What to Expect from Tonight’s 'Top Chef Masters' Premiere
Photo from Bravo.com
Tonight at 10 p.m. ET is the premiere of Bravo's new Top Chef Masters—a "culinary clash of the titans," where 24 chefs will go head-to-head in the same sort of kitchen battles that fans of previous seasons have known to grow and love.
Only this time, instead of ambitious sous chefs and caterers, the contestants are those who have already earned their culinary fame and fortune—like Wylie Dufresne (WD-50), Graham Elliot Bowles (Graham Elliot), or Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill). With more talent in the kitchen, there's sure to be more drama at Judge's Table. It's one thing when judges like Tom Colicchio, himself an experienced chef, call out an uppity young cook for overcooked fish or excessively showy plates. It's another thing to say the same to a Michelin-starred chef like Dufresne.
Unfortunately, the contestants aren't shacking up together à la the Real World, so don't expect any off-hours antics. Rather than Padma, the show will be hosted by Kelly Choi of Eat Out NY, with "Insatiable Critic" Gael Greene, British journalist Jay Rayner, and Saveur editor-in-chief James Oseland at the Judge's Table. And instead of starting with the whole chef pool, each episode of the first six weeks will pit four chefs against each other—and only the winners move on to the next round.
What to expect tonight? Hubert Keller, Christopher Lee, Tim Love, and Michael Schlow will first make dessert for a crowd of demanding Girl Scouts, and then cook a three-course meal in a college dorm room. These chefs aren't quite in their element—not only does the head of a kitchen rarely whip up dessert, he doesn't need to wander through Whole Foods before each meal. "As a chef, I never shop," says Hubert Keller—and promptly loses his shopping cart.
The rest of tonight's action you'll have to discover for yourself. And after you do, let us know your reaction—what did you think of Top Chef Masters?
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27 Comments:
I'll bet good money that Kelly Choi is unbearably vapid and annoying as a host, judging by Eat Out NY.
At least she won't be wearing that black plastic trench coat, though.
DanielJ at 9:38PM on 06/10/09
so far...it's only okay. better than NFNS, but worse than real TC...I'm not super impressed.
veggieout at 10:29PM on 06/10/09
I was kind of hoping to see these chefs REALLY go at it with full kitchens and ingredients, but I am enjoying it. I also really enjoy each chef, no gimmicky personalities... yet.
cheesebreadbutter at 10:40PM on 06/10/09
The first episode has been quite pleasant - it's nice to see how the chefs interact with each other, and to see how they handle classic Top Chef challenges. The Girl Scouts were pretty cute as well. I miss the TC judges - while Kelly is competent, this group just isn't doing it for me. I'm happy with the winner. Not a bad series to tide us over until the next season of Top Chef.
studyzone at 10:59PM on 06/10/09
I liked it a lot. I love that it is real, established, top chefs. To those who complained about the roster and the lack of more big names, remember that these ARE big names, and from more than just the usual 2-3 big cities. Remember this is just season one - presumably they wanna roll this out for a few years. As much as I am not a huge fan of Gael Green, I like that these real chefs have a panel of three real critics.
Schlow summed up what I like most of all, that is was a humbling experience for the losers. In the same way that I actually like Bobby Flay better, after getting his ass kicked on Throwdown for a few seasons. Also shows just how hard the regular Top Chef season must be.
Big B at 11:16PM on 06/10/09
Hubert Kelley is now my hero. Clearly the winner of this bout for good reason.
Grumpy Old Man at 11:17PM on 06/10/09
Let's be honest, these guys can cook, they've got absolutely nothing to prove and they know it, so theyre just having fun with the whole thing, there's no extra sweating (except in the case of Michael Schlow) over what the judges will think. So might as well make it as difficult as possible and throw them out of their comfort zones. Of course it's not as entertaining or competitive as TC, its a completely different show.
I don't know about you, but the fact that we just saw Hubert prepare that awesome looking mac n cheese in a bathroom sealed the deal for me tonight.
BaguettenBrie at 11:26PM on 06/10/09
Kelly Choi was awful, as expected. Just reading off a script. Zero charm, zero personality, zero tolerance for her.
DanielJ at 11:38PM on 06/10/09
I like this. None of the BS in house drama and any smack talk is in good fun between people who respect each other. Can't wait for next week.
Jim Glover at 12:03AM on 06/11/09
I enjoyed it, but I really think they should have presented the dishes anonymously. The judges seemed more interested in smooching on Keller than they were in actually judging. If it's going to be this kind of party every week I'll be able to pick the winner based on resume before they even start cooking.
adrockuw at 12:27AM on 06/11/09
@adrockuw,
I agree with you that the dishes should be presented to the judges anonymously. That is the fairest ways to do things, no doubt about it. On the other hand, I started watching this rooting for Tim Love, a fellow Texan and the only chef I really knew anything about going in. Hubert Keller won this thing hands down, fair and square. No one of the contestants made a really bad dish as far as I could tell, but Keller's were better.
He adapted and overcame. He walked into the grocery store, looked at what they had on hand and decided on what to cook. The other chefs walked in hoping to find what they needed to cook something they knew well or wanted to cook. He did not whine or bellyache about the tools and conditions that he was saddled with and he did not make any major mistakes. That's why he won.
Grumpy Old Man at 12:54AM on 06/11/09
I was on a slow burn because of the gimmicks. I have long said that the weakest bits on TC are cooking for kids and making-something-out-of-the-snack-machine type stunts. For the love of Julia Child, let them cook real food for adults!
Both quickfire and main contest were gimmicky tonight. Aaarrgghhh!! At least they told them ahead that they were cooking for kids. The dorm deal was not so fair (from what viewers saw) as I don't think it was said whether the judges were college kids, sophisticated critics, or the combo. Hard to decide your dish w/o knowing the audience and weight of scores.
I second the motion that tasting be blind.
I think the judges were way more forgiving than they would be for the typical TC contestants. I was rooting for Tim, who they praised a bit for doing so well despite the freezer fiasco. Imagine what they would have said had one of the regular goofs made that mistake. Colichio would have crawled him good.
I hope the future contests are less gimmick, more real cooking chops. Congrats to Keller. He deserved it. I enjoy his PBS shows.
Remander at 1:29AM on 06/11/09
Bring back Padma. End of story.
tony2x at 1:40AM on 06/11/09
I really enjoyed it, but did they have to show it four times in a row? (at least according to my TV Guide page) I watched it, and then I thought they would show another episode, but it was the same one, over again. I turned off the TV at that point, so I'm not sure how many times they actually showed it. Still, I did enjoy it, and thought the best man won. (I also liked the hostess. I thought she was better than Padma...sorry! She just seemed to have more style.)
Carolina de Witte at 7:38AM on 06/11/09
I really enjoyed TCM! I came home from the gym early and squeezed in most of it before I had to leave for work.
I must say I really enjoyed this. It was nice to see professionals out of their comfort zone (sorry I really loved them trying to please girl scouts and cook in a dorm room) and really rock it! I was impressed .. haven't seen the end yet, but there was no spoilers in this .. it's obvious who the winner is, but I enjoyed everyone's effort!
TeriN at 8:42AM on 06/11/09
I enjoyed the show. I thought Hubert had a lovely whimiscal presentation with his quickfire challenge and it looked like all the components tasted great. Also his use of the shower for his mac and cheese was a classic. He really seemed pretty relaxed even when he lost his shopping cart. What fun!
dhorst at 9:09AM on 06/11/09
I liked it -- not as much fun as regular top chef, but neat to see these renowned chefs still making absolutely amazing food while out of their element. I also liked how collegial they were with each other -- it was refreshing and charming. I still can't wait for the next season of regular top chef to return, though ...
gbania at 9:22AM on 06/11/09
In terms of innovation and creativity, Hubert Keller seemed the more talented of the group by leaps and bounds. Plus he had the hot factor.
bionicgrrrl at 11:10AM on 06/11/09
I fell asleep. The food was interesting but the show was not. And I am a HUGE fan of the Top Chef show so I was really disappointed in this one.
I liked watching Hubert Keller though.
JoleyH at 11:55AM on 06/11/09
Enjoyed the show very much! I liked seeing the chefs out of their comfort zones, I liked seeing how they got creative and just plain enjoyed watching people who are really good at what they do...do it. Plus, I really liked that the chefs were friendly and nice to each other--seemed like real rapport going on among them. Looking forward to the whole season.
jsd517 at 12:51PM on 06/11/09
Kelly Choi major let down. Katie Lee Joel was a lot better than her. However, Padma is all time favorite
Overall, funny show and great cooking.
pookguy at 4:42PM on 06/11/09
Show is ok, more entertaining than Masterchef Australia (which is on right now, go check ISOHunt), but not as real as Masterchef Pro.
Worst part for me was the editor of Saveur (who was insufferable on Iron Chef as a judge), and the short time each contestant lasts on the show. I know it's a hard to tie up top people like this for more than a day or two at a time. But it seems like we are loosing some of the most entertaining people right after we met them.
peekpoke at 8:52PM on 06/11/09
Gotta disagree peekpoke. Kelly Choi could read a cue card without looking pained. That alone put her above KLJ.
adrockuw at 9:19AM on 06/12/09
I don't think there is "more drama"...at least not yet. Go Hubert Keller! I can't wait to find out who is competing with. Anyone know who is in the next episodes besides Wylie Dufresne?
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 11:27AM on 06/12/09
Masters is as exciting as an Ambien with a chamomile tea chaser...
Truff at 1:11PM on 06/15/09
Bring back Padma....the first episode was only OK...
elen55 at 1:17PM on 06/15/09
I enjoyed the "gimmicks". Let's face it, these chefs already have earned their toques. Now it is time to take them out of their comfort zones and make them sweat (but not like Michael - ew). I was rooting for Tim too, but Hubert was a class act from start to finish. They don't need the loft-drama. They already know and respect each other. This is really about showing their poise and creativity when things go south. Kelly is about as appealing as a plain rice cake, and she can leave any time.
flabookworm at 6:25PM on 06/15/09