Top Chef All-Stars

[terpkristin]

Anybody watching?

If the first episode is any indication, it seems that Bravo has got it back to being about the food, and not as much about the drama. I really hated Season 7 and Just Desserts because of the over dramatization; it felt like "Real Housewives of Top Chef."

Not spoiling anything yet, but man, I also was reminded of how much I hated some of these chefs:

Blais - I liked him on his season until the last day, but I hated him afterwards when he would say "I should have won" or the like. Utter d-bag. And, by the way, not everything needs to be done with liquid nitrogen. I used to follow him on Twitter, but all he does is shill for various molecular gastronomy products. Twat.

Spike - Crappy personality. Crappy burgers. Crappy crappy crappy. A local I hate.

Mike Isabella - See Spike. But add a level of d-baginess. Another local I loathe.

Marcel - Undeserved ego? And FOAMS, er, spit in the food. Seriously, he and Blais need to remember that molecular gastronomy is supposed to accentuate the food.

Angelo - Whiny little prat. And not as good as he thinks. And I really don't need to hear about his mail order bride.

Fabio - You are not God's gift to immigrants. And seriously, when you eff up pasta, take it like a freaking man. And your Twitter updates are all ego no content.

/tk

[kcchief19]

+1 on everything. I watched very little of Just Desserts because of the drama, the whining and the crying. It was just too over the top.

This has serious potential. There's some great chefs -- should be some awesome food.

Pretty striking how bad the chefs were during the first two seasons. Stephen is way out of his league -- can't imagine he'll last long. Elia wasn't that impressive in season two either.

I concur on those chefs. Blais wasn't my favorite chef from his season but I don't completely hate him. He is coming across as a lot more arrogant.

Not sure who I'm rooting for. Lots of good choices.

[path12]

One personal observation about Just Desserts. I have a friend that owns a dessert shop and who is a fantastic guy -- but just a dick at work.

Watching Just Desserts I came to the conclusion that pastry chefs are just drama queens in general. So it may not have been just Bravo.

[Ksyrup]

Didn't realize it was on - we skipped the last few shows (last Top Chef original, desserts, and masters), but saw a review of it on a reality TV blog yesterday and recorded the first one and added the season to the queue. I hope Elan is not on this show. I hated that guy. When you can make Marcel a sympathetic figure, you know you suck.

[thesloppy]

This show is a lot easier to palate, at least in the early stages, becuse we already know the personalities and talent, and don't have to spend the first month or two just learning to identify the chefs, and pick out who has some skill. Also doesn't hurt to have Bourdain as not-so-guest judge.

Anybody else find it remarkable how many people's bodies/faces have changed, considering the amount of time passed? Gay Dale is a beast! Oddly, the ladies all seem to look better, across the board, while lots of the dude's seemed to have picked up some extra chins in their time away (probably easy to do as an executive chef). Blais is the dude who sticks out, as it looks like he lost a weight, but in that 'loose skin' kinda way that doesn't look particularly healthy.

[Thomkal]

Don't know if you Blais lovers are aware of this, he has a new show coming up on Science Channel, yes the Science Channel, called Blais Off. Starts Dec 17 apparantly.

Blais Off : Programs : Science Channel : Discovery Press Web

[Coffee Warlord]

Fired up the first episode last night, and, well, TK was pretty much spot on. Maybe I can enjoy this show again, after having written it off.

Though I still like Blais.

And I hate pretty much every one of the women, except for Carla, just because she's too batshit insane not to enjoy.

[Ksyrup]

Oh goodie, Big Bird is back!

We'll probably watch this now that football, IRT, and Storm Chasers are over.

[albionmoonlight]

Thanks for the heads up. Caught this on TiVo last night. Mrs. A and I had a good laugh when Richard pulled out the nitrogen canister. That took him, what, five minutes?

[DaddyTorgo]

Need to catch up on this and all.

[terpkristin]

EP 2 tonight.

Spoiler

Tweets from Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio suggest that the ending of this week's episode is going to get people talking

/tk

[Coffee Warlord]

Holy balls.

[Coffee Warlord]

That does, however, eliminate 2 of the chefs who annoy me the most. Nice.

[Ksyrup]

Just watched episode 1 last night. Didn't see Season 6, but that chick who thinks she's the best chef evar already annoys the hell out of me. I suppose she's really good, since Richard said he was impressed with her, but seeing her for the first time - just the way she talked about herself - really turned me off.

[kcchief19]

Spoilers be damned ... I think you can make a decent argument that others could have gone instead of Jen. She probably screwed herself when she gave Jamie a free pass. But if you read the blogs and saw the commentary on the show, Jen was clearly near the bottom.

Which frankly became a pretty recurrent theme. In here season, she started out quite well but clearly ran out of gas and began flaming out near the end of the season, repeatedly ending up near the bottom. She has a terrific resume, and I think she's probably an exception chef, but she was not equipped to compete in this show. It's just not her thing. I'm fine with her being tossed.

[DaddyTorgo]

I'm loving that Bourdain isn't pulling any punches when talking about the food.

And I like knowing the chefs already - it is definitely leading to more of a focus on the food, to the point where it's actually watchable.

[Ksyrup]

Is Jen the chick I hate? If so, I'm excited to watch the next ep now.

[Ksyrup]

OK, so we finally got around to watching the second episode last night (thanks to the NFL...), and my highlights from that ep are as follows:

1. Jen getting kicked out. Not sure why she was so loved and had such a great rep from her season, because in the 2 eps this season that she's been on, she's been all talk and no walk. What an annoying, egotistical, "don't know when to shut up" bitch. She reminds me of those kids who talked big in school and then never came close to backing it up. Good riddance.

2. Casey mentioning a hand job.

In no particular order.

[DaddyTorgo]

Enjoying it more this year - as someone said, maybe it's because we know the Chefs so they don't have to focus on that as much and we can just focus on the food? Or maybe I'm just fast-forwarding through all the shit-drama more?

[kcchief19]

I think that is some of it. I think this has been a good season thus far, and you're right that they are spending less time on "character development" and more about the competition -- I think they have that luxury because we know the chefs.

Jen has a terrific resume and that's what made her a favorite with fans and other chefs. She was much nicer during her season, but she came off as a total bitch this time around. I think that was part of her strategy for some reason, and it didn't work.

For her own sake, Jamie needs to go next. She has absolutely skated twice, and I think the other chefs are done with her.

Also interesting that the Angelo-sabotage angle is starting up again. It does make you wonder after a while.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I think that is some of it. I think this has been a good season thus far, and you're right that they are spending less time on "character development" and more about the competition -- I think they have that luxury because we know the chefs.

Jen has a terrific resume and that's what made her a favorite with fans and other chefs. She was much nicer during her season, but she came off as a total bitch this time around. I think that was part of her strategy for some reason, and it didn't work.

For her own sake, Jamie needs to go next. She has absolutely skated twice, and I think the other chefs are done with her.

Also interesting that the Angelo-sabotage angle is starting up again. It does make you wonder after a while.

re: Angelo - where there's smoke there's fire. I've thought he was a total douche from the first time I saw him. Glad he didn't win his season and hoping he gets tossed soon.

It's not just his personality though, it also annoys me that he only ever goes "Asian" with his dishes - he has no versatility whatsoever.

[General Mike]

Jesus Christ. How is she still on this show?

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by General Mike

Jesus Christ. How is she still on this show?

I was just looking for this thread to ask the same damn question.

[DaddyTorgo]

Respect to Tom Colicchio for actually putting his money where his mouth is and doing an 8:37 quickfire dish, I gotta say.

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I was just looking for this thread to ask the same damn question.

Seriously!

Also, watching Tom set that quick fire time was pretty effin sweet.

[Ksyrup]

Just watched the third episode last night, the double elimination. I really liked that elimination challenge - cooking in the style of a restaurant against your teammates. I hope they bring that one back.

[Thomkal]

Yeah she should have gone, but the one who did deserved it too for that dish. No experience with it, having to cook it in large numbers in a small amount of time-just a bad decision for a chef that probably should have finished in the top 5.

[thesloppy]

I thought Casey got hosed, considering her dish was judged to be improperly cooked, and she didn't actually do the cooking. Likewise, I'll just echo everybody else wondering how the hell Jamie continues to survive. Contrary to Casey, she cooked two dishes and fucked them both up. Her flat dumpling just looked sad.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I thought Casey got hosed, considering her dish was judged to be improperly cooked, and she didn't actually do the cooking. Likewise, I'll just echo everybody else wondering how the hell Jamie continues to survive. Contrary to Casey, she cooked two dishes and fucked them both up. Her flat dumpling just looked sad.

Yeah - I agree. Found it to be a really weird decision.

[Ksyrup]

.

Top Chef All-Stars’ judges are defending their decision to send Casey Thompson home instead of Jamie Lauren, and they say it was simply because Casey’s food was inedible—perhaps because she volunteered to work in the dining room during the dim sum challenge, an example of a chef once again being eliminated for doing too much instead of taking the easy way out. (And it’s another somewhat controversial elimination for this season, which is perhaps inevitable considering the amount of talent.)

Gail writes that “Casey’s was the most flawed, given that the chicken feet were cooked so poorly you were not really able to eat a full bite in order to gauge its flavor. Although Jamie’s dish was undercooked and bland, at least it was edible. I believe Casey’s downfall was not an inability to cook her food well, but the fact that she simply took on too much in the name of the ‘team’ and at her own expense.”

And Tom addresses “all the Casey fans out there who are about to write in to tell me that Jamie should have been sent home instead, I have one word for you: ‘inedible.’ I like Casey very much, too, and I applaud her for going out on such a limb by making chicken feet. … She was sent home because the particular dish she made with them was inedible. Not just bad, but inedible. Jamie’s dishes, and those of the other contestants on the bottom this week, while poor, were edible.”

Tom also gives some behind-the-scenes details about his quickfire challenge participation, including a mishap with olive oil, and that producers really wanted him to complete his meal in less than 10 minutes.

[thesloppy]

Good link, K. As a viewer, I didn't question the inedibility at all, I would admittedly balk at the best-cooked chicken feet in the world, I was perplexed at the decision to send Casey home for something that was cooked by Antonia. Tom addressed that as well in his blog:

However even the Chinese patrons, who not only eat chicken feet regularly but who truly relish them, could not eat Casey’s. Perhaps had she made them herself they might have been better, but that was another risk she chose to assume in leaving their execution to Antonia while staffing the front of the house. I doubt it, though. It’s rare that a dish cannot even be eaten; when it happens, the chef responsible for it clearly must be the one sent home.

Which is a pretty fair explanation. That said, Tom is a hard-ass, and even his pshaw dismissal begins with the admission that they might've been better had she made him. And if the Chinese patrons love well-prepared chicken feet, how is choosing chicken feet indefensible? If it were the sauce, other ingredients, or preparation that made the dish inedible, it didn't come through in the production or Tom's explanation. Likewise, that's a perfectly acceptable explanation for sending any chef home on a close night, but it only became shocking because Casey was apparently being sent home for poor execution of a dish she didn't cook, while two other chefs that fucked up two dishes (one of them being the chicken feet in question) got to stay. I still feel like the viewer is missing some piece of the puzzle.

[thesloppy]

After considering for a second, I think my confusion stems from the fact that I'm looking at it as a viewer, rather than a judge. As a judge, being exposed only to the food, I can see saying this dish is so obviously horrible beyond all the other dishes that someone has to go home for it. From that point of view, you probably shouldn't be swayed too much by whatever the reasons may be, despite my previous objections, and you can't rightly send Antonia home for a dish under Casey's charge. Perhaps it's Top Chef karma for her hand in Carla's dismissal, during Carla's final.

All that said, I think the actual questionable item to come out of all the controversy is why they took 3 chefs away from the kitchen. I suppose that making someone do the front of house/expediting is a necessary evil during restaurant wars, but otherwise let the cooks cook. Especially in last night's case, when there was obviously a dozen other waiters doing the same thing as Casey and Tiffany (was it Tiffany?), and there wasn't any real need for them to be out there not cooking.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

After considering for a second, I think my confusion stems from the fact that I'm looking at it as a viewer, rather than a judge. As a judge, being exposed only to the food, I can see saying this dish is so obviously horrible beyond all the other dishes that someone has to go home for it. From that point of view, you probably shouldn't be swayed too much by whatever the reasons may be, despite my previous objections, and you can't rightly send Antonia home for a dish under Casey's charge. Perhaps it's Top Chef karma for her hand in Carla's dismissal, during Carla's final.

All that said, I think the actual questionable item to come out of all the controversy is why they took 3 chefs away from the kitchen. I suppose that making someone do the front of house/expediting is a necessary evil during restaurant wars, but otherwise let the cooks cook. Especially in last night's case, when there was obviously a dozen other waiters doing the same thing as Casey and Tiffany (was it Tiffany?), and there wasn't any real need for them to be out there not cooking.

+1, and it was Carla not Tiffany, and she ended up in the bottom too because of it. If Top Chef said two chefs had to work the floor and cook, then a little slack should be given those who have to do both. But then again, Casey never should have chosen to do chicken feet especially since she was working the front. It took her forever I bet to cut off all the toes, and then leaving them with someone else to cook, I'm guessing someone equally new to cooking them, and it was just a recipe for disaster. I know Asian food isn't her thing, but she should have done something more familiar to her and quicker to prepare.

But yeah this is All-Stars, lets see them all cook for heaven's sake.

[DaddyTorgo]

Yeah - moving them out of the kitchen is just dumb. Any of them frankly, for restauruant wars or whatever. I've always hated that mechanic.

[General Mike]

Ding Dong!

[Qwikshot]

I've been rather lenient on the Marcel hate, but his reaction to Carla's winning mood was just a level of douchebaggery that I could not abide.

Carla is always enthusiastic and likable and it seems she's always willing to help out the others.

I liked Tiffany a lot better this season, she definately realized that image is an important part of the show. She went away looking more respected (I still remember her trying to take credit for a dessert in the finals of Season 1 that she did not make) and I don't think she has much to be disappointed about.

Jamie seemed to be getting more detractors per episode, so I don't think it was a shock to anyone that her luck finally ran out.

Richard seems to be coasting, he got lucky. The team challenges really suck but just this once the idea of doing it together muddied things enough to keep Marcel, Fabio and Richard safe.

[Ksyrup]

We haven't watched last night's ep yet, but Marcel always says things that you just can't tell if he's clueless about how arrogant/annoying he is, or if he means it. His comment in one of the last couple of eps during a QuickFire Challenge that he thought some of the taste of his dish was probably still in the mouths of the judges when they tasted Angelo's was just ridiculous. And you can never tell if he's serious or not.

He's got a molecular cooking show that's going to start on SyFy Channel, I think.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by Qwikshot

I've been rather lenient on the Marcel hate, but his reaction to Carla's winning mood was just a level of douchebaggery that I could not abide.

Agreed. I could not believe he went to a whole new low. And for that matter, watching him drink from the huge bottle of Sapphire and just talk shite was pretty annoying, too. I wish he'd gone home. But, this week he got lucky that the other team just did sooo poorly. Also, why on EARTH would those guys only do one dish?

I can't tell what was up with Jamie this season. I think she may have been the victim of a bad edit. But it was definitely her time to go. She didn't look happy in general, and that's no good, plus she'd been on a negative wave for awhile. Tiffani with the bluefish was a surprise. I would have thought she'd have known how to handle it better.

Still, there are a lot of people I'd like to see gone, though some will make it. My feelings on who's left:
Mike Isabella: aside from one quick fire win, what has he really done?
Blais: His ego and his "Mr. Science" seems to have calmed down. But he's been pretty unremarkable, too. If he doesn't pull something out soon, I could see him going.
Marcel: Needs to go. The werewolf look is just stupid, he's a complete dbag, and is doing the same old crap (look, more foam!).
Fabio: I'm surprised he's still around. His accent is not endearing. I'm tired of him and his greasy hair.
Angelo: Again this season, we see him interjecting himself in other peoples' dishes. On the one hand, this is pretty uncool, but on the other, people need to look out for their own dishes. If it's not Asian, he hasn't done well.
Tiffany D: been pretty quiet this season. She's played smart so far, but it's hard to tell what she can really do. Her restaurant is known for fish, but even that's been hit or miss.
Dale: He's apparently taken anger management since he was first on the show. He seems more mellow (a good thing) and has put out some solid-looking dishes.
Tre: He's another one who's just keeping his head down and doing his thing. I don't really know what his thing is, though. He's made some solid stuff.
Antonia: Is she just coasting, or does she have a lot of skill? In the "cook in a 4-star chef's restaurant" challenge, she did really well in an area that doesn't seem to be her main thing, and she's rocked a couple other challenges. She could be a dark horse.
Carla: I love her. She plays the game but she's not a prick about it. She's been kind of up and down (2 wins but a couple on the bottom, too), but I hope she sticks in for the long haul. I like it when good people win.

I think that's it...

/tk

[albionmoonlight]

There seemed/seems to be a line that the Chefs did not cross. When someone won, that always meant that someone else was going home. But the people about to go face the ax always pretended to be (or legitimately were) happy for the winner.

Marcel crossed that line. What an asshole.

[Qwikshot]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

There seemed/seems to be a line that the Chefs did not cross. When someone won, that always meant that someone else was going home. But the people about to go face the ax always pretended to be (or legitimately were) happy for the winner.

Marcel crossed that line. What an asshole.

I did like that Mike I. told Carla that it was okay for her to be happy. I can understand the concern being on the chopping block but I don't think she was rubbing it in the their faces. Of course, Marcel once threw someone under the bus during a team challenge when his team won (at least I recall). When you consider the attitude changes in chefs like Tiffani (a monster in season 1) or angry Dale to angry management Dale, Marcel seems to have the same personality clashes as before (ergo Spike, ergo Stephen, ergo Jen, ergo Eliana - who was such a pain in her season, and earned the ire of Eric Ripert this season, and that's after just one episode).

One has to adapt, Tiffani lost but she was classier this season. Jamie was treated a villain but I think she was more inept than anything. I didn't see much drive in her. She was like a deflating balloon.

[PurdueBrad]

Mike Isabella: Mike seems very unmemorable in terms of his cooking. He's got big personality and doesn't seem like a jerk, he's just out to have fun. But outside of having him make a steak, I really can't tell you what he would/should cook.

Blais: Whatever magic there was when he was originally on seems to have dried up. His personality seems a bit different as well in that he has had a pretty big ego development. Obviously this is effected by how they cut the show but he gives the judges some challenging looks. He has been really underwhelming when I thought he would be one of the early favorites.

Marcel: He's a cross between Wolverine and the idiot intern from the last season of Scrubs. I think he's a waste and am just waiting for him to go. He has big ideas sometimes but I don't think he has the technique to pull them off.

Fabio: He has become a complete blank in the kitchen. He is lacking assertiveness but talks tough during the interview portions. He just slips through by letting other people make mistakes. He's not quite as over the top about it as Jamie was but he'll go soon too.

Angelo: At this point, I think he could quietly creep into the top 3. I agree that he hasn't done much in terms of non-Asian cuisine but I think he has some of the better technical skills and can usually do a decent job of bridging them with a practical production. I keep waiting for some of his magic to return, but if it does, I think he makes the top 3.

Tiffany D: A wild card because of her hit or miss nature on almost any kind of dish. I don't think she'll get through beyond maybe the top 5 because I oftentimes don't find her dishes to be very creative/inspired. That being said, she does seem to do well from a technical standpoint, which oftentimes saves her.

Dale: Of the remaining chefs, he has impressed me the most with some of his improvement since he was a contestant. He has made dishes that I would have interest in, he's been creative, and he's stayed fairly sane. He is probably another one that I think can get into the top 3.

Tre: Tre reminds me a lot of Mike. He'll do well in one medium but struggles if he goes outside of it. What I do like here though is that Tre has stayed out of most of the drama, even the fun craziness that Mike may stir up. I don't know if he has the creativity to break through but I think he'll hang around.

Antonia: I'm not a fan of hers but am quickly becoming impressed by her ability to prepare solid food on a fairly regular basis. Her biggest problem might be her tendency to stretch herself too thin by volunteering to help. If I had to pick somebody right now to win, I would probably guess Antonia. I think she has done some really good things and been, perhaps, the most consistent.

Carla: My wife is a huge Carla fan but I'm still thrown by her occasional spaciness. In one week she pulls out terrific knowledge regarding the right way to prepare bluefish but then in another week she'll seem completely lost and confused by something simple like the vegetables for her spring roll. She may have some of the better food at times but when she makes a mis-step, it's usually big enough to put her on the block.

So I guess, right now, I would rank it:

1- Antonia
2- Dale
3- Angelo
4- Carla
5- Tiffany D
6- Blais
7- Tre
8- Mike
9- Marcel
10- Fabio

It's been a decent season but I get more and more annoyed with how often the 'Top Chefs' are doing non-chef duties (serving at the dim sum restaurant, working the front of the room, catching fish, etc.). I understand that those are skills you may want them to have in some capacity but ultimately, I want and expect a chef to make consistently good and creative foods and plate them in an interesting and dynamic manner. Let them focus on that first and then work in some of those other challenges in a less invasive way.

That's my 2 cents.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Qwikshot

Jamie was treated a villain but I think she was more inept than anything. I didn't see much drive in her. She was like a deflating balloon.

Yeah, I don't see her as a villian as much as someone who got lucky too many times and kinda took the brunt of the shit for others going home when people thought she should have. She definitely acted uninterested this season. I have a feeling she didn't really like or connect with anyone on the show and felt isolated.

[thesloppy]

I was amazed to see Dale actaully walk away from Marcel last night...old Dale certainly wouldn't do that. I especially loved how Marcel characterized losing a challenge, followed by his own drunken posturing, as Marcel's fine gamesmanship and Dale 'whining'.....no, Dale won, YOU are whining, Marcel.

[Ksyrup]

I think Dale's confrontation with that one dude on Top Chef Masters might have caused him to at least act a bit differently on the show. He looked REALLY bad on that ep.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I think Dale's confrontation with that one dude on Top Chef Masters might have caused him to at least act a bit differently on the show. He looked REALLY bad on that ep.

Totally. I think I jabbered earlier in this thread about how amazed I am that folks rarely adjust to seeing themselves on TV, and I thought Dale was the same dude he always was for the first few weeks, but he deserves some major props if he can just walk away from Marcel, and he's seems genuinely happier when given the chance to talk about himself/his life. Good on him.

[thesloppy]

Well, if I were ever on the fence, Richard Blais just cemented his douchebag status when I stumbled upon his SousVide infomercial, using the supposedly high-tech machine to cook brownies, to the delight of a handful of dazzled paid actors, errrr I mean consumers.

[Qwikshot]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Well, if I were ever on the fence, Richard Blais just cemented his douchebag status when I stumbled upon his SousVide infomercial, using the supposedly high-tech machine to cook brownies, to the delight of a handful of dazzled paid actors, errrr I mean consumers.

I dunno, hawking things is what chefs do...I saw the Cleveland Iron Chef hawking Cephalon (nobody, I mean, nobody should put pots and pans in the dishwasher), Emeril, Rachael Ray...cash is cash...

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Qwikshot

I dunno, hawking things is what chefs do...I saw the Cleveland Iron Chef hawking Cephalon (nobody, I mean, nobody should put pots and pans in the dishwasher), Emeril, Rachael Ray...cash is cash...

I dunno that those are the best examples of non-douchebags.

Also, I am contractually obligated to link to the Chicago Dog Salad at any mention of Rachel Ray:

Chicago Dog Salad Recipe : Rachael Ray : Food Network

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Also, I am contractually obligated to link to the Chicago Dog Salad

Douchebag.

[Qwikshot]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I dunno that those are the best examples of non-douchebags.

Also, I am contractually obligated to link to the Chicago Dog Salad at any mention of Rachel Ray:

Chicago Dog Salad Recipe : Rachael Ray : Food Network

Oh, yeah, I agree...those were guys off the top of my head. But I like Michael Symon (I saw him during Bourdain's trip to Cleveland) and then recognized him during I think the first trials of Next Iron Chef America.

I think all chefs for the most part are just that though...whether it's Bobby Flay, or Guy Fieri, there isn't anything more reputable than your own line of cookware and a tv show.

Granted, there are guys like Harold Dieterle who after that one holiday match after Top Chef Season 1 just disappeared back into making his restaurant. I mean very few of the Top Chef winners seem likable...(Harold seemed to be one of the more down to Earth winners, Season 2's Ilan was unlikable, Hung was a jerk and made no bones about it, but you could tell he /knew/ how to make good food, unfortunately he'd dismiss whatever your opinions would be unless you were an expert or someone he respected, Stephanie was likable, Hosea wasnt' (nor was Stefan, but Carla is quirky, I'd watch a cooking show of hers), the Voltaggio brothers didn't seem to likable either...

And this is just my two cents...I am pretty sure that as much I as like seeing Bourdain, I'm sure he's a giant D. But what I do like is that he seems to talk the talk.