Top Chef - Page 3

AlexMack · #31 01-25-2007, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macallan25

I honestly think Ilan is going to win. Marcel would have been eliminated episode before last if Cliff hadn't put him in a head lock and tried to shave his head.

Marcel is a piece of shit and should be thrown off a mountain.

I almost peed myself laughing when I heard he made tomato foam. WTF dude? He needs his head shaved, that hairstyle is the worst I have ever seen apart from a mullet.

Drolefille · #32 01-26-2007, 01:46 AM

I feel bad for the little shit. And from reading the judges' blogs on Bravo's site, Cliff was the worst dish and would almost certainly have gone home anyway.

WTF was up with the whole "he cheated" thing though? Seriously? They couldn't actually articulate any instance where he "chited" (I did love Elia's accent).

While I'm not sure Marcel or Ilan belong there, Ilan is so Marcel-obsessed I'd be surprised if he manages to cook without screaming "BUT YOU'RE A VIRGIN VIRGIN VIRGIN AHAHAHAHAHAHA" the whole time.

PeppyGPhiB · #33 01-26-2007, 02:21 AM

This is my first comment on this show on here, so forgive the long post as i address a number of things...

I've never found Marcel to be that annoying. He's a little patronizing, but not nearly as bad as Stephen was last season. Marcel actually reads my mind a lot of the time with his comments, like last night when Elia and Ilan were saying, "Some people...cheat," or to that effect. Lately, Ilan bugs me waaaay more than Marcel. I thought it was really crummy the way Ilan convinced Elia and Sam to throw Marcel under the bus before the Judge's Table, brought it up, then let Elia take all the pressure for making the accusations, which were BS anyway. Sam and Ilan have actually been just as patronizing, just aimed at Marcel, which seems to be accepted by everyone.

I'm sad Sam is gone, because I thought he was the best cook there. Still, Marcel and Ilan have been pretty consistantly good throughout, so I can accept them as the final two. In the beginning of the season, i was guessing Sam and Ilan as the final two...on this show it's pretty easy to see which chefs have real skill and which just have a few good dishes up their sleeve.

I thought last season was way better. I can't stand shows that use heavy product placement, even though i'm a PR person! Gourmet cooking with Kraft Mayonaise? It was actually kindof bad for Kraft because they kept saying that mayo isn't an ingredient commonly used in gourmet cuisine, and all the chefs were complaining about it. I'm sure Kraft loved that!

I also can't stand the way Padma talks. At least I could understand what Katie Joel was saying. Padma sounds like she has food stuffed in her cheeks when she talks. Can't they teach the hosts to open their mouth more when they talk?

macallan25 · #34 01-26-2007, 02:26 AM

It wasn't so much that he cheated as it was his conduct in the kitchen: not helping anyone, moving other people's things around, etc. etc. He is extremely unprofessional.

Frankly.....I don't think any of his food is appealing..........and he uses foam on EVERYTHING he cooks, literally.

Drolefille · #35 01-26-2007, 02:36 AM

The whole foam thing is overblown, he did maybe 5 in the whole show. Yeah, it's quite a bit, but it's not with every dish like some were claiming. Not even close.

I think his conduct only reflects how he was treated over the course of the show. Things that were done by Marcel were treated like "OMG END OF THE WORLD RUDENESS" but if Sam had said it, no big deal.

I also blame editing a LOT for us not really knowing what really went on. 2 things from the judges blogs were that on the night of the whole Cliff grabbing Marcel thing that Elia had not yet shaved her head. There's a clear shot of her laughing on the floor with her hair intact while Marcel walks by. Also, Marcel didn't tell anyone about the incident, or the fact that he slept in the bathroom all night. Production/judges didn't find out until much later and not from him.

There's nothing he's done that's deserved the level of shit they've thrown his way. Neither of their dishes thrill me on a regular basis but this show hasn't been about food for a while now.

AlexMack · #36 01-26-2007, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drolefille

The whole foam thing is overblown, he did maybe 5 in the whole show. Yeah, it's quite a bit, but it's not with every dish like some were claiming. Not even close.

I think his conduct only reflects how he was treated over the course of the show. Things that were done by Marcel were treated like "OMG END OF THE WORLD RUDENESS" but if Sam had said it, no big deal.

I also blame editing a LOT for us not really knowing what really went on. 2 things from the judges blogs were that on the night of the whole Cliff grabbing Marcel thing that Elia had not yet shaved her head. There's a clear shot of her laughing on the floor with her hair intact while Marcel walks by. Also, Marcel didn't tell anyone about the incident, or the fact that he slept in the bathroom all night. Production/judges didn't find out until much later and not from him.

There's nothing he's done that's deserved the level of shit they've thrown his way. Neither of their dishes thrill me on a regular basis but this show hasn't been about food for a while now.

When they run the marathon, I'll count the foam dishes. Even if it's just five, that's still too much. Be original for god's sake. My favourite comment was that it looked like cat spit.
Marcel is a smarmy little shit and he has very little respect for others working in the kitchen. Even if he wins, the show will ruin his career.

AOII_LB93 · #37 01-26-2007, 02:51 AM

Marcel reminds both my husband and I of a character from Dragonball Z - Vejitta or however it's spelled. That hair and soul patch have got to go!

Bummed that Sam got the boot...he seems quite talented.

PeppyGPhiB · #38 01-26-2007, 03:02 AM

Yes, he uses foam a lot, but that's his signature. Most chefs have a signature technique or dish. Ilan's two dishes in the challenge last night were spanish, and many of his have been mediterranean throughout the show, and you could argue he does it because it's what he's used to...as they pointed out, he works in a Spanish restaurant.

I don't find him to be that unprofessional in the kitchen. I didn't see him move the pot last night, so maybe he did do that, but we've seen practically whole teams of people doing unprofessional things to him the whole season.

This is a cooking competition, so if it was me in his shoes and i was asked to stop preparing/cooking my high-maintenance course so I can help with other people's, I'd also say no. I'd say it nicely, but i didn't think Marcel was rude about that either a couple weeks ago on the "romantic dinner for couples" episode. In contrast, Ilan took up all but one burner on the stove preparing his dish, which was also selfish.

KDAngel · #39 01-26-2007, 04:09 AM

I just thoroughly dislike Marcel. If he's to win, they should have edited him as a more likeable character post-production. People do not like to invest their time into watching reality shows where the person they liked the least wins...

LeslieAGD · #40 01-26-2007, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KDAngel

People do not like to invest their time into watching reality shows where the person they liked the least wins...

That is exactly what I said to my husband when we watched the show yesterday.

I have no interest in watching the finale now that Marcel is in it. I was hoping for Sam/Elia or Sam/Ilan. One thing I hate about Top Chef (and some other "reality" competition shows) is that the judges don't seem to take into account the chef's progress and/or past dish failures. How many times was Marcel in the bottom vs. Sam or Elia? Sam won the most quickfires and challenges combined and deserved a place in the finale. I really believe they didn't pick him because he is too much like last year's winner Harold.

deadbear80 · #41 01-26-2007, 09:56 AM

I agree that Sam is a lot like Harold...but Marcel's 'likeability' factor by the other contestants is a lot like Tiffani's from last season. Remember--no one liked to work with her in the kitchen.

I thought it was interesting that Tom Colicchio said that it was about the food and not about one's behavior in the kitchen--since that's the #1 reason Tiffani didn't win last season--they said that being Top Chef was the whole package--you cook good food and people like to work with you and you can manage people. I wonder why he did a complete 180 on that. Maybe Tiffani threw a stink that the competition should've been about food or something.

I do agree that I would've loved Sam to be in the finale or even Elia over Marchel--but now I'm rooting for Ilan even harder.

Drolefille · #42 01-26-2007, 10:27 AM

He's said that he doesn't get the "pile on Marcel" thing that the other contestants were doing. The "it's about the food" thing was more related to the accusation of cheating with no back up. It was clear that they just didn't like him, and that wasn't a good enough reason for him to go. *shrug*

It's funny, the other forums I'm on are way more pro-Marcel

LPIDelta · #43 01-26-2007, 10:37 AM

I don't consider foams and using chemicals to create a paste "cooking"--I know there is a place for it, but I just was not impressed with all Marcel's "Chemical Ali" tricks. I think the other chefs sensed that he was a one trick pony too, throughout the season, and the fact that he wasn't getting called it may have led to them not liking him, in addition to his attitude.

I was surpsised, too, when Tom Coliccio (sp?) said that he wasn't judging behavior in the kitchen, because last season they harped so much about how being a good chef involved being a leader and being someone that people would respect in the kitchen. Even if Marcel didn't do anything, its obvious people don't respect him, so I don't think he should be in the finals.

I probably won't watch this week now.

AlexMack · #44 01-26-2007, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heather17

I don't consider foams and using chemicals to create a paste "cooking"--I know there is a place for it, but I just was not impressed with all Marcel's "Chemical Ali" tricks. I think the other chefs sensed that he was a one trick pony too, throughout the season, and the fact that he wasn't getting called it may have led to them not liking him, in addition to his attitude.

I was surpsised, too, when Tom Coliccio (sp?) said that he wasn't judging behavior in the kitchen, because last season they harped so much about how being a good chef involved being a leader and being someone that people would respect in the kitchen. Even if Marcel didn't do anything, its obvious people don't respect him, so I don't think he should be in the finals.

I probably won't watch this week now.

I laughed my butt off when he went on and on about Xanthan gum like it's this big discovery. So did my mum. As a celiac, my mother has to use these 'tricks' in order to bake and keep her pastry from crumbling. We have a big ole tub of xanthan gum in the cooking cupboard right now.
You are absolutely correct about last season-it was part of the reason the show did so well. But also remember that Tiffani took a huge risk putting out 10 dishes rather than 5 and she was judged every single one and couldn't come up with the goods. I'm hoping Marcel will do something similar this time.
I don't get why they cut Sam-they loved his food and complained a lot about Ilan's interpretation of Ha'waiian food. Sam should have been in the top two.
I tried to log on for that live stream with Tom after the show on Wednesday but I couldn't get it to work.

OrchidAlum · #45 01-26-2007, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadbear80

I agree that Sam is a lot like Harold...but Marcel's 'likeability' factor by the other contestants is a lot like Tiffani's from last season. Remember--no one liked to work with her in the kitchen.

I thought it was interesting that Tom Colicchio said that it was about the food and not about one's behavior in the kitchen--since that's the #1 reason Tiffani didn't win last season--they said that being Top Chef was the whole package--you cook good food and people like to work with you and you can manage people. I wonder why he did a complete 180 on that. Maybe Tiffani threw a stink that the competition should've been about food or something.

I do agree that I would've loved Sam to be in the finale or even Elia over Marchel--but now I'm rooting for Ilan even harder.

cosign.