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most of the food as been disappointing ... obvious to anyone watching the judging sessions -- the technique, sophistication, inventiveness just isn't there ... nor is there much in the way of humor or even discussion of food preparation.
It's seemed obvious that the way to maximize "face time" is to diss Marcel ... which is how Betty was transformed into an imho manufactured fan favorite ... the big-mouth blond bitch -- she got disproportionate screen time by dissing Marcel, the lingering camera VALIDATED her complaints.
As for the beat-down, I felt like I had watched an aborted gay-bashing ... I suddenly wondered exactly what each contestant's sexual orientation was. I had no idea (this has either not been exploited by the producers or I wasn't paying attention) however, the sight of tiny, rather fussy, precious/effeminate Marcel (who may be straight for all I know) getting beat up by gang of bigger kids (mostly male) certainly brought back the persecution my gay friends experienced in junior high and high school, back when the code was "being different."
Rightly or wrongly, homophobia somehow made "sense" of the previously confusing Marcel bashing ... IT JUST DIDN'T LOOK OR FEEL LIKE A PRANK ... finding out that it apparently occured BEFORE the voluntary "aren't I a daring drunk?" head shaving makes it seem even less like a "we got carried away in the moment and just wanted to sorta scare him" prank and more like a "lynching."
In my opinion, they should have given Marcel the prize and shut down production ... the show has little redeeming social or entertainment value -- in contrast, Project Runway is usually funny and we get a lot of back-story about the designers and the designs' genuine good and bad qualities are discussed by the judges -- sometimes dismissively, but it's more than "over cooked", "under cooked", "over seasoned", "underseasoned" etc. This season's chefs have been underwhelming and unworthy of the exposure being given them.
Ramping up "conflict" to make the show "more entertaining" and hopefully garner bigger audience just makes the shows ridiculous. Tim Gunn adds a LOT of warmth and depth to PR. There's no time for such caring counsel/discussion of plans in the kitchen and Top Chef this season has seemed a fairly pointless copycat. Both shows suffer BADLY when contestants chose "trying not to get eliminated" over trying to actually win.
If this incident has killed off Top Chef it's okay by me....
