"Top Chef" (2006) TV series 2006-????

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

15 February 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Reality-TV

Plot Keywords:

Snack Food | Cooking | Food Market | San Francisco California | Store

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 11 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 11	2:00 AM	BRAVO	Meat Natalie	#6.10
Wed. Nov. 11	12:00 PM	BRAVO	Sin City Vice	#6.1

Cast

Tom Colicchio	...	Himself - Head Judge / ... (77 episodes, 2006-2009)
Padma Lakshmi	...	Herself - Host / ... (66 episodes, 2006-2009)
Gail Simmons	...	Herself - Judge / ... (43 episodes, 2006-2009)

Runtime:

USA:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Magical Elves Productions

Trivia:

Michael Midgley (Season 2) was the first contestant to win both the Elimination Challenge as well as the Quick fire Challenge in one episode.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Gilmore Girls: Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore? (#7.16)" (2007)

a dash of cooking, a splash of personality mix well

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