# Top Chef 5/3 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345 "2006-05-04T02:59:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/1 "2006-05-04T02:59:17Z")
Yay, Dave! He’s a bit emotional, but I felt really good for him to come out on top in this challenge. It certainly helped that everyone else chose lamb. All four in this group would have been good for the final, but I expected Tiffani to be cut. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/2 "2006-05-04T03:07:44Z")
This was a good episode. The way the judging chefs were talking, it could have been anybody. I’m a little surprised that Lee Anne got it, doing too much was her undoing I guess. I’m happy for Dave, he pulled a rabbit out when he needed it. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/3 "2006-05-04T03:09:48Z")
After tonight, the poor boy is going to be the “pepper monkey” for the rest of his life. I can imagine what it will be like going into work for him tommorow! 😛 I wanted Tiffani to go, but now I can root for Harold without guilt. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/4 "2006-05-04T03:11:54Z")
LeeAnn got kicked?! Crap crappity crap. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/5 "2006-05-04T03:24:18Z")
I was kind of glad to see Dave hit a homerun for once. I’d actually like to try that mac and cheese dish of his. I think I would have rather seen Tiffani go, but that’s mostly a personality thing rather than a cooking thing. She’s abrasive but we haven’t seen much criticism of her actual chef skills and I have a feeling I’d probably like her food… Going on overall performance for the show, I think Lee Anne probably deserved to go to Vegas ahead of Dave but I feel good for him regardless. I kind of like Harold but he has a little bit of a snobbish streak. This is the second or third time he’s declared himself to above low brow ingredients and junk food. Yes, Harold, you’re a restaraunt cook but try to challenge yourself and be a little creative once in awhile. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/6 "2006-05-04T03:38:55Z")
I can’t believe it. I don’t really think that Dave has the emotional strength to be the Top Chef, and his track record has been the lowest of the low. I think his good fortune to chose beef (although he was lucky to buy his meat last) saved his bacon. Harold is a snob, true. but he still pulled out the best quickfire dish, even though he scorned the ingredients. Between Tiffani and LeeAnn, I’d rather see Tiffani go. I don’t like her attitude. But food-wise, they seem about equal. I wonder if, seeing the meat the others bought, if any of the lamb buyers could’ve gone back to the counter (with the meat still wrapped, before they paid) and asked to change for something else. I think something like buffalo might’ve gone over well with the judges. StG ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/7 "2006-05-04T03:43:17Z")
I was hoping, hoping, hoping that they’d surprise us and take all four to Las Vegas for the final. The promos for the reunion show look interesting. Maybe someone will actually physically harm Steven! I’d volunteer for that myself. Dave is such a nervous wreck. . . how is he ever going to deal with the pressure of the final? Tiffani will do OK. But I think Harold is going to win. I’m sad for Lee Anne. I really liked her. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/8 "2006-05-04T03:57:29Z")
Dave has to stop insulting himself all the time. He begins every little meal with a spiel about how the food he cooked did not live up to his expectations. I was also suprised he won because the other cooks knocked his cooking. But I still think he’s very sweet even if overly insecure. I was shocked to see Lee Ann go before Tiffani. She’s so arrogant and obnoxious. Her comment about not having enough resources was ludicrous. Lady they gave you hundreds of dollars in truffles and wine and a $250 to prepare the dish. Geez. I loved how in awe the chefs were of Julia Child. Napa Valley looked very beautiful in the late afternoon sun. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/9 "2006-05-04T04:08:20Z")
I join the “I thought it would by the Tiffinator to go” chorus. But I agree with Dio, those feelings are based on my dislike for her personality and not her cooking skills. I do feel however that being able to relate to the rest of the kitchen staff is a big part of being a Top Chef. You can’t browbeat your staff into an effective team, it just don’t work that way. ---
**Author:** ![Stinkum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Stinkum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinkum)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/10 "2006-05-04T04:43:49Z")
Twitchy Dave is going to Vegas and we get to watch him freak out! That man has more tics and twitches than a monkey on meth. He makes me nervous just watching him. Makes me wonder how he’s managed to not cut off a limb in the kitchen. I was sorry to see LeeAnne go. She seems like a genuinely nice person and potentially a wonderful chef. Tiffani irritates, and is arrogant and I probably would hate her in person. What’s up with Harold and the pen behind his ear? Is he going to take someone’s order at the judge’s table? He did look rather sickly in this episode. Can’t wait for the reunion – it looks like someone is going to smack Stephen around, according to the previews. At least I HOPE someone does. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/11 "2006-05-04T05:57:14Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I think I would have rather seen Tiffani go, but that’s mostly a personality thing rather than a cooking thing. She’s abrasive but we haven’t seen much criticism of her actual chef skills and I have a feeling I’d probably like her food. Actually the first couple of challenges, her food didn’t make it (Madame S “good idea, but nasty tasting cookie” or the kids hating her applesauce.) Ah well, I wanted LeeAnn - Harold’s probably a good chef, but he’s not shown a good personality. Tom was totally out of line at the table. He kept making snarky comments to the judges about the food they were about to eat and the chefs who were about to serve them. Hate him and not in a “love to hate” kind of way, the “fire him and have Tim Gunn do both shows” kind of way. (Tim probably eats food. “You’re doing puree? With gnocchi? Are you sure they won’t say it’s baby food with all the softness? Make it work.” ---
**Author:** ![katie1341](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/91b2a8/32.png) [@katie1341](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katie1341)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/12 "2006-05-04T10:33:16Z")
I have developed a soft spot for Dave and was glad to see that the chefs liked his dish so much. Everyone seems to underestimate him because he does relatively simple things with a bit of a twist. The nachos were sort of a disaster, though- he didn’t appear to understand what they were supposed to be doing with that challenge. ``` I wanted Lee Anne to go to Vegas and Tiffani to be cut- Tiffani is so snotty about everything. She got chastised for her attitude about cooking for the kids- the judges had to remind her that being a chef is about pleasing your customers, no matter who they are. I hope they show us Dave in Cannes! ``` ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/13 "2006-05-04T12:20:26Z")
I dislike Harold with great intensity so I was hoping he would go. I’m shocked that Dave made the final cut. All three of the others seem to be better suited to the high pressure environment of a professional kitchen. He’ll probably fail spectacularly in Vegas. But I’ll give him credit for the upscale mac and cheese. That takes gumption to serve to the group he served it to. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/14 "2006-05-04T13:23:29Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > “fire him and have Tim Gunn do both shows” kind of way. (Tim probably eats food. “You’re doing puree? With gnocchi? Are you sure they won’t say it’s baby food with all the softness? Make it work.” Yes! That’s exactly what I mean about the contestants needing a mentor, someone who can help them be the best they can be. TOP CHEF is sadly lacking that element! ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/15 "2006-05-04T19:06:58Z")
As to the hate for Tiffani expressed, here’s a quote from Tom’s bravotv blog: > [@](#): > > I want to take a moment here to discuss Tiffani’s controversial “attitude.” While she and I disagreed about the kid challenge weeks ago, I never held it against her – Tiffani was willing to voice what others on her team clearly felt. While she could be tough on people, I never saw her criticize anyone else for sport or out of spite. She made enemies because she was brusque, opinionated, and unwilling to give an inch in her pursuit of the title of Top Chef. Would her toughness and determination have been denigrated in a man of similar talent? Do male chefs get criticized for being demanding and relentless? Is it possible that our distaste for competitive women keeps them out of leadership roles? Or that our preference for easygoing women over strong, outspoken ones clouds our judgment of their talent? It’s worth thinking about. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/16 "2006-05-04T19:33:12Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > As to the hate for Tiffani expressed, here’s a quote from Tom’s bravotv blog: To answer his question? No. I also think Harold’s a jerk. (I realized yesterday when watching him present his food. Dave broke down in front of the judges, but Harold was rude there at the table, arms crossed and glaring at them.) And let’s not even talk about Stephen. There are times where that’s true - that a woman gets scolded for behavior that someone wouldn’t even think twice about if it came from a man. But that’s not Tiffini’s problem. She’s a jerk. A man who said the same things and acted the same way (again, from last night when she snapped at Dave and LeeAnn when he was getting a pan down from the ceiling) would be a jerk. That wasn’t tough or assertive or determined or even “take no prisoners.” That was just petty, jerky, assishness. And we don’t like people (of whatever gender) who are assholes. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/17 "2006-05-04T19:38:48Z")
Tom, btw, is also another rude, jerky, assholey person (See my comments earlier in the thread and in past threads). So, it isn’t surprising that he would defend that behavior in Tiffini - he might see himself in her. Also can’t stand him. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/18 "2006-05-05T13:46:51Z")
I knew Lee Anne was gone before I even saw the show. Bravo’s scheduling was a little off, so TiVo caught the last minutes of the 10 o’clock episode before recording the 11 o’clock episode. And then my recording cut out before the end. I hate when networks do that. I liked Lee Anne. I love Dave, but he’s just so unstable appearing. Maybe that’s just a facade! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/19 "2006-05-05T16:09:34Z")
Dave drives me crazy. He’s always appoligizing for or insulting his food, won’t stand up for what he does, and the crying! THE CRYING! Watching the show with my roommates, every shot of Dave is cause for a chorus of groans and “Don’t cry, don’t cry.” He’s sweet, and I thought the mac and cheese sounded great, but he needs to get a backbone. I would’ve like to see Tiffani go; she’s a bit abrasive and overly defensive. Not enough for me to really dislike her, but enough for me to like Lee Anne better. I like Harold. He shouldn’t have crossed his arms when he was presenting his food, but my roommates and I didn’t get the feeling he was doing it out of agression; more like he was tired, sick, and nervous and crossed his arms to have something to do with his hands, without thinking of how it would look. There’s a big difference, in my mind, between Tiffany getting all snooty about cooking for kids and refusing to compromise and make something they’ll like, and Harold getting snooty about junk food but accepting the challenge and doing his best and making something really great. It reminded me of a lesson my illustration teachers drilled into my head in college: it doesn’t matter if you’re not inspired by the assignment, this is what you’re hired to do, find some way to _get_ inspired! ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345/20 "2006-05-05T19:00:11Z")
> [@The Weird One](#): > > There’s a big difference, in my mind, between Tiffany getting all snooty about cooking for kids and refusing to compromise and make something they’ll like, and Harold getting snooty about junk food but accepting the challenge and doing his best and making something really great. Harold was every bit as dismissive and scornful of that challenge as Tiffani. He just didn’t have the balls to say it in front of the judges. He acted the same way for the microwave challenge, the fetish challenge, well… pretty much every challenge except this last one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-5-3/355345.md?page=2)