Nice beginning. The chefs this season are fun and fiery.

As a recent culinary school student I'm appalled that Patrick couldn't win the brunois challenge. At my school, you didn't pass if you couldn't brunois your ass off. Sigh. He was going to struggle with complexity of flavors simply because he has never been a chef but knife skills should have been his forte. I'm sorry to see the gay boy go but he failed.

Go Team Rainbow!

I like this season's cast a lot. Seems like a good group but I'm sorry to see Patrick go. When you have a 20-year culinary veteran on the chopping block against a newbie like Patrick, I think they should've kept him over her.

Yay!! The new season is finally here! Am hoping for some good drama this time around. I don't have any pesky "he's so dreamy" attractions to get in the way of me enjoying the show on its own merits (unlike Ryan from last year). I'm liking the cast already, for the most part. I kept waffling on which of the bottom two should go. Kinda figured it would be Patrick, but am still not sure it was the right call. Either way, glad the show is back!

Glad the show has started again too. As far as the "he's so dreamy" thing, I have to give it a couple of weeks. usually one of the guys kinda grow on me, like Dale did 2 seasons ago. But there are quite a number of good looking ones there this time around. Probably making up for the last season...

After one episode, I think I like this cast. There are interesting "characters" on the show. I bet that the guy from Finland? is in the finals. I am kinda hot for the bearish member of Team Rainbow. Some of the women are not memorable at all. In fact 3/4 of the way through the episode, I asked "Who the hell is that? Have we seen her before?" regarding one of the girls.

The elimination challenge was interesting and a nice twist on the head to head challenge.

I was sad to see Patrick go but not surprised, given his relative lack of experience.

So far, this season of Top Chef looks good in terms of talent and personalities. I hope, after the relative disappointment of Project Runway, that Top Chef lives up to expectations.

I didn't catch the season premiere but saw the 2nd episode last night, and OMG... Richard is just adorable. In his bio, it was mentioned that he also works at Pecs in Sand Diego.... so he may be gay.

It was established in the season premiere that Richard is gay. He and Jamie are the remaining members of "Team Rainbow". Padma had Patrick, the third member, pack his knives and go in the first episode.

Richard is just, nice. Plus he has a really great sense of humor and I love that. Funny how last season my partner was all over Ryan and this season I'm all over Richard.

I am worried though, the previews for next weeks episode show Richard in front of the judges. Either he's in the top three or the bottom three. GULP!

Seriously Ariane needs to go. When Padma spits out your food, it's NOT GOOD! But Jill committed the sin of simply being boring.

I think Jill might have stayed except for the fact that she sounded like an absolute moron in defending her dish. Ariane's cooking might have been worse, but at least she didn't sound lame in front of the judges.

Richard is starting to grow on me, and so is Fabio. As a rule, my favorites either get knocked out midway through the show or stay till the end, so we'll see.

This is a good season so far. I was actually happy to see Richard go. Team Rainbow, gay bear icon Tom Colicchio -- dude, we get it, you're gay. You don't have to mention it every single sentence (though the edit room does bear most of the blame for that).

The main problem with Top Chef is that you don't know how the food tastes. The viewer has to trust the judges' judgment and we all know what kind of crap goes on behind the scenes of these 'reality' shows. The fact that most of the losers knew their dish sucked and said something about it has given the show a little more credibility than usual.

It's uncommon for a chef not to defend his dish. We were taught to sell it hard (unless it's completely inedible.) Much in the way a real estate agent calls a small apartment "cozy" or and older building "quaint" we call under-cooked food, "al dente" and a sloppy presentation "rustic."



I'm enjoying this season quite a bit. The challeneges have been fun, I love Fabio and I'm really curious where this Hosea-Leah thing is going to go. Could we actually have our first hook-up on Top Chef?

I liked Richard a lot and was sorry he got booted off so early, although I agree that he overdid the "Wow! I'm gay" routine. Still, he was certainly easy on my eyes and seemed like a genuinely nice guy.


Fabio is also a choice piece of eye candy, but his Europe vs. U.S. shtick is starting to get under my skin. (Stefan does the same routine, but less often.) I suspect that he's heading for a fall before too much longer -- seems like the more blatantly egotistical chefs usually get the boot midway through the season. (Witness Dale from last season.)

Jinkies - I had to go searching for this thread to post something. Have people given up on this season? I will admit that it hasn't been the most riveting, but it's still entertaining. I wanted to post just to bitch about Hosea and Leah's interest in one another and how the producers keep showing it. Well, since they kissed in the last episode (they are both in relationships), things got tense in the kitchen and they had problems working together. How I wanted one or the other to lose and go home so I wouldn't have to hear about their stupid "oh we like each other, but we're taken, but we like each other, but we're taken..." routine. Shut up! We know!

Anyway, otherwise, I'm still enjoying it. I think Carla should have been gone a while ago, but am glad she's around still because she makes us laugh. Was interesting that Radika got the boot last week - you could see the stress on her face from about twenty minutes into the show. She didn't handle things well and it showed. Should she have gone home over Carla? I dunno, but like I said, I have no problem with Carla staying one week longer.

Anyone else sick of Stefan's smugness? Makes me want to punch him. I actually find him more annoying than Hung from two seasons ago. Well, mabye they're about the same. At least Hung wasn't trying to get a lesbian to find him attractive.

We still watch it regularly, and we were so disappointed when Arianne got the boot. she looked promising. Her restaurant is two towns away from us, and we'll give it a try sometime soon.
As for Carla... I have to give it to her though. She may have deserved to go a long time ago, but she always get pitted with someone who's really screwed it. So, she gets lucky, but now that they are past half point of the competition, I think her luck would run out soon, but I REALLY like her presence.
As for Stefan--- well, he's really smug and unattractive. At the beginning of the recent episode, I just wished he'd really f**k it up and go away, but when they raved about his desserts, I begin to imagine blowing him. Weird.

Is it me or does Carla remind anyone else of JarJarBinks (sp?) from 'Star Wars'? She is totally entertaining.

Leah should have been gone the week Ariane was booted.

Gonna be hard to beat Stefan.

Stefan does seem pretty infallible. I can't think of anything bad anyone has said about his food except maybe it was "okay." I'm finding myself rooting for Jeff. He's kinda the Brian Malarkey of this season because he overthinks and usually does too much but he seems to be a really good chef. I guess Jamie would be my second fave.

I like Jamie as well. And I agree with Maddog about Jeff--- it is really commendable to think and deliver outside the box, but with the limited time, he needs to scale it down a little bit. I am an amateur baker and work with fondants and gumpaste, and whenever I try something daring, I practice part of it first (whatever I want to try something different) before I make the final product, and that takes a lot of time.
But I have a lot of respect for these men and women... specially during the quick fire... I mean, how do you come up with the idea and deliver in just a few minutes... still blows my mind.

Congrats to Carla for winning an elimination challenge! We were very happy to see her win and you could tell she was genuinely excited to come out on top. Sort of surprised to see Jeff go home - thought it would be Fabio since they had nothing nice to say about his venison dish. I liked Jeff, but I can live without him being there. Fabio has a more engaging personality, so I'm fine with him sticking around longer. Overall, I liked this episode and thought it was one of the more fun ones of this season.

yeah... I thought Fabio was going last night. but I think it all boiled down to the sensation value that Fabio is more interesting to watch than Jeff. I liked Jeff---
but good for Karla!!! i thought her eyes would finally come off the socket, but she really deserved that.

Fabio staying is just an example of how much the producers play a part in the final decision. Far more engaging than Jeff so he stays. I also think part of the reason Leah is still around is due to the Hosea intrigue.

On the nosy TC. It's very annoying.

Another thing annoying about the Super Bowl challenge is that Jeff didn't lose to any of his competitors. He lost to someone from another season. That is the only thing his food was compared to.

And there's a really good chance that because Season 5 had such a huge lead going into Jeff's Head-to-Head, the judges were leaning against him anyway so the 7th matchup would be the all exciting finish. They probably prepared beforehand which number spots they would pan so that the scores would be close coming down to the wire. I think there was once or twice where the judges said no to the Season 5 chef and the audience picked them overwhelmingly 5-0 or 4-1.

The unfairness of these shows is starting to wear on me.

But the up side of it is Carla staying so long. She is hilarious!

Hootie?

OHMYGAWWWWDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah I bet she gets fan favorite this year.

Fan favorite will either be her or Fabio. I can see him winning votes with his charm.

This season continues to be wretched as long as that what's her name...Leah? is still there. She's Top 6? Really?

Carla is a hoot. I'm not sure she's even close to a Top Chef, but I Love her. She's a walking, talking muppet!

Top 3 - Stefan, Hosea and Jaime.

MDG, I like your top three altho if Jaime cooks one more scallop...

Bullcrap. Just BULLCRAP! I can't believe I actually yelled at the TV tonight. If Stefan doesn't win, this will, IMHO, be the worst season of Top Chef.

Right there with you. Worst elimination ever. Who the hell is Leah sleeping with to stay each week?

Worst season, lowest skill level of chefs.

Producers may try to shake it up and not have Stefan win but he is far and away the best.

I'm just enjoying the fact that Carla is still in... she's just so animated. I don't really care if she is the best cook or not, but she has entertainment value to me. And isn't that TV is all about?
Anyway, Fabio is really charming, and I am starting to like Stefan. He's just one of those people who does thing well, on time and not messy--- I bet he can fillet a live chicken on his bathroom floor and it would be salmonella free.
Hosea and Lea? My partner gets so agitated when he sees them--- I just laugh. I think my Wednesday TV night will be much better if they get eliminated.

Thanks to my insane work schedule, I've nearly lost track of all things "Top Chef." Can some kind soul please give me a rundown of who's been eliminated in the past 3 weeks? I know that Carla, Fabio (ugh) and Stefan are still in, but I'm not sure who else is still around.

Incidentally, Carla's doing a lot better than I thought she would. I hope she makes it to the finals — she's funny, genuinely caring and a treat to watch. I wouldn't mind marrying her -- if I were the marrying type.

It's Fabio, Stefan, Hosea, and Carla (the self proclaimed "tortoise") - and when she said that, I saw the resemblance. She has cracked my ass up.

She won't win but you got to love Carla. That girl needs her own cooking show!

my partner couldn't stand her at the beginning of the season... saying why is she still there... but i always liked her. so i am sooooo soooo glad that she's still in, and my partner couldn't contain his joy when she made it in!!!

I think if either Carla or Hosea had failed, Jeff would be in the final 3. But as "luck" would have it, the guy they've been pimping all season was in the bottom 2 and they couldn't eliminate him. Stefan doesn't even seem care anymore. He knows it's in the bag so he doesn't even seem to be trying. I would love to see Carla pull this out.

Carla has been a breath of fresh air in reality TV. I think she'll be surprised when she is recognized everywhere she goes now. She's got a distinctive look! Fan favorite definitely but I don't see her winning it all.

he's been on the slicing board twice in a row... and you are right Maddog, he think he's got it now. I am not a big fan of Hosea, but if Carla doesn't get the title, I wouldn't be bummed if Hosea wins, but I would be irked if Stefan gets it even though he is a good chef.

As I posted before, I think this was the least-skilled season. There were alot of bad meals served, moreso than any other season by my memory. Maybe the producers went for potential drama instead. I think Season One had the most talented group of chefs.

I really enjoyed the last episode. I wish Fabio would have made it, but it was fun while it lasted. I kind of want Carla to win only because I Luv Hah. Her dishes seem so simple so they must really taste good because the judges are loving it.

It seems like they are setting up the show to be Hosea vs. Stefan but Carla may have called it a couple of weeks ago when she referred herself the Tortoise and ends up beating the two rabbits to win the race.

I'm rootin for a Stefan v. Carla match.

Even this post is a pretty reflection of what a mediocre season this was. Last night's finale doesn't even get noted here (until me, that is). What to say except disappointing finale to a disappointing season.

Never really felt strongly about Hosea one way or the other.

Love Miss Carla though and I hope good things for her.

Hosea started working my last nerve...

Gotta love Stefan.

Hosea is the kind of "professional reality show contestant" I hate. All he does is talk about the process and the show. He wants to beat Stefan, he wants to impress the judges, he wants to win challenges, he wants to avoid the bottom three, he wants to prove to people that he's "the best" (at what?). Within the confines of the show, he'll stop at nothing to help his own cause and hurt the cause of his competitors. When he does talk about his actual desires or seem to act like a real person, it is filtered through a smarmy realization of what will and won't make it on camera. The supposed fling with Leah was perfectly timed to shepherd the two of them through the middle of the season.

I was going to say that I feel bad for Carla, but I don't. It's a TV show...life goes on.

Was very happy to see that Stefan did NOT win. Top Chef already had a jerk win in the past (Hung) and didn't need another one. I was going to be fine with either Hosea or Carla winning. That Carla didn't do well disappointed me. Once again, Casey blows a final (but for someone else this time). I did feel badly for Carla because she knew she strayed from what got her to the finals. She knew the move had just cost her any chance of winning.

I had been wondering if they would do a reunion show, since I hadn't seen anything about it up to this point. But they had an ad for it last night and it'll be on next Wednesday. It probably won't be as good as some past seasons due to the over-all blandness of the cast, but I still enjoy watching them anyway. I wonder if this season's catch phrase t-shirt will be "Hootie! Hoo!"

There is a reunion show on next week.

That guy with the glasses who won Season 2(?) beat Miguel(?) was the biggest douche-bag ever on TC. That was the season they didn't bother with a reunion show.

Yeah, every time he'd speak I would think, "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!"

While Stefan clearly is the better chef and I would rather have Carla win, I was okay with Hosea winning simply because I didn't want Stefan to win...Major douchebag.

This was a pretty mediocre season (cooking and personality-wise) and that was only magnified by bringing back so many chefs from previous season (the Super Bowl challenge and last night).

I think the judges REALLY wanted Carla to win and if she had managed to put out a complete dessert they would have been able to overlook the beef mishap. As for Hosea vs. Stefan, Hosea clearly won last night. Stefan may have had the higher high but he also had the lower low.

Yes, that's why I said the reunion show would be next week. But the guy with the glasses was Ilan and he beat Wolverine, er.. Marcel, but only in the figurative sense of the word. It wasn't the literal beating Marcel so richly deserved. I know a lot of people didn't like Ilan, but he was far from the worst person TC has ever had.

Love the Wolverine reference. That is right on!

From what I recall, the whole reason they didn't do a reunion show that year was because the strong dislike for much of the cast. Ilan and his mother - who works for Newsday, the LI paper - actually took out an ad that basically said Ilan was a nice guy.

Give me Harold, Stephen, Lee Ann, Dave, and even Tiffani from Season 1 anytime!