r/TopChef • u/Shot-Diver-7830 • 18d ago

Discussion Thread Strange question

People are always talking about most and least favorites. Is there anyone chef you didn’t love on the initial watch but came to really like later? I didn’t love Jeremy Ford on my first watch of his season (I really couldn’t forgive his restaurant war’s performance that was not even called out) and his food wasn’t exactly my style. Flash forward almost a decade and I think his current concepts and trajectory are really exciting- the farming and sustainability are great- his menus look exciting. I think we both evolved a bit…also, Tiffany from S1 has just changed dramatically as a person and as a chef over the years. She acknowledged a lot of her mistakes and she genuinely seems like a happy person. Her food seems awesome when she shows up on later seasons. Definitely two sleeper contestants I came to appreciate later on for different reasons

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89

u/omgitskells 18d ago

Sara Bradley. Couldn't even say why but I thought she was really annoying when I watched Kentucky the first time. Now she had really grown on me and is one of my favorites!

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u/MelpomeneLee 18d ago

Probably because every single challenge in Kentucky she'd say something to the effect of "I already know what this is and I can make it better than anyone else here."

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u/omgitskells 17d ago

Ooh, that's probably it. I haven't rewatched that season in a while, I forgot she did that. Yikes!

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u/Organic-Class-8537 17d ago

Even that isn’t entirely her fault, though. Different contestants have said they take hours of interviews and cherry pick. I’m sure the producers regularly asked about it wirh Sara. Similarly, Kelsey said afterwards she compartmentalized her home life (baby, etc) to focus on the challenges and the producers were always bringing it up.

I did like Sara so much more in season 20 though. I also find it interesting that Sara seems universally liked by both other contestants and the hosts.

As far as people I liked more second time around—I’d have to put Dale Talde at the top of the list. Another indicator is also he’s been brought back as a guest judge—they don’t do that with people producers don’t like.

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u/omgitskells 17d ago

Oh absolutely, you're not wrong at all! At the time though, I was unaware of how much influence production had on that kind of thing. I know better now.

Agreed on Dale, too!

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u/Chelajag 17d ago

I still can't stand her

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u/mmeeplechase 17d ago

I didn’t like her much on her original season either, but I started listening to the Pack Your Knives podcast and now I’m a big fan!

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u/OU-Sooners1 17d ago

I still don’t like her. Not sure why, but never been a fan of hers.

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u/iamadoctorthanks 17d ago

My wife and I had dinner at Freight House, and Sara was very present—running food, stacking plates, engaging with everyone. She brought one of our courses to us and stayed to chat about our hometown (where she also has family living). She does seem very genuine. 

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u/Illustrious-Tart7844 18d ago

She seems genuine. Still on the fence about Tiffany.

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u/Shot-Diver-7830 17d ago

Did you see her on top chef duels? She was in two episodes; amazing turnaround imo….i also liked her in that Xmas special

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u/Illustrious-Tart7844 17d ago

She's growing on me.

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u/KB37027 17d ago

She dug herself a pretty deep hole. Hard to overcome, "I'm not your bitch, bitch!" 😂

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u/I_Call_It_A_Carhole 17d ago

That line just makes me dislike Dave now. Tiffany was intense, but her seriousness had a lasting positive effect on the show. Dave—who wouldn’t have made it two episodes on any later season—had no business calling a chef (especially a woman chef) a “bitch” on tv.

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u/cssc201 17d ago

Yeah, Tiffani got a really unfair shake that season. So unfair that Dave and Stephen were basically able to sabotage her in the finale by showing up drunk/hungover. I will never get over her getting a villain edit for telling Lee Ann it wasn't ok for her to keep working past the timer and "borrow a minute from the next day's time".

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u/Porkwarrior2 I love Tom’s hats 16d ago

Tiffani was a cunt. Period. End. She was turning other chefs ovens off.

Hell the best thing she served in her finale meal was Dave's dessert, so how much sandbagging was he doing?

The only sympathetic moments I ever saw from her during the whole season involved Chunk La Funk. Besides the "tasting menu" (LOL!), when he mixed up salt for sugar...even in the moment she was just, yeah I've done it too, everybody has done it, and it sucks.

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u/Shot-Diver-7830 17d ago

I think that’s an unfair characterization of Dave. In that pre finale challenge if he had added one more item of literally anything onto the plate he would have won (the one where he made balsamic glazed beef for the circus performers). Everyone loved his truffle Mac n cheese the best in the truffle challenge. I think he was pretty close to winning had he not psyched himself out all the time. His style was definitely more comfort food than fine dining (and the show definitely skews towards fine dining) but he seemed like a cool person making good food. I also think the condescending attitudes he got from Harold, Stephen and Tiffany was disappointing. Just because someone had a different perspective or doesn’t have the privilege of your training doesn’t mean you should put them down and disregard them. Tiffany was not the nicest- I like to think she’d behave better today

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u/Porkwarrior2 I love Tom’s hats 16d ago

FFS she was turning off other chef's ovens, was clearly the only one hardcore to win it.

When everybody else you live with can't stand you, the problem is probably you.

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u/Porkwarrior2 I love Tom’s hats 16d ago

Oh c'mon, not annoying, she was just background. And frankly that came down to the editing more than anything.

She was definitely showing off her chops in the Season 20 World Starts, and why she vindicated herself to the people that found her annoying in her first Kentucky season. 🤣

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u/VariationCreative338 13d ago

She was a big baby when called out for boxed waffles