I don’t think the world needs much in the way of reality television, much less much more, but Top Chef has been my exception. I was looking forward to Season 4, but it just hasn’t caught my attention the way previous seasons had. Joe DeSalazar of foodieNYC nailed it for me:
What could I possibly criticize about the current state of Top Chef, considering it’s must see TV and it’s probably at its peak of popularity?
In a nutshell, I think the move to almost exclusively cast executive/sous/line cooks from high-end restaurants across the country has resulted in a homogeneous set of cooking styles and techniques on the show, resulting in Quickfire and Elimination challenges that serve up dishes from contestants that are all coming from the same perspective – that of the the two-four star, big city restaurant chef.
Exactly, Joe. Well put. It was the diversity of backgrounds and the sense of possibility that drew me in previous seasons.
A few other thoughts:
- I’d love to see someone get popped for a sanitation violation. Tom Colicchio at least made reference to the disarrayed and potentially risky condition of Mark’s station in the tailgating cookoff. Seriously, next person to really do something obviously risky for their diners, send ‘em packing.
- By the way, Mark is a kiwi, a New Zealander. I think a few times now he has been called “the Australian”. I’m sure that has to be as frustrating as someone who keeps calling you “Larry” regardless of what your name is (nor how good a name Larry is).
- Consider including catering chefs if the challenges are going to be so catering oriented. We know how to deliver the stuff to the field, looking *and* tasting good (Erik’s mushy corndogs come to mind).
- To future contestants: Don’t say disparaging stuff on camera about the judges. After being dismissed from the show, you will always have to wonder whether it was *only* the mushy corndogs that sent you home…
FOOTNOTES
(1) Hat tip to David Foster Wallace, from whom part of the first sentence is lifted.