Reactions to Top Chef All-Stars Reunion

Last night we had a double whammy of Top Chef - first the Season 8 reunion, then the premiere of Top Chef Masters 3. Let's start with the reunion, shall we?

One one side of the room, we have Andy Cohen, Padma, Tom, and Gail. And waaaaay on the other side of the room, we have the recheftestants. Why do they sit so far apart? How can they hear each other without shouting? I never could understand why they make the chefs stand so far away. Do they stink?

First we start with a montage of the winner, Richard Blais, who is still a bit stunned. He says that his wife is the only thing he's won up until that point. Awwww!  But then he tells us that the thing he remembers most from that evening is being in Padma's arms. Hmmm....

Andy calls him on his promise to give Mike some money, and Richard said that investing in Graffiato was a possibility. Mike says that it doesn't matter because they're friends forever now. Gag!

I'm not going to get into everything here, just some highlights:

A fan question to Gail as to whom she would date out of Fabio, Angelo, and Spike gets the answer Spike, because they have a "Canadian connection." Padma decides to go all lesbian and chooses Casey or Elia, or to "motorboat" Antonia.

Speaking of Antonia, we are treated to a montage of her exploits as the Black Hammer, getting cooking partners eliminated from both of her seasons, including Tiffany, Tiffani, Jamie, and Jen.

There's a montage of sour Jamie, who claims that she didn't watch the season because it was "too painful." ::::cue tiny violins:::: and one of "smoove talker" Fabio (who does have a girlfriend, in addition to a turtle, ladies!).

Another montage features Marcel going on a rant, but done up as a crappy Housewives-style auto-tuned "rap" song. Then there's a segment on the hot-n-heavy bromances between Blais and Fabio, and Mike and Angelo. Lots of kissing and nipple pinching going on there.

Finally, we have Elia ranting about how Tom Colicchio shouldn't be hawking Diet Coke or selling corn-fed beef in his Vegas steakhouse. I think she shot herself in the foot with her whining and probably lost a lot of respect, particularly from Tom.

So...in a nutshell (walnuts!) there it is. What did you think?



Posted on AllTopChef.com

Top Chef All-Stars Reunion Show Previews

Posted on AllTopChef.com

TC News and Information 3.8.11: Timing Is Everything Edition

The All-Stars Reunion Show was taped in NYC Friday, and much interwebular speculation has ensued over what the seating chart might reveal as to who the winner is. I'm inclined to agree with Eater, which offers a photo and compares the seating chart to reunions of seasons past. Photos that appear to have been shot during a break in taping were shared by Tom, Padma, Casey, and Marcel, and probably others, so methinks there's nothing too spoilerific going on here. But feel free to take a gander and make up your own mind.

While they were in town, auf'd All-Star Angelo Sosa had the gang over to his soon-to-open restaurant, Social Eatz, and received some plugs from his co-stars.

Meanwhile, another contingent of Top Cheftestants gathered for the Charleston BB&T Food + Wine Festival. Tiffany Derry had been scheduled to emcee a cook-off among six TC'ers, but she, Carla Hall, and Casey Thompson had to cancel when the All-Stars reunion taping was scheduled for the same day (as we passed along back in Feb). Marissa Churchill, Brian Malarkey, Ryan Scott, Ariane Duarte, and Kevin Gillespie were in attendance, and Season 1's Dave Martin took first place in the Giddy Goat Cheese cook-off. Food pics and commentary from the Charleston City Paper here (guess who wore a hat). And replacement emcee Kenny Gilbert's blogs about the event here.

Stephanie Izard, who will be cooking head-to-head with both Richard Blais and Antonia Lofaso in this week's installment of the All-Stars finale, will also be opening The Little Goat, a mere footsteps away from her Girl & The Goat in the fall. Time Out Chicago reports it will be a "diner/bar/bakery." She tells Eater Chicago it will feature such fare as "an awesome club sandwich with homemade bacon and our own roasted turkey, tasty malt milkshakes ... we'll poach our own tuna for a tuna melt . . . We're not doing a foie gras burger, but we will obviously have a goat burger. It'll be like old school diner favorites without making them all gastro foofy."

In other expansion news, Spike Mendelsohn tells Feast he plans to franchise his Good Stuff Eatery in this video interview from SOBE. And his sister and spokesperson says he plans to launch a deli-style Kosher food truck in April according to this item.

As for this week's All-Stars episode, there's been a lot of speculation that because five contestants were allowed to move forward last week, a double elimination is in store this week. I'm not so sure. As we reported previously, TV Guide mentioned in its Feb. 9 article that a four-part All-Stars finale is in store (yep, the same piece with the photo of Padma in a bikini). We know there's a reunion episode and that the All-Stars Season will be wrapped up before Top Chef Masters premieres April 6 - at 11:00/10:00c per the TCM facebook page. Which means it's likely that either the reunion show or the last installment of the finale is slated for the usual 10:00/9:00c timeslot on April 6. I've read variously that the finale and the reveal of Fan Favorite will be March 30, although these are usually on two separate dates. I, for one, would be happy to have Fan Fave announced during the reunion show rather than on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens. So, kids, what do you think? Are they messing with our heads on the schedule? Have they just not figured it out yet? Or is there a crazier plan afoot?

TC News and Information 2.9.11 - All-Stars Finale and Reunion News!

According to TV Guide, the All-Stars finale was shot in the Bahamas. The “four-part” finale will start airing in March. Plus, Wolfgang Puck, Morimoto, Michelle Bernstein, Hubert Keller, Eric Ripert, Lidia Bastianich, Curtis Stone, Alfred Portali, Art Smith and Lorena Garcia are guest judges.

And according to this, the All-Stars reunion show will be filmed March 4.

So, do you think the finale will actually air in four separate episodes? Or will Finale Quick Fires be involved? And what does this suggest as to how many All-Stars go to the finale? Speculate away, kids!