Tom's face when Hung was running around with the CLEAVER was priceless.

I'm glad it was Lia instead of Sara (is that the right spelling?) because I like Sara. Lia seems too timid, culinarily and otherwise.

It also cracks me up that Howie and Joey are now all BFF!!!

I missed Ted, though.

I am also getting very tired of Hung's attitude and yeah -- be a little more careful with that CLEAVER.

I'm sad about Lia - I also thought she'd go further.

I wish that they'd done more South American stuff -- why did no one attempt, say Potatoes? A nice native south american veg.

Yeah- the Howie/Joey dynamic is very amusing.

I do agree with Joey that Howie needs to find something other than pork to cook. I think it's worse than Malarkey's all seafood all the time thing.

And I can't believe that neither Hung nor Casey can cook rice.

When Dale, CJ and Marlarkey disappeared during Elimination Round service I should have known that they were safe.

I was very pleased the Sarah M did cheese-related dishes.

What Gail said about Sarah M and Tre's dishes:

I also want to mention that many of us enjoyed Sara M.’s Chile Rellenos, a vegetarian creation that was overflowing with color and spice. The rice and vegetables were well cooked and seasoned, the queso fresco, which Sara made herself, was tangy and light. Another honorable mention goes to Tre for his tasty Jumbo Prawns with Yellow Coconut Sauce, Jalapeño Cilantro Dumplings and Lobster Ceviche.

It also cracks me up that Howie and Joey are now all BFF!!!

I know. Classic Sun-Tzu -- the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

I was very pleased the Sarah M did cheese-related dishes.

and she made her own cheese! Which was hardcore, considering that their time got cut.

Speaking of, I HATE these BULLSHIT timefucking challenges. I think it is classless and foul. Yes, they need to learn to roll with the punches, but these artificial deadlines are crap. And Colicchio couldn't sell the lie for shit.

They did give them kind of a crypto-heads-up, saying at the start that the schedule of the show often changes -- didn't CJ or someone say "Well, we knew this was coming..."?

Yeah, I didn't think it was a lie because he said the people at the luncheon that the three hours the chefs thought they had was cut in half.

SYTYCD: Not sure I loved any of the dances, but was very annoyed with the bullsh*t "story" that didn't match Hok and Jamie's dance choreography at all. If I had my druthers, Lauren and Kameron would be the ones going home.

Top Chef mini-meara:

I'm glad it was Lia instead of Sara (is that the right spelling?) because I like Sara. Lia seems too timid, culinarily and otherwise.

Me too. To me, Lia has a certain arrogance about her that her cooking hasn't lived up to. I don't know, maybe working at Jean-Georges gives you a sense of entitlement. Sara seems to really be getting a lot out of the competition (in terms of developing her skills, learning from the experience, coming out of her shell, etc.)

And I can't believe that neither Hung nor Casey can cook rice.

I don't think that good rice is easy to make, especially when you're not focused on it. I fault Hung more though since it was an integral part of his dish. Plus, he's an ass.

Speaking of, I HATE these BULLSHIT timefucking challenges. I think it is classless and foul. Yes, they need to learn to roll with the punches, but these artificial deadlines are crap. And Colicchio couldn't sell the lie for shit.

Except they were told that the challenges were about timing. Anyone who didn't figure out that the 3 hours (when have they ever had that long!?!) would be cut down, wasn't thinking things through.

I actually think it would have been more interesting if the schedule had gotten moved back instead, forcing them to see how well their dishes held up.

I cannot believe I have to go on the rice rant every freaking year. Why does no one know how to cook rice? I know how to cook rice. Now admittedly, I am Japanese and my rice is not their rice, and also usually I am lazy and use one of my two rice cookers, but still!

It also cracks me up that Howie and Joey are now all BFF!!!

Right? Because it's totally like a playground vibe. They beat each other up, and now they have mutual respect for each other. Whatever the genesis, they make me laugh.

I know I can't taste the food, but those chile rellenos looked awesome. I think she's my favorite right now. Okay, so one person can cook rice. And make her own cheese! Go cheesemakers!

OH! I almost forgot. WTF with Hung and his head-height cleaver!

That's ridiculous. The SO said he should almost have been out just for the safety of everyone else in the kitchen! That's basic stuff, people. He needs to calm the fuck down.

I haven't seen the most recent episode, but just once I would like to see what they can cook without all the time and money restrictions. I suppose there have to be some time and money limits, but it would be nice if things weren't so tight/rushed.