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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Heather,
I gotta disagree wholeheartedly with you here. If Marcel had been friends with Cliff, yeah, those would have all in good fun hijinks. But the other chefs have repeatedly bullied and snubbed him all season. Yeah, he's a bit of a twerp, but nothing he has done has deserved this "Lord of the Flies" treatment. Tom Colicchio in his blog says he would have sent all four of the culprits home and I think he was right. Cliff might have been the muscle but Ilan was trying to goad the others into hateful activities. And as others have pointed out, if you look carefully at the scene, Elia is laughing away with a full head of hair.
Even the producer in her blog and Lee Ann from the previous season say they never saw anything from Marcel that could fuel such intense hatred. It was a classic example of groupthink and it's a shame that you bought it.
So does this mean were you one of the Heathers or Mean Girls when you were in high school? or a wannabe?
As others have noted, it seems unfair that Cliff was kicked off the show while Sam, Ilan, and Elia were allowed to egg Cliff on without any repercussions. Apparently Tom Colicchio had the same reaction -- his blog on Bravo's website notes that he wanted all four contestants ousted from the show, leaving Marcel as the default winner. However, he writes that the producers stepped in and refused to permit this kind of total derailment of the show. Thus, to Tom's disappointment, only Cliff was asked to leave, since he was the only one who actually violated Bravo's rules about physical contact. I found Colicchio's perspective on this comforting -- apparently the viewers weren't the only ones completely nauseated by the whole situation.
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.
I have to say, I am really shocked at Havrilesky's description and defense of Cliff here, as well as her implications that Marcel was is some way deserving of this or another retaliation because of his personality.
It's absolutely disgusting, and I shudder to think of all the other things she could find ways to defend.
I did notice that the timeline in the show was skewed (and that Elia and Ilan shaved their own heads after failing to do so to Marcel), and I also agree with others posting here (and apparently Colicchio) that everyone except Marcel should have been ejected from the competition. If Marcel wins, I may watch Season 3, if he doesn't there's no chance.
If Heather Havrilesky publishes a retraction of her pro-bully piece here, I may continue reading her column.
I realize there's very little chance of either of these things happening.
HH -
while i usually find your writing/TV criticism clever, i'm a little shocked at how off the mark you are with your Top Chef report. granted you aren't a "reporter" per se, but I was surprised at the apparent lack of knowledge of the overwhelming feelings about this episode (as reflected on the Bravo and other TV blogs) and lack of factual info as to the timeline of the event. perhaps if you had done some small research, you would have approached your viewpoint with some consideration of the points you bring up.
as a Top Chef fan (well, up to this point) i have read quite a bit about how viewers have responded to this outburst. if fact, your ideas about race are rather nonexistant (odd since they come from a caucasian young woman like yourself). indeed even sexuality doesn't seem to have concerned most people. since marcel has never confirmed or denied his preference, why would it? most are simply alarmed at the escalation and use of physical violence. while your family life may have included such interaction, such use among casual rivals on a TV show is incomprehensible and, as many have noted, also illegal.
your cavelier attitude to the circumstances (at least from what you've written here) might need some explaining. i'd like to think what you wrote were quick takes written against deadline late on wednesday night. prove me, and all your other readers, right in that assumption
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