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Top Chef 2023

gfweb

By gfweb
in Food Media & Arts

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted

Its back.

First episode was entertaining enough I guess.

Its set in London. I wonder if they'll have Gordon Ramsay call somebody a F***ing idiot.

Or maybe have eGer Russ Parsons be a judge.

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weinoo

weinoo

Posted
Posted

The NY Times ran quite a piece on the "franchise."

 

Quote

With the new season, “Top Chef: World All-Stars,” the show is looking to create a sort of Olympics for chefs. Set mainly in London, it is the first season filmed entirely outside the United States and features participants from the 29 licensed spinoff shows created in 23 countries. The flagship show airs in more than 175 international markets.

 

 

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Mitch Weinstein aka "weinoo"

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DianaB

DianaB

Posted
Posted (edited)

Top Chef season 14 has just started in its French iteration.  The programmes are shorter, just 1 hour 45 minutes this year.  They have taken the last round out of the main programme and that is shown straight afterwards but as a separate entity, I think that lasted an hour but it may have been just 45 minutes  No sign of the usual accompanying programme where, in the past, previous contestants have come back to showcase regional produce.

 

Amazing demonstrations of skill this week so well worth watching if you have access to a VPN (or live in France)!  

Edited by DianaB
Clarification (log)
  • Like 1
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

I also watched the first episode of the US version.  I had no idea there were so many international versions of the show.  

With all the contestants being either winners or finalists of previous seasons somewhere in the world, the level of competition looks to be high.  

 

No house drama either, at least thus far, as they are staying in a hotel.  

 

30 minutes ago, DianaB said:

Amazing demonstrations of skill this week so well worth watching if you have access to a VPN (or live in France)!

I don't have a way to watch but I'll look into finding a way.  The French contestant in the first London episode mentioned that he'd never had to do the grocery circus, racing around to find ingredients as they always chose from a pantry on set. Seems like more focus on cooking and less silliness!

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
49 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I also watched the first episode of the US version.  I had no idea there were so many international versions of the show.  

With all the contestants being either winners or finalists of previous seasons somewhere in the world, the level of competition looks to be high.  

 

No house drama either, at least thus far, as they are staying in a hotel.  

 

I don't have a way to watch but I'll look into finding a way.  The French contestant in the first London episode mentioned that he'd never had to do the grocery circus, racing around to find ingredients as they always chose from a pantry on set. Seems like more focus on cooking and less silliness!

 

I think t hat  the silliness (and it is) is driven by sponsors eg Whole Foods

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DianaB

DianaB

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I also watched the first episode of the US version.  I had no idea there were so many international versions of the show.  

With all the contestants being either winners or finalists of previous seasons somewhere in the world, the level of competition looks to be high.  

 

No house drama either, at least thus far, as they are staying in a hotel.  

 

I don't have a way to watch but I'll look into finding a way.  The French contestant in the first London episode mentioned that he'd never had to do the grocery circus, racing around to find ingredients as they always chose from a pantry on set. Seems like more focus on cooking and less silliness!

Absolutely right, I gave up on the UK iteration years ago because it was more about “entertainment” than excellence in cooking.  Same with “Bake Off”, the French version is, in my view, much better than that made for a UK audience.  A shame that in the last couple of seasons the technical challenge has gone more towards the ridiculous, in earlier years the challenges were always based on historic recipes that demanded huge amounts of skill but were at least edible at the end.  
 

Both Top Chef and Bake Off (le meilleur pâtissier) used to be freely available to all who accessed the 6play website, unfortunately this is no longer the case, they also block known VPN mechanisms.  I find that Nord VPN is the most reliable of those that I have tried.  I would happily pay to watch the programmes but even that option is only available to those with a payment card linked to a French address.

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NadyaDuke

NadyaDuke

Posted
Posted

I'm enjoying the hints of how the different country's competitions are different. My favorite was when the French chef said that he wasn't used to cooking something in 30 minutes as the shortest time they were ever given was an hour and a half! Seemed very French :).

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  • 2 weeks later...
eugenep

eugenep

Posted
Posted

hey. I just watched episode 2. I can't believe Dawn got eliminated on a congee black rice and oxtail dish. 

 

She seemed like a really cool person - like competed in the Olympics and stufff. 

 

I wonder if black rice makes for bad congee? It seems like a tuff grain maybe? 

 

Super sad. Was really rooting for the American team. Team USA. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted

I just watched episode 3 of the series set in London. The contestants were taken to three London pubs, all of which I know, especially the first, The Lamb and Flag, my local pub. They are all good pubs, but almost the last anyone other than tourists would go to eat. God knows who did the research! I can think of 100 better pubs for food before engaging my brain.

 

Then the most clichéd dishes imaginable.

 

Fish and chips in the Lamb and Flag was a joke. Served with what they called mushy peas but certainly wasn't mushy peas and with tartar sauce, which, although were told they would be served traditional food, is totally untraditional.

 

Then we went through burnt Yorkshire puddings and an almost totally ignorant explanation of the origin of the term Bangers and Mash which actually originated in New Zealand.

 

Then many of the elevated versions bore little connection to the originals.

Grrr!

 

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
7 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Then many of the elevated versions bore little connection to the originals.

Grrr!

 

 

It was silly.

 

The point wasn't to simply reproduce badgers and mash or whatever.

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

It was silly.

 

The point wasn't to simply reproduce badgers and mash or whatever.

 

I realise that but elevating a dish into something totally different wasn't the point, either.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

Very excited that my favorite sandwich guru, Max Halley, will be a guest judge on tonight's episode. He's really a hoot and I'm wondering if they'll let him be himself or not.  Could be a challenge language-wise.

He's looking uncharacteristically serious in this photo he posted on his IG 

F1748B65-3A0C-4666-A2AE-69AD907A0924.thumb.jpeg.b92ca896a87705a5a9c0e370a6d14a4e.jpeg

 

I also want to watch the NCAA women's gymnastics semifinals and have a Zoom Jews United for Democracy event on my calendar, all at the same time. Weighing my options!

 

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  • 1 month later...
gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Padma L is leaving Top Chef to pursue other projects.

 

That's fine with me. Just don't let Gail get away.

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FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, gfweb said:

Padma L is leaving Top Chef to pursue other projects.

 

That's fine with me. Just don't let Gail get away.

 

Maybe Gail could become the host? I wouldn't mind that. What do you think, @gfweb? 

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eugenep

eugenep

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, gfweb said:

Padma L is leaving Top Chef to pursue other projects.

 

That's fine with me. Just don't let Gail get away.

I wonder if that is the only reason?

 

I remember one CEO that said he was stepping down to "spend more time with family." 

 

and then he said - why the B.S. - okay they fired me 

 

a lot of executives say they are stepping down to "spend more time with family" but the background story seems more interesting 

 

I always thought Padma spoke in this mannered and fake aristocratic voice but I wish her luck in her new pursuits so she could spend more time with family etc.

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FauxPas

FauxPas

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, eugenep said:

I wonder if that is the only reason?

 

I remember one CEO that said he was stepping down to "spend more time with family." 

 

and then he said - why the B.S. - okay they fired me 

 

a lot of executives say they are stepping down to "spend more time with family" but the background story seems more interesting 

 

I always thought Padma spoke in this mannered and fake aristocratic voice but I wish her luck in her new pursuits so she could spend more time with family etc.

 

She has another TV show and plans for another book I think, so she definitely has some other projects. 

eugenep

eugenep

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

She has another TV show and plans for another book I think, so she definitely has some other projects. 

I believe you and I wish her luck with that. 

 

I know she had another TV show like "Taste the Nation" or something where it was about ethnic food. 

 

I never knew she was an authority on ethnic food but it seemed like..she got the job because of her skin color and not her knowledge ,experience, or any authority of her background in ethnic food 

 

I remember she scoffed at ethnic people in one episode for "these people being so grabby" and couldn't believe how barbaric these people were

 

It seemed..so authentic when she made her withering comments about cooks that cook their heart out etc. about their food was so blasé etc. 

 

For the above reasons I'm glad I don't have to see this fake person and hear her withering comments etc. - what a phony 

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gfweb

gfweb

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
2 hours ago, gfweb said:

@eugenepi never got why she was there. So she wrote a cookbook....

She did replace Katie Lee Joel so Padma was an upgrade from that. 

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  • 1 month later...
MetsFan5

MetsFan5

Posted
Posted

AFAIK Padma stepped away from TC mostly as her daughter is now a teenager and she wants to travel less. 
 

TC has lost its luster a long time ago for me. 

MetsFan5

MetsFan5

Posted
Posted
On 6/2/2023 at 10:43 PM, eugenep said:

I believe you and I wish her luck with that. 

 

I know she had another TV show like "Taste the Nation" or something where it was about ethnic food. 

 

I never knew she was an authority on ethnic food but it seemed like..she got the job because of her skin color and not her knowledge ,experience, or any authority of her background in ethnic food 

 

I remember she scoffed at ethnic people in one episode for "these people being so grabby" and couldn't believe how barbaric these people were

 

It seemed..so authentic when she made her withering comments about cooks that cook their heart out etc. about their food was so blasé etc. 

 

For the above reasons I'm glad I don't have to see this fake person and hear her withering comments etc. - what a phony 


Right because Tom Collichio is the shining example of being true to his roots— hardly. 
 

 

Dave the Cook

Dave the Cook

Posted
Posted
On 6/2/2023 at 10:19 PM, eugenep said:

a lot of executives say they are stepping down to "spend more time with family" but the background story seems more interesting 

 

I always thought Padma spoke in this mannered and fake aristocratic voice but I wish her luck in her new pursuits so she could spend more time with family etc.

 

On 6/2/2023 at 10:43 PM, eugenep said:

I believe you and I wish her luck with that. 

 

I know she had another TV show like "Taste the Nation" or something where it was about ethnic food. 

 

I never knew she was an authority on ethnic food but it seemed like..she got the job because of her skin color and not her knowledge ,experience, or any authority of her background in ethnic food 

 

I remember she scoffed at ethnic people in one episode for "these people being so grabby" and couldn't believe how barbaric these people were

 

It seemed..so authentic when she made her withering comments about cooks that cook their heart out etc. about their food was so blasé etc. 

 

For the above reasons I'm glad I don't have to see this fake person and hear her withering comments etc. - what a phony 

 

This is a lot of criticism and speculation that is not supported by facts, and beyond that is borderline racist and sexist. Lakshmi spent 20 seasons on Top Chef, where she is also an executive producer. Her show Taste the Nation was not about ethnic food, unless food that originated on this continent qualifies as "ethnic." That show is rated 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and won a James Beard award, something that, despite the credibility Gail Simmons seems to lend to Top Chef, has never won, except in connection with the show, which is produced in part by . . . Padma Lakshmi. 

 

She hasn't written *a* book, she's written five, including three food-related books. She managed to keep up with Salman Rushdie  -- no intellectual slouch himself -- for the three years their marriage lasted. She speaks five languages and has appeared in numerous (and quite varied) TV shows and movies on three continents.

 

Yeah, fake.

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Dave Scantland
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dscantland@eGstaff.org
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Eat more chicken skin.

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