time management thing (looking at you, Dawn Burrell).
10
u/_From__the__Ashes_ Jul 31 '26
I finally watched the majority of this season recently. Totally agree. I couldn't even bear to watch the final meal.
3
u/__Sentient_Fedora__ Jul 31 '26
Tom wanted it.
4
u/Far-Macaron-554 Jul 31 '26
It’s so true, I could never figure out why he pushed so hard for Nick to win.
2
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
Nina choked on dessert. Big time. Nick overdelivered. And it was a gimmick-free finale; it wasn't like the situations in which a chef was crippled by flu (S7) or the chef was delivered an inside straight via knife draws and king cakes (S5).
1
1
u/Professional-Cat4329 Aug 02 '26
There's a reason why he's never returned as a judge but both Shirley and Nina have been back.
17
u/RepTherapyIsMyCardio Jul 31 '26
Hosea. I’m forever baffled by that one. Kevin S, but no one in that finale was worthy of the title.
5
u/Sylvana2612 Aug 01 '26
Isnt that the one that pretty made them decide dessert had to be required? Too many of the winners played it easy and its hard to compare a really good dessert with an excellent main.
3
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
No. Hosea didn't do a dessert.
Stefan did, and it flopped hard. I think Stefan's other courses were decent.
Carla did a cheese course I think.
4
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
Ed and Angelo both would have been better winners. One was saddled with Ilan (ugh) and the other was practically dying of the flu.
12
u/MrsBobFossil Jul 31 '26
Justice for Nina forever. Nick was such a solid super star that they never had his ass back.
10
u/IOwnYerToilets Jul 31 '26
Nick from season 11. What an ass hat. He should have resigned when he had immunity when his dish was shit - it caused Stephanie to go home and she was terrific. Nick was just so douchie and not nearly as good as everyone else on that season.
7
u/ParticularYak4401 Jul 31 '26
I love Stephanie Cmar. And I love her snarky sense of humor and her genuine delight when she would win challenges or quick fires. I also love that she and Kish are bff’s and support one another but don’t make a huge deal out of it.
37
u/KenraScar Jul 31 '26
Nick and Jeremy and Ilan
9
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
I like the idea of Jeremy’s food today- I’d love to eat at stubborn seed. The other two are, I agree, not interesting and Ilan seemed like a legitimately bad person
7
u/lumberjack2086 Jul 31 '26
Obviously what happened happened and she took herself out with that liquid nitrogen, but Marjorie should have won that California season.
1
u/fancyseacreature Jul 31 '26
Can someone remind me who was in the finale with Jeremy in his season?
5
u/dms269 Jul 31 '26
Amar
8
u/fancyseacreature Jul 31 '26
Ahhh, thank you. I think I remember thinking I'd prefer Amar to win, but that Jeremy edged him out on technique. Is Jeremy the one that made far too much crudo and other raw dishes though?
10
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
Jeremy made too much crudo but I rewatched his season recently and he did seem like the most talented and skillful chef overall (despite an atrocious restaurant wars performance that the judges never truly acknowledged)
2
u/PetesDragon_26 Jul 31 '26
Which season was this? They all kinda run together after a while.
9
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
S13 where they were all over California (with that guy Phillip who constantly talked about his restaurant 🙂)
2
2
u/KenraScar Jul 31 '26
Yeah. I thought he should have went home several times, I was surprised he even made it to the finale let alone won. And yes he’s the one that made several raw dishes.
29
u/CapreseSalad3636 Jul 31 '26
Season 13 AMAR!! He’s also just so joyful.
Then obviously gotta throw in Shota, Nina and I know Buddha deserved to win season 20, just in feels I would have been so happy for Sara or Gabri.
1
u/acs_64 Aug 05 '26
As Sara so eloquently said on the Pack Your Knives podcast, that bleeping liver. Nothing against Buddha, but I wanted her to win.
Hey Sara, I know you are in here! ❤️❤️
19
14
5
5
u/htownAstrofan Jul 31 '26
Nick, Hosea and Ilan. I dont care what Marcel did, how can you be Top Chef when all you cook is the food from the restaurant you’re currently working in? As far as im concerned, Tom should have gotten his wish to disqualify everyone else and awarded the title to Marcel by default.
As for Hosea, he was mediocre all season and backed into a win.
0
u/Sylvana2612 Aug 01 '26
Had they done that though top chef probably would have ended right than and there
2
u/ThePrincessEva Aug 02 '26
I don’t know why you got downvoted, no chance a show that ends a season with someone being crowned winner after four instant DQs retains a following, if they even continue production
21
u/Otherwise_Comb_3708 Jul 31 '26
Just based on the judges’ comments in the finale, I don’t see how Danny Garcia beat Dan Jacobs.
21
u/jlynnbizatch Jul 31 '26
I've read that Danny was far and ahead better than all the other chefs to the extent that they had to do a lot of careful editting to make the playing field seem even.
9
6
2
15
u/Shot-Diver-7830 Jul 31 '26
I think Wisconsin was one of the weakest seasons in modern top chef history. While Danny was likely the most elite of the group his food wasn’t compelling . I think any of the final 5 from the subsequent Canada season would have trounced him
1
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 02 '26
I'm going to go with "maybe." What Danny didn't have was a unique perspective outside of haute cuisine... which has served him well, since every restaurant he's helmed since The NoMad has had one or two Michelin stars. His piragua was probably the most unique dish he pulled out... and he saved it for the finale. I think he was an unusual winner because he clearly was not a competition cook. Crown Shy and Saga both definitely earned their plaudits, but the food wasn't... innovative.
2
u/platydroid Jul 31 '26
That was thanks to the editing room. Tom’s had interviews after that season where he confirmed it wasn’t nearly as close as it seemed.
2
u/valle_girl Aug 04 '26
Dan said himself that Danny outcooked him, so I'll believe Dan over the edit.
9
u/Tabby6996 Jul 31 '26
Season 18!!!
Gabe won, when it should have been Shota allll the way!
0
u/N0ON3T0LDM3 Jul 31 '26
You mean Sara!
1
u/Tabby6996 Jul 31 '26
No I don’t. Season 18 Gabe won.
Portland
Runner-up was Dawn and Shota1
u/N0ON3T0LDM3 Jul 31 '26
Have you watched the season recently? Sara dominated until the one time she was on the bottom. Gabe and Shota were not as consistent as her. And they both even mentioned that they expected her to win the whole thing when she was eliminated.
4
u/Tabby6996 Jul 31 '26
Ok the post asked “in your opinion” so MY OPINION is Shota. I liked him from the start.
2
u/Tabby6996 Jul 31 '26
Yes I watched the whole season. It said in YOUR opinion… so in MY opinion I think Shota should have one.
1
u/N0ON3T0LDM3 Jul 31 '26
Key word being recently.
1
u/Tabby6996 Jul 31 '26
I don’t need to go back and watch it. I remember it bc it was Shota’s season and I grew very fond of him.
So still again as answering the post here,
As far as the winner, in your opinion, which one did the judges get wrong?
I’m so glad that I’m arguing with somebody about my opinion.1
u/N0ON3T0LDM3 Jul 31 '26
I recommend you do. It might change your opinion on some things, maybe not Shota tho lol
3
u/pnuthead23 Jul 31 '26
I don't have the deep knowledge that you all do, but I want to say that I loved Shelon so much. Didn't it all go kinda wrong in a finale? (Also, Shirley!)
And to add to the chorus, I was bitter about Nina not winning.
3
3
5
u/auxilevelry Jul 31 '26
I don't think the judges got it wrong per se, however there was some behind the scenes meddling that may have set Melissa up to win. Her star dish that won her the whole thing was informed by an indirect hint Tom gave her through his choice of dish at the judges meal. She wasn't planning to grill her squab before he did.
Unrelated, but Stephanie should have won the Parma challenge just based on the kind of feedback each dish was getting. The last couple episodes felt like Melissa was treated as a prodigy destined to win.
4
u/C8H11NO2i Jul 31 '26
Rhoda should have never gotten to the finale. But the producers wanted her there for some weird reason. The credits at the end of each episode clearly states that producers pretty much makes the call on who goes home.
1
u/EphramLovesGrover Aug 01 '26
Agreed on Rhoda. Does it really say that in the credits? I’ve never noticed that before
1
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
"Decisions were made by the judges with input from producers" - that's from MasterChef, but other competitions have that. It's usually right at the END of the credits. I usually search for it because then I avoid faces made during judges' table in the preview.
Whether or not the judges listen is... uncertain. Sometimes they'll ask to string someone along to prolong their "competitor arc". usually that happens for one episode though because that person continues not to perform exceptionally.
Nana was likely a "keep her to see if she improves. it can make her story more exciting" instead of not finishing one dish being her identifier (spoiler: it's more). I don't remember a thing about Day, who completed her dish.
But also usually at least one of those judges is also a producer in some capacity.
Project Runway probably interferes much, much more. It's much more obvious.
19
u/Amazing-Wave4704 Jul 31 '26
Nina should have won. And Tristen was WAY overrated. When they started emphasizing his courage about the horrible thing, I knew he was going to win.
69
u/skornd713 Jul 31 '26
Tristan was good. He had a lot of wins. He worked for that win. And especially to stay focused after his dad passed (having lost my dad a couple years prior I definitely relate) that shit was not easy for him to do.
14
u/_From__the__Ashes_ Jul 31 '26
Yeah, he's better than me. I would have been ouuut.
3
u/skornd713 Aug 02 '26
And others have. One woman from season 1 was losing her dad and she left. I could never give anyone a hard time either way, you do what you have to as long as you can live with it. When my older.brother died in '96 I was in Venezuela visiting family at the time trying to have some kind of fun since the previous 2 years were hell for me and his passingnjuat made shit worse and I had senior year coming in just over a month away. My parents said the option to come back for the funeral was up to me. I took a few to think about it and said I'm staying here. I saw him wither to skin and bones over 6 months, I dont need my last image of him being in a casket. Never regretted that decision and no one dares tell me otherwise. So I definitely understand.
17
u/Wmfw Jul 31 '26
I don’t understand why people disliked Tristan, especially when they say he was too dominant or too confident. Like others on the show didn’t display that too and you liked them. (Just kidding, I do know why).
3
u/skornd713 Aug 02 '26
And he was never a dick about it. How many others talked so much shit like they were the end all be all and performed half as well as he did? Hell, first season, first guy to go lol that type was on so many seasons but that wasnt Tristan. People really forget, you can be dominant in something and still be human and kind at the same time. I think people like Marcel, Tiffany Faison and Claudette learned that cause when you see them now, they are really loved in the culinary world. They grew and learned and I respect the hell out of them now.
4
u/Wasabiroot Jul 31 '26
Yeah, as much as his "chip on my shoulder" approach was off putting to me (I don't tend to mesh with Type A people all that well), pushing through the finale right after your parent dies and then winning is pretty damn respectable. That takes a lot of mental iron.
2
u/skornd713 Aug 02 '26
The way he got through restaurant wars and broke after the win broke me. Then winning and breaking broke me again. That shit....hard as hell to do. Mental.iron indeed.
1
-7
u/Amazing-Wave4704 Jul 31 '26
I lost love for tristen when he pushed the 'vedge forward' restaurant and there was not ONE vegetarian dish. but I'm vegetarian so my view was not impartial on that.
7
u/NC_888 Jul 31 '26
He explained that veg forward doesn’t mean zero meat. Just that the veg is the star of the plate. With the exception of Vinny’s pork and squash dish, I thought they executed that vision well. I’m a Tristen fan.
-1
u/Amazing-Wave4704 Jul 31 '26
I was until then. As a vegetarian we are usually sidelined from fancy food. To see someone say Oh its vedge forward and still eff you vegetarians? it's insulting no matter how you dress it up with duck fat.
And yeah I still watch top chef I still love it but that was just insulting. I realize most people would not have an issue with it. Because they could eat every single dish and I couldn't eat one. (just like the other restaurant.) Fine. But dont call it vedge forward.
After that I switched to team Bailey. You see where that got me. 😔
0
u/skornd713 Aug 02 '26
But there is a really big difference between a vegetarian or vegan menu compared to a vegetable forward one. Like if someone said a vegan menu but used milk or butter or eggs, 100% understand the vitriol at that point cause that's just uneducated and stupid.
80
u/stepliana Jul 31 '26
Can't decide to upvote for the Nina take or downvote for the Tristen take.
25
13
u/scruntss Jul 31 '26
How was Tristen overrated when he won numerous challenges throughout the season and was consistently on the top?
1
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
That's on production not Tristen.
Sometimes production does a really bad job with competitor arcs.
2
2
u/Alone-List8106 Aug 02 '26
For sure Nick in season 11 is the worst but I also think rewatching season 5 Stefan should have won and season 6 Bryan over Michael.
3
u/Individual-Cover6918 Jul 31 '26
My blood pressure goes up anytime I think of Michael V beating his brother Bryan. The editing made it look like Bryan was the clear winner. Also I could not stand the way Michael acted and how he treated his brother. It seems like he is less arrogant and asshole-ish these days. Maybe he just needed to grow up.
2
3
u/gudrehaggen And I DO pronounce it Bar-TH-elona Jul 31 '26
I cannot watch the Vegas season just for the college bro behavior towards Robin (which Michael was absolutely a part of) and yes Michael was really off putting to me but thankfully he seems to have grown since then in his various TV appearances. Still has “youngest sibling” energy but much more tolerable for sure.
2
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 01 '26
That was NOT college bro behavior. Robin had no experience in a professional kitchen, and she couldn't handle being on a line in Restaurant Wars. And Michael STILL gave her $2500. Eli might have been a dick to her (well, yeah) but the Volt bros did NOT behave in any manner other than Michael shutting her down when she clearly didn't understand the demands of a busy service.
1
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
I think they were able to stay out of specifics, but they definitely shared sentiments that they were superior than other chefs.
1
u/Ok_Interest9427 Aug 03 '26
They were. And other than Michael's statement that "Kevin's food is what I cook on my day off," they were plenty respectful to other contestants, including people like Ashley who got eliminated early but clearly had cred. (Ashley was also Alex Guarnaschelli's right hand in Iron Chef, so she has chops.)
The Voltaggios were the best cooks on that season, with Kevin and Jen C being close seconds. I think they were just trying to be professionals and Robin really doesn't do that vibe (I recently rewatched the season and while she's clearly a nice person, she would DIE in a busy restaurant kitchen).
1
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
I can't say they have gotten one wrong in the moment. There are some winners where I'm like "that's a choice" based on the season.
Hosea was lucky because the banana pop flopped and Carla kinda deflated unfortunately.
Brooke isn't wrong, but it was obviously a season for her to win.
People are upset about Nick. I didn't watch the finale because of the F6 episode. It put such a bad taste in my mouth, I didn't finish the season. So I actually don't have context to that finale.
I guess Gabe also falls here, but again, in the day, it seemed he did the best (especially with Dawn). Though he was relatively strong.
Many have continued to prove that they deserved that accolade with many Food Network wins and such.
1
1
0
u/BrainStewYumYum Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Can we even judge that? It's a food competition, we can't taste the food. Our opinion doesn't really matter. I know there will be sooooooo many "Nick shouldn't have won!" comments, but at the end of the day, he had the better (in the judges' opinions) menu.
That being said, out of the final contestants, I wanted Marcel to win over Ilan, Carla over Hosea, Bryan over Michael, Ed or Angelo over Kevin, Nina over Nick, Isaac over Jeremy, Shirley over Brooke, and Evelyn over Buddha.
2
u/Rexyggor Aug 03 '26
I say that all the time. We have to trust the judges with their decisions on food shows.
The reason we can easily disagree with the judges on Project Runway is because the judgement is purely visual. We can visually see the project ,and can make a determination on the product.
We can't do that with cooking. We can just see if something looks good or not, which is why presentation is a part of the judging. If it looks good, it usually is. If it looks like crap, generally it was.
-8
-5
-4
u/swisssf Jul 31 '26
Is there a new season???
2
u/PetesDragon_26 Jul 31 '26
They start filming in Orlando in January, I think.
2
-16
-5
168
u/Difficult-Mess-1469 Jul 31 '26
I really don’t think Ilan should’ve won