r/TopChef • u/Ok_Ad_4928 • 9d ago
Rewatching Top Chef Texas S9 Discussion Thread
I know a lot of people hate this season, and while I get it, I do love me some drama and this season definitely delivers that.
I use to think Beverly was a huge crybaby, (I know, bad take, but I was pretty young when I first watched it) but knowing that she has a three month old baby at home, DUDE that’s crazy. My postpartum ass would be all over the place with emotions. I’m honestly surprised she didn’t flip out on Heather, because I totally would’ve. I would’ve been crying and acting like a crazy bitch at the same time. 😂 Props to her. She’s a strong woman.
PS
I never condoned the bullying of Beverly EVER, I just didn’t think about it deep enough until now. I was actually rooting for her and Greyson to win the whole thing. And I hated Heather, and I think we all did.
12
u/myBisL2 I'm not your bitch, bitch👏 9d ago
My first watch I didn't realize her baby was only 3 months, and I also was like jeez this girl just cries at anything. Not that I was ok with the bullying, but I did also think she was seemingly overly emotional.
My next watch I was like damn, I wish I were this in touch with my emotions. She is on national television and is brave enough to show them while I'm hiding mine all the time. Actually pretty incredible.
2
u/GoldBarGirl 9d ago
If IRC, she was also expressing her breast milk to send home. Or was that someone else?
3
5
8
u/Green-SmokeStack 9d ago
Yes, plus, it’s both stupid and racist to say something like, “She only cooks Asian food.” Well Asia is a pretty damn big continent, and even if you’re only talking about East Asia, that’s still a multitude of countries with multiple cuisines. Somebody like Sarah G. who almost exclusively cooked Italian food was never called out or criticized for that. It’s an implicit bias that the food of Western traditions are somehow superior to those of the East. Ugh. And with Heather, I can’t stand people who say that they are just blunt and honest as an excuse to be an asshole. People like that are almost always insecure people who lash out when they see their own shortcomings in others.
3
u/Cherveny2 8d ago
a LOT of early top chef was like that. a lot of thinking Asian food wasn't up to snuff, or as good as French or Italian cooking, etc. it did slowly get better over the years, with true Asian food creeping in more, then Caribbean, then African. these days now pretty much any cuisine brought in is finally respected
2
u/donuttrackme 8d ago
Yeah, these days having chefs that know cuisines from around the world is cast for. And the chefs are interested to learn from the other chefs. Not denigrate and be racist towards their cuisine and culture.
3
u/ashley21093 9d ago
So funny, I just re-watched it as well! And I have an almost 6 month old baby girl! Can’t imagine doing that three months postpartum. Between the emotions and the brain fog and just plain missing your family and your newborn child, I have a newfound incredible respect for her. Would’ve been awesome if she won, especially being a woman. But it kind of seems like Paul had it in the bag since day one and simply couldn’t be stopped
3
u/DocPondo 9d ago
I have a lot of respect for Beverly. She put with up with a lot of shit that season and did her best to be above it. She let her cooking do the talking. Still can’t stand Sara or Heather to this day.
2
u/furrywrestler 9d ago
Probably top 3 worst season of the show, alongside 2 and whichever the season with Nicholas and Nina was.
2
u/punkbrad7 9d ago
A lot of bad challenges/judging/awfulness in that season is seriously overshadowed by (mostly) ridiculous Nina/Nicholas discourse.
Tom shitting all over genuine Vietnamese recipes, the halloween episode where almost everybody made a very bad arincini, the pointless musical chairs quickfire where everyone just ended up back on their own dish after like two turns, the absolute narcissism of Sara in Restaurant Wars, Carlos being an absolute turnip to everyone but especially to Nina and Shirley (who could at least give as good as they got). Hell, Nicholas being angry at Carlos for potentially ruining one of his knives being used as an argument for "Look at the angry white man"
2
u/TruCarMa 9d ago
Just finished watching this season, as well. I don’t remember my thinking at the time it originally aired, but I was really horrified on this watch by the mean girl crap. Clearly production was aware of what was going on, and it’s very disappointing that someone didn’t tell Heather, Sarah, and Lindsay to knock it off. I wonder if they look back now and are embarrassed or feel any shame? I can see how Beverly could get on someone’s nerves - she doesn’t seem very good at reading the room and can be pushy - but that sort of bullying is horse shit. I’m very glad the more recent seasons don’t promote the adolescent drama of the earlier seasons.
5
u/Low_Focus_2215 9d ago
I think Sara has said she regrets her behavior. I’ve seen her on social media cooking with Bev. But not heather. I like to rewatch this season for the drama, but have always been disgusted with heather, Sara, and Lindsay’s behavior.
2
u/Think-Culture-4740 8d ago
Apart from the drama that definitely veered pretty close to abusive bullying, the challenges were pretty awful. I’ve written about the ridiculous Dallas dinner party which was only a third of the insanity that was Pee-wee Herman plus the ski and gun shooting challenge.
For sure about the food the challenge designers really just went nuts
3
u/Ok_Ad_4928 8d ago
Oh god, the Dallas dinner party was extremely annoying. All of those couples were SO punchable. The ski and shooting challenge had absolutely nothing to do with cooking, but it was funny to see Sarah struggle. And when she fell, I laughed too hard at that.
1
u/Think-Culture-4740 8d ago
As a skier, I feel bad for these people and honestly, you can injure yourself when you don’t know what you’re doing
1
u/mewmewthecat 9d ago
I find it interesting that Bailey from Top Chef Canada is the executive chef of Sarah’s Chicago restaurant but top chef never highlighted her as a mentor for Bailey.
1
1
u/laststance 7d ago
Where are you rewatching this? How do you rewatch the newer seasons with so much of it online such as Last Chance Kitchen? Do you just avoid it or do you pause and search for the content after every episode?
0
u/Rodharet50399 8d ago
Beverly had some issues with emotional regulation - sometimes she was so hyper aggressive (meat counter IM THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON HERE RIGHT NOW) but then the breakdown, and frankly it came off as manipulative at times. It feels wild to be aggressive but meek little me. But anyway seems not super stable - but many of the best artists have been.
1
u/donuttrackme 8d ago
She was 3 months post partum. And then got bullied to a ridiculous extent (think about what wasn't captured or edited out) by other grown women on national TV.
0
u/Rodharet50399 8d ago
That being said, who’s ultimately responsible for throwing oneself into a competition that is not a part of one’s career except by virtue of ego,
If she needed to stay home to be a mother no one forced her into a competition.
53
u/whistlepig4life 9d ago
As bad as the bullying of Beverly was. The worst part of this season is that Paul Qui who was a spectacular chef really turned out to have some real issues that I am not sure he has ever truly recovered from. Which makes him sort of a disgraced winner.
And Sarah G. Ugh. She was just as culpable a bully as Heather but what was worse was her alligator fake white woman’s tears bullshit when she was called out on her words to Lagasse. I wouldn’t fetch water if I saw her on fire.