Carla Blew It

And, boy, do I feel for her! Maybe there ARE women SOMEWHERE who have never had an instant of self-doubt. But I certainly understand how, in the moment that she needed to listen to her own inner voice the most, she found herself putting other people’s opinions first, because she felt insecure AND she wanted to be nice…to be accommodating.

The really interesting thing is that it was another woman who brought her down – her sous chef, Casey, who apparently didn’t have those same social strictures in place.

Of course, it was 100% Carla’s fault for listening to her and not sticking to her guns. But, who among us, hasn’t had a similar situation (okay, maybe the stakes weren’t so high) where we backed down, because of pressure?

I wish I knew what Casey was thinking. I didn’t see her season of Top Chef. Perhaps, she was trying to relive her own Top Chef final and push for what SHE would have done? It’s a mystery, but honestly Carla’s reaction isn’t.

It’s what happens when you get close to achieving what you really want to achieve and then you just get scared – plain and simple. You don’t think you deserve what you’re striving for and you sabotage yourself.

Carla also said she wanted to show that she could win Top Chef by being kinder and gentler. I don’t remember, even a moment, where she strayed from that. She never stepped outside her own sweet being.

Stefan was already going to hell, so it wouldn’t have mattered what HE did to win. The sad thing is that it wouldn’t have taken anything terribly spurious for Carla to win. She just needed to BELIEVE for 2 more days and she could have reigned supreme. But I believe in her and I think someone somewhere will grab her and give her the kind of opportunity she deserves.

In the mean time, click here to vote for Carla for Fan Favorite.

About Stefan: I love the headline of this story: Did the Villain Ever Stand a Chance? And this: “Bravo was not about to let a rogue like Stefan be the face of its franchise.” Tom claims the producers had nothing to do with choosing the winner. I do believe him, but Stefan’s abrasive personality certainly rubbed Tom the wrong way.

That headline also suggests that, because they use the Top Chef so much in promotional situations, Stefan would have been a poor choice because of his foul mouth and wild ways. (Fabio was a pretty expressive curser too.)

I don’t think that attitude is fair to Stefan. When he rushed up to comfort a crying Carla and continued to try to sooth her while they waited for the judges' opinion, THAT said as much about him as an entire season of cursing and all his nonsense.