Top Chef 6.2 "Bachelor/Ette Party"

I adore Ash and Preeti, but for some reason Ashley is on my list of people I'd rather be kicked off sooner. (with Eli, Jesse, and annoying Jersey guy who belongs on Tool Academy)

But my partner and I are definitely watching TC this season!  This early on, there are too many people to learn all of their names, so we give them all nicknames.  Some of which are mean, so I won't share them, but the annoying Jersey guy that Latherr refers to has been dubbed "THAT guy." 

I wasn't too crazy about Ashley in the first episode, but she does have a point with her statement regarding the marriage challenge.  However, Preeti has a point as well, in this is the world we live in.  I would assume that as a chef, this is something she has to deal with in real life... 

 

 

 

"Open up your mind and then open up your heart. And you will see that you and me aren't very far apart." - Blessid Union of Souls

I think the worse thing Ashley said during her confessional was, "You know in this challenge, being gay it's really hard." You know what hun... being gay in Texas is hard. Being gay in small town Mississippi is hard. Being gay serving in the Navy before the days of "don't ask, don't tell" was hard. Cooking what will hopefully be some tasty treats for a straight couple about to get married, that's a walk in the park.

Preeti definitely had the right attitude with "this is the world we live in." Yes it sucks that only five states allow LGBT couples to marry, but that's up to us to change. Complaining about how unfair it is to have to cook for a straight couple isn't going to help us achieve equality. 

So, let me see if I have this gaily organized. Is it that Jessee, the EXTREMELY butch crybaby with all the metal in her face is NOT gay? Huh? I guess I better go have my gaydar adjusted. I suspect the operative word here is OUT gay. But, baby, this child can be detected as gay from a black and white satellite still photo.

As far as which of those four should be sent home, only Ashley should be given a second chance. She does turn out some good stuff. The others? Not so much. And, I love Preeti. Any girl with sideburns that makes me think, for a half hour of the first episode, that she is a cute boy has my vote. I am not sure she can cook worth a damn, is all.

I've watched Top Chef for most of its run, but I am not a fan of the show. I find the culinary world to be rather pretentious and self-congratulatory, and this show only confirms my suspicions. Also, a great deal of the contestants don't come off as decent, good, people, but as vacuous, snooty, pretentious douchebags. I don't care if that's the nature of their profession; you can be a great chef without being the biggest cunt to walk the face of the earth. Even those on Top Chef Masters weren't major assholes, but likeable persons, and they work in high-pressure situations. I also don't like how they judge the show - one false move and you're out. If they did that for every person on the show in the first episode, there wouldn't even be a show. They'd all be gone in one fell swoop. I find that the prize that they're competing for is rather vague. On American Idol, a record contract is at stake. ANTM, a modeling contract. Project Runway's cash prize will help the winner launch or re-launch their own line. Survivor and The Amazing Race have just $1,000,000 cash as the big prize. But on Top Chef, the prize of $100,000 is to "make (their) culinary dreams a reality", as Padma Lakshmi (one of the few redeeming qualities of the show). I'm not sure what exactly are these guinea pigs' "culinary dreams". Some want to open a restaurant, I gather. Others just want the money to improve their lives. If Top Chef had a more concrete prize, the show would be a lot better. 

I really found the discussion this evoked fascinating. Clearly, among both gays and straights, some found Ashley's concerns really whiney. I did not.

 

But what I really loved was the chance to see Ashley and Preeti voice their feelings to each other. I can't recall ever seeing a show on a mainstream national program show gay people discussing this with each other, rather than with straight people.

 

Feel free to check out my blog on this episode.

http://cliffdvr.blogspot.com/2009/08/top-chef-las-vegas-proposition-ate.html 

I have mixed feelings on this. Were it only comments to the camera in the post-interviews, I wouldn't have found her reaction irritating, as I think mentioning and trying to fight the inquality as often as possible good for visibility.

However, then it cut to the discussion at the house with more than just her and Preeti. You know what? It's a cooking competition and you're being asked to make food for one of 15 or so challenges. Seriously, the theme could be anything and you'd still have to cook something. You weren't asked to go against your own beliefs, etc. 

Altho, as I wrote that, I switched roles, and I wouldn't be surprised to find a conservative chef refusing to cook for a gay wedding... but I guess, as gay people, we're supposed to be far more open-minded and understanding, I suppose?

I don't know, her attitude eventually redeemed herself and all went well at the party (well, all food challenge-issues aside...).

I like Ash, tho I haven't had a chance to see his personality much, yet