Well, Hung it is.

I guess we could characterize this as a mild upset. Or maybe they were throwing Casey’s recent “success” out there as a red herring. Or maybe there just wasn’t that much difference between the three finalists after all and it came down to a last meal where Casey spit the bit and Dale just came up a bit short.

Regardless, it really doesn’t matter that much, as I laid out some time ago. I’m sure we’ll hear about Hung from time to time, and we may very well hear from a couple of the other contestants in the future. Heck, they could end up being the next generation of great chefs for all I know. It’s just that, as far as food TV goes, the Iron Chef winners usually don’t have much of a shelf life past the final episode.

For that matter, the careers of all reality show contestants have a pretty limited lifespan, Guy Fieri’s continued employment notwithstanding. And, really, I get a kick out of Diners, but do we need someone dreaming up new ways to tell us how much the food “rocks?”

The seeming disposable nature of these food competition contestants underscores the point made in an article by New York Times food critic Frank Bruni (h/t to PhilaFoodie for passing this along). He uses the Top Chef finale to come at the situation from the opposite angle, lamenting not that we’re denied the ability to look over Hung’s and Casey’s or Amy’s and Rory’s shoulders, but rather that these shows bring on true talents like Batali, Bourdain, Ripert and Boulud without asking them to pick up a chef’s knife.

One after another, the country’s most esteemed culinary practitioners — Eric Ripert, Daniel Boulud and Geoffrey Zakarian, to name a few — sauntered onto the set, where they ate on command and frowned on cue.

What they didn’t do was cook. And in that sense the show perfectly illustrated how far these celebrities — on “Top Chef,” on “Iron Chef” and its progeny, on any number of programs — have traveled from the tedious, earnest hands-on work that gave them their luster in the first place.

Bruni’s essential point is the same that we’ve been making for some time, which is that there’s just not enough cooking going on with these world class chefs. It’s almost like the more knowledgeable and experienced a chef is (i.e. the ones who really have something to show us), the less likely we are to actually see him or her in action.

As someone who gets home from work fairly late, I can certainly appreciate the appeal of “home cook lessons” from Rachael Ray and Robin Miller. But the fact of the matter is that I’m more likely to reach for a recipe from a cookbook on my shelf than I am to take one off of the website after seeing it on a show – due in large part to the fact that recipe-providing shows are relegated to daytime and Saturday mornings, when I’m usually sleeping off my hangover.

So the type of information that I need isn’t how to stretch my chicken purchase into three meals or how to cut corners by using a jarred pasta sauce. What I need is tips and hints that will let me translate that cookbook recipe into something great. We’re talking about hints on how to tell doneness of meat, how to pick quality ingredients and why it’s important to render the fat out of that duck skin (and why I should put that fat in my fridge and use it later to roast potatoes).

At the end of the day, I get that sort of info from Mario, not Sandra.

Hey, how did my recap of the Top Chef finale turn into a rant? Oh, that’s right:

Long Commute + Laptop = Soapbox

Labels: Top Chef

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"Top Chef" Contestant Josie Beaten in Apparent Hate Crime

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 | posted by Mike

You all know that we certainly enjoy the "lighter" side of covering the world of food entertainment. But, from time to time, real life creeps in on our escapist pursuits.

Mrs. TVFF forwarded me a news story that describes the incident, which took place in Sea Cliff, New York:

A Miami woman who was a former contestant on the reality show "Top Chef" was beaten by attackers yelling anti-gay slurs, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Josie Smith-Malave, a lesbian who was featured on Season 2 of the Bravo channel show, was among a small group of women asked to leave a Sea Cliff bar over Labor Day weekend, lawyer Yetta Kurland said. About 10 young people followed the women out and began screaming anti-gay epithets, spitting on them and then beating them, Kurland said.

Fortunately, it sounds like she and her sister, who was also beaten, are OK, although one of them "received injuries to the head." There is currently an investigation underway, and the victims' lawyer is calling for the attackers to be prosecuted on hate crime charges.

Labels: Top Chef

 

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Anthony Bourdain: Born to Blog?

Friday, August 10, 2007 | posted by Mike

You know, for a guy who doesn't have his own blog, Tony Bourdain sure spends a lot of time blogging.

The latest example of the many, many blog appearances of the chef/social critic/food icon is his blog on Bravo's website, offering a running commentary on the latest Top Chef developments. Reading over his recaps and thoughts on the episodes makes me wonder if anyone else should even bother. He brings both a chef's knowledge and a reality-show junkie's passion for watching the car wreck unfold and puts it together in a format that's light years beyond anyone else's commentary on the show.

The Daily Blabber has a nice recap of the feud currently playing out between Bourdain and recent guest judge Rocco DiSpirito. For what it is worth, and despite the insistence of many commenters on this site, Rocco contends that he has not had surgery. That's nice. You're still a knucklehead, and I don't know of any medical procedure that can cure that affliction.

Labels: Anthony Bourdain, Top Chef

 

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My New Favorite Look: "The Colicchio"

Thursday, August 02, 2007 | posted by Mike

First off, I'd like to welcome the many, many people who are getting to TVFF by Googling "Rocco DiSpirito plastic surgery" today. Welcome aboard!

Yes, after literally weeks of anticipation, we got to see Rocco in all of his nipped-and-tucked glory last night. He was surprisingly reserved (probably needed to be on his best behavior for his employers at Bertolli), but it was fun to see the contestants take some shots at him during the talking head interviews. Grub Street also has Joey's thoughts on Rocco.

OK...when it comes to the question of surgery, Mrs. TVFF and I aren't 100% sure. It is clear that he's lost a bunch of weight, so I'm not certain how much of a factor that may be.

But enough about that...I want to talk about my new favorite "look," which I finally put my finger on last night.

What do I mean by "look?" You know how Jack Benny would do his deadpan "hand on the chin" gesture and Archie Bunker had his trademark sneer of disgust at something Meathead said? It's that kind of comedic "take" that that sticks in your mind and creates a memorable character. Well, we now have "The Colicchio." It's not created out of exasperation or contempt. It's more of a look of bemused pity at events that are about to unfold, but which can only be foreseen by Tom Colicchio because he's smarter and a better chef than you.

Here's how it usually happens.

Tom Colicchio: "So, tell me what you're doing here."

Contestant: "I'm about to try my half-baked plan."

Tom Colicchio: (Knowing full well the plan has no chance of working) "Do you think this plan is going to work?"

Contestant: "Yes"

Tom Colicchio: (Silently gives the contestant "The Colicchio") OK. (Walks away.)

And...scene.

You'll know it when you see it. There's a slight smile and an attempt to sincerely look like he thinks you know what you're talking about. He's trying not to laugh at your foolishness, but he files it away knowing there will be a "told you so" moment at the judges' table.

I'll agree that it's not quite as subtle as a Geoff Manthorne eyebrow raise, but It is my new fave.

So, do you want to subject yourself to "The Colicchio" on next year's Top Chef? Are you in the Las Vegas area?

If so, head on out this Sunday, August 5th from Noon-4:00 to:

Guy Savoy
Augustus Tower
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S
Las Vegas, NV. 89109

Here are the details on what you need to apply. Best of luck!

Labels: Rocco DiSpirito, Top Chef

 

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The Rocco Switcheroo

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 | posted by Mike

Thanks to everyone for the links and notes about our Sandra Lee interview last week. Obviously, we love to be able to bring you exclusive content like that, and we greatly appreciate your support. (Sorry to sound like a PBS pledge drive there...)

Anyway, have you ever been swindled or misled and not even realized it? It's the kind of flim-flam that's over before you realize it's going on, leaving you wondering what just happened. Apparently, that's what happened last week when the producers of Top Chef pulled a Rocco Switcheroo on us. Maybe I'm just a little slow on the uptake, but I just realized this the other day, thanks to an article on film.com.

Yes, last week's episode of the popular chef competition featured the old fall-back...the clip/recap show! And this after teasing us with the newly taut visage of Rocco DiSpirito during the previews the week before. I suppose that, since they say, "On the next Top Chef," or something like that, this sort of thing is fair game.

The show featured not one but two ironic tuxedos! We got Ilan with the too-short pants and no socks in the front row. But even better was Michael's "Dean Martin after six martinis, tie undone" tuxedo, which was considerably ironic-er. (Here, scroll down past the completely un-ironic Padma)

As you can guess, the fact that I'm talking about tuxedos and incorrectly using the comparative version of words means that the episode was pretty darn boring. As you can see at the two links above, my opinions fell well within the consensus.

Why am I writing about this now? Am I that eagerly awaiting Rocco's actual appearance tomorrow? Was I that offended at the bait-and-switch?

Or maybe I miss The Next Food Network Star more than I thought I would...

Labels: Rocco DiSpirito, Top Chef

 

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The Return of Rocco

Friday, July 20, 2007 | posted by Mike

First off, a little housekeeping...

I'd like to welcome a whole bunch of new regulars that we have here at TVFF. Lots of folks came by to check out the JAG stuff and I'm very happy to say that lots of them have decided to stick around. I know I sound like a broken record, but all you newbies could do us a huge favor by telling your foodie friends about us. The "professionals" call this viral marketing. I call it begging.

I got home late the other night, so I had to catch the rebroadcast of the latest Top Chef, which was just nominated for an Emmy. That means I was watching from 11pm to midnight. In other words, it was pretty late by the time we got to the teaser promo for next week's episode. And that's why I had to question exactly what I saw...

As they usually do, they showed the guest judge who will come on and provide the challenge for the contestants. In this case, the guest judge certainly looked familiar. Like someone we used to know, but who now only conjured up feelings of déjà vu and a vague feeling of dread. It couldn't be...it couldn't be...

It was.

Yes, our old buddy Rocco DiSpirito will be making his triumphant(?) return to reality television as this coming week's guest judge. And, based on the pictures on the Village Voice article, he'll be sporting a snazzy new haircut, about 20 fewer pounds and (according to a friend of mine) possibly some plastic surgery. Yes, that last part is complete conjecture, but apparently the commenters on the article page agree.

Once upon a time, Rocco's show actually appeared on Bravo, so it would appear that relations between the network and chef remain relatively good.

As far as I know, there is no truth to the rumor that Rocco spends the entire episode hitting on Casey instead of doing whatever he's supposed to be doing.

Also: While you're checking out that Village Voice article, be sure to check out the writer's hilarious list of new rules for next season. We couldn't agree more, especially about the sweating...which was also addressed in Ted Allen's latest blog entry.

Labels: Rocco DiSpirito, Top Chef

 

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Padma Splits From Rushdie

Monday, July 02, 2007 | posted by Mike

CNN is reporting that Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi is divorcing her husband, author Salman Rushdie. They indicate that she is the party that initiated the divorce proceedings.

We've made our feelings about Lakshmi known, as have former contestants, but we obviously don't wish any ill will.

Labels: Top Chef

 

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Compare & Contrast

Tuesday, June 26, 2007 | posted by Mike

So why, exactly, do we have three food competition reality shows running at the same time? I'm guessing that part of it is the fact that reality shows have traditionally started as summer replacement series and so there is an aligning of the planets around that. Maybe the food gods just like seeing me fidget as I endure three hours of programming a week.

I was thinking about that when I came across two reviews comparing and contrasting the Big 3 (as Hell's Kitchen, Top Chef and The Next Food Network Star shall be collectively known from now on). One is a blog entry and the other is a newspaper article, but they both seem to hit on all of the usual points.

Namely, those points are the fact that HK caters to the sadistic crowd, TC is for "serious" foodies and TNFNS is the feel-good show focused on personality. Regular viewers of all will undoubtedly see nuanced differences between the shows and may protest, but I think that pretty much captures things in broad strokes. The shows know where their bread is buttered and keep that in mind. If good art challenges you, then popular entertainment gives you what you want (or at least what you think you want).

The one show that has really broken with its traditional format this season has been TNFNS. I understand the urge to get the contestants out of the kitchen and into some interesting situations. The challenges have been fairly successful in their own rights, although they did come off a bit like a group episode of Dinner: Impossible. The producers felt they had to shake it up a bit and that's understandable.

The problem is that the new format hasn't given us enough insight into the central question of the show, which is who would make the best Food Network personality. Unless they plan to skip the food preparation show in favor of a more lifestyle program (and there is no indication that I've seen that they will) when it comes to their six-episode commitment to the winner, we're going to need to know less about whether Rory can make a lasagna in an Army base's kitchen and more about whether or not she's a complete disaster reading from a prompter. I'm not the only one thinking this, as I've seen a bunch of bloggers and folks in the comments section saying things along the lines of, "I think X is interesting, but I have no idea what his/her show would be like."

And so, TNFNS is getting back to it's roots next week. They'll be doing a full on-camera demonstration. And is there any doubt that the presence of Alton Brown will make this the best episode of the season? Nobody on the network has a greater understanding of the camera, how it works and how the on-air talent works with it than Alton Brown. Plus, from the preview, it looks like he's in his scruffy, Grizzly Adams mode, and that's always a good sign.

I, for one, am looking forward to getting down to brass tacks with these guys, and figuring out whether it will be worth tuning in when the new show debuts.

Labels: Hell's Kitchen, The Next Food Network Star, Top Chef

 

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TVFF, The Hungover Gourmet & Tom Colicchio: Great (?) Minds Think Alike

Thursday, June 21, 2007 | posted by Mike

Well, maybe that's true for the second two, but I'll leave judgement on the first to you, dear reader.

A couple of days ago, I shared my thoughts on the whole "judging" thing when it comes to food television reality shows. Then we had a comment from Dan, a.k.a. The Hungover Gourmet, in yesterday's post saying:

Have you seen the second ep yet? The dismissal seemed like one of those decisions based more on who was more likely to be a better character than anything.

Of course, this illustrates the underlying question that we all have when it comes to these shows. Are these individuals being retained for their culinary skills or for their ability to draw viewers?

Time for the usual disclaimer. The Next Food Network Star is really about both, so let's leave them out of this. And Hell's Kitchen judging is based upon the side of the bed Gordo picks each morning. We're really talking about Top Chef, and now one of that show's judges has weighed in on the matter. Tom Colicchio leads off his latest blog entry with a discussion of the criteria given to the judges on the show. His post is in response to comments on his previous post asking exactly what goes into the decisions. It's clear that he takes his job as judge seriously.

And why not? In the case of each of these shows, the judges are people who are hired because of the legitimacy that they bring along with them. They have a responsibility to their own reputation to make sure they are part of an operation that is on the up and up. It can be a goofy process. It can be a process with which we don't agree. But it has to be a legitimate process.

It's good to see that they, too recognize this fact and care enough about the audience to say so. And it's great that they have a venue to talk about things like this. But, hey...the really important thing is that Tom Colicchio is listening to what all of you are saying in the comments. He cares what you think...even if Mario doesn't!

Labels: Hell's Kitchen, The Next Food Network Star, Top Chef

 

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Food Reality Shows: They'll Be the Judge of That

Friday, June 15, 2007 | posted by Mike

This was the first week that we've had the big three (The Next Food Network Star, Hell's Kitchen and Top Chef) food reality shows airing during the same week, so I think this is a good opportunity to do a little compare and contrast when it comes to one of the more intriguing aspects of these shows. That would be the method by which contestants are eliminated and what that process means to us as the home viewer with a rooting interest in one or more of the contestants.

What got me thinking of this was this past week's TNFNS, which eliminated Nikki despite the fact that Colombe was staggeringly terrible when she got her chance to perform in front of the judges. I would think that many who watched the show figured that Colombe would be on the chopping block, particularly considering the fact that she was close last week. Now, the cynical among you might say that Colombe is skating on her looks.

But the issue here is that we really aren't in a good position to be able to judge who should be eliminated, and this goes for all of the shows. We're not there 24/7 and we're not able to see what goes on in a way that allows us to form a full opinion. This is especially true because, as I mentioned in my gripe about Top Chef last week, it's very hard for us to be able to form a sound judgement about food. On American Idol, you can hear whether the person is a hack or not. We don't have that luxury with food. Licking your television screen will not get you any closer to the answer. (Although you will have a cleaner screen.)

We're at the mercy of the show's editor, who pulls together all of the footage, figures out what the important stuff is and then puts it together in a way that is designed to heighten the dramatic tension. Of course, dramatic tension = not knowing who's about to get booted. So there are probably going to be a few red herrings in there. Hell's Kitchen really has a habit of doing this, especially after they get done eliminating the no-brainers at the beginning. Of course, that's FOX, and I suppose I just assume blatant manipulation from them.

That's why the judges are so important on these programs. Yes, they have to be interesting characters in their own right. But the most important thing for them to be is trustworthy and clearly possessing the necessary expertise that allows them to act as the viewer's proxy. If we can't clearly see and believe in Tom Colicchio's palate, Gordon Ramsay's ability to run a kitchen or TVFF's Favorite FN Exec® Bob Tuschman's eye for on-air talent, we're never going to be able to fully buy in to the drama of the show. And if that's the case, why watch?

Got a thought on this? Always suspicious of that disclaimer that reads: "The judges' decision were made in collaboration with the show's producers?" Feel free to weigh in with a comment below.

Labels: Bob Tuschman, Hell's Kitchen, The Next Food Network Star, Top Chef

 

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A Few Thoughts on "Top Chef"

Thursday, June 14, 2007 | posted by Mike

Very few, actually. I don't have a whole lot to add.

Can we get Anthony Bourdain on there full time? I know he's the master of "extreme" ingredients and that was the tie-in for last night's episode, but I'd love to have him week in and week out. This guy was made to judge one of these kinds of shows. I'm sure he's not interested and that he'd probably get bored of it after a week or two. So he shows up for one episode each year, wows the contestants (who all think he's a culinary god) and keeps the legend of Bourdain going.

The best moment of the show was when he was giving Howie a hard time about not getting both of his ingredients on the plate and Howie starts quoting back to him from his book about how the best cooks won't send something out until it's right. Bourdain's reaction is priceless and you know he had to love it. The winner's reward -- Bourdain's books, presented as just that...a big stack of books -- was the icing on the cake.

But even if we don't get Tony for the rest of the season, we are getting Ted Allen, which is very good news. He's proven his judging chops with appearances as an arbiter on Iron Chef America, and he was always good on Queer Eye, although that show always had him playing the "nice guy" to the poor, straight schlub he had to help. It will be interesting to see how mean he can get, but I think he has enough culinary experience and expertise to be able to call people out when necessary.

You should absolutely check out Ted's blog on the Bravo site. It's funny, irreverent (the current post is titled "Hot Men in Banana Hammocks!") and he's not at all afraid to be critical when necessary...there's a swipe at Marcel's foam and a reference to Dave running up a big room-service bill during his stay for the season one vs. two faceoff.

Labels: Top Chef

 

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Past "Top Chef" Winners Return, Annoy the Hell Out of Me

Thursday, June 07, 2007 | posted by Mike

This has been bugging me more and more as time goes on. After only being slightly peeved after watching the Top Chef all-star competition, I've become progressively more ticked off.

First of all, I remember why, last year, I reached a point in the series where I thought to myself, "I really hope the producers find a way to have none of them win." The top finishers for both years, but particularly for the second season, are mostly insufferable. I know that Marcel and Steven are probably artificially inflating the "annoying" factor, but there's enough blame to go around.

Case in point: Why are you complaining that you're having to prepare a meal for the upcoming season's contestants? You're a chef. You don't get to pick and choose who you serve your food to. Shut up, load your foam canister and put the food in front of whoever Tom Colicchio tells you.

And another thing. You know what's really uninteresting to watch? Two blowhards argue about whose food tastes better. You might as well be arguing about who has the prettier imaginary friend, because all but about a dozen of us in the world have no way of getting to the bottom of your stupid argument. It's tiresome, it's boring and it just makes you look as smug as you clearly are.

Oh, and as for the advice to the new contestants to "not read what they say about you on the blogs?" Here's a hint: Don't act like a complete jackass and we won't call you on it.

And lest you think I'm just ticked off by the chefs...Why is Padma Lakshmi still the host of this show? Did we learn nothing last season? She adds not one iota from a culinary standpoint, and I occasionally have to ask Mrs. TVFF what she said just after she mumbles another set of instructions. Seriously -- if you listen closely, you can hear how often they have to "loop" her dialogue, so it must not be me. If she's just there to look good, can't we at least have someone who enunciates?

Labels: Top Chef

 

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Batali and Bourdain Dish to Grub Street

Friday, May 18, 2007 | posted by Mike

Looks like we missed a good one by not making an effort to get into Manhattan for the Borders appearance of Marco Pierre White. It wasn't that White's appearance has us regretting it...it's the fact that Mario Batali and Anthony Bourdain showed up. Grub Street, the fantastic food blog from New York Magazine, got them to sit down and chat. And chat they did...

Be sure to check this out for their thoughts on Top Chef contestant Marcel Vigneron's penchant for borrowing heavily from Wylie Dufresne (they don't approve) and their estimation of food bloggers (I'm sure they'd both love TV Food Fan!).

New Jersey readers will also get a kick out of Mario taking a bit of a swipe at The Mall at Short Hills. I've never been there, so I'm not sure if it's deserving of his dismissive comment. The only thing I know about it is that, when Mrs. TVFF goes there, she always returns with three new pairs of shoes and a dress. For that reason alone, I'm not a fan.

Labels: Anthony Bourdain, Mario Batali, Top Chef

 

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