‘Top Chef’: ‘Chef’ shocker! Ta ta, Trey

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Well, I didn’t see that coming. No one did.

Trey, the executive chef long considered a front-runner for the ‘Top Chef’ title, was sent packing after Restaurant April turned in a lackluster second night, concluding Restaurant Wars.

Team April was demolished by the suddenly tight-as-ever team Quatre, formerly called the Garage. After a dismal first night -- vanilla-scented candles, in a restaurant, really? -- Dale, Hung, Sara and Howie found their collective groove. And it all started with the Quickfire Challenge.

The task? Teams competed in a basic restaurant preparation relay race. Individually, contestants needed to shuck 15 oysters, finely dice five large onions, fabricate (or cut up) four chickens and whip egg whites into a meringue stiff enough to stick to an upside-down bowl. Sara finally proved her worth, plowing through the onions (the second leg of the race), leaving Casey and the rest of Team April in the dust. And say what you will about Hung, watching him go to town on those chickens was nothing less than inspiring. Even head judge Tom Colicchio couldn’t help but chuckle at his seriousness and break-neck speed.

Team Quatre won an advantage: Season 1’s talented if long-winded sommelier Stephen would help them pair wines with their meal. It would turn out to be more a perk than a necessity.

That’s because Team April was led by laid-back Trey. I haven’t had any real problems with Trey throughout the series. His level of execution is always impeccable, and his flavors are always bold. But he’s been overly confident in his abilities. During a rare off-week, BBQ week, he opted to coast and came up with criticism from the judges. And here, during an unprecedented second chance, Trey again failed to kick things into high gear. Colicchio does a spot-on dissection of how and where Team April floundered here.

For his part, Trey didn’t bother tweaking his filet mignon dish even after the judges told him they didn’t like it on the first night! He also added a salmon-pesto entree that was universally panned and sent judge Ted Allen reaching for his wine to wash out the flavor in his mouth.

Also a big no-no: Not leading the team with a strong hand. Whereas Quatre executive chef Sara told her team repeatedly to redo dishes that weren’t up to snuff, Trey admitted he hadn’t even tasted everything on his menu. Trey’s overall performance and dishes may have deserved to send him into the finals, but his inability to effectively lead with his team instead won him a plane ride home.

Still, as Colicchio wrote in his blog, Trey left like a class act. Signing off, he assumed responsibility for his team’s loss, talked of lessons learned and promised to do better when he sets up his own restaurant one day.

Too early to call the finale, but my money is still on Hung to wind up in the final two. Any other guesses?

--Denise Martin