Top Chef - S6E0 Power Rankings

*phew*

Now that I've gotten mostly caught up on the backlog and have all of that pesky food stuff out of the way, we can get down to business.

I keed, of course. My heart is and always will be with the restaurant and recipe posts, which I will strive to keep up with as the season progresses. But for now, it's time to shift focus once again and get ready for season six of Top Chef.

Things pretty much look the way they did at the conclusion of last season. Padma's still looking sultry. Gail's still looking perky. Tom's still looking stern. Toby's still looking British (except now we wish he were Jay Rayner). And the field is looking... well... awesome.

Seriously, I don't think this is overexuberance on my part. Of course you never know until they start cooking, but on first blush, this looks like it could be the strongest cast yet, and not by a narrow margin. The big guns are hardcore. The middle of the pack all look very strong in interesting ways. And even the "chaff", if they can be called that, almost all have something compelling about them. There are 17 contestants this season. 14 of them are Executive Chefs / Chefs de Cuisine / Chef-Owners. Of the remaining three, two are sous chefs (one having just left an executive position), and one is a caterer. Folks, there are four James Beard nominees here (one of them multiple times). And it's an older, more mature crowd. Only four are under 30, two of them by a scant year. And of the two young turks, one of them is one of the James Beard nominees!

My only complaint? Two Jennifers, two Michaels, and an Ash and an Ashley.

Anyway, long story short, those who complained about the strength of last season's field? I think the producers might have actually listened to you. What's more, I don't think we're going to end up in that situation where everybody plays it safe for the first half of the season waiting for the chaff to be separated out because, at least on first blush, it looks like there's barely any chaff. If the training and bios and awards and menus that I'm looking at are any indication, we aren't going to need to go more than a few weeks in before there's a talented chef being eliminated every week.

Before we get to the rankings, a little shout-out to my old high school pal, Chef Jenn Wylie, who helped me separate the Ivy Leagues from the community colleges when it comes to culinary schools. Jenn is currently catering and teaching classes while raising her progeny, but she's worked in some pretty stellar kitchens under some pretty stellar chefs, some of whom Top Chef fans just might recognize. Hopefully we'll get to do something a little fun with her later in the season, but for now, thanks for the intel, Jenn!

So let's get right to it, shall we? As we did last year, the preview rankings are in reverse order to help maintain some suspense. I've worked my meager amount of Google-fu to nab as much info as possible, but there's much that's unknown and a lot of guesswork involved. So try not to come down on me too harshly when one of my top three tanks in episode one and one of my bottom three makes the best dish Tom's ever had. If nothing else, this should give you a good sense of who's who. I found, last season, that doing the preview rankings had an enormous impact on my enjoyment of the early episodes. Rather than a blur of faces and names, I actually had a sense of who was who and could remember who did what. So consider this your scorecard. And with that, here we go!

Wins

Top

Bottom

17 Jennifer Z. Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Let's take a moment to revel in the fact that my bottom-ranked contestant -- the one who seems least likey to win -- was an executive chef until a month ago, and is now sous chef at a highly respected Philadelphia restaurant. Though her bio lists her as executive chef of El Camino Real, she just left this month to take a sous chef position at Xochitl. Though a step down the ladder, I'm thinking this is actually a forward move. Xochitl looks to be a very well-regarded Yucatecan restaurant with a very interesting menu. El Camino Real, on the other hand, sounds more like a glorified watering hole with burritos and Texas-style BBQ. To be fair, that's a little overly simplistic. There was some creative stuff on the ECR menu, and the Philadelphia Inquirer gave her attempts at upping the ante a nice little shout-out, but it was also troubled by significant execution problems under her watch as recently as April. Add to this the fact that she's a Latin specialist, which has been a hard road on Top Chef for anybody not named Rick Bayless, and that the other Latin specialist in the field is a two-time Beard nominee, and I'm thinking that even if their styles are very distinct it's going to be hard for the judges not to hold her up against Hector. Doesn't sound like a recipe for success.

16 Ron Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 I have Ron near the bottom for the same reason I had Eugene near the bottom last season: it's really hard to find any information about him. Though he's listed as the executive chef at the Hollywood Beach Marriott in Florida, the hotel's website doesn't even acknowledge that the restaurant exists. It does, and it's called Latitudes Cafe, and its menu is very difficult to find. Ron's culinary background actually sounds pretty darn cool. He's originally from Haiti and his style purportedly fuses Caribbean, French and Asian, but that's barely evident on the rather staid Latitudes Menu that sandwiches the occasion element that looks like it might be his doing between BLTs and chicken sandwiches. Plus, his signature dish is a flourless chocolate cake, which makes him and 2.7 million other chefs. Here's hoping for some wild, exotic flavors from him. But while he could very well surprise, there isn't much to go on from what I could find. If he's a diamond, he's a diamond in the rough.

15 Mattin Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Mattin is season six's token Euro, complete with accent and jaunty neckerchief. French/Basque is his thing, and he's chef/owner of a San Francisco restaurant that's been around for a number of years, which are all pretty good indications. But while visiting the West Coast last month, I dropped in to check out his restaurant -- Iluna Basque (writeup forthcoming) -- and couldn't get excited. A friend and I sampled eight or ten dishes, many were enjoyable and there wasn't a clunker among them, but there also weren't any eye-openers. We did taste two of his specialties as listed on the Bravo site, the boudin noir and stuffed calamari and they were, indeed, the best of the bunch and very enjoyable. But if that's as good as he gets, he doesn't stand a chance. Based on our meal at Iluna Basque, he's a midseason hanger-on at best.

14 Preeti Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 I initially had Preeti a little higher, but after mulling it over for a bit, I had to ask myself why. For reasons that I can't figure out, she seems to be a buzz pick. Maybe it's just the Grub Street piece that identified her as the life of the party. That's the thing about buzz... it isn't always based on substance. That she trained at Le Cordon Bleu (London) certainly says much, and the idea of somebody who could potentially fulfill Radhika's promise by doing French with Indian influences is certainly compelling. But in the end, I haven't been able to find a menu that reflects her work anywhere, and her last two positions are hard to get jazzed about. She's currently executive chef at one of the restaurants on the Google campus, and while the Google commissary is legendary, it is still a corporate commissary. Her previous position was executive sous at the altogether boring by Top Chef standards Acme Chop House, and if the widely reported start date for shooting is accurate, it seems likely that she was at the helm when the SF Chronicle raked them over the coals in April. Buzz or no buzz, Cordon Bleu or no Cordon Bleu, there are too many question marks for me to put her much higher at the moment.

13 Laurine Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Laurine is this season's lone caterer, and while that would have earned her a straight ticket to the bottom in previous seasons, here in the post-Carla post-Stefan era, we have to look a little more closely. Yes, she's a caterer, but she's also a CIA grad who has been running a successful catering business in San Francisco, so she must be doing something right. She describes her style as Italian and French with some Thai and Chinese flavors -- the modern large palette -- and the sample menus for her catering business, Left Coast Catering, look simple and seasonal with some nice little twists. I didn't see anything to lead me to believe she's going deep, but if she can execute, her style is one I could see sticking around for a while.

12 Jesse Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 I almost feel a little guilty shoving the Baltimore girl down to number 12, but while I found some good indications in researching her, they're all very recent. She's a Bmore native who worked on the left coast for a while before looping back, and she's now executive chef at the small restaurant for an almost-as-small urban bed & breakfast called Abacrombie. Abacrombie is an old, venerated Baltimore stalwart that recently underwent something of a shakeup, culminating in new ownership: Jerry Pellegrino, also owner of Baltimore's highly regarded Corks. Pellegrino installed Jesse as his executive chef, and it sounds like she stuck around just long enough to get cast for Top Chef. The Baltimore Sun had some very favorable things to say about her work back in March, but the other buzz I'd heard had been minimal, at best. I heard more about Red Maple before last season, and we all know how well that worked out for Jill. Jesse may be very good, but she's being somewhat stealthy about it. There's surprise potential. There's surprise potential for a lot of people near the bottom this season. But without a broader body of good buzz, I'm having a hard time putting her much higher.

11 Robin Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Robin is Carla minus the culinary training, plus a successful restaurant. She's another second career chef (artist being the first), and her locally-beloved Seattle restaurant, Crave Bistro, seemed to be doing quite well until a lease dispute shuttered it earlier this year. Word is that people hated the crowded tables and snotty service, but loved the grub, and her creative, jazzy comfort food is of a genre that still has legs. I'd feel better about her if she'd received some amount of formal training, and complaints about a slow kitchen are something of a red flag, but still, she's been doing it and doing it well, so there's no reason to think she won't bring some game. Plus, she kept Crave going while battling lymphoma, so a little sleep deprivation ought to be a breeze.

10 Ash Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Ash is the lone New Yorker this season, and it seems like there could be a lot of potential here, but it's hard to get a handle on just where he stands. By some accounts, he's a hardcore Dan Barber farm-to-table type, and the menu where he's the sous, Trestle on Tenth, certainly seems to reflect that. The problem is that he's the sous, working under Chef Ralf Kuettel, so it's hard to know where Kuettel ends and Ash begins. Also, reviews for ToT have been a little uneven, but that's the NY press talking. If the guy can stand on his own two feet, it looks like he could do very well, but we'll just have to see.

9 Eli Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Eli's another CIA grad, and he's an Atlanta native who worked under the old guard of the Atlanta restaurant scene, Daniel Rathbun, and the new guard, Richard Blais. He's currently executive chef at Eno Restaurant and Wine Bar, where he's only just recently taken over and it appears that he's been tasked with bringing an outdated menu up to speed. And according to some of the local press, he's doing a fine job of it so far. He describes his style as "techno-organic", meaning that he's unafraid to use ultramodern techniques, but not at the expense of the integrity of his ingredients -- which sounds like he's paying his ingredients' integrity lip service, until you see his menu and get the impression that he really is exercising a great deal of restraint. His menu looks good, he's been well-trained, he's come up under some big names and the local press is paying attention. Sounds like one of the more promising of the middle of the pack to me.

8 Ashley Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 It's hard not to like somebody who says she wants to make her diners feel as though they "got beat in the face with a stick of butter." Apparently, her dishes tend towards the rich end of the spectrum. But this isn't a case of butter and cream, butter and cream, butter and cream. She's a grad of the Institute of Culinary Education in NY which, while not the CIA, is not without prestige. Most recently she's been working in Seattle, both at Tilth -- where it would have been difficult to escape without some serious ingredient respect -- and now at Branzino, where she's turning out rich and rustic-looking Italian that's been pulling down some very, very good reviews. I'm giving her the edge over some of the other middle-of-the-packers on the basis of those reviews, and the style of Branzino's menu, which I think will play well in Top Chef.

7 Michael I. Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 There are a couple of question marks about Michael I. -- most notably his lack of formal training -- but nothing that should overshadow an impressive resume. He has, indeed, gone on the grand tour of some well-respected restaurants before finally landing at Zaytinya in DC, which puts modern twists on Greek and Middle Eastern mezze. Though executive chef at Zaytinya, it's a Jose Andres restaurant, which raises the question of where Andres' influence ends and Michael's contributions begin. But given that he seemed to be something of a Greek / Middle Eastern specialist even before arriving at Zaytinya, I think it's safe to assume that he's having a significant impact on what is a very well-reviewed menu. Mediterranean flavors are flexible and well-liked, Greek and Middle Eastern isn't something we've seen a lot of on Top Chef so there should be some novelty factor, his modern take should allow him to keep things interesting, and given that he's been working with Andres, it seems likely that a little wow factor will sneak in there as well.

6 Hector Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 If there's a specialist in Latin cuisine who's finally going to push through and make it to the second half of the season, Hector's the guy. He's a CIA grad who's chef/owner of Pura Vida down in Atlanta, he's been doing modern tapas and other Latin fare there for a number of years, and he's garnered a fair amount of attention for it. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Pura Vida their restaurant of the year a few years back, and Hector has twice made the long list of James Beard nominees for Best Chef - Southeast. I have nothing more to add, except that the guy sounds exactly like he looks, which is awesome.

5 Eve Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Some are pegging Eve for the top spot, and it's hard to fault them. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris edition, and has been running a widely praised and locally beloved restaurant in Ann Arbor for six years now. She's got a proven winning style, that of traditional French technique that pulls in the flavors of Africa and Asia, and as an ambassador for Slow Food she knows her sourcing. She perhaps doesn't have the stunning pedigree of some of the other chefs on this season's roster, but she makes up for it with a very mature, personal style that should stand out against the crowd. And she's been doing it, day in and day out, for quite some time now. Since the Ann Arbor restaurant press isn't quite as thorough as the other cities represented, I'll feel better once she starts putting food on plates and I can see that the buzz around her isn't completely illusory. But in the meantime, I think she has to be considered one of the favorites.

4 Kevin Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 I'm not sure if I can justify this one. He's no slouch, but going by the numbers, Kevin probably shouldn't be fourth. His school, the Art Institute of Atlanta, isn't one that conjures up images of culinary masters. He hasn't trained under the kind of heavy hitters that the other folks at the top have. And at 26, he's one of the babies of the lot. But I have a hunch this guy is going deep. For starters, there's the fact that he's a James Beard rising chef award semifinalist. Then, you have to consider that a year ago he took over the reins at a beloved Atlanta institution, Woodfire Grill, and much of the local press seems to feel that he's not only holding down the fort, but making it better. He's a big farm-to-table guy, they buy huge sides of beasts and do all of their butchering in-house, the menu is simple but refined and very ingredient-focused -- Kevin is born and bred to be Colicchio's kind of chef, and if you win over Colicchio, you're three quarters of the way there. Call it a hunch, but I bet he goes deep and has a shot at unseating some of the more pedigreed chefs that surround him.

3 Bryan Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Here's where it gets torturous for me. I think I've juggled the top three spots a least a dozen times. Bryan's a CIA grad who came up under Charlie Palmer and was sous at Aureole (NY) before being shipped down to DC to helm Charlie Palmer Steak, which got an awful lot of attention. He's now on his own, chef/owner of VOLT (yes, it's all-caps) in Frederick, Maryland, where he's been turning out locally-sourced fine dining with the occasional MG twist for about a year now. His food is snazzy, but it tends to utilize classic flavor combinations, and I think the fact that he's so dedicated to local agriculture (does Vegas have local agriculture?) won't be lost on the judges. VOLT's been getting some very favorable press, and friends I trust have had some great meals there. Hence, top three.

2 Jennifer C. Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Jennifer C. is causing me consternation. It's very difficult to simply gloss over the fact that she was sous chef at Le Bernardin -- Le Bernardin -- and was selected by Ripert to head up his new venture in Philly, 10 Arts. But there's something oddly shy of enthusiastic about the press on 10 Arts that gives me pause. It looks like she's doing deceptively simple New American with a little wow factor, which will suit Top Chef nicely, and she's certainly one of the favorites to be there at the end, but due to reasons I'm not sure I can justify, I'm not prepared to anoint her the frontrunner as so many others have.

1 Michael V. Quickfires 0 0 0 Last Week: n/a Eliminations 0 0 0 Of course, I can't really justify putting Bryan's little brother in the top spot, either. All I know is that I REALLY LIKE Michael Voltaggio. There are a lot of good reasons why, but this was one quote that got me: "...but also to bring a new integrity to the show, trying to keep the show more about cooking as opposed to a reality TV show." No BS, let's cook. Right on, Mike. Anyway, this sweet little treat of a quote is far from the sole reason I have him in on top. The guy's been decorated more than a Top Chef Christmas tree, pulling down Mobil, Michelin and Beard recognition while helming a number of high-profile restaurants for high-profile people, including Charlie Palmer and Jose Andres, and he has a modern fine dining style that pops. Oh, and did I mention that Marcel and Hung were his underlings? I initially held him back a bit because it seems like his menu at the Langham Huntington Hotel & Spa is the first that's really his own, and that's only just recently. Instead, I gave the nod for the top two spots to those who have been turning out their own vision for a while. But on the final pass, I juggled again and put him at number one. The crowd at the top is so impressive on this go 'round that no matter who's sitting atop the pile, I find myself saying, "Well, why him instead of him or her?" So I'm going with my gut. Let's just say I have a good feeling about Michael Voltaggio and leave it at that.

Ladies and gentlemen, your Top Chef Season Six contestants. I have a good feeling about this season. Let's do this thing.

Discuss!

Comments

[timothy]

I can't wait. Thanks.

[Perry]

Excellence start to what appears to be a very interesting season. Great job Dom.

[gilmore]

Thanks for all of the hard work Dom.

Wednesday night is going to be AWESOME!!

[TGP]

Interesting work, but you put way too much stock into these peoples' culinary schools. The CIA and NECI are the only schools in the country worth considering as pedigree-boosting. However, they're still a very tiny indication that a chef might be good. Most CIA and NECI grads still can't cook for crap. As for the the Cordon Bleu schools in Europe, these are considered farcical in the industry, usually a detour for rich Americans who wanted to do "something fun."

Therefore, although I agree with a lot of your rankings, I don't know how you put Eve so high. Her restaurant in Ann Arbor is amateur at best, and stuck in the nineties. A Cordon Bleu diploma can't change a lack of taste and skill.

[Skillet Doux]

"Therefore, although I agree with a lot of your rankings, I don't know how you put Eve so high. Her restaurant in Ann Arbor is amateur at best, and stuck in the nineties. A Cordon Bleu diploma can't change a lack of taste and skill."

Absolutely true, but there are three reasons for it:

1) The one thing culinary school does is at least give you some wide-ish base of knowledge and technique (however rudimentary it may be). It seems -- and do tell if you think this is incorrect -- that if you come up self-taught it's more likely that there are going to be gaps in what you've had to do. In other words, graduating from the CIA doesn't mean you can put flavors together, but it means that if a forcemeat challenge comes up, at least you know what it is and have done it. I don't see it as an indication that they can cook. I see it as an indication that when they're shoved outside their comfort zone (as happens in Top Chef), they're more likely to have received some small amount of training in whatever it is. Look at how well Carla's training served her as they moved into the second half of the seasons in challenges like the one at Le Bernardin.

2) As far as how Eve (the restaurant) is, I haven't been there. All I can do is go on what I read. And yours is the first non-complimentary thing I've read about it. Doesn't mean you're wrong, but bear in mind that this isn't based on an eating tour. It's based on 8-10 hours of Googling.

3) Whatever her restaurant is like, she's been running it successfully for six years. That's her vision, her food, done the way she wants every day. Even if it isn't good enough to get her to the end, that's going to get her further than somebody with some great ideas who hasn't had the time to really refine their style, and mixes brilliance with clunkers. The former ensures you go deep (if not all the way). The latter means you're one bad dish away from elimination, no matter how fantastic your other dishes are.

Bottom like, the preview rankings are totally a crapshoot. We'll learn more about these people during the first cooking challenge than I did the entire time I spent working on this. I fully expect it'll be all topsy-turvy by the end of episode two, and if the midseason rankings in any way resemble this list, I'll be shocked. It's intended more as an intro to the people involved than anything else.

[Independent George]

Wow. They really did listen - no culinary students, personal chefs, or career changers in the bunch. I'm already looking forward to Restaurant Wars - could this be the year when both teams actually succeed?

I'm actually a little surprised caterers haven't historically done better in TC. By the nature of their business, dealing with ridiculous demands under tight time & budgetary constraints would seem to be right up their alley. Thus far, Stefan seems to be the only one to have translated those skills to TC.

[Independent George]

I just had a thought - is it possible that, as TC becomes a bigger deal in the culinary world, the quality & success of the contestants are being considered a reflection of Colicchio himself? He looked pissed off at the quality of the fare midway through last season; do you think he's starting to take personally, and have a heavier hand in the production? Besides the deeper field, does that maybe mean more professionalism, less drama, and fewer ridiculous elimination challenges?

[Bart]

Thank you for all your hard work Dom...it is very much appreciated, and I know my enjoyment of the show will be better and more enriched because of this.

There's a reason why your blog is perhaps the best Top Chef blog out there, and this entry shows exactly why.

Kudos to your hard work.

I know a lot of people didn't like last season's contestants...and maybe I'm biased, but I loved them. For one, they were FUNNY. Watching Fabio, Stefan and Carla made the show immensely enjoyable.

The fact that it was set in New York City was also a factor. While it didn't show off as much of the Big Apple as I would have liked, it still definitely enhanced my appreciation.

I also liked the well-praised dishes. I'm trying to state this carefully - I did not like that most of the dishes were disappointing... but I did like the dishes that wowed the judges (particularly Carla's, Fabio's and Arianne's) because they celebrated unpretentious, soulful cooking.

I enjoyed those victories more than any of the MG victories in past seasons. It's not that I dislike MG - I just can't relate to it as much as I could, say, Fabio's roast chicken.

So, here's hoping that we'll see a lot of great cooking, and a lot of dynamic personalities (that is, Fabio/Stefan/Carla dynamic, not Spike/Hung/Dale T. dynamic). And hopefully there won't be any Hosea/Leah types. And hopefully the finale won't be as crushingly, achingly disappointing as last season's was.

Still, I'm officially excited.

[rab01]

Thank you sooooo much for the preview. It really does help to enjoy a first episode that is otherwise lacking the necessary rooting interest.
Never stop doing recipes and restaurant write-ups. I first found this site because of Ted Allen's mention after chorizo-gate but I stayed because of the food photographs and the descriptions that can make me salivate over food I would otherwise never even be interested in trying. (Plus, your ten commandments of pasta have really worked wonders for me.)
I don't comment on those other posts like I might about Top Chef because, never having eaten at those restaurants, I have nothing to say but please don't think they aren't appreciated. Of course, if you should ever start writing up NY restaurants, I would be forever in your debt ...

[Sarah C.]

Thanks for the rankings Dom! I've been wanting to learn more about the new cheftestants but, frankly, have just been too lazy.

I just want to throw out one thought that I had after reading the rankings, though. Back in Season 2 when I first started watching TC, I had thought of Top Chef as a way for outstanding chefs working in the industry to get "discovered" and get the clout and funds needed to open their own restaurant. With the new set of contestants, it seems that the show just took a huge flying leap away from that and more toward Top Chef Masters where you have a group of accomplished chefs just competing for a monetary prize. Not that there's anything wrong with that per se or that any of the new cheftestants are necessarily on the same level as Bayless or Keller, of course. But you have James Beard and Michelin recognition in there for goodness sake! Many of them already own their own restaurants or are Executive Chefs who still get to execute their vision and run their own kitchen. What would be the next step up for these folks? Open another restaurant, I guess?

This is just my own opinion and I will definitely still be watching this season! I do still hope we see some spectacular failures as well as some kick ass cooking...they're part of what make it interesting to me. I'd be interested to hear whether you all think this is a positive evolution of the show or if there is anyone else who, like me, is a little concerned that the show seems to be veering away from its original purpose.

[Skillet Doux]

That's a very good point, Sarah, and I agree, there's a balance to be struck and how this season does so remains to be seen.

I don't know that I'm THAT concerned, though. People who would fall into the same category from the last two seasons -- just to name a few -- include Ariane (c/o), Fabio (c/o), Jamie (ec), Hosea (ec), Radhika (ec), Blais (c/o), Antonia (ec) and Stephanie (ec), and that didn't seem to negatively impact people's enjoyment of watching them compete.

But I understand your concern, and I don't think you're crazy... the same thought had occurred to me. But I suspect we'll rather enjoy this season. We'll find out soon enough, anyway :-)

[aaalex]

sarah: i liked the idea of the underdog getting ahead with fame and $100,000, but i never really thought about that while watching the first seasons. in any case, i think it takes a few years before you can tell what's really at stake. for the first two seasons, it was mostly about the $100,000 and the chance to open your own restaurant. (though $100,000 isn't enough to open much.) now, top chef seems more about the publicity and attention the show can bring to the chef. (see richard blais' analogy about chickens and eggs)

the best case scenario (for the viewers) is that, with the show gaining prestige and standing in the industry, we'll be able to see the up and coming wylie dufresnes and hubert kellers. being able to attract chefs of very high quality (who already have experience and even their own restaurants) means we (the audience) get a window on sophisticated culinary thinking. we get to learn more about cooking/flavour management than personalities or distress or misbehaviour under pressure.

i'm like you, i think. i like the disasters and the distress and the villain edits. they're part of top chef. but while watching tc masters, i felt i'd like more keller and less lisa on top chef. it's a question of balance. maybe by having more sophisticated contestants you can actually get that. should be an interesting season, if for no other reason than to answer your question.

[JH]

In reference to Sarah's comments, I think it appears to be a natural trend that occurs on talent reality competitions such as Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, and American Idol. Due to the success and exposure of previous contestants, there has been a shift from unknowns to more accomplished people that have had mild success, but have yet to hit the big one, and think that these competitions are the gateway to further their career.

On the other hand, perhaps Padma had some reoccurring nightmares of spitting out food and influenced the producers to cast more accomplished chefs because she wanted to eat great food...

What do people think of the casting to two brothers in the same season?

[sku]

Glad your back with rankings!

This may be the first time I've tasted one of the chef's food prior to the competition (excluding Masters). I had a fabulous meal at Jose Andreas' Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in LA when Voltaggio was Executive and Marcel was sous.

And is this the return of the faux hawk on Preeti and Eli? I can't tell from the pictures.

[Lon]

You can add me to those who believe the extra strong field this year is the result of the disappointing performance last year. That was a season that started out with potential and ended with a fizz.

As to opening a new restaurant after winning TC, the $100,000 does help, but name recognition and style probably contributes more. If any of the contestants aspire to ownership, the exposure of Top Chef will certainly help.

I too noticed the older, more experienced crew this year. The stronger group is probably a testament to the show's changing role and recognition in the food community of its validity. More real than Hell's Kitchen and more high scale than Food Network, Top Chef is the best cooking reality competition show and SHOULD be able to attract stronger, more bona fide chefs.

[anon man]

Good work.

I hadn't noticed that VOLT's Bryan also had his brother on the show. Not sure if that's an unfair advantage or a distraction, or what. It might be nothing, sort of like the Zoe/Jen thing.

These folks all look pretty taltented, but I kind of wonder if, as Sarah did above, if the C/O crowd isn't trying to find butts for seats. Tiffani (S1) noted in one of those fluff shows that "TC puts butts in seats". I think Arianne wa a good example of that. Tough NY and environs area, wants to distniguish her place. Ok, fair enough. Maybe same thing with VOLT. Frederick is WAAAAAY outside of both DC and Baltimore and I wouldn't drive back there even though it was a perfectly good meal, but thousands of Washingtonians every year make the 2 hour dirve to the Inn at Little Washington for a great meal. If he wins, the foodie crowd here might be clogging I-270.

But, this could be amazing, but it could also be a brutal season, where potential contenders get booted out before they even get going. And remember, they are probably still going to do some pre-kitchen prep challenge before they even get to the show. Think any of these ECs have done a brunoise on a carrot lately?

[Mann of Sandd]

"for the first two seasons, it was mostly about the $100,000 and the chance to open your own restaurant. (though $100,000 isn't enough to open much.) now, top chef seems more about the publicity and attention the show can bring to the chef."

I work a second job at a restaurant just outside of Atlanta with a pretty strong (and growing) reputation and a well respected chef-owner. He was invited to the last TC casting call and was planning to participate, but pulled out at the last minute, not wanting to make the sacrifice of his time/etc. However, I got the sense from talking to him that the money was not a significant factor, but the exposure was almost the entire reason he considered it.

[Sarah C.]

"Think any of these ECs have done a brunoise on a carrot lately?"

HA! Awesome...should make the relay very interesting.

But that's a good point, anon man. There are certainly some EC's and C/O's that are more hands-on in the kitchen than others.

[SorchaRei]

I loved how they did the pre-competition prep competition last time. Even if you were out of practice at the details of the prep work, you could still survive with a good dish at the cooking stage. And really, if you can't cobble together a decent dish in a hurry, all by yourself, you aren't going to last long in this competition, anyway.

[Dave_P]

Wow, power rankings up already? Awesome work as always, Dom.

I gotta tell you, I wasn't really looking forward to TC6, esp at the tail end of Masters, but after reading your takes on the chefs (esp the top 3... wow!), I'm very excited about the upcoming season.

Also, I've lived in or near (within 25 miles or so) Ann Arbor for over 20 years and worked at one of the better (IMO) kitchens for a bit. I'd never heard of Eve before. Then again, I don't really eat in A2 very often, and my foodie habits take me elsewhere even in Michigan. I just googled the place and it seems I've passed by that location hundreds of times w/o even giving it a second look. Prolly says more about me than Eve. :)

--
Dave

[babyarm]

Jennifer Z says she hasn't been in a kitchen in 2 years.

First QF is a mis-en-place relay where it appears Jennifer Z and Pretti are struggling a lot already shucking clams.

[canasian]

I still don't know if I'm more excited about the TC premiere or disappointed about TCM coming to a close. Looking over the chefs like this makes me feel a bit better about this season, though.

Last season, there was some insider info on the TWoP forums from a friend of a production assistant about negotiations over Tom Colicchio's contract (which was up for renewal and he made it clear that he was not coming back in the conditions of his previous contract), and I'm sure among the changes was a heavier input concerning the cheftestant screening process (sort of like Tim Gunn for Project Runway, for those who know anything about that show). Mostly because he was probably tired of the bad food he got from some of the lesser contestants in years past. I remember James Oseland or Gael Greene mentioning that Gail Simmons told them, "you guys have it easy [on TCM]. You wouldn't believe some of the crap we have to taste."

Also, I read an article in which Toby says that the food is significantly better this season (and subsequently, he feels he comes across as softer and kinder because he has less to criticize). And because karma is a b*tch, he also lost all the money he made for doing this season gambling at the casinos off set.

[anon man]

"And because karma is a b*tch, he also lost all the money he made for doing this season gambling at the casinos off set."

Boo-frickin-hoo.

One thing I'm hoping for this season is that some of the mutual respect one sees on display in TCM makes S6 as well. These aren't up and comers, they are established cheds and maybe, as a result they can behave better. I know that will make us, the foodie watchers happy, but not the amuse-biatch drama crowd (and I love that blog too for totally different reasons). Of course, there will be some drama. Remember that the actual TC contestants live together, and that alone will create conflicts. I'm ok with that as long as they respect each other in the kitchen.

[babyarm]

The EC preview is up now. Cooking for Wolfgang Puck in his restaurant. Again, it would appear on the surface they have given a lot away in this preview so view if you dare.

I wonder if they will give away so much in the opening season montage again like S5 did. It was real easy to know who was going to last at least mid-season if you kept a keen eye on how that was edited.

I know quite a bit about TCM leaked out, but I know of no substantial information about S6 quite yet. Maybe they've actually managed to keep a lid on things this time out.

[canasian]

I know what you mean, babyarm, I stumbled upon weekly winners, challenges, and unfortunately the ultimate winner (to be announced Wed), and I wasn't even looking. People found out weekly winners through charities that were suddenly getting $10000 that wasn't there before (unlike regular TC, where the winner gets their check after the finale airs, the money was transferred directly to the charities after the challenge was filmed.

Another problem that allowed leaks was the long spacings between tapings. I noticed that James Oseland mentioned that it was a cold winter day when they filmed Rick's preliminary challenge when referencing how appropriate Pawlcyn's soup was for the occasion. Then on last week's episode it was a 90-degree spring day. So there had to have been a few months between the preliminary and champion rounds for things to get out, and then a few more months between the champions round and airtime.

[Dreamboat]

Thanks for the rankings Dom. I am excited that there are 3 chefs from the ATL! I hope at least one makes it to the finals and represents the Southeast.

[Mann of Sandd]

Dom, in your opinion, about where do the "heavy hitters" start in your rankings?

[Mann of Sandd]

Actually, let me rephrase....if you were to break the participants into tiers....where would your separation for each tier be?

[canasian]

I'd say...
Top 3
4-10
11-15
16/17

[Danny]

"...but also to bring a new integrity to the show, trying to keep the show more about cooking as opposed to a reality TV show."

It's interesting to read Michael V's quote and I appreciate the sentiment. But if that is what he wants to do it's a little strange that he agreed to do those "dueling chefs" promos on Bravo with his brother (if memory serves, in one they fight with large whisks).

With them both trying out for the same season he certainly must've realized that the drama of two brothers competing against each other would be played up by the show just as much as his cooking. Imagine the endless Bravo promos the week before an episode in which they both end up in the Bottom 3 (please spare us).

I also must admit his "I'm going to bring a new integrity to the show" comment more than a little off-putting. Given Top Chef's Beard Award and the respect the show has in the culinary world, I think the show has lots of integrity even without his contribution.

As always Dom, you did an amazing job. And I want to echo what others have written. I love all your non-TC articles as well.

[matthew]

Hey Dom, et al, welcome back for a new season. As always, I appreciate, and look forward to, your write ups. This should be a far more enjoyable, read less nerve wracking, season for me without Carla competing. I was on pins and needles each week, and reading your reviews and rankings (as well as thoughts of others) put me through the paces.

I look forward to commenting as a "regular viewer" this season. I'll even see if I can get Carla to swing through and share her thoughts.

Cheers!