With this shot, I thee wed...

It seems like a lot of us got up on the pissy side of the bed for this episode. One woman I totally agree with and the other, not so much.

First we have Jennifer, who I am liking more and more each episode. I'm calling it right now, I think she's going to win. It All. I know there's some pretty strong male chefs but the minute you underestimate this woman, she will cut you off at the knees (and only at the knees if you're lucky). She called the BS for what it was for this episode. Men are no better cooks than women. French cooks are no better than American or Japanese cooks. Classically trained are no better than self taught. But since this is still Top Chef we still have to stir up the drama hornet's nest. While I believe Jennifer believes what she said about the "boy and girl challenge", let's not kid ourselves either, she was also pissed off being on the less experienced team of women. While she was going to be safe with her dish, she's that competitive that she always wants to lead the winning team. Not the whining team.

Which brings me to Ms. Ashley. Ashley's main beef was a rant on how if she can't get married then she doesn't want to deal with anyone else's nuptials. (If I may borrow Rachel Maddow's voice here for just a moment, What I think she meant to say is that she wants the right to have a marriage that recognized at the Federal level with all the rights and benefits that come with that recognition.) Ranting about that is fine, makes for fine, back at the living quarters banter. But here's the thing. You have to recognize the stage you're playing on. A Bravo reality show. A competitive food show. It's not a gay show like say, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It's not a totally straight show since it often features gay and lesbian contestants and judges both in and out of the closet. The question is why in holy matrimonial hell did you sign up as a contestant for Top Chef when past seasons have done some sort of catering event for a happy couple about to get married? Hell they did Gail's bridal shower. If you felt that strongly, you wouldn't be here. And if you had actually done some homework you'd realize that Season One had a wedding.A big gay wedding. Meet Scott and Scott, Top Chef Season One, Episode 8. Bitching about the 3 gay and lesbian chefs having to deal with a straight wedding is just as bad as if one of Season One's chefs had decided they had religious objections to working Scott and Scott's wedding. You sign up for the show and agree to suffer whatever the Producers have in their big bag of tricks to throw at you. Live in cramped, suffocating quarters with people you may not like? Hope you like that. Work 12, 14, 16 hour days with no breaks and lousy food? Get ready. Maybe having a straight male chef hound dog you like Stefan did to Jamie last season? It could happen. All this and more is what you get when you sign your name to the contract in the hopes of winning fame and fortune. In the end, Ashley put away her objections and worked the gig. However I get the feeling that this won't be the last we hear of it. If she decides to take herself out of the competition for her political beliefs for an upcoming wedding challenge or the feed the military challenge, that's her right and I wish her well but I'm not of the opinion it would be the best use of the opportunity she's been given. And in case anyone wasn't aware, this blog is written by an out lesbian who would love nothing better to have the same rights and benefits that the institution of marriage allows straight people to enjoy. Or serve my country openly. I just don't think Top Chef is the best vehicle to achieve these goals. On the flip side, it does mean we'll never have to suffer through a season of Real Lesbian Housewives of Provincetown.