# Top Chef All Stars - Season 8 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 1, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573 "2010-12-01T18:59:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/381 "2011-04-01T02:06:47Z")
I thought the selection process of the other chefs to help Richard and Mike was a really good way to do it. I was glad Richard won, but he was a little too intense sometimes, too full of sour grapes when someone else pleased the judges. I was really surprised how much more I could stand Mike and especially Dale and how obnoxious Jenn was. I enjoyed the season overall. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/382 "2011-04-01T13:07:57Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > Which chefs do you think improved their reputation the best and the worst out of this season? Who were the winners and losers in terms of improving their reputation? For me it would be something like this: > > **Opinion improved** > Dale T - He came out looking great both cooking skill wise and personality wise. Definitely one of the big winners this season. > Mike Isabella - This might be a surprising pick. I already knew he was an asshole, so it’s not like my opinion of him worsened during this season. I did come out with more respect for his cooking skills, though. That doesn’t mean I have to like him, though. > Antonia - Though she didn’t quite make it to the finale, she did very well. > Richard - I already thought he was a great chef from before, and he always had some issues with being too arrogant at times, and being too paranoid about his own food at other times. Hopefully the win will give him a little more confidence. > > **Pretty much the same as before** > Carla - Liked her before, and still like her > Fabio - He came out as mostly charming and sometimes annoying as before. He also showed both really good dishes and bad ones. > Spike > Marcel > Tre > Tiffany > Angelo > Tiffani > Stephen - While he was eliminated early, he took it very graciously. > > **Opinion worsened:** > Jaime - I was fairly neutral toward her in her original season, and consider her one of the worst contestants ever now. > Jen - While I still respect her as a chef, that meltdown sure didn’t do her any favours. > Elia - Came off as childish, petulant, and a poor chef. The post-elimination interviews were painful to read. > Dale L - A very early elimination for someone who was in the finale in his season. He suffered a lot less than some of the others though, as he seemed to part on good terms. > Casey - Another early elimination Although I haven’t seen every show yet, I agree almost 100% with this assessment. The only exception is Spike. I didn’t have a bad impression of him in the first place since I have yet to see his season in full, but I really like him. I was sad to see him go so early. ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/383 "2011-04-01T14:19:48Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > **Opinion improved** > Dale T - He came out looking great both cooking skill wise and personality wise. Definitely one of the big winners this season. > Mike Isabella - This might be a surprising pick. I already knew he was an asshole, so it’s not like my opinion of him worsened during this season. I did come out with more respect for his cooking skills, though. That doesn’t mean I have to like him, though. I agree completely about Dale T. He was obnoxious his season and obviously didn’t particularly like himself on TV either. He matured tremendously. I’m a bit on the fence about Mike I. No question his cooking abilities improved considerably. I still found him obnoxious during the season, although I thought for the finals he was much better. > [@](#): > > Antonia - Though she didn’t quite make it to the finale, she did very well. > Richard - I already thought he was a great chef from before, and he always had some issues with being too arrogant at times, and being too paranoid about his own food at other times. Hopefully the win will give him a little more confidence. I liked both of them during their season, but also think they both have improved as chefs. They were fun to watch even if Richard’s angst gets a bit much. > [@](#): > > **Pretty much the same as before** > Carla - Liked her before, and still like her > Fabio - He came out as mostly charming and sometimes annoying as before. He also showed both really good dishes and bad ones. > Spike > Marcel > Tre > Tiffany > Angelo > Tiffani > Stephen - While he was eliminated early, he took it very graciously. I feel bad for Tiffani and Angelo. They basically filmed back to back seasons. That has to have taken a toll of its own on them. I liked Carla a little more this time, but she’s still not my cup of tea. I didn’t watch Marcel’s season but from what I saw this time both his personality and his cooking are immature. I’m not entirely sure why Stephen did the show again since he isn’t working as a chef and obviously knew his chances were slim. > [@](#): > > **Opinion worsened:** > Jaime - I was fairly neutral toward her in her original season, and consider her one of the worst contestants ever now. > Jen - While I still respect her as a chef, that meltdown sure didn’t do her any favours. > Elia - Came off as childish, petulant, and a poor chef. The post-elimination interviews were painful to read. > Dale L - A very early elimination for someone who was in the finale in his season. He suffered a lot less than some of the others though, as he seemed to part on good terms. > Casey - Another early elimination Jen’s tantrum didn’t bother me all that much to be honest. I thought it was just a case of the expectations and the disappointment colliding. The rest I agree with. I am still very glad Mike I. didn’t win and perfectly happy that Richard did. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/384 "2011-04-01T14:35:45Z")
> [@Ruby Sees](#): > > I thought the selection process of the other chefs to help Richard and Mike was a really good way to do it. My husband and I both shouted at the TV “Don’t pick anything with foam!” ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/385 "2011-04-01T15:35:52Z")
LOL! I had the same thought re: foam. Marcel looked like the a little kid accustomed to being the last picked - so desperately hoping that someone would choose him. . . sad. Spike deserves enormous credit. He walked right through a very bad start with Blaise, and was an amazing support to him. Very well done. Re: the selection, I am always disappointed to see the element of luck brought into the last 2-3 elimination challenges. At that point I really want it to be all about creativity and skill. In fact, what I’d really like is if there were luck elements throughout only in the Quickfires, and the elimination challenges, although tricky, never involved chance. (Except the slight advantages given to the QF winners.) ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/386 "2011-04-01T15:42:00Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Spike deserves enormous credit. He walked right through a very bad start with Blaise, and was an amazing support to him. Very well done. Yeah, he really impressed me with how solidly he came through for Richard. ---
**Author:** ![jonesj2205](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@jonesj2205](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonesj2205)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/387 "2011-04-01T15:45:41Z")
I was very happy to see the loser wasn’t determined by a bad performance by a sous chef. I was a little nervous Jaime would phone it in like she did as a competitor, but happy she didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/388 "2011-04-03T00:38:04Z")
I wonder how much incentive there is for the sous chefs, both in the “get picked to be a sous chef” part that they had this episode, and in general. Do they get money if their guy wins? I’d say it was for professional pride and exposure, but they hardly get any exposure out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/389 "2011-04-03T03:53:07Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I wonder how much incentive there is for the sous chefs, both in the “get picked to be a sous chef” part that they had this episode, and in general. Do they get money if their guy wins? I’d say it was for professional pride and exposure, but they hardly get any exposure out of it. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t simply a contractual issue. By agreeing to appear on Top Chef you agree to perform as ordered in any and all episodes up through the finale, despite any eliminations. Several, maybe most of those former contestants did NOT look like they wanted to be there. Jen in particular looked like she was about to lose it and a few others looked extremely uncomfortable. For folks like Elia, Jen and Jaimie I imagine there was a good bit of public humiliation at work on their minds. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2011, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/390 "2011-04-03T18:28:20Z")
Well, they did all get a free trip to the Bahamas out of it. I can imagine there may have been some monetary incentive in being picked to be Richard or Mike’s sous chefs. I can also imagine that some of the chefs really did just want to hit the beach and threw that challenge so that they wouldn’t be picked. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/391 "2011-04-07T03:53:48Z")
> [@BottledBlondJeanie](#): > > Also, I already hate the new host of Masters. > > And although fond of females on occasion,\*\* I have never had such a juvenile urge to motorboat some tittays as I do with Padma.\*\* That should be embarrassing, but c’mon, y’all agree. Wow. BottledBlondeJeanie gets a shoutout from Padma during the reunion show! Nicely done. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/392 "2011-04-07T14:02:52Z")
Yeah, I mean, wow. That was shocking. Not that she’s a lesbian, but the coarse way she worded her desires - she sounded like a frat boy. Elia dug herself in deep. She should have been ready for that discussion, but she seemed to be shocked that it came up. Jen Carrol’s extension were awful. Gail with the Pepperoni sauce. That was embarassing. She seemed to be having an rgaz just thinking about it. . . But really best of all was the look on their faces when they found out that the “gift” was a fleece sheatshirt. That was just so tacky. I’m sure they were all thinking “Priuses for everybody!” ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/393 "2011-04-07T15:10:14Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Wow. BottledBlondeJeanie gets a shoutout from Padma during the reunion show! Nicely done. Wait, I missed the reunion. Padma seriously talked about getting motorboated by **BottledBlondJeanie**? I find this hard to believe. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/394 "2011-04-07T15:22:10Z")
They asked her which of three guys she would most like to date. She instead named two girls she’d like a date with, and then said “or I could just ‘motorboat’ so-and-so.” Then she laughed and said she’d just learned the word and wanted to use it. (Hi TC Producers! Glad to know you’re with us! ::snicker:: ) Sorry, I don’t remember the names, I was totally shocked. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/395 "2011-04-07T16:22:43Z")
I think she said Antonia! I was shocked, too. While grinning from ear to ear! ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/396 "2011-04-07T16:54:03Z")
I wish I could take credit for the motorboating comment, but it was alive and well on many boards before me. If she actually referenced me, I’d be on a plane. Someone else said it first on a Bravo bulletin board. But, Padma, I would in a heart beat. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/397 "2011-04-07T17:16:20Z")
I have a feeling a feeling that Padma may have been a little drunk. I know, it’s shocking. Maybe she had two gins and tonics. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/398 "2011-04-07T17:21:48Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > I have a feeling a feeling that Padma may have been a little drunk. I know, it’s shocking. Maybe she had two gins and tonics. I have a niggling suspicion that she was stoned out of her mind. Like always. ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/399 "2011-04-07T17:54:53Z")
I tuned in to see more of Padma in a bikini. So sad. The motorboat comment did make up a bit for it. I’m still not clear what Elia’s problem was/is. Maybe it’s because I don’t know the difference in quality between a cornfed cow and a grassfed one. But it really seemed like she accused him of something, and he denied it, and then she said, “nuh uhh, I know you did, because someone told me you did. (and you endorse Coke.)” ?!wha!? He just said he didn’t do what you’re accusing him of. Unless you’ve got proof, it’s your word against his and he’s bigger. (Has more clout, respect, etc) More Muppets! “Hurry up, Elmo’s gotta pee!” ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573/400 "2011-04-07T18:17:01Z")
Elia came off even worse in her first interview, which basically boiled down to “I worked for Tom, I thought he was my friend, I can’t believe he sent me home.” To which Tom replied, “So you wanted special treatment?” And then she went on about Tom pushing high fructose corn syrup on kids. To which Tom responded with “I made a commercial for DIET Coke, which I drink myself. And it was a commercial for adults, who have the right to drink whatever they want.” I’m surprised she didn’t come in with her tail tucked between her leg like Jen did, seeing as how bad she came off after the whole affair. It’s not like she didn’t have time to think about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-all-stars-season-8/562573.md?page=21)