(S06E12) When I saw that the title of tonight's episode was "Culinary Olympics," I didn't really imagine what the chefs would be going through. Were they going to be pole vaulting into the kitchen, did they have to prepare a meal on an ice skating rink? What could be the Olympian angle? Well, apparently there's a culinary competition that's as intense as the Olympics -- and it's not held in a kitchen stadium with Alton Brown doing play by play.
That said, this may have been one of the toughest assignments ever on Top Chef. I tried to envision how past season winners -- let alone the runners up -- would have done in the same circumstances that these final five faced. I can't say for sure that I can think of one that would have aced it ... and for how this five did, read on.
I watched Martha Stewart on Rachael Ray last week and then Rachael on Martha the following day, and both shows were interesting. I noticed that Rachael had Martha sit down and talk and take questions, but Martha got Rachael in the kitchen baking right away with little small talk. The funniest moment came from Rachael's show: when both came out of the elevator, Rachael tried to grab Martha's hand but Martha pulled it away quickly. Ha!
Anyway, they talked about the so-called "feud" that had been reported everywhere, and both dismissed it. I don't know how you can dismiss something that Martha herself said on her own show (among other things) but they said there was no truth to any feud rumors. I wonder what they'll say after Martha's appearance on Nightline tomorrow night.
It was just a matter of time before Food Network showcased people who actually can't cook. On January 3, the new food competition show Worst Cooks in America will debut. The winner gets $25,000!
Just so we're clear, the winner doesn't get $25,000 for making worse food than their competitors. No, the show will put the contestants through a boot camp where they will learn to take their skills (which probably consist of boiling water for pasta and microwaving Boston Market frozen dinners) and actually become better cooks. The food will be judged by a panel of food experts (of course) and whoever is the most improved wins. The two chefs leading the teams will be Anne Burrell and Beau MacMillan.
The only things I know about umami comes from those Kikkoman commecials, the ones that talk about umami being the fifth taste (after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). Last night's Next Iron Chef was all about that, and they even had Iron Chef Morimoto as a judge.
What did you think? The show is down to its final three contestants. Can you picture one of them standing next to other Iron Chefs like Morimoto, Flay, Cora, Batali, and Symon in Kitchen Stadium?
This is either great news if you like Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray or a warning if you don't like them, but it's interesting news nonetheless: Martha is going to do Rachael Ray's show and then the very next day Rachael will be on Martha's* show.
Yup, Martha will appear on Rachael's show on November 12 to show Rachael how to make a Thanksgiving centerpiece, and then on November 13 Rachael will appear on Martha's show and Martha will teach her how to make a Thanksgiving dessert. Notice that on both shows it's Martha who will be doing the teaching?
(S06E10) After last week's restaurant wars, which I found really disappointing, I was hoping for a really tough challenge tonight. As Hemal guessed, having Natalie Portman as a guest judge did turn this main competition into a vegetarian duel. Oooh, yum. Vegetables. More about the kale and mushrooms after the jump.
Whenever a celebrity cook appears on a talk show like The Late Show or The Tonight Show, it's hardly ever a real cooking demonstration. Letterman will start drinking cooking sherry right out of the bottle or Conan will just go nuts and spread butter all over something he shouldn't.
Last night was particularly crazy, as Conan, Garry Shandling, and Andy Richter helped Paula Deen make... something for Halloween. It gets kinda hectic so I'm not sure what it was.
As far as I can tell, from comments on this site and other sites I've looked at, Top Chef Masters wasn't loved by fans half as much as fans love the original Top Chef. I think fans want two things from their food competition shows: more conflict and a sense that the contestant isn't necessarily a "master" at cooking (though being a chef is fine). For the most part, the chefs on the first season of Masters were nice and professional, and I think that the fact that they're all great chefs already zapped some of the tension that usually comes with the judging segments of the show. Plus the chefs competed in sections, not usually all against each other.
(S06E08) Well, things have certainly heated up on Top Chef, haven't they? Oh, I'm not talking about in the kitchen; I'm talking about in the house. These chefs are getting testy, or some are. Eli mentioned in the open that there was a lot of "emotional stress." Well, he should know because he's behind some of it. Then there's motor mouth Robin. Could she really be as yappy as she appears to be on camera?
I haven't watched this season of Hell's Kitchen since the second episode. But I have them all recorded just in case I wanted to get back into it and maybe I'll take one of these weekend days and do a marathon. Of course, since I'm writing this post I already know who won, but it won't ruin the season for me. It's all about the journey (and a chef yelling at people).
So were you surprised by who won?
[Watch episodes and clips of Hell's Kitchen and other shows at SlashControl.]
Amid the real housewives and matchmakers, millionaire real estate brokers and house flippers, there is one unscripted series that has been top shelf on Bravo. With Project Runway not on Lifetime, the best of Bravo's reality is Top Chef. In the five seasons past and the current season playing out, Top Chef has been a winner for the cable net, so it's not a big surprise that today Bravo renewed Top Chef for a seventh season.
If I were a drinker, I'd drink to that. Top Chef is in the midst of season six, which is shaping up to be one of the best yet. The location, Las Vegas, has opened up a lot of options for challenges, including a French food episode that might have been one of the most intense ever on the series.
It has come to my attention, via this article at E! Online, that you are thinking of doing a View-like women's talk show. I don't know if this is a bad idea in general, though I think that you are better off just doing your cooking shows and not risk spreading yourself too thin. But I'm not worried about you doing a talk show as much as I'm worried about the person who you might do the show with.
Remember when Tek was voted off of Hell's Kitchen a few weeks ago? Then what the hell was she doing working in the kitchen on this week's episode?
This wasn't one of those deals where a former contestant comes back to help the remaining contestants for some reason, this was... odd. They didn't interview her or point her out and Ramsay didn't say "Tek, what the hell are you doing here, you donkey?! Didn't I kick you out? And how did you get your chef's jacket back? Jean-Philippe, what's going on?"
As Allison told you earlier this morning, Rachael Ray won the Emmy for Best Talk Show last night. And to that I'd like to ask, have any of the people who voted for it actually watched the show?
I like cooking shows and light, mindless entertainment, so I would think that Ray's show would be a natural for me, but...gah.
For Top Chef fans, especially the ones disapointed by Top Chef Masters, tonight is a big night. It's the premiere of Top Chef: Las Vegas, when we get back to the regular version of the show. Here's a preview of the first episode (and you can meet the contestants and see more previews here).
(S06E12) When I saw that the title of tonight's episode was "Culinary Olympics," I didn't really imagine what the chefs would be going through. Were they going to be pole vaulting into the kitchen, did they have to prepare a meal on an ice skating rink? What could be the Olympian angle? Well, apparently there's a culinary competition that's as intense as the Olympics -- and it's not held in a kitchen stadium with Alton Brown doing play by play. 
I watched Martha Stewart on Rachael Ray last week and then Rachael on Martha the following day, and both shows were interesting. I noticed that Rachael had Martha sit down and talk and take questions, but Martha got Rachael in the kitchen baking right away with little small talk. The funniest moment came from Rachael's show: when both came out of the elevator, Rachael tried to grab Martha's hand but Martha pulled it away quickly. Ha!
It was just a matter of time before Food Network showcased people who actually can't cook. On January 3, the new food competition show 
The only things I know about umami comes from those Kikkoman commecials, the ones that talk about umami being the fifth taste (after sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). Last night's 
This is either great news if you like Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray or a warning if you don't like them, but it's interesting news nonetheless: Martha is going to do Rachael Ray's show and then the very next day Rachael will be on Martha's* show.
Amid the real housewives and matchmakers, millionaire real estate brokers and house flippers, there is one unscripted series that has been top shelf on Bravo. With Project Runway not on Lifetime, the best of Bravo's reality is 
Paula,
As Allison told you earlier this morning, 
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
The Prisoner -- An early look
