Bravo’s announced some more details on Top Chef Masters, the spin-off slated to air this fall. The premise: Twenty-four contestants will compete in a series of weekly events — "a twist on the classic quickfire challenge" and "a more involved elimination challenge" — until one person’s left with the title of…Top Chef. [Dramatic pause.] MASTER. Kelly Choi (pictured, right), host of NYC TV’s weekly restaurant show Eat Out NY (and a former EW editorial assistant, I just discovered) will host Masters. New York Magazine food critic Gael Greene, culinary expert James Oseland, and British journalist Jay Rayner will join the judges’ panel. So…pretty much the exact same thing as Top Chef, then. As your Top Chef TV Watch recapper Kate Ward just put it in an e-mail, "It’s like taking Runway, adding professionals, and replacing Heidi with CindyCrawford and Tim Gunn with Tim Curry, or something." Okay, I’d totally watch that. But I’d likely be oh-so-very alone.
It could be something I just ate, but I feel funny. Doesn’t the whole "masters" element render the original Top Chef a bit…inferior? (I’m picturing the first eliminated master chef getting treated to the gentle suggestion, "You might want to consider, like, regular Top Chef," and the rest of the whitecoats engaging in a collective cringe.) I’m concerned about the sanctity of the word "top" here. Not to mention, is "Gael" a higher-quality spelling for a judge’s name than "Gail"? Bravo is upending my entire belief system and I won’t have it!
Well, I might. Who am I kidding — you know I’ll watch any show with food in it. Since Bravo’s likely to cast world-renowned chefs who’ve guest-judged on Top Chef in the past, I’d love to see Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert (pictured, left and center, respectively) compete in something like this, if only because Ripert is ADORABLE inside and out, and because I’d skin a live eel to see Anthony Bourdain pretend to care about someone else’s critique. But that’s very wishful thinking becuase those two probably wouldn’t have the time. Todd English and Food Network’s Melting Pot host Michelle Bernstein have been rumored as potential cast members. Who would you want to see on Top Chef Masters?
So this is professional chefs competing? Are they going to be able to get anyone from the food network? I’d love to see Bobby Flay’s ego brought down a bit. I doubt that any chefs who already have shows would compete though -too risky.
Sure would love to see that no-talent Rocco DiSpirito get eliminated in an early round…
If Iron Chef America and Top Chef had a baby it would look like Top Chef Master…and if the Octomom trainwreck has taught us anything. It’s that some people shouldn’t have kids. Why mess up a good thing Bravo?!?
Sara Moulton hasn’t really been seen since Food Network canceled her show. She’d be a good contestant for TC:M.
I want Sandra Lee entered in it so I can see her get taken DOWN.
I’ll watch Tim Curry in anything … and have!
No way are the top-tier celebrity chefs going to appear on this… as if they would really take 2-3 months out of running their empires to appear on this show. Twenty-four is also an awful lot of cheftestants.
Who wouldn’t want to see Gordon Ramsay in some capacity? I’d take him either as a cheftestant on the receiving end of someone else’s harsh critique or as a judge dishing it out to real chef.
Jean Georges?
Awesome…that was my exact thought as I was reading the article. I seriously would hope that Rocco would be on so that (hopefully in the 1st round) everyone could out cook him and knock him off of his pedestal.
lex – the only thing I would remind you is that while it would take 2-3 months to air, they probably shoot the thing in about 2-3 weeks… Although, even then you do wonder who they could attract?
How about turning the tables and having Colicchio compete?
I can’t imagine what judge would want to critique a chef like Eric Ripert… “Could use salt.” Really?
Of course I’ll still watch, tho.
I would love to see Bourdain cook, and Eric Ripert as well. I have never seen Ramsay cook, so that would be cool. I agree with K – Colicchio needs to be on the other end of this one!
Jamie Oliver, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence, and Giada Di Laurentis