your view on Top Chef winner, Ilan.?

Question

I realize we're only seeing an edited view of what all happened on Top Chef, but i thought Marcel got alot of "bullying" from everyone. I just wanted other people's views on this and do you think Ilan deserved to win?

Answer 1

Ilan cooked what he KNEW & obviously cooked it well.
His team wanted to make SURE that he beat Marcel.

Marcel wasn't "bullied" just for the sake of bullying.
He was disliked by EVERY SINGLE OTHER CHEF!

Why do you think he was sooooooo disliked?
Marcel cheated early in the competition & that is why ALL the other chefs disliked him.
To keep the competition on an even playing field no contestant was allowed (prior to the finale) to bring or use any of their own ingredients or equipment or cookbooks or recipes.
Having any of these items would give one an unfair advantage.
ALL had to cook and/or create using the SAME products/utensils/equipment as the others.

Ever wonder why (according to him) Marcels ice cream, in episode 3, was the only one with a different consistancy?
Or he was the only one who could perform the infamous "foams" ?

Marcel was confronted & had ingredients confiscated.
He brought ingredients with him & was caught with them.

Why do you think Ilan tried to "foam" a salad dressing (unsuccessfully, I might add) ?
Do ya think he was trying to prove a point? That maybe Marcel was using additional ingredients that were not available to the others.....? Or did you see just the (much editted) version on TV that kind of looked like he was just mocking Marcel?

Marcel cheated PERIOD
& He admittedly tried to intimidate to throw other chefs off of their game.
His plan/ploy worked much to his own advantage & got him to the Finale.
Then, when he WAS ALLOWED to bring his little arsenal of chemicals........his only success with them was adding a chemical gum to fresh pineapple & calling it POI.

Source(s):

TC addict

Answer 2

I think Sam was robbed! I was in shock when the final round had Marcel and Ilan facing off against each other. I definitely thought it would be Sam and Elia. Sam consistenly won challenges throughout the show, maintained the best attitude (very cool demeanor - similar to last season's winner Harold Dieterle), and was cute to boot! I think the producers just wanted more "drama" and set up the final show-down between Ilan and Marcel. Ilan didn't ever appear to me to be a leader, and as viewers we were consistently reminded that he only cooked what he knew (spanish food).

Answer 3

Since the judges only looked at this "meal of a lifetime" in choosing the Top Chef...Ilan's meal was a wee bit better than Marcel's. So, yeah he deserved to win.

Don't get me wrong...so not a fan of Ilan. He's a one-hit wonder...what would he do without saffron? He did better at delegating in the kitchen than Marcel. I mean, Ilan had Elia cooking his fish, squab and shrimp. Marcel and co left the fish at the hotel. Marcel shouldn't have chosen Mike...stick with Mia, man! Mikey...don't get me started.

Personally, I don't like Ilan. I don't like Elia, but I did enjoy watching her make an @ss out of herself. I cannot stand Betty at all. I was ready to duct tape her mouth shut. Or hit her with a bag of saffron.

All in all, Ilan's meal seemed to impress the judges the most. I did love the dessert...it looked really good. Maybe if Marcel's isolinear teardrop things would have turned out, he may have been able to wow the judges more so. Marcel was more creative in the kitchen.

I was hoping for a Sam/Marcel showdown for the final two cheftestants.

Had Marcel actually cheated, Elia would have turned him in at the time like she did with Otto. Betty was the one who cheated during the Camp Glucose challenge by crying that she didn't know she was actually cheating when she used real sugar. Hello? The kids are diabetics. She's a blubbering idiot and should've been knifed long ago. Can't believe she was picking on a kid 1/3 of her age. Sam was the sh*t-stirrer in the toothbrush fiasco of the Thanksgiving challenge. If you looked closely, Marcel sat the toiletries bag down, toothbrush still in it and not on the floor. Besides, none of it would've happened if Frank was such a pig. Clean up after yourself dude! I just can't believe the cheftestants acted like infants.

During the first part of the finale (when the four were still there), Sam told Elia and Ilan that if they were going to say something, then say something about cheating. And then he leaves Elia out there to hang herself. Ilan does too. They used her and then didn't back her up. Where's the spine, boys?

Answer 4

Marcel was a an arrogant horses behind.

From day one he alienated others with his belief that they all cooked in the dark ages.


He angered them with the way he behaved in the kitchen and in the living quarters.

He seldom helped out when it was time to do so.

He cheated in the diet competition.

He essed with Frank's personal stuff during the Thankgiving competition.

He bogarted the kitchen in front of Betty in other competition. He bogarted the kitchen in the living area.

He screwed with Ilan's burner in the semifinals. He messed with Elia's pot in the semifinals.

And through out everything he did wrong he kept the attitude that all is fair in a competition which is not true.

As for Ilan he won because he had the better desert and not only his people but marcel's people as well liked him better.

Top chefs have to be able to inspire their staff. Marcel's people forgot ingredients and felt no responsibilty for forgetting them. It was all about Marcel, if you listend to Marcel he believed it was all about Marcel and he could not win this one by himself.

Ilan lost on the eels and the Short ribs but killed the rest of his dishes , especially the desert.

Marcel died on the Salad and the desert and the thing they loved the best , they found out was an idea Sam had in the kitchen to make up for Marcel's incompetence in forgetting the fish after checking the refridgerator. The salad was conceptually wrong and he was warned by the head judge that the humidity would be a problem and Marcel did not listen.

Frankly, I was amazed anybody was willing to work with Marcel. If he weren't allowed to pick first, he never would have received Sam, Elia hated him, Betty dispised him, Frank threatened to beat him up, and Mike wanted him gone, and Mia could care less.

If Ilan had been allowed o pick first he would have taken Sam and Marcel would have died the death of a thousand knives.


In the end Ilan won three dishes to two with recommendations from his staff and Marcel's staff as well.

And to be honest, I think the head judge said it more than once, Marcel really did not cook a lot. I think his only win came on a piece of raw watermelon he called a steak. Sooner or later people want food that reminds them of food and not these gimmicky fau foods.

Answer 5

I'm not surprised.
In terms of dishes, Ilan's probably tasted better than Marcel's.

In terms of creativity and taking risk, Marcel definately did that, but when the judges only have the food in front of them... It probably comes down to taste.

It's obvious that both know how to cook. They both made it to the finale.

Ilan cooked what he knew...
I personally think he should be paying his former employer royalties for all of the dishes he "stole" to use in Top Chef. How many times during the season did Ilan say something like "this is Spanish inspired" or "this is something I'm use a lot from the Spanish restaurant I cook at"

Also, Ilan is kind of a weasely person. He'd instigate stuff and blend back into the background... like the hair shaving incident and chiding Elia to speak up against Marcel in the finale, part 1. Notice how Ilan left Elia hanging in front of the judges.

Marcel may be a freak and doesn't have any social skills, but does that mean one should pick on him?

Below is a link where Anthony Bourdain gave his impressions of the contestants... I found it spot-on and quite humorous.

In regards to Cliff, in a professional setting, you never wrestle a coworker, especially one you dislike... See Anthony Bourdain's comments below.

Answer 6

This season was a bit disappointing. Marcel was not edited to look like an ***....he just is. ilan was good...but not the TOP CHEF in my opinion. Sam had it more together, and ilan just did what he was used to...Spanish dishes. Hopefully next season will be a bit better. I think Hell's Kitchen is a better watch. My opinion...:)

Answer 7

I think Marcel handled being the villian on Top Chef pretty well. He's eccentric, and I think he knew going in that he wasn't going to make any friends. I really thought Marcel deserved to win. Ilan's dishes just really weren't that creative. Plus Ilan relied really heavily on the spanish fllavors. It would have been nice to see him branch out a bit.

Answer 8

I agree with sfswimgal, Sam was robbed! I don't think Marcel nor Ilan deserved to win. The title should've gone to Sam. I continue to support my opinion that Sam will be the next "Clay Aiken" from American Idol. Ruben Studdard won the title but it was Clay that really did something for himself and has made more appearances than Ruben. He is the "Idol". The same with Sam, he'll be the one on all the talk shows and opening his restaurant without the winning money, etc. Just my opinion.

Answer 9

I think Marcel brought it all on himself. He expected people to help/cater to him when he was not willing to reciprocate...he admitted this. I was glad Ilan won over him, but, in my opinion, Sam or even Cliff were the better chef's. I do think that Cliff got a raw deal. They were joking around. I've seen this a million times. He never meant any harm. I think the producers & the judges were extrememly harsh in their judgement.

Answer 10

unquestionably i think of Sam is the extra sensible of the 4. yet, now that it is only ILan and Marcel i think of ILan is the extra sensible of the two. Marcel is to upity, judgemental and not a collection participant. i think of to artwork in a kitchen w/maximum of folk you will possibly desire to be attentive to while to bend and he does not. he's a lot like the "wine" guy from final season. He did not win the two...and what's it w/the froth on each little thing....