Top Chef ~ Just Desserts ~

The gentlemen shown here are from top to bottom:

1. Tim Nugent, Season 1

2. Seth Caro , Season 1

3. Hubert Keller , Season 1 Judge.

SU and I swore when reality shows started that we weren't going to watch them. They held absolutely no interest whatsoever for us. Then that one about being the replacement for the late lead singer for INXS came on and damn'd if it wasn't half decent. Actual known band members were judges and they were in earnest to find someone for their band. As I recall it , a forgettable female singer from the Houston area was a contestant ..think Kat Von D wanna be here , pre all the Jesse " I cheated on Sandy America's Sweetheart Bullock " James gossip started , so we gave it a whirl .

Oddly it was extremely entertaining so slowly we were in our own way sucked into the Vortex of Reality TV. Now I know for a fact that when SU reads this he will say Bullshit..Um....dear....Yes..I watch Project Runway , but I think that the Rockstar one predates that and this is my bloggy so toddle off and find something to do..see if you can improve my Bejeweled Blitz score on Facebook or something..thank you dear.

Anyhoo....

He and I will watch Reality shows that deal with cooking of course and enjoy the debate and the whole process...even learning a thing or 3 along the way. We have seen enough of them to be able to predict who will be cut and when...who they will keep for the drama factor ( ratings) as opposed to the merit issue ...so I knew that I had to watch Top Chef Just Desserts or TCJD.

First of all Hubert Keller is a judge.

Say it with me..Say it Loud and Say It Proud

HUBERT KELLER IS A JUDGE.

Sigh.

OOOOOOH Yeah !

I have always admired his work and when he and Johnathan Waxman were on Top Chef Masters , I was such a happy girl....happy happy joy joy.

Hubert Keller actually seems to care about the things that he says to the Chefs and has an understanding of the process and the pressure of filming this kind of show..not that I am biased at all you understand....just sayin..

Now before I go any further there is one thing you have to understand.

PASTRY CHEFS ARE BAT SHIT CRAZY.

They can't help it.

They just are .

I was years ago when I ran the Bread Board Restaurant in Walla Walla.

BAT SHIT CRAZY.

We made ALL of our own breads and desserts..and Lordy above...you have no idea how much I miss my Hobart Mixer and Proofing oven ( weeps silently here.) Baking is both a science and an art..it really is . You have to know what temp will kill yeast, the effects of humidity, different size eggs and the results and so on. You have to know what the different cacao percentages are and how different regions produce different products and their inherent quirks. You have to know your ovens..where the cold spots are ..which ones will act up ..you can't fake it or tweak it..you have to be spot on or the final result will be crap.

That being said...Oh Mah Gawd !

I have never ever seen a melt down like the one Seth Caro had this week.

NEVER !

EVER !

It was so bad that all of the others moved away from his melt down and you could just sense that they were hiding bread knives and zesters behind their backs in case he lunged for them. Some of the contestants manned up and tried to console him...hells bells the guest judge , Elizabeth Falkner hugged him and after a soft mommy voice whisper managed to get him calmer...not calmed down but calmer. It was pure train wreck. Since it was the first challenge , he wasn't booted off...Zoloft anyone ?

Then the final bit.

The top picture is of Tim Nugent..tho I have him firmly in my brain as Ted Nugent...can't help it ..I am a huge fan of Nugent ever since the Amboy Dukes. Anyhoo....Tim was booted off for his desert which was in no way as bad as some of the others...but.

Tim had some of the best flavor profiles everyone agreed, but the execution was fubared . His sin you might ask ?

He was a voice of reason, mature , helpful and just a regular guy which would barring a major miracle would have kept him mid pack . Even in the scenes between the competitions where they filmed the contestants at their temporary Swankenda...when the others to one degree or another told Seth Caro that he needed to focus..get a grip...man up....Tim was neither hateful nor provocative in his comments...he just took it all in and while sympathising with Seth's nerves and the pressure,,he was clear that they all needed to move on and focus.

On reality shows, maturity and lack of drama automatically boots your ass off.

Its called ratings.

But still..re-watching Seth's meltdown for the second time....it seemed overly done up.He later f'd up another contestants dessert by dropping and thus shattering 3 dozen tuile's that were a part of the final plating. Yelling " I didn't do it , it wasn't me" like a toddler being caught red handed after breaking something and trying to blame the dog...it was at that point I went..." Uh huh....sabotage much ? " Even his victim who had originally helped him did not throw him under the bus in a marked show of maturity...Bravo Disco Dust Queen, you mother would be proud of her son.

I love to bake, and while I am better than the average bear at it , I know the limits of my skills . Will I try something new ?

Always.

Will it make me a nervous wreck..?

Absofrigganlutely.

But if Bravo thinks at this point that any of their viewers haven't caught on to the formula yet , they are just not getting it.

We are smarter than that.

I can't wait for next week because it's a win/win.

Hubert ( Be Still My Heart )Keller will be there and the promise that Seth will go off the rails again is the sprinkles for the buttercream frosting we all ( WELL...I DO ) love.

Damn good thing his drama can't be made into a drinking game..we'd never stay sober enough to make it through the episode.

Tom Collichio would have ripped Seth a new one..and I would have paid good money to see that one.

Hand in there kids..the weekend is almost here.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol