Top Chef Scandals

Does anyone remember the name of a tall, good-looking brunet male chef several seasons ago who was a single father to a little girl? He ended up embroiled in what I vaguely remember was a serious sex-related scandal, but for the life of me, I can't recall the chef's name not the details. It was shocking at the time and I never found out what happened to him in the end. Ring any bells for anyone?

Are you talking about Morgan Wilson from Top Chef Just Desserts?

R2, yes, that's him! Thank you. "Indicted for child porn." I knew it was something very bad. I haven't found any updates on his case yet since this news broke back in 2011.

According to this website, Morgan was a homophobe because he used words like "fairy," "bitch," and"girl."

Maybe he was just closeted.

No updates available at all. Very strange.

[quote]Dallas pastry chef Morgan Wilson, who was the runner-up on the first season of Bravo’s Top Chef: Just Desserts, was charged with three second-degree felony charges in 2010, in Colin County, Texas, for possession with intent to promote child pornography. He was released after posting $10,000 bail, and there’s no information available about what his sentence was.

R5 I know. Odd to find no followup, right?

I was thinking maybe he ended up committing suicide. That may be the reason for the lack of updates. Suicides aren't usually reported.

Didn't Padma bang that one tall hot chef? Lucky bitch.

The Top Chef Desserts contestant with the child porn had a son he was allegedly molesting.

It was really gross because I think on the show they showed him crying about the fact that he missed his son so much.

[quote] Maybe he was just closeted.

What are you saying, r4? The child molester is gay? You should keep your speculations to yourself.

Apparently he's the Executive Chef of the Fairmont Empress Hotel in Victoria BC, Canada.

When Top Chef: Just Desserts was canceled, there weren’t any rumors about sexual misconduct. That changed in 2017 when Iuzzini was accused of sexual harassment. The accusations resulted in the show Iuzzini had been involved with at the time, The Great American Baking Show getting canceled. The accusations came from employees who worked for Iuzzini at Jean-Georges restaurant. According to Mic, the alleged incidents took place between 2009 and 2011, the same period Iuzzini was involved with the Top Chef spinoff.

Seth Caro, a contestant during season one, claims the show not only ruined his life but was also the reason he was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward for observation. According to Cinema Blend, Caro claimed that the intense demands from the production team, unfair treatment, lack of sleep, and lack of quiet on the set led to a mental breakdown that he’s still struggling to deal with.

Some people might say that there is no such thing as bad publicity. While that might be true in most cases, Morgan Wilson’s child pornography case wasn’t one any show would want to be linked to. According to New York Daily News, Wilson was charged with second-degree felony intent to distribute and possession of child pornography. Even though Wilson wasn’t connected to the show at the time of his arrest, the fact that the show was mentioned in nearly every media story covering the arrest might have contributed to Top Chef: Just Desserts‘ short run.

That's not the same Morgan Wilson, R11.

^Top Chef: Just Desserts was cursed.

"Top Chef: Just Desserts was cursed."

Except, we got to see Yigit.

Yigit makes " gay macaroons."

[quote] I was thinking maybe he ended up committing suicide. That may be the reason for the lack of updates. Suicides aren't usually reported.

Nope. Morgan is still alive. He’s on the sex offender registry, still living in Texas. He has to check in every year or so and he’s verified for 2021.

R17, I found that info too yesterday, but I didn't post the details because it could impact other innocent people (his daughter, other family, etc).

The speculation that he might've been closeted during his Top Chef stint had nothing to do with his being a child predator and everything to do with his "homophobic" (according to some sources) demeanor. Those who are most vocally anti-gay are usually the ones deepest in the closet.

He was 38 at the time of his arrest, so he's pushing 50 now. He's probably Top Chef's darkest horse since he's never ever mentioned. He had such a promising future. What a waste of time and talent.

Pea Gate was so infuriatingly stupid. The production could not determine if bumbling buffon Alex Reznik actually made a perfectly executed pea soup in the kitchen? They capture whatever the contestants are doing, but they missed that? And if he made one why was there no Tupperware left, with pea soup in it, when the contestants took all their prepared dishes off the trays? The production was deliberately obtuse, and they screwed over Ed Cotton.

Ed was a colossal asshole during his season. Although Alex would be on my list for a season of chefs no one liked, Ed was a jerk.