Posted by Uweekly.com on November 05, 2008 at 10:41:41:
Top Chef Returns
By VR Bryant
Some people are reality-TV aficionados. I am not one of them. Nevertheless, there are certain subsets of the genre that I tend to find regularly appealing. For example, when a show comes along that features “MXC”-esque self-inflicted violence (see: “WipeOut”), I will generally at least give it a fair shake.
Alternatively, shows that involve people “swapping” things (kids, jobs, significant others) tend to turn me off faster than the thought of accompanying Kirsten Dunst to a taping of “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.”
All joking aside (I wasn’t, actually), one reality/game/contest show that has always turned my crank is “Top Chef.” The format is pretty clean, the challenges are creative, and unlike shows like “Amazing Race” and “Survivor,” the hosts (Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi) aren’t totally obnoxious.
The contestants, of course, are another matter. Like any reality show, much of the draw is the inevitable choosing of sides — supporting the motives and actions of one cast member while completely shunning another. If any of you watched season two with Marcel and Ilan (and that pig-faced harpy Betty), you know what I’m talking about.
The “cooking show” in general seems to be pretty well executed, and the exotic locales and Bravo bravado that “Top Chef” carries with it make it all the more appealing.
Season five of the show will take place in New York City — following San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago. However, the final handful of contestants always wind up someplace a bit more scenic (i.e. Hawaii or Aspen).
Last year, the producers began to slip a bit in my mind by introducing for the first time a pair of contestants who were actually in a relationship prior to the show. It wasn’t quite “jumping the shark,” but hopefully they can return to the straight-forward execution that made the first few seasons so solid.
The only difference apparent this time around (according to my sources) is that Ted Allen of “Queer Eye” fame has been replaced by Toby Young, the British author of the recently-made-into-film “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.”
Allen was always plenty competent as the contributing judge, but let’s not kid ourselves: The main draw is Padma. Don’t tell her I said that though — I don’t want to seem desperate.
Season five of “Top Chef” airs Nov. 12 at 10 p.m. on Bravo.
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