Top Chef Season 5

Top Chef Season 5 - Top Chef New York - Episode 3

2008-11-28T09:09:00.000-08:00

Top Chef Season 5 Top Chef New York - Episode 3

Top Chef QuickFire Challenge

The quick fire challenge was classic and intense. Each chef drew a knife from the block with a strange number on it - 194, 78, 44, etc. The numbers were page numbers from the Top Chef Cookbook, and the challenge was then to construct your Top Chef version of the Top Chef recipe you chose!

In typical quick fire production moves - the chefs were stopped mid-challenge and instructed to move their product to a.....

soup! Wow - talk about stress. However, it seemed all the Top Chefs made the transition well and moved foward with it. Leah took the challenge with an interesting cold soup based on a Top Chef Season 3 classic from Hung.

Top Chef Elimination Challenge

The Elimination Challenge for Top Chef New York was an interesting twist on Thanksgiving. Prepare a great Thanksgiving feast as a roadie Top Chef for the Foo Fighters! The Top Chefs were divided into teams based on Leah's selection of her team. The team names - the Team Cougar and Team Sexy Pants both prepared good quality meals in a difficult environment.

In the end Team Sexy Pants took the Foo Fighters and judges votes, and won a narrow victory over Team Cougar. Richard was sent packing with a fairly poor rendition of S'mores. I'm not sure why he chose that desert - but the choice and delivery of it got him sent back to San Diego.

Later Richard and Stay tuned.

Padma Lakshmi - Top Chef Top Judge

2008-11-21T13:13:00.001-08:00

Padma Lakshmi
Originally uploaded by DirtyWhorelebrityNews.wordpress.com

Padma Lakshmi is the main ingredient for Top Chef - case closed. Padma has been the host since Top Chef Season 2, and the ratings have never been the same since - skyrocketing in the past few years.

Most don't know Padma is the ex-wife of author Simon Rushdi, and is probably the most photographed Indian woman today. Speaking of photos - Padma Lakshmi is probably the most Photo-shopped woman on-line these days too.

Her sizable arm scar is a trademark she wears proudly - and it also gives those Photo-shopping noobs fits as they never get it right, and often don't even put it on the correct arm (her right one)!

Padma's direct, but gentle style on Bravo's hit Top Chef is probably not coachable, but it is certainly watchable - and riveting as well.

Top Che Season 5 - Padma Lakshmi - the main ingredient for hungry viewers.

Tom Colicchio - Top Chef's Top Chef

2008-11-20T06:33:00.001-08:00

Tom Colicchio
Originally uploaded by eater_ny

Tom Colicchio is as hot as one of those cilantro-filled dishes he judges weekly on his runaway smash hit Top Chef.

Top Chef Season 5 is in high gear and is taking place in Tom Colicchio's backyard - New York City. Tom's brand of Craft restaurants and food is hot in New York and Top Chef's main man is every bit as hot too.

Apparently Tom Colicchio is also hot among young metro men - which is cool, but a little odd as he has said numerous times he is happily married to his wife.

Tom Colicchio is definitely a hot celebrity this holiday season and his Top Chef show is off the charts for reality TV.

Top Chef New York - Episode 2

2008-11-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Top Chef Season 5; Top Chef New York - Episode 2:

Top Chef QuickFire Challenge

The quick fire challenge was straight out of New York City - very appropriate for Top Chef - NY. Build the perfect hot dog. I must say most of them looked delicious and Rhadika's dog with an Indian twist and accent looked like a fitting winner.

Top Chef Elimination Challenge
Wow - talk about pressure....the Elimination Challenge for Top Chef was straight out of Chef Tom Collichio's own restaurant - Craft. And, to add an even tougher twist - the hungry guests were chefs who had been eliminated from consideration for Top Chef - New York! Ouch.

The competitors basically wilted under the pressure. Only 3 of 16 dishes were worthy of praise form the judges. And, Padma actually had to spit Arian's desert dish out - yuck! I thought Arian was history as she has never put up a good dish - ala Lisa from Top Chef Season 4 - however, she somehow survived.

Jill got the axe for her Ostrich egg quiche - which did look fairly unedible. So long Jill. A fairly weak all-around elimination challenge for the Top Chef wannabes.

Top Chef Season 5 - Top Chef New York

2008-11-13T05:49:00.000-08:00

Top Chef Season 5 - Top Chef New York - kicked off last night on Bravo with great anticipation and Top Chef drama right from the get-go. Fresh off the plane, the 17 contestants were met in a park area with Top Chef head chef Tom Coliccio and, of course, Padma.

Memory tells me the show usually starts with 16 contestants, so you had the feeling something might happen quickly - and it did. The first Quick Fire challenge for Top Chef NY kicked off right there on the spot with three difficult rounds - two involving peeling and chopping apples -and the third was an actual Top Chef quick fire challenge.

Poor Lauren was sent packing right there on the spot - sad she never even got to donn the Top Chef coat. Top Chef Season 5 - Episode 1 - finally moved to the kitchen. The challenge was to pair up and cook a NY Burrough-inspired dish such as Chinatown, Brighton Beach, etc.

It appears once again the level of Top Chef talent has been elevated as Padma, Tom and Gail all commented the level of cooking was very solid for a first challenge. In the end, Stefan took the challenge. So, the question is - will Top Chef stay true to form and eventually crown Stefan as king? Seems the first challenge winner usually goes on to win the whole Top Chef hardware.

Interesting that Stefan and another Top Chef contestant - Fabio - are from Europe - a first for the show. So, it seems we're set for a U.S. - Euro showdown. Stefan seems very formidable.

Stay tuned.