Liz Cheney, a longtime staunch Republican whose father is no less than Dick Cheney, is up to here with the GOP. First she started standing up to the insurrectionist wing of her party. Then they stripped her of her GOP leadership. Now she’s ripping them for having “enabled” the white supremacist mentality that led to Saturday’s gun massacre in Buffalo, New York.
The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism. History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.
“The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and anti-semitism,” Cheney wrote in a scorched-earth tweet. “History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse. @GOP leaders must renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.”
On Saturday, an 18-year-old assailant killed 10 people and wounded three, the majority of them Black. He had posted an epic manifesto, in which he parroted a conspiracy theory known as the “Great Replacement,” which claims that immigrants are trying to replace white Americans. Tucker Carlson has been talking about for years on his top-rated Fox News show. Indeed, The New York Times recently noted, he’s mentioned it over 400 times since 2016.
Michelle Yeoh has been receiving some of the best reviews of her career with Everything Everywhere All at Once, which is saying something considering she was outstanding right from the start. But she wasn’t the filmmakers’ first pick. That would be her sometime co-star Jackie Chan. Yeoh was the one who convinced Chan, who used to have issues about women doing martial arts, that women could do martial arts. How did she do that? By taking after him and almost killing herself to entertain. And when he reached out to congratulate her on the film’s success, she couldn’t help but tease him.
In a new interview with The Guardian, the highly in-demand actress and martial arts god mentioned that Chan recently contacted her. “Jackie actually texted me,” Yeoh said. “And he says: ‘Wow, I hear amazing things about your movie. Did you know that the boys came to see me in China?’ And I said: ‘Yes, your loss, my bro!’”
Filmmakers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (billed simply as “The Daniels”) admitted that their original idea for the action-comedy-drama-fantasy — about a Chinese immigrant who discovers she can access a multitude of versions of herself and her family in different universes — focused on the husband, eventually played by Ke Huy Quan. Chan was their first pick, though, but he was “unavailable.” Then they wondered about making it about the wife instead, which is when “something clicked.” And, well, you know the rest.
Food alone is reason enough for many of us to travel. How cool is it that every destination has its own local delicacies you can’t quite find anywhere else? For Julie Nguyen, the CEO and co-founder of Methodology, food has not only brought her to many of the world’s lesser-known and remote locations but it’s also been the leading force in her career.
Nguyen founded Methodology, a whole foods-focused food delivery subscription, with the mission to heal bodies and minds using food as medicine. She spent years researching with nutritionists, working with personal trainers, and traveling the globe in search of the best-tasting, most nutritious cuisine. During her world tour, she dined at a plethora of popular restaurants in the most touristed cities, but it’s the under-the-radar gems that stood out most to her. So she’s giving us her guide to the most underrated, off-the-beaten-path restaurants around the world:
“I live out of two suitcases and circle the globe to find the most delicious, nourishing, undiscovered recipes from around the world,” she says. “I use these recipes as inspiration to create innovative new menu items not found anywhere else. To do this well, I have to venture off the beaten path. These are the meals I still dream about eating again and again.”
Few tourists in Japan make it to Okinawa and even fewer venture away from the central area of Okinawa. I came to Okinawa because it’s a blue zone known for having a large population of centenarians. I wanted to learn what Okinawans eat to live so long. I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks in Okinawa, which allowed me to explore restaurants undiscovered by most American tourists, including this hidden gem cafe. Prepare for a truly authentic local experience. The staff does not speak English and the menu is entirely in Japanese, but fortunately, the menu does include photos of everything. You really can’t go wrong here. I’m a rice lover so I ordered a rice bowl with creamy raw egg yolk on top and had one of their foot-tall 10-layer parfaits for dessert. If these parfaits were located anywhere else in the world that’s more accessible, Sans Souci would become an Instagram sensation with two-hour wait times.
But, alas, this cafe is in the middle of nowhere on an island that rarely gets crowded with tourists. The parfaits aren’t just special because of how visually stunning they are; the multiple layers also provide a variety of flavors, temperatures, and textures making it one of the most satisfying desserts I’ve ever had. Plus, it’s sweetened with local Okinawa black sugar that has its own unique mineral flavor. Okinawa is one of the top three favorite eating cities I’ve ever visited. I hope you make it here someday, and if you do, a pit stop at San Souci can’t be missed.
Pho Bo 8 Hang Da — Beef Pho Street Food in Hanoi, Vietnam
Julie Nguyen
What kind of Vietnamese food adventurer would I be if I didn’t share my favorite pho restaurant in the world? Pho Bo 8 Hang Da is frequented entirely by locals. The pho here is made properly in a way you won’t find outside of Vietnam, even in places like Little Saigon in Orange County, where I grew up. The broth is incredibly flavorful yet light, the springy noodles are made freshly by hand each morning, and the beef melts in your mouth like butter. You’ll also want to add extra bone marrow to give the pho even more flavor, similar to what you’d get in Japanese ramen.
I personally never add sriracha or hoisin to my pho because I want to fully appreciate the subtle flavors of the beef and pho spices. I do eat tons of herbs with my pho though. Bring on the cilantro and scallions! This is a must-have meal if you’re ever in Hanoi. They’re also only open until they sell out, so get there early for breakfast.
Frenchie Pigalle — Modern European Cuisine in Paris, France
Frenchie Pigalle
In 2021 I spent two months eating my way through Paris, and this restaurant stands out as my absolute favorite. I love so many things about this restaurant. First, they don’t take reservations, so it’s perfect if you didn’t make plans because so many of the best spots in Paris are booked months out. Second, the menu is insanely creative with to-die-for flavors. I’m not a fan of stuffy, old-fashioned French food and this place is just the opposite. It’s casual, modern, and innovative. I brought local Parisians here, and they agreed it’s one of the best restaurants in Paris that they’ve tried and were shocked they hadn’t heard of it!
I think the reason why this place doesn’t get a ton of hype is because it opened during the pandemic. Frenchie Pigalle is from chef and restaurateur Gregory Marchand, who operates Frenchie and other fine dining restaurants, so it isn’t a gem created by a little-known chef out of nowhere, but rather a more free-spirited take on French dining. I went to Frenchie Pigalle twice in one week and tried the entire menu. Every dish was memorable and worth eating again. My favorite dish I still dream about is their veal sweetbread nuggets you dip into cream and caviar. It’s like eating the most decadent and adult version of fried chicken nuggets dipped in a creamy ranch dressing. Definitely try their veggie dishes as well. Few restaurants in the world have figured out how to make vegetables taste as comforting as this place has.
Pinku Fish & Wine — Modern European Seafood in Split, Croatia
Croatia has stunning beaches and nature treks, but when talking about traveling to the country most wouldn’t call it a top food destination. That being said, if you ever find yourself in Croatia, I discovered a seafood restaurant that I still dream about in Split called Pinku Fish & Wine. I am very picky about seafood. I can’t stand when seafood is overcooked, and I’m bored with rustic preparations of fish that just have salt, pepper, lemon, and maybe some herbs. Pinku is delivering the seafood I crave, where they pair their dishes with creative produce and sauces that bring out the flavor and textures in the fish with a perfect balance and contrast.
The menu changes regularly, but Pinku uses the freshest seafood caught just that morning. One of my favorite dishes there was cuttlefish “noodles” with pickled egg, onion, and fish consommé. The cuttlefish was sweet and full of umami with a soft yet firm texture. Not chewy at all. The pickled egg brought out the sweetness in the cuttlefish and the fish consommé created a juicy mouthfeel. I loved this restaurant so much that I ate here multiple times while in Croatia. Make sure you book in advance or queue outside right before they open because the restaurant is tiny and fills up.
O Magano — A Traditional Portuguese Restaurant in Lisbon, Portugal
Portugal is one of the best places to eat in the world in terms of value. You get elevated and skilled cookery on par with what you’ll find in Spain, Italy, and France but for half the price. I started this trip by trying all the restaurants recommended by Anthony Bourdain. He’s an idol of mine, and I’m sure at the time he visited his top picks really were the best places to eat in Portugal. However, when I spent time there in 2021, I’d say that my top picks would have zero overlap with those of Bourdain because things have changed a lot. O Magano is one of my top picks for underrated Lisbon restaurants.
Sure, there were a few other spots I loved, but those are packed spots that make it onto most online lists and guides. O Magano floats under the radar and I had to learn about it from local food snobs who laugh at the “tourist trap” places Americans typically go to in Lisbon. When you walk in here you’ll feel like you’ve traveled back in time; it is the kind of place that hasn’t changed in decades and that’s why the locals have been coming back for years. The menu caters to locals with traditional dishes you won’t easily find at places that cater to tourists. I came specifically for the arroz de cabidela, a unique hen and rice dish that also includes hen’s blood and vinegar. For those that might be unsure, the blood didn’t have a very strong flavor, it seemed to mostly make the dish darker and creamier. Chicken and rice is one of my favorite meals that I could eat almost every day, and this Portuguese variation was intensely comforting and hearty.
On Saturday, an 18-year-old gunman opened fire in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people and wounding three, most of whom were Black. Authorities called it a “straight-up racially-motivated hate crime,” and no wonder: The assailant had posted an 180-page manifesto, in which he parroted what’s become known as “Great Replacement,” a conspiracy theory claiming immigrants are trying to “replace” white people in America — a belief spread by a number of prominent GOP members.
Among them is, of course, Tucker Carlson. But another is Elise Stefanik, the third-ranking member of the GOP, who has dropped ads leaning hard on the conspiracy theory on Facebook. The New York representative’s name came up a lot after the gun massacre, enough that someone noticed that she’d failed to nab a certain url for her 2022 campaign. So he took it himself.
When Canadian comic Toby Morton snatched up the unused url www.elisestefanik2022.com, he quickly filled it with the kind of satire that’s what she might say if she had no filters. On the parody site, the slogan for Stefanik’s campaign is “Let’s Keep It White.” It also features a damning bio:
“I, Elise Stefanik, am a monster. I am a vile and disgusting politician who is responsible for the Buffalo NY shooting spree. How? What is in his manifesto is what I placed into his head. Why? Because I want power. I want votes. I don’t want to lead. I want to rule. People will lose lives, but that’s not my concern. I’m here for the exposure, the power, the control. I will continue to do everything in my power to raise White Supremacy higher than it’s ever been.”
If you click on the “about section, you get this: “I come from Whites. White people, Mmk?” it reads. “Let’s be clear where I come from because sure, Stefanik doesn’t exactly sound white, but I’m totally white. White White White!”
The Buffalo massacre — which came a mere day before another, also seemingly racially-motivated shooting at a church populated largely by Taiwanese people in Laguna Woods, California — earned a lot of responses…from the left. Everyone from CNN’s Jim Acosta to The View’s Ana Navarro pointed fingers at rightwing figures peddling the controversial conspiracy theory. Meanwhile, Patton Oswalt offered some gallows humor by pointing out that all Americans have to do to stay safe is, well, never go places.
When MultiVersus was first announced it felt like it was following a trend that was established by Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl where, if you have a deep library of licenses, you can attempt to copy the success of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. by taking a bunch of well known properties, putting them in a platform fighter together, and letting it loose. However, where All-Star Brawl failed by feeling like a collection of characters without much else going for it, MultiVersus has a chance to succeed.
Part of what made Super Smash Bros. so fun and what made All-Star Brawl so underwhelming had to do with the soul of the game. In Super Smash Bros. when Mario does his Up B coins appear out of his fist and the iconic jumping sound plays, Pikachu yells his name when he uses thunderbolts, and Link screams out a loud HYAH when he spins. It really does feel like the characters have been pulled out of their games so they could fight one another. All-Star Brawl meanwhile does not have voice acting, the characters don’t really do anything that feels very specific to themselves or the show they’re from, and all of it feels like it’s lacking that level of detail that makes Super Smash Bros. feel so unique.
YouTube
All of this is a really longwinded way of saying that the cinematic trailer for MultiVersus creates some hope that they see the mistakes of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and are taking the steps to avoid it. For starters, it features actual voice acting from these characters’ actual voice actors such as Kevin Conroy once again reprising his iconic role as Batman. Voices aren’t the only way this trailer helps create excitement around the game’s potential, but in how it’s presented. Obviously, it’s a cinematic trailer so we have to take parts of it with a grain of salt, but Shaggy catching a Bugs Bunny pie out of the air so he could eat it, only for the overly serious Arya Stark to slice it out of the air is too funny. This trailer shows the kind of soul that a licensed platform fighting game needs.
On Monday, PlayStation gave everyone a deeper look into what’s on the horizon for its new revamped PlayStation Plus service coming in June. For those that need a quick catch up, starting in June PlayStation has reorganized its online services PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now under one name. Before this restructuring, PlayStation Plus was how PlayStation owners gained access to basic services such as online multiplayer and free monthly games. PlayStation Now was Sony’s Game Pass like option where, for a monthly fee, PlayStation owners could play from the library of games currently available on Now. In this new format, all of this will be under the PlayStation Plus name and it will feature three tiers with varying levels of access.
In a PlayStation Blog post, we got to see what games are coming to this new PlayStation Plus service at launch. Considering this new service is likely meant to be in direct competition to Xbox Game Pass, a strong start would do a great job in establishing that Sony is serious about this new service. So how did they do? Well, when it comes to recent games it’s hard to argue against them doing anything besides leading with an incredible library. PlayStation Plus Premium and Deluxe subscribers are going to gain access to amazing games such as:
Red Dead Redemption 2
God of War
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
Control: Ultimate Edition
Dead Cells
Hollow Knight
Resident Evil
It’s worth noting that a lot of these games are not available on Game Pass and likely never will be with some of them being developed by PlayStation itself. Everyone knows strong third-party support is key to success though and this new service is going to have that with amazing Game of the Year caliber games like Red Dead Redemption 2 and Control.
While the library of recent releases is strong, we unfortunately can’t say the same for the starting library of Classic Edition or PlayStation 3 era games. While both definitely feature a few gems, it feels far weaker in comparison to the PS4 and PS5 library. Some of the highlights of the Classic and PS3 game selections can be found below.
Classic
Ape Escape
Hot Shots Golf
Tekken 2
Jak and Daxter trilogy (all remasters)
Rogue Galaxy (Remaster)
Bioshock Remastered
Borderlands The Handsome Collection
PlayStation 3 (Deluxe Only)
Ratchet and Clank PS3 trilogy
Infamous 1
Infamous 2
Devil May Cry HD Collection
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Again, this isn’t a terrible collection of games and there are some definite classics on there, but the original PlayStation will be turning 28 in December this year. To have a classics collection that doesn’t include Ridge Racer, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, or Metal Gear Solid feels like a wasted opportunity. The retro library needs some more love and hopefully will get some in the future.
Of the many subplots of the Suns disastrous Game 7 performance against the Mavs on Sunday night, the one that has the most bearing on Phoenix’s future is that of Deandre Ayton’s standing with the team.
Ayton played just 17 minutes and when Monty Williams was asked why Ayton got benched after the game, he sternly replied “it’s internal” and moved on to other topics. On Monday, Williams and Ayton had still not sat down to discuss whatever happened 1-on-1, although Monty had spoken with the team and seemed ready to move on, but given Ayton’s status as a restricted free agent this summer set to command a max contract, that entire situation complicates the Suns’ summer plans.
There were rumblings on Twitter from some fans in the Footprint Center near the Suns bench of an argument in the second half between Ayton and Williams in a tunnel, but no visual confirmation from TV cameras or anything that was noticed by those covering the game live. As such, that hasn’t become the massive topic it would if there were such video evidence and mostly it’s been a lot of shrugging and speculating on Ayton’s future.
However, Skip Bayless had a man on the ground in Phoenix sitting across from the Suns bench, none other than Lil Wayne (who got roasted for his “Luka a ho” tweet from earlier in the series), and was willing to report that Williams and Ayton had a spat that led to them being separated after Williams, allegedly, told Ayton he “quit on us.”
“From what our man Lil Wayne told me, he was sitting across [from the Suns bench], Monty got so upset with Ayton that he said, ‘You freaking quit on us'”
Skip Bayless with some insight on what happened between Monty Williams & Deandre Aytonpic.twitter.com/SbtNojdheH
Now, this is a wild game of telephone going from Lil Wayne seated across the court and either hearing this or lip-reading it (Bayless wasn’t sure which) and then relaying it to his close personal friend Skip Bayless who brought this information to a national TV audience. At some point, especially if Ayton departs Phoenix this summer, we will likely get some stronger sourced reporting on what exactly happened that got Ayton benched, but this would certainly explain why Monty was clearly upset about it after the game and not willing to discuss the matter.
If it ends up being the case, then everyone better credit pre-eminent NBA newsbreaker Lil Wayne for having the scoop first.
After getting run out of their own building by the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 on Sunday night, the Phoenix Suns were, unsurprisingly, the leading topic of conversation in the NBA world on Monday morning, as there were no games coming later that night to shift focus to just yet.
That performance, in which he called Paul a “cone” on defense who couldn’t guard anyone and said he and Paul George talked during Game 7 about how no one was afraid of the Suns, made Beverley the lead character of the NBA discourse by Monday afternoon. Damian Lillard called it “weird behavior,” while Matt Barnes took a more direct route when it was his turn to go on ESPN’s airwaves for NBA Today, lighting up Beverley for “clown” comments and reminding him of the place he holds in the game compared to Chris Paul.
.@Matt_Barnes22 was not a fan of Patrick Beverley’s criticism of Chris Paul:
“There’s a thin line between being critical and disrespecting. And I feel like what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul, was completely disrespectful and out of the line.” pic.twitter.com/3q2xmJLrB8
“Chris Paul’s obviously going to take a lot of the blame, as Ramona said and as Chris knows, he didn’t play well from Games 3-7. He played terrible and he’d tell you that. But what I want to touch on real quick RJ is the disrespect I saw from Pat Beverley earlier today. As reporters, as part of the media, we have a job to be critical, but I think there’s a thin line between being critical and disrespecting and what Pat Beverley did today to Chris Paul was completely disrespectful and out of line. And Pat Beverley’s talking like he’s that guy. You’re not that guy. Chris Paul played terrible this series and his numbers are still better than your career numbers have ever been. So I just think you have to understand, he’s a 12-time All-Star — he played terrible — All-Defense nine times, seven-times first-team All-Defense, he’ll be a Hall of Famer.
“Pat Bev and I were similar type role players. They don’t talk about us when we go, they’re gonna talk about CP3 when he’s done, and I just think the disrespect we saw earlier today on ESPN shows needs to be checked cause he’s way out of pocket. … All he needed was the red clown nose, cause he was out there talking like a clown. And I just think to me, again, CP is a legend in this game. We were role players, so have some respect for guys. He did play terrible and he’d be the first to tell you, but the shots Bev took today were just out of pocket. I know no one else is gonna tell him that, so I’m gonna tell him that.”
I like that he made sure to jump back in over Richard Jefferson to get the clown comment in, realizing he’d missed making that point initially. What seems to be the biggest point of contention from Barnes, Lillard, and others is that Beverley didn’t just criticize Paul’s play but clearly had an axe to grind and went out there and insinuated that his feelings towards Paul were the same as those around the league. That is what made guys want to pump the brakes and reel Beverley in, because he certainly made it seem like he was speaking for the NBA as a whole and that appears to not be the case in full.
The documentary filmmaker who is portrayed in HBO Max’s The Staircase is feeling uneasy about the dramatization of his filmmaking process.
Antionio Campos’The Staircaseis inspired by the real-life murder of Kathleen Peterson (played by Toni Collette) and the investigation into her husband Michael Peterson (played by Colin Firth) that followed. Part of that investigation also included a documentary called The Staircaseby director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. In the HBO series, the filming of the documentary is also portrayed, though de Lestrade isn’t too happy with the mini-series.
“We gave [Campos] all the access he wanted, and I really trusted the man,” de Lestrade told Vanity Fair, “So that’s why today I’m very uncomfortable, because I feel that I’ve been betrayed in a way.” de Lestrade feels that his portrayal was inaccurate. “Because I trust Antonio I didn’t ask him to read the script. I was respecting his liberty as an author, as a creator, as a filmmaker. And I never asked to watch the episodes before they were shown because I was quite confident.”
In HBO’s The Staircase, there is a scene where it suggests that de Lestrade and his co-workers are editing the documentary to appear in favor of Peterson in order the help with his appeal. “I understand if you dramatize. But when you attack the credibility of my work, that’s really not acceptable to me,” de Lestrade added.
de Lestrade also has issues with the portrayal of Sophie Brunet, an editor who was in a relationship with Peterson at the time. Brunet told Vanity Fair, “My relationship with Michael never affected my editing. I never, ever cut anything out that would be damaging for him.” Brunet also denied that she worked on the editing of the first eight episodes of the original docuseries.
“It’s alleged that we cut the documentary series in a way to help Peterson’s appeal, which is not true.” de Lestrade added, insisting that he was unbiased and still unsure of what happened that night. “I can’t tell you if he had something to do with the death of Kathleen, because I don’t know.”
This week on Top Chef, we were down to the top five chefs, so it was time to SHAKE THINGS UP. That meant the producers took the whole gang off to Galveston and dropped the winner of Last Chance Kitchen back into the competition. That winner was Sarah, and her arrival immediately… had the chefs settling back into pretty much the same pattern they had been in since episode four when Sarah first got booted (for not doppelganging hard enough).
Bees in a mason jar this was not, but hey, it was worth a shot. At least the favorites are interesting.
First stop in Galveston, which is an island, sorta, was of course da beach, for some gorgeous gulf seafood. For their quickfire challenge, which Padma noted was a Top Chef first (), the chefs would be tasked with preparing two different types seafoods (one hot, one cold) for a classic “Seafood Tower.”
Hmm, does two dishes really count as a “tower?” That sounds more like a seafood duplex or something. Did they not just repurpose the old “hot and cold” challenge (which I’m fairly certain I’ve seen a few times on this show) using stackable plates?
Anyway, I digress. The important thing is that Padma finally found a genie to turn a safari jacket into a tube top:
NBC Universal
Between this and the motorcycle jacket dress from a few episodes ago (below) I’m getting the distinct impression that Padma’s stylist this season loves pockets and belts.
NBC-Universal
If Padma is going to dress like this, I’m going to bust out my old cargo shorts. Love that extra pocket space, I can keep my pooka shells and travel-sized ICE Spiker in there. (GRR, SKA’S NOT DEAD! PICKITUP PICKITUP PICKITUP…)
After that, Hawaii’s best and chillest chef Sheldon Simeon showed up and gave the chefs all dossiers on the mystery diners they’d be cooking for in a family reunion-themed elimination challenge. To be prepared in a fancy VRBO rental house. This for a challenge sponsored by VRBO.com, which, we learned through constant repetition, is allegedly pronounced “verbo.”
To which I say: hey, VRBO, stop trying to make “verbo” happen. I know it’s your company and all, but the guy who invented the gif pronounces his own invention wrong too, that doesn’t mean we have to. “Verbo” is not a website. “Verbo” is a nickname for a guy named, I don’t know, Dave Verbal, in Australia. Oi, Verbo! Fetch us a tinny, ya cunt!
The mystery diners turned out to be the contestants’ own family members, and the chefs were invited to dine with them. Which made the whole thing extremely heartwarming, right up until the moment the judges had to clown their uninspired tatakis and poorly described paellas in front of the chefs’ own mothers. Harsh! I believe one chef is actually suing Tom Colicchio, alleging that the trauma from his harsh risotto review caused his wife to miscarry.
Okay, just kidding, I made that last part up. In fact, most of the drama at the judges’ table came from the weather. Deliberations even had to be moved indoors when the wind had the audacity to blow Tom’s hat off of his head.
NBC-Universal
You son of a bitch, that’s Tom’s judgin’ hat! I also like to imagine it’s the hat he uses fan his face while contemplating a plate of artichokes while muttering “Buona cera, buona cera.”
Hats for Tom, pockets for Padma. That’s this season’s theme.
It was actually insanely appropriate for the Galveston challenge to have to be moved indoors due to hurricane weather, given that a hurricane devastating Galveston in 1900 (still the deadliest natural disaster in US history) paved the way for Houston to emerge as a major city in the first place. Yes, I like to squeeze in a little historical context between these shitty jokes about hats, you’re welcome.
Elimination Challenge Dish: “Paella-inspired” heirloom rice with shrimp and calamari.
Ashleigh, who acknowledged her status as “queen of the bottom three” last week, was riding high off her top three finish in this week’s Quickfire, for her peel-and-eat jerk shrimp. Top Chef judges know it’s no fun knocking someone down if you don’t build them up a little first, and as soon as they’d given Ashleigh that little crumb of shrimp-based confidence they cut her down at the knees.
In fact they treated Ashleigh’s “paella-inspired” heirloom rice to the first Padma Spit Out of the season. Ew, gooey undercooked squid! Padma hates goo in her mouth!
Ashleigh explained that “the chef in my head was adamant about not overcooking the squid,” so after a brief sear she stuck it back in the marinade. Bad move! Yet pretty relatable, honestly, I can’t imagine cooking squid for these judges and not having them bitching about it being rubbery running through your mind the whole time.
Meanwhile Gail and Sheldon double teamed Ashleigh’s dish for not being “paella” enough. “It didn’t feel paella-inspired at all,” said Gail.
“Imagine you’re working all day, and someone tells you they’re making paella, and you come in to find this,” said Sheldon, to raucous laughter. Haha! She called the shit “paella!”
I’m sorry, guys, but you can’t just call something “not paella!” 10 times without unpacking that at all. It had rice, it had seafood, what was the problem? Though it was amazing watching Ashleigh have a heart-to-heart with her mom while the judges were five feet away going Mean Girls on her rice. A+ editing, guys.
5. (N/A) Sarah Welch
NBC Universal
AKA: Lula Roe. Aunt Frances. Kooky Librarian.
Family Guest: Her sister.
Elimination Challenge Dish: Tuna Tataki
Notable Quote: “The dope peanut sauce ended up in the wrong spot.”
Chef Sarah is back, baby! …Hooray?
Every season there’s at least one chef who, in Australian parlance, shits me to tears, and this season it’s Sarah (who to her credit, punched her ticket back into the competition with eight straight Last Chance Kitchen victories). It’s hard to explain this one, but it feels like Sarah is always doing the big eyes and side-to-side head thing as if indicating that she’s making a joke while not actually making a joke. It’s like she’s doing Marvel movie dialogue IRL. “So… that just happened…”
The producers brought Sarah’s sister along for the family reunion, whom Sarah assured us was “insanely charismatic.” Which they illustrated with footage of her having normal conversations with people. Oh my gosh, look at her, standing on two legs. What a charmer!
Apparently she and Sarah, whose parents owned a camp in Jamaica, used to get in all sorts of trouble together while roaming the island every summer as kids and teens. What kind of trouble, the producers asked? “…Nothing you can put on Bravo,” Sarah glibbed, glibly.
YES, GOD FORBID YOU REVEAL ANYTHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOURSELF.
For her sister, who is apparently one of those people who hates mushrooms so much that she quizzes waiters about them and claims to be allergic (ugh), Sarah made tuna tataki that landed her in the bottom three. She thought it was because she made an “aesthetic” decision that separated her tuna from her “dope peanut sauce.” Or, you know, it could just be that the dish looked and sounded boring.
4. (-1) Nick Wallace
NBC Universal
AKA: Domingo. Chocolate Mormon. The Count. The Mississippi Baker.
Family Guest: His mom.
Elimination Challenge Dish: Seafood pasta salad with smoked pork.
Nick couldn’t make his tortillas work in the quickfire, though his pivot to orzo revelation seemed to serve him well, with a top three finish and a mignonette that guest judge Shota said was his favorite, in a round with at least four mignonettes in it. Ayy, check out the Mignonette Maestro over here.
Unfortunately, Nick and his mom apparently don’t share a taste in food. “I don’t connect to this at all,” Nick said of his mom’s menu, before finding out it was her. “What kind of idiot likes this bullshit? …Oh, hi, mom.”
He ended up making a seafood salad-type thing with pork croutons that confused everyone, though they all agreed that it was spiced well (Nick’s 26, anyone??). Which is crazy, because “pork crouton” is the kind of phrase I lived my whole life up until now without ever hearing and now I feel like I can’t live without it.
3. (+1) Evelyn Garcia
NBC Universal
AKA: Cuddles.
Family Guest: Her dad.
Evelyn came out of the gate fast this week, winning the quickfire for her Thai-cajun shrimp boil. Which sounds fusion-y, but here in NorCal all my favorite shrimp boil joints are owned by Southeast Asians, which sets up an interesting “which ethnicity loves shrimp boils the most” conundrum.
For the elimination challenge, Evelyn’s mystery diner turned out to be her dad. Who didn’t have Evelyn fooled at all when he named “oxtail massaman curry” as his favorite dish, adorably pandering to his daughter’s Southeast Asian-style cooking. He also showed up rocking a Panama hat with croakies and a Tommy Bahama-style shirt with the sleeves creased like a true pimp.
You may not like it, but this is what Peak Successful Southern Dad looks like:
NBC-Universal
In a week of cute family members, I have to think these two were the cutest. God damn they’re cute.
Evelyn made a Southeast Asian-inspired fried whole snapper that everyone seemed to love and landed her in the top three. With a win and a top three this episode it’s clear that Evelyn is peaking at the right time, but will it be enough to put her ahead of this season’s perennial favorites? Uh… time will tell. (What am I, Nostradamus? It’s a food show).
2. (even) Damarr Brown
NBC Universal
AKA: Catchphrase. James Beard. Screech. Dusty.
Family Guest: His mentor/boss.
Elimination Challenge Dish: Green herb-crusted redfish.
Damarr stumbled, with a bottom three finish in this week’s quickfire, then roared back with redfish in the elimination challenge that seemed like it only narrowly missed out on the win. He also revealed that his mom is in a wheelchair and his aunt takes care of her, which is why they couldn’t attend. Though his mom did send a note with Damarr’s mentor telling him how much she wished she was there and how proud of Damarr she is and GOD DAMMIT STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME CRY DURING A COOKING SHOW!
This motherfucker tries harder to make me cry than the first 10 minutes of Up. I’m nicknaming Damarr Dusty because it always seems to get dusty in the room when Damarr gets a heartfelt message from his family. I gotta get these air filters cleaned out.
1. (even) Buddha Lo
NBC Universal
AKA: Buddha. Mr. International. Big Pun. Asian Ben Mendelsohn. The Salad Nazi. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Terminator.
Family Guest: His wife.
Elimination Challenge: Pasta Amatriciana, aka “Marry Me Pasta.”
Buddha went full wife guy this episode, when his very beautiful, very Australian wife showed up, apparently wearing her finest pajamas:
NBC Universal
But hey, I’m no fashion critic, I’m just a guy who writes about Top Chef wearing sweat pants most days (they’re “joggers,” mom, it’s called “athleisure!”).
More importantly, Buddha’s wife’s arrival allowed him to tell the story of their relationship through food, specifically of the day they met, when she cooked a family meal of pasta amatriciana at the restaurant and Buddha told her it was so good that he would marry her.
Buddha must be one of the cleverest chefs this show has ever had, and it seems like every damned week he comes through with a story to explain the food as dialed in as the food itself. In that regard, this week was no different, with Buddha winning the challenge and getting rave reviews from his Oz-wife herself. Who took one bite of his Marry Me Pasta and gushed, “Bud-da, this is SAUR good.”
All I could think of the whole time was the “Australian girlfriend” episode of Flight of the Conchords. Just watch that and pretend I made some of those jokes here, I’m never going to do funnier Australian jokes than a Kiwi.
Anyway, Buddha, who I’ve pointed out in past rankings seems to be at his best when he’s at his most detached and fussiest — serving up conceptual odes to space travel and girlbosses — proved at last that he can also do rustic “soulful” food with a story about love and family. Only with Buddha could I imagine that him screwing this up two or three times and then nailing it right before the finale was all part of the plan. Everything seems part of the plan with this guy. No one has ever been seemed this calculating on this show before. That’s why he’s the favorite this week and it wasn’t a tough decision.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Skip Bayless with some insight on what happened between Monty Williams & Deandre Ayton
), the chefs would be tasked with preparing two different types seafoods (one hot, one cold) for a classic “Seafood Tower.” 
