Top Chef All Star favorite Carla Hall was sent packing on the last episode of the show after coming up short in the elimination and quick fire challenges.
In a new interview with TV Guide, Carla talks being eliminated and admits she would have sent herself packing too. Carla also discusses why she lost focus, what she’s up to today and why she didn’t give us any “hootie-hoo”s this season. Excerpts from her interview below –
Could you have left the rice off since it was “undone-te”?
Carla: [Laughs] Exactly, it was “undone-te”! I could’ve left it off. As soon as I poured that rice into that pot, I turned to Hosea and said, “I just gave you $10,000.” Tom said, “I can’t get past rice that’s not cooked properly.” Me either. No argument there. … My frame of mind wasn’t there. It’s also hard stopping the competition [in September], coming back to your regular life and then going back in [for the finals in January]. I didn’t have the same focus.
You agreed with the judges’ decision. Did you think you were going home?
Carla: Yeah, in the stew room, Antonia thought she was going. I said, “No, I’m going.” It wasn’t until Judges’ Table that I realized how underdone the pork was. As soon as I heard that, I knew. I would’ve sent myself home too. I won’t fight for a bad dish. … I said this on the show: I would’ve rather gone home knowing I did a really great dish, even in New York at Ellis Island. I loved that dish. I would’ve preferred to go home then because I would’ve been out-cooked. I didn’t want to go home with a dish that had technical flaws and one where I didn’t push the envelope.
I was disappointed we didn’t hear any “hootie-hoo”s this season. What happened?
Carla: We did them. They just didn’t show them. I know, with Matthew, people were saying, “Why didn’t you ‘hootie-hoo’ each other?” Well, I knew where he was. He was right at the table!
As for what she’s up to today, Carla reveals she’s transitioning from catering into doing a line of cookies. “I changed the name from Alchemy Caterers to Alchemy by Carla Hall. It’ll be a line of seasonal products until I eventually hopefully open up a café,” she said.
In other Carla news, she has talked on the show about being a former model in the early 90s, and now we have a number of her photos from her modelings days courtesy of ivillage. Carla was a high fashion model for a few years strutting her stuff on the runways of London, Paris and Milan. Those photos are below!
Moving on to tonight’s new episode as the four remaining All-Stars are left standing and it’s a fight to the finish to claim the coveted title of ‘Top Chef.’ But it won’t be an easy road to the finale as the chef’testants have to face the high stakes in the Bahamas. First roadblock? What happens when the chef’testants must physically fish for local Bahamian protein? And for the elimination round, the chef’testants must pair up to deliver a winning meal. When the pairs end up as girls vs. guys, it becomes one last battle-of-the-sexes before the Finale.
TELL US – THOUGHTS ON CARLA’S INTERVIEW, PHOTOS & TONIGHT’S EPISODE OF TOP CHEF?
