Tag: Top Chef (81-90 of 99)

Mar 17 2010 04:00 PM ET

'Marcel's Quantum Kitchen': Is this what we want from 'Top Chef' contestants?

marcelImage Credit: Isabella Vosmikova/BravoMarcel from Top Chef is getting his own show on Syfy, and yet my dream of a Kevin Gillespie show called “First We Cook, Then We Cuddle” goes unfulfilled. The world is pretty unfair, you guys.

Here’s Syfy’s description of Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen: “In each episode, Marcel and his new catering and event company will be hired by a demanding client to produce an extraordinary celebration or event. Based on the client’s requests, Marcel will dream up a theme and cuisine…” So it’s Ace of Cakes, minus the charm (and Charm City).

I wish MQK was going to be a hardcore kitchen chemistry series that explored and explained crazy techniques. But a personality-driven, feat-of-the-week Food Network Lite show? Unappetizing.

Okay, PopWatchers, you’re in charge: What kind of show would you create for your favorite former Top Chef contestant?

Jan 12 2010 07:27 PM ET

'Top Chef' secrets revealed: From the judges' mouths to your ears

This weekend, The New York Times hosted its ninth annual Arts & Leisure weekend, where bold-faced names like Natalie Portman and Angela Lansbury (!) chatted with Times staffers about their careers, creative processes and pop culture as a whole. Sounds pretty artsy, eh? Yes, but it was also a vault of gossip!

I attended a conversation between Top Chef‘s Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons and renowned chef Eric Ripert, who all spoke with former Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni about the show, which resumes taping in the spring once Padma delivers her baby, and what it takes to be a top chef. The best stuff to come out of this program, though, was the behind-the-scenes scoop. Here, some of the best bits:

Chocolate and chicken liver don’t mix: The worst dish Eric Ripert, who has made a total of five appearances on Top Chef, ever ate on the show was Ilan’s chocolate ganache with chicken liver on season 2. Padma added: “It had a rubbery, spring action, and we had to eat it. That’s the thing about our jobs.” READ FULL STORY »

Dec 10 2009 01:20 PM ET

New 'Top Chef' Michael Voltaggio on his big win

Last night’s sixth season finale of Top Chef culminated with Pasadena chef Michael Voltaggio taking home the gold, beating out older brother Bryan and nice-guy Kevin. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, Michael chatted with EW.com about his win, the sibling rivalry, and those swipes at Kevin’s cooking style.

How does it feel to finally let the secret out?

It’s finally nice to be able to talk about it. It’s probably the hardest part of this whole process. One thing I might do is start playing poker because I have the best poker face now.

Did you tell anyone? Obviously your mom knew.

No. It’s funny, I was so nervous to even talk about it. Even after the show finished airing, I’m like, “It’s over right? It’s over everybody. You watched it. It’s over. Yeah, I won. We can talk about it.”

So you watched the episode live last night?

Yeah, but I was surrounded by, like, 125 people. It was pretty loud. I haven’t really had a chance to sit there and watch it. We closed the restaurant [The Dining Room, where Michael works] for the night and invited the VIP guests of the restaurant and some local friends, but nothing too crazy. READ FULL STORY »

Dec 9 2009 11:03 PM ET

'Top Chef' crowns its winner: What did you think?

Yes, a season that was until last week largely predictable finally named its sixth Top Chef. The episode really had me guessing until the last second, but how did you guys feel? Were you happy with the judges’ decision? Who got the short end of the stick? What dishes did you love from tonight?

Sound off below and click over for our full Top Chef finale recap!

Photo: Virginia Sherwood/Bravo

Dec 9 2009 05:01 PM ET

'Top Chef' finale tonight: Who should take home the gold?

Is it it just me or has this season of Top Chef felt crazy long? Well, long or not, it all comes to an end tonight on the sixth season finale of Bravo’s culinary competition hit. The judges have whittled down the crop of cheftestants to a powerful trifecta of jolly Kevin and the Voltaggio brothers (bland Bryan and bull-headed Michael), who are each talented in their own way:

  • Kevin, a Southern man so in love with pigs that he got one tattooed on his arm, has proven to us (and more so to Michael) that simple doesn’t mean boring. I mean, did you see how much the judges were fawning over his carrot and beet salad last week?
  • Bryan Voltaggio, though he has never won a quickfire, has impressed the judges with his traditional, yet refined techniques. I just wish he’d crack a smile every once in a while. Though when he does, it kind of scares me.
  • Michael Voltaggio. Oh, Michael. I give him credit for being incredibly inventive and pushing the limits, but that holier-than-thou attitude has got to go!

Who am I going to be rooting for tonight? Kevin all the way! He has enormous talent, the right attitude and food that tells us a story. Oh, and that beard makes him adorable!

Will you be watching the finale tonight? Who should be named Top Chef?

Dec 7 2009 09:03 AM ET

Réalité: Hot-coal torture on 'Top Chef.' Carnies on 'Jersey Shore.' And...porn on 'SYTYCD'?

Your attention please! We would like to kick off the season finale of EW.com’s groundbreaking-ish video series Réalité with three haikus that reflect this week’s featured shows: Bravo’s Top Chef, MTV’s Jersey Shore, and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. Press play below as my cohost Kristen Baldwin and I bid bittersweet adieu to this fall’s crop of unscripted ridiculata, and please do mark your calendars for the Jan. 15 season 4 premiere of Idolatry. Oh, and in the meantime, for all my reality-show rants, follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak!

Sixty-three degrees
Hot enough to cook an egg?
Not for Padma L

Holy effing skanks
Muscle milk and booze collide
Who cleans that hot tub?

Dude named Legacy
Crab-crawls right into my heart
Better than ‘Porn Dance’

Related:
Tanner Stransky's 'Jersey Shore' premiere recap
Kate Ward's 'SYTYCD' recap
Archana Ram's 'Top Chef' recap

Nov 23 2009 06:45 AM ET

Réalité: Champs crowned on 'Runway' and 'ANTM,' righteous ousters on 'Top Chef' and 'SYTYCD,' and bonus Kris Allen!

The 2009 reality TV season is zooming toward its inevitable end — the sounds of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” at the local pharmacy tell me it is so — but that just means it’s the most wonderful time of the year for Réalité*. Righteous winners were crowned on America’s Next Top Model and Project Runway. Hugh Hefner committed an act of unintentional sabotage on Dancing With the Stars. The spirits of Channing Tatum and Carol Channing were invoked (probably for the last time) on So You Think You Can Dance. And someone totally awesome (named Jennifer) rallied despite weird Da Vinci Code shenanigans on Top Chef. All that plus BONUS INTERVIEW FOOTAGE WITH KRIS ALLEN! How can you not press play below? Wait. Don’t answer that. Instead, follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak. Or head on down to the comments, make like Madoonie, and “Express Yourself”!

*We will be taking next week off for Thanksgiving, but we promise extra stuffing upon our return.

Nov 16 2009 07:01 AM ET

Réalité: Sex problems on 'SYTYCD,' robots on 'DWTS,' dolphins on 'Top Chef,' and canine poses on 'Top Model'

Another week of reality television, another week of out-of-control vomiting. Aaron Carter tasted bile on Dancing With the Stars, fabulous guest judge Nigella Lawson fought the urge to hurl on Top Chef, and poor Carol Hannah dropped to her knees and worshiped the porcelain goddess on Project Runway. And while there was no overt tossing of the cookies on So You Think You Can Dance and America’s Next Top Model, both shows left my stomach in questionable condition after Mollee and Nathan tried to bring teen sex to vivid, horrible life on the former, and Nicole wasn’t automatically declared the winner before the season finale on the latter. Press play below for our entire four-part rundown (Runway doesn’t get an entire segment this week, because we question its taste level), then share your opinions in the comments section below. We promise there’ll be talk of bull castration, homemade dog food, ’70s pornstaches, and congressional-intern scandals. (No, Réalité is not NC-17. Good thing the MPAA doesn’t recognize we exist.) Oh, and if you’d be so kind (and you’re into the whole reality TV thingie), do follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak. Thanks!

Nov 14 2009 12:00 AM ET

Sound Bites: Best TV clip of the week?

Why watch an entire week’s worth of TV when you can just watch EW.com’s Sound Bites? There are so many reasons. Thousands, really. But watch this anyway. My name is @EWAnnieBarrett and I happen to enjoy showing people clips of Larry David wearing women’s panties.


Nov 4 2009 06:39 PM ET

'Top Chef' all stars reunite tonight

Reunion shows are usually the juiciest of reality show episodes and lucky for us, Bravo is airing one for Top Chef tonight at 10 p.m., weeks before the season six finale.

The all-star reunion dinner,  hosted by season 5 fan favorite Fabio, brings together the cheftestants we came to know and love (or loathe) over the years. At the dinner table tonight? Season one’s Tiffani and Harold (winner), season two’s Marcel and Ilan (winner), season three’s Dale, Casey and Hung (winner), season four’s Richard Blais and Lisa Fernandes and season five’s Carla Hall and Stefan Richter. Yay Carla!

The gang will be rehashing some of their favorite moments from the show, and with Marcel there, I’m sure there’ll be more fighting than reminiscing.

So PopWatchers, who are you excited to see back on Top Chef turf?

Photo: Virginia Sherwood/Bravo

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