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There is no dispute that Cliff's behavior was improper. There is also no dispute that the others who urged and cheered Cliff on to physically assault Marcel are equally as culpable. But in all honesty, watching Cliff get the boot did leave a bad taste in my mouth. Not because he didn't deserve it (he did), but so did the other 3 hangers on. They all contributed to an atmosphere of bullying.
Indeed, Cliff was not my favorite of the contestants (not that any of them are extremely likable). I stopped admiring Cliff when he ceremoniously threw Mia under the bus during the holiday party challenge. For those of you who may recall, the challenge in essence was a catering challenge and Mia hailed from a catering background. During the brainstorming part of the challenge Mia was very vocal that she thought the team was not on the right track with both the selection and number of dishes. However, when she was overruled (by Cliff and Elia - do I see a theme here?), she put on her best face and went along with the team. At judging table, the team was criticized for the very things that Mia complained about from the start. Cliff, who apparently didn't like Mia's communication style (perhaps more loud and abrasive than he is accustomed), quickly offered up Mia to the reality show gods. Mia unnecessarily fell on her sword to save Elia. I lost respect for Cliff at that moment (as much respect as one can garner for a contestant on a reality show).
Despite my dislike of Cliff, I felt that something was wrong with the whole scenario. No one protested, no spoke up in his defense, no one stoppped him from making an ass of himself in the first place even though they were all in on the joke. It just felt wrong.
Does this mean that it was racial? Maybe, maybe not. Its not always black and white.
