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Lunch » Tags » Tv Shows » Reviews » Top Chef

Top Chef

102 Ratings: 4.0

A competitive cooking reality show

Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine … see full wiki

Tags: Tv Shows, Food, Tv, Cooking, Reality Tv, Top Chef

1 review about Top Chef

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A Great TV Show for Foodies

Jan 15, 2009

by drogoff

Rating:

Top Chef is one of the few shows that my wife and I both enjoy watching. It is a cooking competition that unfolds over the course of a season with one chef being eliminated each episode.

The contestants are talented chefs and they create some inspired dishes under less than ideal circumstances. I particularly enjoy watching the competitions where there are minimal limitations on ingredients, time and the other variables. It is compelling to watch chefs try to conceive of and cook a truly exceptional meal or dish with the finest ingredients available. It is also compelling to watch the personalities in the kitchen as the pressure mounts and time runs down.

The judges are established chefs and food industry luminaries and it is interesting to hear the perspective and see the personality of people whose food you have enjoyed. Tom Colicchio is the head judge and after watching him for several seasons, we had the opportunity to eat at Craft, his new restaurant in Los Angeles. I could see how the values and opinions that he had expressed on the show were manifest in his cooking. The experience of watching the show made that meal so much more enjoyable.

If you have even a casual interest in cooking or the restaurant industry, I would highly recommend this show.

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LindsayT April 17, 2010

I find it to be somewhat entertaining... however, I'm not a huge fan of the pre-planned themes. And sometimes being forced to work on teams. What is this, Project Runway? It's far too reality TV-ish for me! (You know it's true when the prize is a new car!) I'm a much bigger fan of Iron Chef. They give them one ingredient and they have to cook 5 courses of whatever they want in one hour!! These chefs are the real deal! They crank out some AMAZING dishes in no time at all! You should change the channel:)

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QUEENBFLIX March 04, 2009

I've finally figured out how to determine in the first five or six shows who the finalists will be. It seems to work in most shows of this type. They are usually the people who have the most time commenting on camera. I'm really ticked off that Jeffrey didn't make it to the finals this year, but I could tell he wasn't going to make it because he rarely spoke.

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Friedpez January 17, 2009

Despite being a total food addict, I never got into this show. But you're right, the show does give you a new appreciation for what you eat. And good for Lakshmi; if there's an appropriate setting in which to get the munchies, I'd imagine a food competition is it!

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drogoff January 15, 2009

Padma has written two successful cookbooks and hosted other cooking shows. I have no info on DesignDude's question, but I will say that she speaks about food very intelligently. It would seem that she has a great palate.

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DesignDude January 15, 2009

Also not a bad show for fans of Padma Lakshmi, who, if my urban legend radar is tuned correctly, smokes a lot of pot on set. Anyone want to verify this?

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HealthyRache January 15, 2009

Nice review. I've only watched this show a few times, but I always wondered how Padma fit in as a food expert. I guess she wrote a cookbook or two, but I just don't get the idea that she really knows what she's talking about. Am I alone in this feeling?

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