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January 31, 2007: The Best Chef Right Now Is...
Here's the thing: I still don't like the behavior that Ilan exhibited in the last few episodes, and some of the comments in this finale were inappropriate. I kept saying to myself: "Just worry about yourself for a change. Stop saying Marcel's name!" There was just too much trash-talking coming from him; I just wanted him to stop. But I have to go on what I was feeling at the time the announcement was made. When Padma told Ilan that he was the Top Chef, I was genuinely happy. But that's not to take anything away from Marcel. Like Tom and the gang said repeatedly, he was the one that took more risks with the food. But, unfortunately, when you take big risks, the failures are that much more apparent. Meanwhile, Ilan depended heavily on his Spanish-influenced background. Kind of safe, but it did the job. It was probably just the way things were edited, but throughout the episode, I kept changing my mind as to who was going to take the title and win the "grudge match," as Marcel so aptly put it. For the final time this season, let's break things down:
Selecting the Sous-Chefs
Poor Mia and Frank. I really thought that Marcel was going to go with Mia, she seemed very excited to be there and it felt like she really wanted to be a part of things. But no, she and Frank were again shown the door, never to be seen from again. Marcel's team consisted of Sam and Mike, while Ilan chose Betty and Elia as his sous-chefs. I was worried about how Marcel was going to work with Sam and Mike. I still think Sam should have been in the finals, so it had to hurt to have to sous-chef for one of these guys. Mike knows how to take direction for the most part, so I didn't think it was a poor choice for Marcel to go with him. I just don't know if it was the best choice he could have made. With Ilan, I was really, really worried about Betty. I know the two got along really well and would work well together, but she's a wild card. Don't know if she's the strongest one to have by your side. I'm going to give the slight edge to Marcel here, just because he has Sam. Elia's strong, but Sam's the entire package and Mike can take direction.
Shopping/4-hour Preparation
It was great that for this challenge the chefs simply had to make the best meal they've ever made in their life. No pressure, huh? Anyway, I love that there were no restrictions, so they both got to go to town at the Farmers Market. Later in their respective kitchens, everything seemed to go smoothly for both teams. I was completely impressed with Marcel. He and his team worked very well together, it was cool. I thought maybe Marcel can get along with other people; it was nice to see. Ilan was all super-excited about his angoulas, wasn't he? And then he was all holding it back as a surprise for Tom Colicchio. I'm sorry just make sure your dish is going to be the best thing anyone's ever tasted before creating unnecessary hype over a dish. It's like Elia calling her burger "The Best Burger Ever," and then it ends up being just meatloaf on a bun. There's no advantage here. Everyone's acting like a team.
1-hour Final Preparation and Plating
Well, Marcel's anti-social side came roaring through and his team just seemed to fall apart. It's what I thought was going to happen from the very beginning. If you don't have the respect of your sous-chefs/fellow finalists, it's going to hurt you in the kitchen. Not maybe, it will definitely. Ask Tiffani from Season 1. Betty seemed to flub up a little bit, but it didn't seem to be all that damaging. Advantage here goes to Ilan.
1st Course:
According to the judges, Marcel won this battle. His uni in Meyer lemon gel้e was the hands-down winner over Ilan's much anticipated, but not so well received angoulas appetizer. The judges thought it was just OK.
2nd Course:
This is where Marcel gets into trouble, and is probably why he ultimately lost the competition. He really wanted to show his style of cooking. You know, the lab-type style that he often falls back on his chemical cookery, if you will. His dish is a salad. But not just any salad. The vinaigrette's going to be encapsulated in some sort of thin layer of sugar. Our main man Colicchio already warned the chef about how humidity can cause his experiment to fail, but Marcel remained the optimist. Well, unfortunately for the 26-year-old, he fought humidity and the humidity won. So all that was served to the judges was a salad. A not terribly exciting salad. Advantage goes to Ilan for his pan-seared moi with macadamia-nut gazpacho.
3rd Course:
According to the judges, this course was a toss-up. Ilan had his version of surf and turf (squab and shrimp), while Marcel served up his kampachi-less hearts of palm dish. The kampachi was back at the kitchen where they prepared everything, so Sam helped Marcel improvise and it turned out wonderfully. The judges literally said they had never tasted anything like that before. Wow. I really thought he was going to tank right there when he said they served all the ingredients, just without the fish. But the judges fell head over heels with his hearts of palm dish. Meanwhile, the judges also worshiped Ilan's course.
4th Course:
Both Ilan and Marcel served up beef for this fourth course. The judges were impressed with what Marcel presented they loved the artistry of the dish. I have to admit to being impressed, as well. That was the dish that I really wanted to sample right then and there. Well, that and Ilan's dessert (but more on that later). Advantage: Marcel.
5th Course:
This advantage went to Ilan. He knew he wasn't an expert when it comes to desserts, pastries and the like. So he decided to go with something simple. Marcel whipped up a blini with Kona Coffee caviar (coffee: what a shocker!) and a Hawaiian chocolate mousse. It seemed like the judges thought it was fine, but Ilan's tangelo soup with Hawaiian fruit, Surinam cherry sorbet and bay leaf fritter totally wowed all the judges in attendance (and there were many). Advantage: Ilan.
Judges' Table:
Guest Chef Hubert Keller, Tom, Gail and Padma thought both meals were great, but, of course, they wanted to learn how well the Top 2 had worked with their sous-chefs. Betty and Elia had all good things to say about Ilan; meanwhile, Mike and Sam were mixed. Plus, Sam got to take some of the credit for the innovative hearts of palm dish the judges just loved. The advantage here was definitely Ilan. However, when Ilan and Marcel had to explain and defend their choices, I do give the advantage to Marcel. In the end, they just felt that even though Ilan is two years younger than Marcel, Ilan's the one ready to be a Top Chef. I just didn't like Marcel's concession confession: "I thought it was going to take more than saffron and paprika to beat me, but I guess not." Ouch.
Congratulations, Ilan! And now I'm left hoping that Season 3 goes back to being drama-filled, but fun. There was a little too much trash-talking and over-the-top dismissals. Plus, there was that freakin' shaving prank. Could have done without that.
Other thoughts:
I'm not going to say much about Marcel getting stung and then having to pee on his hand; it just reminded me of that one Friends episode with Joey, Monica, Chandler and a certain jellyfish sting.
I loved it when Sam said he'd be able to at least learn from Marcel and his chemical cookery ways; after all, Ilan's just going to cook Spanish-influenced cuisine like he always does.
What happened between Elia and Marcel? Marcel was her boy the entire season up until last week and she spoke out against him again at the judges' table, this time without Ilan's prompting (or so we were led to believe). I was a little stunned she was still speaking out against him.
Bravo voters also selected Ilan to take the title over Marcel.
What are your thoughts on the finale?
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Feb 1, 2007 3:44 AM
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I didn't care for either of these guys, so I didn't care who won. I was probably leaning a little towards Marcel last week, but this week they were both immature and slimy! Hated to see Sam as an assistant since I'd wanted him to win....even though he had his personality flaws too. I'm not sure I heard it correctly, but it seemed as though he told Marcel to choose Mike. Did anyone else catch that?
This season was so disappointing, as most of you agree, I think. Let's hope for a better (and Padma-less) season next time.
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Feb 1, 2007 6:36 AM
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looked to me like tom wanted marcel to win and he was disgusted with most everything this year that happened.. i hope he comes back [but will be surprised if he does], and i hope the producers do a better job of selecting the chefs next season. i have never seen adults act more juvenile in my life.
actually there should of been no winner.
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Feb 1, 2007 8:07 AM
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My thoughts are that I'm done with Top Chef. This whole season has left a sour taste in my mouth. I wanted Marcel to win and think that he should have. Ilan's meal was boring to me. I hate that they bring back past competitors. Personally, I blame Mike & Sam for Marcel's loss. Whether or not anyone chooses to admit it, they left food off the carts on purpose. Next time I want to see a cooking show, I'll watch Iron Chef.
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Feb 1, 2007 8:48 AM
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I don't think Ilan deserved the Top Chef title - he never took one risk.
I thought Marcel sabotaged himself by choosing Sam and Mike, when he could have chosen Mia and Frank. Marcel also says that Sam lied about his contributions to the hearts of palm dish when he was in front of the judges.
In all, a bad finish to a let down of a season.
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Feb 1, 2007 8:52 AM
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Once Sam was eliminated, I didn't have any strong feeling about either top contender. I think Sam is overall the better chef, but the competition isn't about "overall," it is judged meal by meal. Marcel took more chances but his food didn't taste as good that night, and that is what mattered, so Ilan won, even if he played it safe. I thought it was classy of Sam to say that he wanted to work w/ Marcel to see what he could learn from his chemical cookery. It shows that he understood why he lost and bore no ill feelings about it.
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Feb 1, 2007 9:17 AM
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I didn't want either of them to win. Personalities aside- throughout the season neither of them "wowed" me.
I'm sorry, maybe it's excellent, but the whole chemical cooking thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended).
I suppose if I were to pick a meal to eat, it would have been Ilans.
Pinkie- I heard Sam say "pick Mikey" also. Not sure if that influenced Marcel's decision...I don't think it would have made a difference who Marcel chose and I can't see them leaving the food off the carts on purpose, the camera's would have been all over that drama!
Also, I thought they showed in the kitchen when Sam made the suggestion for the hearts of palm dish. If it's on camera, how can Marcel deny it?
Oh well, maybe Top Design will be less of a let-down.
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Feb 1, 2007 9:17 AM
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I did not watch this show because I knew they would not let Marcel win. On the Bravo website they had over 2000 comments after Marcel and IIan were picked as finalist. This weekend I watched all the shows for this season and I really strongly felt that IIan should not have won. He was childish and played it safe throughout the shows. I do not like that all the bad behavior on this show was rewarded with the win. I really did not care of Marcel won or not but felt that he throughout the show cook the better meals. I do not think I will watch this next season. I hate that Betty and IIan and all the others that did not act like professionals in the end feel like they won because Marcel lost. But you knew it was in the cards. I have had to work with people I really do not like and have had some of these people do take credit for my work and other people's work and yet I never would be in a meeting with management and point fingers and complain about the other person, I would just focus on the task at hand and I feel that was not done by the majority of the contenstants this season and yet the people who acted like children end up the winners.
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Feb 1, 2007 10:09 AM
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snooze.
This should have been a Sam vs. Cliff final with Sam as the Top Chef. Very hard to watch Sam "assisting" Marcel, esp when he showed his brilliance by creating the best dish of the night.
Ilan is ok, I guess, but he showed his immaturity by focusing on Marcel instead of the food.
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Feb 1, 2007 10:10 AM
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My thoughts;
The majority of the contestants on this show, particular the finalists of the past few weeks, simply acted like children, which was pathetic. Elia was by far the worst offender by the end. She really just whined about nothing, just trying to get in as many jabs at marcel with really no worthwhile or concrete support for any of her assertions. I agree that often Marcel came across as, and was, a bit of an a$$, but if you're going to criticize him, do so constructively and with viable arguments. I suppose the behavior of these contestants is indicative of their age. But darn it, I'm 23 myself and there are a great many people my age who act more maturely than Elia and the Marcel Bashers.
As for a real critique, frankly Marcel deserved to get stabbed by the sea urchin, he was a bit of an idiot to go after them in the first place. Tropical sea urchins are nothing like what you sea at the local aquarium, those guys have incredibly long spines and are quite adapt at moving them to intercept the soft limbs of curious predators. If you're going to hunt sea urchins like that, use a leather glove or something (although those spines are known to go through leather just as easily as flesh) or a stick. In any event, shear idiocy on the part of Marcel to hunt those urchins and not treat them with the respect the deserve, and serves him right for getting stabbed.
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Feb 1, 2007 10:34 AM
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I'm still bummed Sam wasn't in the final -- I agree that his contribution to the knockout hearts of palm dish suggests that he has the chops to beat Marcel and Ilan both. But I think the judges made the right call based on the final two they had. In ten years Marcel might well be better than Ilan, but right now Ilan is the one who knows how to run a kitchen, how to motivate his staff, *and* turn out food that tastes great. All the same, it's too bad Ilan himself is such a jerk. His obsession with Marcel is really unappealing.
I think it was Marcel's lack of leadership in the kitchen that cost him the title. I have to agree with Mikey -- Marcel was the one playing for $100,000, so it was his responsibility to make sure nothing was left behind in the prep kitchen. It sounds like he didn't communicate clearly with his prep cooks; the excuse about Sam being jealous was just that, an excuse, because without Sam Marcel would've fallen completely flat on that third dish. I felt a bit bad that Marcel endured so much abuse only to come in second, but that feeling went away when I realized what a sore loser he is. If that's how he's acted during the entire competition, no wonder the others can't stand him.
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Feb 1, 2007 10:37 AM
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For worst reality show, Top Chef would certainly win hands down, if only for the unprofessional, disgusting and downright obnoxious way the so-called "Chefs" behaved. I wanted Marcel to win if only to show that idiots don't prosper, especially with the others allowing that abusive "prank" to happen!
You can go ahead and have a Season 3-I'll watch "Master Chef" instead.
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Feb 1, 2007 11:02 AM
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Yawn. I didn't care who won. I would have liked it just as well if they judges would have said "this year no one earned the title" because I really think that. Last year there were several people that easily deserved the title, personalities you liked or not.
Too many people this year just played the middle ground to advance. No one seemed to care or try very much. And all the whining from everyone of them, jeez. If I wanted to see that nonsense I would watch the drunk idiots on Real World.
The only reason I watched through most of this year is for Tom C.
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Feb 1, 2007 11:04 AM
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At first, I thought that Sam or Mike had left the fish behind on purpose, but since there's no way to prove it, you have to go on what we saw and heard:
1) Sam seemed to genuinely want to assist Marcel (as he said about learning some new things that Marcel did with flavors) and he didn't have to help Marcel with the 3rd dish when the fish was missing. If he wanted Marcel to tank, he could have said nothing. I don't think Marcel would have had the focus to come up with a dish that didn't even NEED the fish; he would have been too distracted by leaving the fish behind or wondering if it was sabotage.
2) Mike seemed as though he also wanted to help Marcel win, stating that a win for Marcel would still be a win for the team and he'd feel like he'd be sharing in that Top Chef title with Marcel.
In the end, I don't really believe the fish was intentionally left behind. Ultimately, as many have suggested, it was Marcel's responsibility to make sure he had everything.
What went wrong? I don't think Marcel handles pressure well. If you notice, the 4 hr prep day went smoothly and he was all smiles. Sam & Mike both commented that they were pleasantly surprised how well they were all working together. Marcel had his lists, seemed supportive, in charge, and organized.
Fast forward one day: Where were the lists? Where was the organization? I personally would have made sure that EVERY item I needed was listed and checked off as each item was loaded into the containers and then wrapped up with plastic. When they got to the restaurant, Marcel just lost it. He was running around like a 3 yr old. He couldn't find anything, he stressed out, and he ultimately lost this for himself. That's why they were given 4 hours to prepare... Strong preparation the most important base you can give any task. The more organized everything is, the smoother things would have run.
On a final note... I have a HUGE JEER for Bravo. I got home late, so missed most of the Top Chef Finale. I had taped it, so I wasn't worried. Since Top Design premiered right afterwards, I decided to watch that and then watch Top Chef. During the commercial breaks, Bravo said they were going to run "never before seen" clips of commentaries from the final four. During the first break, they had a clip of Marcel doing some bashing and I was worried that maybe Bravo would let slip who had won. They hadn't and I was relieved, thinking that the show had just ended 10 minutes ago and was being replayed in less than an hour from now. Well, right at the start of the next break, the voice over said, "Ilan, you just won Top Chef...." and then had him bashing Harold (last season's winner). I was so incensed! They ruined the entire episode for me!!!
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Feb 1, 2007 11:07 AM
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I was disappointed in the finale. They did not show enough of the cooking.
I would have liked to see Marcel making the coffee caviar because the molecular gastronomy is fascinating ... when you drop the coffee liquid into a solution with calcium chloride and it becomes these little caviar-like balls. And it is a shame that Marcel's vinaigrette carrier did not work, particularly as they must have invited Wylie Dufresne to be a judge because of Marcel and his science experiments. To fail in front of Dufresne must have been hard for Marcel.
They didn't show much of Ilan cooking either, except for Betty making a mistake and Elia cooking the fish. I'm not sure we saw Ilan cooking much at all.
Marcel made a big mistake when they were packing up the food on the carts and he did not personally make sure that everything was there. As Mike said later about the fish, it's not my $100,000. He should have checked and rechecked everything. And having forgotten his fish, he never should have mentioned that to the judges. Once the judges knew, no matter how great the dish was, they should have taken off points ... they did that when Elia did not have her chocolate hearts, even though she still had chocolate. Here Marcel did not have the main ingredient of his dish. That does matter and it probably did count against him in the end.
Of Ilan's food, I would have liked to try the Macadamia gazpacho. And that fruit salad at the end looked really great. The eels just looked ugly.
Of Marcel's food, I would have liked to taste the hearts of palm salad and I could totally see sea beans with that ... the crunch and saltiness of them against the texture and blandness of the hearts of palm would be great. And his beef looked good. As did his dessert.
I think the reason Ilan won even though he went with food he was comfortable with is that he did it really well and he did get along with his sous chefs. Chef does mean chief, and Marcel's inability to lead his team and to get along with others in the kitchen during the competition, even if it was a choice instead of his normal personna, hurt him a lot in the end.
For next season ... I want better chefs, I want to see more of the cooking and I want more interesting challenges that don't always involve so much product placement (not that Bravo's going to give up that money).
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Feb 1, 2007 11:08 AM
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