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Top Chef S18 Power Rankings (Pre-Game: Top 15)

Apr 8, 2021 by PowerRankings101

A new Top Chef season is among us. I just started watching the premiere and decided to give my pre-season rankings based on the opening challenge ALONE. So these are my predictions for the entire season (inevitably wrong) before I watch the rest of the episode. I like to do this to make as much of a clean slate as possible. Here goes.

****BASED OFF THE FIRST 15 MINUTES ONLY****

15. Jamie Tran- Jamie looked like a lost puppy in this challenge. She got a really cute confessional about making weird noises when she cooks, which I thought was a glimpse of a rooting interest, but as soon as she cooked the fish and sauced it with the skin up, I immediately saw her inexperience. If I had to make one prediction for someone to be sent home by the end of this episode, it would be her. She just seems lost.

14. Shota Nakajima- Shota had a really endearing confessional about the kitchen being therapeutical for him early on in the episode, but by the end of this challenge, my hopes for him aren’t too high. His dish was one of the worst, and he seemed to be the most lost in making that dish. It seemed like he had to keep asking for clarifications, and just seemed behind the rest of his team. He is certainly endearing, but I just don’t think he’s going to be up to par with the rest of the group.

13. Roscoe Hall- Roscoe was on Shota’s team and did just as poorly of a job. The reason why he’s above Shota is because I can already tell he’s very experienced. Why he’s low on this list? They kept highlighting the fact that he was sweaty and nervous, and if the show points it out, it means you’re either doomed early on, or you have potential to become an underdog. I just don’t see Roscoe as the underdog, thus my reasoning for putting him this low.

12. Gabe Erales- Gabe sorta disappeared in this opening challenge after a pretty optimistic and positive opening confessional. There’s nothing particularly wrong with Gabe himself, but he was on a team with Jamie and Dawn that really crashed and burned, so that’s why he’s relatively low.

11. Gabriel Pascuzzi- Gabriel’s dish with Brittany and Maria was a highlight, which honestly surprised me. This whole first fifteen minutes, I couldn’t stand him. As a Portland native, and a former Tom Colicchio employee, he has EVERYTHING to lose, and I think they’re portraying him as a pompous ass for a reason. His attitude was extremely egotistical, and I do think much of the success for his quickfire dish being well received was because Maria knew when and how to shut him up. He’s a good chef, clearly, but I think he’s being set up to crash and burn rather soon. I’m not trying to be mean toward Gabriel, but he seems like the only person (so far) that I’m meant to root against.

10. Byron Gomez- Byron who? He seems great, but we got very little from him in this opening segment.

9. Brittany Anderson- Brittany ended up being on the top as one of the best quick fire dishes (with Gabriel and Maria), and knew exactly when to chime in and when to step back. The problem is, she just seems like more of a team player than an individual force to be reckoned with. I see her going around the midway point of the season.

8. Sara Hauman- Sara is an interesting case. She is one of the three quickfire winners (next to Kiki and Sasha) and a Portland local! But the reason I have her lower is because of how much self confidence she lacks. Every single confessional was “I don’t think I’m on the same level as the rest” or “I know I have lots to prove,” which slightly worried me. Nerves are one thing. So is being humble. But a lack of self-confidence completely is a tad concerning. She is right in the middle of the pack because she could either let this consume her, or she could surprise us and kick butt in the future of the competition. Only time will tell.

7. Chris Viaud- He didn’t do great in the quickfire, but at the same time….his ingredient was butter. He had the hardest task of anyone, so I can’t blame him. I think he’s fine. He seems to be in a good mindset and seems to be well positioned to go far.

6. Avishar Barua- Avishar seems incredibly intelligent. What he lacks in screen presence, he makes up for in cooking skills. His team was shown the least, but he probably got the most screen time between himself, Byron, and Nelson. I do have Nelson higher, but I think Avishar could go just as far.

5. Maria Mazon- Maria was a star in this quickfire. Gabriel was such a strong personality, and Maria was able to combat it very well, without being disrespectful. My favorite zinger was when Gabriel said “Tom Collicchio does this all the time,” and she said “He does, but we don’t.” She is very clearly there to cook HER way, and not necessarily cater to the judges the way Gabriel is. She may not be playing the game like Gabriel, but I think honest cooking is the way to go for anyone in this competition, and I think she’ll go much further than Gabriel because of it. I like her attitude and spunk, and think she’ll excel this season.

4. Nelson German- I liked Nelson a lot. He seems cool, calm, and collected. He seems to have great inspiration behind his cooking and seems to be one of the most sincere and humble of the bunch. He may be a fan favorite.

3. Kiki Louya- I liked Kiki a lot. She was on the winning team and had great contributions for that team. She’s not as self-deprecating as Sara, but not as cutthroat as Sasha. She’s sitting pretty right in the middle of them, and I think this is a great indicator for her longevity in the competition itself.

2. Dawn Burrell- Dawn did a bad job in this challenge, but I don’t blame her for it. She was working with Gabe (who seemed to lack a voice) and Jamie (who seemed lost in general). Dawn is an Olympic athlete and seems really strong. She has a James Beard nomination under her belt. She has all the makings for a front-runner, and was my #1 pick until her dish was named one of the bottom dishes. I’m not worried for her going forward, however. She could win.

1. Sasha Grumman- Her quickfire performance was awesome. She had confidence, but wasn’t overtly cocky like Gabriel. She seems to have a real fire about her, and is going to do well I think. Of those three ladies, Sasha seemed to be the leader of the trio, and I’m glad she got that win. I hope she continues to emerge the front-runner (because my intuition for pre-season picks is usually not THAT good).

Judging by my Top Chef history, my pre-season winner picks on this blog space have placed accordingly: Season 13-Grayson (actual placement: 14th); Season 14- Brooke (actual placement: WINNER); Season 15- Brother (actual placement: 10th); Season 16- David (actual placement: 8th); Season 17- Kevin (actual placement: 4th). So I think this means Sasha will finish relatively in the middle, judging by my past standards LOL. As for who will go home, I think we’ll see Jamie go this episode (if not, the next few after that). She just made an amateur mistake, and had it been an elimination challenge, she’d be the easy boot.

PREDICTIONS:

Going Home- Jamie Tran

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Sasha is a queen

Sent by smi9127,Apr 8, 2021

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Top Chef S18 Power Rankings (Pre-Game: Top 15)

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