Top Chef - S8E0 Power Rankings

Wooooooooweeee, did that offseason blow right by.

I'm feeling pretty good about the decision not to cover Just Desserts because, man, it feels like we just finished season seven. In fact, I had to be reminded last week that season eight was about to get started and I'd better get my ass in gear. So much for my grand plan to re-watch seasons 1-3 in preparation for season eight. Not that I would have had time to do it even with careful planning. As you may have surmised from the dip in posting frequency, things have been a little crazy as of late. But I'm excited about the all-stars, and I hope I hope I hope the elves don't blow it.

I say this, of course, because of recent revelations that they've intentionally made the challenges extremely difficult, trying to push the chefs further out of their comfort zones with trickier twists and shorter time periods. Which, you know, is what I love most about Top Chef (note bleeding sarcasm). But as always, no prejudging will happen here. At the very least the inclusion of Bourdain should be highly entertaining. And it's fun to see a bunch of old faces again. The preseason Power Rankings were an odd little trip down memory lane.

They were painful, too. Seriously, when you're dealing (mostly) with the best of the previous seven seasons, it's awfully tough to find space between these people. And the suggestion that even more zaniness and chance may be introduced than usual only serves to make me less confident. Right down to the bottom, it wouldn't surprise me if any of these people slipped through to the finale. Sure, some are far more likely candidates than others. But unlike a regular season where there's a chunk of contestants at the bottom who you can be reasonably certain will be making an early exit, no such assurances exist here.

Since not everybody who will be reading has watched from the start, I'm going to try to give a little sense of what each of these contestants were like the first time around. Admittedly, my memory of seasons two and three -- before I started the Power Rankings and, unlike season one, shows I haven't gone back to re-watch since they first aired -- might be a little fuzzy. So I apologize if folks from those two seasons aren't fleshed out quite as fully. But I've made an effort to get to the bottom of what they've been up to since packing their knives. And let me tell you how annoyed I am that Bravo has pulled most of the recipes from previous seasons. Ugh.

As is traditional for the preseason rankings, I present the contestants in reverse order. I've also noted where they finished, as well as their final records. Note that for seasons 1-3, before I had my own count, I don't have detail on the quickfires... only how many they won. And as is always the case, this isn't simple math, but a good measure of gut feeling. So let's get this party started.

Wins

Top

Bottom

18 Stephen Quickfires 2 - - S1 Finish: 5th Eliminations 0 5 3 Those who came to Top Chef a few seasons in and who felt that S7's field was somewhat weak would do well to go back and watch a little bit of S1. There were some talents near the top, but going back to see the whole field now, it's kind of shocking what a motley crew the season one cast was. Culinary school students, personal chefs, nutritionists, mental patients (Crazy Ken), sommeliers... let's just say that they covered a broader spectrum early on. Stephen was the last of that crew, a fellow who considered himself a genius first, a sommelier second, a genius third, and a chef fourth. While his teammates were trying to put together a meal under budget, he was blowing half the cash on a bottle of wine. While they were deep in the weeds back in the kitchen, he was up front teaching the wait staff how to sweep the table. While they were focused primarily on how the food tasted, he seemed primarily focused on how it looked. To say the guy's priorities were a little misplaced for what we've come to know as Top Chef is an understatement. And his ego was so comically oversized that at times you wondered if it was all an act. But despite all of that -- and this is often forgotten -- the fellow did cook a few nice dishes. They were all very stylish and very trendy, and one gets the impression that some of them were actually very good. Since Top Chef, he's launched a consulting business, and was brought on to open a restaurant in West Palm Beach. As Executive Chef of Forté di Asprinio (ego... remember?), his menu was ultramodern, stylish Italian (natch), and though it got some attention from Fodor's (does anybody pay attention to Fodor's?), he left after nine months to pursue an opportunity in Dubai, what he describes as "development of the Stephen Asprinio brand." Whether he chose to leave and pursue this opportunity or was asked to leave and pursue this opportunity depends on who's telling the story, apparently. But we'll just say that apparently he made very, very stylish very good-looking Italian food for a while and leave it at that. I don't think he has a snowball's chance in hell of winning. And that fact that speed wasn't exactly his forté doesn't bode well for him. But he could stick around longer than those who watched S1 expect.

17 Elia Quickfires 0 - - S2 Finish: 3rd (Tie) Eliminations 2 4 4 I'm very uncomfortable having Elia this low, and it's largely because I wasn't quite sure what to make of her even when watching S2. She's well-trained, having worked in some decent kitchens abroad, and she seemed technically sound... certainly more so than most of the other contestants in S2. But it was almost as if her palate was weirdly at odds with the judges. Born in Mexico and trained mostly in Europe, her combinations of flavors, balance of flavors, level of seasoning always seemed slightly off-putting to the judges. It was almost like there was some kind of culinary cultural chasm that couldn't be bridged. Then there was the puzzling lackluster dessert served on heart-shaped pastry. Who does that? And yet, she had some technique. She's apparently been doing private cooking and consulting, mostly outside of the U.S., but word is there's a restaurant in Los Angeles imminent. She's a wildcard. I really don't know what to expect from her.

16 Spike Quickfires 2 4 4 S4 Finish: 5th Eliminations 0 1 6 Spike was a villain-ish character from S5 who just missed the finale, but general consensus was that he got that far more on guile than on cooking talent. He played the game, and wasn't above subterfuge if he thought he could get away with it. His dishes were mostly pretty tame, not to mention all over the map stylistically, but a point in his favor was that he made a soup that Tom called the best-seasoned dish of the season to that point. He's actually been one of the more successful TC alumni, though perhaps not in a manner that suggests he'll be any more successful this time around. He's opened two joints in DC, burgers and pizza, neither of which aim particularly high. By all accounts, while solid, the burgers are a notch above Five Guys. And word is that the pizza, while perfectly tasty NY street style, is still straightforward NY street style. Both are perfectly honorable ventures, but don't exactly scream Top Chef. One gets the sense that he's more interested in fishing for a franchise, and he may very well make it happen. But he never came across as a serious chef, either during or after his run on the show. Keeping him out of the basement is the fact that despite this, he played the game well, and that's certainly not worth nothing.

15 Fabio Quickfires 0 2 5 S5 Finish: 4th Eliminations 2 6 2 I sense some will call this insanity given how deep he went, and how well a couple of his dishes were received. But as much as I liked him -- the fellow was one of the most entertaining contestants in the entire run of the show -- I was never impressed with his food and thought he lasted much longer than he should have. Half of S5's Team Euro (the other half of which is the one contestant whose inclusion could have made my heart sing with glee), Fabio does Italian. Very straightforward Italian. And lord knows, there's nothing I adore more than very straightforward Italian. But aside from his roast chicken that sent Lidia Bastianich's heart all aflutter, one doesn't get the sense that he makes exceptional Italian. And if you want to win doing straight-up traditional cuisine, it had better be exceptional. What's more, the reviews of his second restaurant in Los Angeles, which was opened about a year ago, don't lend the impression that anything has changed. Weirdly, he lists molecular gastronomy among his interests, and he tried, I believe, on one occasion to do something blasphemous with an Italian classic. But though the detail eludes me, I remember thinking that as impressed as he was with himself, it looked like amateur hour compared to the MG chefs of the seasons that bookended his. I hope Fabio hangs around for a while because he's really, really entertaining. And he never got flustered, which counts for something. But I don't see him standing out in this crowd at all.

14 Tre Quickfires 0 - - S3 Finish: 8th Eliminations 3 3 2 If there is gnashing of teeth over my placement of Fabio, I suspect there'll be ten times as much for my placement of Tre. Tre is widely regarded as the most shocking early exit in the show's history. His elimination was the one that inspired the (erroneous) conventional wisdom that the losing executive chef in Restaurant Wars takes the fall. And he's often reverentially painted as the guy who should have won S3, but got tripped up early. But I don't buy it. Don't get me wrong, he could very well have gone on to win if he'd survived Restaurant Wars. And we're already at the point in the S8 rankings where I think everybody's a contender. The guy's a pro. He's been gaining respect in the Texas restaurant scene for years. But I think his performance on Top Chef is often seen through rose colored glasses. It's true, he won three of seven eliminations before his ouster. But take a moment to consider that two of his wins involved making frozen food and serving shrimp and grits out of a roach coach. I've no doubt both were delicious, but it's hard to call that much of a yardstick for gauging the fellow's talent. His food is very hearty, very homey, with a bit of Southern and a bit of Texan, and it all seems kind of... outdated. I'm not sure it will play well against some of the more recent chefs. But like I say, the guy's a pro, he's in the restaurant biz, and he's helming a successful place and about to open another, so I feel like having him this low is asking for trouble. But there it is.

13 Antonia Quickfires 4 7 2 S4 Finish: 4th Eliminations 1 7 4 Antonia's another one for whom my opinion at the time diverged a bit from the mainstream, I think. To be clear, she strikes me as a very good chef. And her hallmark was execution, execution, execution. She nailed dishes, particularly the quickfires, which bodes well for her this season. The problem was that within the context of a cooking competition, her food was boring. At the time, I was somewhat at a loss to explain what I felt was missing, and I think comparing her to S6's Kevin is the best way to go about it. They both do food that plays simply. It's very ingredient-focused, it's very comforting, it's very simple. But where Antonia's food was predictable, Kevin's was clever, and that made all the difference in the world. Still, for twelve episodes, she was iceman, nailing almost everything she did and impressing the judges with her technique and command. Which is why undercooked pigeon peas, something that would ordinarily seem like a typical Top Chef gaffe, came as such a shock when it contributed to her demise in the first half of the finale. She was also a great team player, and seemed like a generally affable gal, and these attributes also strengthened her position. Until very recently, she was still helming the same Los Angeles restaurant she was during her season's run, but apparently the place couldn't decide whether to be a restaurant or a nightclub, and the nightclub finally won. While this doesn't say much for Antonia, it's very possible it was just the wrong situation for her to shine. Currently, she supposedly has nebulous things "in the works," so we'll see what happens. I actually think Antonia could go deeper than some of the people I've put in front of her. But while she's technically sound and thinks well on her feet and could go deep because of it, her food fought to stand out in her own season, much less an all-star season, and particularly in a field where a lot of people can execute, it'll keep her out of the later stages.

12 Tiffany Quickfires 2 3 2 S7 Finish: 5th Eliminations 2 8 1 Tiffany's a very recent contestant, so I doubt anybody doesn't know her story. Though she met with some success last season, coming on strong in the second half only to be outclassed going into the finals, I didn't get much of a wow feeling from her. Which, it could be argued, applies to most of the field for most of S7. But there's the trouble. She met with moderate success in what seems like one of the weaker recent seasons, and on that basis I have a hard time putting her much higher than I have. She's still at Go Fish Ocean Club (oops... Go Fish recently shut down... thanks, guys), still focusing on seafood, and I suspect we'll see more of the same this time around. And maybe the late season push means she simply needed time to find her footing and will come shooting out of the gate this time around. Problem is, the same applies to everybody else as well.

11 Mike Quickfires 2 4 0 S6 Finish: 7th Eliminations 0 2 3 Mike is one of the guys who probably could have gone deep if he hadn't met with the misfortune of coming up against the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Which isn't to say I'm not still worried I have him a little high, here. But he's another guy who, like Tre, is a pro. He's been around, he's put in the time, he's run successful places. If we're playing the comparison game, I just think he showed more in a stronger season than Tre did. He recently left Zaytinya in DC, and will be opening his own place in the spring. He's ditching the Greek for what looks like Italian comfort food -- what he describes as the kind of food cooked by his grandmother. Scaled back, approachable... it's what the market demands these days. But unfortunately, it means we don't know anything about how he's running his own kitchen yet. But he showed enough creativity and skill in S6 that I think he deserves a position as an MOTPer (that'd be Middle Of The Packer, for those new to the Power Rankings) who could stick around.

10 Carla Quickfires 1 4 2 S5 Finish: 2nd (Tie) Eliminations 3 6 3 A runner-up in the S5 finale, and I have her all the way down in tenth place. Am I underestimating Carla again? Probably. Carla is all about spirit. She's one of the most joyous and most positive folks ever to grace the Top Chef screen. And it played no small part in carrying her all the way to the finale where an implosion at the finish line got an awful lot of people awfully bummed out. Carla, like Stefan from the same season, defied the old "caterers disappear early" rule. She was the very definition of a dark horse, not inspiring confidence early in the season, only to come roaring out of the middle of the pack, displaying a level of proficiency that hadn't even been hinted at in the early going. It took the entire season, but by the end she'd made a believer out of me. Carla makes really comforting, soulful food. One gets the sense that this is where her heart is. But she's been classically trained -- a surprise revelation late in S5 -- and can bust out impeccable versions of the mother sauces in a heartbeat if need be. And she makes a killer tart. She's still doing her thing, Alchemy Catering, back in D.C., mostly eschewing the spotlight. And by all accounts, she's perfectly successful with it. That said, as much as I love her, I don't see her going deep against this field. But I hope she proves me wrong. Again.

9 Jamie Quickfires 0 5 3 S5 Finish: 6th Eliminations 2 6 3 Yes, I know, she finished four positions beneath Carla in the same season and I've got her in front. What can I say? I always thought Jamie went before her time. One of the best performers of S5, racking up a couple of wins and a ton of top appearances before getting the axe, she seemed ticketed for a finale showdown against Stefan until she made a critical, unfixable error in a challenge where she had to reproduce one of Eric Ripert's dishes. Without time to redo it, and working in a challenge that didn't give her any room to improvise, she was dead in the water. It was a technical error at the worst possible time that felled her, and I was sad to see her go. Her style is a little bit of San Francisco meets Western Europe, straightforward but subtly creative dishes that seem to draw primarily from French and Italian, though it appears that she's working in some more Asian flavors these days. She's no longer heading up Absinthe in San Francisco, but has drifted down to Los Angeles (a move that should please Stefan) and has only just recently taken over the kitchen at a gastropubby place in Venice called Beechwood. She hasn't been at it long enough for there to be much intel on how it's going, but she's one of the few contestants whose cuisine I've had the fortune of sampling, and I'm a fan. She's not the favorite in this field that she was in S5, but she's a solid contender with potential, and I'm happy to see her get another chance after a tough exit.

8 Dale T. Quickfires 1 6 2 S4 Finish: 6th Eliminations 3 5 2 Dale T's story is similar to Jamie's, if a season earlier. He's another who seemed ticketed for the finale before doing a bit of a faceplant and leaving before his time. In his case, it wasn't a technical error but a conceptual error -- a saccharine sweet miso caramel sauce over scallops -- that did. not. sit. well. with guest judge Bourdain. Dale's all about Asian, still working at Buddakan in NYC, though it appears that he's been recently elevated from sous to Chef de Cuisine. Buddakan isn't exactly the pinnacle of NYC dining, but it holds its own, turning out refined Asian classics in a huge space. In that sense, Dale's day-to-day must be field marshal as much as cook. But he put together some really delicious-looking, creative Asian dishes during his tenure on the show, racking up a ton of top appearances and working very well with Richard Blais, in particular. Unfortunately, I think he has a few big things going against him. First, as evidenced in his appearance on Masters, he's been known to have a bit of a short fuse. Second, it was Bourdain who bounced him with extreme prejudice on the first pass, and guess who's a regular judge now? And third, he's no longer the only refined Asian specialist in town this time around, direct comparisons will be inevitable, and I'm not so sure he's the stronger of the two. Still, I like him. Always did. And I think he'll show well.

7 Marcel Quickfires 1 - - S2 Finish: 2nd Eliminations 1 4 3 Marcel, while no Crazy Ken, has definitely earned himself a reputation as a bit of a headcase. He was another big ego who seemed to specialize in getting under people's skin, and wanted to specialize in freestyle rap. These may or may not have been related. And he didn't do himself any favors by getting testy during the reunion episode a couple of seasons back. In his defense, the guy took some seriously undeserved punches. Literally. He was the target of the infamous attempted head shaving incident that got Cliff kicked off of S2, and though he seemed to exhibit plenty of socially questionable tendencies, it was disturbing to see the way the rest of the cast responded. What's more, after appearing somewhat villainous on the show -- attitude or editing, reasonable people can disagree -- he was attacked without provocation again after the season was over, this time by a bar patron wielding a beer bottle. So, you know, the guy has some cause to be a little defensive. He narrowly lost out to Ilan in the S2 finale, partially doomed by an MG technique that fizzled due to the high humidity down in Hawaii. Marcel is big on molecular gastronomy, and was trying to do it before the Top Chef kitchen was really equipped for it. And he came up with some really brilliant stuff. He's no slouch in the professional department. He was sous chef at Jose Andres' Bazaar in Los Angeles, working alongside Hung and Mike Voltaggio, though the fact that he was passed over for Chef de Cuisine in favor of a new hire when the position became available makes one wonder, in the context of the show, if there were interpersonal issues at work. His current gig is a bit of a headscratcher. He's essentially doing glorified global finger food for a Beverly Hills nightclub, which makes me wonder if I haven't put him way too high. But still, the feeling coming out of S2 was that he had some great ideas and a lot of skill and just needed a little seasoning to come into his own. Now that he's had some time to do so, I think it's possible he could come in strong.

6 Casey Quickfires 3 - - S3 Finish: 2nd (Tie) Eliminations 2 4 4 My dilemma with Casey is that my memory of her food is very, very fuzzy. But she lost to Hung in the S3 finale (no shame there), and was arguably the strongest contestant of the season next to him. Unlike Dale Levitski, who came on late, I remember her being pretty strong start to finish. But admittedly, I'm letting her coast on reputation a bit here. What dishes I could dig up look solid, creative, interesting, and she seems to be doing quite well in the restaurant world. After doing some traveling post-TC, she came to work as Executive Chef of Brownstone in Fort Worth, where she's doing what looks like slightly refined Southern cuisine, and the early word is very positive. But she made her name locally doing Asian, so you really don't know what to expect from her. The truth is *I* don't really know what to expect from her. But I remember thinking she was pretty solid, and I'm putting her close to the top. Hope I don't regret this one.

5 Dale L. Quickfires 2 - - S3 Finish: 2nd (Tie) Eliminations 1 5 4 Dale Levitski's the other runner-up from S2, and he's a bit of an interesting story in that he's an also-ran one minute, and a worldbeater the next. He's had some personal issues that have been (unfortunately, I think) covered a little too closely by the press, and one gets the sense that as long as he's feeling good about himself and his food, he can take on the world. His story, back in S3, was that he'd applied for Top Chef because he'd kind of lost his will to cook and was looking for a spark to snap him out of his funk. It turned out to be a good call, because after barely surviving the first half of the season, he reclaimed his mojo and went storming through the second half of the season, only to run headlong into the brick wall (if a brick wall could break down a chicken in 2.7 seconds) known as Hung. He came up with some wildly creative stuff, playful modern American featuring odd pairings that seemed strange but compelling, and then he'd suddenly feel a kinship with his Polish roots and do a very hearty meat and potatoes kind of dish. It was an exciting run that almost carried him to the win. And then, in the wake of Top Chef, he fell into a funk again. His restaurant was killed by the economy before it opened, and after bouncing around he was eventually brought on to try to save a joint in Chicago called Sprout... where he promptly got his mojo back again. Sprout's been getting some great press in Chicago, and that's no small feat given how much water the place was taking on when he stepped in. So in some ways, whether Dale succeeds will depend on which Dale we get. But Top Chef brought out the best in him once, and it sure would be cool if it could do so again.

4 Angelo Quickfires 4 7 1 S7 Finish: 2nd (Tie) Eliminations 2 4 2 The knock on this pick will be that Angelo did well in a weak season, but I'll encourage those espousing that viewpoint to look at how S7 ended, not how it began. For much of S7, Angelo looked like he was going to run away with it. And if not for a horribly-timed illness, he might have. And I see a few other things going his way as well. For starters, the guy is driven. Maybe in a creepy Tony Robbins kind of way, but he's driven. And after narrowly missing when not at his best, I bet he comes back swinging. He's also not the only refined Asian specialist in the house, and in this case, I think that actually helps him, because I think he's going to come across as the better of the two. And third, his biggest impediment in S7 seemed to be confidence, and I have to believe that a return trip means he's got that ironed out. Bottom line is, though it was short-lived, his upscale restaurant in NYC was very, very well-received. He has very, very recent experience on the show, and he's shown he has plenty of those brilliant, creative dishes in his arsenal that contestants will need to stand out this season. I think you have to count him among the favorites.

3 Jennifer Quickfires 4 6 3 S6 Finish: 4th Eliminations 1 5 3 I don't think we ever determined whether she was War, Famine, Death or Pestilence, but the bottom line is that when you hold your own against Kevin the Red and I Voltaggi, you have to be one of the favorites. When she was at her best, one got the sense that Jennifer Norris Carroll could have mopped the floor with some of the previous seasons' casts, but S6 was no ordinary season, and she was relegated to a 4th place finish behind some of the show's all-time greatest competitors. One of Eric Ripert's protégés, she's still running 10 Arts in Philadelphia, and I can't seem to find any recent buzz about the place. I'm not sure whether this is a good or a bad thing. But I feel comfortable putting her here based on Top Chef performance alone. In addition to being a creative, precise chef who was constantly focused on execution and finesse, she was a commanding presence for most of the season, a take charge chef who could get the unruly mob to snap to attention with one sharp comment. Like many others, she too had a lull where she struggled with confidence. But she came out of it strong, and simply couldn't hang in there against the high-powered S6 finalists. In fact, it could even be argued that she's the only competitor this season who's facing a softer field than in her season... at the top, anyway. If she can fight to the finish with those guys, she ought to be able to do it again with these guys.

2 Richard Quickfires 4 7 4 S4 Finish: 2nd (Tie) Eliminations 4 7 1 Wildly creative, endlessly enthusiastic, technically skilled and good on his feet, Richard Blais stormed through S4 before -- in his words -- choking away the finale. While that unfairly downplays just how strong Stephanie was, it's hard to argue that Blais wasn't the heavy favorite heading into the last episode. And he's an audience favorite to boot, someone who seems like a swell guy in addition to being an awful lot of fun to watch. He's an unashamed cheerleader for MG, and he often pulled off the impressive feat of completely surprising and completely pleasing the judges at the same time. Tom seemed genuinely flabbergasted by some of his creations, and couldn't help but be won over despite sharing some misgivings about the kind of whiz bang techniques that are a hallmark of Blais' cuisine. Before S4, Tom seemed to heavily prefer simple foods. By the time S6 rolled around, he dove into the Voltaggios' zanier creations with gusto. I sometimes wonder if Blais was the catalyst for that apparent change. Working against him is that after the failure of his Atlanta restaurant Blais, he seems to have retreated into his culinary consulting firm, working on high concepts rather than the line. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it remains to be seen whether he'll be as primed and sharp as he was on his first pass. But so much more is working in his favor. He'll no longer be handicapped by a kitchen that isn't outfitted with the kind of equipment he loves to use, he's had a little time to draw even more experience since S4, and perhaps most importantly, he's remained an involved student of the show since his departure. More than anybody else in the S8 field, Blais has shown an incredible enthusiasm for the show itself, all of the skills it takes to win it, all of the strategies one can employ, all of the ways he can make himself a better competitor. Though he slipped up in the S4 finale, you can bet he's learned from those mistakes and won't make them again. A dominant presence wire to wire in S4 who by all accounts has continued to study winning strategies long after his departure, Blais seems to be the popular favorite to take S8. He's a great pick...

1 Tiffani Quickfires 1 - - S1 Finish: 2nd Eliminations 2 5 2 ...but he's not my pick. It's been a loooong time since anybody's heard anything from Tiffani Faison. Her participation in the show is more of a fuzzy, distant memory. But I'm going to play a bit of a hunch, here. The feeling among many, at the time, was that while Harold had one heck of a winning attitude and was far and away the fan favorite, Tiffani was the better chef, and she simply bit off a little more than she could chew by turning every course into a duo and effectively doubling her work in the finale. Tiffani was the original villain, the hard kitchen mistress who was there to win, not to be nice. She was the target of Dave's ire when he let fly the now classic "I'm not your bitch, bitch!" She was focused and driven and she just missed being the very first winner of Top Chef. And then she kind of disappeared. So what's she been doing? She's been learning. She's been in the Boston area, keeping her head down, working at some of the best restaurants with some of the best chefs covering varied cuisines. She's worked under Todd English, with Tony Maws at Craigie Street Bistro, at the critically acclaimed inspiring-Frank-Bruni-to-do-backflips O Ya, and she's only just recently taken over the kitchen at Rocca, where the early word is pretty much gushing. Her style is highly creative but approachable. Her favorite seems to be Italian-influenced cuisine that walks the line between showy and soulful, but the work at O Ya indicates that she can handle Asian and highly precise presentations as well. She seemed to inspire genuine admiration in Tom. And she's had an awful lot of time to do nothing but get better. When I imagine her working at these Boston restaurants over the past few years, all I can see is Rocky hauling a log through waist-deep snow across the Siberian tundra. Maybe I'm remembering a little too fondly, and maybe I like the poetry of an S1 ghost reappearing to surprise everybody who wasn't with the show from the start. But I have a hunch, and I'm going to go with it. I'm firmly of the belief that almost everybody in the S8 field could win it. But if I have to pick one, my money's on Tiffani.

With the later start and the end of Daylight Saving Time, I hope to return to viewing on a very short delay, which should mean that I can get the postmortem up about an hour after the show ends. Try not to hold me to it, though.

Very much looking forward to Wednesday.

Discuss!

Comments

[PerryMB]

Yes!!!

The best damm Top-Chef blog is back.

What a great start Dom.

[JonO]

You only missed one opportunity in this excellent preview. It's Chefpocalypse. Chefpocalypse. Four Horsemen of the Chefpocalypse, Dom!

[Naomi]

Loved the rankings. Can't wait for the season (and especially your posts). My memory of Fabio and GM were the olives in his first dish. If I'm remembering correctly, it was a nifty trick that set him up as being more impressive than he actually turned out to be.

[Dan V.]

Fantastic writeups, Dom. Nothing like a big wall-o-text to refresh one's memory.

Anyone notice that Blais is going to have a new show on Science Channel? Guy's been keeping himself busy these days.

[Nsam]

Awesome, just awesome! I am EXCITED for the season and Dom's coverage of it. Oh god, please let it be not true that there will be even more zaniness and chance in the challenges. I hadn't heard that, and the preview vids on the Bravo site look promising and not too zany...

Re. Spike: am I alone in thinking he's judged too harshly as a villain? Yeah, he sometimes seemed to be more interested in playing the game than cooking, but (as best I can remember it) he came across as good-natured rather than vicious. And yet, the negative opinion seems to be near-universal. On Masters Season 1 Rick Bayless went out of his way to criticize him...

Re. the cheftestants from the most recently concluded season -- I'm wondering if they'll be at a disadvantage because the all-star season started filming so quickly after the D.C. season. Tiffany and Angelo haven't had the time to recharge and continue to grow as people like Tiffani and Jennifer Norris and Blais have. (Blais, no doubt, will come armed with a million ideas for dishes.)

[PerryMB]

One more thing, I seem to remember reading that Go Fish Ocean Club had shutdown.

Open Table shows that the restaurant is currenly unavailable.

I'll try to find the link.

[Anon Man]

I think this is a good attempt. As a viewer/foodie, I am most interested in seeing how Marcel and Tiffani have matured and developed. From a pure entertainment standpoint, good to see Fabio and Antonia again, even though I don't think they have a chance.

My largest comments about the rankings are as follows: In an act of probable heresy here, I think Dale T is WAAAAAY over-rated. I put him in the same boat with Jen C., Tre, Casey, Antonia and Jamie: professionals who cook good food 99 percent of the time, but litle I would go gaga over. I would put most of these folks near the bottom/middle. For your actual bottom, I would say that Spike is a hack who should be below Elia, and maybe Stephen. (Ok, that's low, but I think Stephen has neat ideas but not the chops to make them work regularly.) Also, I see Mike I going away early, probably before Elia, as my impression of him is that he does what he knows and that's it. The guy didn't know what Eggs Florentine was; 'nuff said.

One type of challenge I wish they would do is something I saw on the "Next Food Network Star", they went through and individually re-assigned ingredients that they knew the people didn't know. Since they know these people, be ruthless. "Fabio, cook Asian"; "Marcel, make a traditional steak"; "Antonia, show some MG skills", "Mike I use these hot peppers", etc.

[GlennM]

As for the Four Horsemen, I'd have to go with:

Ms. Norris - War. One kick-ass field commander during the military episode.
Bryan V - Famine. Great food, but sometimes small portions.
Kevin - Death. From clogged arteries.
Mike V - Pestilence. Against his competitors.

[Completely tongue in cheek.]

Best wishes to them all. Still need to go on a Four Horsemen tasting trip...

[David M.]

Thanks Dom -

You make watching the show that much more enjoyable!

I've got to say the rankings are solid - tho I think Casey is ranked way too high - outside of Hung that was a weak season and I think neither she nor Dale L. are going to fare too well. My prediction is Casey first out, Spike to follow.

Looks like the first elimination challenge is the chefs must re-create a dish they did poorly on - I'm REALLY hoping each chef will have to re-create the dish that they got eliminated with and try to get it right - that would be a fantastic challenge, IMO!

Reading a transcript of an interview with Anthony Bourdain and Tom C, Bourdain was gushing about the challenges and admiring the creativity as to how they were specific to New York City. Hopefully this bodes well for things not getting too zany, or at least keeping things fun but fair.

I just had my Fantasy Top Chef draft and here are my results - I'm fairly happy with my squad:

Round 1 (pick #2) - Angelo
Round 2 - Dale T.
Round 3 - Carla
Round 4 - Jamie

I was tempted to pick Tiffani Faison with #2, as I also feel she was very strong. Was hoping my competitors would have forgotten about her and that she'd slip to round 2 - no such luck.

[Skillet Doux]

David M. - You're probably right about Casey. Every time I look at that, I wonder why I put her so high. But we'll see. I think Dale L. will surprise you, though. If he's on, he's strong. And the recent buzz about what he's doing in Chicago has been very, very good.

[matthew]

Thanks Dom! I don't think a TC season can get - properly - started until your rankings are up. Of course, I'm a bit subjective and want to see Carla at the top, but I think no one else does a better job at thinking substantively about each chef, and what they bring to the table, so to speak. I look forward to the season, and reading your recaps and ratings. I also appreciate the comments and feedback from all of the readers of this blog. Carla doesn't comment, but definitely reads the write-ups and always suggests people come to this site.

Just a quick update on Carla. She actually stopped catering (Alchemy Caterers) a couple of months ago, and is shifting her attention to producing a line of sweet and savory petite cookies, as well as some other products (granola, spiced nuts, soups and sauces, etc.) under the name Alchemy by Carla Hall. A temporary website is up until Carla is ready to start taking orders.

[timothy]

Excellent rankings as always. I agree with the Tiffani as favorite pick, and while she may have tunneled in to her restaurant work since season one, she didn't disappear from the TC world completely. They had a Christmas special a few seasons back that she won. Perhaps it's not the best measure of success, but Marcel was on it, as was Tre and others, and Tiffani kicked ass. She's good, for sure.

[nomnomnom]

It will be tough to get a read on who is there to compete and who is there to promote themselves for a few weeks.

Tiffany's restaurant is most definitely closed. It was struggling before the TC run and once that bump had expired they shut down. Since there are 3 Dallas area chefs this time the coverage in the local rags has been a little more involved. From the interviews I don't get the sense that any of the three Dallas chefs took this very seriously. As much as I'd like to see Casey or Tre make a run I'm just not seeing it.

Bravo put up a large amount of previews and things. It seems like the first episode will have two eliminations from what I can gather. Also looks like this season will have a huge helping of team challenges.

The first episode was the easiest to predict ever. Cook your off dishes again. They are adding in the now tired gimmick of recording others comments for view in the kitchen.

I haven't seen a listing of guest judges. Katie Lee from season 1 will be back in Episode 2. Paula Deen seems to be part of one episode. Other than that ???

[Skoolie]

Stephen - I didn't see season 1 but there but I did see him in the two special episodes (Season One vs Season 2) and (All Stars Holiday Special). He fared pretty well but I felt like he was carried more by his team than anything else. He never seemed deeply focused on the food or the timing and that is why I had him at the bottom with Elia.

Elia - She cracked at the end of the season I'm not sure she's up to for the pressures of the contest plus if she's mostly been training she hasn't been working in high paced kitchens and that is worries me. For my rankings I once had her down at the very bottom and Stephen Second to the bottom but yesterday I switched them.

Spike - I do have Spike a little higher based on his ability to play the game and not based on his cooking. I did very little hard core research and relied on my brain for some of my rankings. The first thing I remember is him taking all the protein he could as to mess up the others in the competition the second thing I remembered was that soup and a brief cooking segment on the today show.

Fabio - I agree and I had him one notch higher probably more because I love the guy and think he deserves his own show. I feel it would be a loss of some great comedy and one liners to lose him to early. However this is a cooking competition and not a funny personality competition.

Tre - I put him a little lower because... well I just couldn't remember the guy except for his exit. Maybe this was more because he was an earlier season and the shock had worn off. Now that you mention shrimp and grits I get an idea of what his food may be like. He also finished 8th which makes him the earliest exit out of this roster.

Antonia - I loved her on her season, she did nail it time and time again. I have two issues with her, Her food is simple and may not shine as bright as some of the more creative dishes but the largest problem I have with her is what she's been doing since her season. There are people like Richard Blais who knew he blew it at the end and went forward, gaining new skills, opening up restaurants, doing other cooking competitions, immersing himself in the culinary world and then there are others like Antonia who seem happy just working at the same restaurant and executing the same things. I believe she can get far with her execution but there are far more serious, and creative chefs in the roster for her to make the top 3 again.

Tiffany - I had her a lot lower for several reasons. First she only came alive in the second half of her season. Had Kenny not had faltered she may not have made much of an impression. He food is straightforward and simple and may not be as well received among so many great chefs. The only thing she has going for her is that she just went through the competition and isn't rusty at it but after just being on she hasn't had any time to gain more knowledge and experience and that worries me.

Mike - I have him higher. This is because of his run on what I call the toughest TC season ever. He did well and he knocked a few out of the park. He had his missteps but mostly in the beginning of the season. He's used to tough competition and I don't see him fizzling out early.

Carla - I jumped for joy when I saw she was going to be a cheftestant. I think she is STILL the dark horse. I'm hoping her classical french training and her wonderful spirit can win over the heart of Anthony Bourdain.

Jamie - I agree with your assessment. She did go a little before her time. You think she'll make scallops? lol

Dale T. - I put him lower for his short fuse and the fact that he defended those scallops and thought they were wonderful. This is going to be a tougher competition and if his short fuse shows he'll have another earlier than expected exit. Hah and I forgot it was Bourdain who set him packing.

Marcel - I had higher due to the work he has done at the Bizarre with Micheal V and Hung, as well his work on his season. No doubt the guy comes off to me as a whiny egotist. Perhaps he isn't over that. It reminds me of Good Kevin and Bad Kevin in the fact that if Whiny Ego Marcel shows up to the competition he'll make an early exit. If we see a more grown up less pretentious chef with more experience who hasn't lost his creative edge he will go far. I'm not sure why I want him to go far maybe because I think he is very talented and it's a shame he lets his personality issues get in the way of his talent.

Casey - Say what you will I still have a hard time liking her. Perhaps it has to do with the Carla situation and I know it wasn't completely Casey's fault but I just never liked her after that. That said you may have her in the right spot compared to me who put her lower due to my dislike. She's got something to prove after the Carla Incident and I have no doubt she won't step it up in the competition.

Dale L - Lets hope he keeps his mojo

Angelo - I had below Dale. Maybe his season knocked the ego right out of him and he can come back and be strong, not emotional and not egotistical. He also didn't have a chance to gain more experience since his last season but he's in a better position than Tiffany due to the experience he already had. He knows he needs to play the game and execute well while bringing his creative side. Lets see what he can do.

Jennifer - Like Angelo has the same problem. The only person who is going to send Jen home is Jen. She's a perfectionist that is way too hard on herself and if she slips up she may let herself go even further down the hole. I want to see the strong Jen not the self doubting Jen. I also hope she makes Ceviche so I can hear her say it. Not that its the wrong pronunciation just that it's different. :)

Richard Blais - I had him first just because I know what he's been up to since his appearance on Top Chef. This guy has headed full speed into the culinary world, seeing, tasting and doing as much as he can. He could have won his season but he blew it big time and he's the sort of guy that when faced with a failure picks himself up, learns from it, and won't let it happen again.

Tiffani - If there is anyone that I think could beat him it would be Tiffani. She placed second in her season and excels at competition. She was on the winning team for the special Season one vs Season two and without a doubt helped solidify that win. She also won the Holiday All Star Top Chef. She's been gaining steam the whole way.

[Alamos Road]

Couldn't agree more about Tiffani Faison. Add in that she's clearly one of Tom's all-time favorites; Tom has said she would have won Season 1 if she hadn't gone the duo route; she won an (alleged) "All-Star" Christmas competition that also had Tre, Stephen and Marcel in the lineup; she's a fierce competitor; and she's fast on her feet.

[Polybus]

RE Spike. I didn't especially see him as a villain, but rather as comic relief. He was genuinely amusing.

Tough call to rank pre-season, but Dom's done a really creditable job. I might argue that some are ranked too high or too low, but it's all subjective till they start cooking for real and we can see who's on top of their game or just treading water. I still have Blais first.

It's good to have you back, Dom!

[Skoolie]

RE Polybus

Re: Spike

I'd rather have Andrew - Mr. Culinary Boner for comic relief.

[Skillet Doux]

re: Spike -- Hence, "villain-ish" :-)

[Skillet Doux]

Incidentally, I'm already pegging Casey as my boneheaded pick of the season. I'm still trying to figure out how she ended up there.

[jh]

My memories of Spike fall into the "villian-ish" area. The prize for both his QF wins was to pick ingredients that no one else would be able to use ("Serve and Protect" and "High Steaks"). Some people may call it gameplay, but Spike purposely chose items that he thought would screw over the most people, and not ingredients because he had a great dish in mind. Ironically, both times he ended up being the bottom of the EC because of his poor choices/cooking...

I guess I wasn't a fan of how he played the game and of his incessant talking at JT.

Great rankings, and looking forward to the season.

[KinderJ]

Tiffani has been doing well here in Boston. Anyone who does well under Tony Maws is a strong TC contender for me. My only quibble with your rankings is that I would bump Mike up a bump or two. My memory may be off, but the only dish he cooked that seemed actively stupid was that shrimp salad on the Air Force episode. He wound up going pretty deep on the most technically skilled field in TC history. Not to get all BCS in here, but I feel you gotta look at who had the tougher season. I just don't think the s3 competitors stack up well.

Overall, there are a couple of dogs in this pack, but I think we should be in for a pretty interesting season. Lets see what they make of it.

[Skoolie]

KinderJ

I said the same thing and thought Mike should be bumped up. I wonder how he would have done on Top Chef DC.

[Skillet Doux]

Kinder J... on Mike, I agree. If I've erred, it's in putting him a little low. The guy could execute and that was a crazy tough field.

As for the S3 finalists, as mentioned multiple times above, I'm thinking Casey was a big mistake at 6. But I'm going to stand by dale L. Some of it's gut feeling, but if nothing else his stuff was really, really interesting, and he seems to be in a really good place right now.

[KinderJ]

Well, any given Wednesday and all that... Yeah, Skoolie, I saw that and agreed. I would be pretty curious to see how his... shall we say abrasiveness? plays with some of the women on this season.

Dom- the fact that you managed to put this thing together at all, let alone in the very fine form it's in, is an immense achievement. Trying to make apples to apples comparisons across seven seasons and various restaurant careers is absurdly difficult. And your instincts have been good so far. Actually, it's Dale that really concerns me. I don't know what the deal with Sprout is, but I keep thinking of him saying 'That's what I forgot, the flavor!' I know it was meant to be self deprecating gallows humor, but it was funny because it was kind of true...

[KinderJ]

Dale L. just to be clear.

[Polybus]

I can definitely live with "villain-ish"!

Skoolie: I've gotta say that Spike, Andrew and Mark made for a highly entertaining season! Andrew probably had the best quotes ("culinary boner", "you'll have to drag me out of here", "I could be an umpa lumpa" and "they will culinarily crap in their pants" are all great lines), but I still get a laugh out of the way Spike lampooned Blais with his "Let me ask you a question: Do you like burritos?" line. He also had a bizarre little snicker that he did when he thought he got away with something. I loved S4!

[Bart]

Great preview!

I'd love to see Carla and Fabio last a while because they are so entertaining. But I will say the final 4 are going to be:

Tiffani
Blais
Jen Carroll
Marcel

[Skillet Doux]

"That's what I forgot, the flavor!"

Ha! Thanks, KinderJ... perhaps my all-time favorite Top Chef quote, and I'd completely forgotten about it. Flawless delivery, to boot.

[timothy]

Wait. That "...flavor!" line. That was Ash, right? Not Dale L. Though, they do kind of look alike.

[Vega]

Words cannot describe how excited I am that we're getting another season with Carla.

This is going to be the best season ever.

[Skillet Doux]

Timothy... correct, it was Ash.

[KinderJ]

Really? For some reason I thought it was Dale L. Face blindness strikes again... Well. Erm. Derp.

Hooray food?

[gilmore]

An impossible task well done. I will just sit back and enjoy.

[Danny]

This first challenge should be very interesting. Many of them were kicked off for specific dishes. This means that Dale will somehow have to figure out a way to make those ghastly butterscotch scallops tasty. Othere made it to the finals and never had a specific losing dish. And Stephen lost in Restaurant Wars without making any dish. Wonder what those who fall in the last two categories will be asked to make?

[Skoolgirl]

Hahahaha Dale T. is in for it not only does he have to make those scallops taste edible he has to present it to Mr. Bourdain who was the guest judge that sent him packing for that dish. I had Dale T. coming in at number 12 but with his short fuse and this being the dish he could be, if he isn't careful packing his knives.

I was thinking that about the finalist I think Tom will assign them the dish that was the worst of their dishes in the finale, ultimately the reason they didn't win.

[Daniel]

While there are several of these contestants I didn't care for in terms of how their personality was presented (Elia, Fabio, Spike) or in terms of how their food looked, sounded, and was reacted to by the judges (Fabio, Spike, Antonia)...I really hope all these guys knock it out of the park.

I also hope that there is a minimum of drama, a maximum of good feelings among the contestants, and a tight focus by the editors on the food rather than on the inevitable squabbling that occurs when people get tired and cranky.

No more peagate crap.

[1000yregg]

When we saw Bourdain and Ripert talk in Baltimore, Bourdain described Spike as "reptilian". In DC, his burgers and pizza pale in comparison to the better burger and pizza joints in the vicinity. He does well because ladies like the bad boy.
On the other hand, I must confess remembering fondly Casey making sriracha ice cream in her season- a bold but failing move- all forgiven because she's hot.
Personally, I'm rooting for Blais this time around, but I hope he loses the fauxhawk.

[KinderJ]

Daniel- Amen.

[Skoolgirl]

I'm not sure it's going to be drama free.

We have Spike the snake, Short Fuse Dale T, Abrasive Mike, Winy egotist Marcel and who knows who else could get into it. lol.

[SorchaRei]

Tiffani was my favorite in Season 1, from the first 20 minutes of the show. I feel incapable of objectively pre-ranking because I want her to win so badly. If she loses to anyone but Blais, I'll probably cry.

She impresses me for three reasons. One is that her food looks like food I want to eat. The second is that Tom seems to love her food. I think he said something to her during one of the all-star specials like "It's great to taste your food again". And finally, she's used the time since her season to work on both her skills and her abrasiveness. She really seemed to learn something from watching herself on TV about how to work well with other people, and that's going to be necessary in a season filled with team challenges.

There are other people I'm happy to be seeing again, but she's my sentimental favorite for the win just because I loved her so much in her season.

And can I just say that the stylist who did the hair for the promo picture should be fired? He managed to make all the women look like their hair is limp, thin, and unhealthy. Anyone who can do that to Elia and Carla has a real "gift", and what it did to the blondes is just criminal.

[KinderJ]

SorchaRei- I live in Boston, and the newspapers, or at least the Globe, has been very positive about the restaurants she has worked in. They have been pretty positive about her as well. I am an unashamed Boston chauvinist: I will be rooting for a Blaise-Tiffani final as well. I also want Fabio and Mike to go deep, just because they are so much fun to watch.

In honor of the start of the season, I am going to develop a home made ricotta dessert/party nibble tonight. It seems somehow appropriate.

[Daniel]

I know skool - the odds are rather slim, and it's quite possible that in order to present us with drama free episodes, they'd have to be about 4 minutes long. That being said, I can hope for best intentions on the part of both contestants and editors.

I mean - look at Tiffani! During her season she was often quite abrasive...but when she came back for the Christmas cook off, she showcased a great deal of conscious control over her affect and presented herself much more appealingly. Hopefully the contestants who had less television-friendly personalities will be able to learn from her example.

[Sheila]

Thank you so much for this - your rankings and the postmortem make watching TC so much more enjoyable for me.

Since I have never seen the first three seasons, I especially appreciate the background info on the new-to-me chefs.

[KinderJ]

I keep spotting typos in my posts. My shame is eternal on the internet.

[David M.]

In the Bourdain/Colicchio interview, when asked who seems like they changed most since they'd seen them last, he says: "Dale T. comes to mind, he seems to have matured a lot since the – since the Chicago season."

Seems to indicate Dale T might be a little more of a factor than some are predicting here.

I don't mind a little bit of drama, truth be told. What I really hope happens is they don't try to edit it so every single competition is a 3-way too-close-to-call decision... if someone cooked great food that was far and away better than the rest, I'd like to see that once in a while - I don't need to keep guessing till the end every single time. And I believe lately they've been editing out genuine reactions in favor of keeping us guessing.

[David M.]

sorry - Tom Colicchio was the author of that quote concerning Dale...

[matthew]

I think for a lot of these chefs, there was nothing more humbling than seeing themselves on TV. Quite a few have commented on how they got an honest, or perhaps third person, view of how they act or are perceived. I fully expect that we'll see a different side of some the chefs. There will be some who, to quote former Cardinals coach Dennis Green, "Are who we thought they were." I've met a lot of these chefs traveling around with Carla. Most are super, super nice, funny, and very talented. Some, who will remain nameless, are sadly full of themselves.

I'm with the side that wants the focus to be squarely on the food. Given the preview clips that have been released by Bravo, I suspect we're not going to escape some drama.

[bryanD]

Good chefs primer as usual, Dom, but excuse my dust (see #3).

1. Tiffini Faison to win.
2. Marcel Vigneron
3. Elia Aboumrad
4. Angelo Sosa
5. Carla Hall
6. Richard Blaise
7. Jennifer Carroll
8. Dale Levitski
9. Casey Thompson
10. Jamie Lauren
11. Mike Isabella
12. Spike Mendelsohn
13. Tre Wilcox
14. Tiffany Derry
15. Fabio Viviani
16. Stephen Asperino
17. Antonia Lofaso
18. Dale Talde

[bryanD]

I just read the comments after posting my own. I see that Dale Talde may have to re-do his abominable butterscotch scallops. KIZMET! I picked him for last place based mostly on his brittle failure to thrive.

Re Nomnomnom: As for the chefs perhaps critiquing publicly each others food in more challenges: that's a very good thing.
More team challenges, though? That would be a tragedy in a normal season, but since this season is kind of like a festival, I won't let it get to me. Let the chefs who allow themselves to be shanghai'd into making fish stock gummis go home!

[jh]

Apparently Kevin Gillespie was asked to join this season, but turned Bravo down due to other commitments. That would have thrown a monkey wrench into the preseason rankings.

And Blais has some high praise for Jen: "The type of cook that I wish I was… Enough said."

His thoughts of some of the other contestants can be read here:
http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2010/11/30/richard-blais-back-again-for-top-chef-all-stars/?cxntlid=thbz_hm