Well, if the actual facts are that cut and dried, why are you writing RPF?

There's a reason classic food is classic. I just felt as if a lot of what Brooke produced may have been really beautiful versions of things I've had before, but they weren't anything new or creative.

I genuinely feel bad for her at this point, because she clearly realizes that she came across really badly. She should probably stop doubling down now.

The racism isn't really lending all that much to your credibilty, so you know.

I think it's gimmicky, honestly. They're asking for chef-quality results in tv-quality timeframes. In their own kitchens those stocks would have been working for hours.

Do you genuinely believe that if she had ordered it she wouldn't have insisted that the hotel provide it? If you have to think of reasons that Brooke would have repeatedly said it was her fault that don't involve it being Brooke's fault, you may be stretching. Sheldon was also involved in the ordering. Surely if…

Even if the judge's panel is frequently TFN's worst, I used to really enjoy Chopped. But then they rehabilitated that psycho racist shrike Robyn from Hell's Kitchen and I gave up.

I'm really excited about the Iron Chef reboot, at least 2/3 of which will not involve Bobby Flay. If they restrict Alex to the judging panels on the Flay shows I'll be a very happy camper watching Symon and Morimoto.

So s/he can make condescending comments about how superior his/her perceptions of the food he didn't eat are?

I think Hung set the bar high for asshole winners. Josea and Ilan were certainly bigger assholes, but Hung's food was so exciting that there was never really a question of that season going to someone nicer.

Yes, actually, I did see lots of folks bitching about the lesser Volt. I still do. And Blais has been wildly unpopular pretty much since the end of that season, everyone hated Josea, Ilan is a pig, when Mei Lin was competing everyone was required by law to comment on her resting bitch face, any mention of Nick causes…

Brooke did well. So did Shirley, who never screwed up badly enough to be sent home. It's really not as clearcut as that. Certainly not according to the televised conversation amongst the judges who ate the food.

I appreciate your thoughtfulness about this, but you're maybe eliding the possibility that people who wanted Shirley or Sheldon to win might have genuinely thought that their culinary sensibilities were more interesting and original than Brooke's skilled but fairly mundane chez casa de la maison house palate? Pleny of…

I still mourn Tiffany in that finale.

Actually, they were (according to the judges, who actually tasted the food) neck and neck going into dessert, which Brooke pretty clearly lost. That they came down on one side rather than the other isn't a gross scandal, but the judges in no way supported your spin on Brooke being a clear winner going into dessert.…

It probably wouldn't have come off as badly if it hadn't followed her condescending comment about Shirley's menu being 'obvious'

Brooke's food is better thought out than Blais'. She just mishandled her previous loss in a similar way.

I'm not happy about the result, but overall I thought it was a good season. Lots of Sheldon and Shirley, grownup John, Katsuji having to eat losing, not as obnoxious Amanda, Sylvia and Sylva…

I hope that Brooke's comments about Shirley (and John) were from a single ungracious interview spread out by the editors over many weeks of voiceovers, because if not she did herself no service. That was unpleasant.

It's interesting that you believe that Brooke won the second course. The judges had that conversation and agreed that it was a draw.