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Top Chef S17 Power Rankings (Top 14)

Mar 26, 2020 by PowerRankings101

What an exciting premiere. We saw some big threats like Angelo and Kevin struggle a bit, where underdogs like Melissa and Lisa stood out, and we even saw another dominant, overwhelmingly positive win from Gregory. This is going to be a great season. It sucked to see Joe Sasto go, but he had two bad performances in a row, so it makes sense that the judges let him go, even if I think Lee Anne was responsible for the loss. Okay, let’s rank the fourteen remaining chefs going into week 2!

14. Lee Anne Wong- Lee Anne had two bad performances in a row, first with her tempura, and then burning her fish. I feel like Lee Anne is the only true person besides Joe that should’ve been eliminated, and I think she’s definitely the person who needs the most catching up to do going forward. If I had to bet on one person getting eliminated, it would be Lee Anne.

13. Angelo Sosa- Angelo had such a mixed premiere for me, with such great personal content about his son, while not exactly nailing it in terms of the food. He had the judges check on him in the Quickfire a few times when he wasn’t really ready to proceed, and in the Elimination challenge, his oysters were compared to “baby food” in texture. Never a good thing. I think Angelo is one of the best chefs there, it’s obvious as this is his third go and he should be seasoned and a front-runner, but I do think that Angelo is off to a rough start right now. I only hope this bundle of personal content about his son may be setting him up to go home soon, but I hope it’s a red herring and Angelo bounces back.

12. Kevin Gillespie- I had such high hopes for Kevin, and think he still has a shot to bounce back…but he had a rough time in that elimination challenge. He didn’t even struggle in the “kitchen,” but still produced a bad dish. It almost makes me a tad more worried because he HAD all the confidence and ease in the world and still screwed up. My pre-season winner pick needs a lot more growth to do from here, but given his previous success, I can’t imagine him not doing better than this, and think this was just a rough start. Here’s hoping.

11. Bryan Voltaggio- I can’t believe I have Bryan down this low, but I do think he’s okay. He’s Bryan freaking Voltaggio. But still, I don’t think his dish was all that special, as Gail called it “mush.” While Suzanne and Michael disagreed and said there was finesse, I do think the divided judge’s table is enough to have me a bit worried for Bryan’s longevity. I think he did enough to be safe right now, but if he puts out food like this in the final six or seven, it’ll be the difference needed to send him packing. Again, he’s Bryan freaking Voltaggio so I’m not worried. Also, props for winning his first quick fire!

10. Nini Nguyen- Nini’s dishes weren’t anything too special this episode, but I do appreciate the amount of screen time she got. It’s almost like we’re meant to root for Nini. I have to acknowledge her lack of experience and accolades in comparison to the rest of the cast, which has me a bit worried, but I do think she’s okay, as they’re really painting her as the underdog to watch. But as every underdog does, she has to enjoy her time near the bottom to eventually rise to the top, which is why she’s this low.

9. Brian Malarkey- Brian was the strongest one on his team, but still made some missteps along the way. I just worry that Brian’s attitude and overall arrogance may stand in his way this season, as he’s probably going to be the villain of the season. I worry that he just might be a bit too full of himself, as he’s already coming across very confident and didn’t seem to be truly aware that his team’s menu didn’t work too well at the end of the day.

8. Jamie Lynch- Jamie was on the winning team, though I don’t think his dish would’ve placed in the top three had his team not won. His sauce was amazing, but I do think the mussels themselves weren’t anything impressive. I think Jamie’s role is going to be better as a team player this season, but if there’s an individual challenge and Jamie delivers a sub-par performance, I think he’ll be an easy boot for the judges. And it wouldn’t be all that shocking. But this week, he did well, so kudos Jamie!

7. Lisa Fernandes- Lisa didn’t stand out because her dish was anything miraculous, but stood out because I had such low expectations to begin with. She probably won’t win, but she’s already proving people like me wrong, and I like her chances of lasting a few more weeks here.

6. Jennifer Carroll- Jennifer struggled a bit in the quick fire, but really came together in the elimination challenge and provided a good dish. I still don’t know if Jenn is our winner. She still seems to be shaken a bit by her last outing in Top Chef: All-Stars NYC, but I do think she’s an improved Jennifer and she’ll get her groove very shortly, if she hasn’t already. I see a much more promising turn out for her this time around.

5. Eric Adjepong- Eric is back and ready to rock and roll. He didn’t seem to have any missteps, and I think he’s already on route to do really well this competition. Of all the guys, him and Gregory seemed to get out the cleanest in this whole ordeal, and while his screen time could’ve been a bit more present, I think he’s doing just fine right now.

4. Melissa King- Melissa was never the most flashy or most popular, but her elimination challenge put her above a lot of the rest with the delicious grilled radicchio. The judges kept bringing it up all night, so I’m sure her bite was one of the best of the day, even if her team didn’t take the victory. I like Melissa and think she has lots to prove, and is already off to an amazing start.

3. Karen Akunowicz- Karen was a bit quieter in the premiere, but seemed to be pretty consistent all episode. She cooked some scallops with ginger plums, and they looked divine. She seems to be someone who is destined to go pretty far this season, especially given she’s opened those two restaurants in the last six months. She may be the most in tune and prime to take it all the way in terms of mindset and recent momentum.

2. Stephanie Cmar- Stephanie is the woman to beat this season, and I even knew it going into the All-Stars premiere. She was robbed of her victory last time and made sure everyone knows. She’s back with a vengeance, but still underestimates herself which keeps her humble. Her prawns looked amazing and one of the judges even said they were “floored.” Amazing job for her, and a promising season ahead for sure.

1. Gregory Gordet- Gregory gets the top spot because he absolutely killed it in the elimination challenge. When Nancy and Michael practically called his dish “flawless,” I knew he was going to win the challenge. He won so many elimination challenges in his own season, and if this season is any indicator, we could see a repeat again this time around.

To have Angelo, Bryan V, and Kevin all near the bottom scares me, but I think they overthought a lot of their dishes and maybe got off to a bad start. But I think all three will bounce back. Lee Anne messed up in both challenges, and I think right now, she’s the safest bet to go home next. As for the contenders, I think Gregory established himself as the number one right now, and Stephanie, Melissa, Karen, Eric, and Jennifer Carroll are right on his toes. Right now, I could see any of them winning, or Angelo, Bryan V, or Kevin should they bounce back.

PREDICTIONS:

Going Home- Lee Anne Wong

#casting

Comments

Stats:

1. Gregory (+1)
2. Stephanie (+2)
3. Karen (+9)
4. Melissa (+4)
5. Eric (-2)
6. Jennifer (+3)
7. Lisa (+8)
8. Jamie (+6)
9. Brian (+1)
10. Nini (-3)
11. Bryan (-6)
12. Kevin (-11)
13. Angelo (-7)
14. Lee Anne (-1)

Biggest Rise: Karen (+9)
Biggest Drop: Kevin (-11)

Sent by PowerRankings101,Mar 26, 2020

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Top Chef S17 Power Rankings (Top 14)

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