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Kitchen Nightmares Top Chef 10

Top Chef gets a 10th season to hopefully find its way out of its formulaic rut; Kitchen Nightmares renewed

by Andy Dehnart 2 Feb. 2012 | 12:53 pm

Bravo has renewed Top Chef for a 10th season, despite the pretty disappointing season that’s currently airing. The 10th season is currently casting and will tape in May for broadcast later this year. In quasi-related food reality TV news, Fox’s Gordon Ramsay vehicle Kitchen Nightmares has been renewed for a fifth season.

As to Bravo’s show, it’s hard to believe that just a year ago one of its best seasons ever, Top Chef All-Stars, was airing, only to be followed by a dumbed-down Top Chef Masters, absurdly formulaic Top Chef Just Desserts, and a pretty weak Top Chef Texas that did manage to air one of the show’s best episodes ever.

In The Daily Beast yesterday, Jace Lacob detailed why the show “has never felt quite so irrelevant and predictable”, and points out that they’re rarely allowed to just cook.

That’s exactly it, and what made the Charlize Theron episode so awesome: each chef was able to create a one dish by themselves. That’s it. No phony team drama, no making 600 portions for 500 guests while standing in a swimming pool in 110-degree heat. Just showcasting their skills as a chef under intense pressure. Imagine that!

I think a lot of network executives and reality show producers are under the impression that a show must continue to top itself and get ever-crazier to keep viewers’ attention. Things do need to change, but good casting can solve most of that, and incremental changes to the formula can keep things fresh, as Survivor has proven, even with its occasional missteps. Stick to what you do best and viewers will show up and stick around.

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about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart’s writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Vulture, Pacific Standard, The Los Angeles Times, and other publications. He has covered reality television for more than 18 years, and created reality blurred in 2000.

A member of the Television Critics Association who serves on its board of directors, Andy, 41, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. Learn more about reality blurred and Andy.

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about reality blurred

reality blurred is your guide to the world of reality TV and unscripted entertainment, with reality show reviews, news, and analysis. It was created in 2000 by Andy Dehnart. He's still writing and publishing it today.

reality blurred is regularly updated with highlights from the world of reality TV: news and analysis; behind-the-scenes reports; interviews with reality TV show cast members and producers; and recaps and reviews of these reality TV shows, including Survivor, Big Brother, The Great British Baking Show, Shark Tank, The Amazing Race, The Bachelor, Project Runway, Dancing with the Stars, Top Chef, and many more.

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