The twist this season? Two of the lady chefs are already a couple. (Mama mia!) Guess it’s not just the ovens heating up this kitchen…
What is it?: "Top Chef" is one of those rare reality competition shows that actually delivers real results for its winners. Season one’s champ, Harold Dieterle, now owns a successful restaurant in New York, all thanks to his prize money. It’s also respected in the restaurant industry, thanks to head judge Tom "Don't Call Me A Celebrity Chef" Colicchio and guest judges like Anthony Bourdain and Rocco DiSpirito.
Who’s that?: Some of the chefs seem quite strong this year, and most of them have a lot of personality. There’s Ryan, the arrogant hot one, Andrew, the angry one, and Dale, the snooty, competitive Asian guy. Not that the show typecasts or anything. There’s also Mark, who everyone will compare to that dude from "Flight of the Conchords." (He’s from New Zealand, and seems determined to include Marmite, their über-popular, über-disgusting yeast paste, into as many recipes as possible.) And San Francisco seems especially well-represented this year, including the dynamic already-sleeping-together duo.
The "sizzle" factor: While some of the chef-testants know how to butcher a whole duck and use peaches as a crowd-pleasing pizza topping, others use mashed potatoes in soufflés (rather than egg whites) or don’t know what mayonnaise is made of. Still, their food knowledge far surpasses Bravo’s, who four seasons in is still misspelling food items in the graphics.
Best pilot moment: When Rocco tries to impress Bourdain with gratuitous meanness. Bourdain shuns the effort. Awesomeness!
"Top Chef: Chicago" premieres Wednesday, March 12 at 10 p.m./9c on Bravo.
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