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January 17, 2007: Can We Talk About the Food?
"We do have a competition here, and we want it to be about food."
— Tom Colicchio
Really? Here's the thing: I signed on for a show that was about cooking, with a healthy side dish of drama. Instead, all we're getting is some needless drama with a little sprinkling of actual cooking. In order to include the ridiculous "shaving Marcel's head" prank, we had to lose much of the quickfire chocolate challenge, plus much of the shopping and the prepping of the food and plates for the romantic elimination challenge. I know that this is reality TV, and its main staple is drama with a capital "D." Am I an idiot for loving the process by which the wannabe Top Chefs are required to create these fancy-shmancy dishes on very little notice — without a whole hell of a lot of time — and expected to make them sing with flavor and taste? I don't want to see hours and hours of time devoted to one subject: Marcel. I just don't! And I'm not only blaming him: The behavior of all the finalists was inappropriate, childish and just plain unacceptable. After I watched the hour, I literally had to step away from my computer for a few minutes so I could calm down before starting to write this column. I don't think it did me any good. It's the last elimination challenge before Hawaii. I guess I thought we'd actually get to see some chefs dazzle us with their culinary skills. Based on tonight's episode, these competitors do have talent — I would have liked to have seen more of that. But maybe I'm in the minority here. It just feels like the producers pinpointed Marcel as the big story right from the beginning and ran too far with it. I understand where they're coming from — they thought he was going to be a compelling character — one of those villains you love to hate. But he's not. And I don't. He's the one that's been needling everyone since day one; and everyone's been outwardly affected by him. Almost all of his fellow finalists have at one point lost focus and let themselves get caught up in all the Marcel mayhem. Is this a plan the 26-year-old has been fostering on purpose? If it is, then kudos to him. I just don't want to watch entire episodes devoted to him and his snide comments and silly smirks. And now I'm furthering the Marcel madness by devoting much of this column to how he's been the source of much viewing displeasure. Boo.
Now on to the prank: the elimination challenge was over, and the finalists went back to their "swingin'" pad where most of them proceeded to start drinking. Elia thought it would be fun to shave her head à la Sinead O'Connor. Ilan did the deed first, followed quickly by Elia — who didn't look that bad after all was said and done. I haven't seen a woman shave her head on national TV since Joyce did it on The Amazing Race. I remembered being awed by Joyce joining the bald fraternity. I was surprised that Elia did it — and I loved the way she took off the wig in her confessional. But what I hated was what happened afterward. The whole "let's shave Marcel's head" fiasco was uncomfortable, totally uncalled-for and a prank that went too far. Why would Cliff manhandle Marcel like that? Drunk or not, he went too far. Marcel's a stick, and Cliff's not a stick. And it was clear that Marcel wanted nothing to do with the entire exchange. Plus, no one came to his defense. Sam was just sitting there. He, of course, didn't want to be that guy, but standing by doing nothing is almost as bad as the person who's violating another person like that. Almost. Where were Ilan and Elia during this portion of the evening? Then we get treated to a tough visit from Tom Colicchio. It made me think of when Tim Gunn had to visit the Project Runway designers to give Keith the boot. What Cliff did was against the rules, and Tom was forced to send him packing. Cliff took it well — he knew the rules, after all. And I like the fact that he apologized to Marcel's face and confessed that he regretted what he did. He's still unbelievably stupid for going out the way that he did, but at least he didn't mess up his exit with whines and denials. I just hate the fact that the second season of Top Chef has resulted in two people quitting and one getting asked to leave. That's not what I want to see in one of my favorite reality shows.
Let's actually talk about the food: In the quickfire chocolate challenge, I was way scared of Ilan's chocolate truffles with chicken livers. Huh? What was he thinking? I'm no connoisseur and am one of those people that can eat chicken livers. But with chocolate? No way, no how. With Elia, I feel she thinks too much about taking risks. Why did she feel the need to cook two dishes? Not necessary. Guest Chef Eric Ripert said she would have won had she cooked one dish. And not the one that mixed the chocolate with the chicken. Sam won and that gave him an advantage in the elimination challenge. Padma told the chefs they'd have to cook a five-course romantic dinner for celebrating couples. Because of Sam's earlier win, he was given the chance to choose which course he wanted to whip something up for. Plus, he also earned the chance to pick the protein — none of the other challengers would be able to utilize the same protein that Sam chose for his dish. The dish I really wanted to taste the most was Ilan's fideos with clams and saffron. I did have a problem with the fact that Marcel couldn't find any time to help Sam or Ilan, and I hope he wasn't surprised that nobody wanted to help him (although Sam did in the end). Cliff's fatty and sensual version of romance didn't win over the judges or me. The sirloin was rare and bloody and it looked tough to cut — that certainly doesn't scream hearts, love and general schmoopiness. And what do puréed lentils have to do with romance? It turns out Cliff would have been eliminated anyway; he didn't have to go through the extra bother of being kicked off. Gail seemed really pleased with the way the romantic dinner unfolded: She said it was the best food they've had all season. Meanwhile, Tom liked the food; he just didn't get that romantic vibe from the dinner.
I've been pretty quiet when it comes to Padma this season. But, I have to say that I wasn't feeling her in this latest episode, especially at the judges' table after Cliff went home. First, she asked Marcel if he was OK and apologized to him. That let Marcel wallow knee-deep in the shallow end of the smugness pool. Padma also said that she wanted to see what Marcel could do in Hawaii, so then you knew no one else was getting eliminated. I truly despised this whole focus on Marcel and the idiotic prank. He got to stand at the judges' table and act all smuggy smuggerson and that makes everything that happened that much more sad. Is it me or does there not seem to be any sort of reunion for this latest Top Chef cast? What gives? The one for Season 1 was probably the best reunion show of any reality show ever! Was this cast too volatile to bring back together? Would you even want to see one? Is Bravo waiting until a later date? Inquiring minds (like mine) want to know.
Sam, Elia, Ilan and Marcel are going to Hawaii. I'm going to say that Sam and Elia will be the final two, with Sam and his full head of hair taking the whole thing. What are your thoughts on who the winner's going to be?
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Jan 18, 2007 2:53 AM
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Padma was annoying me the entire time. What was that whole get up in the beginning of the episode? Some sort of Grease meets trying to be way too hip combination.
I thought that the part when Tom tells everyone about what happened was so fake. They really didn't need to show that it was so clearly staged and did nothing.
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Jan 18, 2007 8:34 AM
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yes marcel has been a jerk but it usually been provoked and it is himself being a little too defensive and his smartalec remarks don't help, but for the most part i really see it as everyone picking on him because they feel they can. several of them have gone over the line yelling at him and threatning him when it wasn't deserved and it was usually brought on by sam himself or betty. sam is a good chef but he is a lousy human being period, but then most chefs are eccentric and use that excuse to be rude. i have been a server for many years and have worked for all types!~
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Jan 18, 2007 9:23 AM
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Padma has annoyed me all season. I just cant stand the way she says food - "feeoud". Argh! I hate it. I wonder if she's trying to cover up an accent or something. Maybe Salman told her to do that (her hubby is Salman Rushdie). As an Indian myself, I get offended easily when other Indians act silly in public.
Anyway, back to the food. I also thought Ilan's dish looked gross. And I hated the way they coddled Marcel at the end of the episode. Marcel was extremely smug, especially when he theorized that the incident with Cliff would irreparably damage his career - yeah right! If anything, Cliff will be batting off suitors who want him to come into his kitchen to take charge and prepare great dishes whereas Marcel will be trying to convince people that he's not as childish as he appears on tv.
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Jan 18, 2007 9:26 AM
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I have a suspicion that Cliff was being crazy like a fox with his little prank. I mean, which would be the least detrimental to his reputation as a chef, being sent home from Top Chef because of his cooking skills, or because of some dumb prank that got out of hand? Perhaps he saw the writing on the wall and decided to take matters into his own hands. Okay, I don't like the guy and I'm cynical, but still...
I wanted to hurl when Ilan made the chicken livers in chocolate. I don't eat organ meats, and I love chocolate, so...blecccch!
I'm sick and tired of Marcel, and I really wish they had sent him home. I'm hoping Elia takes it all in Hawaii.
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Jan 18, 2007 10:03 AM
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Wow, everyone I talked to about the show agreed with me that Marcel was the victim last night. Then I come on here and am baffled by the comments that he's spoiled & smug and wah wah wah. The Kid was woken up from a dead sleep and tackled to the ground by a guy at least twice his size. Personally, I think Marcel was the only one handling the situation like an adult. He left the room and closed himself off from everyone. He's been constantly picked on from day one, and it's mostly all been way worse than what he deserved. At no point did Marcel say that he wanted Cliff kicked off, in fact he seemed to feel bad that it all went down that way. I also didn't mind that Marcel didn't help with the plating of all the dishes, no one on the show seems to remember that they are in a competition. It's one thing to offer to help if you are done with your own dish, but if you are trying to prep, why on earth would you voluntarily help your competition out with making their dishes presentable and ready on time. I'm in it this far so of course I'll watch until the end, but this season to me has been a waste of time. The chefs last season were, for the most part, mature adults who wanted the chance to show what they were capable of. This season seems more like the Real World!
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Jan 18, 2007 10:20 AM
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I agree with Rain388. What was Marcel supposed to do? Cliff had him in a full Nelson (I think!) holding him a foot off of the ground. He looked like a rag doll. If the rule was no physical contact, then Marcel did the right thing and didn't resist- otherwise he might have been kicked off too. I think it's really funny how Marcel has literally driven these people to extremes. Hey chefs- Marcel is winning at these childish games bc you have let him get to you so much. They are giving him power. It would have been better to say, hey Marcel, we're shaving our heads- do you want to do it with us? Kind of a team spirit thing. (Although I don't know if that razor could have cut Marcel's crazy Yu-Gi-Oh hair!).
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Jan 18, 2007 10:32 AM
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I cannot believe some of you think Marcel has done nothing to provoke the disdain of the other chefs. Bravo ran a marathon of Top Chef on Monday and I watched all of the episodes again. He is a coniving, instigating, manipulative jerk. While I do not believe he deserved to be man-handled, he difinitley deserved every verbal confrontation with the others.
As far as the comment about his not plating. This may be a competition, but it is a competition for Top Chef and a great chef will do whatever is necessary to get the food out, including helping others - I have worked with both good and bad chefs. The others showed they were more professional than Marcel when they helped him after he refused to assist. Even Elia seems to be distancing herself from him and she was the only one who tolerated his attitude.
Those of you defending Marcel are probably the same ones who slammed Tiffany last season for her attitude. She may not have been the most pleasant person but at least she could cook and didn't try to instigate trouble.
Marcel has been in the bottom 3 so many times........and he served raw chicken. He should have been sent home!!!!!!
Go Sam and Ilan. Elia is too whiny for me.
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Jan 18, 2007 11:06 AM
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I went on-line to bravotv.com after the show last night. I checked out the after show they were advertizing during the episiode. My question didn't get asked 
How ever some one did ask about a reunion show. The short answer is no reunion show this year. Rhe host Andy gave some cryptic responce of something in the works that would be much better than a reunion show.
Also on bravotv.com Tom answered some questions in his blog. He is claiming the show last week was highly edited of the judges table. Now he is claiming the chicken wasn't actually raw but only appeared raw due to Marcel unsuccesfully trying to cook the meat with spices in some technique that is commonly used to prepare duck legs.
Cliff was also asked during last nights webcast how he felt knowing he would have been sent home ayway. he said he wuld rather have left for his food.
My question is why didn't they have the judges table right after the competition like they usually do. If they had had the judging after the meal there wouldn't have been an incident at all. It was the fact that ontestants were given the rest of the night off that allowed this incedent to happen.
I have to agree wth Tom nothing last night really screamed romance to me. Also why does everyone always do seafood? I myself hate fish. Most Americans prefer steak to seafood. Yet time after time it is attack of the seafood.
Also what is up with the fact that there didn't need to be a dessert. They took Elia to task for making dessert which isn't her specialty. I'm sorry but no romantic dinner is complete with out desert. How ever I would have made something that had to be shared. Like a mini chocoalte chesse cake with chocolate covered strawberries. Something sensual and seductice to b shared intimately with a lover.
I do give them props though for not doing anything lame like soup salad or a cheese plate.
Cliff you want romance how about a nice filet milen or T-bone not that mess you served. Maybe a pasta side something the couples could feed each other.
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Jan 18, 2007 11:07 AM
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Padma is even worse in here blog with here "outrage" over the treatment of Marcel. She even calls him Piggy to the others Lord of the Flies.
Personally yes last night was stupid. Everyone makes mistakes and does thing in the moment that they later regret. We all do things we aren't proud of. Cliff how ever did apologize and admit his error.
The judges though act like a Top Chef doesn't get to have a personal life. I'm sorry but I don't think everything in your personal live is reflective of your work life. The old expression a time and place for everything. I highly doubt Cliff would hold anyone down in the kitchen.
I'm sure if you dig we would find things in everyone's past they regret. They had no right to come off so superior last night.
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Jan 18, 2007 11:22 AM
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I personally did not like the guest judge this time. Everybody said how great he was but his comments were really mediocre. Maybe he has problem expressing himself in English. Wrong choice for judges!
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Jan 18, 2007 11:54 AM
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It doesn't matter that, normally, Cliff wouldn't hold someone down in the kitchen. The rules clearly stated that you could not be physically aggressive towards another player--wherever they are.
As long as they were still on the show and living in the dorms or in the kitchen, those rules applied.
I, like a few others (apparently we're a minority), can't believe people are, in essence, saying Marcel deserved it. So we're blaming the victim now?
If Cliff hadn't been caught do you all still think he would have apologized? I find that doubtful. He probably would have delighted in Marcel's discomfort. And it seems so would others who have posted so far. Yikes, people. Yikes.
I'm not saying Marcel was never annoying. But the antics last night were undeserved. He was SLEEPING! His only "fault" was not being with the group when the head-shaving began. Just because he was annoying in other episodes doesn't mean they had a right to drag him from his sleep and manhandle him.
Yell at him in the kitchen? Fine. Not help him plate his stuff? Fine. He didn't know whether Cliff would actually harm him or not. So, that's not fine.
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Jan 18, 2007 12:06 PM
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I did not say that Cliff shouldn't have been booted. I am just saying this is a cookin show. After Cliff was let go the judges attacked the remaining contestants for their behaviour. My point is I don't see a corrilation with their cooking and their personal behaviour. The judges bascially said they didn't deserve to be Chefs because of the unfortiane incident with marcel.
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Jan 18, 2007 12:25 PM
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I personally did not like the guest judge this time. Everybody said how great he was but his comments were really mediocre. Maybe he has problem expressing himself in English. Wrong choice for judges!
Eric Ripert isn't a tv personality, he's Eric Ripert! Getting him as a judge was a huge coup of credibility for the show. The man is pretty much in the top .5% of great chefs in the world, and yes, he's French and so he has an accent that may be difficult for some people to understand (though I understood everything he was saying). The man knows food and I'm sure it made the chefs work even harder on their dishes knowing that he was going to be the guest judge.
Did anyone even mention that Ilan was the one taping the Cliff-Marcel incident and asking Sam or Elia to come and shave Marcel's head while Cliff was holding him? I think Cliff and Ilan should have been kicked off for their despicable behavior. I don't care how much of a jerk Marcel is, there's no excuse for what they did. And Sam just sitting there, doing nothing. If it felt wrong to him, as he said in the confessional, why didn't he stop them? No, because he's a coward and so he just sat there.
Now I really want Elia or Marcel to win. I can't stand Sam or Ilan.
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Jan 18, 2007 12:29 PM
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Cruciatus, thank you so much for agreeing with me. I came in to work dying to talk to a co-worker who also watches Top Chef. She was even more upset and said to her, everyone but Marcel should have been kicked off. I can't believe everyone just sat around watching that happen, it's just disgusting. I really read all of the comments on here and sat in shock for a while before actually posting.
Olomaya - thanks for pointing out that Ilan was filming the whole disaster, my friend and I were trying to figure it out!
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Jan 18, 2007 12:44 PM
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