10/29/2009

in

The latest elimination on "Top Chef" was Mike Isabella for failing to produce a good vegetarian dish for the judges.

Pahull Bains

Top Chef contestant Mike Isabella, a chef at Zaytinya in Washington, was told the dreaded words, "Please pack your knives and go," after his dish of undercooked leeks and turnips for a vegetarian challenge failed to satisfy the judges. The show was hosted by celebrity guest Natalie Portman, who, along with the other judges, decided to send Isabella packing.  
  
He spoke about his experiences on the show and answered some viewers' questions in an online interview on Thursday, reported the Washington Post.  
  
When asked if him getting kicked off the show was karma after some cocky comments he made on air, he responded, "No, I don't think it's karma. I didn't do a good job on the dish and I got sent home for it."  
  
But Isabella may not mind leaving the show after all. "The hard part is it's tough living in that house. There's nothing there. It's just a space with people in it. No TV, internet, books, newspapers, radio, nothing. It's tough living there," he said.