Top Chef Two: Ten Reasons for Watching

1. We Bravo addicts are always watching SOMETHING. Project Runway Three is over and Top Design hasn't started yet, and rehashing Project Runway One with the Project Rungay guys is not quite as much fun as we thought it would be. Not that T&L aren't absolutely hilarious, but we already know the outcome to this story and the suspense is missing. So Top Chef Two it is.


2. We couldn't get enough of dishy Harold last season and we find that Sam Talbot is more than an adequate HUNK substitute, with Ilan running a close second in a librarian sort of way. Both these chefs are capable and talented, and have managed to acquit themselves well.



3. We're still sitting on the fence with Padma. Will she start to warm the cockles of our collective hearts? Only time will tell. She and Katie Lee have at least one thing in common: They are both child brides of two much older, hugely successful men. However, Padma is able to stretch her facial muscles into a semblance of a lively expression, a feat the wooden faced Mrs. Joel could never quite manage.

4. Will Elia ever develop a sense of humor? She can cook, yes. She is loyal to Marcel, si. But can this "Latin firecracker" crack a joke? Now THAT would truly be sexy! She claims her favorite movie is Forest Gump. Forest Grump is more like it! However, her cuilinary skills are impeccable.

5. Tons of fun blogs are rehashing each episode every week, extending our enjoyment of the show. Check out:
Eric Three Thousand
Blogging Top Chef: They Cook, We Roast
Amuse-Biatch
Top Chef 2: They Cook, We Dish

6. Already this season we've had Lychee-Gate, Cookie-Sugar-Substitute-Gate, Olive-Oil-Dripping-Gate, and Tattle-on-You-by-Mia-Gate. Is Tom Colicchio losing control over the situation in the kitchen? Will someone be hired to stand in the kitchen and WHIP these chefs in shape? Stay tuned and find out.

7. Mikey has been teeter tottering on the edge of being auf'd each episode. Ilan saved his NECK in the last competition. Will Mikey step up to the plate next week and survive another harrowing knive-packing?



8. We love, love, love, love BETTY. She's efferfescent. She has chutzpah. She's a talented chef. OK, so she's made major mistakes lately.(What was up with that puff pastry dough?) So she's human. Bite me! Inquiring minds want to know: Will Betty manage to stay clear of other Top Chef landmines and emerge as a finalist in the end? WE hope so. (Recent shows have shown a new side to Betty: Her unforgiving attitude towards Marcel is shrewish and grating. I am rapidly losing my respect for Betty and can only hope that her nice side reemerges again.)

9. Cliff is a gentleman, a team player, talented, and easy on the eye. We also cannot discount Frank, Mia, and Carlos. Will these four chefs rise to the occasion? Or will some cockamamie challenge steer them off course?

10. Is Marcel's grandfather truly the Wizard of Oz? Or is it the Colonel?