Guilty Pleasures

Top Chef - Season 3, Episode 8

Previously on Top Chef: The chefs were asked to prepare a frozen pasta meal. Howie dripped more sweat than the coal-shovelers on the Titanic. Saran was slow. Hung got in trouble for not pressing his point hard enough, because the whole world loves assholes, right? Howie sweated out the very last of his likability. Baton Rouge Joey refused to listen to Hung's sensible advice and had a tearful elimination that both surprised me with its heartfelt emotion and relieved me, since I don't have to sit around thinking up cities anymore. Nine chefs remain. Who will be eliminated tonight?

Opening menu. This was the most crowded Top Chef night ever. Me! LabRat! Danger! Timiffany! Beebers! Aussie Nat! Virginia! I could barely follow what was going on with the show, not only because we were chattering, but because some of us had just come straight from the casino, and I was busy bemoaning my bad luck with wine and snacks. Besides the usual platter of fine cheeses, Beebers was good enough to bring along some chocolate chip cookies, still hot from the oven. Sweet. Literally.

Miami. Some lady on the beach looks as red as a lobster. Come inside, ma'am! Over at Chef's Manor, the remaining chefs hash out the previous elimination, as always. Dale points out that Saran is the last remaining chef from New York, and also seems to be worried about not fitting in, because he still sees himself as the short, fat gay kid. I'm just going to go ahead and take that as a shout-out, no matter how impossible it is. Howie? Still not here to make friends. Aw, really? But he's doing so well at it! Everyone heads out for the day.

Quickfire Challenge. The chefs come into the Kitchen to see Padma, a guest judge, and an embarrassed-looking young woman standing behind a table set up with ice cream and various mix-ins. The embarrassed-looking woman starts demonstrating the process of beating candy and cookies into the ice cream, because it's so complicated. Hung thinks he'll be able to work something tasty out of an ice cream challenge. Padma introduces the guest judge, whose name is Govind Armstrong. Govind owns a pair of restaurants in Los Angeles and Miami, and has, of course, authored a book. God forbid a chef just cook these days. Tre is happy that Govind is out there scoring some points for African-American chefs. Padma says that this round is all about "guilty pleasures", but Death Becomes Her is nowhere in sight. For the Quickfire Challenge, the chefs are to create an original flavor by mixing anything they'd like with the sweet-cream flavor of ice cream. Please, no bacon and avocado. There's some talk about "going with your heart" and having a "blank canvas", but really, there are only so many things that are going to taste good in ice cream, and most of them have been discovered already. The chefs have forty-five minutes to throw their ice cream together.

And...go! Yeesh, this is a good week for this challenge. We're going through one of those massive heatwaves that makes everyone tired and cranky. I've got a fever, baby, and the only prescription is ice cream! The chefs fly into hyperdrive mode. Saram starts sharpening a knife huge enough to hack her way through a dense jungle, but it looks like she's just going to maul a watermelon. Dale's immediate idea is to make a sort of peach cobbler. People chop nuts, toss chocolate sauce, and slice up fat wads of butter. Howie torches some berries, knowing that they go well with sweet-cream. Hung, who has apparently never seen this show before, goes for some texture by chopping up cauliflower. Eeeewww. Dale describes what Hung is doing, and doesn't even feel the need to comment on it beyond that, knowing we'll reach the obvious conclusion. Tre is equally bemused at Casey's use of Sriracha. Time runs out.

Padma and Govind go down the line. Tre has candied some hazelnuts and mixes it into the ice cream with raspberry ginger sauce, some cherries, and some shiso. It sounds okay, but looks awfully busy. I don't particularly want my ice cream to look like jambalaya. Govind calls it "interesting", which is never a good sign. Hung has a ton of flavors to mix in, including candied pistachio nuts, white chocolate, mint, tempura flakes, a gelee, tamarind butter sauce, and cauliflower foam. He really is married to this Everything But The Kitchen Sink style of cooking, isn't he? Govind asks for the reasoning behind one of the ingredients (probably the cauliflower), and Hung says it is to "refresh the palate". Uh huh. Speaking of people looking to score points for using weirdass flavors, Casey has used Poblano peppers, dried apricot, and potato chips in addition to the Sriracha. In an interview, Casey seems pleased that her ice cream made Govind shudder, not really considering that there are a lot of things that spark a shudder, and not all of them are good. Dale has stuck to his much simpler idea of cobbler topping, flambeed peaches, candied pecans, and Grand Marnier. Govind really likes the cobbler topping. Howie has included macerated mixed berries in balsamic vinegar, sea salt, and sugar. Whew, am I glad he said "macerated", and not what I heard at first. Govind enjoys the scorched berries. That's all the chefs we see, so I have no idea what Saran, CJ, Saram, and Brian came up with. I would have liked to have seen what Brian would go for without access to seafood.

Padma asks for the bad news first. Hung's ice cream had far too many competing flavors, so he has sunk to the bottom for the fifth challenge in a row. This episode is a turning point of sorts, when I went from watching this show as a cooking competition (into which they toss some "outrageous" personalities to spice it up) to watching it as pure show (in which outrageous personalities bounce off of each other, and the "area of expertise" that they demonstrate is simply background). If I continue to watch this show to see chefs excel because they're good at cooking, I'm going to be constantly disappointed, because Bravo doesn't care about that. They care about keeping Hung around because he's a smarmy twit, and watching him eat crow week after week is fun. In short, this show is fast becoming America's Next Top Model. The contestants are just there to look pretty, go through humiliating challenges, fight, and get eliminated. Their cooking skill is almost entirely incidental. Which is fine, and I know that the observation deserves a big "DUUUUUUUUUUUH", but it wasn't always like this. Merit used to count for something. Look at me, becoming all old man about reality shows. "In my day, people got eliminated for sucking! Now, get off my lawn!"

Anyway, it will shock you to learn that Hung's reasoning for doing poorly in the Quickfire is that he's just far too refined and elegant to appeal to the great unwashed masses with his ice cream flavors. Yep, you've heard it again. Hung is simply too talented to do well in these challenges. Joining him in the bottom is Casey, whose Sriracha didn't work with the ice cream at all. She fails to bluster and pontificate about how she's just misunderstood, so her days are probably numbered. Now, for the good news. Dale's flavors were all there "for a reason". Heh. Nice burn on Hung. Howie's was also good, and his textures worked out well with the sea salt. I knew sea salt works with everything! Padma asks for the winner, and Govind says it's a tough call. I can say with hindsight that this is probably a lie, as the Quickfire winner will be spending a lot of time with Govind for the rest of the episode. Since both ice creams were fine, Govind is free to choose the person he'd rather be stuck with, and that person is obviously Dale. Dale is thrilled to finally win a challenge, and Padma reminds us all that he has immunity as well. Hooray!

Elimination Challenge. Padma tells the chefs that they're off the hook for now, and instead of a challenge tonight, they'll have the chance to enjoy a bit of Miami nightlife. The chefs break into cheers and applause, which is why they're all willingly participating in a televised fishbowl, and not serving on various think tanks. I mean, seriously. I don't think I'm that jaded (I've been hoodwinked plenty by those crafty reality show producers), and I wasn't taken in by this for a single second. Anyone who's told "Forget about having a challenge -- you're free to party!" and believes it deserves what they get. They all seem to buy it, which causes so much collective eye-rolling at the viewing, we could power Chicago for a week. Back at Chef's Manor, the chefs primp and prepare for their night out. Dale and Saran talk about what they're going to wear, and interview about how they're bestest buds. Howie irons a shirt and talks about how his work is far more important these days than going out on the town. I'm sure Howie's legions of friends are disappointed to hear that. Brian says that it was nice to see everyone looking their finest and to be able to see someplace besides Chef's Manor, the Kitchen, or the Judges' Table. At 9:30, the chefs leave, and find a limo waiting for them. CJ tries to cram himself inside. Heh. Everyone's goofy and happy. The limo pulls up outside of a club, where Padma, Govind, and the knife block await. Wah wah waaaaaah. The chefs' bubbles almost audibly pop.

Commercials. White Castle seems to be actively calling their customers weirdo losers. Now there's some truth in advertising I wasn't prepared for.

Behind Govind and Padma are two large mobile kitchen trailers. All the chefs are angry and disappointed. Padma wishes them a good evening, Casey responds with a "Good evening, Padma" that has a tangible "you rancid bitch" hanging off the end. Saram interviews that Saran and Casey were upset because they'd have to take part in a challenge with their cleavage showing. Saram herself doesn't give a damn. Hehe. Can we talk about Saram's boobs every week now? Padma describes the nearby club, and tells the chefs that they'll be cooking in an overnight challenge. Another withering death glare from Casey. The chefs will be preparing late night bar food in the two mobile kitchens. They'll be split into two teams. Each team gets $300 and half an hour to shop for food. Then they'll have another 90 minutes to cook before the customers stumble up to eat, all "Leeemme tell ya waat I never llliked about yoooou." The teams should presumably have the same number of members, and there are an odd number of chefs right now. But wait! Because Dale won the Quickfire, he really and truly does have the night off. He gets to go and hang out with Govind at his restaurant. Aw, it's like a cute little date! CJ kiddingly talks about how much he envies and hates Dale right now.

Padma instructs the chefs to pull a knife from the knife block to determine the teams. The black team winds up being Hung, Saram, Tre, and Brian (who misuses "myself" yet again). The orange team winds up being Saran, Casey, and CJ. Instead of including Howie, they just figure having a literal anchor would be more efficient, so they wander over to the shore to drag one up. OK, not really, but that's probably what they should have done. CJ says that Saran isn't the fastest chef in the world, but competent and thoughtful. Howie isn't exactly what he'd call a team player, and is in fact the center of all the household's controversy. Brian feels sorry for CJ, noting that Casey seems to be enraged, Saran seems to be petrified, and Howie seems to be...Howie. Saran has good reason to be petrified, pointing out that every time Howie has been on a team, that team has wound up in the bottom. Will the third time be the charm? Spoiler: No.

Padma gives the word, and the chefs run towards their mobile kitchens, dropping their knives on the table as they pass. If I were on the orange team, I'd have kept mine with me. The chefs have fifteen minutes to explore the kitchens to see what kind of equipment they'll be working with. Brian immediately offers to stand out in front at the table and do a cold seafood bar. Naturally. The black team starts figuring out how to split the stations most efficiently. Dale and Govind are heading back for the limo, and Dale offers to get the door for Govind. Aw! Date night is on! The black team easily comes to a consensus. Meanwhile, in the orange kitchen, Howie tosses out a lot of ideas, and the others mull them over. They bicker over what's best to serve. Let's get what Howie says next verbatim: "There's very little about being liked that has to do with being a good leader. Like, I don't need you to like me for me to lead you. You just need to respect and understand what I'm saying, and know that if you follow me, we're going to get to the Promised Land." Just three little sentences, and yet, this needs some serious annotation.

"There's very little about being liked that has to do with being a good leader."

Patently untrue. OK, I'll grant him that people's bosses shouldn't be their friends. I get that you can't treat employees (students, children, etc.) as equals, because if they think you're their friend, they're going to treat you as such, which means you'll have none of the authority you're supposed to have over them. BUT. There's a vast difference between "treating people as equals/friends" and "being liked". If the only way you can find to get people to listen to you is to be a rampant asshole, you're not being a good leader. People don't want to follow someone they can't stand. You can be firm without being brutish. You can point out mistakes without constantly harping on someone. In fact, this mistaken idea of Howie's pretty clearly illustrates just why he's such a bad leader.

"Like, I don't need you to like me for me to lead you."

Still untrue, but the big thing is...lead? What leading? Were there leaders assigned to this challenge? No. Everyone has the same say as everyone else, and yet here comes Howie, trying to drive the menu of the entire team. If I were on this team, and couldn't get my ideas across diplomatically (which they obviously cannot), I'd flat out tell him that he doesn't get any input into what I'll be cooking, and I'll sink or swim on my own food, thankyouverymuch.

"You just need to respect and understand what I'm saying, and know that if you follow me, we're going to get to the Promised Land."

Is anyone out there confused about what "respect and understand what I'm saying" means to Howie? It doesn't mean that you should take the time to listen to his ideas, weigh their pros and cons, then bring up any reasoned objections you may have. Heaven forfend. No, it means that you should just meekly accept whatever he says, and do it. His way or the highway. That's leadership to him. Also, "Promised Land"? Is that what he's calling the losers' table these days, because King Leadership spends an awful lot of time there.

See, I told you this heatwave was making everyone cranky. Saran brings up an idea about French fries with different kinds of mayonnaise, but CJ disapproves of that. She tries to say something else (it sounded like something about falafel), but her voice is lost in the din. Casey explains that they have minimal time to plan, so they just kept tossing out things they'd want to eat if they were drinking. I still don't understand why there has to be this much collaboration. As long as two people aren't making food that's too similar, who cares what the rest of your team is making? It doesn't have to be a cohesive menu. The chefs descend upon Fresh Market, where the poor manager has to open the store after hours for these freaks to get supplies. The orange team actually has to stand there and discuss how to buy food. Not what to buy. Just who's going to go to which aisle and get what. There is such a thing as too much teamwork, folks.

We're let in on the teams' menus. On the orange team, Howie is making Cuban sandwiches, Saran is making sliders and vanilla milkshakes (ew -- would you want a milkshake after you've been out drinking?), Casey is making quesadillas and chocolate-covered bananas, and CJ is making ceviche tacos and a cafe con leche. Shock of shocks, the orange team's idea to divide the shopping list instead of just buying the ingredients for the food they're each responsible for is not working out. Saran is starting to shut down. She doesn't want to be doing this challenge, she doesn't want to be dressed up, and she doesn't want to be bickering over shopping minutiae. CJ reiterates that Howie has no concept of teamwork. The black team is doing fine, of course. Hung will be making teriyaki chicken wings and onion rings. Tre is making bacon-wrapped shrimp (now that's some fine post-drinkin' food) and cheese grits. Saram is making jerked soft tacos. Brian is doing a raw oyster bar that includes a ceviche. Saram says they'll be making hot chocolate as well. She could not sound more pleased, and after last week, I don't blame her. The black team comes in just under-budget, and exchanges high fives. More talk about Howie's lack of teamwork and poor CJ trying to reign in the various moods the rest of his teammates are in.

A little past midnight, the chefs get back to their mobile kitchens. Casey, who's still wearing a little dress and hoop earrings, completes the ensemble with a paper diner hat. Hahaha! CJ starts chopping shrimp for the ceviche. The black team hums along nicely. Over at date night, Govind and Dale are having a private four-course dinner and clinking wine glasses. Dale is having a great time. He'll probably have an even better time after the cameras are turned off. Bamp-chicka-bamp-bamp! At quarter to one, Ptom stops by the mobile kitchens to Ptimewaste. In addition to preparing the raw bar, Brian's going to be in charge of expediting the food and also hyping it. He's certainly enthusiastic enough. In the kitchen itself, Ptom is asking if Brian's the leader, and Tre kids that once the patrons see his guns, they're going to want to come back there. Hehe. And on a personal note...yowsa. Those are some nice arms.

The orange team tells Ptom that they're set up to serve about two hundred people. Saran finishes her prep work, and offers to help other people out. She takes on the milkshakes. She looks for some ice, but Howie tells her that milkshakes shouldn't be made with ice; they should just be milk and ice cream. Saran thinks such a shake would be too rich, as she voices-over that every time Howie speaks, it comes out as an attack. I don't know, that was the most civil exchange I've seen Howie conduct in quite a while. Brian bounces excitedly at the driver's seat of the mobile kitchen and whoops it up. It's nice to see not everyone is hating life right now. CJ says the other team is being loud and annoying, and that he tuned them out the best he could to concentrate on his own tense, depressing team. He leaves out the "tense" and "depressing" bits, but we all know he's thinking it. All the final prep work gets done. The black team sets up a system to get food out quickly. Saran writes the menu on a board out front. CJ doesn't think the orange team is entirely ready to deal with a flood of "drunk morons". The black team is more than ready. Time runs out.

Commercials. Someone needs to teach the Bravo announcer how to pronounce the word "forward".

At quarter to two, the "drunk morons" are allowed to attack the mobile kitchens. Tre recaps the challenge for any of you who may be drunk, and have thus forgotten during the past two minutes. Two women who look like grown up versions of the Patil twins from Harry Potter chow down. Brian easily attracts people with his joyful cries. Casey is using a softer approach, asking people one-on-one if they'd like to try a burger. She interviews that the patrons really didn't know what was going on, and were just lining up for free food. Hey, sounds good to me. Brian has no trouble serving, even leading a crowd chant of "Grits! Grits! Grits! Grits!" as Tre plates them up. CJ can't match Brian's medicine-show level of salesmanship, and Saran is having problems getting the food out quickly enough. She freely admits to being pissy through this challenge. Would you like to hear more about how Howie is a bulldog and how Saran is slow? CJ would be happy to oblige.

The judges come by to taste everything. When Ptom approaches the orange kitchen, CJ charms him the best he can, but can't cover up the fact that there is no food ready. Govind is over at the black kitchen, where Brian and Saram describe all their dishes. Tre says that Govind really liked the grits. In fact, all the food seems to be met with approval. Ted Allen is there, and confirms that everyone on the black team is getting along like a house on fire. Ptom finally gets some food over at the orange kitchen. The slider is a simple little hamburger, served with fried plantain chips. The plantain chips are a good idea, but the burger is pretty unimpressive. The ceviche taco they show looks burnt. Casey's four-cheese quesadilla looks pretty good, and Padma really likes it. Then she takes a bite of Howie's Cuban sandwich, and her smile fades quickly.

Speaking of quickly, the black team is moving a lot more food. Various drunk patrons talk about how good Brian's seafood was. One of the Patil twins liked Hung's onion rings. Hippie Guy liked Saran's slider. A Latino gentleman calls Howie's Cuban sandwich "messed up". Padma tells everyone that she'll see them at Judges' Table, and the judges take off. Dale stops by to ask CJ how everything went. A bleeped curse word is the response. Dale fails to be bowled over in surprise, and gives CJ a commiserating hug. Saram has no idea who's going home, but Saran knows which way the wind is blowing as far as which team is going to lose.

Commercials. "You have better things to do than search for a lid." Like chopping sixty pounds of cheese, apparently.

Judges' Table. Ptom points out that the black team had a bigger crowd of people around them (thanks to Brian), and seemed to be able to serve the food a lot more efficiently. Govind and Ted agree that Tre's shrimp and grits were among their favorites of the night. Ptom liked Brian's ceviche, but Ted points out that making a flavorful ceviche is almost effortless, using the ingredients that Brian did. Padma asks about Hung's onion rings, which Ptom liked, but he hated Hung's teriyaki chicken. Govind liked the chicken, saying he got a good piece.

Danger: "Oh, we know you got a good piece. It just wasn't chicken."

Ted liked the orange team's slider, but Govind says his was a little dry and underseasoned. Ptom, always a fan of attitude over flavor, says that Saran seemed to be a little out of it the entire time. He also detested her milkshake. Casey's quesadilla gets good reviews. Howie's Cuban sandwich was so-so, but should have been better and more authentic, given that it was being served in Miami. That makes some sense. Don't even try to serve unimpressive fried ravioli to St. Louisans. Padma comes back to the Kitchen and summons the black team to the table. They're told they are the winning team, and are all smiles. Their food was well-seasoned and very accessible. Padma asks them how it felt to have the rug pulled out from under them, and Brian diplomatically answers that they took full advantage to throw a "party in the parking lot". He also clearly describes the division of the kitchen workstations and how they devised a menu off of that. Govind compliments him for his energy level, saying that this is one of the few times you want to act as excited as your customers. Hehe. Ted's still in love with Tre's bacon. That sounded dirtier than I meant it. Govind gets to pick a winner, and he selects Tre. Eh. I like him, but thought Brian deserved this one. Tre wins a copy of Govind's book (zzzz), and a free VIP pass to various clubs around the world (better). He's calmly pleased. Padma dismisses the chefs, and asks them to send out the orange team.

Tre's win is applauded in the Kitchen, and Brian duhs that the judges want to see the rest of them. Dale's the only one who gets to escape the judges this week. Odd Asian music. Gong. The orange team enters the dining room. Padma tells them they're the losing team, and asks them how they felt about the challenge. Casey is only too glad to blast it as horrible, because she doesn't dress this way to work, and doesn't even like to be seen looking all dressed up by her coworkers. Saran agrees, calling the challenge "demoralizing", and that she felt out of her element running around in heels and a low-cut shirt. Casey is asked what she did, and she tells them she made the dessert and quesadillas, and that she expedited the food. We all know she's fine this week, so we move on to Howie's Cuban sandwich. The judges rather mildly take him to task for it being less than authentic. Saran's hamburgers weren't seasoned enough.

Ptom brings up the bad "team dynamic", telling Saran that being "demoralized" must have rubbed off on the others. I see. So her not wanting to lean over a hot grill with the low-cut shirt that you essentially forced her to wear is unprofessional. Gotcha. Howie may have waited until Saram brought him up before attacking her last week, but this week, he doesn't waste any time. Without any questioning or provocation, he tells the judges that Saran wasn't pulling her weight on the team; that she was making the burgers far too slowly. Casey says that this is news to her. Nobody ever brought up the fact that the burgers were coming out too slowly, and they could have fixed it if someone (read: Howie) had. CJ is asked why he didn't take more of a leadership role, and he says that by the time he realized it was an issue, him going back to badger Saran wouldn't have helped anything.

Saran, like Casey, says that this is the first she's heard of it, and that she and Howie's personalities didn't mesh well. She brings up the fact that her ideas were squashed, but didn't want to spend valuable time arguing about it. Ptom makes my point from earlier. Why not just say "Know what? Here's what I'm cooking. Deal with it." Saran doesn't have a response to that, and begins to tear up, which won't help her case at all. Howie starts his usual irrelevant attacks ("You're the baby of the team." -- Which has what to do with slow hamburgers? Exactly.) Saran glances at CJ and Casey with a "Can you believe this shit?" look on her face. CJ sticks up for Saran, saying that Howie's "baby" insult was a little extreme. Howie blahs some more, and Saran now faces the judges with "See? See what I have to contend with?" on her face. If only she had said something like that out loud. Something like "He's welcome to talk about me not pulling my weight all night long, but you know what? He worked with Casey and [Milwaukee] Joey, and they lost. He worked with Saram, and they lost. If my obvious incompetence in team settings was putting me in danger, I'd be pointing fingers too." Unfortunately, she just stands there sniveling. Padma dismisses the chefs.

Back in the Kitchen, she tearfully tells the other chefs "Apparently, I'm the baby of the house." "If that's how I came across, that's not what I was saying," Howie responds. Um, no that's not how you "came across". THOSE WERE YOUR EXACT WORDS, YOU STUPID FUCKING COCKBITE. CJ and Saran tell him it was an asshole thing to say, which we all know will never penetrate his shell of assholishness, so *sigh*. CJ makes the interesting point that Howie tries to play this "integrity role", and then starts up with insults and recrimination. Howie denies playing any role, saying he's just being himself. Unfortunately, I think that's true. Back in the dining room, the judges deliberate. They think Howie didn't communicate to Saran that her speed was lacking. Casey played it safe. CJ wasn't able to pull the team together. Saran's milkshake sucked. Ted drops about fifty points in my estimation when he derides Saran for being demoralized over her outfit. Yes, how dare she not enjoy being presented as a hottie instead of as a professional. [I've since read Ted has "corrected his position" -- God forbid it be called an apology -- on his Bravo blog. Tough. He said it, so he gets to take the heat for it. -- Limecrete] Padma seems to be more understanding, but thinks that Saran should have been able to bounce back. Howie's sandwich was a big, doughy mess. Back in the Kitchen, Howie says he's not trying to hurt anybody's feelings, but has to be an asshole to survive. Yes, because Harold was such a douchebag. The judges reach a decision.

Commercials. You're not going to topple Google. It's become a verb, for God's sake.

Elimination. Ptom thinks the challenge-from-nowhere shouldn't have thrown them that much. I heartily agree, but probably not for the same reasons. Casey was oblivious to her teammates. CJ didn't do a satisfactory job as front man. Saran's heart wasn't in this challenge from the beginning. Howie has had conflict on every team challenge so far. Whew, I was beginning to fear that they couldn't see that. His failure to compromise sabotaged his team, and ultimately himself. Ptom says that the loss lies primarily in those latter two, and gives it over to Padma for the final decision. Saran, please pack your knives and go. I'm shocked! Or I would have been if we hadn't gotten that "Saran's the last person from New York!" bit or that "Saran's my best friend in the house!" bit or the recent systematic elimination of anyone who refuses to be a blatant scumwad.

She comes back to hug the others good-bye. She interviews that she's angry she didn't really get to give the competition her all, but that some of the other competitors have been cooking for a decade longer than she has. She says she used to think of herself as competitive, but seeing how other people act, has realized that this really isn't her game. Micah was right! Saran giggles that she's just too nice to succeed in this kind of competition. That sort of statement would normally rub me the wrong way, but in this case, she's entirely correct. She closes by saying that there's a fine line between being competitive and being an asshole. I'd say there's a big, sweaty line between them.

Overall Grade: C-