Who Will be Canada's Next Top Chef Villain?

Forget the glory of competition and agony of defeat what we really want to know is who will be Canada's next Top Chef villain? The name Mark McEwan might come to mind but we are talking about the Cheftestants. The popularity contest is there, you can vote for your favourite Canadian Top Chef online but who wants to be the fan favourite in the company of such notable personalities as Rupert from Survivor? True, the winner of Top Chef gets the dough, pimping kitchen swag and the bragging rights but the role of anti-hero is vital to the drama and soul of the series. The villain tradition is also a great way to make a name for yourself. The all-time Top Chef villain in our books is Chef Marcel Vigneron. Look at Vigneron, he is doing okay with his own TV show even though he looks like a grown-up version of Eddie Munster.

After only 2 episodes of Top Chef Canada we think it is somewhat official that Jamie Hertz  is fit for the role. We blogged out loud about Hertz's possible role as villain after the first episode but now the evidence seems clear. We noticed that someone stumbled across our blog using the keyword "Chef Jamie Hertz stinks." Thankfully, we would never write such things but it did confirm our thoughts. It only took us a couple of days to figure out that this search was not a character reference but instead someone fascinated with Hertz's public displays of flatulence that have been well documented in the annals of the Top Chef dormitories. Wait a minute the smell of brimstone does sound characteristic of a maniacal character after all.

After each episode of Top Chef Canada, Chef Hertz has gone on Twitter with clarifications about what really happened. After episode 1, it was "clunky. Come mark is that a professional opinion. Salmon and pancakes is clunky. Weak." In case you need some context, Hertz is talking to Mark McEwan who called his dish "weak." The salmon reference is directed at Chef Derek Bocking's dish. Hertz described Bocking's dish as "inedible" even though it was deemed one of the best by the judges. We guess that Chef Hertz has never heard of smoked salmon with blinis because this was essentially what Bocking prepared. After episode 2, Hertz's Tweet made sure there were no accusations of him throwing his partner, Chef Darryl Crumb, under the bus at the judges table. "Just for the record out there I wasn't trying to use daryl as an escape. I wanted to have time to fix my crap dish."

More context, Hertz's comments at the judges table really pissed Crumb off. Crumb, a former pro hockey player, went NHL on Hertz saying, "I wanted to turn around and jersey him, and start feeding him right hands." First, can we just say that this has to be one of the greatest lines in Canadian television food history. Hockey and the drama of the kitchen are together at last. Thank you Top Chef Canada. For our American readers to "jersey" someone is when you lift your opponent's hockey sweater over their head, rendering them helpless, in order to pummel them. As mentioned in our Top Chef bios, we think that Crumb has enough Top Hoser Charm to be a Canadian Food Network star. Producers again take note of our pitch for a show starring Crumb, we call it Rock 'em Sock 'em Kitchen. Okay back to the drawing board (boards get it? - another hockey joke) but anything with Chef Crumb, hockey and food is a winning combination. With Top Chef Canada and the playoffs on at the same time how about a tie-in?

Unlike Vigneron, who has mad Chef skills, Hertz has been in the bottom on both episodes. Perhaps this is why we find Hertz less likable. Then again Chef Hertz does wear those nerdy glasses so maybe the other Chefs pick on him and none of this is his fault. Also, we might be jumping the gun a little. There is still plenty of time for the other Chefs to prove themselves and become Canada's next Top Chef villain. All we can do is wait and see.

In case you missed it the first time this is our tribute to Chef Hertz

Rock those gecks Jamie!