Customer Reviews

Goodbye to Vegas

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
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For this episode, Culinary Olympics, Top Chef deserves a standing ovation. They delivered the most intensely entertaining episode ever with elements of the Bocuse d'Or and an appearance by Thomas Keller. This was an amazing coup!

I always look forward to the last episodes of each season since the challenges are much more serious in their degree of difficulty with the focus on haute cuisine... This season is no different. I admire the remaining contestants for their talent and professional behavior. Top Chef, you've come a long way since the violence and obnoxious attitudes of Season 2. I still cringe with embarrassment when I recall that season and I wasn't even responsible for it!

Known for his odd frowning looks when he disagrees with a contestant, Judge Tom Colicchio more eloquently expresses silent disapproval than any violent, swearing celebrity chef. So, it was great to see Tom sincerely complimenting the remaining chefs on their performance throughout the season. Because this episode was a Top Chef Bocuse d'Or, the judges were hypercritical (and rightfully so), and it was a nice balance for Tom to recognize the hard work and talent of the remaining five and to say it was a pleasure for him to watch them. He doesn't normally do this, so you could see that his words meant something to the contestants.

Thanks again, Top Chef, for the best episode I've seen!

The chefs really didn't seem to understand this challenge at all. They were told to do something like weave asparagus into a basket and then fill it with something edible, but all they made was normally plated food. Then it seems most of the food they made was bad on top of that! I realize they didn't have enough time to go full on, but the challenge was unique execution. Oh well. I get the feeling they were all to scared to put it out there.

I am impressed with this season. Set in Las Vegas, the stakes are high and the challenges intense. The show really demonstrates how Las Vegas has become a culinary destination, attracting colossal talent from around the globe. Several of quick-fire challenges are really exciting -- beyond the immunity from elimination offered in the early rounds, rewards for the winners include amazing career opportunities or unusual benefits in the elimination round, as well as substantial monetary purses. They also feature fewer product tie-ins than in past years, which is a big relief. (Unless you consider the featured hotels to be product tie-ins.) The elimination challenges are some of the most extraordinary ever, with unbelievable appearances by luminaries of French cuisine featured in at least two of challenges.

As usual, the top five or six chefs make themselves apparent from the get-go, but the progress of the season is still pretty gripping. One of the front runners from earlier rounds starts tanking midway through the competition -- will the chef be able to rebound? Will simpler fare executed with canny invention triumph over more elaborate techniques, when both approaches are so obviously inspired? It is also fascinating to see how the interaction of chefs evolves from episode to episode -- with the various personalities and backgrounds and culinary philosophies. Not too much undue drama, especially when you start weeding out the lesser talent.

Unlike Project Runway, which has really gone downhill in its sixth season with lackluster talent pool, uninspired challenges, dubious decisions by the judges, and shoddy production ... Top Chef remains on top in competition reality series. I am really looking forward to the finale.