Top Chef

A cooking show that focuses on flash rather than the ingredients needed; it's all about privilege, product placement, busswords (organic) and an anti-science (gmo) approach to agriculture.

Top Chef is more of a "Housewives" show that centers around chefs and their egos than the food They prepare. It's a reality show that places far too much importance on tears, conflict, & petulant temper tantrums.

The best episodes & seasons are ones that feature Anthony Bourdain - because he was always unpretentious, honest, and genuinely cared about food.

I started watching this reality series with the second episode during the first season. I have loved it ever since. I really like the challenges. I have heard the complaint that it is not always about the cooking but being a top chef is about the cooking.. the challenges in my opinion are set up to evaluate how the chefs interact with each other, co-workers, underlings, and customers. I think the show is designed to challenge the chefs in ways that they are not accustomed to but yet, the effect is the same as things that happen every single day in the kitchen. THe challenges force the chefs to look deep within themselves. What I mean is that the challenges are set up to encourage out of the box thinking, what happens when half the staff is out with the flu, the delivery truck is 6 hours late, the market sent the wrong type of lettuce/squash/herb, the freezer went out, the house is overbooked by double, as someone got a date wrong on the books so 2 whole seating's are scheduled for the same time, when something gets burned etc. This show just puts what normally might happen over 6 months of problems squashes it into a couple of days, a group of people stuck together away from home, living together, working together,cooking together-from all walks of life, all kinds of cooking experience and education. Add it all together, stir it up and you get a great show

The first 3 series were fun to watch. After that, the producers struggled to make a series that didn´t create a yawn. I couldn´t get past the first 5 minutes. There seems to be a desperation in trying to attract an audience with their challenges, which are mundane. In there attempt to improve the contest, especially the recent first round with each team of three given minimal time for prep, then taking away the knives before putting a meal together in short time did nothing to stir my interest.

Or cooking. It is ALL about product placement. Hey, let's step into the kenmore pro kitchen and gather all the calphalon equipment which is, of course, prominently displayed. This has the opposite affect on me. I would NEVER buy anything so unabashedly hawked.

And I don't understand why the so called hosts in season one and two are so monotone and awkward. Their delivery is incredibly lame and boring, no personality at all. They are a mess.

Add the insanely frenetic editing, which never focuses on anything for more than a millisecond, and it all adds up to nothing more than a shameful display of product placement.

Season 15 brings up Parma dressing herself in the most inappropriate clothing for a cooking show. Her dresses are so revealing that she might as well not be wearing anything at all. It is garishly inappropriate.

It is very entertaining and gives me tips for dinner !! Howerver, I think the contestants in Season two ( except Elia, Sam and Marcel ) are really, really unpleasant ! Especially Betty ! She is really behaving ugly