Bravo has announced it is renewing 18 series and ordering 17 new ones, continuing to expand the network in the direction of its Real Housewives, advertising-as-storyline image. The upfronts announcements came a day after I realized that I no longer watch Bravo, now that Top Chef is off the air. But this release reminded me… continue reading
Top Chef Masters
Rick Bayless says Top Chef Masters producers tried to get chefs to drink during judging
Top Chef Masters concludes its third season tonight, and the show has changed a lot from its first season. Those changes have been both good and bad, but I do miss the talent, the camraderie, and the judges from the first season. So it’s a good time to revisit it via an interview with its… continue reading
Top Chef Masters renewed for a second season
The spin-off of Top Chef that in many ways eclipsed the original has been renewed by Bravo. Top Chef Masters will air its new season “some time in 2010,” The Los Angeles Times reports, noting that the first season “ranks as the network’s highest-rated reality competition series debut.” The identities of the established, world-renowned talent… continue reading
Rick Bayless wins near-perfect Top Chef Masters as Vegas season throws out twists
Top Chef Masters ended its first season perfectly last night, with the three remaining chefs–Rick Bayless, Michael Chiarello, and Hubert Keller–creating four-course meals based upon their lives as chefs. Rick Bayless, who owns Topolobampo, a restaurant in Chicago “that’s a favorite of the Obamas,” won the $100,000 prize for his charity, the Frontera Farmer Foundation…. continue reading
Top Chef Vegas debuts as Masters ends its great run; Padma says, “I don’t know how many seasons I have”
Bravo’s now-marquee reality show ends its spin-off and debuts its sixth season tonight in back-to-back episodes. First, Top Chef Las Vegas debuts in its new timeslot at 9 p.m. ET with a cast of 17, slightly older chefs that includes two brothers. After that, Top Chef Masters concludes at 10:15; a marathon of its entire… continue reading
Top Chef Masters is surprisingly delicious, Next Food Network Star is very satisfying, and Chopped is just filler
Usually, copycat shows tend to suck, but two food competitions on cable networks have done an excellent job of taking Top Chef‘s format to new levels, starting with a spin-off of that show, while an older food competition series has gotten even better with time. When Top Chef Masters was announced, I was extremely skeptical:… continue reading
Record ratings for Top Chef Masters debut
Despite having a new host and judges and a one-off episode format for the first six episodes, Top Chef Masters drew a record audience to Bravo. Its 1.37 million viewers represent “the highest rated Wednesday series premiere ever for the network in all key demos in the 10 p.m. time period” and a 96 percent… continue reading
Top Chef Masters cast announced; guest judges include Lost producers, Neil Patrick Harris
Bravo has announced the format and cast of Top Chef Masters, its spin-off series that’s a competition between world-renowned chefs. The network previously announced the series’ new host and judges. The competition is for charity–the winner gets $100,000 for his or her charity–and will unfold over 10 episodes starting in June. Bravo’s press release reveals… continue reading
Top Chef Masters will feature new judges, host
Bravo’s previously announced all-star Top Chef spin-off Top Chef Masters will feature a different cast from the regular series, with new judges and a new host. Tom Colicchio serves as a consulting producer for the series, but the judges will be Gael Green, who Bravo says is a “renowned restaurant critic”; James Oseland, a “culinary… continue reading