FINAL 2 CHEFS - Speculation & ***Spoilers***

[gingernuts]

[/B]Sam was an executive chef before TC, and Betty runs her own restaurant.
They should have just laughed in his face when he was trying his best to bug them.

I so agree with this. What bothered me the most about Betty was her unprofessionalism. Marcel is merely 23 years old. Letting a 23 year old get under your skin and cause you to throw a tantrum shows an utter lack of confidence. I think Betty realized she was over her head in this competition with her "comfort food" skills. She felt threatened and victimized. Marcel is extremely talented, but he's very, very young and needs time to develop. I think he's one of those guys who's just a nerd with a lack of social skills. In 10 years (when he's as old as Cliff and Sam) he'll probably look at his behavior and be embarrassed as we all do when we see how we behaved when we were young and dumb.

Sam will win, he's always been the alpha. I'm thinking him and Elia will be in the final two and Elia will choke. I don't mean to harp on age, but I do think that that aspect shouldn't be ignored. Elia and Marcel are supremely talented and Marcel's boastfulness and Elia's tendency to break down emotionally are both aspects of immaturity and insecurity which will dissipate as they age and get self-confidence. I mean, they're both only 23. They've accomplished so much as such a young age! Betty, Sam, and Cliff on the other hand should know better.

Ilan on the other hand, is just a worm.

[gizmo1]

Marcel is 26; Elia is 23; Ilan is 24; Sam is 28; Cliff is 28; Betty is 44

[midnightsky]

Marcel is 26; Elia is 23; Ilan is 24; Sam is 28; Cliff is 28; Betty is 44

Marcel is 26? Why does everyone think he is younger? I thought Cliff was older than 28, and Betty looks older then 44.

[nliedel]

Nliedel: "I don't think anyone can assume who wins this based on behavior after the show."

and I stand by it. I also never said you cannot form an opinion, have an opinion, post an opinion, believe what you will. You are entitled to believe as you do, as you said, it's all specualtion. If you were offended by what I wrote, I am sorry. I certainly meant no offense at all.

[nliedel]

Marcel is 26? Why does everyone think he is younger? I thought Cliff was older than 28, and Betty looks older then 44.

Marcel acts, immature is not the word... like he's been living in a bubble that the rest of the world is not privy to? Is that a good way to put it?

As far as Betty goes. I'm forty three. I think she looks exactly forty four.

[miadora]

The local Honolulu paper published a story on the chefs' trip to Hawaii

Packing their knives for Hawaii
The two-part finale for TV's 'Top Chef' competition is filmed on the Big Island



It began with 15 contestants competing in Los Angeles for "Top Chef" honors when the second season of the Bravo culinary reality show debuted in October, and now four contestants remain in the running for the title.

Their final face-offs air over two Wednesdays beginning this week, and the episodes will show them flinging knives and more than a few tropical ingredients at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island. The final four spent the first week of December there, filming the two-part season finale.

From the Big Island, the winner walks away not only with the title, but also $100,000 in seed money to foster their culinary aspirations and the promise of a feature in Food & Wine magazine, along with an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen in June.

More than 1.5 million viewers an episode have tuned into Season 2 of "Top Chef," with ratings up 54 percent over the first season.

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau recognizes the potential exposure in those numbers and contributed $60,000 to bring the show to the Big Island, in partnership with such organizations as the Department of Agriculture, Aloha Airlines and the Hilton. HVCB courted the show in June, shortly after the end of the Season 1 finale, which was shot in Las Vegas.

So who will take over the reigns from the first winner and viewer favorite, Harold Dieterle? It's a tossup among brainy Ilan Hall, sexy Sam Talbot, lone remaining female Elia Aboumrad and cast villain Marcel Vigneron.

Each chef survived 11 elimination challenges that tested their skills in high-pressure, team efforts in the kitchen, and just as many "quickfire" missions -- individual competitions that assessed their ability to create dishes with a limited choice of ever-changing ingredients, testing both creativity and culinary knowledge.

The two who have gained the most recognition, not only for their dishes but their on-screen personas? Hall and Vigneron, who developed a bit of on-screen rivalry in the kitchen with their clashing personalities and cooking styles.

The two took different approaches to preparing for the Hawaii finale. Vigneron researched Hawaii regional dishes and studied the work of guest judge Alan Wong.
Hall took a more lackadaisical approach.

"It was my plan to come back with recipes, but I thought about it and wondered if it was too much," said Hall. "I wondered what to expect and I was wondering if I was prepared enough, but it's not something you can prepare for. I brought a couple of knives and that was it."

For Vigneron, a down-to-earth, cheerful sort off-screen, being the designated outcast during taping was something he accepted as part of the reality TV journey. But the discord between Vigneron and most of his castmates came as a surprise to those who work in the kitchen with him at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"The majority of my co-workers couldn't believe it and they respect me and didn't understand where the castmates were coming from," he said. "I think it bothered the other people in the house that I didn't let it get under my skin. Most didn't have the courage to say anything directly to me."

But, what's done is done. "We're all good friends now that the show is over," said Hall. "I keep in touch with a lot of people ... Marcel and I talk a lot."

Wong is guarded about his experiences as a judge -- the producers are leery of revealing any surprises -- but he did say he is a fan of the show and has been watching since the first season.

"As a professional you try to figure out who is going to make it," he said -- and he did agree in many cases with which contestants were bounced off.

"Somebody got let go because of dishonesty, somebody got let go because of bad attitude, somebody got let go because of not using salt and pepper and not tasting the food before serving it ..."

The same thing would happen in his own restaurant, Wong said. "If somebody's dishonest with me, they're gone. If somebody's got a bad attitude with me, they're gone. ...

"Yeah, this is justice. It gave the show credibility."

Participating in the finale taught him a lot about the process of reality TV, he said. "We were up until 3 in the morning one time. I learned that television takes a long time to stage."

How have the two spent their time since the taping ended Dec. 8?
For Hall and Vigneron, participating in the show had meant taking a leave of absence, so both headed back to work. Hall is a line chef in New York City at the Caso Mono, and Vigneron returned to his position as master cook at Joel Robuchon at the Mansion at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

"The second day I got back and jumped right into work," said Vigneron. "I walked into the kitchen and it was, 'Hey, Marcel can you start tonight?' That's really comforting. Food to me is more of a personal vision. I'm committed to restaurants and cooking but to be put into a competition is something different."

"I started work right away," said Hall. "It's kind of weird in some ways. The show is huge, but I'm still a line cook and you don't make a whole lot of money as a line cook."

Both say reaction from inside the culinary world and on the street has been positive.

"The public reaction -- for the most part -- I find they're supporting me," said Vigneron. "Just going out and about, being recognized is a daily occurrence."

"There's been positive recognition from peers in the culinary world," Hall said. "It's helped me get a little closer to the (dream) job that I will take on for years."

They wax poetic about their experiences on the Big Island, meeting Wong -- a James Beard Foundation Award winner -- and having the opportunity to sample regional dishes such as opihi and poke during a picnic taped in Waipio Valley.

"Waipio Valley was a surreal adventure," said Vigneron. "It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen."

The visitors' bureau is anticipating that Vigneron's impressions will translate to the wide television audience.

"A lot of our research shows that people who are fanatic about the culinary arts are people who love to travel," said Jay Talwar, senior vice president of marketing for HVCB. "They have an active outgoing lifestyle and they enjoy life. These are the sort of people who will connect with 'Top Chef.' "

The chance to showcase Hawaii "is always a welcome opportunity," said Talwar. "But the exposure on national TV provides a more in-depth opportunity to show Hawaii. Print ads are just not able to pick up the sights and sounds. ... The place that is shown is a place you and I would like to visit, if we had the opportunity in between work and other endeavors. It's a place that we'd all like to be able to travel to."

Source: http://starbulletin.com/2007/01/21/features/story01.html

[mischief4911]

[/B]

I agree with you on most of this. I will say that Marcel did come into it with a game plan, but these are adults who should've never let him get to them like that.
Sam was an executive chef before TC, and Betty runs her own restaurant.
They should have just laughed in his face when he was trying his best to bug them.

I agree , even though it was his game plan I dont think the others should have allowed it to work so well for him. That was the failure of all the others that have played into that behavior and proved their lack of maturity.

[gizmo1]

Whoever wrote this article has gotten the month mixed up. The filming took place during the first week of November, not December. Also, I would not call Ilan "brainy" nor would I call Sam "sexy".

[cocoaplus]

I saw a clip of the finale where Elia is accusing Marcel of cheating. This could be an indication that they are in the bottom two.

As far as the winner, I don't think any of them are TC. I am not a chef; I 'm not even a very good cook, but all of them are inconsistent and seem very limited - not at all like the chefs on season one.

Since we know someone will win I'll go with Marcel. Just a feeling.

[dondale56]

"The majority of my co-workers couldn't believe it and they respect me and didn't understand where the castmates were coming from," he said. "I think it bothered the other people in the house that I didn't let it get under my skin. Most didn't have the courage to say anything directly to me."

If Marcel had a clue, he would be dangerous. His co-workers are pretty clueless too. If your going to talk the talk, you better be able to walk the walk. He talked, but that's all he did. Sam won more quick fires and Ilan won more elimination challenges. If Marcel was half as good as he thinks he is, he would have been winning more of the challenges and you think with the love of Padma... he should have. I don't have any problem with people who brag, but they better produce when they do it. I never brag unless I can back up what I say. Marcel should learn that lesson muy pronto!

Donna