Top Scallops – Details, episodes & analysis

Merlin, Max, and Alex conclude their run of Top Scallops by eating some gross food and breaking down why reality TV often does not meet our expectations.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show Notes

• 'Top Chef' secrets revealed: From the judges' mouths to your ears
• The Top Chef: Seattle Finale Was Ruined by Meddlesome Magical Elves
• Pulling Back the Curtain on Top Chef
• The lowdown on the making of 'Top Chef'
  Reality Bites: How Top Chef Contestants Stay Undercover
• Top Chef: What It's Like to Be a Diner at the Taping
• 18 Things You Learn While Attending the ‘Top Chef’ Finale
  How 'Top Chef' Cooks Up Fresh Integrations
• Bravo's 'Top Chef Masters' Sprinkled With More Upscale Sponsors
• Top Chef Seattle Finale Recap: David Rees on Chicken Butts and Washed Scallops
• 'Top Chef: New Orleans:' A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the season premiere
• Reality TV Contract
• How Reality TV Works
  5 Horrible Provisions You Might Find In A Reality Show Contract
• La Mancha Screw Job
• Don Quixote
• Salesman
• In Pod-Based Community Living, Rent Is Cheap, But Sex Is Banned
• Adventure Cats
• As You Know, Bob
• Citizens of Pawnee Montage
• Friendshipping
• Vinyl
• Battleship Trailer

Thanks to our producer Alex Cox for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork, and Seth Boyer for our music!

Merlin, Max, and Alex respond to some constructive listener feedback before recapping the finale of Top Chef.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show Notes

• Watch Ep 15: Finale | Top Chef
• Behind the Scenes of the Top Chef Finale | Top Chef Photos
• Ep 37 – “Stay True to Your Art”: How Max Temkin Raised $10 Million on Kickstarter with NO Paid Advertising, Rejecting “Marketing Tricks”, and Ignoring “Guru Advice” (Like Mine!) | Entrepreneur: Uncut
• Top Chef season 13 finale recap: The winner is... | EW.com
• ‘Top Chef’ Season 13 Finale: And the Winner Is... - Eater
• ‘Top Chef’ Finale Controversy: Did The Wrong Guy Win?
  Conversation Parade: An Adventure Time Podcast | Podcast | Infinite Guest Podcast Network
• George Takei Impersonates Donald Trump '2+2' Answer
• Trump Solo - The New Yorker
• Top Chef Season 13 Cheftestants: Where Are They Now? | Top Chef Blog
• Entrepreneur Uncut Ep 37 – “Stay True to Your Art”: How Max Temkin Raised $10 Million on Kickstarter with NO Paid Advertising, Rejecting “Marketing Tricks”, and Ignoring “Guru Advice”
• John Gruber & Merlin Mann at SxSW 2009

Thanks to our producer Alex Cox for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork, and Seth Boyer for our music!

Max and Merlin discuss focus in the kitchen and workplace, Cajun Sparkle Recipes, and why you might need a tin foil hat.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show notes:

• Episode 6: Banannaise | Top Chef Photos
• Ras el hanout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Ra's al Ghul - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Amazon.com: Cambro 12189CW135 4.75 Gallon Polycarbonate Food Storage Camwear Box: Lidded Home Storage Bins: Kitchen & Dining
• Amazon Echo
• Bandwidth Test
• MacGuffin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Lifehacks
• Top Secret Recipes | Popeye's Cajun Sparkle Copycat Recipe
• Purify, iOS Tracking and Ad Blocker
• How Target Knew a High School Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Parents Did
• OPM Now Admits 5.6m Feds’ Fingerprints Were Stolen By Hackers

Thanks to our producer Alex Cox for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork and Seth Boyer for our music!

Merlin and Max discuss Apple Music, their sous vide methods, a new business venture, and possibly Star Wars.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show Notes

• Episode 5: A Top Chef Wedding | Top Chef Photos
• Gail: This Was a Very Controversial Judges Table | Top Chef Blog
• Gaslight (1944 film) - Wikipedia, the free
  encyclopedia
• FoodSaver V2244 Vacuum Sealing System
• I Can Tolerate Anything Except The Outgroup | Slate Star
  Codex
• Chef Art Smith (@ChefArtSmith) |
  Twitter
• Kristen Kish - Wikipedia, the free
  encyclopedia
• How MSG
  Got a Bad Rap: Flawed Science and
  Xenophobia
• Harrison Ford was Paid Over 50x More Than His Star Wars
  Co-Stars
• How Spielberg Got 2.5% of Star
  Wars

Thanks to out producer Alex Cox for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork and Seth Boyer for our music!

This week Merlin and Max discuss how to handle the stressors of being in the kitchen as well as the poor gaming of some of the show's challenges.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show notes:

• GoSun Stove: Fast, Portable and Practical Solar Cooker
• Five unusual Top Chef production crew titles | 5ives
• London's Burning: How a Skyscraper Melts Cars | 20 Fenchurch Walkie-Talkie
• MUNCHIES: The Podcast: #7 Gail Simmons - How Top Chef Changed Food
• MasterChef Junior

Thanks to producer Alex for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork and Seth Boyer for our music!

This week Max and Merlin discuss time management and Hidden Valley Ranch's Food Waste Reduction program.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show notes:

• Watch Top Chef California: West Coast Here We Come! | Top Chef Videos
• Top Chef Season 13 Chefs: Karen Akunowicz, Angelina Bastidas, Carl Dooley, Garret Fleming | Top Chef Blog
• Top Chef Season 13 Chefs: Jeremy Ford, Renee Kelly, Phillip Frankland Lee, Marjorie Meek-Bradley | Top Chef Blog
• Top Chef Season 13 Chefs: Kwame Onwuachi, Amar Santana, Grayson Schmitz, Jason Stratton | Top Chef Blog
• Top Chef Season 13 Chefs: Giselle Wellman, Frances Tariga-Weshnak, Isaac Toups, Wesley True, Chad White | Top Chef Blog
• Sea urchin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• The Hub @ Sibley
• Kobayashi Maru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Ep. 14: "Big City Apology" - Roderick on the Line - Merlin Mann
• Hofstadter's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• The Mythical Man-Month - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Portlandia | 911 Beets Emergency - YouTube

Thanks to producer Alex for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork and Seth Boyer for our music!

This week Max and Merlin check in on Tom and speculate about this season of Top Chef.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show notes:

• Top Chef California: West Coast
• Top Chef season 6
• Top Chef Season 13 Chefs, part 1
• Top Chef Season 13 Chefs, part 2
• Top Chef Season 13 Chefs, part 3
• Top Chef Season 13 Chef, part 4
• Top Chef 13 Kitchen Tour
• Ruhlman's Twenty
• Colette from Ratatouille
• John Cleese on Creativity
• Dunning–Kruger effect
• Lumpy Space Princess

Thanks to producer Alex for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork and Seth Boyer for our music!

This week Merlin and Max introduce Top Chef and talk about staring into the creative abyss.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show notes:

• Merlin's podcasts: Back to Work, Roderick on the Line, Reconcilable Differences, The Dalrymple Report
• The origin of the title Top Scallops
• Preview Season 13 of Top Chef on Bravo
• Previous seasons of Top Chef on Hulu (Max's favorite is Season 4, Merlin's is Season 6)
• Radio Lab: La Mancha Screw Job
• Project Runway, aka Top Dress
• Junkyard Wars
• The Colony
• Kevin Pang’s Farewell Letter from the Chicago Tribune

Thanks to producer Alex for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork and Seth Boyer for our music!

Max visits Merlin in his office to talk about structure and change, the downfall of TV, and "magic" shows.

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show Notes

• Watch Ep 14: Magic Hour | Top Chef
• Episode 14: Magic Hour | Top Chef Photos
• Top Chef recap: Magic Hour | EW.com
• Top Chef Pre-Finale Recap: It’s Magic! -- Grub Street
• 15 Delicious Facts About ‘Top Chef’ | Mental Floss
• David Copperfield (illusionist) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• DAVID COPPERFIELD 2016 MEET & GREET
• Duck's Quacks Don't Echo? : snopes.com
  How to Replace AT&T; Voice Mail With Google Voice | The Classroom | Synonym
• Bill Hader Reveals All the Things Seth Taught Him at SNL - Late Night with Seth Meyers - YouTube
• Watch Episode 12: Give Me Your Huddled Masses | Top Chef
• Watch Top Chef Online - Give Me Your Huddled Masses | Hulu
• Henry Birdseye (@tehawesome) | Twitter
• Dan Harmon, Community
• 'West Wing' Uncensored: Aaron Sorkin, Rob Lowe, More Look Back on Early Fears, Long Hours, Contract Battles and the Real Reason for Those Departures
• The Great British Baking Show
• Master Chef Junior
• The Leftovers
• The 100

Thanks to our producer Alex Cox for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork, and Seth Boyer for our music!

Max and Merlin talk about politics and do some soul searching. And then what happens?

Subscribe to Top Scallops on iTunes or via RSS.

Thank you to our friends at Backblaze for sponsoring the Top Scallops podcast.

Show Notes

• Watch Ep 13: Where it all Started | Top Chef
• Episode 13: Where It All Started | Top Chef Photos
• Bravo Top Chefs Held Final Dinner at Fleur de Lys, Made 'Artisanal Toast' - Eater SF
• ‘Top Chef’ Season 13 Episode 13: Quickfire, Sudden Death, and the Final Three - Eater
• Top Chef Recap: It’s Not Long; It’s ‘Supersized’ -- Grub Street
• Top Chef recap: Back Where It All Started | EW.com
• Mana Goy
• Vox on Trump and the rise of American Authoritarianism
• Toasties Recipes and Ideas for New Zealanders | Kiwi Faves
• Padma on Weekend Edition

Thanks to our producer Alex Cox for editing, Kevin Budnik for our show artwork, and Seth Boyer for our music!