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Top Chef S16 Power Rankings (Top 14)

Dec 10, 2018 by PowerRankings101

The fastest 2 minutes in cooking was quite entertaining, and really showed the chefs’ true colors under pressure. Some chefs stood out as extremely likable, while others showed they were a bit too controlling, and others weren’t given much say at all. As for Caitlin, she stood out in the main challenge for her soggy biscuits, and was sent home (not too surprisingly), while other pre-season favorites like David, Pablo, and Kelsey shined. Let’s rank the contestants who remain on week 2!

14. Sara Bradley- Sara came to the competition to prove that she was the strongest chef here, hailing from Kentucky and having a home-court advantage. Carrie proved it a strength last year, but Sara didn’t have as good of a showing. She seems a lot more cocky than Carrie was, and her elimination challenge performance proves that she isn’t one of the strongest out the gate. Sure, she won the 2-minute quick fire, but I think she’ll face some uphill battles along the road, and right now, she’s in the most dangerous spot for me.

13. Kevin Scharpf- Kevin was one of my pre-season favorites but definitely played it a little too safe in this first challenge. He seemed to also do that willingly, knowing it was better safe than sorry. Choosing to play it safe is a big no-no in Top Chef, and puts him in some dangerous water.

12. Adrienne Wright- Adrienne wanted to cook tortellini, had to change her game plan, and ended up underperforming. I think she’s just learning the knick-knacks of the game, and has to adjust. Once she adjusts, I think she’ll be great. But right now, she just needs to get the ignition started.

11. Brian Young- I didn’t get great vibes from Brian pre-season, and I’m still not convinced that he’s the real deal right now. I think he needs more time to truly establish himself and for me to get an opinion on him.

10. Michelle Minori- Michelle was very quiet in this episode, but her dish received some praise. I don’t really know what her gameplan is, so she remains a wild-card in my book.

9. Eddie Konrad- Eddie cooked under Nick, who won Top Chef: New Orleans, so he knows how to approach the competition. That’s a good thing. Eddie wasn’t the most impressive chef this first premiere episode, but he wasn’t close to the worst.

8. Nini Nguyen- Nini put up two really impressive dishes this episode. I am a bigger fan of Nini than I expected to be, and she makes for the biggest pleasant surprise of the season. I hope she sticks around, because she is super likable too. My pre-season boot pick proved me wrong, and I’m happy about it.

7. Brandon Rosen- Brandon annoys the hell out of me, which is exactly why he’ll probably be in this competition for some time. He is a good chef, and while he isn’t the best chef, he carries himself like he’s Bobby Flay or Emeril. He thinks he’s hot s*** and it’s annoying to say the least. But, Mr. Chocolate Factory will certainly be kept around for some drama.

6. Justin Sutherland- Justin just seems to be a bit too cocky for my liking. He got the job done in the initial challenge, bringing the green team the win, but he wasn’t able to clinch the victory in the main challenge, and brought his ego out a lot. I think he’ll go far because of his resume and the way he hustles, but he is going to rub lots of people the wrong way and may be almost too competitive to clinch the victory in the end.

5. Eric Adjepong- Eric obviously came to play. He seems cutthroat, all business, and definitely has pride in his work. But unlike Justin and Brandon, he seems humble enough to not boast the entire time. I like his odds in going deep in this competition.

4. Kelsey Barnard Clark- Deviled eggs are a staple in my household, so to see her cook them and NAIL them made me incredibly happy. She is cutthroat and really competitive, which is going to work in her favor, I think. She’s someone I could see as a good leader, but humble enough to know she’s underestimated. I like her odds.

3. Pablo Lamon- Pablo’s team won the first 2-minute challenge, and then came out on top again for the main elimination challenge. This guy is the real deal, and he still hasn’t completely opened up about his story. When he does that, he’s going to be hard to root against. I like Pablo.

2. David Viana- I love my pre-season winner pick. He got off to a rocky start in the first challenge, being the reason his team was one of the weaker dishes, but he redeemed himself in the main challenge. He gave one of the strongest soups in Top Chef history, and in my opinion, should’ve won that challenge. I am definitely a big fan of his and if he can perform more like his elimination challenge, then he may be unstoppable.

1. Natalie Maronski- Natalie hadn’t cooked in some time, and came out with the top dish. This is a serious threat to win. She came out with one of the best first dishes ever having not cooked in a while. She’s the real deal, and if statistics prove true, the person who wins the first challenge usually goes pretty deep (often winning the competition). She’s topping the list.

Nini proved me wrong, Natalie rose to the top, David stayed near the top, Pablo right there with him, and several chefs caused some doubt. Among those, Sara, the overly-confident Kentucky native, Kevin, the as-long-as-it’s-safe guy, and Adrienne, the girl who didn’t manage time well enough. Kevin and Adrienne seem obvious, but I’m going to predict Sara because it seems like Kevin and Adrienne may learn from their mistakes better.

PREDICTIONS:

Going Home- Sara Bradley

#casting

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Stats:

1. Natalie (+11)
2. David (-1)
3. Pablo (+2)
4. Kelsey (+3)
5. Eric (-3)
6. Justin (+3)
7. Brandon (+7)
8. Nini (+7)
9. Eddie (+2)
10. Michelle (-4)
11. Brian (+2)
12. Adrienne (-2)
13. Kevin (-10)
14. Sara (-10)

Biggest Rise: Natalie (+11)
Biggest Drop: Kevin & Sara (-10)

Sent by PowerRankings101,Dec 10, 2018

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Top Chef S16 Power Rankings (Top 14)

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