During Seasons 1 and 2 of Top Chef, I was a rabid fan (Team Harold! Team Marcel!). Now? Eh, not so much.
It used to be a novel idea: make people cook stuff in various situations and then eliminate them based on whose food is the worst.
Top Chef introduced the world to Katie Lee Joel and then to Padma Lakshmi. I'm not sure why producers thought Padma would be a better fit for the show than Katie was. They're both different shades of uninteresting and uninspiring.
Chef Tom seemed irritated after the suggestions by the Season One audience that he should be more like Tim Gunn. I watch Project Runway and love Tim Gunn. Chef Tom is no Tim Gunn. And, as if he knows this about himself, he says in the Season Two opener that he isn't there to mentor these kids.
Also? When did Chef Tom start trying to be like Anthony Bourdain? One Bourdain is enough, thank you very much.
Also? Every season these contestants seem confused as to what's going on. I was trying to catch up on Season Three and there was a team challenge episode. I love team challenge episodes because they up the drama factor. Remember 'I'm not your bitch, bitch'? Yeah, that was a team challenge. Anyway, during this challenge all of the contestants seemed confused about the idea of a team challenge. Guys, did you not see any of Season Two? No? Any of Season One, then? This is how it always goes.
One upside to Top Chef this season, though, is more Ted Allen. Ted Allen is awesome. He's all snarky and sweet and he makes me want to have him over for dinner until I remember that I watch Top Chef because I can't cook. He could be all Tim Gunn with these kids, but he's not. Instead we get Anthony Bourdain's 'what's your major malfunction' line. Again. Dude, didn't you say that about Mikey last year when he made that monochromatic plate of sides? That, by the way, was genius. I love corn and potatoes so screw the modern convention that food can't be monochromatic.
Anyway, I used to love Top Chef. And now I don't. I mean, it's okay, but it's nowhere near the glory days of Tiffany snarking at Dave or Cliff holding Marcel down and trying to shave his head.
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