Can someone please enlighten me on what is so great about this show that engenders such a loyal following?
I’ve watched the last couple of episodes, for sheer lack of anything else to watch (really need to pick up those Chuck Season 3 DVDs), and while some of the contestants are fairly engaging — particularly the rivalry between Angelo and Ed — I just can’t figure out what keeps people coming back week after week, season after season.
I’m sitting there, first of all, not understanding half of what they’re putting in their dishes. Admittedly, I’m no connoisseur; I barely know the difference between saute and souffle. My idea of a fancy meal is the dinner plate at El Paseo’s Tex Mex. But even so, if I was able to, I don’t know, taste these culinary delights, I might be more invested and able to venture an opinion on who has the better interpretation of the challenge. Without the ability to sample for myself, I really have no frame of reference by which to come to any conclusion other than based on which chef’s personality I like better. I’ve never had lamb tartar, so how am I supposed to know if I like the job Angelo did with it? Do I know if Kelly’s prawn dish had good flavor if I can’t sample it? All I can do is take the judges’ word for it, as they peer down their uppity noses at the apprehensively sweaty contenders. Padma Lakshmi and Tom Colicchio come across so pretentiously, I half expect to see them sipping their wine pinky extended, and would not be surprised to find out they have attendants waiting to dab the corners of their mouths with spun gold napkins in between takes.
With competition shows such as Project Runway, there does also exist a certain air of pomposity, particularly with Nina Garcia and Michael Kors (not so much with Heidi Klum, though; anyone who utters the phrase “butt ugly” is pretty earthy in my book), but at least when the designers create their look, I can see the result and generate a feeling based on the aesthetic appeal of the garment, i.e. the creativity, the color, how it fits, how it wears when the model walks, etc. I can understand why people would be more invested in a show like this. But for the life of me I just can’t get behind a competition about who makes the best dish when I can’t even taste the darn food, much less understand how on earth it can win an Emmy.
Is there anyone here who can clue me in on why this show is so popular? Please? Leave a comment….
Clacked by Jeff Kirkpatrick 
on Sep 09, 2010 @ 13:00 EST5EDT
Your “spun gold napkins” comment had me almost fall out of my chair laughing. I watch it because there isn’t much else on then. But I also ask myself..why?? I often think that I would NEVER eat most of the concoctions and that I should never waste the money on a 5 star restaurant if this is what they serve there.
Part of the fun of watching Top Chef is that tension you bring up — “they peer down their uppity noses at the apprehensively sweaty contenders.” Absolutely! These chefs with all their foibles, doubts, sincerity and strategy pour all they’ve got into impossibly difficult situations only to be put on the chopping block by caricature judges who seem like hothouse flowers. It’s priceless. On another level, I love to cook and dabble in my own kitchen and revel in seeing the combinations they come up with which kicks it up several notches for me (to quote Emeril here). This, contextually assumes that others watching would also have a decent foundation of food knowledge and enjoy cooking. I think that is a prerequisite for “getting” the show. I get a chuckle seeing the chefs run ragged and fly around under pressure. It’s fascinating to see how they respond to the situations and perform under presure. And finally, it is not so sleazy as other base “reality shows” that are heralding the demise of any culture left in our country (if indeed we ever had any). One must have a bit of formal or self-education in food (or in general) to get into it.
I’m a huge food snob and love Iron Chef on Food Network, but have never been able to get into Top Chef. The three or four episodes I’ve caught have really turned me off. I hated the challenges and thought they were more about creating drama than they were about the food or cooking. It seemed like things were created more to make good drama than good food, and that’s what turned me off (though i can see how that would appeal to reality TV fans).
*POST AUTHOR*
Hothouse flowers. LOL
I have no idea what kind of ratings it gets, but enough to be on for what, eight seasons now? Must be enough wanna-be chefs out there who must find some joy in it. Just not for me.
But I agree…it’s INFINITELY better than refuse like Jersey Shore or Bachelor. Yuck.
I’d never eat half the stuff they prepare either, but I love watching to see how Padma’s mood will be from week to week (or minute to minute in some cases). You could almost make a drinking game out of it. Everytime Padma smiles, take a drink – but you’d probably get less than a buzz playing that. She was pretty cranky last season – I’ll attribute that to her pregnancy – but she’s been pretty jovial for most of this season. There was one episode recently where she was not in a particularly good mood, so maybe the baby kept her up all night. Tom is a world-renowned chef so he can be uppity about the food if he wants, but he also does come in and interact with the cheftestants while they’re cooking and that makes him seem a little more down to earth. You never see Gordon Ramsay do that on Hell’s Kitchen! But what is the appeal of the show? We all have to eat and for some, I suppose the show could open up some new ideas for cuisine choices. For others it’s just the thrill of the competition and watching people sweat.
I love contests. And,as a person who has to have a written recipe to make soup from a can,I find it very interesting that these contenders can be given two challenges per show, one done on the spot (Quickfire challenge) and another done within a limited time schedule, and can come up with such fascinating dishes. I can’t taste the dishes, and really have no desire to (meat and potatoes girl here), but I like the way the cheftestants show such creativity in producing their meals. I also enjoy the opportunity to see the personalities develop and interact along with the drama that ensues (what happend to the pea puree?) Just like Project Runway, Survivor, Amazing Race, etc, after a few episodes I have ususally chosen a favorite that I pull for and a villain that I’d like to see eliminated.
I was a fan the first couple of seasons. This season didn’t even interest me in the least…. boring contestants, same old same old from the judges. One episode and I was done.
Too bad, it had a lot to offer a few years back.
I’ve tried watching Top Chef, and honestly I never get hooked on it the way I get hooked on Hell’s Kitchen. Yeah, I go for the cheap crack.