Top Chef

[eje]

One thing I will note, is that if you watch the credits of the show, you will see a disclaimer type thing that sez something like, "Bravo TV Staff may have provided input regarding the judges choices."

As my wife pointed out, it wouldn't be a finale without a villain.

Tom's blog may have said Tiffani came in second in two challenges; but, the way the show was edited, it seemed more like she came in third in two.

Too bad the scoring isn't more transparent.

[Mano]

One thing I will note, is that if you watch the credits of the show, you will see a disclaimer type thing that sez something like, "Bravo TV Staff may have provided input regarding the judges choices."

As my wife pointed out, it wouldn't be a finale without a villain.

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My wife had a similar observation. She also noted there wasn't anything that Tiffani hadn't done; played poker, cooked for high rollers, and so on. Nevertheless, we were both impressed with what the three of them whipped up in 30 minutes.

All the "reality" shows are similar in terms of the people they select. There must be extensive screening to be sure they get the "loose cannon" the "cute one" "the obnoxious one" the "bitch" the "fat buffon" etc. Kind of like the dozens of kid's movies that have the same plot and interchangeable cast similar to The Bad News Bears.

No doubt, the producers have a pretty good idea who the winner will be before taping begins. Not surprisingly, it's always someone who is quietly stable, competent and able to stay on track while chaos goes on around them. In other words, the right person wins, but if it were a true competition of equals, no one would watch because it would be so boring.

Up-thread someone said Stephen would be working at Mickey-D's in a year. Give him about 20 years. He's talented, charismatic and good-looking, so there must be plenty of offers to put him in his own restaurant at no financial risk to him. But he'll fail again and again. Although he has great credentials, he's never stayed anywhere very long. There's no way he could get the full benefit of each experience so I wonder if after a while he fostered ill will so he moved on somewhere else. He's such a narcisist and a bad businessman that it's unlikely he'll do well long-term.

He doesn't appear to have a grasp of how to run a business. In one episode he had $500 (I think) to buy wine glasses and other items and he's shown talking down to the salesman, explaining what he wants. When he's almost done, he announces his spending limit and the salesman tells him he's something like twice over budget already. Stephen is actually surprised and needs to take an extra hour or two to pick out everything again.

He had no concept of money at all during the wedding episode. Tom asked him if his choice of lobster, for 100 people would be within the $5,000 budget and Stephen was cocky, "Absolutely!" Tom's expression was priceless.

[Tess]

No doubt, the producers have a pretty good idea who the winner will be before taping begins.  Not surprisingly, it's always someone who is quietly stable, competent and able to stay on track while chaos goes on around them.  In other words, the right person wins, but if it were a true competition of equals, no one would watch because it would be so boring.

Yeah, ditto if they tried to make it completely fair. They could just award cumulative points for performance in each challenge but who would watch something like that? The competitors are interesting, but not that interesting.

[Mano]

No doubt, the producers have a pretty good idea who the winner will be before taping begins.  Not surprisingly, it's always someone who is quietly stable, competent and able to stay on track while chaos goes on around them.  In other words, the right person wins, but if it were a true competition of equals, no one would watch because it would be so boring.

Yeah, ditto if they tried to make it completely fair. They could just award cumulative points for performance in each challenge but who would watch something like that? The competitors are interesting, but not that interesting.

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Not intending to contradict you, or myself, I find the authentic cooking and baking challenge shows to be fascinating. You know the ones where teams from around the world compete and in the end have just seconds to carry their intricate dessert art-work to the judges tables? I feel awful when some of them come crashing down after hours of hard work. Those competitions are among equals and are riveting. However, the show is only an hour and there's no interpersonal drama.

I guess the bottom line is the contrived reality shows are based on a formula and for the time being, I'm a sucker for some of them.

[Saucy Girl]

Turns out the reunion was a fun-fest that went on for TEN HOURS.  They're lucky anyone was still conscious by the end.

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10 Hours!

Holy Crap.

Well, Tiffany's freak out and the extreme drunkeness of most of the contestants makes a lot more sense to me now.

Anyone catch what they were drinking?

Looked like some sort of sparkling wine; but, I didn't recognize the label.

~Erik

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They were drinking Sophia, by Copolla. It is a Blanc de Blanc style sparkling wine. Delicious and inexpensive (15-20$ per bottle)

[Saucy Girl]

Just watched Part 1 of the Finale last night and I am just so PISSED that they sent DAve home. Sure, he F'd up and missed a dish, but it was CLEAR that his flavors were much BIGGER and BETTER than that BITCH Tiffani.

GO HAROLD!

[Katie Nell]

Remarkable that even though she won none of the 3 rounds of the Quickfire challenge, and clearly lost 2 of them, Tiffani still advanced.  In the third round, the tasters actively avoided eating her food.

I realize that Dave effed up when he only created 2 dishes for the final round of the QFC but he also clearly won a round too, which is more than Tiffani can say.  And even in that final round, it was fairly clear that his beef dish was the most popular of the lot.  I don't see forgetting a dish as that big a deal because it can always be sent out late . . . not great, but it happens from time to time.  And late food is certainly better than lousy food, IMO.

The challenge was begun with a mention that the tasters' opinions would be the determining factor as to who advanced.  But in the end, Dave was eliminated for forgetting something of which the tasters weren't even aware (until Tom mentioned it to them).  It's pretty obvious at this point that the producers of the show wanted Tiffani in the finals and that she was going to get there regardless of how she actually performed in the challenges.

=R=

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This was my beef (pardon the pun ) with part 1, yeah, Dave screwed up, but the customer didn't even notice!

I thought Tiffani's little speech at the beginning was interesting! I wonder if she really will take her behavior into consideration in the future! Yeah, right.

[lapasterie]

After this week it really looks like a set up. It looked like Dave took a dive. His food was better than Tif so he had to do somethng to mess up so he could be thrown out.They set rules but ignore them to fit the outcome they want.

I stilll look back at the Napa episode when Tif's food was not liked but LeeAnn was thrown out.

[liamdc]

The format is interesting, but because I can't judge the food other than on looks, I feel like me, as part of the audience, is being held at arm's length. It's the same kind of detachment I feel when watching Iron Chef.

Oh, and if Katie Lee Joel were any more wooden, she'd be a junior high school shop project.

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I enjoyed the first season, but I wholeheartedly agree with these two points. There is a divide as a TV viewer by being unable to actually TASTE the food. And Katie appears to have learned how to speak from one of those 1970s talking computers. Hell. O. My. Name. Is. Kate. E. If they replaced her for next season, it would be a breath of fresh air.

[jefferyc]

I think this is the worst part of reality shows like this. Project runway, another Bravo production, was the same way. Note to Bravo: Get the producers out of the kitchen and let us watch good cooking for a change. Producers: get your drama kicks from that dusty novel you have that you can't seem to get published.

END OF RANT

One thing I will note, is that if you watch the credits of the show, you will see a disclaimer type thing that sez something like, "Bravo TV Staff may have provided input regarding the judges choices."

As my wife pointed out, it wouldn't be a finale without a villain.

Tom's blog may have said Tiffani came in second in two challenges; but, the way the show was edited, it seemed more like she came in third in two.

Too bad the scoring isn't more transparent.

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[liamdc]

I hope this is slightly on-topic:  Does anyone else out there find it odd that a 24year old is a "sommelier?"

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Actually, based on some recent media accounts, I don't think that young sommeliers are all that rare:

Food & Wine

San Francisco Chronicle

[Anonymouze]

My thought process was also (see my last posting in this forum)

Dave and Harold get along, Tiffani is the "clash" or "bad guy" they need something to keep our interest and she can keep the "women" in the audience and the haters busy... Dave and Harold wouldn't generate as much interest. So Dave HAD to go no matter that he won 1 and she won 0 on that last one!

Tiffani you "love to hate" so she will lose semi-graciously and Harold will be the winner - IMHO! (I wish I could bet on the outcome - LOL !)

[Tess]

It is looking good for Harold, but even he has screwed up under pressure before.

I think it would have been a strange contest between Dave and Harold (or Dave and either Tiffani or Lee Ann for that matter). His cooking is different from the others'; as Stephen said, they represent fine dining and he is more middlebrow. Which is great. Given how opaque the judging has been, though, I don't have that much faith that they would be able to make it fair, i.e. a reasonable combination of judging each on their own terms but with respect to how difficult their attempted tasks were. And it would probably still be apples and oranges to an extent anyway. Harold and Tiffani, on the other hand, are pretty comparable.

I was very glad to see Lee Ann and Stephen back and hope they will be cooking on the last episode.

[cocoagirl]

slightly off topic-

while watching food network they have had an advertisement some culinary institute - I am positive that one of the chefs pictured in this ad is Miguel from TC- can anyone else confirm or seen this ad?

[Anonymouze]

slightly off topic-

while watching food network they have had an advertisement some culinary institute - I am positive that one of the chefs pictured in this ad is Miguel from TC- can anyone else confirm or seen this ad?

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I thought on the commercial I saw one or two folks from TC... but maybe we're both seeing wrong! It was about the CIA in NY I think? I forget - I try NOT to watch commercials.

[ken T]

slightly off topic-

while watching food network they have had an advertisement some culinary institute - I am positive that one of the chefs pictured in this ad is Miguel from TC- can anyone else confirm or seen this ad?

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I thought on the commercial I saw one or two folks from TC... but maybe we're both seeing wrong! It was about the CIA in NY I think? I forget - I try NOT to watch commercials.

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I believe it was for The French Culinary Institute. I saw it too. You can also see LeeAnn in the background of one.

Edited May 23, 2006 by ken T (log)

[MichBill]

There is a nice interview with Tom Collichio on the Restaurant Guys website in which he talks at length about his experience on the show.

http://restaurantguysradio.com/sle/rg/bin/...1.colicchio.mp3

[LindaJ]

I hope this is slightly on-topic:  Does anyone else out there find it odd that a 24year old is a "sommelier?"

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Actually, based on some recent media accounts, I don't think that young sommeliers are all that rare:

Food & Wine

San Francisco Chronicle

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A few of these people seem to want to be "Celebrity Sommeliers." It's a little distressing.

[Anonymouze]

See my post (#412 here) that said: Harold will be the winner - IMHO! (I wish I could bet on the outcome - LOL !)

YAY! I was right (again) he is the "Top Chef" for all the right reasons as well.

Edited May 25, 2006 by Anonymouze (log)

[dockhl]

See my post (#412 here) that said:  Harold will be the winner - IMHO! (I wish I could bet on the outcome - LOL !)

YAY! I was right (again) he is the "Top Chef" for all the right reasons as well. 

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West Coast Spoiler...............

oh well...........

[KatieLoeb]

The ending was inevitable. Tiffani does not work well and play with others. She can't lead because she's an abrasive bitch. Not a single one of her colleagues had her back because they were tired of her stabbing them in theirs.

The most s-s-s-s-stunning example of hoisting herself on her petard was when she tried to take credit for Dave's dessert that he so graciously allowed her to use. She flat out lied (AGAIN!!) and got busted for it. She obviously doesn't even learn from her own past mistakes. Miguel had her number a while ago. She's a snake. This time she threw herself under the bus by lying and trying to take credit for someone else's hard work. Although this type of national exposure might be a good thing for most of the contestants, I think Tiff has revealed far too much about her character, or lack thereof, to get any offers for work after all this.

Congratulations to Harold. He demonstrated himself to be Top Chef in every regard.

[mmm_chocolate]

I was wondering about the point when the producers asked Tiffini about her dessertas and she took credit for everything. Based on what we, the audience, saw, and what Dave said, she had nothing at all to do with those desserts. And I wondered, "why is she blatantly lying to them when they have footage of what happened?"

But then I thought that perhaps I am a victim of the producers, who edited the whole dessert thing, cutting out any "in depth conversation" between Tiffini and Dave to make it LOOK LIKE it was all Dave's idea and execution. In other words, they wanted to make Tiffini look like a liar to create drama. Except when asked at the Judges Table, Dave did seem to take all the credit....

Thoughts?

[DeVeaux]

Is Tiffani still a server at Tao in the Venetian? I wonder if she tells the guests how poor their dinner choices are and serves them what she thinks they should eat?

I would think that her personality would be more suited to working the drive through window at Burger King.

I loved the "boo-hoo - I don't get to travel the world now" from her when she lost.

Edited May 25, 2006 by DeVeaux (log)

[Katie Nell]

I was wondering about the point when the producers asked Tiffini about her dessertas and she took credit for everything.  Based on what we, the audience, saw, and what Dave said, she had nothing at all to do with those desserts.  And I wondered, "why is she blatantly lying to them when they have footage of what happened?" 

But then I thought that perhaps I am a victim of the producers, who edited the whole dessert thing, cutting out any "in depth conversation" between Tiffini and Dave to make it LOOK LIKE it was all Dave's idea and execution.  In other words, they wanted to make Tiffini look like a liar to create drama.  Except when asked at the Judges Table, Dave did seem to take all the credit....

Thoughts?

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I don't know... she definitely seems snakey (is that a word?!) enough to do that sort of thing, although, she also seems smart enough to realize she would get caught too! Lee Anne did say in her question and answer session something to the effect that Tiffani is way worse that she was portrayed, so I have no doubt in my mind that she would take credit for something like that!

[Tess]

The ending was inevitable.  Tiffani does not work well and play with others.  She can't lead because she's an abrasive bitch.  Not a single one of her colleagues had her back because they were tired of her stabbing them in theirs.

The most s-s-s-s-stunning example of hoisting herself on her petard was when she tried to take credit for Dave's dessert that he so graciously allowed her to use.  She flat out lied (AGAIN!!) and got busted for it. 

I don't know. Miguel more or less acted the same way when he was confronted about blaming Andrea in the street food episode. Tiffani did herself no favors on this show, but in my opinion a man would not have been portrayed as a villain for acting the way she did.

For me, hands down the person who came off worst on this show was Dave.