Top Chef New York

[iAmBaronVonTito]

Next week:  Carla finally gets tossed, failing egregious fuck-ups on the others' part--which prospect is not terribly far-fetched.

i agree with this prediction.  although i like carla MUCH more than i like leah, leah is giving the show nice edit-for-dramatic-television footage for the producers to use and keep people coming back to see what happens between her and hosea.  it makes all the difference.  if they werent flirting so much, undoubtedly she would have been sent home already. 

[franks.]

Leah is so whiny. That's all she did all episode. As soon as things went bad, she folded. I think you're right that Carla is next to go, but I'd prefer it if Leah went.

I think that while Stefan is an arrogant jerk, he still makes what looks like consistently good food, and if there were some stronger personalities in this group, he would be less of an issue. No one confronts him. They just complain.

[iAmBaronVonTito]

stefan has been confronted a number of times, but he's a jerk when you call him out on the carpet.  he seems like the kind of guy who refuses to see where youre coming from and its pointless to talk to those kind of people.  egh, im getting worked up thinking about it.  that guy is such a buffoon.

at any rate, i agree with you on leah, of course.

[Sarah]

"A jerk when [called] out on the carpet"?  I disagree:  Stefan actually takes criticism from the judges better than Jamie, Jeff, Fabio, or Leah.  It's just his peers that he tries to dominate.  He strikes me as the kind of guy who will bully if he's allowed to; I bet he backs down when faced with a strong enough opponent.  But all these Americans are wimps when they deal with him:  they just storm off instead of standing their ground. 

[iAmBaronVonTito]

"A jerk when [called] out on the carpet"?  I disagree:  Stefan actually takes criticism from the judges better than Jamie, Jeff, Fabio, or Leah.  It's just his peers that he tries to dominate.  He strikes me as the kind of guy who will bully if he's allowed to; I bet he backs down when faced with a strong enough opponent.  But all these Americans are wimps when they deal with him:  they just storm off instead of standing their ground. 

apologies.  i was referring to him being a jerk with the other chefs, not the judges.  theyve called him out before on what a dominating person he can be and how he doesnt listen to anybody and is truly a bully (in the kitchen), and he only proves their point when he 'defends' himself.  if it were me, id walk away too- he's stubborn as hell and thinks he's always right, theres no use in talking at that point.

its not giving up or not holding your ground, its picking your battles and not wasting your energy. 

[franks.]

In last season guys like Richard raised the bar on how to think about approaching and cooking food in terms of a Top Chef competition, I think. And because this season lacks people who are really thinking about things differently or confident enough to challenge themselves, it seems easy for a jerk like Stefan to steamroll everyone. He's definitely a bully and bullies will back down if really challenged (or at least that's the theory, right?) but no one in this season is really doing anything but trying to keep their heads above water. I think Jaime seems to stand up to him, but she keeps making variations on the same thing. Still, she's the standout for me. I liked Hosea at first, until he started to act like a passive aggressive creep. Bah, Top Chef!

[Sarah]

its not giving up or not holding your ground, its picking your battles and not wasting your energy. 

It's a competition in which the winner stands to take home a tidy sum and get publicity that's worth far more.  I think standing up to Stefan might often have been a battle worth picking.  All the wusses who caved before him were just lucky that his instincts and talent are good enough so that letting him have his way didn't hurt them. 

Another point:  Fabio seems like an affable guy, but he has a steel core, and he and Stefan got along just fine.  I doubt if the fact that they both have accents was the only reason.  Rather, I'd wager that Fabio didn't let Stefan rattle him, and as a result they interacted more as equals.

[Kim Kelly]

4.  Jamie sleeps with a stuffed animal.

You don't remember Stefan making pants for Jamie's rabbit stuffy?

Honestly, I think Stefan is growing on me. I kind of like him, and I can't explain it. I've always favored the contestants who get the villain edit on this show, with the exception of Lisa from last season. Oh Lisa. What a jerk.

[Sarah]

I didn't realize she slept with the damn thing.

[Martin]

Who's this "Stefan" you're talking about?

I would've sent Radikha home for that hideous dress alone!

[Kim Kelly]

I'm sorry, I forgot his given name was FinGerSwiss.

[Sarah]

And I keep forgetting as well.  So much so that for a second I didn't know what you were talking about, Martin. 

(You've got to admit, though, "Stefan" is a lot easier to type than "FinGerSwiss.")

[samir]

I'm sad about Radhika leaving, if only for the Indian-pride deal.

Carla sending out love-waves was a low light, and the word DILIDO repeatedly showing up onscreen remains a highlight.

Most contrived moment:

[erika]

FinGerSwiss just makes me want cheese. But I guess I always want cheese.

[Denim Gremlin]

Stefan is clearly the best chef on the show.

if other famous chefs are an example being a total asshole seems to be a prerequisite.