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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Top Chef All Stars - Episode 1 - The Gang's All Here



So who watched Top Chef: All Stars last night? I did – and I thought it was the most enjoyable 75 minutes of television I’ve seen in a long time.

Please Note: I purposefully didn’t “Drunk Tweet” the show in order to take good notes and write a proper recap today. However, two things conspired against that…
  • I forgot to bring my notes with me.
  • The “All Star” Cheftestants are, much like the Top Chef Masters, are so aware of themselves, their ‘characters’, and their images – that it may be difficult to recap. DRAMA = FUN RECAPS, and these Cheftestants are all celebrities now, and most of them know each other. So I wonder just how much DRAMA there will be this season.
Here are some bullet points just from memory. Forgive my scattered train-of-thought:

  • Last night was a great walk down Memory Lane, but I’m not sure casual fans of the show enjoyed it as much as I did. The elimination challenge was awesome – recreate the dish(es) that sent each person home, but it was a little bit insider-y.
  • 18 Cheftestants is A LOT of people to keep track of.
  • There is a special place in my heart for the Season Four (Chicago) Cheftestants – since it was the first season I recapped. And as much stank as I threw toward Dale Talde and Spike Mendelsohn – they are actually now my two favorites.

  •  I love Dale because he’s a smack talking shorty who called out Chef Michael Chiarello on his douchery during Top Chef Masters. And I love Spike because… well, he’s Spike. As Chef Bourdain said last night – he is probably the sneakiest M-Fer to ever appear on the show. And Spike is actually a nice guy – I’ve corresponded with him on Twitter, and he totally doesn’t hate me for calling him an Asshat or accusing him of having a homobromance with Crazy Andrew.
  • On the other hand, there are some Cheftestants who I simply cannot stand. Marcel, Mike and Stephen fall into this category. I also don’t care for Casey (I’ll never forgive her for what she did to Carla) and Elia. And I swear to Jeebus, if Angelo wins this I’ll be furious.
  • Gail. Boobies. ‘Nuf said.
  • I love how happy Tom Colicchio and Padma were to see these Cheftestants again. You could just see by the smiles on everybody’s faces that they are enjoying this.


  • Fabio. Oh Fabio … how I love thee. In my eyes, he is “Top Dog … Italian Dog” – but I thought he was gonna go all Tony Soprano on Anthony Bourdain’s ass last night after Bourdain talked smack about his pasta.


So, what did you think of last night’s episode – please let us know in the Comments.

UPDATE: To read my Episode Two Recap, click HERE.

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8 comments:

  1. the dogs' motherDecember 2, 2010 at 1:22 PM

    I forgot to check out Gail's girls last night! Glad they were upfront as it were.

    We loved it! We loved the challenge. I agree it was fast and furious and would be hard for first timers to get. We are trying to encourage Gma to watch so we'll see what she thinks if she felt lost. We already told her the DaleL and CarlaHootieWho are our favorites.

    The previews - anxiety provoking and promises of great drama. And Muppets - wasn't it TiffanyS1 who didn't *do* children? Hope she is there for the Muppet episode.

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  2. theminxDecember 2, 2010 at 2:27 PM

    The comment you left on my recap about wanting Fabio to star in the various CSIs was kinda brilliant. I think he would add all sorts of interest to the various homicide investigations. "Thees ees not Top Chef! Thees is Top Feengerpreent!"

    xoxoxoxoxoxox

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  3. David DustDecember 2, 2010 at 2:31 PM

    Minx -

    OMG "Top Feengerpreent" had me rolling on the floor!

    CBS needs to get on this NOW!!

    XOXOXO

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  4. Tom A.December 2, 2010 at 3:38 PM

    Loved it! But as i missed seasons 1,2, and 5, there were definitely strangers in the room! I was thrilled that I had no idea who any of the bottom 3 were. They must have been from season 1 2 or 5!

    I loved the sexy Italian guy with the intestinal looking pasta!

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  5. AnonymousDecember 2, 2010 at 5:22 PM

    It's going to be a great season!

    I did think it was unfair to make Stephen re-imagine a dish(es) he didn't make.

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  6. Wonder ManDecember 2, 2010 at 6:25 PM

    I loved it! Dale Talde is so cute and CARLA!!!

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  7. JoyDecember 3, 2010 at 12:40 AM

    It brought back so many memories of past seasons and was fun watching them with each other - some camaraderie between season cheftestants and competition with individuals and interesting group dynamics! I like having history with them and seeing how they are now since I've watched it every season.

    The elimination challenge was cringe-worthy and brilliant! The expressions on their faces when they saw what was on the tray!

    This is going to be good!! And made even better with your recaps!!

    xoxoxoxxox

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  8. AnonymousDecember 5, 2010 at 4:49 PM

    Loved the show. Great to see most of the chefs again.
    Oh, Richard didn't hear that beeping and everyone saying to him, "Time's up!" Uh-huh.
    Elia - now I remember why I didn't like you. Did you forget what you were signing up for?
    Carla - "I don't blame Casey" - that's okay girl, we blame her enough for you. I'm still dreaming of the cheese tarts Carla was going to make before Casey talked her out of them. She needs to make that killer pie crust at every opportunity.
    Wow - a whole season of Bourdain, can we stand the snark?

    ReplyDelete