Kind of a weird show last night. I prefer they let them cook in a real kitchen but challenge them with the ingredients and whatnot.

Well, frenchie is gone. I found it interesting that the entire episode they sort of showed his bad side, and then he was gone. Creative editing, I guess.

But, what an odd set of challenges. First we have the quick fire with cactus. Cactus? At least most of them pulled off something edible.

Cooking over open pit fires with almost no kitchen support without telling them what they were walking into seems a bit of a stretch to me. I guess I would have gone in assuming the worst and planned for little more than a source of heat - which is pretty much what they got into.

What was wrong with the shrimp, exactly, were they spoiled or did they just taste really, really bad.

I gotta agree with the "why would you serve cerviche to a bunch of ranchers when you know you're going to be outside in about 500 degree heat."

They did a really poor job of explaining that. I have to assume that they became spoiled somehow.

Tom Colicchio wrote in his blog on bravotv.com that he didn't like the ranch challenge either. Besides cooking outdoors, he says, there was nothing specific to being in a ranch, not to mention the desert heat.

He also explains their judging criteria; it's an interesting read.

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blog...io/desert-heat

(I no longer live in the US, but still watch the show, thanks to iTunes/AppleTV).

I would have been happier had the producers better informed the contestants of the nature of resources available...fire pits, utensils, etc., but the "chefs' surprised me by being unable to adjust their planning and menu choices to potential circumstances.

Obviously, several of them were simply "strangers in a strange land". None of the chefs seemed to really consider any of the standard dishes for outdoor prep, some examples of which the judges would have been hard put to let their taste buds get in the way of expectations "high-falutin'" styles and cuisine.

I must admit, had I been called upon for a similar challnge, I'd have been left looking for skewers at the market, suitable cuts of beef or lamb (or even pork), grilled veggies and imaginative approaches to a salad. Other than perhaps shrimp (and that grilled), I can't imagine choosing fish (even though the a couple of the fish dishes emerged well).

Sadly, no "Dutch Oven" biscuits.....(and no real attempt at kabobs, an almost automatic choice to me).

^ If I were a judge for this episode I'd have hoped to get something that reinterpreted "chuck wagon cuisine" in a new and innovative way. Something like deconstructed frank and beans.

From the blog, there were apparently spoiled:

Maybe Robin�s shrimp turned overnight.

I like Tom's use of the word "cheftestant" and learned from the blog that the open fire pit was actually PROPANE.

Near the end of the show, it was either Laurine or Melissa remarking that something smelled really bad when someone opened their cooler.

Yes, the shrimp went bad. And she didn't taste it before she sent it out.

Robin is a friend of mine - I met her years ago in Seattle, before she opened Crave. She is such a genuinely good person and a brilliant chef, I'm hoping she wins!

But I really think she hasn't gotten much attention on the show. I've been specifically watching out for her and it seems like they do the little cutaway interviews with everyone but her (they have never done one). Twice they have completely skipped her dish. I haven't noticed that happen to anyone else.

So, I wonder what is up. She of course can't say anything about the results but from some interviews and Facebook posts I think she may have gone pretty far.

As for the others, I like(d) Matin, I like Jessie though I wish she was turning out better food, I'm already tired of the twins and their invented rivalry, and I wish Mike the d-bag would just get sent packing already. Aside from Robin the one I want most to win is the fat bearded guy. I like his plates and I like his personality.

Im glad frenchie has gone, he was too arrogant

Ditto. Every time he spoke, I wanted to go all Van Gogh on my ears.

^ (just watched the show last night) I have to agree. Once told that they would be cooking for "cowboys" someone should have been thinking of upscale though rustic food. Also, one of the contestants (now departed frenchie?) stated that they didn't modify their cooking for the client, they just let their food stand on its own. That's ridiculous. So is serving ceviche and most of the seafood dishes that were created. Who ever heard of a cowboy eating fish?

Given the $150 and cooking for 12? I�d have suggested:

Pork tenderloin w/ Whiskey pan sauce
Baby Anise and Wild Mushrooms
I liked the �baked� potatoes, but may have tried for a rice based starch.

Another interesting side I�ve had before was a Cesar Salad using smoked Romaine lettuce.

Heck, This is one of the only challenges I�ve ever felt like I might have had a shot at winning.

Looking forward to tonight�s show.

[QUOTE=NoClu;12425677I liked the �baked� potatoes, but may have tried for a rice based starch.
[/QUOTE]

I like your menu. Instead of baked, I've got this great recipe for potatoes that are cooked with olive oil, garlic, sea salt, rosemary, and pepper. They get all roasted on the grill.

* Toby Young was at his brutal best. ^
* Michelle Bernstein lashing back at Toby about Spanish pronounciations was fantastic.
* The look on everyone's face when Robin won the Quickfire was priceless.
* Kevin's dish looked awesome.