Nothing "Tops" about Last Week's "Top Chef"
I'm really disgusted right now -- with the remaining participants on Bravo's Top Chef (excepting Marcel) -- as well as with Bravo TV itself.
I've been dissatisfied with this season of Top Chef in a mild way -- I haven't liked the constant bullying of odd-man-out Marcel Vigneron, nor the really ugly cool-kids, "Mean Girls" vibe toward him of cheftestants like screechy Betty, Frank, Cliff, Sam, and especially Ilan Hall, who has seemed obsessed with Marcel's sexual activities since the beginning, taunting him as a "virgin" on-camera constantly, and even going so far as to disparage his cooking in front of the celebrity dinner guests they were serving a few weeks back.
I was totally a bullied kid -- badly beaten up almost every day in sixth and seventh grade, taunted well into the tenth grade (hey, I had mild cerebral palsy, an eyepatch, and corrective shoes. I didn't have a chance in hell of fitting in, hee). So yeah, I've got a chip on my shoulder about this -- because, as with so many bully-types -- people just saw Marcel and seemed to decide, "I need to make this person's life a living hell." And they acted accordingly, almost on sight. There's something primal about it, and I feel like these people know they're being irrational. So many times, in confessionals on the show, we see them trying to defend their behavior, "Well he's just so annoying," "I'd love to punch him out," etc., as if it's self-evident, but the truth is, Marcel has never done anything terrible that we've seen on-camera.
So the guy's a little geeky, a little confident. Yeah, Marcel's said and done a few things that I thought were slightly odd or arrogant. And I won't even go into his attempts at rap (LOL). But I liked his confidence, especially in the face of so much blatant hostility. The meaner they got, oddly enough, the calmer and more adult he got. And despite the on-camera claims of many contestants that Marcel is mean, Marcel doesn't help, etc., the fact is that if you view all the episodes back to back, Marcel is always one of those in the middle of things, helping his contestants plate and serve -- even those he dislikes. In the few instances he's asked to help and he can't (such as in this episode, when preparing his dish on ONE BURNER, as Ilan used the other TEN), he was civil, explained why, and then quietly helped once his dish was served. (But of course even his explanation (here, to Sam) was met with an eyeroll, like "can you believe this guy?") It's the same thing Betty would do when he annoyed her -- she was so certain that he looked like a villain and she the white knight, that she would look around the room for approval when screaming at him, certain that everyone hated Marcel. Yet, consistently, when outside annoyances are brought up at the Judges' Table, he is consistently the first to say, "let's just talk about the food." He's there to cook, simple as that.
And the guy literally could not win: If he defended himself against jibes and taunts, he was a jerk. If he didn't, he was a wuss. If he tried to take part, they belittled him for wanting to be part of the cool-kids crowd. If he went off by himself, as he did increasingly in the season, they made fun of him for not wanting to take part.
The nastiness became harder-edged, and truly uncomfortable to watch. Even his former friend and co-worker, Elia, began to treat him with open contempt, quickly assimilating herself into the crowd (and most troublingly, with the slimy Ilan, evidently taking on his irrational hatred of Marcel as well). I mean, Sheesh. If you don't like someone, don't talk to them. It's a lesson most of us learn when we're five or six years old.
Or... Not. Since last week on Top Chef, in a really disturbing turn of events, the bullying, jeering, snide comments, and physical threats escalated into actual violence. After contestants Elia Aboumrad and Ilan Hall apparently (this will be important in a moment) shaved their heads, we see Elia make fun of Marcel, sparking an idea from Sam, Cliff, and Ilan, to shave Marcel's head (we even see the supposed "spark" of inspiration as they laugh at a shaven Elia in the mirror). Then, as the other contestants laughed, Cliff grabbed a sleeping Marcel, wrestled him into submission, put him into a chokehold, and shoved him facedown into the carpet. Then, for several eerily silent minutes, Cliff exhorted those around him to hurry up and help him, so he could shave Marcel's head against his will.
And keep in mind, this was not friendly, it was not funny, and it was done by a guy who weighed roughly twice what Marcel weighs, who has been vocal about his dislike of Marcel, and who has five or six times now, on camera, wished to physically punch him. It was all incredibly ugly: We were treated to various shots of smirking contestants who did nothing to either stop proceedings, help Marcel, or even register outrage or discomfort. Sam lies on the couch giggling, inches from the proceedings, Ilan is yelling and laughing (and videotaping the entire thing like the ass that he is, like this is the best! fun! ever!), and Elia can also be heard laughing from the other room, saying that she can't come out, she's busy, etc.
Except that, if you paused your DVR carefully enough, as Marcel got away from Cliff and stormed out, who's that laughing on his right, with a full head of hair?
Elia, that's who. Who was apparently in the room, witnessing proceedings, the entire time.
Which means the following:
1. The idea to humiliate and attack Marcel came first, not the "lighthearted" group head-shaving
2. Elia was there the entire time and aware of events -- and did nothing to defend her (supposed) friend
3. Elia and Ilan only shaved their heads afterward (and possibly only to alleviate damage, like, ha ha, we were all having fun, and... NOT)
4. And worst of all, when Elia and the others are making fun of Marcel in the mirror after Elia shaves her head, they are making fun of someone they just tried to attack and humiliate. So all that talk later about how "upset" and "uncomfortable" they were -- Ilan, Sam, Cliff, Elia? No sign of it here.
5. As the icing on the cake, in this same episode, Bravo then runs a poll asking "Who hates Marcel most?" (with one of the choices being a snide, "Me," as if Bravo assumes that "everyone" hates Marcel and the behavior we saw here was unavoidable).
I just can't say enough about how angry I am about the behavior of these people. This is supposed to be a show about professionals vying for a job, about people who are able to turn food into a work of art, and who evince enough professionalism to be given money, prizes, and the chance at his or her own restaurant. What this occurrence shows instead is that not one of these nitwits, with the exception of Marcel (whose cooking has seemed to vary from odd, to brilliant), has any business being in a management position or awarded any sum of "prize" money. A fact Tom Colicchio at least admitted in disgust on his blog (and more power to him -- I was really glad that he was so honest about how hateful this was -- and about his honestly that what we saw wasn't even as bad as it really was -- that all the contestants egged Cliff on, and should have been summarily dismissed).
This wasn't the show I signed up to view. But at least Cliff was kicked off, and Tom C. seemed genuinely angry about what happened in his blog -- as did Padma. So I began to feel that the world was still pretty right-side-up.
Not for long. What happened after this made me even angrier.
1. Bravo, in subsequent airings of the episode, has now recropped the frames and edited out the footage of Elia so that she is no longer a visible participant! I can't believe this is their response to the revelation that Elia was there. Screen caps of the event are already all over the web -- Elia was there. Why try to rewrite history now? My fear is that this means Elia wins, but frankly I don't even care about that. I can't imagine anyone, after all, actually hiring her.
2. Elia has yet to make a single apology either in print, or onscreen to Marcel. She didn't even leave the room to go check on him, apologize to him for a momentary lapse, etc. I used to adore her, but now I think she's the worst of the lot. There's nothing worse than this kind of betrayal by someone who was once a friend, but who instead became another member of the bullying herd. She used to seem so nice (even if her constant dramatics and threats to "queet" got old fast). Now she's just a cautionary tale about how even the seeming nicest of people can join in with despicable behavior when groupthink is in play.
3. Cliff and Ilan (who both seemed uncomfortable and apologetic for at least two full minutes in their interviews afterward) learned nothing. They continue to badmouth and make fun of Marcel in the press, in dogged obsessions that are beginning to look downright creepy. Ilan in particular showing a staggering lack of self-awareness (this is my favorite quote from him -- and he thinks it makes MARCEL look bad?).
And yes, Bravo bears some responsibility here. Marcel had a right to go on a show and expect reasonable safety and treatment from the others around him. Yet as far back as the idiotic Frank, he was subjected to physical threats of beatings so bad "his mother wouldn't recognize him." (Oh, and by the way -- Frank threatened Marcel for doing something Sam incorrectly reported to him -- and that wasn't true in any way. Marcel moved Frank's bag of toiletries brusquely to the floor -- all still safely away from contact with anything bad as far as we can see. It's not at all what Sam reported, that Marcel put Frank's toothbrush on the floor, and with the implication that it was done as a sign of disrespect. Once again, as on the hair-clipping night -- Sam was the sly pot-stirrer who stepped away from events that followed.)
At least the news is starting to filter out beyond the loathsome and self-congratulatory Bravo message boards and blog comments (of course, over there, there's so much bias -- whether it's planted or not -- that most people seem to think Marcel had it coming). Meanwhile, for a little truth in the proceedings:
RealityBlurred did a great piece on the truth of what actually appears to have occurred (and what Bravo did to frame our perceptions), and you can read it here.
TVgasm did a pretty good dissection of the event here. Even if I disagree with their assessment of why Marcel didn't help Sam plate, for instance (Sam asked if he would still be too busy, and Marcel replied civilly that he would still be working -- but we do see Marcel helping as soon as his dish has gone out).
And for posting some of the earliest screen captures (thanks to eagle-eyed poster DjLexxy at TWoP), I give full credit to the always discerning (and funny) Amuse-Biatch blog.
The worst ending to this story may be the simple reality of it, as evidently, before the attack footage was even aired (and on the break before the finale, out in the real world), Marcel was approached by a woman, asked if he was the "Marcel from Top Chef," and when he replied affirmatively, she hit him in the face with a glass bottle. He ended up being rushed to the emergency room and receiving 30 stitches over one eye. I mean, good Lord, people. For what? For being a geek? Yet even after this (an attack Marcel even manages to be fairly good-humored about), Bravo is still implying that the most rational response to this guy is hatred, and that it's just part of the natural reaction to Marcel (don't forget that ill-advised poll they aired in the same episode).
Anyway, it's disquieting and ugly. And not what I go to this show to see. Poor guest judge, distinguished chef Eric Ripert (whose * * * * NY restaurant Le Bernardin is supposed to be what heaven actually tastes like), just looked confused and uncomfortable by the juvenile proceedings, although he did offer some of the most articulate and interesting comments on the contestants' dishes to date. He also seemed to genuinely want to be kind in his assessments, as well. I loved how courteous, soft-spoken, and elegant he was in his comments, how completely opposite he was the expected stereotype of the loud, outgoing chefs we see so often on TV (not that that's a bad thing -- my Mom adores Emeril). And yet, despite his quietness, you could see how respected he was simply in the reactions of those around him. It was fascinating to watch the way everyone listened so closely when he spoke -- from the cheftestants, to Tom C., to Padma, all immediately deferred when he began to speak, the room becoming silent as people tipped their heads to listen intently. Really interesting. And he was so richly descriptive of the experience of tasting each bite of food -- he's obviously got a fantastic palate.
If the show survives this, I actually hope he'll come back to judge again, on an episode, you know, about the food. (Oh, and as far as Ripert? Hubba hubba. To quote Chandler Bing, that's one tasty dish. Ahem.)
As for me, I'm still angry, disgusted, and really unhappy with the fact that, even after all Marcel's endured, we're supposed to somehow agree with Bravo's tacit approval, and cover-up, of what actually happened. (I'm so angry I even did a new shirt just for the occasion: SAVE MARCEL!)
Keep on revising history, Bravo. We don't have to believe one word of it. The proof is already on film.
I've been dissatisfied with this season of Top Chef in a mild way -- I haven't liked the constant bullying of odd-man-out Marcel Vigneron, nor the really ugly cool-kids, "Mean Girls" vibe toward him of cheftestants like screechy Betty, Frank, Cliff, Sam, and especially Ilan Hall, who has seemed obsessed with Marcel's sexual activities since the beginning, taunting him as a "virgin" on-camera constantly, and even going so far as to disparage his cooking in front of the celebrity dinner guests they were serving a few weeks back.
I was totally a bullied kid -- badly beaten up almost every day in sixth and seventh grade, taunted well into the tenth grade (hey, I had mild cerebral palsy, an eyepatch, and corrective shoes. I didn't have a chance in hell of fitting in, hee). So yeah, I've got a chip on my shoulder about this -- because, as with so many bully-types -- people just saw Marcel and seemed to decide, "I need to make this person's life a living hell." And they acted accordingly, almost on sight. There's something primal about it, and I feel like these people know they're being irrational. So many times, in confessionals on the show, we see them trying to defend their behavior, "Well he's just so annoying," "I'd love to punch him out," etc., as if it's self-evident, but the truth is, Marcel has never done anything terrible that we've seen on-camera.
So the guy's a little geeky, a little confident. Yeah, Marcel's said and done a few things that I thought were slightly odd or arrogant. And I won't even go into his attempts at rap (LOL). But I liked his confidence, especially in the face of so much blatant hostility. The meaner they got, oddly enough, the calmer and more adult he got. And despite the on-camera claims of many contestants that Marcel is mean, Marcel doesn't help, etc., the fact is that if you view all the episodes back to back, Marcel is always one of those in the middle of things, helping his contestants plate and serve -- even those he dislikes. In the few instances he's asked to help and he can't (such as in this episode, when preparing his dish on ONE BURNER, as Ilan used the other TEN), he was civil, explained why, and then quietly helped once his dish was served. (But of course even his explanation (here, to Sam) was met with an eyeroll, like "can you believe this guy?") It's the same thing Betty would do when he annoyed her -- she was so certain that he looked like a villain and she the white knight, that she would look around the room for approval when screaming at him, certain that everyone hated Marcel. Yet, consistently, when outside annoyances are brought up at the Judges' Table, he is consistently the first to say, "let's just talk about the food." He's there to cook, simple as that.
And the guy literally could not win: If he defended himself against jibes and taunts, he was a jerk. If he didn't, he was a wuss. If he tried to take part, they belittled him for wanting to be part of the cool-kids crowd. If he went off by himself, as he did increasingly in the season, they made fun of him for not wanting to take part.
The nastiness became harder-edged, and truly uncomfortable to watch. Even his former friend and co-worker, Elia, began to treat him with open contempt, quickly assimilating herself into the crowd (and most troublingly, with the slimy Ilan, evidently taking on his irrational hatred of Marcel as well). I mean, Sheesh. If you don't like someone, don't talk to them. It's a lesson most of us learn when we're five or six years old.
Or... Not. Since last week on Top Chef, in a really disturbing turn of events, the bullying, jeering, snide comments, and physical threats escalated into actual violence. After contestants Elia Aboumrad and Ilan Hall apparently (this will be important in a moment) shaved their heads, we see Elia make fun of Marcel, sparking an idea from Sam, Cliff, and Ilan, to shave Marcel's head (we even see the supposed "spark" of inspiration as they laugh at a shaven Elia in the mirror). Then, as the other contestants laughed, Cliff grabbed a sleeping Marcel, wrestled him into submission, put him into a chokehold, and shoved him facedown into the carpet. Then, for several eerily silent minutes, Cliff exhorted those around him to hurry up and help him, so he could shave Marcel's head against his will.
And keep in mind, this was not friendly, it was not funny, and it was done by a guy who weighed roughly twice what Marcel weighs, who has been vocal about his dislike of Marcel, and who has five or six times now, on camera, wished to physically punch him. It was all incredibly ugly: We were treated to various shots of smirking contestants who did nothing to either stop proceedings, help Marcel, or even register outrage or discomfort. Sam lies on the couch giggling, inches from the proceedings, Ilan is yelling and laughing (and videotaping the entire thing like the ass that he is, like this is the best! fun! ever!), and Elia can also be heard laughing from the other room, saying that she can't come out, she's busy, etc.
Except that, if you paused your DVR carefully enough, as Marcel got away from Cliff and stormed out, who's that laughing on his right, with a full head of hair?
Elia, that's who. Who was apparently in the room, witnessing proceedings, the entire time.
Which means the following:
1. The idea to humiliate and attack Marcel came first, not the "lighthearted" group head-shaving
2. Elia was there the entire time and aware of events -- and did nothing to defend her (supposed) friend
3. Elia and Ilan only shaved their heads afterward (and possibly only to alleviate damage, like, ha ha, we were all having fun, and... NOT)
4. And worst of all, when Elia and the others are making fun of Marcel in the mirror after Elia shaves her head, they are making fun of someone they just tried to attack and humiliate. So all that talk later about how "upset" and "uncomfortable" they were -- Ilan, Sam, Cliff, Elia? No sign of it here.
5. As the icing on the cake, in this same episode, Bravo then runs a poll asking "Who hates Marcel most?" (with one of the choices being a snide, "Me," as if Bravo assumes that "everyone" hates Marcel and the behavior we saw here was unavoidable).
I just can't say enough about how angry I am about the behavior of these people. This is supposed to be a show about professionals vying for a job, about people who are able to turn food into a work of art, and who evince enough professionalism to be given money, prizes, and the chance at his or her own restaurant. What this occurrence shows instead is that not one of these nitwits, with the exception of Marcel (whose cooking has seemed to vary from odd, to brilliant), has any business being in a management position or awarded any sum of "prize" money. A fact Tom Colicchio at least admitted in disgust on his blog (and more power to him -- I was really glad that he was so honest about how hateful this was -- and about his honestly that what we saw wasn't even as bad as it really was -- that all the contestants egged Cliff on, and should have been summarily dismissed).
This wasn't the show I signed up to view. But at least Cliff was kicked off, and Tom C. seemed genuinely angry about what happened in his blog -- as did Padma. So I began to feel that the world was still pretty right-side-up.
Not for long. What happened after this made me even angrier.
1. Bravo, in subsequent airings of the episode, has now recropped the frames and edited out the footage of Elia so that she is no longer a visible participant! I can't believe this is their response to the revelation that Elia was there. Screen caps of the event are already all over the web -- Elia was there. Why try to rewrite history now? My fear is that this means Elia wins, but frankly I don't even care about that. I can't imagine anyone, after all, actually hiring her.
2. Elia has yet to make a single apology either in print, or onscreen to Marcel. She didn't even leave the room to go check on him, apologize to him for a momentary lapse, etc. I used to adore her, but now I think she's the worst of the lot. There's nothing worse than this kind of betrayal by someone who was once a friend, but who instead became another member of the bullying herd. She used to seem so nice (even if her constant dramatics and threats to "queet" got old fast). Now she's just a cautionary tale about how even the seeming nicest of people can join in with despicable behavior when groupthink is in play.
3. Cliff and Ilan (who both seemed uncomfortable and apologetic for at least two full minutes in their interviews afterward) learned nothing. They continue to badmouth and make fun of Marcel in the press, in dogged obsessions that are beginning to look downright creepy. Ilan in particular showing a staggering lack of self-awareness (this is my favorite quote from him -- and he thinks it makes MARCEL look bad?).
And yes, Bravo bears some responsibility here. Marcel had a right to go on a show and expect reasonable safety and treatment from the others around him. Yet as far back as the idiotic Frank, he was subjected to physical threats of beatings so bad "his mother wouldn't recognize him." (Oh, and by the way -- Frank threatened Marcel for doing something Sam incorrectly reported to him -- and that wasn't true in any way. Marcel moved Frank's bag of toiletries brusquely to the floor -- all still safely away from contact with anything bad as far as we can see. It's not at all what Sam reported, that Marcel put Frank's toothbrush on the floor, and with the implication that it was done as a sign of disrespect. Once again, as on the hair-clipping night -- Sam was the sly pot-stirrer who stepped away from events that followed.)
At least the news is starting to filter out beyond the loathsome and self-congratulatory Bravo message boards and blog comments (of course, over there, there's so much bias -- whether it's planted or not -- that most people seem to think Marcel had it coming). Meanwhile, for a little truth in the proceedings:
RealityBlurred did a great piece on the truth of what actually appears to have occurred (and what Bravo did to frame our perceptions), and you can read it here.
TVgasm did a pretty good dissection of the event here. Even if I disagree with their assessment of why Marcel didn't help Sam plate, for instance (Sam asked if he would still be too busy, and Marcel replied civilly that he would still be working -- but we do see Marcel helping as soon as his dish has gone out).
And for posting some of the earliest screen captures (thanks to eagle-eyed poster DjLexxy at TWoP), I give full credit to the always discerning (and funny) Amuse-Biatch blog.
The worst ending to this story may be the simple reality of it, as evidently, before the attack footage was even aired (and on the break before the finale, out in the real world), Marcel was approached by a woman, asked if he was the "Marcel from Top Chef," and when he replied affirmatively, she hit him in the face with a glass bottle. He ended up being rushed to the emergency room and receiving 30 stitches over one eye. I mean, good Lord, people. For what? For being a geek? Yet even after this (an attack Marcel even manages to be fairly good-humored about), Bravo is still implying that the most rational response to this guy is hatred, and that it's just part of the natural reaction to Marcel (don't forget that ill-advised poll they aired in the same episode).
Anyway, it's disquieting and ugly. And not what I go to this show to see. Poor guest judge, distinguished chef Eric Ripert (whose * * * * NY restaurant Le Bernardin is supposed to be what heaven actually tastes like), just looked confused and uncomfortable by the juvenile proceedings, although he did offer some of the most articulate and interesting comments on the contestants' dishes to date. He also seemed to genuinely want to be kind in his assessments, as well. I loved how courteous, soft-spoken, and elegant he was in his comments, how completely opposite he was the expected stereotype of the loud, outgoing chefs we see so often on TV (not that that's a bad thing -- my Mom adores Emeril). And yet, despite his quietness, you could see how respected he was simply in the reactions of those around him. It was fascinating to watch the way everyone listened so closely when he spoke -- from the cheftestants, to Tom C., to Padma, all immediately deferred when he began to speak, the room becoming silent as people tipped their heads to listen intently. Really interesting. And he was so richly descriptive of the experience of tasting each bite of food -- he's obviously got a fantastic palate.
If the show survives this, I actually hope he'll come back to judge again, on an episode, you know, about the food. (Oh, and as far as Ripert? Hubba hubba. To quote Chandler Bing, that's one tasty dish. Ahem.)
As for me, I'm still angry, disgusted, and really unhappy with the fact that, even after all Marcel's endured, we're supposed to somehow agree with Bravo's tacit approval, and cover-up, of what actually happened. (I'm so angry I even did a new shirt just for the occasion: SAVE MARCEL!)
Keep on revising history, Bravo. We don't have to believe one word of it. The proof is already on film.
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