Top Chef Goodness: Catching Up with Season 10 

After taking a couple seasons off, I’m back on board the Top Chef train. I haven’t watched a reality show set in Seattle since The Real World did it back in the day. Seattle’s a city I have promised myself I’m going to visit someday so I’m appreciating the fact that while we get to watch some talented chefs work their way around a kitchen; we’re also learning a lot about the food history of Seattle. Plus, we get to see popular destinations like the Space Needle.

I’ve caught up on the four episodes that have aired. Some thoughts:

• I wouldn’t have been happy to see C.J., Josie and Stefan all of a sudden join the competition either.

• Having said that, I’m loving Josie thus far even though she messed up the Thanksgiving turkey. She’s so lucky she had immunity.

• I have a love/hate relationship with Stefan. I hate that I love him so much.

• Oh, C.J. He’s so tall and he’s cocky but so far he’s not backing up all the hype he’s had no problem serving up himself.

• I’m really sad that Kuniko is gone. And I desperately hope she prevails on Last Chance Kitchen. I won’t be mad if Chrissy takes it either. Anyone can as long as Carla doesn’t. She makes me anxious just watching her. My stress levels seriously go up when the cameras are focused on her.

• I’m totally digging the challenges so far. I don’t know how the producers keep things fresh but they do.

• Is it weird that I kind of have a TV crush on Hugh Acheson? He’s so odd. But I guess I like that about him. I also like the presence of both Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck more than I thought I would. And, you know, Tom, Gail and Padma can almost do no wrong in my book. Almost. Just don’t eliminate a cheftestant I love and we’re good.

• Things are so crazy this season as people who were in the bottom one second are being deemed the winner the next and vice versa. And the three returning cheftestants aren’t exactly running away with this thing, are they? Stefan finally impressed the judges this week while C.J. struggled. Josie has been champion and felt the agony of defeat (again, turkey). So just because you have experience in this competition setting doesn’t necessarily mean you have an advantage.

Thoughts on this week’s double elimination in “’50s Food Flashback”

• First, Kristen is already one of my favorites. She cooked simple (to her) dishes like crispy onions and mushrooms and walked off with the $10,000 prize. Wow. I’ve liked her since the first episode. So my eye is on her for sure.

• The elimination challenge of recreating a 1950s menu was genius. Even though those two brothers/owners of Canlis restaurant tried a little too hard for the cameras for my taste, I really respected their love for what their father built.

• Chrissy and Carla were eliminated for Chrissy’s overly soggy Canlis salad; and Carla’s hard-to-eat squab. Here’s the thing though: the judges kicked off the two girls when it could have easily been C.J. and Josh. The panel of experts talked equally as badly about their poorly prepared dishes. I think the men didn’t go anywhere because they both have a huge beef with John aka the most hated chef in Dallas. And that’s what makes good TV. That’s my theory today. Tomorrow? Who knows.

Last Chance Kitchen [SPOILER ALERT]

• OK, this is my very first experience with Last Chance Kitchen even though this is the second season of the online series. In LCK, chefs eliminated from Top Chef: Seattle battle each other for the right to get back into the competition.

• This week, the first four cheftestants cut in Top Chef: Seattle went up against each other in Last Chance Kitchen. The 11-minute plus webisode is currently on bravotv.com. I have to say it was a very entertaining and quick watch that featured Jeffrey, Chrissy, Carla and Kuniko battling each other for redemption and the right to stick around.

• Kuniko won this first episode and she got her coat back (yay!).

• I do know there’s another competition Bravo is kicking off called Save a Chef involving those that are cut from Last Chance Kitchen. The ultimate winner will earn a spot in the finals of the web series. For the next seven days, you can text for Carla, Jeffrey or Chrissy, or you can tweet to save one of the cheftestants using one of their hashtags – click here for details. There’s a new battle each week.

Top Chef: Seattle airs Wednesdays on Bravo at 10/9c with a new Last Chance Kitchen debuting right after at 11:01/10:01c.

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