Top Chef Ep 4: Let's just get this over with

Last night we said au revoir to Manuel, that boring guy nobody noticed until he got kicked off the show for going along with Hat Boy's universally-panned Vietnemese-themed dish for the Film Food Challenge. Each contestant picked a partner, then a movie, then a dish based on that movie. Spike and Manuel picked Vietnamese cuisine first, then chose, yes, Good Morning Vietnam, as their movie. Why? Because Spike's specialty is Vietnamese. It must have hurt extra hard to be in the bottom 2 teams for cooking one's specialty.

Richard, everyone's favorite pink croc model, won the challenge for his team's take on Willy Wonka, thus insuring the world will not go another week without at least one badly-coiffed dude on TV. I've actually decided to call him Dough Boy. And Andrew, another arrogant little man, I've decided to call Monkey Boy because he's always hopping around. He actually wanted to dress like an Oompa Loompa to serve the Willy Wonka dish. I think he should have; then he would have gone home instead of Miguel. I mean Manuel.

The judges simply weren't impressed with Spike and Manuel's dish. They actually said it tasted like something one could get in a neighborhood restaurant for $8. Ouch. I'll be honest, even the plating looks boring on this one...