It's probably ancient history now on Top Chef and the perpetrator was actually eliminated last week, but Mike Isabella's not-so-popular standing on the Bravo cooking show more or less stemmed from a sexist remark he made on the very first episode of Top Chef. It was the season's first quickfire challenge, a mise en place relay, when Mike said something like, "a girl shouldn't be at the same level I am" when he noticed that Jennifer was right up his pace.
After his sort of shocking elimination from Top Chef last week, Mike tells People that the sexist-sounding remark is the only thing he would rephrase given a chance to say anything differently, and that he actually meant it as a compliment.
"It was meant jokingly. Me and Jen are great friends before, during and after the show. I grew up in a broken family -- with my mom, my sister and my grandmother. I was surrounded by women [so] I would never, ever disrespect a woman like that. That's just the way I was raised. And if I was to reword it [I would say], 'I'm not going to lose to someone who worked at Le Bernardin,' which is a Michelin star restaurant, because I don't care because I can compete against anyone in the whole world."
Weird wording of something positive, wouldn't you say? In any case, Mike I. is not shy in admitting that he thinks it's Robin who deserved to go home, at least prior to him. However, he doesn't excuse the bad dish that he prepared on last week's vegetarian-themed episode, with guest star Natalie Portman.
"I was in the bottom three times total including last night [but] I don't think I should have been in the bottom at all -- except for last night. You have Robin in there about 90 percent of the time and you know she can't compete at the same level I can complete."
Do you think Mike wasn't being sexist?
- Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff ColumnistSource:
People(Image courtesy of Bravo)