Top Chef

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.

This show is just so much fun! You can root for your favorites and rag on the ones you don't like. I have found that my favorites change as the show moves on, but there are some I simply did not like, right from the start. The first few episodes were kind of "getting to know the players" episodes. Then I chose Elan as the most likely to win. He just seemed to be the most professional of the bunch. Now, mid-season, I have changed my favorite three or four times. Now I'm torn between Elan, Cliff, and Sam. Then again, I think Marcel has real pizazz! He also has real potential as a celebrity chef. But who knows where it will go. Each week, I await the next episode eagerly. And not just incidentally, they cook some pretty amazing stuff. I really can't wait till this comes out on DVD.

So here's the formula....if you're Italian or French or from any predominantly historically white country, you have to change your style of cooking for every challenge. You may even get knocked if you do the same kind of technique (ie pasta) more than once in the entirety of the season no matter how long through the completion you make it. If you're a person of color, you can and are encouraged to make the same style of food every challenge on repeat and you're applauded for it. This goes double for South American chefs...even if they're born and raised in America, since they're of Latin decent, they're encouraged to make latin food from start to finish. But god forbid a white chef goes Italian, French, Greek, west African, Indian, Asian, Italian.....this second Italian dish will get them knocked by the judges for repeating a style. But the Latina can go 15 for 15 Mexican food and she'll be lauded. The double standard is so painstakingly obvious and the good news is, these shows are all run by liberal progressives and if they didn't have double standards they'd have no standards at all so we can look forward to this kind of added racial bias on white contestants from here on out. Equality y'all! Ain't it grand?!?!? Sad broken leftists....

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.

I would be fine with this Portland season if they didn't have previous contestants judging. They are strutting around like they own the place and act like they are desperately trying to score a full time judging job in the next season. I understand the pandemic had to change things. But this is ridiculous. It's clear that they don't know how to judge properly. You can't compare to the seasoned judges.