Response from Rocco (sort of) to last weeks show is on Zap2it.com. Since I can never get a working link to their articles I posted it all. If this was incorrect let me know.Meatballs and Meltdowns at 'The Restaurant'
(Wednesday, August 06 11:15 AM)
By Kate O'Hare
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Chef Rocco DiSpirito had a very bad patch during the filming of the NBC reality series "The Restaurant," which chronicles his efforts to open a New York eatery. Apparently, reliving the experience in the show's third episode last Sunday (Aug. 3) didn't do much for his disposition.
The episode showed unhappy customers, a chaotic atmosphere and a staff nearly at the point of mutiny, while depicting DiSpirito as distant and more interested in schmoozing in the dining room.
Asked about the episode on Tuesday, DiSpirito said, "When you give someone 100 percent access to your life -- as you know, everyone's life is full of blissful moments and troubling moments, so I expected both to be portrayed."
That's all he said, as he then opted out of continuing the conversation by putting this reporter on hold and then never returning to the phone.
Calling in later in the day from the set of "Survivor," executive producer Mark Burnett defends the episode but is sympathetic to his star.
"He comes out smelling like roses," Burnett says. "The Rocco we saw on Sunday was edited fairly. Rocco didn't behave in the kindest, most gentlemanly or businesslike of ways. But, to be fair, because of the TV schedule, this guy opened a restaurant in absolutely record time, dealing with 500 things. He was like a one-armed paperhanger.
"It was just too much for anybody. He had a bit of a meltdown with it. But what we are going to see is that the true character of Rocco will come out, which is good, and a good businessman and a good chef.
"In next week's episode, Rocco gets back in the kitchen, where he really belongs and does best. Future episodes after that, Rocco becomes a good leader, inspires his troops and is a big success. Rocco just took an arc where he had a little dive, which could have happened to anybody, but he had character enough to come back."
While DiSpirito handed the show's producers access to his life, they handed control of the restaurant over to him. This caused some problems in episode two, which showed DiSpirito dismissing some of the newly hired staff.
"He fired some key people we would have liked to keep," says Ben Silverman of production company Reveille LLC, who shares executive producer credit with Burnett and with Robert Riesenberg of Magna Global Entertainment. "I wish he had kept those people. What can you do? Next time maybe we'd want to own the restaurant.
"You're sitting there having a heart attack, because you so are not in control. It's not your game; it's not your cast; it's not your environment; it's not your set. It's this guy's restaurant, his livelihood and his business, and he's not going to let us dictate what we want."
At the other end of the spectrum is waiter Topher Goodman, whose efficiency and sunny nature endeared him to DiSpirito (and to the viewing audience) -- until DiSpirito berated him in front of diners in episode three. Goodman then led an employee gripe session in the wee hours of the morning.
Asked if he's still working at Rocco's, Goodman says, "There's a question that will be answered in this week's episode, so I'm not allowed to say.
"People are certainly expecting some sort of turnaround from me. Either I punch Rocco in the mouth, or there's a major change that happens or I make a change for myself."
An experienced waiter who also has an extensive theater background, Goodman tried to always remember he was on camera. "They can do a lot with editing," he says, "and represent you in different ways, but you know what, if you didn't give them bad things, they wouldn't have bad things to represent you with.
"All human beings need to hold themselves responsible for their actions in life, and we all should have gone into this with the same mindset, thinking, 'This is reality television. This is our lives, and all of it is going to be able to be displayed and modeled in the way that producers see fit. They're making television.'
"I was flabbergasted by Sunday night's episode, to see how much they used my story, how much airtime given to me. It was very overwhelming in an exciting way."
As to whether he'd like to parlay this newfound fame into further showbiz work, Goodman says. "I would love the opportunity to be on television more. Anybody who works at that restaurant doing the show would be lying if they said differently."
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"How fascinating for you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm due to make a deposit at the local savings and litter box."
