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'Chef' Judges Weigh in on Shocking Elimination
It was a Restaurant Wars stunner, to say the least, and here's how Tom and company explain it.
Holy. Freaking. Restaurant Wars. Elimination.
There's a chance you may not have seen last night's episode of Top Chef. Should that be the case, consider this the last spoiler warning you're going to see on this page, because below this paragraph, we're going to get into the nitty gritty of Restaurant Wars and the elimination that stemmed from it. You're going to want to watch or find out ASAP, because it's sure to get spoiled at some point today. So, ready, set, SPOILERS BELOW:
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Seriously, it's about to get spoiked ......
Kristen Kish did what all honorable generals should do -- she fell on her sword and took responsibility for a team member's inefficiencies, and in return, she was sent packing instead of the bouillabaisse-botching Josie Malave. Whether Kristen should have spoken up and pointed the blame at Josie is a whole other issue, but at the time of Judges' Table, J dropping the ball on the broth and other things weren't known, and Tom Colicchio and crew are explaining the controversial decision in this week's blogs. Here's the gist of what each has to say (we especially like Gail Simmons' caveat) about Kristen-gate:
Tom Colicchio: "I know what you’re thinking, and I know how you’re feeling, and all I can say is that having now watched the episode and seen everything that went on behind the scenes, I share your frustration. I really do ... It’s bad enough not to do what you’re asked to do, but it’s a whole lot worse to say you’re going to do it and only afterwards reveal that you didn’t… time and again. Had we managed to discover this at Judges’ Table, the outcome of the challenge would have been different, but Kristen wouldn’t divulge it, insisting that the buck stopped with her. I wish I’d asked one more question: “If this were truly your restaurant and Josie were one of your chefs, would you have fired her?” I believe that Kristen would’ve had to have said “yes.” But, to quote Kristen herself, hindsight’s a bitch. I didn’t know to ask that question, 1) given that Kristen was determined not to reveal what Josie had done, and, 2) as a result, given the information we had and how it (mis)shaped our sense of what had happened in the kitchen." Read His Blog Here
Hugh Acheson: "Back and forth on the blame game. BUT this is critical: Kristen takes the blame as the executive chef. She’s a brave one. Gail puts it as falling on your own sword and she’s right ... Testy times at ye olde Judges' Table. they do a tricky name call and Josie is safe. At the end of the day, Kristen goes home. It’s a sad day, but you want the leader? That’s her, leaving the stage. She says that she is proud to go preserving her integrity and grace." Read His Blog Here
Gail Simmons: "
So whose fault was it? You can certainly make an argument for both, but I guess Kristen is the chef. She didn’t give Josie the confidence and tools she needed to problem solve when issues came about. She wasn’t able to think on her feet in that moment of crisis, when the dish should have gone out. Because Kristen had so much stock in her idea, she wasn’t able to be flexible and adapt to the problem at hand. Let’s just say that judging does not need to be unanimous in a case like this; it needs to be majority. I was not in the majority." Read Her Blog Here
Did Kristen survive Last Chance Kitchen to stay alive? Find out here!
