"Top Chef" Power Rankings: Week 2

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Mar 24, 2008 4:45PM

What a difference a week makes. If last week's episode of "Top Chef Chicago" showed us anything, it's that the competition is not a sprint. Someone should have reminded Mark the Hobbit of that as he was barreling through Green City Market looking for his five ingredients for the Quickfire challenge (with Richard almost taking out a kid a close runner-up).

For us, however, the worst thing that could have happened was to watch as Andrew "Space Monkey Gleek" D'Ambrosi (pictured) win the elimination challenge with his squid ceviche recipe, after being disqualified in the quickfire for using too many ingredients. For the first time, Andrew's skills finally matched his confidence level, and it'll all probably wind up coming out of his foul mouth.

We also bid adieu to Valerie Bolon, whose elimination challenge dish did not impress the judges at all. Gail Simmons likened Valerie's black olive blinis to solid body waste, and we're not inclined to disagree. A shame, really; we had hopes that Valerie would step up her game and stick around at least a few weeks longer.

Power rankings are as follows:

1. Richard (last week - 1): Even though Wylie Dufrense did not like Richard's chicken soup with eucalyptus and he used ras al hanout for the second week in a row, the progressive cuisine acolyte didn't do anything egregious to threaten his standing. Although that could change as other contestants start to find their footing.

2. Dale (last week - 4): Slowly, signs of Mr. Talde's inner douche are starting to show. From his diss of Green City Market to his hesitancy to work with Nikki and Spike as a team. But he's got solid skills - his dish was the best of his team in the elimination challenge - worthy of our prediction we'll see him in the final 4.

3. Mark (last week - 8): Earned high marks for both his dishes and a man crush from Wylie Dufrense, who knows a good pair of sideburns when he sees them. Hobbit is going to be a player in this competition.

4. Stephanie (last week - 2): Bailed herself out of a mess of a watery crab salad with a sublime banana bread and by fessing up to the crab salad. The latter is a page from the "Obama transparency" playbook.

5. Spike (last week - 7): Goes with the flow, possibly with a little help from Padma's smoke stash. He, Nikki and Dale made the most of a vague theme menu in the elimination challenge.

6. Andrew (last week - 12): If he hadn't been disqualified in the quickfire, Space Monkey Gleek would have easily had the strongest dishes of the episode. Dare we say that the little shit is starting to grow on us?

7. Antonia (last week - 3): She and Stephanie did most of the heavy lifting for their elimination challenge, working with a lot of unsexy leafy greens. Antonia showed some survival instinct by hanging Valerie out to dry, and seemingly enjoying it.

8. Jennifer (last week - 6): Most notable contribution to last week's episode was the Catholic school dance distance she kept between herself and Zoi as they shared a bunk.

9. Zoi (last week - 11): See Jennifer and add a highly praised meatball dish.

10. Nikki (last week - 5): Ms. Cascone shold be thankful that Valerie's blinis were so much worse than her mushroom dish, otherwise we'd be saying farewell to her.

11. Ryan (last week - 14): Kept his mouth shut and simply cooked this week. And cooked well, we might add.

12. Erik (last week - 15): Did nothing of note this week to change our opinion of the lovable galoot. Still want to share a beer with him.

13. Manuel (last week - 9): Couldn't get any love from the judges for his elimination round chicken dish, but we at least know now that he can speak.

14. Lisa (last week - 10): Had the good fortune of being on a team where Andrew's dishes ruled this week. otherwise we'd have wondered if she was still on the show.

15. Valerie (eliminated; last week - 13): More Rachel Dratch than Cheri Oteri in our opinion. It's possible that, had she participated more in the menu planning between her, Steph and Antonia she might have survived another week. As it is, her hseitancy cost her as much as her ill-fated decision to make blinis a good two hours ahead of when they actually should have been made. Marscapone never looked so unappetizing.