top chef reunion: discuss
oddly enough i've gotten over 40 emails this morning asking if i'm going to talk about the top chef reunion. so here's your place to discuss. what did you guys think? my thoughts:
- i actually felt bad for tiffani. i can't believe it. yeah she's horrible, but man did they gut her on national tv
- i love harold more than ever. he's the greatest
- how disgusting is bryan? mr. "don't get it twisted" needs to stop commenting on people's behinds
- what's up with lisa's hair??
- oh dave, such a drama queen. he and tiffani need to have some crazy wrestling match to settle it all
- stephen is a trip. i love his "tough guy" outburst and calling people white trash. he's hysterical.
- could katie lee joel BE more boring?
- summary: i love top chef. kick some ass, harold!
- oh, and lee anne should TOTALLY be in the top 3.
Labels: miscellaneous
posted by design*sponge @ 11.5.06
18 Comments:
Stephen rose about 20 notches in my book. But to be honest, I kind of liked him before - he added a bit of humor to it all. LeeAnne should definitely be in the finals, and Andrea is the only sane one of the group. I'm rooting for Dave - he's crazy, but seems like a good guy (except when it comes to Tiffani). Harold would be great, but I thought it was weird that he wouldn't discuss whether or not he was in a relationship. Wonder what that was all about?
Stephen drives me *CRAZY*!!! I thought his apology was as phony as everything else about him. I felt bad for Tiffani, too. Plus she seemed really drunk, and getting ganged up on tv probably is worse when you've been hitting the sauce. I agree about Lisa's hair, I said the same thing! I hope they get rid of Katie Lee Joel for the next season. She is SO monotone.
I think it is hard for us as viewers to really decide who should be in the top three or the winner. We have no idea what any of the dishes tasted like over the course of the show. All we have had to go on is a visual, the chef's personalities, and the opinion's of the judges. Unlike Project Runway, where you can really see who is creative and talented, it is much more difficult with this show. In the end it is how the food tastes that counts more than anything. Yes, visual presentation means something, but the taste experience trumps all.
Each week's winning recipe, is posted on the show's website. I've tried several of them. Some were tasty, some not.
--Tiffani seems to want to be a leader, but doesn't know how to do it so that people respect and WANT to follow her. She also can't be actively listening, if she's interrupting people constantly. I felt semi-bad for her, until it became obvious she's still in denial about her personality. When she came back on stage (after crying), and tried to wrestle the T-shirt out of Dave'shands, I realized she was still clueless. If she's like that in her every day life, she's going to continue to have problems with people.
-- Leanne. I wish she was in the top 3. Unless something was edited or not said in the last episode, seems the guys wanted her over Tiffani. She also leads well, in a way that Tiffani doesn't seem to get.
--Harold. I hope he wins! I love him, & he seems to be a good leader. My boyfriend really took to Harold's "I'm just a cook" comments. Harold's got a great profession, but being humble while standing tall, is a highly respectable trait!
-- Bryan's "luscious" comments were icky. Candace is a better person than I am. When he made remarks to her as she stood in front of the mirror, I would have told him to have some class...or worse.
-- Stephen. I never disliked him, and actually looked forward to his comical ways each week. He seemed to be clueless about his yammering/continual educating. He was upped OODLES in my book, when he admitted he learned something about his personality. No one can know for sure, but I don't believe his Candace apology was fake. He even apologized to her once before, in the episode where she was kicked off. I'm also glad he told off that weird/gross/clueless guy (the first guy kicked out).
-- I like Dave, but he gets so anxious. I wouldn't want to see that in one of my managers, and neither would my employees. I'm assuming the winning chef needs to lead AND cook well. I would probably like him in person.
-- As for the moderators, I wouldn't doubt they were allowed more freedom to talk, just as all the contestants were. I was glad to see their true feelings, and not seeing them merely in a judging/moderating capacity.
--I hope Top Chef is continued for many more seasons! It's fun to see everyone's thoughts here. :)
I had thought that Miguel, although brainless, was pretty funny on the show. His charm wore off rather quickly, however, when he began to talk about his trouser snake.
I was disappointed to discover that so many of the contestants are so juvenile. The reunion show really gave us too information on these people. I would have prefered to remain in the dark about their personal issues and instead keep the focus on the competition.
I hope Dave wins because of his winningly unorthodox style, but I think Harold will because of his "clean" flavors. I, too, am disappointed to not see Lee Anne make it, but apparently she was too ambitious with her creations.
I LOVE Harold and he knows he's got quite a female following... I'm sure he's freaked out by that, since he's so shy. I think he lied when he said he wasn't single, because if he WAS in a relationship, wouldn't he have just SAID that, instead of not wanting to answer the first time? He prob. figures if he SAYS he's in a relationship, women will not bother him ... he seems uncomfortable with that type of attention. Just my opinion.
Ah Harold, I think he should win, and I still want to know his relationship status! Perhaps he wouldn't discuss it because really what does it have to do with the show. I respect Harold's ability and attitude. I always think his dishes look and sound amazing.
I think Dave is hilarious and almost want him to win, but I think it would be virtually impossible to work with him in a kitchen. He's always in such a panic, he'd be a horrible boss he's just so scattered.
I wish Lee Anne were in the final three. I think she'll prove to be very successful in her career.
Tiffani reminds me of a chef I once worked for. Great cook, horrible person. In the end, I think you go further in life when you can learn how to work with people, even if you are the boss.
I hope Harold wins.
did anyone else pick up on the fact that ivy league-educated stephen can't add? he mentioned that 13% of the population enjoys fine dining, leaving 77% that don't. hmmm... (i'm still not a big fan of his.)
I wanted Leanne to with the whole thing so at this point I don't care who wins... but among the three, I like Dave the most. Harold is nice but he is as boring as... mashed potatoes. And exactly what does "clean" mean? Tasteless? His food just looks so boring to me. (And yes, I Iive in SF so I feel like he's so behind on the culinary curve... I mean come on, seared tuna and avocado salad? That's so 1995.)
As for Tiffani, I think she's psycho and I can't imagine anyone wanting to work for her after seeing this show (what was up with her wanting everyone to be quiet in the kitchen? hello? has she ever been in a restaurant kitchen? it ain't a library lady)
And even though I hated him, I think the breakout star of the show was Stephen. I loved when he asked Ken (WTF was wrong with him?), "what would you rather eat, sand or sh*t? I'd rather eat sand." Hilarious! Personally, I think he deserves his own show... and Andrea too. Can't you just see her on Food Network? I loved her!
Somebody PLEASE tell me how Katie Lee Joel got that job...I mean what qualifies her for that job AT ALL??? She's only 26, so how much experience could she possibly have in the food industry, if at all? Was it just her famous husband that got her that gig? She is TERRIBLE, she is NO Heidi Klum, who was experienced in the industry and a fabulous presenter and speaker. Also Katie seemed to always have to put on this stern, authoritative, almost judging look...I bet all those chefs talked about her behind her back and had some good laughs!!!!! We'll just never see those clips!!!
katie lee joel actually has some experience writing a food column for a hamptons magazine and running a food website with a friend. that said, she could NOT be more boring. i'm not so enamored of the food and wine chick either. snooze!
just a note though, i don't think katie lee joel's age or experience makes her unfit. as someone young who hasn't spent 15 years working in an industry, i think if you're good at what you do it can still be interesting. sadly, she's not very interesting ;)
d*s
I've loved Stephen from the beginning. I don't think people can deny the fact that he is very knowledgable in his field. Not only is he an artist but his food looks like it tastes good and sounds like it taste good from the descriptions. It's true, he added the percentages up wrong (13% and 77%) but who cares (and I am a math major). He is what makes reality television interesting. And really if I had his poise, talents, diction, and vocabulary I'd act the same way. In the same sense, I respect Tiffani too, because people with confidence do get far in this world. Not only are these chefs people with confidence but they are people with talent. However, I am rooting for Harold at this point. He's charming and humble. I think he knows that he is good. I don't think he has a girlfriend either. I think he is shy and well...just biding his time before he finds Miss Right.
ps: ac and i saw harold at dinner and he was def. with a girlfriend. very cozy and romantic. i don't think he's lying.
d*s
did anybody catch it when katie lee rolled her eyes when she turned her back after tiffani tried to take the t-shirt? it was quite obvious that katie lee did not like her.
i think stephen is a hoot. and tiffani deserved the wrath that she got - karma is a boomerang!
how did top chef reunion wind up being more interesting than any other reality show reunion?
I think Harold in the finals is good, but he should have been booted on the show Stephen was booted. Harold was the one who recommended the Betty Crocker, and his fish was voted worst dish. On the same show, Stephen was the one responsible for the only good mark (the classy cleaning of the tables). I don't think Stephen is a Top Chef (I do think he'd be an excellent restaurant owner/manager though), but he really should have stayed and Harold booted on that show. That would have been fair. And Stephen in the wine and truffle challenge would have been awesome.
Was it the Katie Lee chick who looked like she crapped her pants a little bit when Stephen and that guy almost got in a fight? I thought she was gonna run for the door.
I think Stephen's apology was legit. Looked, to me, that he really woke up watching himself on the show.
My theory on Harold's weirdness about admitting to having a girlfriend is that he's involved with Lee Anne!! This is mostly wishful thinking, but I *did* notice that even though Lee Anne showed up last at the reunion & everyone was already sitting down, she ended up in the middle of everyone around the table (before the actual show started) sitting next to Harold. It could totally happen - they're both in NY! They have so much respect for each other as chefs, and he was ready to kick Stepehen's ass for attacking Lee Anne on the wedding episode. I was raised on soap operas, so blame my grandma, folks, but I'm totally rooting for the Harold/Lee Anne hook up!
Jennie...
I am glad someone else picked up on the obvious "conection" between Harold and LeeAnne. The very last scene of the finale...Harold has his arm around LeeAnne....she is looking up at him with pure ADORATION on her face.
They would make a fabulous pair...if not lovers, as great friends.
So I wound up here because I did a google search for "leanne and harold, top chef, romantic relationship?" I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who picked up on some sort of chemistry/connection between the two of them.
Post a Comment
<< Home