Reality on Bravo

We’re about mid-point in the Top Chef season, and now that I’ve gotten a chance to feel out (that’s out, not up) the cheftestants, I’m ready to make some predictions. Of course, it really depends on the challenge as well (for example, Brain would win a seafood challenge hands down), but here’s how I’m pretty sure things will play out:

We’re already seeing previews of Howie and Sara N. having it out next week, so one of them would be the likely candidate for elimination. Judges watch back tapes of the kitchen time and realize that they’ve been eating food seasoned with Howie’s sweat this whole time. Padma throws up on Howie, which totally means “Pack your knives.” Gail looks on, bemused.

The judges decide that they’ve made a terrible mistake in eliminating Howie when the two Saras are still around. The producers beg to not eliminate more girls. Colicchio tells the producers to suck it and Padma flips them off. Both Saras are eliminated.

In a crazy episode filled with tears, Brian is asked to cook something other than seafood. In elimination, he reiterates the fact that during episode one he had to cook with snake and eel meet. Fans of the hat sigh as he packs his knives.

The producers again are panicking as the judges decide to eliminate Dale. But he talks so well to the camera! I cry, because Dale is my favorite. Dale still loves everybody and talks about that unending love as he packs.

Hung’s head explodes after an especially challenging set of rules. Elimination by default, because you must have a head to compete.

In a surprise decision, CJ is eliminated. Fans everywhere flip out, just like they did when Sam was eliminated. CJ goes on to be more popular than the winner anyway (Illan who?)

Casey and Tre battle it out in the end. Tre says multiple times that he’s confident that his food is much better. Casey slaps a producer that wants her to “sex it up” for the final challenge. The previous cheftestants come back to be sous chefs (or maybe judges?). Tre loses, but not one tells him because they aren’t sure how he’ll take it. Casey uses the money to promote her restaurant, and no one hears from her again. CJ laughs.

And how do YOU think the season will play out?

Don’t forget to sign up for the Reality on Bravo newsletter, and make sure you comment for the 451/RoB comment contest so that you’ll have the chance to win one of four great prizes!

Top Chef, Bravo, cooking

Who else is excited for Top Chef tonight?

Oh, and one of my favorite Bravo bloggers, Marius, tagged me to answer a few questions…so here goes:

Four jobs I have had or currently have in my life:
1. Blogger for Find Religion
2. Sex and seduction columnist for Daily G2
3. Business owner and professional writer.
4. Research and writing assistant in a development office (I left off the CRAPPY jobs I’ve had…but believe me, I’ve had them!)

Four countries I have been to:
Sigh…I went to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls once…does that count?

Four places I’d rather be right now:
1. California wine country
2. France
3. Dewey Beach
4. a really fabulous restaurant

Four foods I like to eat:
1. Pirate Booty
2. Cheese (esp melted on tortilla chips)
3. Potato Salad from the Pierce Street Deli
4. Bagels with Cream Cheese

I’m not going to tag anyone else, but if you want to answer, feel free to leave a comment with your answers!

When it comes to Top Chef personalities, Chef Tom Colicchio has got to be one of my favorite people to watch. Last night, the Top Chef Watch What Happens Special, although incredibly boring and unnecessary, further confirmed my love for the show’s head judge. Chef, Reality on Bravo loves you, and here are the top five reasons why:

1. He’s tough on the contestants, but not rude or mean. Being in a kitchen with Tom Colicchio has to be extremely intimidating. However, he’s generally a nice guy. Although he pushes the chefs to realize their mistakes and better themselves, he isn’t a jerk and never, ever comes of as being superior to them. Last night, Harold mentioned that he’s love to do a contestant/judge smack down, and I think thats a great idea! I think Chef Colicchio would blow them all out of the water, but he’s very gracious, so it woudl be incredibly fun to watch.

2. He is supportive of all of his fans. In one of the funnier moments last night, it was pointed out that Chef has a huge following in the gay “bear” community (aka, gay men who like the tough, muscular, masculine type). Although you could tell that he wanted to make if VERY clear that he has a wife and kids, Chef Colicchio is always really supportive of all of the Top Chef fans. I’ve seen countless pictures of him posing with star-struck fans, and he seems to make time for anyone that wants an autograph.

3. He fought for the show’s integrity. Chef Colicchio has siad on a number of occasions that he wouldn’t do Top Chef if the producers were allowed to influence the outcome of the show. In other case, he wants the talent to decide who stays and who goes, not the dramatic factor. Last night he said that he believes that Candace for Season One was cast for her looks, rather than her ability (not that she won’t be great someday-but she was a first-year student with NO experience) and he seemed a bit miffed about that. He has always openly tried to maintain that the show is about cooking, not about who can be the best “good guy” or “bad guy.”

4. He’s got a sense of humor. You can tell buy watching the show that Chef take the food and the competition very seriously (for example, his reaction to Hung’s knife safety or Cliff’s disqualification or Otto’s honesty). However, you can also tell that he has a sense of humor. At judge’s table, the group is always laughing and having a good time. After all, at the end of the day, it is JUST food. You can’t take anything TOO seriously.

5. He supports his fellow chefs outside of the show. I haven’t heard stories of Jaclyn Smith visiting Anthony’s salon for a haircut, and the tabloids have pointed out lately that Heidi Klum hasn’t been especially interested in dresses from any of the Project Runway alums. However, Chef Colicchio is very openly supportive of Harold’s new restaurant, Perilla, and he’s bee photographed a number of times with fellow judges and past contestants, just hanging out after the seasons have ended. I’d hang out with you too, Chef, if I could!

What do you love about Tom Colicchio?

[tags]Top Cheg

Padma: “…And for this challenge, you must cook with….FROZEN PIE CRUST *dun dun dun*.”
Guest Judge: “Padma, do you like frozen pie crust?”
Padma: “No way, Jose. I like things fresh. That’s why I’m divorcing the troll man.”

Hung: “What should we do for this challenge!”
Hung’s Monkey: “How about a pie that looks like diarrhea. They’ll LOVE it!”
Hung: “Brilliant!”

Lia: “Casey and I are BFF.”
Me, to my boyfriend: “That means one of them will be leaving. Take that Top Chef! I’ve caught on to your silly foreshadowing!”

Howie: “I call my dish Pork Shoulder with a Side of Sweat.”

Howie: “We are the new BFF…”
Joey: “…mainly because we hate Casey.”

Me: “Who would have ever seen that coming?”
Boyfriend: “Who voted for Gail as the sexiest judge?!?!?!”

Next Wednesday, tune in for a special reunion special with contestants from all three seasons!!!

Top Chef, Bravo, Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio

What do you have to lose? You could be the next Top Chef!

ATLANTA OPEN CALL: Sunday July 15 / 12pm-4pm

Hard Rock Cafe Atlanta
215 Peachtree St. NE
Atlanta, GA 30303
(404)-688-7625

NEW YORK CITY OPEN CALL: Sunday, July 22 / 9am to 2pm

Craftsteak
85 Tenth Ave
New York, NY 10011
www.craftsteaknyc.com

CHICAGO OPEN CALL: Sunday, July 29 / 12pm to 4pm

Rock Bottom Brewery
One West Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
Corner of State Street & Grand
(312) 755-9339

LAS VEGAS OPEN CALL: Sunday, August 5 / 12pm to 4pm

Guy Savoy
Augustus Tower
Caesars Palace
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
877-346-4642

SAN FRANCISCO OPEN CALL: Sunday, August 12 / 12pm-4pm

Postrio
545 Post St.
San Francisco, CA 95102
415-776-7825

LOS ANGELES OPEN CALL: Sunday, August 19 / 12pm to 4pm

Les Deux
1638 N Las Palmas Ave
Hollywood, CA
90028
(323) 462-7644
www.dolcegroup.com

Top Chef, reality television, casting call, casting calls, contestants, Bravo

Their was no new episode of Top Chef this week but don’t worry. I have lots of Top Chef news to get you by until then and the return of your regularly scheduled blogger.

Over at the Bravo web site there are two great contests for fans to enter. In the “Top Chef Foodie Flyaway Sweepstakes” a grand prize winner will get to attend the Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Colorado. Also enter to win “A taste of Top Chef” sweepstakes where you could win a VIP dining experience at Arabelle during NYC Restaurant week. Both contest end before the month is up so enter now!

Do you watch the dishes the chef’s prepare and think I could have done so much better? Are you even more “confident” than Hung and have better rapping “skills” than Marcel? Well now’s your time to prove your skills! Auditions are already started for the next version of Top Chef so get your knifes sharpened and prepare that audition tape.

New episodes will return on Wednesday July 11 with “Cooking by Numbers” and the chef’s will have to whip up an appetizer to compliment a popular mixed drink.

Arabelle, appetizer, audition, Bravo, Colorado, chef, contest, episode 4, Food & Wine Magazine, NYC, restaurant, Top Chef, VIP

Thanks for reading this guest post from Dorothy of Watching Ugly Betty

Padma Lakshmi host of Top Chef has recently filed for divorce from her husband, award winning British author Salman Rushdie. The couple just celebrated 3 years of marriage in April. Oddly enough the divorce news comes right after Salman received a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth. Padma was the one to file for divorce and both sides seem to be keeping quiet about the reasons leading to the split. For the 60 year old Salman his love life continues to look sour. Once the divorce is finalized it will be Salman’s 4th!

British, divorce, knighthood, Padma Lakshmi, Queen Elizabeth, Salman Rushdie, Top Chef

Thanks for reading this guest post from Dorothy of Watching Ugly Betty

Look who I spotted at the 2007 Two Twelve Access Aspen at the Wine and Wine Classic! Well, ok…I didn’t spot them… but someone did, and here are the pictures. (Someday I’ll get there myself!)

Ilan Hall with Jordan Lawlor

Sam Talbot, Sonia Zala, Mike Baru, Kyra Taurman

Barry Wine, Tim Colicchio, and Ken Kurtz

Sam Talbot, Tom Colicchio, Ilan Hall, Top Chef, Food and Wine Classic, Food & Wine Classic

Tonight, I’ll have to miss Top Chef for the first time in a long time. I’ve been camp counseling at a day camp and Wednesday night is their big sleep-over, which means tonight at 10 PM I’ll be roasting marshmallows over the campfire and preparing to sleep on a lawn chair or in my car. Not exactly what I want to do, but charity is important, right!?!?!

In any case DON’T TELL ME WHAT HAPPENS. I’ll be back home Thursday and plan to watch the first rerun of TC that they run. Thank God for Bravo’s annoying repeat programming!

Finally the review you’ve all been waiting for, me—ooow. I know, I know…I promised on Friday, but 451 was doing some updating and dealing with server problems, so the bloggie was down during the day. Then mum spent the weekend away from her computer at a wine festival, like the lush that she is…but you know what? This episode of Top Chef can really be summed up in three thoughts:

Ok, guys, that’s all for now. Tune in for the next TC episode on Wednesday night, and my review on Thursday morning. -G

“Mummy is having technical difficulties and accidentally lost all of the wonderful pictures of ME and the Top Chef contestants that she was working on for today’s Top Chef review post! *hiss at c0mputer* We’ll be back tomorrow with a bigger and better version of the recap anyway. Until then, what did you guys think of last night’s episode? Meow?” -Godiva “G” the Cat

NEW YORK, June 18: NBC Universal’s Bravo cable network is looking to expand its presence beyond the television screen with the launch of Bravo Media, which will encompass talent management, publishing, merchandising, wireless, events, digital, television, radio and international activities…read more

Why does this announcement excite me? Because the new media company has reported plans to release a cookbook based on Top Chef recipes! Now THAT is a book I’d buy in a second! They will also be selling other Top Chef merchandise, like Top Chef knives, which they’ll be selling at stores across the country, not just online.

Bravo is taking over the world. I love it!

Top Chef, Bravo, Bravo Media, merchandise, buy Top Chef, buy knives, knives, products

Ah, it feels so good to have Top Chef back on the air. The quick-fire challenge as short, sweet, and unexpected in good TC tradition–make an amuse-buse from the snacky food set out for your arrival. I think it was a bit of a stretch to say that this was a “defining” piece of culinary goodness, but it was a fun challenge, for sure. The winner was Micah, and I totally agreed with that decisions. I think she could be a top contender, from what little I’ve seen.

Overall, season three seems like a step up from season two (more back to season one’s quality). For the elimination challenge the cheftestants have to make a surf and turf, but using crazy proteins like eel and alligator. As promised, here’s Godiva (you can call her G) with comments:

Top Chef, Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshim

If I could be any flavor, I would be chocolate. What would you be?

Let me introduce you all to the cat that owns me, Godiva. She’s going to be helping me critique Top Chef every week. Her qualification? Sitting with me every single day while I’m trying to work at my computer and have a *healthy* appetite. She’s quite picky (cheap cat treats just won’t do–for a treat, I have to give her a spoonful of milk). Tonight is the season premier of the new TC season, so I hope you join G and me in watching, and then check back after the show for our thoughts on it!

Oh, and Godiva says “meow.”

Which means “hi, everyone.”

Godiva, Top chef, Bravo

Launching another go-round from Miami this week, “Top Chef,” like other Bravo reality shows, has become a hub for product integration. Many of the challenges for the would-be culinary experts involve creations using everyday packaged-goods. Brands are also shown in scenes with the contestants that take place outside the kitchen. READ MORE HERE

Of course, it’s pretty easy to spot advertisers such as Kenmore on Top Chef to Barcardi Limon on Top Design, but some aren’t so easy to spot! Keep your eyes peeled for products and services–let’s see if we can spot them all throughout the Top Chef season!

subliminal messaging, subliminal, subliminal messages, top chef, cooking, commercials