Those Inflammatory Scallops

Published on Thursday, May 29, 2008, by The CHOW Editorial Team / Edit Post

Those Inflammatory Scallops

Soggy seafood dooms a Top Chef contender

Spike Mendelsohn didn't need help on how to cook a steak; he won the Quickfire Challenge handily with his mad butchering skills. But his winner's advantage was quickly squandered when he chose frozen scallops. (Were they planted in Rick Tramonto's kitchen? Bravo doesn't want us to have that conversation.) Other discussions that Bravo does allow on the table: the variety of Spike's hat collection; Lisa's work at Spike's restaurant, Mai House; and Spike's post–Top Chef life.

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POST A COMMENT |7 Comments

COMMENT

  • What a great, juicy interview Thanks for asking all the questions that came to my mind during the show. Really wish Spike would have ditched the scallops and developed a Plan B. Good luck to Spike on his new gig.

  • Rick Tramonto is the one who should have had to "Pack your knives, and leave". Those scallops came out of his walk-in, and nobody should ever patronize his restaurant, or eat anything that loser cooks, ever again. Was it a plant? Probably. We all know that Spike grated on Colichio. That was so clearly obvious. If Colichio could have gotten rid of Spike in the first episode, he would have. So, he...+READ

    Rick Tramonto is the one who should have had to "Pack your knives, and leave". Those scallops came out of his walk-in, and nobody should ever patronize his restaurant, or eat anything that loser cooks, ever again. Was it a plant? Probably. We all know that Spike grated on Colichio. That was so clearly obvious. If Colichio could have gotten rid of Spike in the first episode, he would have. So, he brought in this "shill", Tramonto. To Spikes credit, he took it like a man. If it were me, I would have gone on a 5 minute rant about how he was cooking the food that came from Tramonto's "walk-in", and then, I would have spit in Tramonto's face. And, then I would have turned my attention to the "model/bimbo", and then Colichio. I can tell you one thing, I'm done with this show, and I have to say, you couldn't hold a gun on me and force me to eat at a Tramonto or Colichio restaurant, or buy a "bimbo" cookbook.

    Probably why I could never succeed as a chef. LOL-COLLAPSE

  • Scallopgate has been resolved via Amuse-Biatch. Tom Colicchio wrote in and gave them the low-down. Allen Bros. sponsored the challenge and helped stock the fridge. Allen Bros. provided the frozen scallops and (probably) a bunch of other stuff. A "culinary producer" placed the scallops in the walk in. Free food is free food. Spike may be upset, but like everyone has said already: He didn't have to...+READ

    Scallopgate has been resolved via Amuse-Biatch. Tom Colicchio wrote in and gave them the low-down. Allen Bros. sponsored the challenge and helped stock the fridge. Allen Bros. provided the frozen scallops and (probably) a bunch of other stuff. A "culinary producer" placed the scallops in the walk in. Free food is free food. Spike may be upset, but like everyone has said already: He didn't have to use them.-COLLAPSE

  • If there was nothing to hide the rep should have had nothing to say. But she clearly had a lot to say and would not let Spike tell his side of the story.

  • Could the Bravo rep's reaction make it any more obvious that there's producer shenanigans afoot on the show?
    Methinks thou dost protest too much.

  • I didn't buy what I read about the scallops being planted...until I heard the story being supressed during this interview.

  • That interview was outstanding! I really enjoyed it.