Warning, spoilers ahead.
"Hi, I'd like one hair net, size extra-large, please." (Bravo photo)
The seventh season of Bravo’s “Top Chef” kicked off last night from Washington D.C. Maybe I just have cooking-competition-show fatigue, but I wasn’t blown away. Season 6 didn’t end all that long ago, and coming on the heels of “Top Chef Masters,” I worry they’re watering down the brand. It probably didn’t help that there were only a handful of dishes that stood out.
Premiere episodes are always tough, because there are so many personalities to introduce, so many dishes to see and so little time. Here are some first impressions based on what I saw:
— Angelo is the new Hung, or maybe the new Stefan. The guy’s super talented, but his bloated ego is off-putting. (“So I was in Monte Carlo last week . . . have you ever been?”) Still, if he can walk the walk, maybe he deserves to talk the talk. Too early to tell on that, but it’s not too early to say he’s the chef to beat.
— Kenny looks like the other top contender. The guy’s got some serious skills, and crazy speed. I like him, he seems confident without being a loudmouth egomaniac. There’s already a battle to be the alpha dog, and it’ll be interesting to see Kenny and Angelo butt heads. You know they will.
— Note to Amanda: Don’t compare yourself to Wolfgang Puck. She just set herself up to fail.
— Was it just me, or does Amanda look like Leah from Season 5? Hope Amanda’s more talented and less annoying.
— I didn’t like Tracey. She’s got an attitude, she came off as jerky.
— We didn’t see a whole lot of Tiffany, but from what I saw, I liked.
— I knew John was doomed when he: (a) chose to do a dessert and (b) used a frozen dough he’d never used before. Do cheftestants not watch previous seasons? Nine times out of 10, that combination is the kiss of death.
— He seemed like a nice enough guy and a better chef than he showed, but I’m glad John’s gone. I’m watching in HD, and . . . well, let’s just say he’s no Padma. BTW, dreads on white dudes never look good. Never.
— Jacqueline’s “low-fat” chicken liver looked disgusting. Like, vomit-inducing.
— It seemed like there were a shocking number of bad dishes. Coming in, I thought this group looked as talented as last season’s. On paper, maybe, but in the kitchen . . . . yikes, maybe not.
— Kinda refreshing to see so many chefs of color. The past few seasons have been really white. A little diversity is good.
— I barely noticed new judge Eric Ripert, which is a welcome change from Toby Young, who made sure everyone noticed him.
So what’d you think? How does this bunch compare to past seasons Any early favorites? Who’s next to go?
