‘Top Chef All-Stars’ Episode 2 recap: Jen gives it back to the judges

Wow. I loved seeing Jen Carroll talking back to the “Top Chef” judges in Wednesday’s episodes. So often the judges blur the line between constructive criticism and insult and Jen decided she wasn’t going to take it any longer.

“You guys are smart enough. You’re the judges. Why didn’t you say ‘hey can I get a different plate for this,'” Jen said in response to Head Judge Tom Clolicchio asking why they put all their food on one plate.

And that was just a sampling of the things she said. It was awesome. Unfortunately, we won’t be hearing her talk back any longer. The judges sent her home. And they say it’s not because of her attitude but because her dish was crap.

Backing up, the episode opens with Padma and Joe Jonas revealing the chefestants’ quickfire challenge. They have to make a late night snack for a group of kids sleeping over in a museum. Joe judges. He hates Stephen’s, Tiffany D’s and Mike’s. He liked Spike’s and Tiffani F’s. So it’s a tie. So, to decide who wins, they’re going to go to the museum and let the kids choose. So the those two have to make a lot of their treats so they divide into two teams to help them pull that off.

Spike’s potato chip and weird dip treat fails to impress. Tiffany’s chocolate moon pie wins. Tom then shows up and tells them their elimination challenge starts then and there. They have to sleep in the museum and make breakfast for the kids and their parents. And they stay on the teams from earlier.

Tiffany, being the quickfire winner, chooses to be team T-Rex, which means they can only cook with meats and dairy. Spike’s team are team team brontosaurus, which includes fruits and vegetables.

It turns out that Tiffany thought she was making the best choice, but cooking with ONLY meats and meat byproducts can’t be easy. No spices, no veggies. Nothing but meat. And the final outcome reflects that. Team brontosaurus win. The winning dish comes from Marcel, Richard and Angelo (which I believe I’ve already predicted as a final three despite how obvious it is).

So that decision brings us back to Jen’s defensive display at the judge’s table. I don’t recall a contestant ever talking back like that. I’ll say it again. It was delicious. I’m really sad to see her go. I’ll also use this space to say I think Jamie should’ve gone home for doing nothing.

SCORE CARD

Quickfire winner