Contestants: The Arrogant, the Weepy, the Chopped

[Bella]

Talk about specific contestants here.

 

I still think Danushka needs her own show.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Oh dear....I can't recall the names of at least two, who right during their introductions (last year, I think) stated, how great they are at time management and they're totally gonna win this, only to whine about lack of time, and how they didn't have time to finish/plate.

 

Ooh! I remember the name of one! Sammy Davis, Jr. Yep, that was his name, and he swore up and down, he was the best, and he wasagonna win, and he ended up being chopped because he stayed in his comfort zone, I think is what one of the judges said. He was also one during the interviews, was talking trash about his fellow rivals' dishes.

 

Then I saw another one last week, she was a pastry person, Tamryn something? It took me awhile to pay attention to what she was saying because her face had so much make-up (not that I'm against it, per se), that I kept thinking, does she think this is a make-over contest or something? Of course she was the first chopped. Because she burned the dates and something else.

 

And this is just another general rant: Those that say they've been cooking since they were wee, and can cook anything under the sun, have watched this show, and when presented with some of the weird/disgusting ingredients, start whining about said ingredients and say "what the bleep/hell is ingredient x?!" And go on and on about never having used it, etc., etc....

[Bella]

And the "I don't cook with [x, y, and z]" contestants! Hello, this isn't "Vegetarian Chopped" or "Only Fresh Foods Chopped" or "Magically Doing Away With the Dessert Round Chopped." 

 

The ingredients are supposed to be confounding. If you have a whole category of food you're not used to cooking, you'd better be prepared to find it that much harder. 

 

On the other hand, I really admire the cooks who do cook outside their repertoire and do it well. There was a woman who was a vegetarian and couldn't taste her food but did pretty well. That shows some skill. I liked that she cooked and didn't complain.

[cooksdelight]

That vegan guy who came on the show, and all the baskets were totally all-vegan. Why bother? Just write him a check and send him home. And he won, big surprise.

[NikSac]

No kidding, Bella. The "I don't cook anything except the best premium ingredients [but I'll slum on this show and cook normal food]" chefs drive me nuts. That said, I do enjoy the rare occasions when they do a breakfast/lunch/dinner or something not involving a dessert. Odds of me being on this show are somewhere around 0, but if I were I'd really hope for a theme that didn't involve dessert.

 

The shows where people come up with something good that they can't or don't taste fascinate me, too. I'm deathly allergic to shellfish and there's no way I could taste or even smell some of those dishes ahead of time. If the chefs can understand that flavor profile without even smelling it, that's pretty impressive to me.

[cooksdelight]

Cory Blaze's blog sums up very nicely why Lauren Von Der Pool is probably the most despised Chopped contestant ever.

http://afterthelevels.com/food-networks-worst-chopped-loser/

[cooksdelight]

Another interesting article I found while looking for arrogant Chopped favorites.... from Broward Co., FL, the author wondering if the show is fixed. I remember the episode, where the firefighter made it all the way to dessert and I was sitting here with my mouth hanging open, wondering why.

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/cleanplatecharlie/2010/02/food_network_chopped_ted_allen_fixed.php

[mlp]

 

Then I saw another one last week, she was a pastry person, Tamryn something? It took me awhile to pay attention to what she was saying because her face had so much make-up...................

 

Her name is Taryn Mumpower.  The only reasons I remember that are 1) it's an odd name and 2) she was on Cupcake Wars and just as hideously made up there.  I wondered why someone hadn't told her that slathering her unattractive face with cosmetics just made her look worse.

[Julia]

Her name is Taryn Mumpower.  The only reasons I remember that are 1) it's an odd name and 2) she was on Cupcake Wars and just as hideously made up there.  I wondered why someone hadn't told her that slathering her unattractive face with cosmetics just made her look worse.

I didn't think she had an unattractive face. It's just that she was unpleasant, and a little too impressed with the cleverness of pouring booze on cupcakes. It was a little weird, though, that her head seemed to be frozen at a fetching ten degree angle, like she's always ready for her closeup.

[cooksdelight]

Ala Norma Desmond. That's who she reminded me of!

[Rick Kitchen]

I hated Danushka on Food Network Star.  She was just annoying.

[cooksdelight]

Rick, she's really a great girl. I've gotten to know her personally in the last year and she's funny as heck. She definitely has an on-screen persona that isn't who she is. I agree with Bella that she's be a hoot as a host of a food/cooking instruction show. Her deadpan delivery is nothing like any other show has. Plus, her food is really good.

[cooksdelight]

This guy was a little weepy, but only because he doubted his own talents. And now look where he is!

Congratulations to Chef Vinson Petrillo of Charleston, SC, who secured his place in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2015 finals after presenting a signature dish to judges Chefs Blaine Wetzel, Paul Qui, Chef Amanda Freitag, and Wylie Dufresne last night!

Vinson was the young bald guy who was nervous and really filled with self-doubt. He won and then later competed in a Chopped Champions round.

[Darian]

Aw, I always had a soft soft for Vinson. He felt genuine. Thanks for the info.  

[cooksdelight]

Here's an article about his recent win. It's been quite a year for him...getting married, a new baby, and now this award. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

http://www.thedailymeal.com/news/travel/vinson-petrillo-spellegrino-s-young-chef-semi-finalist-will-represent-united-states-expo-milanp/21315

[GHScorpiosRule]

Here are two that, if you look up "arrogant" and "self-entitled", you'd see their pictures in the dictionary!

 

From Season 4 (2010), Matt what'shisface in "Keep On Cookin' On" who actually said that this competition was beneath him, or that his fellow contestants were beneath him. SOOOOO glad he got chopped in the final round. And so glad that Paul "Poppy", the burger dude, won instead.

 

Then Season 7 (2011), that arrogant douche, Trygg, whatever, who kept saying he had it in the bag, kept taunting his fellow contestants he was gonna win, only to get Chopped in the dessert round, and Sheshu won.

 

These two are the worst kind of contestants, let me tell you. Instead of me rooting for someone to win, and enjoy, I was actively rooting for them to lose already.

[Julia]

And I really don't buy the idea that they're not judging on behavior (which probably springs from Hell's Kitchen, but Tom Colicchio has kind of validated it). Even Anthony Bourdain, Mr. Professional Bad Boy, is very clear that if you have someone in your kitchen who causes trouble, even if it's [John Tesar, actually], you get rid of them, because nobody else can work in that kind of environment.

Even if the judges reserve the right to behave that way in their own kitchens, I'm pretty damn sure they'd fire anyone else who tried it.

[mlp]

 

And so glad that Paul "Poppy", the burger dude, won instead.

 

I agree with your post and I have to say that Poppy is one of my all time favorite contestants.  That bit in his intro when he talks about having been a banker and throws back his head and goes Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz makes me laugh every time I see it.

[MajorWoody]

Talk about specific contestants here.

 

I still think Danushka needs her own show.

Yes, they can call it "Biggest Whiner"!!!!

[Julia]

I think I could enjoy a Danuschka show, just not on TFN. They've evolved over the years to this dreadfully earnest place, where even having seen them talk about how they manipulate the viewers into buying their personas on NFNS we're supposed to believe that Bobby's really a mensch and Alex is a better cook than Amanda and the voice of Scott Conant cries out from the depths of hell in anguish over the red onions.

 

Danuschka seems as if she has a Nadia G _this, and the fact that you're taking it seriously is all kind of a joke_ vibe. If they won't let her do that, what's left is someone who isn't as attractive as she seems to think she is being condescending and rattling on about the Hamptons in a monotonous voice, which they already have Katie Lee for.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Julia

[cooksdelight]

I've seen some of the food Danushka puts out for her clients and it looks really interesting. Different from the norm. Her deadpan humor would be something unique on a stand&stir cooking show, but I also see her going out to funky places in NYC and bringing home what she finds there to cook us a meal. Mainly, I want her recipes. :)

[Malbec]

Here are two that, if you look up "arrogant" and "self-entitled", you'd see their pictures in the dictionary!

 

From Season 4 (2010), Matt what'shisface in "Keep On Cookin' On" who actually said that this competition was beneath him, or that his fellow contestants were beneath him. SOOOOO glad he got chopped in the final round. And so glad that Paul "Poppy", the burger dude, won instead.

 

The guy who apprenticed/worked for Chef Morimoto!  I remember watching that episode and thinking "Wow, what a bunch of jerks."  As it turned out, only two of the competitors (Matt and Carrie, the woman who got chopped first) were jerks, but they were SO unpleasant that it kind of overwhelmed the episode for me.  I was also glad Poppy won.

 

I tend not to get too upset when contestants trash talk each other's food, barring if they say something really egregious, because I just assume there's a producer off-camera asking them to comment.  It does bug me when contestants trash talk each other as people (i.e. "Suzy's appetizer looks like a mess" doesn't bother me, but "Suzy needs to go back to home cooking" will piss me off quick).

[cooksdelight]

Like when Lauren Von Der Pool looked over at a competitor when they were standing in front of the judges as she was being chopped and said "But her dish looked like shit!"

That was beneath contempt.

[Wordsworth]

I don't know that the show is necessarily fixed as the article linked in the earlier post above wonders.  But I do agree that the judges' decisions are somewhat arbitrary.  And I totally believe that, if you have an arrogant chef, the judges will judge that contestant more harshly than the others, which may be what causes so many of them to be chopped in the final round.

 

The only really arrogant winner that stands out to me was that awful Cara/Kara person who won a redemption round.  Her blank-eyed condescension even brought Alex down on her.  

 

But, most people should know that reality shows are edited for content and anyone who goes on it must be prepared for their comments to be aired, cut, showed out of order and the like.

 

And I also agree that someone who goes on "Chopped" at this point should know that they might be asked to cook something they don't like.  

[Julia]

The only really arrogant winner that stands out to me was that awful Cara/Kara person who won a redemption round.  Her blank-eyed condescension even brought Alex down on her.  

 

I'm sorry I missed that. I would have really enjoyed watching Alex explain what's wrong with blank-eyed condescension.

[Wordsworth]

It was the end of the second round and Cara/Kara wasn't being particularly gracious and Alex said something along the lines of, "Confidence is good, but I personally appreciate a certain amount of humility".  There've been arrogant chefs on this show before but that was probably the first time a judge told a contestant to take it down a couple of notches.  

[Julia]

It was the end of the second round and Cara/Kara wasn't being particularly gracious and Alex said something along the lines of, "Confidence is good, but I personally appreciate a certain amount of humility".  There've been arrogant chefs on this show before but that was probably the first time a judge told a contestant to take it down a couple of notches.  

 

I'm sure whoever it was richly deserved it, but if Alex Guarnaschelli personally appreciates humility, she doesn't appear to be all that interested in seeing it in the mirror.

[cooksdelight]

I didn't like Chris Coombs when he first appeared on Chopped, as he couldn't stop talking about how many stars his restaurant had. Since then, I've watched him grow into a successful restauranteur, and I've gotten to know him as a very kind person who cares deeply about his staff and the recent bad weather which cost many of them tips and paychecks when the restaurants were empty.

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000355570&trknav=videogallerycarousel:15:46

[cooksdelight]

And... he has been named Restauranteur of the Year.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152849834322736&set=a.10150182922192736.310369.747282735&type=1&theater

[mlp]

 

And... he has been named Restauranteur of the Year.

 

Named by whom?  That page has almost no information.

[cooksdelight]

It's for the Boston area. There were more photos posted later by others but their pages are for friends only.

[proserpina65]

That vegan guy who came on the show, and all the baskets were totally all-vegan. Why bother? Just write him a check and send him home. And he won, big surprise.

That annoyed the crap out of me.  All his "do I use the unethically produced honey" whining in the dessert round made me want to punch him.  The show Million Dollar Critic went to his restaurant in the Philadelphia episode, and he was a total douchenozzle there too, and that's saying something when you consider he was standing next to the douchebag critic.

[proserpina65]

The shows where people come up with something good that they can't or don't taste fascinate me, too. I'm deathly allergic to shellfish and there's no way I could taste or even smell some of those dishes ahead of time. If the chefs can understand that flavor profile without even smelling it, that's pretty impressive to me.

 

There was a repeat I saw recently with a contestant who had a serious shellfish allergy.  And of course there was shellfish in the baskets for both the appetizer and entree rounds.  Poor guy couldn't taste have his dishes.  Now that's a handicap, not "I don't cook with canned food".

Edited April 8, 2015 by proserpina65

[cooksdelight]

I remember shellfish allergy guy. There is no time in Chopped to ask one of your competitors to taste your dish, nor would any of them probably give him an honest answer. But I've seen it happen on Top Chef and other shows where people had severe allergies.

[cooksdelight]

I just received my copy of Kent Rollins' new cookbook "A Taste of Cowboy: Ranch Recipes and Tales From The Trail" and I'd highly recommend it if you enjoyed watching him on his two appearances on Chopped. It's more than a cookbook. It's full of beautiful pictures of life on the range, and lots of stories. It's classic Kent, to a T. I don't know what I want to make first. He receives glowing accolades from Amanda, Ted and Cat Cora (among others) on the back of the book. He dedicated it to the two most important women in his life, his mother and his wife, Shannon.

[cooksdelight]

Here's a review of Kent's book, and I agree....the food is easy to prepare, but the stories are the best part of the book, to me.

http://www.examiner.com/article/a-taste-of-cowboy-ranch-recipes-and-tales-from-the-trail

[Wordsworth]

That shellfish episode was awful, especially in comparison to the vegan guy episode.  In one you have a contestant that is given something he's allergic to (and doesn't the application ask if you have allergies?) in not one, but two rounds.  He cooks both times.  The vegan guy gives a big speech about how he doesn't know if he will cook with meat if he's given some and ends up with two baskets tailor-made for him.  Huh.  What do you think of that?  And then he angsts over whether or not to work with honey?  Be glad you didn't get a big slab of pork roast!  And, of course, his principles go right out the window so that the greater good - his restaurant - benefits from a win.

 

When I see contestants work with ingredients that are hazardous to their health or poisonous even, these folks that don't want to work with processed food or animal products don't faze me at all.  Watch the show enough and you know you're going to end up with that stuff.

[cooksdelight]

I often wondered why vegan guy was given such an easy competition. Did he have dirt on Ted or the judges? It was such a blatant case of pandering to one person's specialty.

[Bella]

A "raw vegan" chef won on Cutthroat Kitchen (Chopped on Acid, the Lowest Form of Reality TV, or both - I love it!), going through three rounds that were distinctly non-vegan and making things she either had never made or hadn't made in a very long time.

 

A smart chef will know how to use unfamiliar ingredients, which I thought was the whole point of Chopped. 

 

Not. The. Sob. Stories.

[mlp]

That vegan episode still makes me mad.  IMO the only way to do that fairly would be to have four vegan chefs and give them all non-vegan basket ingredients or have four non-vegan chefs and give them all baskets with strictly vegan ingredients.  Anything else feels like Chopped has stacked the deck.

 

I also hate it when they make chefs with serious allergies work with stuff that's hazardous to them.  Some day a guy who is double-gloved will be prepping a fish and cut himself, slicing through the gloves into his hand with a contaminated knife, and go into anaphylactic shock.  Then they'll stop doing that.

 

It's true that anyone who applies to Chopped must know by now that they might find anything in the baskets but the producers know ahead of time if one of the chefs has an allergy that could be life-threatening and they could easily avoid risky ingredients.

[cooksdelight]

Has there ever been a colorblind chef? I think that might hinder one's presentation.

[Bastet]

(and doesn't the application ask if you have allergies?)

 

It asks something along the lines of, "Are you able and willing to work with whatever ingredients are in the basket?"  So Vegan Chef can get lost with his dithering over whether he could bring himself to cook with meat.  (If not, I respect that, but don't go on the show.) 

[CajunGirl]

My all-time favorite Chopped cheftastant is going to be on this year's Chopped All Stars. You GO Madison!

[bubbls]

I think her name was Nicole. She had shaved her head in honor of a friend who was a 22-year breast cancer survivor (I started rolling my eyes about that immediately. I love my friends but....no.). She was planning on using the $ for some charity that provides women who otherwise couldn't afford it with mammograms. I know this because it was repeated a gazillion times. But what really annoyed me was during one of the judging sections she cried out "Lives are depending on me!!" or something like that. Oh my gosh, really?? It was so manipulative. I'm really trying to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was edited badly. I really am. But I seriously doubt TPTB shaved her hair off so....... 

Edited April 15, 2015 by bubbls

[Wordsworth]

Even when the episode first aired, she seemed over-the-top.  She came back for a redemption episode in which she'd grown hair back and broadened her scope to include all cancer and not just breast cancer.

 

 

[cooksdelight]

Chris Burke, one of the most arrogant asses ever, his redemption episode was on again today. He's a private chef, and his attitude is probably why. No one would want to work with him in a kitchen. The way he talked about other people's dishes was downright disrespectful.

I'd have done the same happy dance that Amy did when he was ditched. And Scott giving him a final smackdown was gold.

[ElleryAnne]

Chris Burke, one of the most arrogant asses ever, his redemption episode was on again today.

 

 

Hah!  I just came over here to see if anyone had talked about him in this thread.  What a pompous tool he was.  I was beginning to wonder if he was just putting on that attitude for the show, because he seemed so over-the-top with it.  I could laugh off some of his stuff - challenging the judges by asking, "But was it light and flaky?  Did you enjoy it?  I noticed you ate all of it,"  that was just so douchey it was funny.  But other stuff, like tossing pans on the floor, annoyed me more.  

 

I'll give him credit for one thing - he did step in and help Amy with the can-opener.  I half-expected him to say no to that request, the way he said no to letting the judges taste the missing ingredient in the first round.  I guess he didn't see the first one as a "bonding" moment.  (And OT, but seriously, does Chopped NOT make left-handed can-openers available for lefties?  I'm disappointed in them for that.)

Edited April 20, 2015 by ElleryAnne

[cooksdelight]

My favorite moments was when he got chopped and asked Scott what he thought, and being the permanent ass-in-residence that he is, Scott slapped him down pretty good. Add to that Amy clapping and screaming with happiness. Perfect!

[SpottedCoachDog]

Oh my witness... That guy was quite likely the douchiest douche who ever douched. I came in on the judging of the entree and was ready shove his arrogant ass in the oven by the end. I was doing a happy dance myself when he lost. Gah!!

[GHScorpiosRule]

OH.MY.GOD.

 

I didn't think anyone could be douchier than Trygg, but man, does Chris beat him by a mile.  I mean, aside from his smirky smiles and smirks when Katie admitted she forgot an ingredient...to his passive aggressiveness toward Katie...and then, then, interrupting Scott during Scott's critique, with the "wasn't it delicate enough? Was it not tasty?" I was like SHUTUP!SHUTUP!SHUTTHEFUCKUP!.

 

Loved Amy's "No touching" before the final round. And so glad she won.

 

On a purely shallow note, Aarrrrron, was looking miiiiigty fiiiiiiine. Muy Guapo! rowr!