As with past seasons, hints of impending drama were introduced early on with the hope of setting the hook in the collective cheek of the audience. First up are Jen & Zoi, who announced to all that they are a couple (to quote Andy Cohen "a laaaaydeeee couple"). Next we have Andrew, who looks like he lives on the rapidly crumbling edge of a paranoid nervous breakdown - it's just a matter of time before this one comes unhinged. Mr. Andrew made it clear right off the bat that Richard is out to get him. (And I'm guessing that, if he makes it past the next episode, others shall be named in his conspiracy theory.) He's also partial to the "F" word, but then again, so is this entire group. Spike (Bravo's answer to K-Fed?) left me with an eerie feeling that Britney Spears might show up at a judging table. And sadly, I was fairly certain was that the lovely but tragically timid Nimma would be the first eliminated, knowing as I do that too much salt and/or lack thereof has felled mightier chefs than she...
As for the food, well...Richard's Peach Taleggio pizza and Stephanie's Duck L'orange were, at least visually, (which is my only way of judging, of course) the standout dishes and the high point of the show. That being said, even though the bios of this group of contestants indicate strong culinary backgrounds, we saw a lot of really simple errors and lack of knowledge, including not enough and too much salt, both from the same person; thick, inedible pizza crusts, a serious lack of mayonnaise making skills, an attempt at an avant-garde Duck L'orange that was senselessly deconstructed, baffling the judges; chefs that didn't know their piccattas from their Milaneses, and a nacho "souffle" made with everyone's favorite nacho souffle ingredient - mashed potatoes...What I liked: That the contestants were able to bring some of their favorite ingredients along, something that has in previous seasons been limited to finalists. I also liked the edgier and more wicked Rocco ("it wasn't just the gnocchi that was dense"). Of course, those close-ups of Padma shoveling huge, unwieldy chunks of food into her mouth while her eyes roll back in rapture are not without entertainment value...
What I didn't care for: The kinder, gentler Bourdain (I'm hoping that he had just flown in from somewhere exotic, and was just too tired and too full of warthog anus to be his acerbic, curmudgeonly self...) In my opinion, when all was said and done, it was just kind of boring for a premiere episode. Nothing much new, nothing terribly inventive... some recycled hawk rockin' and an incredibly NOT FIERCE Malarkey asshat double...
I hope it's that it's just too early to tell what path Top Chef: Chicago will take. But if things continue on like this, it's going to be an awfully long season...
