Top Chef Texas – Preview

It’s time to shake off the stench of what Project Runway has become, and dive back into Top Chef. Tom: don’t make me regret it.

I’ve seen the ads that proclaim 29 chefs – TWENTY FRIGGIN’ NINE – will start the competition. I’m relieved to discover that Episode One will feature a massive cut down to a more manageable number (about half, per the interview with LA Weekly’s blog). Whew. Of course, that’s kind of like how PR started the season, too… no, no, gotta thing positive. Stop comparisons! It’s hard to resist, it’s only been a couple of days and I’m still traumatized. I’ll get better, I promise. Anyway, the idea is to see more behind-the-scenes of the casting process. From the tv promo I’ve seen – they guy who tries to skate past by declaring to Tom, “I’m a chef, not a butcher,” it looks like a lot of fun. For the viewers, at least. For the chefs, tripping over their own nerves and/or incompetence, not so much.

Per the same interview, there’s a new component to the show: “Last Chance Kitchen” where eliminated contestants can cook for their competitive lives to get back on the show. Footage will only be shown online. I can just hear Jen screaming, “Why didn’t you have that during All Stars?” In fact, I wonder if that, and some other very difficult cuts they’ve had to make (the James Beard nominee who was cut in the first episode of the DC season, for instance… yeah, I’m still pining after Dreadlocks) inspired the idea, or if they just wanted to add a new element to prevent the show from becoming stale. We’ll see.

Texas makes me think lots of Tex-Mex, and lots of meat (steaks, bbq). I’m guessing some Gulf seafood will make its way onto the show, as well as some good old-fashioned Southern and Creole fare. I hope they don’t do another Cowboy Cookoff. I remember seeing a very foodie-intense show about Austin somewhere – Bourdain, maybe? – that featured a tiny restaurant with a cutting-edge menu. And I’m sure there’ll be stuff that has nothing to do with Texas. I just hope it has nothing to do with Rick Perry, either.

The Bravotv website lists Emeril Lagasse and Hugh Acheson (from Top Chef Masters) as judges. Hugh has a very distinct sense of humor; this could be fun. And of course, I’ll have to brush up on my unibrow lore. Wasn’t he just a judge on Just Desserts? Was that training? Or has he decided he likes the spotlight better than the kitchen? As for Emeril – he can try all he wants, but I don’t think he can’t undo the persona he created for the Food Network. To me, he’ll always be an idiot who can’t manage to say “www.foodnetwork.com.” Even with cue cards. Even though he was reasonably informative during the New Orleans finale event. No matter what, even if he enumerates precisely and cleverly the failings or magic of a dish, I’ll always see him going, “BAM!”

Bravo has the casting videos here. Since half of them aren’t really on the show, I’m not going to bother until after it narrows down a little.

See you Wednesday!