The Mean Brit: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

{{quote|''"(contestant name), I thought it was horrendous."''|'''Simon Cowell''', many times}}

Compare and Contrast [[Evil Brit]].

 

* As mentioned, Cowell on ''[[American Idol]]'' and ''Britain's Got Talent''. He's known for his "No... I won't send you home" approach, his cases of hitting his fellow judges' klaxons in ''Britain's Got Talent'' and his put-downs, usually to [[Hopeless Auditionees]]. Granted, generally he's simply telling the truth, but does so in such a blunt way that it could only be taken as offensive.

** Some ''American Idol'' viewers took to saying "Paula will give you a pass if you're nice, Randy will give you a pass if you're black, but Simon will only give you a pass if you can ''actually sing.''"

* Toby Young on ''[[Top Chef]]''. He started out as this trope in trumps, his comments about the contestants' food being incredibly snarky and including comparisons to WMDs and cat food. He admitted in his blog on Bravo that he had no idea what the show was about when he accepted the job, and assumed that what the producers were hiring him for was to be the Mean Brit. Once he realized that he was expected to actually critique the food, not just criticize it, he got a bit better. But not enough better to get the producers to keep him on for another season, though.

* "Nasty" Nigel Lythgoe (who is bringing his show to the UK) held the title before Simon Cowell.

** He tends to keep his temper relative to his expectations: screw-ups by professionals in the culinary - restauranter, chef, waiter, etc.(who should know better) - will get the full brunt of his wrath, while non-professionals (like those who appear on ''[[The F Word]]'') are treated much more patiently by Ramsay.

 

* Yahtzee's fellow ''[[The Escapist|Escapist]]'' contributor Jim Sterling, of Jimquisition.

 

* The [[Anthropomorphic Personification]] of England in ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' is cynical, bad-tempered, and has a sharp tongue, but he does occasionally show a softer side.

 

* Simon Cowell as himself in the rap battle scene in ''[[Scary Movie]] 3''.

 

* Begley in ''[[Neurotically Yours]]'' is British. He's also very mean, but so is pretty much everyone else.

* David Mitchell's "incredibly posh and aristrocratic" character in ''[[That Mitchell and Webb Look]]''. He takes a number of different jobs like waiter, clothes store clerk, or vicar. He always gets contrasted to "that friendly australian girl" who used to work in his place.

* The ''[[Psych]]'' episode "American Duos" parodies ''American Idol'', with [[Tim Curry]] playing the Simon Cowell role.

 

* ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' gives us Zaeed Massani: [[Bounty Hunter]], [[Sociopathic Hero]] and borderline [[Psycho for Hire]]:

{{quote|'''Zaeed:''' ''"Walk it off, Commander. A little poison never hurt anyone."''}}

* Shaun Hastings in ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'', especially to Desmond.

 

* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' got Simon Cowell to play a parody of himself as a staff member at an exclusive preschool in which Marge was trying to enroll Maggie. At the end of the episode, Simon's snark finally pushes Homer to violence...and he proceeds to ''criticize Homer's beating''.

{{quote|'''"Simon":''' Ooh, again with the chin. I have a nose, you know. ''(punch sound, thud)''}}

** He also criticises [[Credits Gag|the show's credits]] and makes special note of how [[Lampshade Hanging|unoriginal his own appearance is]].

** There's also a Simpsons short where he plays as [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s66wTXO2F3g a really hopeless contestant]. An interesting role reversal, to be sure.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:National Stereotyping Tropes]]

[[Category:Fountain of Expies]]

[[Category:Reality TV Tropes]]

[[Category:The Jerk Index]]