I am a big fan of Top Chef, the reality series that recently wrapped up it’s 5th season on Bravo. This summer, however, we are treated to the first season of Top Chef Masters, a spinoff of the original series in which already-established chefs at the top of their game are competing against each other in the same types of challenges as the up-and-comers in the regular series.
The majority of the buzz that I’ve read so far on the new series is that it’s a little lackluster in comparison to it’s counterpart. The chefs that are competing in the Masters series are already well established, so the stakes are lower and the usual excitement over the competition is not as robust. I couldn’t disagree more.
The 24 contestant/chefs that have appeared on the show thus far are successful professional chefs already. The individual competitions are not packed with the schadenfreude of the original series, it’s true, but that’s because the chefs on the series have a deep reverence for the craft of cooking, and a healthy respect for each other. In this environment, the focus is on the ingredients, the cooking, and only a little about the personalities behind the dishes. It’s a great pleasure to watch these chefs do their thing amidst the hair raising challenges that they are tossed into. And they take pleasure in watching their colleagues without the backbiting.
(minor spoiler alert)
In last week’s episode, the elimination challenge gave each chef a chance to completely sabotage one of their competitors. It was their job (a la secret santa) to shop for one of their competitors, and the competitor would be obligated to make use of all of the ingredients that they selected. No one took the bait. Each chef showed great care and consideration in picking out a fine assortment of ingredients for his competitor, because, as one chef remarked, he wanted his colleaugue to be able to show his chops as a chef. The grace and camraderie shown by the chefs elevated the entire competition to a celebration of talent and the craft of cookery. Bravo, indeed! Encore!