Is Tom Colicchio laughing? Or is he grimacing at how much this season sucks? Photo from Bravo.

The biggest complaint we’ve had (both in our own estimation and according to a number of commenters) is that this season has been kind of boring. It sort of seems like a flashback to two seasons ago when the food was so boring and the competition so blasé that Tom Colicchio gave the chefs a “step your game up” talking-to mid-season. Very little from this season has wowed us. Part of this could be because last season was a tough act to follow, with one of the strongest groups of competitors we’d seen in a while. In any case, the watching has been tough at times this go-round.

One thing that’s been consistent throughout: while the food may not wow us, the ability of this group of contestants to be conniving, whiny, and childish is non-debatable. With only a few notable exceptions, the cheftestants all seem to be hatching a conspiracy to win or are paranoid about being the target of one. Fitting then, that this week’s episode threw in a reference to the cloak and dagger days of the Cold War.