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Top Chef 2024 aka Top Chef Wisconsin

blue_dolphin
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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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The first episode is scheduled to air tonight.  Shot in various locations in Wisconsin with a Caribbean cruise ship finale  I'm interested to see how Kristin Kish does replacing Padma as host.

I like that they are no longer awarding any Quick Fire winners with immunity in the main challenges.  I like that as the Quick Fires are so random, but giving those winners immunity added a random element that was sort of entertaining. 

 

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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I thought the first episode was pretty good.  Kristin had enough presence to carry off the host role. She brought her own Top Chef experience to the fore rather than mostly swanning around in inappropriately glamorous clothing like someone else. 

Always hard to get a sense of the chefs when there are 15 of them to sort out in the first episode. Skipping the Quick Fire round and going straight into a challenge where they were divided up into 3 groups of 5 and competed individually within those groups at 3 tasks:  soup, filled pasta and roast chicken, made it easier to keep track of 5 pastas or 5 chickens rather than 15 of something.

I'd say most of the chefs came across as likable and the one that got axed was the least so. That's editing, of course, but it doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes is a real sweetheart that gets bounced first. 

I'll be curious to see if they can keep mixing things up enough to be interesting. Getting rid of the shared house drama during covid was a bonus but they otherwise stuck to the same playbook.Getting rid of the grocery store derby would be nice.  Just let them order like chefs do.  Or take their fancy BMWs to Restaurant Depot and bring parkas for the freezer section! I guess Whole Foods pays them nicely for those spots!

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gfweb

gfweb

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Exactly. WF and whatever car they drive to get there is paying.

 

 

KK may get tiresome if she keeps talking about her time on Top Chef. We'll see.

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FauxPas

FauxPas

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1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

rather than mostly swanning around in inappropriately glamorous clothing like someone else. 

 

hahahahaha 🤣 

 

Also, totally agree about the grocery store derby. But I guess Whole Foods likes having a big old ad right in the middle of the show. 

 

I recorded it last night, will likely watch tonight. 

 

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

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10 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

hahahahaha 🤣 

 

Also, totally agree about the grocery store derby. But I guess Whole Foods likes having a big old ad right in the middle of the show. 

 

I recorded it last night, will likely watch tonight. 

 

 

I look forward to hearing what you think.  I thought it was better than most previous first episodes which always strike me as completely chaotic.  To be sure, there was an element of kitchen chaos (also present in my home kitchen with just me in it 🙃) but at least I was able to follow what was going on while still answering the door to put my over-21 signature on a wine club delivery, opening said box and debating what to drink first!

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gfweb

gfweb

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I'm getting pretty good about predicting who gets booted.  

 

Its not as easy as the red shirt on Star Trek, but not too hard either. Esp in the beginnning.

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FauxPas

FauxPas

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14 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

https://www.vulture.com/article/top-chef-season-21-premiere-new-look-explained.html

 

this review gives an interesting perspective 

 

Totally agree that the camera work and/or editing was distracting. I definitely noticed that while watching the episode. I hope it calms down a bit so that we can see more of the details and in a less frenetic manner. And better food and chef shots/angles, etc.

 

I had mixed feelings on abandoning the QuickFire challenge. As @blue_dolphinsaid, it's hard to get a feeling for the chefs in the first episode with all 15 doing their own thing. Maybe the grouped challenges would make sense and make it easier to follow each one. But then the camera stuff was so offputting, I still had a hard time figuring things out. More time for one challenge could have been better managed, I think. And then they just added a different kind of challenge on to the end. It felt like Next Level Chef a bit though. And I just want Top Chef to stay Top Chef, darn it.  🙂

 

In the past the QuickFires sometimes seemed so random that it felt like luck rather than skill to get the win and it seemed unfair to be able to get immunity based on that. But many of the QuickFires were also FUN and some definitely showed skills. I still want to see them but agree that dropping the immunity part makes sense. 

 

I thought Kristen was fine. It will be nice to see how she develops the hosting role. 

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FauxPas

FauxPas

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Is anyone watching Last Chance Kitchen? Any idea what happened to Cowboy Chef? He was eliminated in the first Top Chef episode and should have turned up in LCK but instead there was some 16th Chef instead. I've got to go and watch more Last Chance Kitchen to see if they enlighten us, I've only watched the first episode. 

 

Oops, just found this article but it seems to raise some other questions. 

https://vincemancini.substack.com/p/top-chef-david-murphy-not-on-last-chance-kitchen

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FauxPas

FauxPas

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Also, just discovered that there is another web-based companion series to Top Chef this season. It's called The Dish with Kish. I watched the first episode and enjoyed it. It's hosted by Kristen and includes background info on production, guest cooks and bits of Top Chef history. Seems fun! 

 

https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-the-dish-with-kish

 

It also shows Chef David Murphy at the end of Top Chef episode 1 and it suggests that he didn't shake hands with Tom. Tom says something like "Are you sure you want to play it that way?"

 

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gfweb

gfweb

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Cowboy chef seems like a complete tool. Wonder if he was picked for drama potential.

 

But, from what I understand, contestants are isolated after they pack their knives.  No communication. 

 

I wonder what the contracts say.

Edited by gfweb (log)
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