John kicks off the memorable moments of Top Chef Seattle Episode 6 by alienating every card-carrying member of the AARP. He took a look at the guest judge for the Quickfire and stated, "I see this older woman, I'm thinking, is she like Martha Stewart's mother or something?" No, she's Marilyn Hagerty. Food writer for the Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota, her review of the Olive Garden went beyond viral. And she brought a genuine charm and well, genuineness, to the whole proceedings. On her newfound fame? "It's just been a hoot, the whole thing." Anyone who calls an enjoyable experience "a hoot" is golden in my book.
The Quickfire involved shoehorning Truvia, a sugar substitute, into the cheftestant's pantry. The task at hand was to create a sweet and savory dish that, naturally, incorporated Truvia. Marilyn got cryptic evaluating Micah's tamales: "You've created something rather unusual." (She later called his tamales "tacos.") Her top comment was DEFINITELY when she weighed in on Stefan marrying and divorcing the same woman twice: "That doesn’t show a lot of imagination." BURN! Brooke won for making a dish that, initially, she was worried would be a loser because chefs don't like a dish described as "homey." (But your judge was Marilyn!!!) Brooke's winning apple crostada with cheese, as Marilyn praised, gave a "feeling of going home for the holidays." Aww!!! Get Marilyn a seat at the Judges' Table...forever!
The Elimination Challenge involved cooking at a dinner party for celebrity couple Anna Farris and Chris Pratt. Held at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibition, my favorite moment was when Gail praised a dish for having a "hit of acid" and Chris quipped, "You guys took a hit of acid, too?" Would the Chihuly Garden and Glass be a dream or a nightmare on acid? It could go either way, depending upon your emotional makeup. I digress.....
Danyele's dish suffered the most ignominious zinger of the night when a guest declared, "The boar is boring." God how I love a good (bad) pun. Brooke was en fuego, not resting on her laurels for winning immunity, and cooked a risky dish: lamb-stuffed squid. And won! Eliza went home for her bland elk ribeye.
The previews of next week's episode ended on a tantalizing note when the last sentence heard is about a very giggly Josie: "Is she high?"
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