by Michael J. Lamp

Another tense Top Chef episode is in the books, and another ditched contestant now has the chance to speak his peace. One of the most controversial personalities in Top Chef history, Marcel caught up with RealityWanted and other reporters to talk about memorable moments, being branded a villain and his brand new reality show.

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: In the midst of all the negativity surrounding your presence on the show, I’m curious to hear what your most fond memory of the All-Stars experience was?
A. Marcel: Thanks for that. There was actually a lot. I gotta say, fishing in Montauk [was my favorite]. Even though I was on the bottom in that particular challenge, I really liked our dish. I thought it was delicious. I used to commercial fish in Alaska, so it’s something I enjoy. Getting out there really early, I had so much fun. I ended up catching three, 30-pound striped bass that day. I actually really enjoyed cooking with Richard and Fabio right there on the beach. Whenever you catch your own fish or even pick [vegetables] out of the ground, as a chef, I get a close, emotional connection to my food.

Q. Michael, RealityWanted: It seemed like there was a chance Tiffany would be sent home. Did you think that was a possibility?
A. Marcel: It’s kind of confusing. I never really know which way the judges are gonna go. Richard Blais won the challenge, but he wasn’t the leader. It can go either way. I think that I was an easy target. I had the disadvantage from the start. Being team leader, my other teammates knew that. If the ship goes down, the captain goes down with it. It’s unfortunate that they let that get in the way of their food. Mike Isabella and Tiffany, in particular, they knew that. I could not have done anymore for that team that night. They didn’t go to bat for me at all. They totally set me up and let me down. In regards to Tiffany, it was probably one of her weakest performances in the competition. She couldn’t do the 6-minute egg. I get popped for lack of leadership, but in actuality, I told everybody what was wrong with their dishes, but no one listened to me. It wasn’t only that she had flaws with her dish and had flaws with listening to her chef; the fornt of the house was a shit show. They made it look like we had problems in the kitchen that translated to the front of the house. At the end of the day, can I say that she should have gone home? I can’t say that, because it’s not my decision to make. I don’t have to agree with it.

Q. Tell us about the dish you created and the team letting you down.
A. Marcel: I watched the episode last night, which was a little bit difficult to watch. I think there were several impacting factors, which led to the demise of my team, one of which was being chosen as the team captain. After that, the particular team that I was working with was difficult. Some of the other members didn’t want to work with me at all. I was a little bit of an easy target to let down.

Q. How would you compare this experience to your previous experience in Season 2?
A. Marcel: I would say this particular time around was a completely different experience. I felt, initially, as though this time was a lot more fun. I was working with a lot more talented chefs. Everybody’s pretty much at the top of their game. Believe it or not, we actually had a lot of fun making the show. I made quite a few friends, some I keep in contact with. The challenges in general were so much fun to compete in. They broke the mold with All-Stars.

Q.  Do you think the show’s portrayal of you is misleading?
A. Marcel: I’m not allowed to talk about editing. I think the portrayal is interesting, and it’s definitely a version of what actually happened. You get bits and pieces, but you never really get the big picture.

Q. Can you talk about the dessert from last night? Would you stand behind that dish?
A. Marcel: I would totally stand behind that dish, for sure. Several of the guests loved it. To get a sweet treat at the end of a meal instead of a big dessert, a lot of the guests appreciated it. All the other contestants on my team tasted it. We all loved it. I’m not sure what happened. The Japanese baby peaches are probably one of the most amazing things. They are just delicious.

Q. I saw that you have a new show coming soon on the Sci-Fi network, can you talk a little about that?
A. Marcel: It’s called Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen, premiering March 7th. The show is all about teamwork, creativity and imagination. My friends and I start up our own catering company, and we cater parties for high-profile clients. It’s all about catering to your guests. I try to spend time with clients to find out who they are, so that when I brainstorm and create the menu with my team, you can see direct inspiration from my clients in the dishes. We’re just all about creating this amazing, intimate experience for our guests. You’ll see it in the food; you’ll see it in the menu. We spent a lot of time experimenting and doing research and development. The show involves the science of cooking quite a bit. I’m pretty exited about it. You’ll get to see a completely different side of me.

Q. How did you feel about the diners choosing the winner instead of the judges?
A. Marcel: Well, they did to a certain degree. The judges chose who won and who was sent home. I liked it and wish there were more challenges like it.

Q. Would you do Top Chef again?
A. Marcel: No, I would not do it again. Just seeing the way I’ve been portrayed, that’s not really something I need to do anymore. I’ve got my own show now. I don’t need people portraying me in a false light or making me out to be something that I’m not.

Top Chef: All Stars airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

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