So we’re coming up on week 4 with the teams now evenly split 4/4 after we lost 2 more lightweights. (Thanks for the heads-up on that Vols!) Did they recruit for this show from Denny’s?I thought I did a pretty good job of speculating up through week 5 and how a final decision might be made. The Fox web site indicates there are 10 shows scheduled. That leaves 8 contestants and 7 shows. Eliminate one ‘cook’ per week and at week 10 you have the 2 finalists. The numbers work, the script doesn’t.
We got what I was hoping for in week three: more face time with the Blue team. Pretty much as I predicted, a ‘star’ from the Blue team went Red and we established a new leader on Blue with Ralph. I never get these things right but I’m staying with my previous call on the strong 3 finalists and can now assign names: Chris, Michael and Ralph. If you’re the betting kind, bet the mortgage on anyone other then those 3.
Not that I’m suspicious of Fox’s editing, but can Mary Ellen (who I would do in the meat locker in a NY minute) present a real challenge to Chris, Michael or Ralph?
I thought the 10 minute $100 challenge was excellent and hope they incorporate a few more of those type of tests in future episodes. Each person being responsible for a course for a single knowledgeable diner worked for me. The ‘food critics’ segment in the second half just seemed too staged. I’m glad those babes were able to get some face on national TV though.
I don’t have HDTV so I can’t confirm but I know from just watching these nitwits try to serve 50 people per team each night has to be giving Chef a few more premature gray hairs then he expected when he originally signed the contract to do this show. Based on the current menu and the dead weight gone, 100 may still be doable this week and actually work. The previews of week 4 seem to indicate that something good actually happens to someone (I missed seeing who?). Using the same criteria in week 5 though when one team has 3 is just stupid restaurant management. Someone will make that point to Ramsay, not that he hasn’t planned that already.
My week 4 prediction is that friction between Chris and Michael will cause the Red team to screw up. Although one will likely be on the chopping block I doubt either will leave. I suspect that on Blue, Andrew will acquiesce to Ralph and stay under the radar until a week 5 explosion.
Week 5. 3 Red, 4 Blue. Since there probably aren’t that many boxes of wine left in the ‘cellar’ for comps they need to start seriously cutting back on the number of guests not served each night. I think the circus is over for a few shows and they focus more on individual capabilities.
Running a restaurant is not like playing Survivor. You don’t just walk up to an oboe and blow an A440 and you don’t perfectly fillet a dolphin by reading a website. Someone on Blue other than Ralph or Andrew (in spite of im/explosion for ratings sake) doesn’t cut it and we go to week 6 even at 3/3.
Week 6. No more set menu. Flair or flunk.
Up to this point I’ve agreed with Ramsay’s elimination decisions since none have actually mattered. However, if Mary Ellen goes this week it will be my last speculation thread. (Don’t all cry at once.) The test for the series will be how many weeks it can survive on the subjective decision of one person.
There were very few of us posting to the HELL thread this week, perhaps indicative of the ratings. Pun intended, something spicy is going to have to happen in week 4 if Fox expects any ratings in week 5.
I’ll tack this on the end of this post, probably of least interest but most importance, you have to sell what you buy for more then it costs. Its not as easy as it looks.
A Kittyloaf®Original
*Hands out scapels*
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