On Hell's Kitchen

Does anyone here watch Hell's Kitchen, Fox's garish, ugly take on Top Chef? Season Five premiered last night and we were introduced to the Tool Academics that are this year's contestants. It's your typical crew of self-important, deluded gourmet wanna-bes and as per usual there are at least a couple (or three, or four, or twelve) misogynists in the bunch. And right off the bat we're introduced to a real winner. Giovanni, an executive chef from Florida, in his little get-to-know-me moment confesses he has quite the way with the ladies:

When I first started cooking, it was an easy way to get a girl to my house. Instead of taking 'em out to dinner, I could get 'em home—food is an aphrodisiac, then you pour a little wine onto that, and then you go on to the next [pause; smarmy grin] level.

And there it is, about five minutes into the episode, and we've a man practically admitting he rapes women, and it is presented unquestioningly, unblinkingly, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. It should be shocking and surprising to me, to everyone really, but it isn't. Rape culture: you're cooking in it.

[Cross-posted.]