Mention It All - Bawling At The Beach House (Top Chef)

Episode Date: May 13, 2022

Dylan is back for another solo episode, and he starts with Bravo’s announcement about all the new shows they have coming up. After that, he recaps the finale of Last Chance Kitchen, before heading to Galveston with the Top Chef crew. Can he make it through an episode without crying? Probably not. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Betches Media presents. Ha ha, laugh, funny. Mention It All. A Bravo by Betcha's podcast. We don't say that, but now we said it. With Dylan Hafer. We'll go check me, both. Hey, everyone.

Welcome back to the Mention It All podcast. I'm Dylan Hafer. Coming to you one-on-one on Friday. And we have a lot to discuss. Of course, we will get into Top Chef. Lots going on there. But first, I want to talk about the Bravo announcements that came out yet. yesterday. This week are the television up front, so all the networks are announcing kind of their

slate of programming for the next year, which means that we got more of a look than we usually do at everything that's going to be coming down the Bravo pipeline. A few new shows were announced, but also super interestingly, they announced new seasons for most of the shows, including, interestingly enough, Vanderpump Rules. I was just having a conversation with someone yesterday about whether or not Vanderpump Rules was coming back. My guess was yes in some format at least, but now we have confirmed a new season of Vanderpump Rules on the way. Very curious to see what that will look like. Stasi is getting married in Italy right now. Katie and Tom Schwartz are the only ones there. Someone online was like, well, Kristen Doty couldn't go because she has a fear of flying.

The bitch flew to Hawaii yesterday. I'm sorry. I don't know why individuals. each person's not there. Lala is on tour, I think. I don't know. I don't know why Brittany and Jacks aren't there. I don't know why Sheena and Brock aren't there. I don't know why Lisa Vanderpump's not there. Like all of these people could fly to Italy if they wanted to. So very intriguing to me that nobody else is at Stasi's wedding. But yeah, what are we doing with Vanderpump rules next year? I guess we'll probably, you know, get the Katie and Tom and Tom and Ariana and Lala of it all once again. I feel like maybe, I don't know, there have been rumors that they're trying to like really

retool and do some spinoff and some reboot and all this stuff. But at this point, I don't know if I care that much. You know, like with Roney, what they're doing with the legacy and the reboot, like that, I'm like, yeah, that's worth saving. That's worth putting in the work. Vanderpump rules, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if it's worth it.

Oh, we also got confirmed a new season of family karma. We all knew, but thank goodness it's official. The new shows that we have to look forward to. First of all, Southern Charm, Leva Land, which they say is the working title, premiering fall 2022, this is basically Leva Pump Rules. Like, the series follows the lives of a dynamic social group of friends living in Charleston, South Carolina, and working together. There's never a dull day in Leva Land with the staff at Republic Garden and Lounge

and their powerhouse boss, love a bone apart. Yeah, that's going to be fun. Candy and the gang was fun. I like that they're kind of cultivating these new Vanderpump Rules-inspired shows with hopefully an interesting new cast of characters. The most intriguing new show that they announced, though, is called Real Girlfriends in Paris, premiering also Fall 2022. Here's what we have to look forward to.

Six bold, 20-something American women pack their back. to embark on an exciting international adventure living in the most beautiful city in the world. Paris! While in the city of lights, they find each other, encounter a romantic rendezvous or two, and embrace all the spontaneity that comes with living in an exciting new city. Always looking for a good time, the women find themselves in an extraordinarily rich moment in their lives, where the possibilities for true love, unrelenting passion, and forging lifelong friendships are endless. Damn. That is, uh, sounds fun. It sounds like Bravo saw Emily in Paris and was like, Hmm, how can we do that?

Okay, so when they first announced this yesterday, I immediately saw people making Ladies of London comparisons. And the thing is, ladies of London was not about six American women deciding to go live in London. It was about a group of women who already lived there. Some of them were British. Some of them were American. We had a Danish princess. You know, there was, the whole vibe of Ladies of London was that it was a very eclectic group of some native, some expats, but all of them were living there. So I think it's a little different.

Like, this seems like it's going to be kind of like, I don't even know what to compare it to. They're just sending them there to live? Like, is it like, are they just living there for a couple weeks while they're filming or are they fully moving there? I don't know. Sounds like it could be fun, but also I'm like, it could be fun, but it could be lame. you know, and then Candy is getting another show about Escape and SWV, and they're going to be, it's a limited series about them coming back together for a show that could change their entire lives and careers. And I'm sure it'll be fun. I mean, that's the kind of thing where it's going to be like

four parts. It'll probably be entertaining enough. And then we'll forget it exists. But, you know, you got to have programming. But anyway, let's get into Top Chef. First I want to talk about the Last Chance Kitchen finale, the two-part finale of Last Chance Kitchen, which I didn't get to talk about last week. I love the way they did this finale because the thing about Last Chance Kitchen is it's always so separate from the other people in the competition. They don't even know who's there. They don't know what's going on, who's going home, who's winning week after week. So I love that they brought in the five remaining contestants to be the judge in the first round of competition. Jay and Sarah. are both making a dish for the panel of mystery judges, and they have to have something creamy, something crunchy, and something chewy on the plate. This is kind of fun, you know. I like that Last Chance Kitchen, the challenges are just kind of like,

I'm in a silly, goofy mood. Like, Tom just wants something crunchy. But yeah, it is rough. They do a blind taste test, and they have to put down their cards to vote, and the votes are going to signal extra time for the main challenge. And Sarah gets all fun. votes and I just felt bad. I didn't really, between Sarah and Jay, I didn't have a strong opinion of who I

wanted back in the competition. I really liked Jay. I was sad that she went home, but on the other hand, I think Sarah's really funny and I liked the narrative arc of her winning so many last chance kitchen rounds in a row. So that was exciting too. I just felt bad for Jay when she's watching like vote after vote go to Sarah and she's like, damn, I'm really only going to have 30 minutes, huh? But then we get to see Shoda! Shota is back from last season. He is coming in as a guest judge. Shota was a favorite last season.

I really enjoy his presence. And I'm so glad that they brought him in. You know, you always know, I love seeing the All-Stars. But Shodah's there. And now they're going to make another dish. And they can make whatever they want. But they only have so much time. and Shoda is going to be the guest judge with Tom, and Sarah wins again.

Jay, I feel bad for Jay. She just, that extra 15 minutes, when you're only, when you're starting with 30 minutes and somebody else has 45, it's going to be tough. It's going to be tough. And ultimately it goes Sarah's way. Tom tells us that she ties the record for the most wins in Last Chance Kitchen, which is pretty cool. And all the chefs are already there and we find out that they are packing their bags to go to Galveston. Love that. They're going down the shore. I don't know if people say that in Texas, but it's what they're doing. They're going to the beach.

So in the main episode, we meet back up with Padma and the contestants and we are in Galveston on the beach. There's a table full of crabs that are already trying to scurry away. And for this quick fire, Padma tells us they are going to have to make a seafood tower. this is exciting. I really liked this challenge because I didn't even really grow up eating seafood, but now, like, some oysters, some shrimp, all of this looks very appealing to me. Sometimes on Top Chef, it's almost like a little too gourmet, and I'm a little bit, I'm a little bit scared of some of the food that they make, but I could dig into some of these seafood towers.

They each have to make one hot dish and one cold dish. they're cooking outside on the beach, which of course is a struggle. Sarah's in her big old sunglasses. You know, there's like no, Nick is realizing there's no tortilla press. This is very stressful to me. I'm like, I always think it's wild on these shows when they're expected to do such intense things in like not ideal circumstances, which I guess is kind of like the whole vibe of reality competition shows.

like they kind of never put you in ideal circumstances, if that makes sense. Yeah. I guess that's kind of the whole thing. But then this episode, they do it twice because they're making them cook on the beach and then making them all cook in the kitchen of this rental home furnished by Verbo. It's just, it's a lot. Like, just let these people, let these people cook in like a nice kitchen. But anyway, back to the seafood towers.

we get a lot of oysters, a lot of oysters on the half shell. I got to say, I mean, that seems a little bit, like the creativity could come through more. I feel like if I had been doing this challenge, and again, obviously, like, as I've said many times, I am not, I'm not a good cook. But if I were like on this level doing this challenge, I would feel pressure to stay away from something that seemed as basic of a choice as raw oysters. on the half shell. But you know, they look good. Nobody's shit looks like nasty. Nick does a really smart kind of pivot when he realizes there's no tortilla press and he does an orzo pasta with seafood, which the judges end up really liking. Ashley's jerk shrimp looks delicious. Buda's crab taco. I liked the idea of the radicchio taco thing. It didn't quite come together.

Evelyn does a Thai cajian boil, which just sounds heavenly. You know, I want to eat that. I want to eat that. Can Evelyn come here and make me a Thai-Cajun boil? That would be delicious. So good, so good, so good. Everything you want for summer is at Nordstrom Rack stores now and up to 60% off.

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30 extra minutes in the elimination challenge, which is they are in this verbo vacation home in Galveston and they each have to make a dish for a different family member in this family reunion. And very quickly, when they get the sort of preference sheets, it's very below-deck vibes, everybody kind of realizes at the same time that these preference sheets are clearly for one of their loved ones. Buddha immediately is like, well, no one in the world but my wife would list two preferences. And one of them is pastamitiana. Sarah is like, I don't think there's a doppelganger of my sister's dietary restrictions. like roaming around out there. So this has got to be her. Nick is like pretty confused. Damar knows

right away. It's his chef from home. Evelyn knows it's her dad. Like it's, it's so sweet. This show fucking makes me cry. Like every goddamn week in like new and unexpected ways. And I'm a big survivor fan. I've watched a lot of survivor. And like the survivor loved one visits. It's like it always makes me emotional, but also you kind of know to expect it at a certain point. With Top Chef, it's like, I didn't know there were going to be loved one visits. Maybe they're, maybe they've done it in the past. I've not seen like every season of the past,

but I was just like, uh, uh, it's a lot. But yeah, they all have to make enough food, family style for, to serve 20 people

in the kitchen of this house. And like, it looks like a nice house. We get a lot of views of the verbo beach house throughout this episode. Because, you know, obviously they're cooking in the kitchen. We're seeing the beach views.

then they're eating out in this covered patio area, which looks lovely. And then later on at Judges Table, they're doing the judges table out there. And then there's like Hurricane Force Winds, watching them have to re-evaluate and go inside in the middle of judges table. And then doing judges table while everyone is cramped in the living room. And Padma's like, okay, you three step forward, the rest of you, sit on the couch, I guess. I loved that watching them in real-time scramble because you know they probably have somebody out there like scouting these locations weeks in advance. They worked with Verbo to find the perfect vacation home that was going to be like this is where we'll do the judges table. This is where we'll do the blah, blah, blah.

And them having to like all squish in around the dining table and in the living room. And then while the judges are deliberating, the contestants have to go wait in a child's bedroom with bunk beds. It is just, I love seeing them just like out there in the wild of Galveston. Of a Galveston verbal beach. Oh, I don't know. I love it. This challenge is really fun, though, because they know that they're cooking for their family members. So there's a lot of love and stuff that's going into these dishes.

and, you know, it's just fun to see. Ashley is doing a paella-inspired rice. Buddha is doing the pasta that made him want to marry his wife. Evelyn is doing a crispy snapper with coconut rice. That sounds. Evelyn, like everything Evelyn makes. If I could pick one chef out of this season to be like my, to like make me a meal, it would absolutely be Evelyn because like everything she makes just sounds fucking delicious.

And also she wins a lot, so it must be good. But their loved ones arrive. I'm a mess. They're a mess. We're all messes. Nick's mom flew on the plane for the first time in like 50 years to come here. Like that is going to make me lose it. Buddha's wife looks like Princess Eugenie.

I think that's the one I'm thinking of. But she has, she's Australian too. Who knew? I guess that makes sense. But she's like, Buddha, I mean, good. I, oh, Evelyn's like speaking to her dad in Spanish. Ashley's, Ashley's mom is beautiful. They're like crying.

There's just so much going on. Damar is like happy to see chef Eric, but also sad because like his mom and his aunt can't travel right now. And that's a whole thing. Like basically I'm just a mess. And then they all are presenting it to the judges. And then Padma's like, and you guys get to eat too. Like you cooked for yourselves.

And it's like, ah. I just, oh, God, I just love this show. It's so good, right? But anyway, on the less good side of things. Ashley's calamari is undercooked. Padma has to spit it out, which is just... Padma, having to spit out your food is just... It's the lowest of the low. Because, like, Nick overcooks his pasta.

The pasta salad is not quite right. But it's like Tom Colicchio is not spitting out the pasta into a napkin because it's a little mushy. They don't love Sarah's dish either. You know, the tuna tataki and it's like, not amazing. Like, the tuna's cut wrong. It's like cooked a little too much, not syncs here and enough. But it's like, okay, like, just because the tuna, like, texture isn't 100% correct, it's like, you can eat it.

Padma spits out the calamari. Oh, that's a gut punch. And you know what? Ashley goes home because of it. It makes sense. She knows it, too. You know, she knows. It's just rough stuff, rough stuff.

But it's exciting that Sarah is back in the competition and has made it through her first elimination challenge. I don't think Sarah is going to make it to the finals. I think Sarah, hmm, I don't know. I could see her going home next week. But I'm glad that she's back. I think she's very entertaining. She had her sister had a very fun dynamic. But yeah, we'll see what happens next week.

They're going someplace international. And also, I buried the lead in that Bravo announcement from yesterday, season 20 of Top Chef is going to be filmed fully internationally for the first time. I'm like, Padma, where are you going? Where do we think they're going? Like, are they going to stay in one country? the whole time? Or are they going to kind of like, if they did somewhere in Europe, they could kind of hop around a little bit or maybe it'll be someplace like, maybe they'll be in Mexico.

That would be cool. I don't know. Like international could mean anything. I'm excited to find out though. In the meantime, thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to rate, review, and follow the show wherever you listen. You can follow us on Instagram at Bravo by Betches. And until next time, be cool. Don't be all like uncool. Mention It All is produced by Dylan Hafer, Sean Kilby, Jorge Morales Pico, and Rebecca Sousmakat. Editing by Jorge Morales Picoe. Social media by Dylan Hafer, guest booking by Dylan Hafer and Ali Friedlander. Be sure to follow at Bravo by Betches on Instagram and Twitter. Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for today's superstars.

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