# Top Chef Masters - Season 2 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956 "2010-04-04T23:50:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/1 "2010-04-04T23:50:45Z")
Finally! Top Chef Masters Season 2 starts April 7, in the usual time slot. šŸ™‚ Iā€™ve been going through major withdrawals for Top Chef. Itā€™s been 3 or 4 months. They are bringing back a few Masters from the first season. Wylie Dufresne, Rick Moonen, Mark Peel, Jonathan Waxman etc. There are also a lot of new faces. The full list is on the far right side of the page. [http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/columnists.nsf/gailpennington/story/B4B8A0834A8BACA2862576FB0064927A?OpenDocument](http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/columnists.nsf/gailpennington/story/B4B8A0834A8BACA2862576FB0064927A?OpenDocument) Bravo has several preview clips up. Here is one. Thereā€™s several more on this page. [http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/videos/going-to-chinatown](http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/videos/going-to-chinatown) Anyway, Iā€™m looking forward to Wed. Letā€™s post here and digest err discuss the food. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/2 "2010-04-05T00:28:54Z")
Yeah! Thanks for the heads-up! ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/3 "2010-04-05T00:44:18Z")
Sweet. I was just thinking this morning itā€™s been a while since there was anything Top Chef on the air. There are fewer chefs I have heard of this time around, so Itā€™s hard to handicap. But early pick for me is Samuelson. It was cool last season watching some of the chefs who had been master of their domain for so long struggle when forced to improvise or encounter something that wasnā€™t from their carefully controlled working habits. The crop seems a fair amount younger on average this time around.(But I will miss Keller, the dude was awesome.) ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/4 "2010-04-05T01:44:50Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Finally! Top Chef Masters Season 2 starts April 7, in the usual time slot. šŸ™‚ I try not to be a picker of nits but it seems worth mentioning that the first episode is airing at 11:00, rather than 10:00. (in my time zone, at least) I just read Kelli Choiā€™s bio, and based on that I think Iā€™d like to hang out with her. She seems fascinating, on paper. I donā€™t really enjoy her on the show, though. What is the name for the bias that makes it hard for me to take her seriously because her dress is so short? Itā€™s not her fault sheā€™s pretty. Yeah, Iā€™ll admit to a Keller crush. Canā€™t say Iā€™ll miss Art Smith, though. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/5 "2010-04-08T00:37:09Z")
I wonder why itā€™s airing late tonight? They got that _Shear Genius_ junk on until 10 central. Only 2 1/2 hours before Top Chef Masters Premieres. šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![WomanofScorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@WomanofScorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WomanofScorn)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/6 "2010-04-08T01:07:03Z")
Ooooo I didnā€™t know that, thanks! Ya know, Iā€™m kind of on the fence with the whole Top Chef thing though. I watch it because I watch all things Top Chef, but for me none of the seasons have been as good as 1 &2. Anyway, carry on! ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/7 "2010-04-08T03:17:43Z")
Best food competition show ever! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/8 "2010-04-08T04:07:53Z")
Tonight was a great start. Govind Armstrong was the only chef that I recognized. I liked the partnership competition. Glad to see the two oldest chefs win tonight. Susan Feniger surprised me. She seemed kind of wacky. But, she can certainly cook. Tony Mantuano showed why heā€™s Obamas favorite chef. Iā€™m not sure if they changed the scoring. I donā€™t think they added the quickfire stars into the final score. Iā€™ll watch closer next time. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/9 "2010-04-08T06:16:39Z")
I hope they wonā€™t have work in teams on every episode. I like seeing what each person can do on their own. But I guess they want two winners each episode? Oh, and I donā€™t know if anyone else had been watching _Shear Genius_, but as the finale for that was on right before _Top Chef_, that winner was such bullshit. What a dumb show. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/10 "2010-04-08T11:44:02Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I hope they wonā€™t have work in teams on every episode. I like seeing what each person can do on their own. But I guess they want two winners each episode? I think, and may well be wrong, that most of the episodes have 4 chefs. So in addition to being on late this one gave us the impact of 2 episodes. Someone must have a reason for wanting a specific number to compete, and doubling up this week was the only way to cram them all in to the allotted number of episodes. > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Oh, and I donā€™t know if anyone else had been watching _Shear Genius_, but as the finale for that was on right before _Top Chef_, that winner was such bullshit. What a dumb show. I began to assume 3 or 4 weeks ago (I donā€™t remember what the challenge was) that they (the producers) were rigging it for her to win. I suspect weā€™ll see the premier of ā€œBrigā€™s Big Topā€ where we get to see her spend her prize money on Bravo soon enough. Samantha got a show, and I donā€™t remember who won her season. I guess they wanted the biggest personality to win to make the marketing easier. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/11 "2010-04-08T13:06:06Z")
I watched the repeat last night. Something about the show seemed a little off. I couldnā€™t get enough of Top Chef Masters last summer. Iā€™m not in any hurry to watch last nights episode again. I think part of it was the chemistry between the chefs. Last year they seemed to support each other more. I recall one chef had trouble with a mixer and another chef jumped in and helped him switch it out. Season 2, the chefs were respectful, but I didnā€™t get the same sense of comrade. The previews of Rick Moonen losing losing his temper with Ludo Lefebvre donā€™t help. I prefer seeing chefs of this caliber act more professional. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/12 "2010-04-08T15:15:58Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Oh, and I donā€™t know if anyone else had been watching _Shear Genius_, but as the finale for that was on right before _Top Chef_, that winner was such bullshit. What a dumb show. God, no shit. I canā€™t believe I wasted 10 weeks of my life on that crap. Not only has Brig _never_ done anything special, but her runway looks were absolutely terrible. I canā€™t believe the judges fell all over themselves for that and kudos to the guy who pointed out the emperor is naked. Itā€™s especially galling because Mathew, at least, is clearly 100x the talent and the professional that Brig is. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I was a bit turned off last nightā€™s Top Chef episode, though Iā€™ll watch again next week. I didnā€™t really like Govindā€™s attitude of ā€œI donā€™t want to be paired up, I hate working with partnersā€ etc. Youā€™re not being paired up with some asshole from a backwater town who canā€™t cook, you jerk! And his partner was such a nice guy, too. I hate people with attitudes like that, especially when theyā€™re playing for charity. ---
**Author:** ![FlightlessBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/cdc98d/32.png) [@FlightlessBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlightlessBird)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/13 "2010-04-08T18:25:28Z")
Chalk up another vote for no-partners. My hunch is that the phase one of the competition will have partners, but then the phase two portion; they will be doing individual stuff. Iā€™ll have to wait to test that theory out though. I also didnā€™t like that only one chef got to present the meal. If youā€™re going to pair them up, let them both be part of the pair. Iā€™m glad itā€™s back and will continue watching. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/14 "2010-04-08T18:42:40Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > I was a bit turned off last nightā€™s Top Chef episode, though Iā€™ll watch again next week. I didnā€™t really like Govindā€™s attitude of ā€œI donā€™t want to be paired up, I hate working with partnersā€ etc. Youā€™re not being paired up with some asshole from a backwater town who canā€™t cook, you jerk! And his partner was such a nice guy, too. I hate people with attitudes like that, especially when theyā€™re playing for charity. He had a bit of an attitude, but he was right. Itā€™s fine for the quickfire (although that competition was completely pointless last night) but not for elimination. There was a perfect example of it in the show - the one chef (gay white guy from Chicago) cooked what was probably the best dish of all, but his partner served a soup with a limp chicken wing in it with the slimy skin still hanging off of it. The guy got eliminated entirely because of his partnerā€™s failing. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/15 "2010-04-08T18:50:29Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > God, no shit. I canā€™t believe I wasted 10 weeks of my life on that crap. Not only has Brig _never_ done anything special, but her runway looks were absolutely terrible. I canā€™t believe the judges fell all over themselves for that and kudos to the guy who pointed out the emperor is naked. Itā€™s especially galling because Mathew, at least, is clearly 100x the talent and the professional that Brig is. Stupid, stupid, stupid. > > ā€¦ We watched it at work when it wasnā€™t busy and we couldnā€™t believe how many times she was in the bottom and skated by to make to to the finals, at that point we figured it was definitely rigged and she was going to win. Then when they were falling all over themselves to praise her when all she did was put some cellophane on their heads and stick some hair pieces on and they thought it was art! I thought it was a hairstyling competition. Yeah we wonā€™t bother watching the next season, I guess weā€™ll have to find some work to do at work instead. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/16 "2010-04-08T19:32:37Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Then when they were falling all over themselves to praise her when all she did was put some cellophane on their heads and stick some hair pieces on and they thought it was art! I thought it was a hairstyling competition. Yeah, like the other contestant said (I already forgot her name), as an art piece Brigā€™s designs were striking, but they had nothing to do with hairstyling. She basically just stuck a plastic hat on their heads. I also hated her entire attitude the whole season. ā€œIā€™m so weird! Look how weird I am! Donā€™t forget Iā€™m the weird one! Arenā€™t I unique and _weird_!?.. Why do people make fun of me? Itā€™s like Iā€™m back in high school! _pout_ They just canā€™t accept my weirdness. Oh, did I mention I was weird?ā€ ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/17 "2010-04-08T22:01:29Z")
The quickfire winners get 5000$ for their charity, so itā€™s not entirely pointless. I prefer this way to the previous season, when a for fun quickfire like the tasting or dicing challenge might decide who goes on to the next round instead of the actual food. I definitely didnā€™t like this episode as much as most of the previous season. Iā€™m hoping that itā€™s just an invidual case, and doesnā€™t apply to most of the season. I hope Bravo has learned something from Top Chef Masters success, and doesnā€™t try to bring more of the regular Top Chef ingredients like forced drama into it. It was a blast watching polite and skilled world class chefs cook great food in season1. The finale where Rick Bayless won is probably one of my favourite episodes of any reality tv series. Itā€™s also a rare opportunity to see how the chefs work, as a lot of them rarely prepare dishes from the ingredients to the final product in their professional lives anymore. Iā€™m definitely not a fan of the group challenges and group judging, and I hope it only applies to the first episode. I want the chefs to stand on their own dishes, and not be potentially burdened by being paired up with an inferior chef. In this episode both winners seemed to have amazing dishes. However with this system itā€™s possible for the best two chefs to get eliminated if they get paired with the 2 worst chefs. If they insist on pairing them up, then at least judge the dishes separately. I still love all three of the critics and Jay Rayner in particular. Iā€™m not very fond of Kelly Choi, and I still hate the ā€œpack your knives and goā€ bit they insist on including with the final judging. They should let the losing teams stay to congratulate the winners, and hear their scores. Being sent back to the kitchen to pack their knives seems slightly and unnecessarily demeaning. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/18 "2010-04-08T22:41:03Z")
> [@sohvan](#): > > I definitely didnā€™t like this episode as much as most of the previous season. Iā€™m hoping that itā€™s just an invidual case, and doesnā€™t apply to most of the season. I hope Bravo has learned something from Top Chef Masters success, and doesnā€™t try to bring more of the regular Top Chef ingredients like forced drama into it. The whole ā€œfirst dateā€ thing fell flat because that one geeky guy was so totally out of his league, too. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/19 "2010-04-15T04:11:00Z")
Second episode aired tonight. This challenge put some of the more traditional at a slight disadvantage. For example, Thierry Rautureau is a well known classical french chef. I was surprised at how well he did in this challegene. Carmen Gonzalez struggled with the QF and EC. She cut herself cooking the QF. Then left her stew in the kitchen. She lost an hour driving back to get it. She showed amazing creativity by improvising and improving the stew. Carmen won without serving her sides. Marcus Samuelsson won the other slot thanks to a fantastic Mac & Cheese. This episode had some controversy. Iā€™ll defer that discussion for later. Hopefully we wonā€™t need spoiler boxes tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956/20 "2010-04-15T11:41:15Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The previews of Rick Moonen losing losing his temper with Ludo Lefebvre donā€™t help. I prefer seeing chefs of this caliber act more professional. I could be wrong, but it really looks to me like heā€™s not being serious when heā€™s yelling. Iā€™m thisclose to positive heā€™s mock-yelling, [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-chef-masters-season-2/534956.md?page=2)