The Monster Heel
People of a certain age may remember that there was a guy named Hulk Hogan who was one of the most recognized names in popular culture roughly a quarter century ago. He’s still around today as an occasional actor and game show host but in the mid-to-late 1980s into the early 90s he was an active pro wrestler, voiced his own Saturday morning cartoon and appeared in movies and television shows on a regular basis.
The reason for his popularity was only in part because of his own inherent look and charisma. Hogan was the quintessential all-American good guy. He was a big muscleman but gentle with the kids. He told everyone to work hard, say their prayers and take their vitamins and they would be as successful in life as he was (never mind the subsequent admissions of heavy steroid usage). He was a virtuous gentleman with the ladies. He was everything an American hero should be.
Of course, that wasn’t the whole reason for his success. As they say, every protagonist needs an antagonist. So it was over the years that Hogan faced a series of what in the wrestling industry are called “Monster Heels”. A Monster Heel is a seemingly-unstoppable bad guy who crushes all opponents. The Monster Heel must not only be seemingly unbeatable, he must also use devious means to ensure victory should he ever run into the slightest bit of trouble. And it helps if he’s a foreigner. Oh yes, how American audiences love to boo people born in other lands. Did you know Vince McMahon to this day has any foreign-born wrestlers announced as having hometowns in the U.S. if they’re good guys but lets them keep their national identities if they’re bad guys? Vince is locked in on the American psyche, no doubt about it.
The build up to a final confrontation between Hogan and Monster Heel Du Jour usually includes MHDJ defeating Hogan through some nefarious means and preferably leaving him beaten down, bleeding, and injured. The reason for this is to make Hogan’s ultimate and inevitable victory more exciting, and also to justify the fact that Hogan would inevitably cheat, lie and use whatever chicanery he could to overcome the monster. See, once someone cheats to defeat the hero the audience feels OK when the hero cheats to overcome the villain. It’s basic human nature. Vince McMahon has a policy that every major event ends with the hero beating the heel in the main event. So the all-American Hogan was always allowed to win in the end, ultimately vanquishing his evil, foreign opponent by any means necessary and it was a formula for success that generated millions, perhaps billions for Hogan and Vince McMahon over the years. It is a time tested formula recognized across the entertainment industry.
And this, my friends, is why Hosea beat Stefan to win Top Chef.
The similarities to me were striking over the last two episodes. Hosea obsessing and trash-talking Stefan while Stefan was the only challenger who helped or comforted hippie-girl Carla over the last two episodes. Hosea blatantly stealing foie gras that Stefan had already put aside and then taking all the caviar from the pantry so the other contestants wouldn’t have it. All of this is justified by Stefan’s perceived arrogance as he played the role of the foreign monster heel to the hilt throughout this past season of Top Chef giving the producers all the sound bites they wanted and crushing everyone in a record-setting string of challenge wins. He even produced what was, by consensus, the best single dish of the finale. However, the fix was in once a dessert wasn’t required. Desserts were Stefan’s strength all season long while Hosea was incapable of producing one and Carla screwed up just about every single one she tried to produce including the one in the finale. The producers knew they had to send their audience home happy by having the American Hero win the challenge so they stacked the deck knowing that even if Stefan produced a mediocre effort (which they indicated he did, though it looked good to me) it would be better than anything the others could do. The poor bastard never had a chance. Let the cash registers ring. That’s entertainment.
The reason for his popularity was only in part because of his own inherent look and charisma. Hogan was the quintessential all-American good guy. He was a big muscleman but gentle with the kids. He told everyone to work hard, say their prayers and take their vitamins and they would be as successful in life as he was (never mind the subsequent admissions of heavy steroid usage). He was a virtuous gentleman with the ladies. He was everything an American hero should be.
Of course, that wasn’t the whole reason for his success. As they say, every protagonist needs an antagonist. So it was over the years that Hogan faced a series of what in the wrestling industry are called “Monster Heels”. A Monster Heel is a seemingly-unstoppable bad guy who crushes all opponents. The Monster Heel must not only be seemingly unbeatable, he must also use devious means to ensure victory should he ever run into the slightest bit of trouble. And it helps if he’s a foreigner. Oh yes, how American audiences love to boo people born in other lands. Did you know Vince McMahon to this day has any foreign-born wrestlers announced as having hometowns in the U.S. if they’re good guys but lets them keep their national identities if they’re bad guys? Vince is locked in on the American psyche, no doubt about it.
The build up to a final confrontation between Hogan and Monster Heel Du Jour usually includes MHDJ defeating Hogan through some nefarious means and preferably leaving him beaten down, bleeding, and injured. The reason for this is to make Hogan’s ultimate and inevitable victory more exciting, and also to justify the fact that Hogan would inevitably cheat, lie and use whatever chicanery he could to overcome the monster. See, once someone cheats to defeat the hero the audience feels OK when the hero cheats to overcome the villain. It’s basic human nature. Vince McMahon has a policy that every major event ends with the hero beating the heel in the main event. So the all-American Hogan was always allowed to win in the end, ultimately vanquishing his evil, foreign opponent by any means necessary and it was a formula for success that generated millions, perhaps billions for Hogan and Vince McMahon over the years. It is a time tested formula recognized across the entertainment industry.
And this, my friends, is why Hosea beat Stefan to win Top Chef.
The similarities to me were striking over the last two episodes. Hosea obsessing and trash-talking Stefan while Stefan was the only challenger who helped or comforted hippie-girl Carla over the last two episodes. Hosea blatantly stealing foie gras that Stefan had already put aside and then taking all the caviar from the pantry so the other contestants wouldn’t have it. All of this is justified by Stefan’s perceived arrogance as he played the role of the foreign monster heel to the hilt throughout this past season of Top Chef giving the producers all the sound bites they wanted and crushing everyone in a record-setting string of challenge wins. He even produced what was, by consensus, the best single dish of the finale. However, the fix was in once a dessert wasn’t required. Desserts were Stefan’s strength all season long while Hosea was incapable of producing one and Carla screwed up just about every single one she tried to produce including the one in the finale. The producers knew they had to send their audience home happy by having the American Hero win the challenge so they stacked the deck knowing that even if Stefan produced a mediocre effort (which they indicated he did, though it looked good to me) it would be better than anything the others could do. The poor bastard never had a chance. Let the cash registers ring. That’s entertainment.
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