And The Winner Is
We have our new Top Chef! Hosea, we wish you all the best.
posted by Blogging Top Chef @ 9:40 AM
62 comments
Thursday, February 26, 2009
We have our new Top Chef! Previous Posts
- Top Chef Final Tonight
- Monday Morning Mix
- Your Turn To Vote
- Oh What A Night
- Jeff, Hosea, Leah, Jamie and Bangs McGee To Showca...
- Another interview I didn't get
- Gordon Ramsay's culinary boner is showing
- The interview I wish I had done
- Top Chef Final In New Orleans
- Final Top Chef Guest Judge
62 Comments:
Hosea may have cooked a slightly better complete course for the finale but he does not deserve to be Top Chef. I am not denying the fact that he is a good chef but compared to Carla and Stefan, there is still a lot for him to learn. He thinks too much of himself and always cares too much about how others may out do him instead of just focusing on his cooking. Looking back to one of his challenges, he boasts of how great he is and how he would have been able to cook the rack of lamb in the team challenge with Ariane and Leah but he stayed way clear of cooking with that protein and played footsie with Leah instead. And for someone who deemed himself as a seafood chef - how could he not know how to skin an eel?! You gave Stefan aligator and for something totally foreign to him - he did awesome. Stefan may be cocky but at least the guy is sure of himself. There are also great chefs who are not great with words and this seem to be true with Stefan. At judges table, he seems to freeze up and blurt out things. Following each season, each seems that Colicchio is getting more and more biased in his decision on who should get Toop Chef. And this proved to be the case in this season. When all the guest judges were tasting the meals - Colicchio brought information which he has observed in the kitchen and use that to penalize the contestants because they are doing something which he personally thinks is the wrong way of doing it. Judges should be judging the food they are tasting and being presented with. All the judges but Colicchio did that. I have great respect for Colicchio but throughout the season(s), Colicchio has undoubtly uses his knowledge as a chef against the contestants who are cooking using method which he thinks is wrong. In addition, it appears that if Collichio dislike you in some manner - you're NOT going to win Top Chef.I hope in the next season Colicchio would be less partial to a particular chef. He is the head judge but he should exercise his vote for Top Chef under the same circumstances which each of the other guest judge are under.Carla - you are one amazing chef and I hope you would continue in your soulful cooking and have more confidence in your cooking. Stefan - you may be a bit out of line at times but you say it like you see it and that is good instead of beating around the bush like others. And anyone who can male aligator soup like you did should have been Top Chef!
I'm done. The producers have finally killed this show. Between the awful Toby and Hosea (wtf?) winning...this show is obviously no longer about good food. A complete travesty. Sad.
The first time that I didn't even wait to see their reactions. I turned off the tv in disgust. Whiny Hosea as Top Chef? Stefan deserved to win.
I'm having horrible, horrible flashbacks to season two when Ilan won, even though he didn't even know how to cook anything else than the food from his Spanish restaurant. That Hosea won annoys me to no end. He was fine - I think he's a fine chef. But a Top Chef? Not even close. He was middle-of-the-pack throughout the competition, and he really didn't deserve to win the title. Even though there was something soulless about Stefan's food, I think I would have been happier with him winning, given his strong performance throughout the show.
Add me to the list of folks who were going, "Hosea, WTF?"
For me the guy lost any claims to professionalism by playing up to that psycho leech Leia for most of the season, passive aggressively sabotaging other contestants (Adriana) and generally cooking okay but not great food.
Stefan won loads of challenges. People loved his food. Carla, when she hit her marks, apparently cooked food that was truly delightful. Both of them deserved to win. And for me Stefan showed what a softie he really is when Carla started crying at the end and he reached out to comfort her, and then again when they went inside, telling her not to cry. I think the real Stefan is really a nice guy and that he was edited to seem like the badass because it makes for good TV.
Stefan and Carla - I'll be following your careers with interest and hope to one day taste your fine food.
Congratulations to Hosea for his well-deserved victory. I believe he'll wear the crown with dignity and use the opportunities now available to him wisely.
Worst season of the show. I used to be a fan but if Hosea can win then any useless whining housewife in america can win. PATHETIC BRAVO, PATHETIC!!!
..any useless whinny housewife...??? I beg to think that that I am neither whinny or useless, and probably a better cook that most of the chefs on this season.
Check out stephan's exit interview on the bravo site. Fabio joins in and it gets really funny. They should have aired this last night.
Top Chef used to be one of my favorite shows....until this season. I think that Hosea did NOT deserve to win the title. In my opinion, he came across as a whiny baby during all of his interviews, constantly crying about Stefan. He should have "packed his knifes" long ago. Yes, Stefan was cocky, but he deserved to win ~ without a doubt.
Carla was my favorite. Casey owes Carla $100,000 as far as I'm concerned. Whatever scores she felt she had to settle or whatever she felt she had to prove after her own loss on Top Chef, she should have just shut up and cooked what Carla had planned instead of inserting her "wisdom".
I think Carla might have taken the win last night if she used Casey as a sous chef instead of Yoda, but if not, how can anyone argue that Hosea should have won over Stefan? Hosea was the weakest of the three, imo.
Last night this show jumped the shark for me for good. I used to enjoy watching it so much. This season it degenerated badly, with everything from the addition of Tobey Young to "the couch". I will not be going back for Season 6.
Best of luck to Carla! Her total class and open-heartedness will always make her special to me. Hootie-hoo!
Kate
Hosea is an untalented douche. Hopefully he'll use some of the $ to fix those snaggle teeth!
And what was up with Gail Simmons dissing Stephan's dessert? As fat as girlfriend is, she should have been all over that! And oh no she di'nt roll her eyes at Rocco D.
In Toby Youngs blog at BravoTV he said Casey was there to test Carla. It's the finale, why are they still being tested. Their quest for ratings and drama has become an obstruction. They should do all this testing during the other episodes, not at the finale. Tom said cook us your best meal. What he should have said was, "cook us your best meal, however we won't let you."
To Anonymous re Toby saying Casey was there to test Carla...
She was not there purposely to test Carla. You took what he said too literally. Its been shown over the course of the season that when a strong personality works alongside Carla, she can be submissive. This is the test Toby speaks of. With Casey giving her suggestions, it was a "test" to see if Carla would finally put her foot down and say "Thats a nice idea but thats not what I want to do" considering this was the finale and her one chance to take the crown. Had she done so, she would probably be Top Chef as her last 2 Casey-infused dishes took her out of the equation.
The show/producers were not testing Carla. Casey for whatever reason gave suggestions that went against what Carla wanted to do and should have done. She made the same mistake again at a critical time and she learned the hard way that when shes in charge, she needs to stick to her instincts.
It's unbelievable that Hosea won.
The judges must be coked up or something.
A line cook could tell early on that Hosea has no talent whatsoever.
Agreed.You would've thought that the chubby girl from Food and Wine most certainly would have INHALED Stefan's dessert.
I've lost all respect for chef Tom .
From NY.
Top Chef has and probably always will be about the chef that cooks the best meal for that particular challenge. Past results, wins, etc. are not used as a deciding factor, it's only the strength of the food for that challenge. For everyone to bitch and whine about who "deserved" to win is ludicrous, as Hosea blatently had the BEST food for the FINAL challenge. I for one, have been in the chat room for several weeks talking smack about hosehead/hoser/hoseface/et al. Do I think that other chef's this season had more talent than Hosea, sure, but in the end it was Hosea who cooked the best dish/food and you can't argue that.
Congrats Hosea!
I'm so sickened by the outcome of this show - I'm glad so glad the season is over.
Best wishes to Carla, Stefan, Fabio and all the other cheftestants (not Sleez-a) who I'd have rather see win than Horseface-a.
Hosea should be named "Top Chef Who Can't Cook Dessert." It does seem like the producers or whoever wanted him to win since the removal of requirement that dessert be included only benefited him. Stefan and Carla had already shown that they could do dessert.
You all are right on point. Josea is an incredibly immature, passive aggressive, non-cook, horse face and ass. His attitude from show one to the finale showed that he lacks the character to ever be a top chef as without heart and a good soul you are only a technician and that is the most Josea can ever hope to achieve Top Technician.
As to Uncle Tom Co-licky-oh, I had never heard of him prior to this show and my opinion of him has gone down gradually until this season when it hit ground like a rocket. He is not judging based on the meal, he is into having his ass kissed, he thinks his way is the only way, and I am sorry to say he attempts to alter the other Judges point of view.
Tom truly doesn’t have the credentials to judge on this show nor do most of the Judges and that has also baffled me, who the hell are these folks to Judge anybody? The show is conceptually awesome but executed as if produced by junior high children.
i watched since the first season and this one is the most disappointment final so far. Stefan is all around winner and Carla has a heart.
What I think is interesting is that Bravo's website has yet to post Tom C.'s blog (9p.m. 02/26/09. I think they know there is going to be a rain of negative comments when they do....
I so agree with Hosea didn't deserve to be Top Chef,Carla was great till she listened to Casey,Stefan hands down was the better chef,he cooked that gator,something he's never done. Sorry Hosea was an ass on the show. I won't be back next season,sorry Ted Allen,Anthony BOurnain are gone,and without them I'm not watching,this season sucked!
Top Chef may be debated but my vote for top "heart" goes to Carla. She said she wanted to bring 'love' to the competition - I'd say she accomplished her goal.
Hootie!! You rock girl.
Sorry. So disappointed with the result that I am glad the season is over. He should have been auf'd with Leah long ago.
OMG!!! Hosea, Top Chef? Really?!?
The only reason why Stephan didn’t win is because Tom C. wouldn’t allow it. Shame on Tom, whose blog about Finale Part 2 has not been posted on Bravo’s site yet. I wonder why…
I think the following are more suitable titles for Bravo’s Top Mediocre Chef:
Top Cheating Boyfriend - on National Television.
Top Backstabber - who claims to know how to butcher lamb but left Arianne to do the butchering while he did the potatoes AND then throw her under the bus at judges’ table.
Top Pretender - who claims to be a seafood chef BUT did not know how to (and can’t) skin and fillet an eel.
Top Hoarder - who took all the foie gras in spite of seeing and knowing that Stephan was going to use such protein on his menu.
Top Whiner - who whined the entire season every time Stephan won a Quickfire or Elimination challenge. YEP! WAY TO GO BRAVO!!!
Ugh! I’m not watching this show again... auf Wiedersehen Bravo!
I’ve started watching Ted Allen’s Chopped on TV Food Network—I’m liking it. You don’t see product placements there, and it seems to be more about the chefs’ culinary talent (whether the chefs can cook or not).
Since noone here has tasted the food offered, I will have to take the judge's word for it that Josea cooked the best overall meal, and truly, when venison is great it is hard to beat. His strategy to cook the most memorable last course is what got it for him. Stefan and Josea both weren't as trained as Carla, and honestly, the challenge she won the week before seemed to bo the best meal. Too bad that she hasn't the self confidence to do her thing. It really doesn't pay to prepare a meal you have no experience in, and if that steak was pan perfect, this wasw hers with a tart. She knew they loved her pastry tpoo so she deserved to lose based on bad judgement. She should have remembered that Casey blew up on her last meal challenge before taking her advice.
Top Luckiest Chef
top luckiest chef is right!! I've come to terms with the fact that Carla couldn't win it, but Hosea!?!?!? Give me a break.
Thanks Bravo for one of my favorite Top Chef season with the absolute worst finale EVER!
Stefan should've won, frozen carpacchio or not. Boo Bravo! Boo!!
top luckiest chef is right!! I've come to terms with the fact that Carla couldn't win it, but Hosea!?!?!? Give me a break.
Thanks Bravo for one of my favorite Top Chef season with the absolute worst finale EVER!
Stefan should've won, frozen carpacchio or not. Boo Bravo! Boo!!
What pisses me off the most is that Hosea should have been kicked off a long time ago, but the producers kept him on because he was part of the love interest. They could not kick him off because he kissed a girl and cheated on his girlfriend, not because he made great food. And then he wins it? Lame, lame, lame!
Carla I loved your food and stef good work, I cant believe Blaze won Top Chef wooo hooo!!!!!!!
This finale was a complete debacle.
Obviously Stefan deserved to win, as even Toby Young points out on his Bravo Blog.
I'm surprised more people commenting here aren't more outraged by the entire set-up of the finale. In pasts seasons the finale "sous-chefs" (if there were any) were at least around the same skill-level, but this was just ridiculous.
Hosea having Blaze is a HUUUUUUGGGGEEEEE advantage over Carla getting stuck with Casey, and quite a bit over Stefan with Marcel too (who was seemingly giving no input even when he saw mistakes coming). Why do you even need a dedicated sous-chef for a three and a half course meal, anyways?
It's so unfair, the entire finale was ridiculous.
Hosea isn't the Top Chef, he's the Top Golden-Baby Biter. Hope he gives some of that money to Richard.
Hosea was the worst choice. The supposed dish "fois gras w/ scallops and apples" has been done, as a matter of fact its been on japanese restaurant "Megu" menu in NY since they opened their doors 4 years ago. No way he came up with that dish! Stephan or Carla should have won for a number of reasons but it seemed like they were focusing on Hosea a lot the last 7 episodes. Horrible horrible horrible..... he didn't earn it.
Here's what pisses me off the most: When the judges started deliberating, one of them (Padma, I think) said something like, "Carla is obviously out of the running, so let's concentrate on the other two."
Why was the woman automatically out of the running because of 2 of her dishes, but Stephan (the man who also had 2 dishes the judges hated) wasn't?
It's obvious now that Hosea's public apology for kissing Leah was done because he was the winner.
The good news, though:
I was surprised that Carla was the live-vote favorite for the win.
I can't wait to see Carla start showing up as an expert on TV! She's talented and TV gold, as well!
I'm not quite sure why everyone hates Hosea so much.
Immature, check.
two-timer, check.
backstabber, check.
It comes down to the food.
Carla was out of the running the minute she strayed from her vision. She deserved to lose. The suggestions were not right for her courses and she caved, as a lot of women do, to get a long and make the 'helper' feel better. She should have said, that sounds like a great idea, but I don't know how to do it, so I am sticking with my original idea. She would have won hands down. And she knew it, too. That's why she was so upset.
Stephan knows why he lost, too. This was the finale. You have to bring everything to the table and he had a mild brain fart with the wet carpacio. Tom said up front they didn't have to do a dessert. It was fine that Stephan did, but do something that will knock their socks off. It was like he just threw it together. I think that is what bothered the judges more than anything. This whole thing is about what the judges think, not what his 36 years of experience thinks. His appearance of contempt for the whole process showed in his choice of dessert. Was he the better chef? I have no doubt in my mind that he is. But it didn't show when it counted.
Despite his age, Hosea is immature in personal relationships. He worried too much about what Stephan was doing. But Emeril & Gail loved his gumbo over Stephan's. He used his break to study the flavors & foods of NOLA and he made a better product. You don't try something new during the finale. He isn't good with desserts...don't do one. He put out the better plate of food at the right time.
Congrats, Hosea. Well played & cooked.
SisterZip
Shades of Ilan Hall...
It'll be nice to have my Wednesday nights back again. No Project Runway, and now I wouldn't watch TC if you paid me. Bravo is the slutty, materialistic, catty "wife" channel now.
Those of you who remain might want to know about a primo deal coming up on Ebay: "Tamra" is going to sell her used breast implants there soon. Classy!
I agree with everyone here about Hosea. I think the problem really is the show's structure. It's time for a change. I think that previous elimination challenges should be taken in to consideration, because Hosea barely passed in many other challenges. So, he happens to do slightly better in the last challenge, and he is top chef? "Luckiest Mediocre Chef" should be his title.
I also agree with everyone who said that he should have been gone with Leah along time ago...Just think, things could have been worse...Leah could have been our Luckiest Mediocre Chef with the way things went.
I must admit, I probably will watch next season because I hope they take all the negative comments into consideration and actually make the changes that are necessary!
Hmmmm...2:49pm Friday 02/27/09 and still no Colicchio post on the Bravo website. Really thought Tom had more integrity than that.
You're always telling chefs to defend their dish...think its time for you to try and defend your vote.
Anne well said,time for Tom to defend his vote!
Colicchio posted his blog, and, as usual, clears things up fairly well.
1.) Hosea deserved this win. Per the blogs (with the exception of Toby - whose defense of Stefan in his blog is quite flawed), and even on the show, he clearly cooked the best meal.
2.) There's no way Hosea deserved to be eliminated in that farm challenge. And why? Because he didn't *step in* to keep Ariane from butchering the lamb horribly? The way the edit showed it, Ariane accepted the task without complaint (only for rolling the meat) - and she did awful, awful butchery. The egregious error was clearly Ariane's on that team. Have some of you considered that Ariane actually deserved to be eliminated??
3.) Producers' input is highly, highly overstated. Remember, this is all filmed at once. The notion that *anybody* is kept in for ratings is extremely dubious, considering the show is months from even airing. So again, with Ariane's elimination, this doesn't follow. At that time, Leah & Hosea were merely flirtatious as seen in the edits. But so were Stefan & Fabio! And who knows what else! Because...
4.) You only see what's edited for TV! It's amazing to me that people keep failing to realize this. (this is why reading blogs really helps) As many chefs said, you don't see 95% of what happened, because it's left on the cutting room floor. The producers chose to show Stefan calling Hosea a douche, and Hosea talking about Stefan. But not much else, because, you know, that's how you edit storylines into a reality TV show / competition.
So yeah, I'm sure this TV show has been most sufficient for so many of you to deduce that Hosea is immature, talentless, a total ass, and undeserving of the title. Me? I actually saw a likeable personality - perhaps not as colorful as Carla or Stefan or Fabio, but not one so despised as he seems to be here. I'm kind of shocked, to be honest, people reacting the way they are. I would've been very happy if either Stefan or Carla won, because I really enjoy both chefs, too. But I simply don't understand the Hosea hate, and (in case you didn't notice) I find it somewhat frustrating because some people are trying to undermine the format of the show, integrity / credentials of the long-standing judges ALL because the chef they liked more lost in what was apparently a fair victory.
Top Chef has not collapsed, people. You still enjoyed your Carlas, your Fabios, your Jeffs and Jamies and whoever else, so it's a bit dismissive to call this a terrible season because a chef you did not like (who's no Lisa of Season 4 or even Ilan Hall) won the final challenge fair and square. You will watch Season 6, and you will probably enjoy it then, too.
Mike, with all due respect, I totally disagree with you.
IMO Hosea should not have even made it to the finals. Now, agreed, that's only my opinion, but it IS my opinion. I think Bravo has decided to pander to the lowest common denominator this season, not only with all its tawdry, low-class "Housewives" shows, but also now TC. It took my favorite Food show and ruined it with immature high school kissy-kissy between Hosea and the ever pouty and monumentally inept Miss Leah. NEITHER of them should have made to anywhere NEAR the final four or five. In a show where food IS paramount, that wouldn't have happened. And, that, too is only my opinion, but there it is.
You're wrong, I won't be watching next season.
Kate
P.S. Don't you think a REAL Top Chef should be able to make dessert? I do.
You keep saying that Hosea is immature and undeserving...but besides mentioning that he was involved in a kiss that Bravo decided we all should see, why is this the case? Nobody is making a compelling case for why Hosea did not belong.
I do think Top Chefs should be able to make desserts. Didn't Hosea make one in the dessert challenge? He certainly *can* make desserts, but chose not to for the finale. That doesn't mean he *can't* make one, does it? Had dessert been required, then we would've seen how good or not he was with it. But since it was not, there is absolutely no way to infer Hosea's ability on desserts.
So again, people saying he can't make desserts aren't really thinking that thought all the way through.
Mike:
How soon some of us forget.
Lets review, Hosea is supposedly a "seafood chef," yet he is clueless with eels and sardines, and he was in the bottom three of the seafood challenge.
Now he is a "Top Chef" who can't do desserts. Has no clue how to do them and said so during the finale. And don't kid yourself, has a dessert course been required, we all know the Hose would have served Blaize's way-overdone-last-season banana scallops with chocolate ice cream that looked like a big turd smeared on a plate.
Do we really need to go over his immature actions? I can't believe you are defending what he did to Ariane, but even if you overlook that, him and the skank throwing her under the bus, then whispering about it like third graders is the epitome of immaturity. And let's not forget the constant whining and complaining about other cheftestants, mainly Stefan, but also Fabio and a few others.
Maybe you should take your selective memory over to the Tom C. fan board. You're not going to get much agreement here.
As anyone with half a brain could see this is bullshit. A shameful final, an absolute sham.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Responding to Anonymous 2 posts above...
[QUOTE]Hosea is supposedly a "seafood chef," yet he is clueless with eels and sardines[/QUOTE]
Way to oversimplify.
1.) Fabio and Leah outdid Hosea on sardines. Stefan, if you recall, was just as "clueless" as Hosea.
2.) Hosea outdid everybody with the arctic char.
3.) Eric Ripert even said Hosea did "not bad" on the eels for never having fileted them.
4.) How many seafood restaurants have you been to that serve eel? Even sardines? Yeah, it's not that common. It's entirely possible to be a "seafood chef" and not have to deal with such fish. And, he was the "seafood chef" among the chefs this season - never claimed to be the be-all Neptune of Seafood cookery.
This is hardly a point for you. But fair enough - Hosea doesn't know sardines or eels that well. He must be a hack, right?
[QUOTE]and he was in the bottom three of the seafood challenge.[/QUOTE]
Out of 6. Per the blogs, there were 5 "really good dishes," and then there was Jamie's over-reduced celery. So it's not like he was 'clueless' on that challenge, either. I admit, I expected more from him in this challenge, too. Except I remembered that he's an incompetent hack! Oh, silly me.
[QUOTE]Now he is a "Top Chef" who can't do desserts. Has no clue how to do them and said so during the finale. And don't kid yourself, has a dessert course been required, we all know the Hose would have served Blaize's way-overdone-last-season banana scallops with chocolate ice cream that looked like a big turd smeared on a plate.[/QUOTE]
I will kid myself and suggest he probably would've done something besides the banana scallops. Let's continue to speculate on how Hosea's non-existent dessert would've been a disaster, shall we? Since, you know, it makes us feel better to repeat this.
[QUOTE]I can't believe you are defending what he did to Ariane, but even if you overlook that, him and the skank throwing her under the bus, then whispering about it like third graders is the epitome of immaturity[/QUOTE]
Hook, line, n' sinker. Oh, they were whispering on how to throw Ariane under the bus! That must be it, right? And, if I recall, it was only Leah whispering to Hosea, and he would talk more out loud. I think the edits got you on this one.
And how did he "throw her under the bus," exactly? Seriously? What did he say to throw her under? What did Leah say, even? The most they can be accused of is not defending the team selection of Ariane for butchering the lamb (which Ariane accepted the task w/o saying she was underskilled at butchering, just before she did a terrible job at butchering). To be honest, I was half-expecting Leah to get cut, too. But Hosea? He was clearly not in danger of being cut, nor was he responsible for Ariane sucking it on that challenge. What can you say that can possibly defend Ariane on this besides vague "whispering?"
[QUOTE]And let's not forget the constant whining and complaining about other cheftestants, mainly Stefan, but also Fabio and a few others.[/QUOTE]
"A few others?" I think he mentioned Fabio once (re: artichokes on the canned food Quickfire), and I'm not sure about anybody else. Let's also not forget that practically EVERY SINGLE CONTESTANT complained about somebody else. Stefan? Complained. A LOT. Jeff? Complained. Fabio? Complained, quite a bit. Jamie? Complained. Even Ariane complained. I think Carla complained the least, if at all - so, I will give you that. But let's not pretend this was unique to Hosea.
Ladies and gentlemen...Mr. Tom Coliccio!
Seriously dude (Mike) if you're not Tom, you're so far up his butt that you can see Carla's sous vide beef dropping into his large intestine.
Hootie HOO!
Hosea is and will always be known as "Top Coliccio's Fave Chef."
BRAVO!
"Seriously dude (Mike) if you're not Tom, you're so far up his butt that you can see Carla's sous vide beef dropping into his large intestine."
Yep. More latent ad hominem. How about actually addressing my points with something salient of your own instead of accusing me of being in league w/ Colicchio? Anybody, please. Stop avoiding the points in my posts and create an argument more compelling / less childish than "Colicchio was out to get Stefan!" or "The producers sent Ariane home!" or "Hosea is a no-talent hack and should've bbeen gone episodes ago!"
If you're going to assert something, be prepared to back it up.
Probably because the rest of us actually have lives and don't sit in our mom's basement watching TC on a continuous TIVO'd loop
It's a TV show, for entertainment, chillax already!
I don't think "Mike" is Tom, but I DO think "Mike" is here on Bravo's dime.
If I'm wrong, I offer an apology, and sincerely worry about him. If he's not getting paid for this level of "defense" of his POV. there's something wrong.
"Mike" -- Chill out, dude. Most of us disgree with you, so what? No one needs to be this "right". Peace.
Colicchio was intimidated by Stefan, a superior chef, so he threw all of his support behind the lesser chef.
Colicchio is an insecure, jealous, and petty hack just like his sham "winner" Hosea
We all know who the true Top Chef is, and it sure as hell isn't that skank-kissing hack-boy from Colorado, the land without eels or desserts.
Anony 8:56 -- You should learn to stop beating around the bush, and just say what you really think... LOL!
I give you extra points for saying what some of us have only THOUGHT about this absurd state of affairs.
Sorry, guys. My last message was somewhat un-chill - I was perhaps a little too annoyed that somebody I kind of liked this season, Hosea, is getting all kinds of internet hate (I should reiterate that I liked Stefan & Carla, too). You don't have to be on Bravo's dime to respond with this kind of apparent fervor. It's mostly a "WTF are they talking about" thing that drew me into it.
I've only seen the episode once (I travel a lot for work - hotels don't always carry Bravo), but I'm defending the win in theory (Hosea wasn't all mediocre during the season) and in fact (observations from the finale). I don't subscribe to any other conspiracy about judges picking favorites, producers picking romances, etc. That's all I'm trying to say.
I'm the Anon you responded to, although the other Anons have done a great job with their responses.
God this is gonna be long with all of your quotes :( :
[QUOTE]Hosea is supposedly a "seafood chef," yet he is clueless with eels and sardines[/QUOTE]
"Way to oversimplify.
1.) Fabio and Leah outdid Hosea on sardines. Stefan, if you recall, was just as "clueless" as Hosea.
2.) Hosea outdid everybody with the arctic char.
3.) Eric Ripert even said Hosea did "not bad" on the eels for never having fileted them.
4.) How many seafood restaurants have you been to that serve eel? Even sardines? Yeah, it's not that common. It's entirely possible to be a "seafood chef" and not have to deal with such fish. And, he was the "seafood chef" among the chefs this season - never claimed to be the be-all Neptune of Seafood cookery.
This is hardly a point for you. But fair enough - Hosea doesn't know sardines or eels that well. He must be a hack, right?"
I'll oversimplify again, how many times did we hear from Hosea "I'm the seafood guy"? Per episode? A "seafood guy" should know how to prepare all different types of seafood, don'cha think? And please don't rely on the "how many eels have you seen" retort, as Stefan did great with the things he had never worked with (ie the alligator). Hosea, on the other hand, was lost with the eel until he watch Stefan do it, and he even managed to mess up fish he had supposedly cooked before (monkfish). Sorry, but that's not a "Top Chef" in my book.
[QUOTE]and he was in the bottom three of the seafood challenge.[/QUOTE]
"Out of 6. Per the blogs, there were 5 "really good dishes," and then there was Jamie's over-reduced celery. So it's not like he was 'clueless' on that challenge, either. I admit, I expected more from him in this challenge, too. Except I remembered that he's an incompetent hack! Oh, silly me."
Then I wonder why Tom Colicchio was yapping about monkfish having to sit before being cut? Maybe I dreamed that.
[QUOTE]Now he is a "Top Chef" who can't do desserts. Has no clue how to do them and said so during the finale. And don't kid yourself, has a dessert course been required, we all know the Hose would have served Blaize's way-overdone-last-season banana scallops with chocolate ice cream that looked like a big turd smeared on a plate.[/QUOTE]
"I will kid myself and suggest he probably would've done something besides the banana scallops. Let's continue to speculate on how Hosea's non-existent dessert would've been a disaster, shall we? Since, you know, it makes us feel better to repeat this."
Since he said he didn't do desserts, I'm sure whatever would have been served would have been of Richard's doing.
[QUOTE]I can't believe you are defending what he did to Ariane, but even if you overlook that, him and the skank throwing her under the bus, then whispering about it like third graders is the epitome of immaturity[/QUOTE]
"Hook, line, n' sinker. Oh, they were whispering on how to throw Ariane under the bus! That must be it, right? And, if I recall, it was only Leah whispering to Hosea, and he would talk more out loud. I think the edits got you on this one.
And how did he "throw her under the bus," exactly? Seriously? What did he say to throw her under? What did Leah say, even? The most they can be accused of is not defending the team selection of Ariane for butchering the lamb (which Ariane accepted the task w/o saying she was underskilled at butchering, just before she did a terrible job at butchering). To be honest, I was half-expecting Leah to get cut, too. But Hosea? He was clearly not in danger of being cut, nor was he responsible for Ariane sucking it on that challenge. What can you say that can possibly defend Ariane on this besides vague "whispering?""
Standing back and letting a teammate hack away at lamb, when he supposedly knew how to break down lamb, so he could play hide-the-salami in the back with Leah, then weaseling his way out of it by telling the judges he thought she could do it.
Along the same lines, Hosea changed the whole idea of how to cook the lamb that morning. He clearly had no idea what "seasonal" meant, and stupid Leah just went along with him. They didn't even consult Ariane, and left her to figure it out. He didn't own up to the fact that it was his idea to cook the lamb that way.
[QUOTE]And let's not forget the constant whining and complaining about other cheftestants, mainly Stefan, but also Fabio and a few others.[/QUOTE]
""A few others?" I think he mentioned Fabio once (re: artichokes on the canned food Quickfire), and I'm not sure about anybody else. Let's also not forget that practically EVERY SINGLE CONTESTANT complained about somebody else. Stefan? Complained. A LOT. Jeff? Complained. Fabio? Complained, quite a bit. Jamie? Complained. Even Ariane complained. I think Carla complained the least, if at all - so, I will give you that. But let's not pretend this was unique to Hosea."
Along with Stefan and Fabio, he bitched about Carla and her green eggs and ham dish, as well as Jeff when it looked like he was getting more AIDS ribbone in the Christmas special. I'm sure there are others, but I can't remember them all, and I never said this was UNIQUE to Hosea. He did, however, do the lion's share of the whining.
There, I addressed your points. You have your opinion, and I have mine. Mine isn't going to change, so please do what some others have suggested and go for a walk or something to relax.
Bravo should just change the title of the show. Or modify the judging criteria with a more objective formula (i.e., a point system leading up to the final challenge, or something like that).
The show's character has changed tremendously through the last couple of years. Aside from the shameless (read: in your face) product placement and promotions all season long, this show has really become more about casting interesting characters than chefs showcasing their cooking talent.
Anyway, the credibility of Collicchio just went down more than a notch for me...it's a shame that he chose the spineless cheftestant who, at all cost, avoided the challenges because he didn't want to lose (yea, the heart of a champion for you).
So, to all future contestants of Bravo's cooking competition show, here's what you need to remember:
1) DON'T DO YOUR BEST. Because if you do or try, and then fail, you'll be asked to pack your knives and go home.
2) WEASEL OUT OF CHALLENGES. To put this (more) bluntly: Unless it is required, don't do dessert. 'Cause all the other chefs out there who've made a name for themselves can't do it either...so why not just weasel out of it, right?
Don't you dare show your versatility as a chef. Noooo! If you can do away with a dish, and still come out A-OKAY in the eyes (and palette) of Collicchio, that's fine. You'll get to the finale before you know it.
3) HOARD INGREDIENTS. You don't have to use it all, or heck, don’t use it at all, but take them anyway, just for spite. Don't worry, you'll have the interviews to justify your underhanded character--as this season's winner justifies it: "it's a competition"...with a smile and middle finger, no less!
4) BE A PART OF A (LOVE) TEAM. Find another contestant to play footsies with, never mind if either one of you have a girlfriend or boyfriend back home, this behavior makes for good TV, and as a reward, you can get a free ride to the next challenge. You can justify your cheating behavior in the interviews. Bravo, indeed!
5) DON’T BE A TEAM PLAYER. Just don’t do it. In team challenges, no matter what happens, think only about yourself (and your love teammate). Forget the others. For example, you’ve butchered meat well many times before, make sure you leave it to the teammate who has never done it. If your team loses, the “bad butcher” can go home, at least you did the best potatoes in the bunch. While you’re at it, have another teammate do a simple salad as this will highlight how bad the butchering of the protein was. For sure Collicchio will penalize the “bad butcher” for not “honoring the protein.”
6) FIND YOUR STEPHAN. Go for it. It’s not enough to show that you can cheat on a girlfriend (or boyfriend/spouse/partner), use another contestant. Whether you are (or not) at par with their skill set, or just simply envious of their talent, focus on them and use them as a springboard to showcase your true character. Then always preoccupy yourself with how well they are doing, how you despise them because they were declared winner again (and again, and again). Having a sick fantasy like this can help you hide your mediocre skills in the guise of being the underdog. Oh, Collicchio will love you for it…or you can even win the title of “Dr. Pepper, Glad, Quaker, Swanson Broth and Kenmore’s Top Final Challenge Winner.”
Hootie!!!
Hoo!!!
http://tvwatch.people.com/2009/02/11/eric-riperts-pick-to-win-top-chef-stefan/
We should all write to the good folks at Dr. Pepper, Glad, Quaker, Swanson Broth and Kenmore, and let them know how we feel about this sham of a finale and this pathetic judging!
Tom, Pads, and company won't listen to us, but they'll sure as hell have to listen to their sponsors!
"So yeah, I'm sure this TV show has been most sufficient for so many of you to deduce that Hosea is immature, talentless, a total ass, and undeserving of the title. Me? I actually saw a likeable personality - perhaps not as colorful as Carla or Stefan or Fabio, but not one so despised as he seems to be here. I'm kind of shocked, to be honest, people reacting the way they are."
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This is funny stuff.
You sayin that Hosea the self proclaimed seafood chef shoulda won Top Likeable Personality Chef? Bet you lots of cheating boyfriends everywhere will agree wit you on that. Right? Lee-yeah!
Fabio was wrong.
This season it IS Top P*ssy!
You guys got it all wrong.
Stephan didn't win because he didn't make out with Hosea.
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