Top Chef Exit Interview: Episode 4

Our chat with the latest chef axed off the chopping block…after the jump.

Oh noes! It’s Alex, the straightest member of Team Rainbow. Even after he wore his best plaid roll-ups for TV. But apparently, he just didn’t want it badly enough. So what does Mr. A have to say for himself?

Did Melissa really throw you under the bus?
I’m over it; she’s cool. I’m a little surprised that she did, but I might have done the same thing if I had wanted it that bad. I could have really fought and said, ‘oh, that’s a raw egg and someone could get sick,’ or ‘a good chef should know how to spice their food right.’ But I knew my crème brulee wasn’t great either, and I would rather do it my way than send somebody home. Me and Melissa are friends. Last night I texted her and said ‘thanks for throwing me under the bus’, and she texted back ‘love you, bus driver.’

So you agree that you didn’t want it enough?
Yeah, some people were more into it. For me, it wasn’t 100 percent about winning. It’s not really about who’s the best chef, it’s about who makes the best decisions. If you know how to do something simple, like a salad, really well, you’re gonna go far. A lot of the dishes I make really well involve a lot of time, braising and such, so I was out of my element. For a lot of people, it’s all about winning. For me it wasn’t, and maybe that’s why I went home.

Did Ariane take the easy route?
She did the smart thing. She did exactly what Tom was implying we should do. If you look at everyone else’s dishes, they were a lot more complicated. But good for her, she made the right decision, I love her.

What happened with your creme brulee anyway?
It just didn’t set. The flavor of it was good. If I would have fought, I would have said the flavor of the crème brulee was good, it just didn’t set.

Impressions of the Big Two?
I love Tom. Tom is awesome. I think of all the celebrity chefs, he’s the real deal. He’s the best there is, and I’d love to see him go head-to-head against everyone else. There’s an idea, I’d love to see him throw down against Anthony. Padma? She’s Padma. Beautiful, stunning, all the things people say about her.

What about Rocco?
Ehhhh…um…he’s nice….meh….to be honest, I’m really not a big Rocco fan. He just doesn’t float my boat as a chef. He’s good at what he does, public appearances, but I can’t really see him sweating behind the line. I got to admit when I saw him I was pretty disappointed. I would have rather had an old New York chef, someone who still works in the kitchens.

In you exit interview, you said you thought Stefan and Fabio would cancel each other out. What do you mean by that?
I think they both have big egos, and that’s probably going to kill them in the end, and cancel each other out. Eventually they’re just going to clash. You can’t have two big egos like that in the same room.

So who’s gonna slip under the radar with the little ego?
I always said Jamie was my favorite chef on the show. I think she has the most talent. The person with the least ego is Carla. She has absolutely no ego.

Did you get married?
I did, August 24th, it was small, intimate, and beautiful, and my bride is awesome.

(Photos: NY Mag, Bravo)