Short Bus

Oh, Valerie, Valerie, Valerie. I was feeling bad about your departure until Blogging Top Chef linked me to your really hastily-printed interview here.

First off, it doesn't matter whether or not Antonia tasted your food at that point. I don't mind you being a little upset about it, but a) she had heard the judge's comments about the food by then and, b) between the two mistakes, I'd have to agree yours was worse (and Stephanie put out a second dish that was really good, to boot), c) she was really put on the spot and didn't look like she liked being forced to make a choice, so d) how are those grapes?

Second of all, blaming the blini idea on Antonia, too? Because, you know, if someone says "I have this really great recipe for sheep's toenails", you obviously run and do it? I'm not even a professional chef, and I know that if you cook blinis ahead of time, you might as well be serving shoe leather. Why didn't you just say something at the time? Edit for clarification: In short, whether the original ideas for blinis were her idea or not, she still agreed with it and did it. If Antonia had been the one to do it, she'd be the one I said made a lousy decision. Throwing out an idea in brainstorming that's bad is a different matter.

Third—and this applies to everyone, not just Valerie—can we please have a moratorium on the phrase "threw someone [direction] a bus"? I'm really done with it. It's as stale as those blinis must've been. (At least she didn't say someone threw her over a bus, I guess. But still.)

Now it happens I agree that Nikki should've been the one to go, even though I've said I do get the judges' reasoning. But really, way to wash out any sympathy I had for you.

(And seriously, is it just me, or did that interview come out really quickly? How long have they been sitting on it?)