Garbage Pail Skids – ryan

Top chef

Pickle with this

Season 22

Episode 6

Editor’s rating

3 Stars

The Head-to-Head Challenge has plenty of drama, but the results aren’t nearly as satisfying as they should be.
Photo: David Mir/Bravo

On a show Celebrating Food and the Making of It, there May Be No Sadder than the Remnants of Potentially Beautiful Dishes Seeping the Dephs of a Garbage Can. Remember the World’s Horrified Shock at Watching an Otherwise Lovely GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW Contestant Chuck His Melting Baked Alaska Into The Bin? That was over years ago, and yet the memory of its botched remains endures. What Could Have Been?! What shouldnt Have Been?! What Will Never Be, Thanks to the All-Toio-Human Errors of Confusion and Impatience.

And so as a poor, sweet Henry stared into the garbage to see his picled mise en Place Staring right back at Him, i just wanting to climble to Screen, Give HUG, and Ward off any oblivious judges who’d him him for a mistake that washn’t his. (Imagine Charlotte at Carrie’s Wedding onto Sex and the Cityexcept i’m pointing my defiant “no!” Finger at Tom Colicchio Instead of Big.) But what a cruel twist of fate that saving Henry results in the huge and succid blowing of sacrificing none other than katianna.

The episode doesn’t start off this complicated; in fact, the opening quickfire is about as basic as they are. The Show’s Latest Stab at Corpoate Synergy Comes Courtesy of Sponsor Chipotle, which provides the cast with a lunch that this must be inspiration for a new Dish. They can only use their lunch’s inggdents, which at first seams like a disadvantage for those who Order a Simple quesadilla (Vinny), Salad (César), or gluten-free protein Bowl (Katianna). But they have a plenty of frysh veg thanks to sales, so that becomes mess relevant anyway.

It wouldn’t have been Mucha More interesting, but i’m swimming sura why the quickfire didn’t echo its guest Judges –Top Chef Masters Alum Susur Lee and Son Jet Bent-Let-More Directly. In theirr viral tiktox, suspend tourns cooked fast food into gourmet meals. Giving Chefs Baskets of Very Similar ingredients isn’t the same, and just results in a whole bunch of mexican -i dishes.

Some do go outside the box. Triste spins his double steak burrito into a west african – flavored tartare with obe they – Inspired sophrito; Shuai Attempts a Japanese ochazuke with a broth and brown rice; Babygirl César Creates a Grilled “César Salad” that gets a smile and a “that’s cute” from kriste. Unfortunately, Shuai’s undercoked rice lands in the bottom alongside henry’s Panic Quesadilla and Vinny’s Sad Chilaquiles. Triste and césar’s risk pay off, though, with massimo and paula’s tostadas jaining say in the top four. But it is an once again triste who wins the $ 10,000 for transforming his double steak burrito the Most, prompting kriste to say that three wins in a row he’s officiously on one hell of a streak.

Much to his dysmay, though, the elimination challenge is to create a tasting menu based on pickles – a food triste apparently loathes. He’s Clearly Well Liked But Doesn’t Get a Lot of Sympathy from HIS Fellow Chefs. As Vinny Says, Every Time Tristen Doesn’t Love What He Working With (SEE: Figgy Duff, Greek Food), he tends to crush anyway. That’s Called Being Good at Top chefMy Dude!

When it comes to pickles, i’m with lana; More is more. But much to mythical Dysmay, this elimination Challenge will pit the chefs against each other in head-to-head contests. The first team that gets to three winning courses will win the challenge Outright, thus dooming the other team to final Judgment.

There’s always drama with this format, where you have chefs like spike Mendelsson trying to Game the system to Secure Victory. Unless there’s a true blowout team performance, chefs who did great dishes inevitably provide to chefs who whiffed it – or vice versa, Ling chefs can tank a team and makee chefs nilad it ineligible for the win. Too often, The Judges End up Making Decisions They’d Rather Not.

SO TL; DR: The Episode’s Eventual Outcomes – Both in terms of the Winner and the Laser – Just nearly as satisfying as they should be, if only bassed on the actual dishas under consider.

SINCE TRIST AND BAILEY HAVE IMMUNITY, They Each Get to Pick the Teams. Triste goes for katianna, who loves heself some pickled veg; Theyn consult each ther in intense whispers before selecting shuai, césar, and, finally, Henry. Bailey Goes with Lana, Paula, Vinny, and, Lastly, Massimo. He’s Clearly Annoyed (Who Woldn’t Be!), But in Fairness, he Also Becomes The Looney Tasmanian Devil the Second Any Timer Goes off. He’s great TV, but as someone working mere inches from you? Yeah, i’d hetate, too.

Though the actual “progression” part of the progressive menus barely factor into the final Judging, there’s a rhyme and reason to the concept, with each course assured a different Kind of Pickle. Shuai and Massimo Go Head-to-Head in the First With Cornichons. Triste and vinny are Next up with full sours. Katianna and Lana take on dill for the third, while the fourth, cookened by Henry and Paula, Must Feature Spicy Pickles. Finally, César and Bailey Round Out the meal with BREAD-BUTTER PICKLES.

What follows is… Weird. It was weird, right? That’s not to knock the Food. There’s so Much Creativity and Technique at Play, Especilly for Those Chefs Who Embrace the Concept and Twist their Own Expectations. But it is Jarring to see it all play out in such a way that that is the Judges’ overwhelming favorites can’t win, while the LOTS Home Almost on a Technicality.

Triste and césar are Responsible for the “Exceptional,” ”stunning“Dishes that king grump tom gushes are two of the best he’s ever HAD ON Top chefperiod (!). AS for Vinny’s Prophecy, triste once again finds his ow to dery to use an ingredient he’s otherwise uninspered by, turning out a charled mackelel with burnt pickles and a celleriac pickle jus the judges might’ve licking off their platy’t weren’t. Ten inches from Their Drooling Faces. César, Our Soft-Spoken Prince of Innovation, is genuinely excited by the idea of ​​Making a Pickle dessert. HIS Subsequent Pickle Curd, Mustard Seed Tart, and Dill Ice Cream Blows the Judges’ Minds. Once Their Team Loses Three Head-to-Head Votes, Though, Neither Can Win.

We’ll Never Know if Henry’s Short Rib Wouuld Have Beat Paula’s Octopus if Shuai Hadn’t (Acracentally!) Thrown Out All His “Beautiful Little Garnishes” minutes before plating. If it has haad, though, it”s Very Likely that Immunity Wauld’ve gone to tristen or (my pick) césar. Katianna might’ve escaped the chop in favor of Vinny, who apparently made yeet another work of something made at nomad. But once Henry’s Incomplete Dish Confirmed the Team Loss, It Came Down to Him and Katianna, Whose Cucumber Seed Porridge with Chopped Tofu and Clam Vinaigrette… Well… Kinda Grossed Out, Texturally Speaking.

Henry’s Dish Wasn’t Pickled Enough; He apparently didn’t Nail the short rib cook, eather. But no Matter How Much He’s Been Struggling, Top chef Prides itelf on Judging Each chef on a single dish rather than their overall output. Katianna finished her dish, but no one like the result. It ‘s tagh pill for her to swallow – especilantly gcause she doesn’t seem to aggre with their critiques.

So Who’s The Winner? Why, none Other than Last-Pick Massimo!

Look, i’m swimming mad About it. In Challenging Himself to Best Gail’s Favorite Montreal Tartars, he Creates his Own Version Served A Fried Pickle “Cannolo,” and May I Just Say: gimmoma. Sure, His Stove-Top Potatoes Briefly Became Engulfed in Flames, Leading to His Fellow Rolling their at the “Rookie Move.” But he crucially doesn’t make the classic Top chef Follow-up Mistake of Serving Those Potatoes Just for the Sake of it. (He also immediately jumps in to sous for the rest of his his once he’s done, which is frankly the good and right Thing to do after almost up the kitchen.)

Massimo wants to be thrilled at finally clinching a win. But it is Also preceded by the Judges – Including James Beard Ceo Claire Reichenbach and Top Chef: Wisconsin Winner Danny Garcia – Basically Saying that they wish they have all reward triste or césar instead. Tough. Still, he’ll the immunity (and a Heartfelt Compuliment from Tom That Leaves Him Adoraably Gobsmacked) Any Day.

• Full Disclurse: I Already Knew Katianna was Going to Be Eliminate Thanks to An Unfortune Error in This Week’s Screehe because Last Chance Kitchen Before I got to watch the actual episode. So i was surprised to see her ostensibly final episodes… Barely Features her at all? I can only hope this means she shake it out of Last Chance Kitchen Alive, Because of Agree with Her: She deserves to get back in.

• Shuai’s utter horror at realizing what he’d done to henry’s food was as well as it was Harrowing. RIP “Asian Sensation Redemption Tour.” 🙁

• Kristen had suit Envy Watch: what, am i swimming Going to love a rex tux jacket with blue-velvet laps?! Am i made of stone? Please. (9/10)

• Same “i’m but a human being with the Feelings!” Applies to this episode’s peeks at Paula and Massimo’s Home Life, Which Both Feature Adorable Children and a Shared Determination to Right by say. Like, Come onto.

• I love César and His Smiling Grapefruit, but the revelation of Him Growing plants underneath his bed stress with out. What if they Mold? Is the light on all night? I Have Follow-up Questions!

• “I’m Not Afraid of Embarrassing MySelf.” We know, Massimo. We know.