Looking through Hung-colored glasses.
May. 23rd, 2008 10:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burnunitSo I've been watching Top Chef again—thoroughly addicted am I—and I found a great blog perspective over at skilletdoux. I left a rambling comment over there that I realize was substantial enough to stand in for a livejournal post over here, so I'm putting it below. Gawd it bugged me this season how everyone talked about how awesome Dale was. Meh, I say. Meh.
This isn't about this week's episode: I think Lisa should have gone home, period. But does anyone seriously believe Dale is that good? On the basis of what exactly? Here's what I think (nobody gives a damn what I think, first of all): I think that people have been insufficiently objective about Dale and the reason for it is Hung. People wanted to see Dale as this season's Hung—and yes, I argue some of that comes from their Asianness, despite Dale being Filipino and Hung Vietnamese—and I further believe it has led to an extension of greater credit to Dale's supposed advanced skills. Hung's level of skill was undeniable but more than that he was dominant. Think of that moment when he's prepping at Le Cirque, that delighted Dash-in-The-Incredibles-running-on-water laugh as he accelerates toward clear victory. Can you picture Hung ever standing in the prep pit looking as sour as Dale has (more than once) over the length or complexity of his list, much less bringing said list to Judges' Table for his defense? When it came time to fillet a sea monster in the relay did Dale's vaunted skills get them back in the race? Did I miss something? When he was saddled with two weaker/more devious chefs more than once in team competitions, how did Dale adjust and adapt, exactly? Knowing from experience what it meant to work with those particular teammates? Heck, let's throw out the "a top chef needs to show teamwork" angle; Dale has repeatedly shown an inability to bend and adapt to the flow of competition and has asserted himself in the wrong ways most of the time.
Stephanie has demonstrated insight and chops and I think it's extremely fair that she's as far as she is. I love her and Richard and I look forward to a final with them in it. I could never have pictured Dale there with them except as the third wheel second fiddle Casey played last season. I have to disagree with the assessments that it's about gender preferences—well maybe in Antonia's case, whose dishes are pretty uninspiring to me.
Don't get me wrong, Spike and Lisa have shown massive flaws that are getting closer and closer to being terminally exposed. But it seems to me that Dale is closer to their level than he is to Richard and Stephanie's. Yet people keep talking about how great he was. On the basis of what? Three wins, four bottoms (counting the out) in elimination challenges? High praise in a QF from Daniel Boulud? Being in the top group of challenges when other people seemed to take the lead conceptualizing and largely executing winning dishes?
I wish this wasn't his week, but he's not the best of this group, not by a long shot.
This isn't about this week's episode: I think Lisa should have gone home, period. But does anyone seriously believe Dale is that good? On the basis of what exactly? Here's what I think (nobody gives a damn what I think, first of all): I think that people have been insufficiently objective about Dale and the reason for it is Hung. People wanted to see Dale as this season's Hung—and yes, I argue some of that comes from their Asianness, despite Dale being Filipino and Hung Vietnamese—and I further believe it has led to an extension of greater credit to Dale's supposed advanced skills. Hung's level of skill was undeniable but more than that he was dominant. Think of that moment when he's prepping at Le Cirque, that delighted Dash-in-The-Incredibles-running-on-water laugh as he accelerates toward clear victory. Can you picture Hung ever standing in the prep pit looking as sour as Dale has (more than once) over the length or complexity of his list, much less bringing said list to Judges' Table for his defense? When it came time to fillet a sea monster in the relay did Dale's vaunted skills get them back in the race? Did I miss something? When he was saddled with two weaker/more devious chefs more than once in team competitions, how did Dale adjust and adapt, exactly? Knowing from experience what it meant to work with those particular teammates? Heck, let's throw out the "a top chef needs to show teamwork" angle; Dale has repeatedly shown an inability to bend and adapt to the flow of competition and has asserted himself in the wrong ways most of the time.
Stephanie has demonstrated insight and chops and I think it's extremely fair that she's as far as she is. I love her and Richard and I look forward to a final with them in it. I could never have pictured Dale there with them except as the third wheel second fiddle Casey played last season. I have to disagree with the assessments that it's about gender preferences—well maybe in Antonia's case, whose dishes are pretty uninspiring to me.
Don't get me wrong, Spike and Lisa have shown massive flaws that are getting closer and closer to being terminally exposed. But it seems to me that Dale is closer to their level than he is to Richard and Stephanie's. Yet people keep talking about how great he was. On the basis of what? Three wins, four bottoms (counting the out) in elimination challenges? High praise in a QF from Daniel Boulud? Being in the top group of challenges when other people seemed to take the lead conceptualizing and largely executing winning dishes?
I wish this wasn't his week, but he's not the best of this group, not by a long shot.