What possessed me to volunteer for Top Chef blogging duty? By 11 p.m. I am usually asleep in my comfy chair strategically located in front of the TV. Don't worry, serious eaters. I will persevere. I am your loyal and humble Serious Eats Top Chef correspondent, at least for the time being. And, by the way, I'm totally hooked. I have a Top Chef jones. In fact, I found myself really looking forward to tonight's episode, especially when I found out the first challenge involved hot dogs. I got to trot out the "dog eat dog" play on words. What else could a food writer want? Go, Eugene, Mr. Hawaiian, who started as a dishwasher, go. As for you, Stefan,... More

All right, Top Chef junkies. Listen up. Your jonesin' days are over for the time being. Tom, Padma, Gail, and the rest of the resident and guest experts have been joined by 17 aspiring top toques in New York City. Based on tonight's first episode, it's going to be a doozy of a season. My favorite introductory quote came from Daniel, a twenty-something chef from Babylon, New York: "I was so unnoticed for the longest time." You're 25, dude, how long could you have gone unnoticed? What's interesting to me is how quickly casual viewers like me immediately find people to root for in the very first show. Jaime the tattooed lesbian chef from where else—San Francisco—I'm with you.... More

Top Chef is back this Wednesday on Bravo at 10/9 central time with 17 new cheftestants in New York. "Bright knives, Big city" is their little mantra. The first quickfire will weed out the worst apple peeler. Each person has 15 apples to peel—but no peelers allowed, just knives. Tom Colicchio isn't messing around either. Too much apple flesh cut, and you're cut. Yes, somebody will leave the Big Apple for an apple. Watch clips from the first episode after the jump.... More

November 12th is the big day. Seventeen new cheftestants—from all over the world and with exotic-sounding names like Fabio and Hosea—will compete on New York turf. Padma, Tom, and Gail will all be back, but in Ted Allen's place comes British journalist and author Toby Young. The show sounds like a party. Expect cameos from: Martha Stewart, the Foo Fighters, Jean-Georges, Eric Ripert, Rocco DiSpirito, Wylie Dufresne, Jean-Christophe Novelli, and Natasha Richardson. After the jump, check out the list of cheftestants.... More

They may look like normal people (oh wait, they are normal people) but they're actually the next cast of Top Chef. Blogger Kurt Strahm waited outside the 20 Bayard building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—the luxe home of this season's cast members—long enough to see the four females and six males leave. According to Eater LA, the bald one in the green tee could be Los Angeles chef-turned-caterer Stefan Richter. Recognize any others from former meals? [via Eater]... More

©iStockphoto.com/Veni Remember the Real World locale guessing game? "I heard Los Angeles! No, it's totally New Orleans, stupid." The same intrigue and mystery now follows Top Chef, except sources like food blog Snack and now Grub Street have revealed that season five will in fact call New York home. Come July, you can whip out your camera phones and start stalking the wandering knife cases.... More