By Anthony Voelpel
What do you get when you mix real life drama, mouth-watering food, a smoking hot host and a pinch of salt? If you haven’t been living under your kitchen table for the past year and a half, the answer is obviously Top Chef.
The show that makes Laguna Beach look like a Disney sing-along is back for a third season, and the chefs decided to bring their bathing suits and suntan lotion as they’ve relocated to Miami Beach. Last season we saw Long Island’s own Ilan Hall take the crown and was dubbed an instant celebrity. Now, 15 new contestants will put forth their best secret recipes and efforts for a shot at winning the Top Chef title. But if you think this is a laid-back, nice-guy competition, you’re completely wrong.
If you missed out on the first two seasons, I have nothing but extreme sympathy for you since Top Chef is unlike any reality TV show out there. The dishes that some of these talented young chefs create will make you think it’s the cooking of a renowned chef like Wolfgang Puck.
The show starts off with a quick fire challenge where each chef has to craft a dish (homemade ice cream and sushi are some appetizing examples) in less than 30 minutes. The winner instantly attains immunity in the elimination challenge. The show employs both team and individual challenges, but either way there’s sure to be plenty of lying, cheating and stealing, both in the kitchen and throughout the show.
The judges, led by Executive Chef Tom Colicchio, have the final say at who will stay and who will be packing their knives and leaving. The show’s host, the gorgeous Padma Lakshmi, is also a judge along with food and wine connoisseur Gail Simmons. Tom and Gail usually give the vicious verbal lickings, while Padma keeps the wind inside the chefs’ lungs.
Each season has it own Top Chef enemy. The first season had Stephen (although I thought he was a god amongst men) and last season it was Marcel (who even had a villainous haircut to match). These chefs create havoc for the others and more times than not, are involved in almost all confrontations.
Then there are the fan favorites. Usually, everyone tends to root for a different person. Though it’s fun to frequently side with the chef everyone hates, popular viewer opinion is shown in a poll that’s run during the show.
Expect this season to come up with more surprises than Christmas morning and elimination challenges that will make babies cry. So drop out of your Wednesday night bowling league and be sure to tune into Bravo at 10 p.m. sharp so you can catch all the action as it unfolds.
Padma, the hot host of “Top Chef”