Rocco DiSpirito is a jackass
I have watched the restaurant the last time. He bitches about losing money then he paws the customers and does nothing to help out when the food sucks.
He is what is wrong with the restaurant business.
Yeah, my opinion of him has changed since the show started. He is really becoming a schmooze, which I find sad because he has this great opportunity to show himself in a good light, genuine or not. He must have no control over what goes on the air because I doubt anyone would want themselves portrayed that way.
shareYep, that's reality TV for you. Rocco might be in the kitchen 80-90% of the time kicking a$$ and taking names to make his resturant a success, but of course that is edited out and they only show you the times when he is schmoozing with the guests. And what a suprise, the one table they didn't need to screw up, table "34" the one with the NY Post food critic, gets totally f-ed up. I think that was on purpose to add more drama to the show.
Make no mistake, I'm not necessarily defending Rocco, it's just that unless you are there in the resturant 100% of the time, you really don't see everything that happens.
This is off the subject, but has anyone else noticed the obvious sponsors of the show? On the Open/Closed sign, it has the American Express logo on one side, so they always have someone flip it from open to closed or the other way around. Also notice that they will always show a waiter/waitress carrying Coors on a tray. It's just fun for me to point out the product placement, but probably only because I lead a boring life.
shareHow could you not notice all of the product placement? Like last week, when Rocco was short on cash, so he convienently says, "I'll have to apply for a line of credit from my American Express Open account..."
shareHaha, good catch!
sharewatch what vehicle he drives, and then watch the commercials.
i take a whiskey drink, i take a coffee drink, and when i need to pee,I use the kitchen sink
Yep. Notice they left in the shot of his car being towed. I'm suprised they didn't have one of the staff say: "Look, they're towing Rocco's Mitsubishi Montero, you know, the full-sized SUV with room for seven full-sized people to ride in luxury."
shareHaha! I've noticed that he doesn't have real license plates either, just the Mitsubishi ones.
sharelolol. If they actually said "Lood, they're towing Rocco's Mitsubishi..." I would of pissed my pants. That's like the funniest thing.
sharebbgun....
Now that's funny.
Hey, has anybody else noticed the reversed shots? You know what I mean, when they are a segment in reverse of the way it was shot. I have noticed two, once Rocco was driving the car, and the steering wheel was on the right side???? Then just a few weeks ago, he was talking with the financial guy, out on the streets of NYC and all of the lettering (store names and signs) were back-wards.
Sloppy editing?
Mike
I watched the latest episode on Sunday, Aug. 17 and the product placement is worse than ever!! Rocco again made a point of mentioning his AMEX "Open" account when the employees didn't get their paychecks. It also seems like too many of the scenes now are "staged". The first few episodes seemed pretty real, but now you get the feeling that more than half of the scenes are scripted. It's still a great show though....
shareYeah I was going to post the question: Does anyone else really actually hope Rocco's fails? Because I do. And I guess I found some other people who think the same way. Rocco is a jerk. When I fisrt started watching it, I was like, "isn't he supposed to be the chef? All he does is flirt with the customers, and talk everybody up" Of that percentage of restaurants that fail within a year, I hope his is one of them.
Topher...
Come back...
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I probably couldn't handle the responsibilities of "The Restaurant" but neither can Rocco. He doesn't even seem to be trying. He acts like a total jerk most of time and in random moments of kindness tries to make up for it. You would think someone who already has two restaurants would be able to handle it better.
shareOh believe me he was never in the kitchen
sharemy theory is that the entire show is staged. i am writing this on tuesday sept 30 2003, and im watching the reruns on bravo and im just finished watching the episode where gideon comes back from the hospital. i have noticed that one of the waiters, was on an episode of Queer eye for the straight guy. but he said he was in real estate. it doesnt make sense
I noticed him too. That guy was disgusting on QE. I wouldn't want him to wait on me.
shareI saw the same guy, Allen Cory on QEFTSGuy. If he really is in real estate, what was he doing as an actor on The Restaurant. I also have been watching the reruns on Bravo for the first time. This is a great reality show. This is my new second favorite show, after Queer eye for the straight guy.
Love the comments about the obvious sponsors of the show and the comment about "Look, they're towing Rocco's Mitsubishi Montero, you know, the full-sized SUV with room for seven full-sized people to ride in luxury." ROFL !!!
His profile on Bravo says he's a "Real Estate Speculator." In the show, they never say that he owns any property except his own. Just that he WANTS to get into real estate. Does anyone know which episodes with Allen were shot first? I can see the bravo crew in the restaurant probably saying to the staff, "Hey do any of you want to have your house made over by six gay guys for TV?" But if Queer Eye was shot first, it'd have to be an outrageous coincidence that Allen would be working at the restaurant.
shareWhich one is Allen?
sharehow does a waiter in a restaurant afford his own house
especially with the crap money hes making at rocco's
I though Allen was a runner, 'cause he was wearing the grean and white rugby shirt. Anyways, Im glad someone else noticed the connection too. I thought I was just seeing things. How strange.
shareI'm glad others noticed this too... I popped to this board specifically to bring it up. It really makes me wonder about these "reality" shows. Is this guy just an actor who got parts on both shows? I was really "into" The Restaurant, until I spotted this guy (yes, he looked like a runner to me, too) and immediately recogninzed him from Queer Eye. Does this mean none of those madeover guys are real? I'm so disillusioned...
shareAll the people that auditioned for the show are part-time actors or singers or whatever. People don't go into the Restaurant business to actually work in the Restaurant business. At least not when the place you'll be working at is going to be filmed each week.
This was just an opportunity for film wannabes to be seen by a huge audience each week. The fact that they had to serve food in the meantime was incidental I think.
So yeah it is possible you might well have seen some of these people doing other shows or whatever.
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Well they didn't hire people based on their culinary experience. They were really looking for the qualities you just described. Did they seem like they would create friction and thus "drama" each week (or at least what would become the show each week) for the tv show? Also looks were highly weighed.
No hunchbacks need apply in other words.
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