I. Was. Wrong.

I think I have been alone in my admiration for Michael Chiarello. I've watched his show for several years and always thought he seemed like a nice guy who cooked and wasn't too hard on the eyes. Then he gets on TCM--not Turner Classic Movies, people--and David over at DavidDust, who does the brazilliant TCM recap, blogs about his smarmy used car salesman personality every week. And every week I write on David's blog that I like Mike.

This morning. Not so much.

Last night on TCM they had to create a buffet for two hundred and were asked to pick three sous chefs from a pool of former Top Cheftestants. Side note: Poor Spike, picked last. The way they picked their sous chefs was through a kind of speed dating: two minutes with each former chef.

Well, all three other Masters begin asking what the other chef's culinary point of view might be; what they like to cook; what are their strong suits. Michael Chiarello begins barking orders about trash cans and carrots and brunoise. Yeah, me neither.

All the former cheftestants hate him, and I, too, am feeling the Chiarello love slipping away. Especially when he doesn't so much as use them but abuse them. No Please no Thank You, it's all Just Do It, like he's a walking talking cooking Nike ad.

Then, at the buffet, the other chef masters are working with their grasshoppers, and being polite and kind and supportive. Even at the end they turn and thank the cheftestants for their help. Chiarello? Hmmmm, he looks like he did it all himself.

Then at judging Rick Bayless, my new favorite--he's moved from second place to first while Chiarello is on a bus back to Napa, riding the whole way next to Dale [if you watched, you know]--says he tried something new because of Richard Blais, and he thanked all his help. the other two chefs do the same. Michael Chiarello seems shocked that they would thank anyone but themselves.

So, after all this rambling, what is my conclusion?

David was right.

Smarmy used car salesman.

Go Team Rick!