Top Chef Seattle became a bizarre combination of Hell’s Kitchen, Iron Chef, and American Idol for its finale, concluding its “back to basics” season by crowning its second female winner after a misguided, suspense-free live competition. First, I’m thrilled Kristen Kish won, defeating Brooke Williamson, although Brooke would have been a deserving winner, too. Kristen… continue reading
Top Chef 10
Bravo’s shows mocked by SNL; Top Chef’s product placement mocked by The Onion
Top Chef‘s increasing product placement has become the subject of satire in The Onion, while SNL parodied Bravo’s Real Housewives-style shows and their spin-offs. The best part of The Onion’s video, below, is the cleverly edited Top Chef footage, which makes it both farcical and satirical. Yet it’s not that far off from reality despite… continue reading
Top Chef judges’ credibility-destroying decision wasn’t unanimous
This season of Top Chef Seattle was supposed to be “back to the basics,” with Bravo promising that “the competition goes back to the basics, with culinary challenges that require a mastery of the primary skills of a chef.” Instead, what we got last night was one of the best chefs this season eliminated not… continue reading
Top Chef promises “back to the basics” for Seattle season, which Wolfgang Puck will judge
Top Chef has added Wolfgang Puck as a judge along with Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Hugh Acheson, and Emeril Lagasse, and will be going “back to the basics” for its 10th season, according to Bravo. The network just formally announced that the season, which debuts Nov. 7, is set in Seattle (although that wasn’t exactly… continue reading
Top Chef appears to be in Seattle for season 10
Seattle appears to be the location of Top Chef‘s 10th season, as location scouts–and host Padma Lakshmi–have been spotted around the city. This isn’t a surprise: In February, the city said the show was considering it, but only if Seattle paid $200,000 to $300,000. Last season, San Antonio paid $200,000 to be featured in several… continue reading
Seattle may host Top Chef, if the city pays enough ($200-300K)
After being considered for years, Seattle is on the verge of being selected as the next host of Bravo’s Top Chef, although another city is in contention, and it will cost the city $200,000 to $300,000. The other finalist is possibly Portland, Seattle Met suggests. “They really want to be here, but they need to… continue reading
Top Chef gets a 10th season to hopefully find its way out of its formulaic rut; Kitchen Nightmares renewed
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… continue reading