Bravo's Top Chef Season 2

[Reignking]

Wow. I am quite shocked to find out that she is married...to Salman Rushdie. Weird.

[Luckylies]

Ilan will win. Mark my words.

not an inside tip, just a hunch.

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*adhem*

[john b]

A few minutes into the episode, when Ilan said something about having to sit next to Marcel on the plane, it hit me like a...I don't know, but it hit me. Right then I knew that it would be Ilan vs. Marcel in the finals. I'd been totally manipulated by the power of TV editing. All of those squabbles, all the backstabbing, it was all done to build up the final showdown.

I feel used.

But I'll still watch the final episode.

[chezcherie]

[TrishCT]

For anyone who likes spoilers, eater drops a bombshell. But, it doesn't make much of an explosion.

I'm not surprise there is no reunion show. Most of them have a lot to be embarrassed about.

[racheld]

Nothing to do with Marcel's cheffing skills, but he just KEPT mumbling about "xan-thum gum." Sounded a bit like the Clarice/Jame Gumb waltz through SOTL.

Win or lose, perhaps Marcel could team up with Alton Brown for a show--they could cook in twin "TAN-GINES."

This whole thing is like a trainwreck of a movie starring the Marx Brothers, about six Stooges, a couple of the Bad News Bears, including Tatum O'Neal's Paper Moon tantrum on constant-loop repeat, a few of the fireballs from any Roller Derby, a Zen-to-zombie "host" and whichever of the Little Rascals was on R&R from rehab. Pots and pans were merely set-dressing.

Whatever gods of puppetry are manipulating the strings have all had a humorectomy and share the IQ of an eggplant.

I think Tom was oddly flattered by the haircuts, and I'm still amazed that they let these zany kumquats loose with knives and fire.

And it's so incredibly awful, I just CAN'T miss a show.

Edited January 27, 2007 by racheld (log)

[rconnelly]

Maybe Tom C. didn't want to do a reunion show. The looks on his face throughout the season at some of the behaviors might make him not want to be a part of a potential disaster.

[annecros]

Wow.  I am quite shocked to find out that she is married...to Salman Rushdie.  Weird.

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Hey, he needs love too. Especially considering there is still a Fatwa in force.

I understand that is the underlying reason that she does not discuss her husband or his whereabouts or interests.

ETA: Come to think of it, that probably figures into my admiration for her. It cannot be easy loving and pledging the rest of your life to a man with a price on his head.

Edited January 28, 2007 by annecros (log)

[Jakea222]

Everybody keeps asking "What IS a Master Chef, anyway?"    Is this what it means on Marcel's screen tag?

http://www.foodtv.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=50700

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Sorry he says MASTER COOK not Master Chef - he is not even close to that prestige - Only 60 or so in the world and Marcel - NOT

[Jakea222]

TomC must not hang in the kitchen too much any more -more drama in kitchens than an entire years worth of soap operas. Everybody doing what they have to do to make an end. Personality, emotion, heat and maniac chefs demands all lead to people being strange and weird, closed off. So throwing these caliburs of people together actaully was better than I thought it would be for drama. All they needed was a couple fast food cooks. a lawyer and a secretary to really add to some drama!

[aschbren]

TomC must not hang in the kitchen too much any more -more drama in kitchens than an entire years worth of soap operas.

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If you've ever listened to an interview with Tom Colicchio about Top Chef, you'd know that the producers are legally bound to keep the judges separated from the contestants practically all the time. Apparently, they don't want them developing a bias based on how much they like each contestant. I'm referring to his interview on the Restaurant Guys and on Chow.com.

[KristiB50]

Unrelated, but I just read a spoiler and found out who the winner is. 

UGGGGHHHHH I hate myself.

Maybe it's wrong. I read one on Eater. From the wording of the spoiler it could still go either way.

Edited January 28, 2007 by KristiB50 (log)

[kristin_71]

Check out Ruhlman's blog. Tony Bourdain has some interesting thoughts on the individual contestants.

http://blog.ruhlman.com/

[TrishCT]

That blog is great, as usual Tony is dead on. (Except it's Carlos not Alex).

[Reefpimp]

Not an episode goes by but I don't want to get marcel into a hammerlock adn shave that Wolverine 'do with a dull Shun santoku. Hot tip, Hair Boy: Don't think you're hot shit on a golden platter when you're only cold poo on a paper plate.

I can't imagine what season 3 (if it comes into being at all) is going to be like.

[annecros]

Not an episode goes by but I don't want to get marcel into a hammerlock adn shave that Wolverine 'do with a dull Shun santoku.  Hot tip, Hair Boy:  Don't think you're hot shit on a golden platter when you're only cold poo on a paper  plate.

I can't imagine what season 3 (if it comes into being at all) is going to be like.

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Oh, it's coming. Auditions are being held now. Word is, it will be done here in my neck of the woods.

It can, and probably will, get worse.

Snarky fun!

Kitchens have always been the home of high drama. The restaurant industry just seems to attract that personality type.

[LEdlund]

I am so disappointed that Sam is gone. I have no idea what Tom was thinking by complaining that Sam didn't cook anything. I loved that Padma vehemently disagreed with him. I love it even more knowing she might have been stoned while disagreeing! It seemed to me that Sam's dessert was the only thing the guests asked for seconds of.

I don't think it was the case of whether or not Marcel deserved to be in the finals (in my opinion he did not). He was going to make it due to the fact he is so polarizing to the audience. Just read through this thread to see many differing opinions.

[Megan Blocker]

I am so disappointed that Sam is gone. I have no idea what Tom was thinking by complaining that Sam didn't cook anything. I loved that Padma vehemently disagreed with him. I love it even more knowing she might have been stoned while disagreeing! It seemed to me that Sam's dessert was the only thing the guests asked for seconds of.

I don't think it was the case of whether or not Marcel deserved to be in the finals (in my opinion he did not). He was going to make it due to the fact he is so polarizing to the audience. Just read through this thread to see many differing opinions.

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Maybe I'm cynical, but I definitely agree with why Marcel has survived - it's partly to do with his cooking, and partly to do with his "personality," as edited together by the producers.

I also think the Ilan/Sam/Elia decision came down (partly) to who would spar the most with Marcel in the finale.

And is it just me, or did Ilan and Sam throw Elia under the bus on that whole Marcel cheating thing? They egged her on to get her to say something, and then didn't have a word of support or evidence themselves.

[Toasted]

Megan, they totally threw her under the bus. You could see her akwardly looking around praying for someone to jump in and agree with her. It's too bad she chose to do that. I think it made her look desparate and bitter.

[Megan Blocker]

Megan, they totally threw her under the bus.  You could see her akwardly looking around praying for someone to jump in and agree with her.  It's too bad she chose to do that.  I think it made her look desparate and bitter.

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Yup, which is really too bad, because she'd been such a good sport through the whole thing. Ah well...she's a great cook...she'll live to smother many a chicken in butter.

[annecros]

Megan, they totally threw her under the bus.  You could see her akwardly looking around praying for someone to jump in and agree with her.  It's too bad she chose to do that.  I think it made her look desparate and bitter.

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Agreed. But, I don't think it took a whole lot of effort to make her look desperate and bitter. Just opportunism.

She is.

[Toasted]

Megan, they totally threw her under the bus.  You could see her akwardly looking around praying for someone to jump in and agree with her.  It's too bad she chose to do that.  I think it made her look desparate and bitter.

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Yup, which is really too bad, because she'd been such a good sport through the whole thing. Ah well...she's a great cook...she'll live to smother many a chicken in butter.

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I think she's a great cook. Has anyone tried her mushroom soup recipe yet? I made it the other night and it's wonderful.

[annecros]

Megan, they totally threw her under the bus. You could see her akwardly looking around praying for someone to jump in and agree with her. It's too bad she chose to do that. I think it made her look desparate and bitter.

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Yup, which is really too bad, because she'd been such a good sport through the whole thing. Ah well...she's a great cook...she'll live to smother many a chicken in butter.

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I think she's a great cook. Has anyone tried her mushroom soup recipe yet? I made it the other night and it's wonderful.

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I've made her proud chicken, and was pretty proud of it. Hubby does the mushroom soup in this house. But, it is pretty darn good.

[hsm]

part of a potential disaster.

I'd agree that the fun of the reunion shows is to find out what behind-the-scenes hijinks were ensuing. Here? Seeing what we saw on-camera, I've probably had enough of this bunch. Besides, pretty much everyone has the tread marks of a bus all over them already.

I've come to like Padme and even in the beginning, saw her as a vast improvement over the KatieBot. All in all, this season has shown me what the show is really about and I find it entertaining on its own demented, desperate, delightful level. Not about who is really a Top Chef, though.

Edited January 29, 2007 by hsm (log)

[KensethFan]

Unfortunately for Tom, he flushed his own credibility down the toilet with his comment about Sam's food not being cooked. Part of being a chef is not just knowing how to cook with heat, but to marry food with flavors in a way that makes people delighted to eat it. I think if any of the most well recognized chefs in this world would have heard that comment (they probably didn't because they probably would not watch this kind of stuff), they probably would have been both humored and saddened at the same time, losing any manner of respect they may have had for the guy (if they ever had any at all). This is truly unfortunate. That comment was incredibly lame.