If you watched the finale of Top Chef, you’re probably thinking the same thing I am: What the heck is Marcel growing on his face? Unfortunately, there appears to be no explanation forthcoming. My trusty assistant put forth the supposition that he was tired of looking like a 17-year old pixie, but vaguely evil elf is not an improvement. Also, note to Padma: please stop dressing like a 1984 bridesmaid, I liked it better when you were skankzilla.
Oh, and also there was some cooking.
I gotta say, I think the season three contestants were unfairly messed with. In season 1, it was a no holds barred cook off. No restrictions, loads of time to prep and a beautiful restaurant to work in, the only requirement was incorporating some of Lorraine Bracco’s wines, so that she could get nice and toasted during the judging. In season 2, the only complication they had to deal with was a bit of humidity, and things were pretty much the same, they could do whatever they wanted.
So why does Season 3 get the short end of the stick? They have to contend with an extra finalist to go up against, cooking at high altitude, a limited stock of food, and the sudden addition of a fourth course an hour before time is up. I know that competition is fierce, but sheesh, that seems excessive.
Still, the three of them all performed with style. I feel like Casey would have been a stronger contender if the time pressure had not been such an issue, she was clearly flustered. By the time they made it to the live announcement, she seemed to have accepted that the prize wasn’t hers and was very gracious about the whole thing. Everyone likes a good loser.
Speaking of the live announcement, ouch. It must have been at least a day from the service to the announcement in Chicago, and some of the things the contestants said suggested it was more like a couple of days. Way to leave them hanging! Also, I know it’s a big deal to have a live announcement, but all those cuts to Padma in Chicago throughout the show just seemed excessive. The whole thing reminded me of a joke from West Wing, when Bartlett criticizes a speech written for him, “could we not use the word live three times in a sentence, like we just cracked the technology?” Also, for those of us on the west coast, the live announcement just didn’t seem that exciting.
So, Hung is the third crowned, which no doubt has many fans angry, though it seemed like his performance was exceptional. He was a spectacular jerk, and while I agree with his supporters, who note that it is a competition, there’s still such a thing as being a good sport, which he definitely wasn’t. The Bravo people knew what they were doing though, the season was more entertaining with him in it. Much like Marcel, he was enough of a jerk to be outrageous and empathetic enough that you didn’t just want him to go the hell away.
It’s hard to imagine what they’ll cook up for the chef’s next year. Cooking blindfolded? Making a meal out of nothing but bubble gum? One thing’s for sure, it’ll be brought to you by the Glad family of products, in the Kenmore kitchen, served on Chinet with recipes inspired by T.G.I. Fridays.
