Bravo’s “Top Chef” is one of my favorite reality television cooking competitions and it’s back for Season 16! That is craziness. I’ve been an avid watcher of “Top Chef” and can safely say I’ve watched almost all 15 seasons. But if you’re not familiar with the show, let me break it down.
The premise of the show is simple. 15 chefs compete in several challenges in each episode until there is only ONE Top Chef remaining. “Top Chef” is hosted by Padma Lakshmi, who is joined by head judge Tom Colicchio, as well as Graham Elliot, Nilou Motamed
I watch a lot of food-related shows and some are downright bad. Especially the competition shows. Some lack credibility, some lack production value and some
“Top Chef” visits a different culinary state each season. It’s one of the exciting and fun things about the show that keeps it fresh. Season 16 takes place in Kentucky. That opens up a whole lot of culinary exploration that I’m really excited for. Two words: FRIED CHICKEN. I really wish smell-o-vision existed.
The Season 16 premiere opened with 15 all-new
This is my least favorite part of watching “Top Chef” – the beginning. Throughout each season, I tend to get attached to the cast and have my favorites, so starting over again is bittersweet. It’s like cheating on your friends with new people.
By this point in the series, the hosts and judges themselves have their own personality and are a very important part of the show. I’m going to be on a first-
In “The Fastest 2 Minutes in Cooking” AKA the first episode of Season 16, the chefs competed in their first Quickfire challenge on the grounds of Churchill Downs. This Quickfire tested the good ol’ mise-en-place skills of the new
Some favorites that emerged in this episode were David Viana (Executive Chef/Partner at Heirloom Kitchen), Justin Sutherland (Executive Chef at Handsome Hog) and Nini Nguyen (Chef/Culinary Director at Cook Space).
For their main challenge, the chefs had to put together 200 dishes
There were some good dishes and, of course, bad ones, including one that ultimately sent Caitlin Steininger (Executive Chef/Owner at CWC, The Restaurant) home packing. She served soggy biscuits. I mean, you just can’t do that in “Top Chef.”
The first episode in this season proves promising with a yummy Kentucky-food-packed season. I’m looking forward to it! Also, don’t miss “Last Chance Kitchen.” It’s “Top Chef’s” post-
“Top Chef” airs on Thursdays on Bravo at 9/8c!
Catherine grew up watching action flicks at a very young age which led to her love of film. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors in Radio-TV-Film in 2012. Always the adventurer, Catherine traveled and lived in Sydney, Australia for a year where she took a selfie with Brad Pitt. She runs Shuffle with passion, lots of caffeine and tacos. When she’s not editing or writing you can find her crafting and planning her next adventure.