Top Chef: Padma Can Suck It

This week's "Top Chef" episode distinguished itself from previous airings by including the now-requisite reality television explosion of inappropriate behavior. While I understand the impulse to want to crush the deeply annoying Marcel, the behavior of the otherwise likable Cliff (pinning Marcel down, and fratboyishly attempting to rally the other chefs to shave off that ridiculous Ed Grimley-inspired hair of his) was cringeworthy, disturbing, and, to borrow a phrase from Anthony Bourdain earlier in the season, utterly "Flintstonian." Although I was sad to see him go under those circumstances, Cliff's mediocre sirloin with pureed lentils dish otherwise would have heralded his departure. Ah, c'est la vie, Cliffy boy. If you want to go to Hawaii for free, you're going to have to get Bonnie to adopt you and take you for the winter holidays.

But I digress. I do, after all, have a point here.

When the panelists at the judges' table decided to boot Cliff after the "incident," Padma Lakshmi noted that it was "ironic" to be sending him home for his bad behavior, as they would have sent him home anyway for his lackluster sirloin.

But see, that is not so much ironic as it is coincidental, Padma. Do you want to know what is ironic? That Salman Rushdie's wife does not know the definition of irony.