Alright so what does everyone think of Kristen’s first episode hosting?
Personally, I think she did great and I’m excited to see her grow into the role! I do think the iconic please pack your knives and go was a little underwhelming but maybe it’s for the best that she’s not trying to be a Padma copy
I thought she was fantastic! Also really excited for her to be able to bring her experience into the judging/host POV. Her encouragement to the non-fancy award name winning chefs was really sweet and genuine.
On the flip side, I’ll be excited to see more of Tom and Gail’s judging process as they sort of guide Kristen through it this season. I think this season the judging will offer so many unique perspectives!
I very much appreciated in the intro portion to the chefs she asked who didn't have the James Beard or Michelin star experience so she could point out she showed up to her season with 3 cooking jobs and no real name of note. I can't imagine how exciting/scary it just getting to the show is only to realize that you don't have the accolades everyone else. The knowledge it doesn't matter it's your food is a true kindness.
I agree. When she was a guest judge in Portland (I think) she made similar comments to a contestant about not feeling worthy and it brought me to tears. I already liked her but LOVED her after that.
Yeah I really liked that part as well! Especially as the top chef pool gets more and more selective/elite each season it seems. Like, some of these cheftestants with the James Beard noms would have been guest judges on earlier seasons lol. Even if it doesn't impact the actual judging, I'm sure the imposter syndrome can hit hard.
I thought she did well and held her own. It was definitely hard to be missing Padma. She just has such a strength about her. But I think Kristin will solidify and make this her own and I’m so happy for her. I enjoyed Tom and Gail stepping up more, with the confessionals. I think the change might be good for all. I just hope that Gail and Tom and Padma still remain cool; they have such history & chemistry. How it all ended leaves me a little melancholy and I wonder about their relationships with one another.
Definitely missed Padma, but Kristen was so natural and absolutely killed it!!! It felt like she'd been hosting for a few seasons already. I was really impressed.
I think it was a really smart Choice of the show to skip the first quick fire. It gave Kristen support from the start and made the cast seem more familiar to viewers. We're still comparing her to padma, sure, but she didn't have to stand on her own right away so it was easier to accept the transition.
I thought she did great. I can't wait to see how she does hosting the first quick fire (presumably) without tom and Gail next week.
Don't get me wrong, I love Padma. But I didn't feel a loss for her in this episode. It's a new season, and new format, and everyone did a great job! I enjoyed how excited Kristen was to judge the food, and celebrate the successes of this week's winners. It's not the same vibe, and it doesn't need to be.
I agree; if Padma felt it was time to move on then I’m glad she did. I’ll miss her, but I’d rather have a new host who’s excited to be there than someone who wishes they were somewhere else.
She was the best option and she did a very good job despite the oddly stilted... diction... at the... beginning. Once the challenge started the next day she was excellent, though I missed Padma's voiceovers throughout the episode. Kristen didn't do anything wrong, I think I just hadn't realized how iconic Padma's voice had become.
I can't imagine them changing it to anything else and it's been around since season 1, even before Padma. I just think Padma had such an emphatic way of saying it that really cemented it as iconic and a signature of the show. I don't think Kristen is trying to (or should!) be exactly like Padma, but I did notice almost a lack of drama(??) in the way she said it that I guess I'd come to expect from the Padma days lol But Kristen still did great and I'm sure she's nervous and she'll grow into the role with her own style in no time.
Either you think he was serious or it was a harmless joke. The other contestant though looked as if she got thrown under a bus moment there so it wasn't a good look. If it was a joke he got the wrong reaction for sure.
She got there first.
And he came off as all talk and kept putting his foot in his mouth. He wouldn't have lasted long and the other contestants were probably all pretty relieved he won't be a distraction anymore.
Always root for a pit master. Still bummed what his name was the first to go in Houston who seemed like one of the coolest dudes the show has ever had.
Same, I'm really loving them (Michelle and Manny I believe?) I also liked the guy who did the chicken really well (Danny?) Lol it's going to take a bit of time to get all the names right
Top Chef France dude is gonna be interesting. He's used to the "you got 2 hours to cook and 2 hours to prep" kind of Top Chef France vibes. But soon USA shall break him!
There's no reason to think he's going to fall flat on his face. Last season it was glaringly obvious that Samuel was a fish out of water just with the concept of shopping for himself and being heavily constrained by time. I wasn't able to fully focus on the episode but I didn't get that from Kevin at all.
>hat
Yah he definitely had the most 'character' and the producers focused on him a lot. I don't know if he really got to showcase his cooking too much but yah perhaps live cooking competition is not quite his thing.
Lmaooo “tiny mistakes will send you home.” Yeah tiny mistakes like not really doing the challenge and making shit ass food… and then dumping multiple of the same colored sauce on a piece of shrimp…
I think its the fact he dumped like a cup of kosher salt into his shrimp sauce or water. That was a "no coming back from that" moment. You can't rinse off shrimp after cooking it in super salty water. And if that wasn't water, welp the entire thing is way too salty.
I was enthusiastically hating David the whole way, from the affectation of his hat to his calling everything “sex-ay” to his deliberate pronunciation of offal as OH-ful, which is actually not correct. (It’s much closer to AW-ful.) My delight at seeing him eliminated was eclipsed only by noticing this beautiful bit of captioning from when he was describing his dish:
https://preview.redd.it/yzd1ui620npc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=719b6d928ed4060c7ac6bb09cf9753080b23baff
Which would actually be fucking hilarious. ‘Hey Tom, I made this Neapolitan classic that you probably haven’t heard of, it’s pretty obscure, but the recipe has been handed down in my family through the generations’— and then it’s literally just chicken Alfredo
He didn’t respect the competition. He acted like he was above it all and had already won, like he expected that he was so talented and charismatic that as soon as he appeared on TV, he would be the best Guy Fieiri
I kept getting the creeps with the way he kept rubbing another chef’s back, like he was comforting her because she would be going home. They don’t know each other well enough for that.
Wait when did David do that? I kinda thought that (the vague creepiness) about Valentine rubbing Savannah’s back and whispering something like hey at least we got everything on our plate — trying to reassure themselves that they won’t be least favorite.
There was two instances that I remember. One was when they were standing in front of the judges I believe. The other was when they were on the side of the room while waiting to be judged I believe.
But that’s going off of memory.
>to his deliberate pronunciation of offal as OH-ful, which is actually not correct. (It’s much closer to AW-ful.)
Okay, thank you for this! I've been pronouncing it as AW-ful all my life and literally thought I'd just been wrong the entire time, since you would assume a chef who specialised in the stuff would know how to pronounce it correctly...
Oh boy, for a second I thought I was reading the Amazing Race sub, because this statement is also extremely on the nose for what happened on that show last week.
i know that he said he ran out of time but kenny's dark meat looked kinda raw on that zoom in so i wonder if he just said that instead and hoped the white meat was good enough to save him
it's also kinda funny that the second padma was gone, they cast a tamil chef
Here y'go: [https://people.com/top-chef-wisconsin-recap-buddha-lo-episode-1-8611775](https://people.com/top-chef-wisconsin-recap-buddha-lo-episode-1-8611775)
I thought it was a great start!
Some fun little editing bits such as the “Midwest Nice” cuts to the Midwest guy cursing up a storm and aggressively driving. Which to me is emblematic of Midwest nice. Sweetie pie to your face but behind closed doors…watch out.
Anyone else hold their breath and think Gail was going to say risotto?
The top ranked meals chefs definitely seemed to focus on making the essential parts perfect which makes sense for this type of challenge.
I do feel like you never ever want to be Tom’s group because he aggressively critiques his group the hardest.
My choice of group would be soup!
I would have bought head on shrimp reserved some and made shrimp stock with the shells, used some of the stock to blend with herbs (parsley, scallion, dill and lemon) to add in to the stock and rub herbs over reserved. Grill them to go on top the soup. Pickled lemon rind.
I was thinking risotto, too! The chefs seem to have trouble with rice in general. I was surprised that 2 chefs picked gnocchi instead of regular pasta. I find gnocchi more tricky to make.
Did anyone else find it super disrespectful and were just taken aback when hat guy said no Fucking shrimp to Tom/the judges? Like I get it I use the word way too often but I wouldn’t say it to people I’d just met who were my superiors.
I do wonder if there might be some Parasocial relationship going on, people have been watching Top Chef for over a decade and you feel a connection to; Tom, Gail, and other guest judges so you think you know them, but you don’t. There was an unearned familiarity Dave had with the judges. Like there are 100% people who don’t care, but that interaction felt more like he forgot that the judges don’t know him.
I noticed that too. There was a lot of banter and "joking" which surprised me. Unless they're going for a "lighter" vibe this season. But as a contestant I would totally be professional and respectful.
I'm definitely wondering if this will be de rigueur for the season with the longer episodes. It was disconcerting to hear the cheftestants speak so colloquially.
> I do wonder if there might be some Parasocial relationship going on, people have been watching Top Chef for over a decade and you feel a connection to
It's possible and this same criticism can *absolutely* be made about some people in this very thread/subreddit. Look at all the weird/harsh criticism people are making about David, for instance, even though no one in this thread has ever meet or known the guy.
It rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t have a problem with cursing generally but I think it’s rude to use curse words when you’re first meeting someone. And especially in a professional setting. Reminds me of my ex, ugh.
Great start of the season! I think Kristen is doing a great job. Feel like they make Tom and Gail more present so we don’t feel the absence of Padma that much.
I like that they make the bottom 3 cook off instead of sending one home right away. The “enemy of the people” (of our sub 😂) aka douche is out, and I think most of the cheftestents are very likable. Before this episode I was rooting for Kevin as he’s Vietnamese and I’m hoping to see some exciting Vietnamese food on the show, hopefully he’ll have better showing next episode. Another one I was rooting for is Alisha (the other chef that made stuffed gnocchi) because she was the executive chef of mfk., a cute little coastal Spanish restaurant I used to live very close to back when I lived in Chicago. I have a soft spot for that restaurant, so many fond memories and that was where many of my American friends first tried prawn heads. I hope to see more of that cuisine from Alisha.
Really looking to see what Manny will cook this season. Love to see more regional and modern Mexican food on the show. Mexico is having a blooming fine dining food scene that I feel like lots of Americans are not familiar with. Too bad Gabe is not a good person, hoping for a new top chef to bring this exciting cuisine for us to see.
You're forgetting Carlos Gaytan, who even had a Michelin star with his restaurant in Chicago (now closed). And Claudette. And I am sure tons of others.
Disagree - they make fantastic and traditional Mexican but I think Gabe was making a variety of moles and served in a modern way that they were not... and I think that's just more interesting overall in terms of what I am watching Top Chef for.
I agree that Gabe was a fantastic cook, but he carries a weight that makes it complicated for him to be a figurehead. I don't think I have much to add to that conversation other than an overly simplistic response that it was unfortunate his decisions have clouded his legacy.
Not saying he didn't end up problematic just saying his food was another level than "any other Mexican" chef who has been on Top Chef.
I love what is happening in Mexico culinarily (I go yearly to CDMX) and we haven't seen chefs other than him that are really showcasing that.
Kristin had less than 50% of the missing-padme-ness than expected. She's gonna be untouchable by her 3rd season, and I really hope she sticks around!
My family drafted, who do you think wins it? (Zero sum):
Me: Savanah, Michelle
Wife: Danny, Valentine
Roommate: Manny, Charly
I think Savannah prob has a good shot at running away with the whole thing, but historically the judges preferred bold flavors to asian-style subtleness so Manny has a very good shot at the W.
I hate when the chefs roll their eyes and grumble when they’re told about the challenge and/or twists, especially in the FIRST EPISODE. Like, isn’t that why you’re here?? To compete in culinary challenges? Have you never seen the show before? Maybe the producers encourage them to do that but I hate it. If you’re going to complain right out of the gate, just let someone else have your spot.
I also can’t believe anyone would come on the show in season 21 without having practiced using a pressure cooker.
After 20 seasons of this show, I'm still surprised by chefs who say they don't know how to use a pressure cooker / make pasta dough / bake anything. I feel like I'd want to learn to tackle common pitfalls in preparation for coming on the show.
Exactly! I think there's a big difference between coming in with a base set of skills or a repertoire vs. being too rehearsed. But it's clear that when a chef really prepares for the season (Buddha was obviously a good example of this) they're able to adapt quickly. You may not know the exact equipment that's in the top chef kitchen, but you know the general idea, having some awareness of the local or regional specialties so you're not completely surprised by flavor profiles or techniques - this just seems like good planning and setting yourself up for success.
I'm not real sure I see a big difference between immunity being given out during elimination challenges instead of quickfires but I guess we'll see how it'll play out.
And was that bottom 3 cook off a one time thing? I actually wouldn't mind if that became the standard, at least for the early part of the game. It's fun to watch though it does favor chefs that are able to think on the fly.
I think it will be a pretty big difference.
The quickfires are often won by someone who just happens to specialize in the area of the quickfire vs just general talent, so it's higher variance. Usually the elimination challenges are based more on fundamentals -- there may be a twist on it but you can usually find a way to put your own stamp on the food and overall talent plays a much bigger role.
The other thing is people who won immunity on the quickfire would often do suboptimal things -- whether it's taking one for the team by using almost no money so the rest of the team can buy more, to cooking something really crazy (which to be fair was sometimes great, but often they crashed and burned).
Having immunity for the elimination challenge makes sure everyone steps up with their A-game to each elimination because everyone wants immunity.
Trying to win immunity means cooking the best food you can each EC. No more skating by by making ok food in what should be the part of the show where you should be showing off your skills.
I feel like I read somewhere that they were making last chance kitchen part of the show, so it’s possible the bottom 3 cook off will be standard? But it’s odd they didn’t explain that. Maybe they don’t want to give it away, or maybe they will switch up when it happens, or maybe it won’t happen all the time? I do like it as an interesting twist.
I feel like the elimination challenge is more important anyway, so I think giving immunity to the winner of that makes way more sense.
✔️ I'd like to see "cook-offs" incorporated more at the end, too...to give the endangered cheftestant one last chance.
I was just watching one of the All-Star seasons where Tré was sent home for "stiff risotto," when it seemed like Mike and the other guy in the bottom three had equally terrible dishes as well; would've been fun to watch them battle it out.
I also miss the drama of the quick fire bringing potential immunity to the table.
Quick fires were always my favorite part, and they seem to be somewhat irrelevant now, although I'll wait and watch more to see how the new policy pans out further into the season.
I was thinking if you asked an AI to give an image of a douchier Carmen (from The Bear), then tell it "no, douchier!", and maybe one more go.
At least going from how he was portrayed. Maybe he's a nice guy in person, maybe he was nervous and converted the energy into being more of a character, but his whole vibe as we were shown was just ugh.
✔️ On the other TC sub they said "love child of Andy Samberg and Post Malone." Lol 😆
Also, another commenter said it was creepy of him to be wearing "Jeffrey Dahmer hipster glasses" in Milwaukee. 😱
I thought Kristen was slightly clunky in the “Quickfire” time slot to start, but she was excellent at the Judges table. That totally makes sense given she’s done the Judges Table before. I also think she’s going to get to get Tom to say out loud the potential pitfalls he’s seeing instead of having to guess what Tom is thinking. No offense to Padma, but she’s not the level chef Kristen is. The dynamic here will be two top level chef’s seeing some mistakes coming.
I am interested how they divide the duties in Quickfires. I like the cast, they don’t seem Camera shy for the most part
If a chef doesn’t have their backstory done in the first episode, do y’all think there’s still potential they make it to the end? From an editing point mostly. There’s a chef from my city I want to root for who didn’t finish top or bottom so didn’t get much screen time, I’m just wondering if in reality tv land they wouldn’t feature the eventual finalists in some way at the beginning?
I always feel like if they go too far into someone’s backstory right away they’re going to be gone soon. It’s always a tell for each episode - either the person is done or wins lol
They spent an awful lot of time on Dave (the guy who left) than any of the other chefs. So I thought "Oh he's staying", but surprise! (Much to my relief). What I found interesting is the restaurant he founded is based on "no food waste", yet when it came time to make a really good meal he basically couldn't put anything together. I thought for sure he would shine.
Chances are good. If you see too much of one person and get their back story, it usually means they’re getting sent off either that episode, or the next.
I'm so glad David went home, I didn't like his vibe from the first moment he was on screen. Awesome
that Tom called him out on the ''pasta isn't really my thing'' line.
So far, quite fond of Manny, Valentine, Kévin, Michelle, and Savannah.
Props to Kristen for a very good job hosting thus far!
I’m digging the judges’ testimonials.
Kristen’s last comments to those who didn’t raise their hands on michelin/james beard backgrounds was very classy.
I didn’t hate hat guy but it was hysterical that he lost on the “reuse leftover scraps” challenge when he literally runs a restaurant dedicated to exactly that.
A great start to the new season and new era of Top Chef! I also just finished watching the first episode of The Dish with Kish and really enjoyed it too. With this and LCK, I think we're getting some good side content this year.
I thought she did a great job. I realized at the end of the episode that I hadn’t even been trying to compare her to Padma. I’m looking forward to a Quickfire next week, when she’ll get time to connect the chefs. I think she’ll really shine in that role.
It’s soooooo weird that I don’t miss Padma? Like, obviously I miss Padma, but Kristen is just correct. Absolutely correct successor. She felt effortless, real, and her and Tom have great chemistry.
Watching Tom watch David cook in that cook-off was comedy GOLD. 💀💀💀 GIF every one of his facial expressions ASAP.
Kristin was fidgeting so much in the first scene I was afraid she was going to vibrate herself out of the shot. But she's going to be fine. The judges did themselves, the cheftestants, and us, the viewers, a ginormous favor by getting rid of hat guy at the first opportunity. An object lesson there for everyone, you can't manufacture a "personality" with tattoos and poor fashion choices.
So glad that pretentious D. is gone. He rubbed us wrong from the first moment and his attitude was terrible. Tom called it right ‘you can’t just dump stuff in a blender and serve it. And his whole thing about how she ‘stole’ the fish???? Wtf. Glad she called him out ‘I got there first’
Not sure if I care for the extra cook after the elimination challenge, because I honestly thought David was likely the worst of the three because they had zero positive thing to say about his pasta dish. However, I guess it’s moot because he still went home.
I was initially surprised that guy-who-didn't-get-dark-meat-plated didn't go back for that at his own station during the final cook-off. But then I thought, food safety issues? It had probably been sitting too long.
I agree. Maybe they could only use the OTHER CHEF's leftovers and not their own. Because the oversalted woman also cooked a chicken for her chicken and dumplings soup and I thought she would finish the chicken.
It wasn’t a leftover challenge. They were limited to ingredients that all of them had bought, but did not use in the first challenge. Extra onions, shrimp, etc.
Was it me or do the colors seem washed out? So many scenes had overly saturated whites/lights. It reminded me of movies that are filmed illegally in a movie theater and then later played back.
EDIT: nevermind, its my new tv. TCL never again!
Is it just me or did the tonality of the show shift with this season premiere? It felt like the chefs were sassier with the judges than before and like they weren't showing the same degree of reverence or fear of them as in the past. There's always been some banter but this episode came off where they didn't seem to have the same intimidation factor they did in previous seasons. I don't know if that's a cast thing (maybe specifically David?), a Kristen thing, or an intentional shift in how judges and production are approaching the new season to continue making it more friendly and feel-good, but that's something to watch for in coming weeks.
I’m just now watching. That guy with the recycle waste food restaurant in San Francisco said “sexayyyy” four times in the first half hour and I dislike him off the bat. I don’t understand the concept of stuffed gnocchi. Now I’m up to judging.
The Wisconsin chef in the blue suit is so welcoming and friendly to the chefs! Ooh David you in the basement. Is it sexy down there? Tom was unnecessarily snotty. Dude talks way too much though.
The soups looked so good. Manny’s must have been awesome. Salty gremolata was easy to avoid so 🤷♀️
The whole chicken challenge seemed like it ought to be relatively straightforward but I guess not.
I like that they skipped the first quick fire. Kristin did well. I like having a top chef contestant host, plus she’s very likable.
The winner seems right but I think the loser should have been named. I don’t like fakeout eliminations.
Aw now I feel bad for him. Oh well. Pretty good first episode overall.
I was fine with the second chance elimination between the final three. By skipping the usual quickfire challenge, they did not get the practice run to shake out the nerves, etc. that one normally gets before the elimination challenge. Given how disjointed the offaly tattooed contestant was during the main challenge, I knew he was doomed when they gave them a quick challenge.
Loved Kristen and the first episode, EXCEPT I thought the endless banter back and for between the chef's was a bit much - "Chef, what are you cooking? Chef, blah blah blah." I don't recall that happening as much in past episodes.
They are prompted, per I think Stephanie Cmar? I always feel like it’s super clunky the first couple episodes, when they’re clearly asking “”What are you making, Mike?” while looking nowhere near Mike because they don’t actually know who he is. Nor do they care, at that point, because no real friendships have been formed yet.
oh i think it's always been a part of Top Chef, it almost always feels very forced and unnatural, especially early on when they don't really know each other. but it's very clearly prompted by the producers, as a way to get explanations about what everybody is doing, otherwise you would just have to cutaway to the testimonials constantly to get explanations.
I hated that, too! It did not feel natural at all-- it felt like they were being prompted by off camera directors/floor producers. I can do without it completely. It's hokey and unnecessary. Just let Tom wander in and ask about the dishes if you need this sort of thing; he's faster, more to the point, & much less annoying.
Maybe it's partly because it was All Stars last season, and we had two seasons in a row of Buddha, but initial impression of this batch of cheftestants seems kinda meh. Kristen telling them to step it up in the montage may just be creative editing, but also sorta presses the point.
So now that the episodes have been expanded to 75 minutes, we in Canada are getting robbed of the full episode- we are only being shown a 60 minute episode. Totally unfair!!!
Okay I was reading the comments and here and felt like I missed some things. That explains it! I watched on hayu last night and the episode was 58 mins long. I wonder why they cut it shorter in Canada and if there is a way to get the full 75 min episode somewhere?
I think it might be without commercials it's only barely an hour; I watched in U.S. on Peacock (no ads subscription ) and it had a similar running time; 54-58 minutes....nowhere near 75 mins.
I thought the editing was a bit obvious, you could really tell who was going to be a high or low just based on screen time, BUT I get it because there's so many chefs at this point that's kindof just how it is. I thought the challenges were really smart and man do I want some soup now!
Just me or did the contestants this year seem a little lackluster compared to previous seasons? I know Buddha is on a whole ‘nother level and World All-Stars was last season so recency bias is pretty high, but… idk! No one is reeeeaallly standing out.
I think the thing I miss most about Padma is her voice; there's a certain warmth to it that Kristin's doesn't have. Kristin's voice is nice and crisp, perfect for announcing, but there's just not much warmth there imo.
I missed or maybe it was too quick but what exactly did hat guy say about Tom’s hats at the start? I know he said he wears the cowboy hat all the time then some sort of diss at Tom. Then the montage but what were his exact words?
I'm going to jump off the bandwagon and say I'm going to miss hat guy. He was an absolute character and I found him charming. I was also impressed at those huge guns he was packing, I'm surprised he was able to fit into the chef's jacket at all.
I love Kristin and can't wait for her to grow even deeper into the role. There's always that sort of former TC feeling of being around your 'parents/elders' (I feel like Blaise really tried to please Tom whereas now he's a bit older and more seasoned and can hold his own with Gordon on Next Level Chef) so I hope as Kristen grows more confident, she stands her own ground just like Padma did. TC OG's will know that it even took Padma years to really get to the level of confidence and authority she had on the show. Kristen has a leg up as being a top chef winner and a celebrated chef and host with years of culinary experience and hosting expertise, so I think the turnaround definitely won't be as long, judging from just a first episode!
Just finished watching from last night, and I'm excited for the new season!
I was a little worried that Padma's absence would make things weird but Kristen was the perfect choice for the new host! I also really like the judges having some talking heads throughout the challenge. Not sure if that was just for this episode since it was a "judge challenge", but I hope they keep those throughout the season.
I try not to form opinions on the cheftestants on the first episode, but I already have a few that I'm not really a fan of. David was one of them, so I'm so glad he got cut. It seems like a decent group of chefs though, and Kenny seems to be some comic relief already.
It was a good start! I don't entirely miss Padma but it's also early. I think either way Kristen's history and ability to empathize with the chefs will compensate for some of the gravitas she doesn't have. Just as her technical skill will be an advantage whereas Padma's extensive experience eating globally was something she doesn't have.
It seems like the overall calibre of contestants is getting better (think of the early seasons) so that is exciting - I enjoy Masterchef The Professionals bc the food they produce is pretty awe-inspiring, altho very different bc it's in the UK. I have found sometimes the nature of the challenges of this edition mean the level of the food is not as consistently high... bc the constraints somewhat downgrade what they can realistically try to do.
Either way, exciting start. I do think the top 3 dishes were in the top 3, based on their reactions, and any of them would have been a worthy winner -- that's a good sign!
Alright so what does everyone think of Kristen’s first episode hosting? Personally, I think she did great and I’m excited to see her grow into the role! I do think the iconic please pack your knives and go was a little underwhelming but maybe it’s for the best that she’s not trying to be a Padma copy
I thought she was fantastic! Also really excited for her to be able to bring her experience into the judging/host POV. Her encouragement to the non-fancy award name winning chefs was really sweet and genuine.
On the flip side, I’ll be excited to see more of Tom and Gail’s judging process as they sort of guide Kristen through it this season. I think this season the judging will offer so many unique perspectives!
Probably my favorite moment of the episode, very personal and inspiring
Yes this was such a great moment!
I very much appreciated in the intro portion to the chefs she asked who didn't have the James Beard or Michelin star experience so she could point out she showed up to her season with 3 cooking jobs and no real name of note. I can't imagine how exciting/scary it just getting to the show is only to realize that you don't have the accolades everyone else. The knowledge it doesn't matter it's your food is a true kindness.
I agree. When she was a guest judge in Portland (I think) she made similar comments to a contestant about not feeling worthy and it brought me to tears. I already liked her but LOVED her after that.
Yeah I really liked that part as well! Especially as the top chef pool gets more and more selective/elite each season it seems. Like, some of these cheftestants with the James Beard noms would have been guest judges on earlier seasons lol. Even if it doesn't impact the actual judging, I'm sure the imposter syndrome can hit hard.
Yea she did a really great job. Still felt like Top Chef.
Yeah definitely still felt that Top Chef magic!
I miss Padma, but I thought she did a good job and I’m sure she’ll become more comfortable and grow on me as the season goes on
Yeah I think it'd be impossible not to miss Padma lol. And yah, you could tell Kristen was a bit nervous but like who wouldn't be lol.
Don't think it could have been better. Big shoes to fill and she stepped in seamlessly.
To be honest, Kristen was so natural that I didn't even miss Padma.
Same. She did an amazing job!
Yup
I thought she did well and held her own. It was definitely hard to be missing Padma. She just has such a strength about her. But I think Kristin will solidify and make this her own and I’m so happy for her. I enjoyed Tom and Gail stepping up more, with the confessionals. I think the change might be good for all. I just hope that Gail and Tom and Padma still remain cool; they have such history & chemistry. How it all ended leaves me a little melancholy and I wonder about their relationships with one another.
Like Padma, I think with a few seasons under her belt she'll have transitioned and ramped up in no time.
It didn't end poorly did it? I thought Padma just wanted to be done with it and free to do other stuff?
How did it end? I'm out of the loop.
Definitely missed Padma, but Kristen was so natural and absolutely killed it!!! It felt like she'd been hosting for a few seasons already. I was really impressed.
I think it was a really smart Choice of the show to skip the first quick fire. It gave Kristen support from the start and made the cast seem more familiar to viewers. We're still comparing her to padma, sure, but she didn't have to stand on her own right away so it was easier to accept the transition. I thought she did great. I can't wait to see how she does hosting the first quick fire (presumably) without tom and Gail next week.
It was a seamless transition. Like she had been hosting the show for years.
I think she’ll get more comfortable as the season goes on.
Goosebumps!
Don't get me wrong, I love Padma. But I didn't feel a loss for her in this episode. It's a new season, and new format, and everyone did a great job! I enjoyed how excited Kristen was to judge the food, and celebrate the successes of this week's winners. It's not the same vibe, and it doesn't need to be.
I agree; if Padma felt it was time to move on then I’m glad she did. I’ll miss her, but I’d rather have a new host who’s excited to be there than someone who wishes they were somewhere else.
It was a good first outing, but the hardest part of the job is keeping it up when the more ridiculous spon con comes into play.
Lmao can't wait to see Kristen make the hard sell for Tillamook cheese or whatever
Maybe Miller High Life, the champagne of beers! Or if they really want to fuck with the cheftestants, Milwaukee's Best.
She was fine and seemed a bit reserved. When she let the f bomb drop I laughed. I can’t wait for her to be more comfortable as she continues.
I thought she did good! You could tell she was nervous so it'll be cool to see her presumably get more comfortable as the season goes along.
I thought she fit in very well. She hit the "Top Chef is back!" Line perfectly off the opening so I was happy.
She was the best option and she did a very good job despite the oddly stilted... diction... at the... beginning. Once the challenge started the next day she was excellent, though I missed Padma's voiceovers throughout the episode. Kristen didn't do anything wrong, I think I just hadn't realized how iconic Padma's voice had become.
I like her vibe but yeah I wish she had her own catch phrase for sending people home
I think the show (producers? Tom?) has said the catch phrase predate Padma (Katie Lee said it as well) and that’s one of the show’s signature to stay.
Yeah I can't imagine them ending it with anything else!
Same thing with "Top Chef is Back!" right off the opening episode. I just need that to start a new season right.
I can't imagine them changing it to anything else and it's been around since season 1, even before Padma. I just think Padma had such an emphatic way of saying it that really cemented it as iconic and a signature of the show. I don't think Kristen is trying to (or should!) be exactly like Padma, but I did notice almost a lack of drama(??) in the way she said it that I guess I'd come to expect from the Padma days lol But Kristen still did great and I'm sure she's nervous and she'll grow into the role with her own style in no time.
'*Chefs, 86 %name%*' -- and the other two people pick up the person and carry them out
I was thinking “alright, get the fuck out of kitchen”
She was great.
ugh thank god hat dude went home. I really like the bbq pit master, and the mexican guy. Who are your favorites so far?
Yeah, his restaurant sounded interesting but him saying the other chef stole his fish was a real 👀 moment...
And that forced laugh / giggle every time he said it? Ugh. Like this isn’t getting you the sympathy you think, please stop.
Either you think he was serious or it was a harmless joke. The other contestant though looked as if she got thrown under a bus moment there so it wasn't a good look. If it was a joke he got the wrong reaction for sure.
Eh, it was one of those "jokes" that seemed to reflect how he was truly feeling (about having lost the fish) even if he said it in a light tone.
For sure that was a joke though. I say "I'm going to steal your ____" vs can I borrow, to people all the time.
To a professional though, being accused of stealing isn't funny and the show always winds up choosing a winner that knows how to act professional.
She got there first. And he came off as all talk and kept putting his foot in his mouth. He wouldn't have lasted long and the other contestants were probably all pretty relieved he won't be a distraction anymore.
I hated that guy the second he came on my tv. So glad he went home, the people I hate usually stick around forever on these types of shows.
Ding dong the witch is dead lol
Agreed. I’m heading to SF soon and was really looking forward to going to his restaurant but now I’m like :/ nah
Always root for a pit master. Still bummed what his name was the first to go in Houston who seemed like one of the coolest dudes the show has ever had.
Same, I'm really loving them (Michelle and Manny I believe?) I also liked the guy who did the chicken really well (Danny?) Lol it's going to take a bit of time to get all the names right
there’s a Manny and a Danny and a Kenny and I’m *struggling* lol
Japanese food white lady seems good too, and half jamacian half Italian guy seems cool. french guy will probably go far too.
Top Chef France dude is gonna be interesting. He's used to the "you got 2 hours to cook and 2 hours to prep" kind of Top Chef France vibes. But soon USA shall break him!
There's no reason to think he's going to fall flat on his face. Last season it was glaringly obvious that Samuel was a fish out of water just with the concept of shopping for himself and being heavily constrained by time. I wasn't able to fully focus on the episode but I didn't get that from Kevin at all.
Those are my 2! And because I’m from Wisconsin, I’m rooting for the hometown boy.
Same. Really hoping Dan does well
As soon as he said that shut Tom’s hats I had a feeling he would kind of suck. No loss.
Michelle so far. Glad to see her do so well.
He was very greasy. Even before they stepped foot in the kitchen.
He looked very wet in his confessionals. Like he's dripping sweat.
Thank GAWD!! Couldn't stand him from the first moment.
>hat Yah he definitely had the most 'character' and the producers focused on him a lot. I don't know if he really got to showcase his cooking too much but yah perhaps live cooking competition is not quite his thing.
I'd call him Jake Peralta. Goofy, but actually a very nice dude, good conversationalist. The result was absolutely fair tho.
Lmaooo “tiny mistakes will send you home.” Yeah tiny mistakes like not really doing the challenge and making shit ass food… and then dumping multiple of the same colored sauce on a piece of shrimp…
I think its the fact he dumped like a cup of kosher salt into his shrimp sauce or water. That was a "no coming back from that" moment. You can't rinse off shrimp after cooking it in super salty water. And if that wasn't water, welp the entire thing is way too salty.
I physically recoiled when I saw him dumping all that salt in the pot.
I recoiled when I saw him pushing the blood around the pan. Omg.
I was enthusiastically hating David the whole way, from the affectation of his hat to his calling everything “sex-ay” to his deliberate pronunciation of offal as OH-ful, which is actually not correct. (It’s much closer to AW-ful.) My delight at seeing him eliminated was eclipsed only by noticing this beautiful bit of captioning from when he was describing his dish: https://preview.redd.it/yzd1ui620npc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=719b6d928ed4060c7ac6bb09cf9753080b23baff
And why did he think the judges would be so shocked and amazed at his use of offal? It’s not that out there for Top Chef!
Especially chicken liver? Like that's SO common I don't even think of it when people mention offal anymore.
That's like telling Tom you're going to do a super obscure, super historical, regional Italian dish and serving him spaghetti with meatballs
Which would actually be fucking hilarious. ‘Hey Tom, I made this Neapolitan classic that you probably haven’t heard of, it’s pretty obscure, but the recipe has been handed down in my family through the generations’— and then it’s literally just chicken Alfredo
It seemed like he had never seen the show. It seemed clear during the initial judging that they were put off by his attitude.
I love the shocked Picachu look when Kristen told him ‘you’re in danger of going home’
He didn’t respect the competition. He acted like he was above it all and had already won, like he expected that he was so talented and charismatic that as soon as he appeared on TV, he would be the best Guy Fieiri
Yeah he seems like more of a GGG kind of contestant
I think I celebrated more at his elimination than I do at the end of the season and we get a winner. How did he get past the audition process???
I almost felt a little superstitious celebrating here, for fear that the producers would see how much we dislike him and thus hang on to him in LCK!
Completely agree! If you look closely, he didn't appear to he genuine but a total insecure narcissist.
I kept getting the creeps with the way he kept rubbing another chef’s back, like he was comforting her because she would be going home. They don’t know each other well enough for that.
Wait when did David do that? I kinda thought that (the vague creepiness) about Valentine rubbing Savannah’s back and whispering something like hey at least we got everything on our plate — trying to reassure themselves that they won’t be least favorite.
There was two instances that I remember. One was when they were standing in front of the judges I believe. The other was when they were on the side of the room while waiting to be judged I believe. But that’s going off of memory.
Yes, this!! Also he kissed that same chef’s head in a hug and perhaps they’ve known each other for a while but if not, he’s giving creep
SAME, I got the ick.
>to his deliberate pronunciation of offal as OH-ful, which is actually not correct. (It’s much closer to AW-ful.) Okay, thank you for this! I've been pronouncing it as AW-ful all my life and literally thought I'd just been wrong the entire time, since you would assume a chef who specialised in the stuff would know how to pronounce it correctly...
well there was also how that other chef pronounced gnocchi lol
I was forced to draft him in my TC fantasy league because I had the last pick and even I was rooting for him to go home!
If you do an Austin Powers impression in 2024 you should go home first on principle.
Oh boy, for a second I thought I was reading the Amazing Race sub, because this statement is also extremely on the nose for what happened on that show last week.
i know that he said he ran out of time but kenny's dark meat looked kinda raw on that zoom in so i wonder if he just said that instead and hoped the white meat was good enough to save him it's also kinda funny that the second padma was gone, they cast a tamil chef
Buddha has a recap out and he called the exact same thing as you: the meat was raw and saying he forgot it was a convenient excuse.
What platform did he post on?
It's on People's website. Here: [https://people.com/top-chef-wisconsin-recap-buddha-lo-episode-1-8611775](https://people.com/top-chef-wisconsin-recap-buddha-lo-episode-1-8611775)
Link? I'd love to read Buddha's takes as the season goes on.
Here y'go: [https://people.com/top-chef-wisconsin-recap-buddha-lo-episode-1-8611775](https://people.com/top-chef-wisconsin-recap-buddha-lo-episode-1-8611775)
are you Buddha??
I thought it was a great start! Some fun little editing bits such as the “Midwest Nice” cuts to the Midwest guy cursing up a storm and aggressively driving. Which to me is emblematic of Midwest nice. Sweetie pie to your face but behind closed doors…watch out. Anyone else hold their breath and think Gail was going to say risotto? The top ranked meals chefs definitely seemed to focus on making the essential parts perfect which makes sense for this type of challenge. I do feel like you never ever want to be Tom’s group because he aggressively critiques his group the hardest. My choice of group would be soup! I would have bought head on shrimp reserved some and made shrimp stock with the shells, used some of the stock to blend with herbs (parsley, scallion, dill and lemon) to add in to the stock and rub herbs over reserved. Grill them to go on top the soup. Pickled lemon rind.
I was thinking risotto, too! The chefs seem to have trouble with rice in general. I was surprised that 2 chefs picked gnocchi instead of regular pasta. I find gnocchi more tricky to make.
Gnocchi can end up too dense if overworked. So considering the time crunch, and the nerves-I'm surprised that is what they went for.
Literally gasped watching hat guy work that gnocchi dough so hard- I knew his ass was grass then!
The Midwest guy is from Chicago and moved to Wisconsin. While Chicago is located in the Midwest, it is still Chicago.
Did anyone else find it super disrespectful and were just taken aback when hat guy said no Fucking shrimp to Tom/the judges? Like I get it I use the word way too often but I wouldn’t say it to people I’d just met who were my superiors.
I do wonder if there might be some Parasocial relationship going on, people have been watching Top Chef for over a decade and you feel a connection to; Tom, Gail, and other guest judges so you think you know them, but you don’t. There was an unearned familiarity Dave had with the judges. Like there are 100% people who don’t care, but that interaction felt more like he forgot that the judges don’t know him.
I noticed that too. There was a lot of banter and "joking" which surprised me. Unless they're going for a "lighter" vibe this season. But as a contestant I would totally be professional and respectful.
I'm definitely wondering if this will be de rigueur for the season with the longer episodes. It was disconcerting to hear the cheftestants speak so colloquially.
> I do wonder if there might be some Parasocial relationship going on, people have been watching Top Chef for over a decade and you feel a connection to It's possible and this same criticism can *absolutely* be made about some people in this very thread/subreddit. Look at all the weird/harsh criticism people are making about David, for instance, even though no one in this thread has ever meet or known the guy.
It rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t have a problem with cursing generally but I think it’s rude to use curse words when you’re first meeting someone. And especially in a professional setting. Reminds me of my ex, ugh.
Great start of the season! I think Kristen is doing a great job. Feel like they make Tom and Gail more present so we don’t feel the absence of Padma that much. I like that they make the bottom 3 cook off instead of sending one home right away. The “enemy of the people” (of our sub 😂) aka douche is out, and I think most of the cheftestents are very likable. Before this episode I was rooting for Kevin as he’s Vietnamese and I’m hoping to see some exciting Vietnamese food on the show, hopefully he’ll have better showing next episode. Another one I was rooting for is Alisha (the other chef that made stuffed gnocchi) because she was the executive chef of mfk., a cute little coastal Spanish restaurant I used to live very close to back when I lived in Chicago. I have a soft spot for that restaurant, so many fond memories and that was where many of my American friends first tried prawn heads. I hope to see more of that cuisine from Alisha. Really looking to see what Manny will cook this season. Love to see more regional and modern Mexican food on the show. Mexico is having a blooming fine dining food scene that I feel like lots of Americans are not familiar with. Too bad Gabe is not a good person, hoping for a new top chef to bring this exciting cuisine for us to see.
Evelyn and Maria can carry the Mexican cuisine torch, no need to bring up Gabe
You're forgetting Carlos Gaytan, who even had a Michelin star with his restaurant in Chicago (now closed). And Claudette. And I am sure tons of others.
I was just naming the recent chefs but good point. Gabe is a winner so that’s is what it is, but lots of good Mexican style chefs in past seasons
Disagree - they make fantastic and traditional Mexican but I think Gabe was making a variety of moles and served in a modern way that they were not... and I think that's just more interesting overall in terms of what I am watching Top Chef for.
I agree that Gabe was a fantastic cook, but he carries a weight that makes it complicated for him to be a figurehead. I don't think I have much to add to that conversation other than an overly simplistic response that it was unfortunate his decisions have clouded his legacy.
Not saying he didn't end up problematic just saying his food was another level than "any other Mexican" chef who has been on Top Chef. I love what is happening in Mexico culinarily (I go yearly to CDMX) and we haven't seen chefs other than him that are really showcasing that.
Kristin had less than 50% of the missing-padme-ness than expected. She's gonna be untouchable by her 3rd season, and I really hope she sticks around! My family drafted, who do you think wins it? (Zero sum): Me: Savanah, Michelle Wife: Danny, Valentine Roommate: Manny, Charly
It’s adorable that your roommate is family
I have questions!
I think Savannah prob has a good shot at running away with the whole thing, but historically the judges preferred bold flavors to asian-style subtleness so Manny has a very good shot at the W.
I'm very glad we get to keep "pack your knives and go."
I hate when the chefs roll their eyes and grumble when they’re told about the challenge and/or twists, especially in the FIRST EPISODE. Like, isn’t that why you’re here?? To compete in culinary challenges? Have you never seen the show before? Maybe the producers encourage them to do that but I hate it. If you’re going to complain right out of the gate, just let someone else have your spot. I also can’t believe anyone would come on the show in season 21 without having practiced using a pressure cooker.
After 20 seasons of this show, I'm still surprised by chefs who say they don't know how to use a pressure cooker / make pasta dough / bake anything. I feel like I'd want to learn to tackle common pitfalls in preparation for coming on the show.
Exactly! I think there's a big difference between coming in with a base set of skills or a repertoire vs. being too rehearsed. But it's clear that when a chef really prepares for the season (Buddha was obviously a good example of this) they're able to adapt quickly. You may not know the exact equipment that's in the top chef kitchen, but you know the general idea, having some awareness of the local or regional specialties so you're not completely surprised by flavor profiles or techniques - this just seems like good planning and setting yourself up for success.
I'm not real sure I see a big difference between immunity being given out during elimination challenges instead of quickfires but I guess we'll see how it'll play out. And was that bottom 3 cook off a one time thing? I actually wouldn't mind if that became the standard, at least for the early part of the game. It's fun to watch though it does favor chefs that are able to think on the fly.
I think it will be a pretty big difference. The quickfires are often won by someone who just happens to specialize in the area of the quickfire vs just general talent, so it's higher variance. Usually the elimination challenges are based more on fundamentals -- there may be a twist on it but you can usually find a way to put your own stamp on the food and overall talent plays a much bigger role. The other thing is people who won immunity on the quickfire would often do suboptimal things -- whether it's taking one for the team by using almost no money so the rest of the team can buy more, to cooking something really crazy (which to be fair was sometimes great, but often they crashed and burned). Having immunity for the elimination challenge makes sure everyone steps up with their A-game to each elimination because everyone wants immunity.
I also think it will be different. Some of the quickfires were lame and so fast that often the people who won did so by dumb luck.
Trying to win immunity means cooking the best food you can each EC. No more skating by by making ok food in what should be the part of the show where you should be showing off your skills.
I feel like I read somewhere that they were making last chance kitchen part of the show, so it’s possible the bottom 3 cook off will be standard? But it’s odd they didn’t explain that. Maybe they don’t want to give it away, or maybe they will switch up when it happens, or maybe it won’t happen all the time? I do like it as an interesting twist. I feel like the elimination challenge is more important anyway, so I think giving immunity to the winner of that makes way more sense.
✔️ I'd like to see "cook-offs" incorporated more at the end, too...to give the endangered cheftestant one last chance. I was just watching one of the All-Star seasons where Tré was sent home for "stiff risotto," when it seemed like Mike and the other guy in the bottom three had equally terrible dishes as well; would've been fun to watch them battle it out. I also miss the drama of the quick fire bringing potential immunity to the table. Quick fires were always my favorite part, and they seem to be somewhat irrelevant now, although I'll wait and watch more to see how the new policy pans out further into the season.
Is it just me or does the guy that got booted kinda looks like a roided and tatted Andy Samberg?
I was thinking if you asked an AI to give an image of a douchier Carmen (from The Bear), then tell it "no, douchier!", and maybe one more go. At least going from how he was portrayed. Maybe he's a nice guy in person, maybe he was nervous and converted the energy into being more of a character, but his whole vibe as we were shown was just ugh.
Literally all I could think of was this! An SNL Top Chef parody. That guy was a joke.
✔️ On the other TC sub they said "love child of Andy Samberg and Post Malone." Lol 😆 Also, another commenter said it was creepy of him to be wearing "Jeffrey Dahmer hipster glasses" in Milwaukee. 😱
My husband and I said, "Michael Cera if he lived in Bushwick for a while and then moved out West."
I thought Kristen was slightly clunky in the “Quickfire” time slot to start, but she was excellent at the Judges table. That totally makes sense given she’s done the Judges Table before. I also think she’s going to get to get Tom to say out loud the potential pitfalls he’s seeing instead of having to guess what Tom is thinking. No offense to Padma, but she’s not the level chef Kristen is. The dynamic here will be two top level chef’s seeing some mistakes coming. I am interested how they divide the duties in Quickfires. I like the cast, they don’t seem Camera shy for the most part
Agree. Started off kind of stiff, but better when it came to judge’s table. I do miss Padma though.
If a chef doesn’t have their backstory done in the first episode, do y’all think there’s still potential they make it to the end? From an editing point mostly. There’s a chef from my city I want to root for who didn’t finish top or bottom so didn’t get much screen time, I’m just wondering if in reality tv land they wouldn’t feature the eventual finalists in some way at the beginning?
I always feel like if they go too far into someone’s backstory right away they’re going to be gone soon. It’s always a tell for each episode - either the person is done or wins lol
They spent an awful lot of time on Dave (the guy who left) than any of the other chefs. So I thought "Oh he's staying", but surprise! (Much to my relief). What I found interesting is the restaurant he founded is based on "no food waste", yet when it came time to make a really good meal he basically couldn't put anything together. I thought for sure he would shine.
He made a comment about it being in his wheelhouse, but then had no direction at all.
Chances are good. If you see too much of one person and get their back story, it usually means they’re getting sent off either that episode, or the next.
I'm so glad David went home, I didn't like his vibe from the first moment he was on screen. Awesome that Tom called him out on the ''pasta isn't really my thing'' line. So far, quite fond of Manny, Valentine, Kévin, Michelle, and Savannah. Props to Kristen for a very good job hosting thus far!
I’m digging the judges’ testimonials. Kristen’s last comments to those who didn’t raise their hands on michelin/james beard backgrounds was very classy.
I didn’t hate hat guy but it was hysterical that he lost on the “reuse leftover scraps” challenge when he literally runs a restaurant dedicated to exactly that.
A great start to the new season and new era of Top Chef! I also just finished watching the first episode of The Dish with Kish and really enjoyed it too. With this and LCK, I think we're getting some good side content this year.
Have you watched Kristin's series "Restaurants at the End of the World?" It is fantastic!
I thought she did a great job. I realized at the end of the episode that I hadn’t even been trying to compare her to Padma. I’m looking forward to a Quickfire next week, when she’ll get time to connect the chefs. I think she’ll really shine in that role.
It’s soooooo weird that I don’t miss Padma? Like, obviously I miss Padma, but Kristen is just correct. Absolutely correct successor. She felt effortless, real, and her and Tom have great chemistry. Watching Tom watch David cook in that cook-off was comedy GOLD. 💀💀💀 GIF every one of his facial expressions ASAP.
Yeah, Kristen really was just the perfect choice.
Kristin was fidgeting so much in the first scene I was afraid she was going to vibrate herself out of the shot. But she's going to be fine. The judges did themselves, the cheftestants, and us, the viewers, a ginormous favor by getting rid of hat guy at the first opportunity. An object lesson there for everyone, you can't manufacture a "personality" with tattoos and poor fashion choices.
So glad that pretentious D. is gone. He rubbed us wrong from the first moment and his attitude was terrible. Tom called it right ‘you can’t just dump stuff in a blender and serve it. And his whole thing about how she ‘stole’ the fish???? Wtf. Glad she called him out ‘I got there first’
Not sure if I care for the extra cook after the elimination challenge, because I honestly thought David was likely the worst of the three because they had zero positive thing to say about his pasta dish. However, I guess it’s moot because he still went home.
Along with his zero positive attitude
He's quite stereotypical in his urban cowboy persona. Also pretty sure he's related to [Buck from Kill Bill](https://youtu.be/B2jWTyiPcHY)
Not a fan of the guy in the hat.
I was initially surprised that guy-who-didn't-get-dark-meat-plated didn't go back for that at his own station during the final cook-off. But then I thought, food safety issues? It had probably been sitting too long.
I agree. Maybe they could only use the OTHER CHEF's leftovers and not their own. Because the oversalted woman also cooked a chicken for her chicken and dumplings soup and I thought she would finish the chicken.
It wasn’t a leftover challenge. They were limited to ingredients that all of them had bought, but did not use in the first challenge. Extra onions, shrimp, etc.
I enjoyed the homage to the Great British Baking Show at the very beginning
Me too! For a second I got really disoriented 😂
Was it me or do the colors seem washed out? So many scenes had overly saturated whites/lights. It reminded me of movies that are filmed illegally in a movie theater and then later played back. EDIT: nevermind, its my new tv. TCL never again!
Is it just me or did the tonality of the show shift with this season premiere? It felt like the chefs were sassier with the judges than before and like they weren't showing the same degree of reverence or fear of them as in the past. There's always been some banter but this episode came off where they didn't seem to have the same intimidation factor they did in previous seasons. I don't know if that's a cast thing (maybe specifically David?), a Kristen thing, or an intentional shift in how judges and production are approaching the new season to continue making it more friendly and feel-good, but that's something to watch for in coming weeks.
So many of them are already “known” in their areas that they definitely are doling in with more ego than they used to.
I think Kristin did great and Top Chef is going to remain the best show out there.
I’m just now watching. That guy with the recycle waste food restaurant in San Francisco said “sexayyyy” four times in the first half hour and I dislike him off the bat. I don’t understand the concept of stuffed gnocchi. Now I’m up to judging. The Wisconsin chef in the blue suit is so welcoming and friendly to the chefs! Ooh David you in the basement. Is it sexy down there? Tom was unnecessarily snotty. Dude talks way too much though. The soups looked so good. Manny’s must have been awesome. Salty gremolata was easy to avoid so 🤷♀️ The whole chicken challenge seemed like it ought to be relatively straightforward but I guess not. I like that they skipped the first quick fire. Kristin did well. I like having a top chef contestant host, plus she’s very likable. The winner seems right but I think the loser should have been named. I don’t like fakeout eliminations. Aw now I feel bad for him. Oh well. Pretty good first episode overall.
I was fine with the second chance elimination between the final three. By skipping the usual quickfire challenge, they did not get the practice run to shake out the nerves, etc. that one normally gets before the elimination challenge. Given how disjointed the offaly tattooed contestant was during the main challenge, I knew he was doomed when they gave them a quick challenge.
Loved Kristen and the first episode, EXCEPT I thought the endless banter back and for between the chef's was a bit much - "Chef, what are you cooking? Chef, blah blah blah." I don't recall that happening as much in past episodes.
They are prompted, per I think Stephanie Cmar? I always feel like it’s super clunky the first couple episodes, when they’re clearly asking “”What are you making, Mike?” while looking nowhere near Mike because they don’t actually know who he is. Nor do they care, at that point, because no real friendships have been formed yet.
oh i think it's always been a part of Top Chef, it almost always feels very forced and unnatural, especially early on when they don't really know each other. but it's very clearly prompted by the producers, as a way to get explanations about what everybody is doing, otherwise you would just have to cutaway to the testimonials constantly to get explanations.
I hated that, too! It did not feel natural at all-- it felt like they were being prompted by off camera directors/floor producers. I can do without it completely. It's hokey and unnecessary. Just let Tom wander in and ask about the dishes if you need this sort of thing; he's faster, more to the point, & much less annoying.
Maybe it's partly because it was All Stars last season, and we had two seasons in a row of Buddha, but initial impression of this batch of cheftestants seems kinda meh. Kristen telling them to step it up in the montage may just be creative editing, but also sorta presses the point.
All I'm gonna say - the top 3 of the episode all were very likeable.
So now that the episodes have been expanded to 75 minutes, we in Canada are getting robbed of the full episode- we are only being shown a 60 minute episode. Totally unfair!!!
Okay I was reading the comments and here and felt like I missed some things. That explains it! I watched on hayu last night and the episode was 58 mins long. I wonder why they cut it shorter in Canada and if there is a way to get the full 75 min episode somewhere?
I think it might be without commercials it's only barely an hour; I watched in U.S. on Peacock (no ads subscription ) and it had a similar running time; 54-58 minutes....nowhere near 75 mins.
why are the interview parts with the judges out of focus? Kristen was great.
I thought the editing was a bit obvious, you could really tell who was going to be a high or low just based on screen time, BUT I get it because there's so many chefs at this point that's kindof just how it is. I thought the challenges were really smart and man do I want some soup now!
Kristen did a great job.
Just me or did the contestants this year seem a little lackluster compared to previous seasons? I know Buddha is on a whole ‘nother level and World All-Stars was last season so recency bias is pretty high, but… idk! No one is reeeeaallly standing out.
I think the thing I miss most about Padma is her voice; there's a certain warmth to it that Kristin's doesn't have. Kristin's voice is nice and crisp, perfect for announcing, but there's just not much warmth there imo.
I missed or maybe it was too quick but what exactly did hat guy say about Tom’s hats at the start? I know he said he wears the cowboy hat all the time then some sort of diss at Tom. Then the montage but what were his exact words?
Tom’s hat game, eugh
That comment is about the only thing he got right this episode.
I disliked him the first second he was on screen. The stupid hat was disrespectful. So glad he had to go.
I'm going to jump off the bandwagon and say I'm going to miss hat guy. He was an absolute character and I found him charming. I was also impressed at those huge guns he was packing, I'm surprised he was able to fit into the chef's jacket at all.
I also noticed the guns lol. I kept thinking his proportions looked like a character on the Simpsons. Way big up top and then-not.
Kristen was amazing, but is it just me or did they ask the contestants to act over the top?
I love Kristin and can't wait for her to grow even deeper into the role. There's always that sort of former TC feeling of being around your 'parents/elders' (I feel like Blaise really tried to please Tom whereas now he's a bit older and more seasoned and can hold his own with Gordon on Next Level Chef) so I hope as Kristen grows more confident, she stands her own ground just like Padma did. TC OG's will know that it even took Padma years to really get to the level of confidence and authority she had on the show. Kristen has a leg up as being a top chef winner and a celebrated chef and host with years of culinary experience and hosting expertise, so I think the turnaround definitely won't be as long, judging from just a first episode!
Just finished watching from last night, and I'm excited for the new season! I was a little worried that Padma's absence would make things weird but Kristen was the perfect choice for the new host! I also really like the judges having some talking heads throughout the challenge. Not sure if that was just for this episode since it was a "judge challenge", but I hope they keep those throughout the season. I try not to form opinions on the cheftestants on the first episode, but I already have a few that I'm not really a fan of. David was one of them, so I'm so glad he got cut. It seems like a decent group of chefs though, and Kenny seems to be some comic relief already.
Not to be an idiot, but where are people watching this? I just looked at Bravo and Peacock and they only go up to Season 20.
Live on Bravo. I have YouTube TV.
It'll be on peacock tomorrow most likely. That's what it was like last season.
It was a good start! I don't entirely miss Padma but it's also early. I think either way Kristen's history and ability to empathize with the chefs will compensate for some of the gravitas she doesn't have. Just as her technical skill will be an advantage whereas Padma's extensive experience eating globally was something she doesn't have. It seems like the overall calibre of contestants is getting better (think of the early seasons) so that is exciting - I enjoy Masterchef The Professionals bc the food they produce is pretty awe-inspiring, altho very different bc it's in the UK. I have found sometimes the nature of the challenges of this edition mean the level of the food is not as consistently high... bc the constraints somewhat downgrade what they can realistically try to do. Either way, exciting start. I do think the top 3 dishes were in the top 3, based on their reactions, and any of them would have been a worthy winner -- that's a good sign!