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No knowledge - No hunches - just an avid fan of the show from the first season. My take is that it probably is a pre decided contest. The competition is always based on a subjective judging - not objective. While Susie, Bob and Bobbie Flay pontificate on the merits or failures of the candidates, it's easy to see where there really is no specific criteria laid out.

They're only keeping Debbie for the drama ratings...

GOM - Are you talking about that Jeffrey guy? I liked him. Kind of alot. I didn't expect to, for some reason. He made the best of a potentially bad situation.
All in all, I'm very much looking forward to the premiere of Top Chef Masters day after tomorrow...

I personally doubt that the ultimate winner is predetermined, but I do suspect that some people are chosen for the show because they'll create drama.

As far as the rest of them, it's like a long interview process. They might have favorites, but I think they use all the extra time to make their choice. I mean, why not? They've got time to get to know these people beyond their resumes, and there's plenty of time for people to show their "real" personalities off-camera.

And also, I think some of the eliminations are done based on things that we don't see on TV, but that are deal-breakers as far as giving these people a contract. So excuses are made to boot someone. For example -- the guy who called his teammates "pretty girls." If that's his real attitude about working with women, Susie might not want to put up with that. Or someone have hygiene issues or seriously annoying habits that no one wants to put up with. Instead of saying, "you really need to take a bath," they're going to say, "you undersalted your dish."

@AuntJone, I think your hubby would tell you if you overperfumed, but he probably wouldn't say it in front of company.

NFNS is sort of like a very long and strange hiring process, considering that at the end of it, somebody gets a contract for a certain number of episodes. My experience with hiring is that first of all people sort themselves out based on qualifications. Whether it's test-based or resume-based, or whatever, there tend to be a certain number of people who rise to the top of the pile for one reason or another.

After that, you just need a little bit of time with those candidates as they one at a time shoot themselves in the foot by doing or saying something incredibly stupid. Or, if there's no actual foot-shooting, it may simply be a matter of who is going to be the most compatible with the team. Which, in some cases is more important than others. With a TV show, you not only need a host that looks and sounds good on camera, but also someone who gets along well with all of the off-screen staff. I'll bet that if the management got complaints about a particular candidate from the makeup and lighting departments, that person's food would suddenly start tasting bad and they'd be booted.

And BTW, Guy was a winner and so was Big Daddy. I'm not fond of Big Daddy. Guy is okay when he's hosting something, but I don't watch his shows unless there's something about the show I'm particularly interested in.

Amy Findley was the one that I liked, but she left on her own and moved to France or something. She actually had a few recipes that I thought were different enough to be worth trying. Her Freaky Good Apple Tart is actually very good.

Big Daddy does not stink. He is passionate about cooking. I give him his props because I know where he came from and what he was up against. He is still the same person and not full of himself. His parents (whom I know) did a wonderful job raising his siblings in a really really bad inner city environment. Sorry you don't like him.