Top Chef season 7 episode 12: Tiffany Derry out, there is no God

by Teresa Gubbins with Heather Nolan

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Dallas chef tragically ejected, ahead of her time.

Wednesday night's episode of Top Chef season 7 did the unthinkable: It eliminated Dallas contestant Tiffany Derry, chef at Go Fish Ocean Club in North Dallas. Derry made a fish dish whose flavors didn't mesh as well as they could have.

For the Quick Fire Challenge, the contestants had to choose a bottle of wine and make a dish that paired well for Food and Wine editor Dana Cowin. Angelo won for his pairing of foie gras with a crisp white.

The Elimination Challenge had a NASA theme, with the contestants required to make a dish that could be freeze-dried for consumption in outer space. They served their dishes to a group that included guest judge Anthony Bourdain as well as astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Angelo won again for short ribs. Remaining contestants Ed, Kevin, and Kelly will join Angelo in Singapore for the show's finale.

PegNews staffer TG shed tears over the elimination of Tiffany with Heather Nolan, reporter and top Top Chef blogger for the Beaumont Enterprise, Derry's hometown newspaper.

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TG: VERY UPSETTING. Without Tiffany, I don't think I can go on.

HN: It's really sad.

TG: Once again, they went out of their way to throw us off. All that whining from Kevin about how traumatic it would be to go home.

HN: Whatever chef they show the most of is the one who goes home. They were showing him so much, I began to think he might win.

TG: It's the new Top Chef -- "Version 2" where you can't read the signs anymore.

HN: I thought maybe Tiffany might be in trouble when Tom was in kitchen checking on them, and he said she'd been coming on strong. She said she wanted to strengthen her flavors. It seemed like she was a little offended. You could tell it was edited.

TG: Now that you mention it, that was weird.

HN: Did you hear what she said when she discovered the mussels were frozen? She said, 'Beaumont we have a problem.'

TG: Like, 'Houston, we have a problem.' Clever!

HN: I was surprised that Angelo won. Considering what the challenge was, that things that are sweet don't work. That's what Tom kept saying.

TG: But at least his short ribs would shred. After they were told that large chunks of food wouldn't freeze-dry successfully, Kevin and Ed went ahead with chops. I was happy to see that Anthony Bourdain was a judge, since he liked Angelo's dish.

HN: I thought the NASA food scientist would be the fourth judge.

TG: One of my favorite elements of this episode was the duel between Bourdain and regular judge Eric Ripert. Bourdain made Ripert look like a pansy. He had some great lines, like when he said, 'My comrade The Ripper.' Sometimes Bourdain can be too much of a good thing but in this context, he was a breath of fresh air.

HN: Better than the food scientist. She was the one who criticized Kelly's food because she didn't think it could be freeze-dried. The way she said it. And then Tom shot right back, 'Well, if they can figure out how to put a man on the moon...'

TG: Tiffany was so classy.

HN: She cried, which I can't blame her. I was shocked when they said it was her. Earlier today I saw on Eater.com, they had a rumor that there's a show called Top Chef All Stars that'll star all the chefs from all seasons who didn't win but that Bravo felt like deserved another chance, and supposedly Tiffany and Angelo are on it.

TG: Ooooh, does that mean Angelo isn't going to win?

HN: I guess. I don't know who to vote for now. I don't like Ed. I was always going for Tiffany.

TG: Will Beaumont get over this?

HN: It'll take a little while. People are really excited about it. Her mom works at a hair salon. The lady who runs the salon made flyers and was giving them to clients every week. Today I went by there and she had put a story I wrote up in the window. If Tiffany comes home to visit, she'll get a big Welcome Home party.

Shannon Sutlief contributed to this story.

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