The combo was 🤢🤢🤢
I love eggplant. And crab. Man this looked so good and sounded so so so bad like there was no amount of salt that was going to send this into the stratosphere.
This is what drove me the craziest personally. “No one has ever made eggplant with crab!” Ok fine but eggplant with shrimp is an extremely common Cantonese dish, she did not invent anything that brilliant here!
I don’t disagree with you. Even thinking of the taste profile makes me woozy even though i feel like she was shooting for the stars for an umami vibe and expected to hit the moon.
I mostly just object to eggplant slander. It’s like okra 2.0
Eggplant is divine. I’m shocked that she didn’t know how to cook it properly. There are so many interesting ways to prepare it! I don’t think I’ve had a slimy eggplant ever!
Especially with a Tamil cuisine background I’m baffled at her choice. Chaos indeed.
If she wanted to do chaos with eggplant, why not do a deep fried eggplant meatball with cheese and then add crab some other way with dish? Or a crazy take on eggplant parmesian? I make both dishes for Lent as I love eggplant and even if it wouldn't have won, still would have tasted better. That dish looked gross. And I really like Rasika.
Someone else has posted it's an age thing. I agree. If we saw her in 10 years, it may be a different story with maturity. I doubt she tasted this dish.
I like her too, but aw man....slimy eggplant is the worst and hard to come back from. I'm glad they didn't do a double elimination like they threatened to. Michelle is my other favorite.
Sorry but I didn't like how twice so far she called dibs on a certain dish during team challenges. First she "called" dessert after someone else had wanted it. Then she complained she couldn't do dessert again since she already did it.
I do think they look down on it but also, baking and dealing with chocolate and sugar and flour is a whole different skillset. Pastry chefs are trained practically as chemists and if a chef doesn’t have confidence in those skills then they are afraid of getting eliminated for playing it safe or really screwing up.
Like I cannot bake for my life. I absolutely suck at it. Savory dishes are where I thrive. I’d be scared being out of my comfort zone.
What also sucked is some of the others made dishes that they make frequently or have at their restaurants. Versus the bottom two actually trying to do something creative/chaotic for the first time ever. They had more creativity and talent than many still left!!!
the comments from the judges were unanimously harsh but it sounds like she deserved them. She could have won the whole season. Let’s see her come back. I like Michelle, she’s a sweetheart, but I think this should have been a double elimination considering the different cooks she put on her dish. For one to be so under cooked and the other overcooked…. seems like a rookie mistake.
I feel like they wouldn’t do a double elimination right away…too much turnover in one episode, and they want the drama for at least a few episodes of a possible double elimination?
I see a lot of people saying this season is "overproduced" which I understand, but also love that they are breaking some traditions by having 4 in the winner's circle and 2 on the bottom.
Her dish didn’t seem good at all. Also she posted a video of that eggplant crab dish on her instagram the day after the episode aired (now deleted) which shows that she can’t take criticism. I liked her at first but I feel like she got a little over confident with her success. Like lecturing Dan how he should have presented his dish. Her dish last week wasn’t good either.
exactly how it should’ve gone, Rasika’s got skills, but she’s been the walking embodiment of hubris from jump and a reckoning was inevitable. I like Michelle but I was happy to see her get shook a lil bit, her “I’m just a pit master” pose was starting to show some cracks as she continues to bring refined, classical techniques and creativity.
I thought for sure it was Michelle - didn’t embrace the challenge and served raw pork??? Usually undercooked chicken or pork gets you gone.
Rasika will be back. Calling it now. It’s almost as if they want to push viewers to LCK and it will make for a great narrative in KK’s first season since she was the first LCK winner. 🤔
Yea I think since they have started last chance kitchen, they have been more okay with sending home people who are pretty good because Tom still gets to eat their food and if they are that good, they should be able to return. I still think that was completely the case with Kristen, there’s no way in hell they would have sent her home over Josie if there wasn’t last chance kitchen
The way the eggplant looked was incredibly unappealing, I can only imagine how bad the texture was! I was surprised she didn’t just look at it, scrap the idea and make an omelette
I was shocked. I stan Michelle, but Rasika has been amazing. I reminded myself that this is the upset and brilliance of Top Chef. One dish can upend a great run.
But they've made it clear throughout the run of the show, that body of work means jack until the finale. Up to the finale, it's one dish can pack your knives.
Yes producers meddle in reality shows but there’s a 0 percent chance they are hinging whether or not LCK shoots will happen on what happens in the main game. Too much planning, personnel and budget involved
you seem to be looking for behind the scenes fuckery when there probably isn’t any, while I’m watching world class chefs compete against each other and just assuming nobody’s telling them what to do because why would that even be a thing
You are projecting way too much into my comment. Occasionally producers involve themselves in decision-making in order to create drama or more interesting situations. I’m watching the same television show as you are. It doesn’t make you a better person than me because I believe they sent a front runner home to create more interest. They did the same thing with Kristen for God’s sake. I’m not speaking out of my ass. One of my closest friends has worked on the show since it started. This happens.
Yes, while Rasika walked into it with the terrible plate, I'm sure they were delighted for the opportunity to repeat the Kish comeback story in Kristen's first season as host. I also tend to question a loss when Tom leads w the "under seasoned" critique.
I appreciate that she took a risk, even if it meant failing. No one else seems to be willing to do that this season (so far). I do hope she comes back from LCK and I hope the other contestants grow some balls and start doing some things that are interesting.
I messaged Rasika on insta yesterday to say that I was rooting for her and that she was amazing! She actually responded. I cannot wait for her to come back. Totally agree that the eggplant and crab combination sounded terrible from the get go 😭
If the judges table had been comprised of birds, her slug loaf would've been a hit. Other than that no one was gonna give her a pass for it. She deserved the elimination. On that note I think they know she'll make it out of LCK to compete in the finale which is why they kept Michelle imo.
I thought she was probably the best chef going off of previous challenges. But I really didn’t like the way she bullied two different chefs to get the food she wanted to make. Not really sad to see her go, but she’s such a good chef (steamed eggplant excluded) I’d be shocked if she doesn’t win last chance kitchen
I liked her as well but that dish was doomed.
Eggplant already is the world’s worst vegetable and to steam it on top of that?
Matty told Tom during their kitchen visit that it would taste weird & crappy due to how she was cooking it. Something about the filling melting away.
Steaming the cream will turn it to mush, or something like that.
The combo was 🤢🤢🤢 I love eggplant. And crab. Man this looked so good and sounded so so so bad like there was no amount of salt that was going to send this into the stratosphere.
In Singapore (probably parts of Southeast Asia), we stirfry eggplant with prawn paste chilli and minced meat. So good when you eat it with rice!
This is what drove me the craziest personally. “No one has ever made eggplant with crab!” Ok fine but eggplant with shrimp is an extremely common Cantonese dish, she did not invent anything that brilliant here!
Not if it’s prepared correctly. That was her downfall. I can think of several eggplant dishes i would eat every day of the week if i could.
Same but eggplant slick rolled up with crab like that. Just ill conceived I can’t imagine where it was coming from. I love eggplant.
I don’t disagree with you. Even thinking of the taste profile makes me woozy even though i feel like she was shooting for the stars for an umami vibe and expected to hit the moon. I mostly just object to eggplant slander. It’s like okra 2.0
Hey now-I love!!! Okra!!! It sounded like a dish that was on a seasoning deficit going straight in, and there was not much done to remedy that.
Eggplant is divine. I’m shocked that she didn’t know how to cook it properly. There are so many interesting ways to prepare it! I don’t think I’ve had a slimy eggplant ever! Especially with a Tamil cuisine background I’m baffled at her choice. Chaos indeed.
It's delightful if you cook it properly, and by cook it properly I mean fry or roast it in half a bottle of olive oil.
Yes, and don't forget the cheese 😋
Or zaatar!!
Or gochujang!
The edit made me think she was gonna pull it off. Sigh. Wasted that king crab.
If she wanted to do chaos with eggplant, why not do a deep fried eggplant meatball with cheese and then add crab some other way with dish? Or a crazy take on eggplant parmesian? I make both dishes for Lent as I love eggplant and even if it wouldn't have won, still would have tasted better. That dish looked gross. And I really like Rasika. Someone else has posted it's an age thing. I agree. If we saw her in 10 years, it may be a different story with maturity. I doubt she tasted this dish.
She should have said it was meant to be flavorless that was the Choas.
That dish though 🫠
I figured she was gonna be a contender all season long was crazy she flamed out like that.
I like her too, but aw man....slimy eggplant is the worst and hard to come back from. I'm glad they didn't do a double elimination like they threatened to. Michelle is my other favorite.
My dumb ass has been trying to watch the latest episode of LCK. Duh. She is the only one there until next week. 😃
Imagine they do a last chance kitchen episode with just 1 competitor and they lose 😂
Me too like can I watch her just sort of sit there sad and wait because I would lol
I’m so so sad about this. She has to come back from LCK. She’s such a bright spot on that show.
Sorry but I didn't like how twice so far she called dibs on a certain dish during team challenges. First she "called" dessert after someone else had wanted it. Then she complained she couldn't do dessert again since she already did it.
And the second time she had immunity.
Yep! Also it rubs me the wrong way how certain chefs look down on desserts.
I do think they look down on it but also, baking and dealing with chocolate and sugar and flour is a whole different skillset. Pastry chefs are trained practically as chemists and if a chef doesn’t have confidence in those skills then they are afraid of getting eliminated for playing it safe or really screwing up. Like I cannot bake for my life. I absolutely suck at it. Savory dishes are where I thrive. I’d be scared being out of my comfort zone.
What also sucked is some of the others made dishes that they make frequently or have at their restaurants. Versus the bottom two actually trying to do something creative/chaotic for the first time ever. They had more creativity and talent than many still left!!!
I dunno if I agree that Michelle’s was chaotic/creative. I think out of all of them hers felt the most safe, which is why she got dinged.
Yeah but the losing dish sucked
Exactly. The challenge was dangerous.
the comments from the judges were unanimously harsh but it sounds like she deserved them. She could have won the whole season. Let’s see her come back. I like Michelle, she’s a sweetheart, but I think this should have been a double elimination considering the different cooks she put on her dish. For one to be so under cooked and the other overcooked…. seems like a rookie mistake.
I feel like they wouldn’t do a double elimination right away…too much turnover in one episode, and they want the drama for at least a few episodes of a possible double elimination?
I see a lot of people saying this season is "overproduced" which I understand, but also love that they are breaking some traditions by having 4 in the winner's circle and 2 on the bottom.
yeah they gotta get some mileage out of “one…….. or BOTH of you could be packing your knives”. I feel so manipulated and I love it
I was so bummed too! I thought she had the goods to win the whole thing. I am also manifesting her return through LCK.
It's already been filmed 😅 Edit: am I incorrect?
not the point 🪄
Her dish didn’t seem good at all. Also she posted a video of that eggplant crab dish on her instagram the day after the episode aired (now deleted) which shows that she can’t take criticism. I liked her at first but I feel like she got a little over confident with her success. Like lecturing Dan how he should have presented his dish. Her dish last week wasn’t good either.
She was my fave too. Legit heart broken to see her go out like that.
She will most definitely fight her way back and be better for it. Her dish was horrendous all the way around.
All it takes is one bad dish !
exactly how it should’ve gone, Rasika’s got skills, but she’s been the walking embodiment of hubris from jump and a reckoning was inevitable. I like Michelle but I was happy to see her get shook a lil bit, her “I’m just a pit master” pose was starting to show some cracks as she continues to bring refined, classical techniques and creativity.
I’m hoping she comes back in LCK. She’s won a lot of challenges so she has a chance to come back. Remember that’s how Kristin won.
Yes but I also didn’t register until the last episode that she’s only 25!! Amazing skills despite a really bad dish.
I feel like she’s has a real chance to come back in last chance kitchen
I thought for sure it was Michelle - didn’t embrace the challenge and served raw pork??? Usually undercooked chicken or pork gets you gone. Rasika will be back. Calling it now. It’s almost as if they want to push viewers to LCK and it will make for a great narrative in KK’s first season since she was the first LCK winner. 🤔
Yea I think since they have started last chance kitchen, they have been more okay with sending home people who are pretty good because Tom still gets to eat their food and if they are that good, they should be able to return. I still think that was completely the case with Kristen, there’s no way in hell they would have sent her home over Josie if there wasn’t last chance kitchen
Same here! She’s so good. I think she’ll do well on last chance kitchen tho.
Same, I was convinced she’d win with relative ease
The way the eggplant looked was incredibly unappealing, I can only imagine how bad the texture was! I was surprised she didn’t just look at it, scrap the idea and make an omelette
I could see a dominating last chance kitchen appearance.
I was shocked. I stan Michelle, but Rasika has been amazing. I reminded myself that this is the upset and brilliance of Top Chef. One dish can upend a great run.
I thought her body of work to this point was gonna save her.
But they've made it clear throughout the run of the show, that body of work means jack until the finale. Up to the finale, it's one dish can pack your knives.
Well that's what they say, certainly, but I have a hard time believing it's actually true.
Didn't they even use the term “slimy” to describe the taste?
I gasped when she was sent home! Hopefully she will be back!
Nobody wants to eat a garden slug, and I’m sure she’ll be back from last chance kitchen. It smacked of producer interference.
The producers didn't force her to make a bad dish that all the judges hated. She can clearly do better but every plate counts
I did not say that they did. They took advantage of the opportunity.
How? Like there was not going to be another LCK and now there is?
Yes
Yes producers meddle in reality shows but there’s a 0 percent chance they are hinging whether or not LCK shoots will happen on what happens in the main game. Too much planning, personnel and budget involved
What do you mean by that? What, specifically, was interfered with?
you appear to enjoy this show in a different way than I do
And?
you seem to be looking for behind the scenes fuckery when there probably isn’t any, while I’m watching world class chefs compete against each other and just assuming nobody’s telling them what to do because why would that even be a thing
You are projecting way too much into my comment. Occasionally producers involve themselves in decision-making in order to create drama or more interesting situations. I’m watching the same television show as you are. It doesn’t make you a better person than me because I believe they sent a front runner home to create more interest. They did the same thing with Kristen for God’s sake. I’m not speaking out of my ass. One of my closest friends has worked on the show since it started. This happens.
Yes, while Rasika walked into it with the terrible plate, I'm sure they were delighted for the opportunity to repeat the Kish comeback story in Kristen's first season as host. I also tend to question a loss when Tom leads w the "under seasoned" critique.
Looking at your name, I kinda wish one of the chefs had used durian for the challenge. That'd be chaos alright.
that's exactly what it feels like to me too!
I like to gamble and my money is on her winning LCK.
I appreciate that she took a risk, even if it meant failing. No one else seems to be willing to do that this season (so far). I do hope she comes back from LCK and I hope the other contestants grow some balls and start doing some things that are interesting.
I messaged Rasika on insta yesterday to say that I was rooting for her and that she was amazing! She actually responded. I cannot wait for her to come back. Totally agree that the eggplant and crab combination sounded terrible from the get go 😭
You're only as good as your last dish. I love her too but it sounded bad. Hopefully she will fight her way back to the finale. Finger's crossed!
If the judges table had been comprised of birds, her slug loaf would've been a hit. Other than that no one was gonna give her a pass for it. She deserved the elimination. On that note I think they know she'll make it out of LCK to compete in the finale which is why they kept Michelle imo.
She has a great chance of coming back through LCK.
I thought she was probably the best chef going off of previous challenges. But I really didn’t like the way she bullied two different chefs to get the food she wanted to make. Not really sad to see her go, but she’s such a good chef (steamed eggplant excluded) I’d be shocked if she doesn’t win last chance kitchen
She was the obvious favorite until her elimination. Good chance she'll be back though.