Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Is Sam Talbot a Steaming Bag?

Possums, no doubt we will never, ever understand what the womenfolk of Christendom see in his armpit-steaming, morally challenged persona, but we must grudgingly admit that of late Sam Talbot has become just a tad more likable for us.

Why? Well, because he's taken rather well to blogging, the evils of which he warned this season's cheftestants about, and because he seems to have developed self-awareness. It's a bit of a Stanley Kubrick moment.

Having surrendered to the Dark Side, and now that he is That Guy (Who Blogs), lil' Sam starts off thus in this week's edition of his blog:

"A little gratuitous self-promotion.
I'm in a contest for Glad SimplyCooking Microwave Steaming Bags. If I'm voted the 'steamiest' chef, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation will get $30K."


A worthy cause indeed, and well, Sammy, you've definitely got our vote for Steaming Bag.

See? There's a tip about blogging: try not to make it too easy.

Other than that, Sammy seems to be learning his lesson pretty well:

"What I learned about the reality genre, blogging, and human nature is this: criticism (AKA snarkiness) is easier, funnier, more provocative, and more entertaining than empathy. Just ask New York Magazine. That doesn't mean it's always the right way to go--or the only way to go (more on this later. Bourdain's blog is a perfect example of striking the right balance--can he just be made a judge already?"

Allow us to quibble for just a second. Criticism is most definitely not the same thing as snarkiness, but we agree with you that "OMG Sam! You are so hot! You were, like, totally robbed!" is neither provocative nor entertaining. If that's empathy, include us out.

Oh, and look, a dash of self-deprecation: "Ah ,yes, good ol' Restaurant Wars. I'm glad these chefs were familiar with the challenge. I wasn't. (La La Lame-o.) " Well-done, possum!

And there's this:

"The World Wide Web is 2007's version of the water cooler. And in the blogging world, snarkiness rules. But let's face it--without bloggers the reality genre might not be as popular. (The point that I'm writing this IN a blog is not lost on me.)"

See? What did we say, possums? It gives us chills; it's 2001: A Space Odyssey or AI: Artificial Intelligence all over again.

Finally, watch Sammy make a gay joke:

"And to the criticism of black tablecloths--I'm not quite sure Dale would mind eating off of [sic] Billy Idol."

Oh, Sammy, possum, let's not project now. Still, all in all, a good start.

12 comments:

eric3000 said...

I don't know Dale but I'm willing to bet he's not sexually attracted to Billy Idol.

Sam really is a steaming bag.

mumblesalot (Laura A) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mumblesalot (Laura A) said...

I am gasping for air and shaking like a dog after plunging into the deep water of Sam's self awareness.

I thought I was straight but if he makes straight women swoon, I will have to reevaluate my sexuality.

Big Shamu said...

And Asshat #2.
Wonder if Sam has to use Blog-Helper?

kittens not kids said...

is ANYONE sexually attracted to Billy Idol?

and for what it's worth, I like black tablecloths.

sam = steaming bag. painfully easy, that one, wasn't it?

Anonymous said...

I've enjoyed reading the judges and ex-contestant blogs (including Sam's) this season. Sam's comments on S2 appear genuine and there's no trace of arrogance, just sarcastic self-deprecation.

The blogs on Bravo have been so strong (Bourdain, Ted, etc.) that I've completely lost interest in both Eric and Shamu's sites. Eric can't keep up, humor-wise and Shamu is uncomfortably malevolent. Based on the above comments, not regretting that decision one bit.

Anonymous said...

Sam's the one who dresses like Billy Idol.

Anonymous said...

Did they change Sam's blog picture at bravo? Something looks different but I can't put my finger on it.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I appreciated his self-insight, too.

Unfortunately, my dear hosts, some people and bloggers will grind their stilettos into the ground and never move from a position once they've chosen it.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I know one thing for damn sure...if you got to know ME through 10 minutes of realtiy TV, I don't think I'd have fared better than Sam. 10 minutes of me at my worst probably makes TC contestants look like angels.

So Bravo to Amuse Biatch on this one.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:22:
MEOW! Talk about uncomfortably malevolent!

Big Shamu said...

"...that I've completely lost interest in both Eric and Shamu's sites. Eric can't keep up, humor-wise and Shamu is uncomfortably malevolent. Based on the above comments, not regretting that decision one bit."

I don't know about you Eric, but I enjoy your company quite a bit. Nice to be lumped in with you.