One of my absolute favorite shows on the Food Network was Dinner:Impossible, hosted by Chef Robert Irvine.
FN apparently has fired Irvine. (If accuracy is as important to the FN as they claim, I hope they fired the person who didn't delve into these matters from the get go...perhaps Irvine would have had a chance to clear the air before all this mess got started.)
After I read the St. Petersburg article, it seemed to me someone (socialite La Torre) got her feelings in an uproar and stirred the pot a little so Irvine appeared in the worst possible light. Now that the Food Network has backed off, heaven knows what his publisher Harper Collins will do (he has one cookbook out, which I have, and had just turned in the manuscript for the second one to be released this fall), and QVC pulled off the cooking products that had his name on them for sale.
All this....FOR WHAT?
Who hasn't padded their resume to make them look the best they can be?
Who hasn't embellished a skill or two here and there?
I have...I'll come right out and say it. I've worked on resumes not only for myself, but for 4 other people and we all know how the game is played. Ebellishments are included that one knows no one will really question too much during the interview process, but boy it sure looks good on paper.
There are classes in college, in high schools as well, to teach people how to create the winning resume that will get you noticed. There are entire sections in bookstores and libraries with books giving you all the inside tips and tricks to writing the perfect resume. We all want to look good on paper...so we embellish here, add a little there...so we come across on paper like the greatest candidate for the job that ever walked.
So.
Here's Irvine who may or may not have said this that or the other thing. He stretched the truth in some places (he admits to the inaccuracies) but isn't a sincere apology enough? Why cancel his show? If he was an inept bungler and had no talent in the kitchen then I might understand, but the man is a marvel as a chef. He is one of the very few genuinely entertaining personalities on Food Network now. Well he was.
The irony here?
What happened to Martha Stewart when she got called on the carpet for her financial shenanigans and ended up serving prison time?
She's got her own network on cable up and running, her wares are featured at Macy's department store and she's still worth millions and millions of dollars.
And she broke the law.
Yes, Irvine lied, embellished his credentials, was less than accurate in the portrayal of his past accomplishments. He's done all he can do in this instance - he's issued a sincere apology.
Whatever happened to forgiveness?
Did we flush it down the toilet when we started wiping our asses with political correctness?
I've sent two emails to Chef Irvine expressing my support and sincere desire to see him back on television.
I've sent two emails to the Food Network letting them know two things: first, to please not pull the plug on DI (they did) and if they did, they would lose my viewership when DI was finally taken off the air with Robert Irvine as host (which they will). In my second email I pointed out the absolute irony of DI having Macy's as a sponsor - apparently Macy's can forgive and forget easy - Martha Stewart has a line of exclusive home designs with them. Obviously her jail time didn't bother Macy's at all. Too bad the FN can't follow suit.
Yes, I've read the posts about FN saying they might revisit the issue, but I see that as a slim to none chance for Irvine to go back on the air with them. What I would like to see is what someone else on this site suggested; have Bravo or the Travel Channel pick him up and woe to FN as viewers jump ship.