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Archive through June 03, 2006

The TVClubHouse: Other Reality Shows ARCHIVES: Archives for 2008 - 1: Top Chef - Prior Seasons: ARCHIVES: Archive through June 03, 2006 users admin

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Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 12:00 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
What Meggie said.. I was behind Leanne from day one but really really didn't want Tiffani to win it.

It was wonderful when they really all wanted to work with Harold and all recommended him and then there was the viewer vote 93% for Harold!!

I was still worried that they were going to go for Tiff..

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 1:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
You're welcome!
I think LeeAnn and Miguel showed alot more class by rising above their disappointment and helping Harold.

Cdbga
Member

10-04-2004

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 2:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Cdbga a private message Print Post    
I agree, Texannie, but I wonder if Dave & Stephen would have acted the way they did had they been working with someone other than Tiffani. LeeAnn and Miguel were both helping someone they considered a friend, who they wanted to see win the competition. Dave & Stephen were with someone they didn't like, who they didn't want to win. It is harder to act with class in that situation (and I am not condoning the behavior, just saying I can understand the motivation). Who knows how Miguel & LeeAnn would have behaved if the tables were turned? I don't think it would have been quite on the level of Dave & Stephen, but I don't think they'd have been as eager to help her as they were to help Harold. While it is terrible that Tiffani had to put up with that kind of display from Dave & Stephen, she brought it on herself. She said time and again that she was not in it to make friends, and her treatment of her fellow chefs came back to bite her in the butt. Harold got along with everyone and was rewarded for it by having not only the support of his team, but of Tiffani's as well.

The judges blogs are always an interesting read. For those of you interested, here's the link to Gail's blog.

Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 2:59 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
I think LeeAnn would have been the consumate professional regardless of who she was teamed up with. Miguel, IMO, would have acted more like Stephen and Dave did.

It's too bad that Tiff's attitude cost her, her dream. She clearly was more creative and the judges recognized that. I loved Harold from the outset, though, and am glad he won.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 4:11 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Thanks Annie, that was an interesting read. Made me give Tiff a little credit...

Ladytex
Member

09-27-2001

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 5:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ladytex a private message Print Post    
I think that's exactly it, Cdbga, her treatment of and attitude towards the other contestants came back to bite her in the butt.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Friday, May 26, 2006 - 10:08 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Oh, I think Tiff's attitude came back to bite her in the behind, but I think someone with class would have risen above their personal feelings for her. I think LeeAnn would have done her best for either one of them.

Fruitbat
Member

08-07-2000

Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 1:32 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Fruitbat a private message Print Post    
Le Anne posted on another board and said that the camera did not come close to showing Tiffany's bad attitude. Apparently she was much worse than what we saw, and we saw plenty.

I remember her saying that she did not come to make friends, she came to win. This is an often repeated phrase by irritable reality contestants. The notion that one would set out to make friends or not is curious. In just being ourselves friendships happen or not. It shouldn't be something we turn off or on depending on the situation.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 5:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
What board, Fruit?

Colordeagua
Member

10-25-2003

Saturday, May 27, 2006 - 6:46 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Colordeagua a private message Print Post    
I don't have cable or satellite so I've never seen this program. By all the archives, looks like it was pretty popular. The winner Harold was interviewed on a talk radio station here in Chicago last night. Sounds like a good, honest, down-to-earth guy. Realized it was a show and some "personalities" were created by editing. So he didn't have anything truly negative to say about anyone.

Kappy
Member

06-29-2002

Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 12:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kappy a private message Print Post    
Fruitbat brings up a good point about making or not making friends on a reality show. I just hope Tiffani realizes that maybe she needs some work in that area.

And yes, Wendo, I do remember what Tiffani said about traveling to further her knowledge of food but she also mentioned paying off debts. And let's be frank - alot of us do that to further our skills for our jobs, even when it's not required, simply because we want to improve. We then work overtime to pay for the workshops or travel or education that we feel we need. I'm just saying she can grow up a little and realize her dreams but she just may have to work for it like the rest of us would. In the same way that Steven viewed himself on the show and realized 'wow, people really reacted negative to me' and then decided to work on it, that's all Tiffani needs to do rather then finding excuses for her behaivor and then remain the same and ultimatly progress nowhere in life.

I had predicted early that Tiffani would near the final three as she was obviously a good chef but I stand by my opinion of her as a person - a person who would not be pleasant to work with unfortunately, at least not at this time.

Wendo
Member

08-07-2000

Sunday, May 28, 2006 - 7:23 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wendo a private message Print Post    
When did Tiffani say that she wasn't willing to realize her dreams since she didn't win the money? She was just disappointed that she didn't win. To make the assumption that she's not willing to work seems unfair to me, that's all. If anything, she proved on the show how much she is willing to work.

Would winning have made life that little bit easier, sure. But I would argue that people are transferring their dislike of her and making baseless assumptions.

I don't disagree that she needs to work on her people skills. However, I would argue that her performance was a lot better during the finale than during the run of the show. She often told Stephen and Dave she was happy to have them work with her and, at the end, she thanked them numerous times. This despite the fact they arrived for the finale late, drunk, and hungover.

Lilfair
Member

07-09-2003

Monday, May 29, 2006 - 6:09 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Lilfair a private message Print Post    
Harold and Tiff were polar oposites in the personality scale...which probably made each personality more clearly defined.

It was fun to snark at Tiff and Stefan. Every reality shows needs contestants to root against.

I can't weait for the next installment.

Gemma120in2002
Member

07-05-2003

Monday, May 29, 2006 - 3:34 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Gemma120in2002 a private message Print Post    
I think that the biggest difference in the way Harold used Miguel's beef dish and the way Tiffany used Dave's desserts is that Harold proudly stated that he used Miguel's dish. Tiffany took credit for Dave's dish.

A chef isn't afraid to let others shine, as a matter of fact a chef is stupid if he/she hides the skills of the people who work for him/her and instead takes all credit for the work.

Lorraine Bracco was wrong in stating that the drama behind the scenes was unimportant because the way a person in the role of a chef relates to the others in their kitchen is the MOST important thing. A chef is a manager, and being selfish and petty makes a very poor manager.

Steven and Dave didn't give Tiffany their best because she didn't give them her best. I'm not saying that Dave and Steven were right, but they are human and they can't be faulted too terribly for their behavior.

Webchiq
Member

07-11-2005

Monday, May 29, 2006 - 4:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Webchiq a private message Print Post    
The key thing in the final challenge was pairing the dishes with the wine and Tiffani didn't do that. She even had the sommelier on her team. Harold tasted the wines with his team and they made the menu from that knowledge. He won on technical merit, even though the editing didn't point it out very clearly.

Texannie
Member

07-16-2001

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 1:19 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
Webchicq..great point about the pairings!!!

Fruitbat
Member

08-07-2000

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 3:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Fruitbat a private message Print Post    
Wendo, Tiffany stated, if she won, she would use the money to travel to France and live there awhile to, first hand, experience the food scene. She could not otherwise afford to do this. That is what she meant. Not giving up her dream of becoming a top chef.

Texannie, www.fansofrealitytv She posted as Miss Fooey in her thread.

Webchiq
Member

07-11-2005

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 4:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Webchiq a private message Print Post    
Kappy, I agree with you about Tiffani, she doesn't have a situation much different than any of us and we all need to work well with others to get ahead in life. She was arrogant and condescending. It was totally inappropriate for Dave and Stephen to come to work hung over, but Tiffani failed to earn the respect of her colleagues, because of her arrogance. It is basic workplace politics and Tiffani has quite a bit of growing to do. I was definitely wowed by the food that Tiffani created through the whole series, but Howard had a more well-rounded approach to both the food and the running of a kitchen.

Remember the guy who was such a jerk about judging the fast food dishes? Everyone cringed under his scrutiny. Tiffani was like that with all of them. People don't like to work for people that come across as superior. Tiffani may have thanked Dave and Stephen for being on her team but you could see that she was not really feeling thankful, she was doing all of the dishes herself. She was "attempting" to play politics but it was really too late because they knew her already.

Fruitbat
Member

08-07-2000

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 4:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Fruitbat a private message Print Post    
Lorraine dismissed the drama because her role was to evaluate the food and wine pairings. Since she had not been part of the show it was wise to cut herself out of that loop. She really had no clue.

The judges blogs on the Bravo site are worth reading. The editing does not always show what happened accurately. They talk about the food courses in detail and the reasons behind their decisions. Very good reading.

Wendo
Member

08-07-2000

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 6:10 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wendo a private message Print Post    
As I've written before, I don't disagree that Tiffani's behavior throughout the show played a part in her not winning Top Chef. Even her philosophy on food, that she tries to satisfy her palate only, illustrates her lack of humility and her inability to see the customer as the main one to please.

But, I do disagree that she wasn't thankful to Dave and Stephen and only playing politics. Since the finale was taped after the reunion, she was fully aware of how her attitude came across to the other chefs. Compared to her past behavior, she made improvements.

On the other hand, I do agree it was too little, too late. As Tom Collichio noted during the finale, her intense drive to win caused her to ignore the social aspects of being a chef. She didn't view the competition as a course on work place politics. It was her against everyone else; and it was her downfall. She has been presented a unique opportunity to really "see" herself. Hopefully she'll use it to become an even better chef had she not been on the show.

Irregardless of Tiffani, Dave and Stephen's behavior was atrocious; I lost complete respect for both of them. Just because you don't respect the person you're working for doesn't mean you should behave as they did; arriving late, drunk and hungover. IMO, their behavior is no different than the behavior they fault in Tiffani.

Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 6:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
I agree with you, Wendo, 100%. I can't even add to what you said!

Nancypj
Member

08-17-2001

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 8:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Nancypj a private message Print Post    
I totally agree with Hukd agreeing with Wendo. Any lingering respect I had for Dave or gained for Stephen after the reunion was gone after the finale.

Mocha
Member

08-12-2001

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 9:03 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mocha a private message Print Post    
I agree with Nancy agreeing with Huk agreeing with Wendo. :-)

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Tuesday, May 30, 2006 - 3:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
There were a couple of things that I was thinking as I was watching the finale...

1. Tiffani had been told before by Tom that the customer was the person she should be cooking for (remember her disdain at having to cook for the kids?). So when she answered the question by saying she cooks for herself, I figured she was done for.

2. Although Tiffani *did* say in an earlier ep that she wanted to travel and learn more about food, she said several times in the finale that she wanted to pay off her bills. That, in and of itself, made me want Harold to win. Yeah, OK, so it's THEIR winnings and they can do with it as they please. But Harold was gonna use the money to open up a restaurant. Something that you'd think a Top Chef would wanna do. Seed money for a new restaurant does not grow on trees.

3. I don't know when reality show contestants are gonna realize... friendships or not, at some point, the folks who used to be on the show with you are gonna come back. And if you treat them like crap, you are not necessarily gonna get 'em to put 110% out to help you win. So yeah, Tiffani wasn't there to make friends. She pretty much gave away the grand prize by acting like that. (And then also saying it aloud to the others.) Just not very inspiring, is it? That said, I think Dave and Stephen did cross a line. Hungover, well, OK. But hungover and late? And Dave knew better than to leave a wine glass on the line. (However, I do think that they totally did not care if Tiffani won or not, and were only there cause they had no choice.)

4. Tiffani continuing to insist the dessert was hers. That actually was painful to watch. She should have just admitted it was Dave's creation and then shut up. Another nail hammered into the exit coffin.

At the end, even though Tom said it was a show about top chefs and not a popularity contest, it really did boil down to that. There is no way Tiffani would inspire anyone in a kitchen until her attitude changes (humility would be a good start). There also is no way that anyone would be willing to invest in her until then, as the costs of constant turnover could close a business down in a year. So she had some great ideas -- and I did like the men vs women plates -- but good ideas do not a top chef make.

A top chef should have a combination of skill, creativity, the ability to think outside of the box and then execute the vision, and also MANAGE the team that helps you execute your vision. Harold was consistent in pretty much everything he did, and willing to allow credit where credit was due. Give him time to build some confidence, and he'll be wowing people with his creative dishes, and soon!

Kappy
Member

06-29-2002

Saturday, June 03, 2006 - 4:55 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kappy a private message Print Post    
Well said, Costa!

And I don't think any one poster's assumptions are any more baseless then the next person's ("I would argue that people are transferring their dislike of her and making baseless assumptions.") I think we just perceive her personality differently.