By DOUG STRASSLER
I have a problem. See, as an equal opportunity entertainment guy, I catch a lot. I watch a lot of movies, I listen to a lot of music, I see as many shows and concerts as the wallet will allow, and I watch a lot of TV – perhaps even as much as Mark does.  And the past season has seen me add more shows (Glee, Modern Family, Treme, White Collar) than I’ve deleted (but watch out, The Closer – you’re on the bubble!).
That’s one reason why I only enjoy a handful of reality competition shows – I’d rather spend my precious time watching the scripted stuff. I mean, the legitimately scripted stuff. But this weekend I hosted the three most awesome houseguests in the world, and when we weren’t out painting the town, we sat down and watched the most recent episodes from this season of Top Chef. It’s set in DC, the area where my friends live, and where I spent 12 years of my life, so I had a vested interest. Plus it’s about food, which plants it squarely in my wheelhouse.
Suddenly, I knew why I had avoided the show even as all my friends name-dropped this sous chef and that restaurant over the last six seasons and however-many spinoffs. It’s addictive as hell! I immediately recorded this week’s Chef.
But dear readers, I need your help. Do I dare make a permanent place in my schedule for the show? Below are a couple of my reservations (pun not intended, but I’m keeping it):
The formula seems too…formulaic. I’m a total newbie to this show, but in the quartet of episodes I’ve seen, the premise seems pretty standard and without surprise: a quickfire challenge followed by the main elimination competition. A couple of the contestants’ personality quirks are shown to highlight who might be on the slab, but so far, I’ve been able to call who’s gotten the boot every time. I’ve still liked the show, but I’m just sayin.’ Will it get too old too soon?
What do the judges do? They seem to merely repeat each other. And they don’t go into too much depth about what makes a dish particularly lazy or perfect. Furthermore, in one recent episode, “Cold War,†the competitors were given the chance to critique each other’s dishes and determine who the judges would name in the winners’ and elimination circles. As my friend Amy D. noted, why couldn’t the judges still deliberate and throw a wild card into each category to add a little suspense. Also, does Tom Colicchio smile?
Padma Lakshmi is a boring host. My favorite hosts demonstrate empathy for the contestants and work hard to bring some energy to their shows (see: Tom Bergeron and Alison Sweeney). Padma just stands there looking gorgeous but sounding wooden. Also, is her look natural or does she get Botox every day?
I haven’t found anyone to root for. I have liked some of the contestants but no one is so amusing or awesome that I’m on their side for the season (see: Adam Lambert and Santino Rice). But I have found someone to hate! Amanda is a passive-aggressive snoot who vastly overrates her cooking prowess and gloats like a little girl. I wish Kelly had taken all her salt and thrown it at her. That girl has got to go.
Watching it makes Doug hungry. But that’s really no one’s problem but my own.
So help me, my friends. Does Top Chef get a permanent setting in my DVR? Should I go back and watch other seasons? And which ones are the best? Who are you rooting for this season? And most importantly, what happened with the pea puree this week?
6 responses so far ↓
1 Suzannah // Jul 30, 2010 at 10:55 am
Top Chef is one of the best reality competitions out there. There isn’t much suspense but it’s always fun to watch, and I learn about food I’ve never thought of before. Padma is a bit dull, but she’s like Katy Perry next to Katie Lee Joel, who hosted the first season in excruciating fashion. Give it another week, Doug, and you’ll be fully roped in. (this coming from someone who watches Hell’s Kitchen… jesus.)
2 Doug Strassler // Jul 30, 2010 at 11:12 am
I’ve never seen Hell’s Kitchen either Suzannah, but I see Gordon Ramsay all the time on BBC-A and know I’d be a fan.
Also, does the Katy Perry comparison mean that whipped cream will shoot out of Padma’s bra in an upcoming episode?
3 Gonzalo // Jul 30, 2010 at 1:48 pm
I think I’m with Doug on this. While I’ve watched occasional episodes, and I’ve enjoyed them quite a bit, there’s always a few things keeping me from making it appointment TV. Fair warning: the closest point of comparison is Project Runway, so I’ll use that as my baseline here.
Though I don’t find the show that formulaic (not much more than most reality competition shows), I do agree on the stiffness of Padma and the judges. I feel like it’s missing the presence of a Tim Gunn, someone warm and willing to offer some constructive criticism and help while the challenges are going on (I mean, why did Tom Colicchio go into the kitchen in the last episode? He just walked around looking concerned). And the judges seem so hell-bent on being stern unlikable, it’s a bit off-puting. As critical as the PR judges can be, I still love them for their sharp and witty critic.
And on a side note: why didn’t the judges bring up the pea soup incident during the last episode? In PR, whenever there’s a point of contention between contestants, the judges will pick up on clues in their expressions, and inquire about what happened (or, realistically, they are probably warned by the producers, and proceed to milk the drama for all its worth). It felt so anti-climactic to not even know for sure whether Alex stole the pea soup (I mean, stealing soup would probably mean disqualification… why not amp up the drama while the judges review footage and listen to testimony to find out?).
But for me, the biggest problem is that I find the contest and judging inaccessible by nature. While it’s easy to judge the look of a dish, most of the criticism is about the taste of the food (understandably). So, unlike a show like Project Runway (or, to give other examples, any of the dancing/singing shows, or even Next Great Artist or whatever it’s called), where one can judge based on what we see or hear, it’s hard for me to get involved in the end results of each competition. Perhaps if I knew more about food and cooking, I’d be able to “imagine” what things would taste like (is that so? is it my lack of culinary experience that dampens my enjoyment?). But until TVs get a special dongle that will transmit the sensation into my taste buds, I think Top Chef will remain a casual acquaintance with this TV viewer.
4 Stacy // Jul 30, 2010 at 4:45 pm
i watched Top Chef with mild enthusiasm the first few seasons, but i have the same problem with this reality competition that i have with most others: most competitors are so insecure in their own abilities that the only thing they can do is malign the other players. And after a few weeks, it merely becomes a popularity contest. They decide if they don’t like someone on a personal level, their food must be shit.
Still, the occasional exciting food concept (or “flavor profiles” as the contestants seem to be saying endlessly) and the (usually) interesting challenges were entertaining, so i thought about muddling through again. But then, the culinary gods gave me a true gift in the form of Top Chef: Masters.
Masters is everything i wish Top Chef was – focused on real, sincere culinary talent and ingenuity, combined with generally amiable competition. The six Masters compete in their quick fires and elimination challenges, with winning chefs moving on to a top six who compete their way to the title of…well, Top Chef Master Master, I suppose. The challenges are usually throwbacks to earlier Top Chef “classics” and it’s sometimes a thrill to see a well respected chef putting their spin on something traditional like grilled cheese (or to watch them bomb, like one of my personal favorite chefs ever, David Burke, who imploded making an app for Mekhi Pfeiffer’s bday party. That’s right, Douglas, I said Mekhi Pfeiffer, not Omar Epps.)
Sure, these guys are still competitive as hell, but they have FUN. They’re playing for charities they really believe in, they like what they do, and in most cases they really like and respect each other – there is a palpable camaraderie that makes it more enjoyable to watch, because you have six really talented people cheering each other on, instead of a dozen or so miserable fucks who really only want the other person to lose.
I guess my short answer to your question is, no, don’t save space for TC. But when Masters comes on again, clear your whole damn DVR if necessary.
5 Mike // Aug 2, 2010 at 7:13 pm
First of all, I need to preface the comments I’m about to make with the fact that I am currently a culinary student and have been a foodie my whole life (thanks Dad)! I find TC to be the most legitimate cooking competition show on television. For the most part, all of the contestants of its seven seasons have been industry professionals. And, the challenges generally do throw them into situations that arise at one time or another in a persons culinary career. While you may see the show as “formulaic”, I believe this is a byproduct of the large number of contestants still in the competition, and from a culinary standpoint I have only seen one elimination where the wrong person went home. Knowing who’s leaving reassures me that my culinary sense is correct.
As for Padma, I have to disagree with you there. I think she fits the role well. She is more or less there to announce the challenges and introduce guest judges. And I find the fact that she is knowledgeable about food and therefore is a good judge makes her fit the TC formula. And, I’m pretty sure that is her natural look (I reference her first cooking show for evidence of this).
In fact, I find that the judges do explain what the problem with the dish is. And they do disagree quite often as is the case with the culinary world as a whole. Tom goes into the kitchen to get an idea of what they are doing and will often ask leading questions such as, “do you think you’ll finish?” He has said (even this season I believe) that he is not in there to help them, but more to get an idea of the direction they are heading.
OK, now the negatives. This season of TC seems to be a little… whats the word… defective. The talent level does not seem to be as high and the enthusiasm from the judges about the contestants is down. Also, I find there to be more subversive activities between contestants this season. That might be why you are having a hard time finding anyone to root for (I’m rooting for Kenny atm FYI).
That being said, if I were you, I would go back and watch season 2 and 5. Those were my favorite seasons. I might even tell you to watch season 1 just so you can understand that Padma is actually a good host for the show.
I think you should definitely record TC and its current and future spin-offs. I don’t necessarily think TCM is better, its just different. Happy watching, and Happy cooking.
6 Rehya // Aug 3, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Unfortunately, this season of Top Chef is not like any of the other seasons. The chefs this season seem like average line cooks. Last year was really sciting on the creative level — plus the battle between two brothers in the finals. I say check out all of the other seasons.
Leave a Comment