Top Chef starts tonight!

[Harry B]

Am I the only one that's bummed that Colicchio isn't going to be on Top Chef Masters? I understand why, but I'm still bummed.

What is Top Chef Masters? And why wouldn't Colicchio be on it? I don't know the answers to this yet I'm oddly still bummed.

[Osquip]

What is Top Chef Masters? And why wouldn't Colicchio be on it? I don't know the answers to this yet I'm oddly still bummed.

It's where already established chefs compete for charity. I think it's going to feature a lot of the guest judges. I think the format is more like Chopped than Top Chef.

[Adult Ed]

It's where already established chefs compete for charity. I think it's going to feature a lot of the guest judges. I think the format is more like Chopped than Top Chef.

That's disappointing. Chopped is a train wreck.

I have a hard time believing that anyone is going to look at Wylie Dufresne or Hubert Keller and say "This was garbage" - even though, eventually, some excellent chef will have something fail badly.

I already hate this judge's attitude:

Why so grumpy? This is a great gig!

[scamboogah]

I hope you like pube-stache and jew-fro in your food...

[BFH]

Colicchio will be making appearances on TCM.

[Sarah]

I had no idea he was interested in classic movies.

[olwiggum]

Well, at least he'll be on there a little bit.

I was looking around at the Top Chef section on Bravo's site yesterday and it looks like the next season is going to be in Las Vegas. There aren't any other details about when it will start or anything like that.

[littlegirltree]

I had no idea he was interested in classic movies.

Maybe he's just interested in Robert Osborne.

[yumitree]

first episode.
-why were the silhouettes of the other finalists also hubert keller? are they cloning him for an all keller final? is it that hard to get a generic human silhouette?
-poor tim love. i really like him after this episode and his recent appearance on bizzare foods.
-kelly choi creeps me out... and not just because i hate the orientals.

[scamboogah]

-why were the silhouettes of the other finalists also hubert keller? are they cloning him for an all keller final? is it that hard to get a generic human silhouette?

That's so funny. I thought the same thing. Its' such an obvious magician-like photo that cloning it made it pretty obvious.

The one thing that's missing from this show is any sense of need on the part of the contestants. "Oh, I lost, I guess I'll have to go back to my 3 michelin starred restaurant that I own..."

Also, we understood the nature of the charities you were all playing for by the 4th or 5th time they were mentioned... March of Dimes helps kids? Who knew?

[isoS]

Hubert Keller is my new hero. Acclaimed chef by day... DJ by night!

[dorothy mantooth]

I liked watching the chefs, like unfrozen cavemen, trying to figure out how to use the microwave.

[Adult Ed]

Holy crap! A meaningful Quickfire! Note to Top Chef: This makes the show better.

The one thing that's missing from this show is any sense of need on the part of the contestants. "Oh, I lost, I guess I'll have to go back to my 3 michelin starred restaurant that I own..."

I had the exact opposite feeling. Because the chefs had nothing to lose, they were really loose when they weren't cooking and really confident when they were. Their stew room scenes were great. In private interviews there was no need to try to denigrate the other contestants or to puff their chests and the respect that they had for their opponents (and, I think, the reverence for Keller) was refreshing.

As for the judges, Gael Greene was not the sourpuss her mein suggested she would be and the British guy wasn't the Toby Young-esqe lead balloon factory I expected (and seemed to be generally positive, actually). The guy from Saveur, however, never had anything interesting to say.

Keller really seemed to be in a class by himself. A nimble, playful mind and decades of experience to draw from. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season. (Comedy dork note: Keller's Las Vegas Fleur de Lys was name-checked on Werewolves and Lollipops. I think.)

[scamboogah]

Unless Elizabeth Faulkner gets all pastry-related challenges, I think the whole thing comes down to Keller vs. Wylie Dufresne. Those guys are head and shoulders above the other competitors and everyone knows it.

[Adult Ed]

Unless Elizabeth Faulkner gets all pastry-related challenges, I think the whole thing comes down to Keller vs. Wylie Dufresne. Those guys are head and shoulders above the other competitors and everyone knows it.

Rick Bayless and John Besh are two guys who I know are in the same league.

[scamboogah]

Rick Bayless and John Besh are two guys who I know are in the same league.

Rick Bayless has to be a sex offender, right? He wins my award for Top Creepiest Chef, hands down. And while much of Bayless' food looks great, his whole gimmick is that he's a white guy making authentic, high end Mexican food in Chicago. I'm willing to bet there are 20 or 30 chefs in Mexico City that are cooking at a higher level than him.

I like Besh's personality, but have never been completely blown away by anything he's cooked. Sure, he probably got robbed out of being the next Iron Chef because he didn't have an infectious, joker-laugh like Symon, but at the same time, I've never seen him cook anything that has stunned me like most of Keller's dishes did last night.

[crlygrl]

I wish I liked this show. I'm just not into it..... yet.

[MrDys]

Anyone know where I can watch this online. It's fucking infuriating that Bravo refuses to put its full episodes on hulu.

[scamboogah]

Hubert Keller is my new hero. Acclaimed chef by day... DJ by night!

Add Glitter to Pictures

[BFH]

I was at the premiere party and passed a guy I thought looked liked Aziz Ansari. Turns out from the link, it was! Shoulda said hey.

I must dispute the above post by yumitree. Kelly Choi is awesome. And gorgeous. And TALLLLLLL.