I don’t watch Last Chance.
I don’t watch Last Chance any more but I do go on the boards right after the show to read what happened. Since we’re on the west coast, the results are known.
My favs remain, Melissa, Brian and Kevin. They would all do so well on future shows, as judges.
Not sure why Melissa didn’t take some other ingredients for the salad. There was another “salad” (can’t recall who made it) that didn’t have greens, but had avocados and other interesting items. I think that Leann made too many errors in cooking. She is great and glad she won $$ for her wedding.
I think Gregory is great, and also rooting for Melissa. But all of the chefs that remain seem to deserve to be there (although it would be surprising if Stephanie makes it to the end).
I watched the latest episode of Last Chance Kitchen and Kevin is back in the competition. There are currently six left: Kevin, Malarky, Brian, Greg, Melissa & Stephanie
I enjoyed this week’s episode, thought it was interesting to see how they did with something they weren’t quite familiar with. I like the remaining contestants, though never been a huge fan of Malarky so wouldn’t mind seeing him go.
So sad about the Olympics! I hope they end up sending Stephanie to some major events next year. I don’t think those athletes were all that knowledgeable about food. On my tv boards, they said athletes mainly want lean chicken ;).
I’m pretty sure Malarkey is in it for the entertainment value, not as a serious contestant to make it to the end. I’ll bet a lot of what they film him saying is scripted to a certain extent. He really does seem to be enjoying himself, and you can see how happy he is for others to win. He has a strong culinary background, is a successful restaurateur, and is involved in many charities. He must like to promote the culinary arts in general.
I’m very impressed with Stephanie; most personal/catering chefs don’t make it this far. Melissa is very talented and I suspect her missteps are being edited for dramatic value. Kevin must be an excellent chef, but his personality rubs me the wrong way. Bryan V’s personality doesn’t really seem suited for competition since he appears to be a meticulous chef. Greg seems very nice and talented.
So I agree they have a nice group to finish with.
Malarky doesn’t need to do well and I appreciate his half fun, half serious attitude in an all-star season. It’s not like he isn’t trying, he’s just not as keyed up as the others (my opinion). I think he’s there for the sport and camaraderie.
I was not a fan of Stephanie earlier on and I don’t know that she is as talented or trained as some of the others but I give her credit for not only holding her own but upping her game.
I don’t know about anyone else but I’d rather not know who is coming back from Last Chance Kitchen - that’s kind of a spoiler and I like to be a bit surprised when they do return. So I’ll selfishly ask to not reveal the winner here please! 
Comparison:
Tom Coliccio is worth $10 million.
Malarky at age 46 is worth $101 million.
Spoilers are actually okay with me. I don’t look here or elsewhere if I really don’t want to know outcomes. I like the final 6 . Probably rooting most for Bryan.
Malarkey: https://www.brianmalarkey.com/.
I not only don’t mind spoilers, I occasionally check the winners before my west coast broadcast ends if I’m worried for a contestant.
Good episode last night and I’m excited by the chefs remaining. And seeing Italy even if it’s on tv
I really like how Top Chef does not play up drama among contestants like Project Runway does. I like all of the contestants. By the end of PR, there are usually a few that I don’t like and wish would be sent packing!
I like all of the remaining ones too and they seem to get along.
These were my thoughts on the tv boards; defending my hometown boy!
Kevin is my least favorite of the remaining 5. Still hoping Bryan wins.
I like all the remaining contestants. Don’t have any problems with Kevin. I think they are all very talented.
Interesting thoughts @Marilyn. I never thought about it that way, but thought the whole episode was set up for malarkey to go.
I don’t really dislike Kevin, just not a favorite to win.
I feel the judges have always treated Malarky differently. Sort of like they didn’t respect him as much as the other chefs. I did not know Malarky before this season and I enjoyed him so much.
Malarky has rolled with the punches and inserted humor many many times this season. I think he was really taken back when the plates were not delivered to the table and it totally threw him off. They edit all the time - why did they not edit and take the dishes away and re-serve that round with his dishes being brought to the table and not making him deal with the serving fiasco on the fly?
That said, I think this is a really nice group left and I have many favorites. We are going to Italy with 5 chefs though which means we still need to get rid of a couple before a true final.
Was sorry to see one of my favorites go last night, although had not been on his game recently. It seemed like the judges wanted that chef to move outside his comfort zone. Also was surprised at the winner. The edits definitely spun both in a different direction. I have never really had white truffles and seemed like a tough challenge for the chefs that did not typically work with them. Made me want to go to Italy (or anywhere besides my house and the grocery store!!!).
To comment on last week, I thought Malarkey was in it for the win, but by the last episode was tired and perhaps a bit off his game. I find it hard to believe that production would purposefully redirect his plates - that would be manipulating the results.