Matthew Petersen took a risk and it didn't pay off. Far from a showpiece specialist, the Top Chef: Just Desserts finalist opted to make a sugar showpiece instead of a chocolate one — which he was familiar with — in the finale, only to have head judge Johnny Iuzzini criticize him for taking the gamble. "I needed to do that to have a chance," he tells TVGuide.com. "It's not something I do. I make plated desserts. I don't make showpieces. ... But I was totally stoked [with how it turned out]. It was standing! It looked good and more importantly, I was proud of it." See what else he has to say about being the underdog, why he didn't want sous chefs and blowing Gail Simmons' mind with speculoos.
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How tough was it for Orlando Santos to get the boot from Top Chef: Just Desserts one week shy of the finale? "Between Judges' Table and the stew room, I think I had completely lost every feeling that I had," he tells TVGuide.com. "When I got to the stew room, seeing everyone just brought back the emotions and all the effort and time it took to get me where I was. It was very, very difficult. When I left off-camera, it was even harder, just walking away knowing I was so close to the finale, and I just broke down."
Santos was shown the door for his dessert-in-disguise paella — the critique of which he found "a little disturbing." Find out why he disagreed with the judges, if he considers himself this season's villain and why he worships Cat Cora.
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With Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts not going anywhere anytime soon, could a crossover episode be in the offing?
Fall Preview: Get scoop on your favorite returning shows
"It would be cool if they each had partners, like a savory and ...
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After a more bitter than sweet first season of Top Chef: Just Desserts, we know we weren't the only ones who were wary of what a second season could bring. Will there be another breakdown-prone Seth? Two more crazy Heathers? Twenty gazillion more buckets of tears?
Having seen the premiere (Wednesday, 10/9c, Bravo), we at TVGuide.com are happy to report that the new season is no crybaby-fest redux. So why should you come back for seconds? Here are four reasons:
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What's with the pastry chefs on Top Chef: Just Desserts being so thin?
You'd think — considering all the delicious, high-cal treats getting turned out in a professional kitchen — that weight gain would be an inevitable occupational hazard. And yet, the cheftestants on Bravo's latest cooking competition are a surprisingly svelte bunch. What gives? According to Johnny Iuzzini, the Top Chef: Just Desserts judge and executive pastry chef for Jean Georges and Nougatine in New York City, "Pastry chefs do consume a lot of sweets — we're constantly ...
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