Thank god that (1) there aren’t that many episodes of Hell’s Kitchen left and (2) this June redemption returns in the form of TOP CHEF MASTERS. Top Chef, but with people we already know can cook. I’m looking forward to it despite the fact that judge Kelly Choi’s head is freakishly out of proportion to her body. Seriously, look at the size of that thing. It’s like an orange on a toothpick, it is.
People I want to succeed: Hubert Keller. Art Smith. People I want to FAIL: Michael Chiarello. Possibly also Wylie Dufresne; i still waver on whether or not he’s a douchebag. Peruse the bios, and form your own snap judgments!
I notice Colicchio will not be partcipating. Interesting. Guess he’s too busy shilling for Diet Coke.
Thursday Night Smackdown 
I fall squarely into the Dufrensne = douchbag category. I mean culinary wise, he is probably a lovely man who trains seeing eye dogs in his spare time.
I wonder if Chiarello will bring along a group of fake friends to cheer him on… Damn, I hope he wins- fake friends and all. He’s a goober but I just can’t quit him.
I call him Douchie Dufresne or “Do-frez-nee” as FABIO!!! once called him.
I miss FABIO!!!
Chiarello needs to lose solely on the basis that, even though he is ‘Italian,’ he does not pronounce ‘bruschetta’ correctly, and I am fucking SICK of him saying ‘gray salt’ all the time. And that Dufresne guy needs a haircut, I dislike him for that and that alone, for I, too, make snap judgments. (Also, he IS a douche.)
Do not count The Bayless out.
I hadn’t heard about this — looking forward to it!
Say what you want about Chiarello, the recipes I’ve tried of his have been great. But I’d love to see Dufresne get defeated!
Yes, Kelly Choi does indeed have LHS (Lollipop Head Syndrome) Can’t decide who has the creepier “friends” Chiarello or Ina Garten. Wouldn’t mind seeing Chiarello win as his recipes are really good even if I will never use grey salt or any of the other highfalutin stuff he uses.
I had no idea! I totally want Wylie to fail because he looks greasy. And he’s a jerk.
robbing, see, now i’d really want to try his food, but assume he is a douchebag in real life. we’ll have to see how this plays out.
emily, seriously? even with his line of overpriced napa bullshit and his fucking gray salt? you’ve gotta get over this one.
emily, are you the same emily as above? doesn’t matter: i also miss FABIO!!
peggasus, THANK YOU. i was going to put bayless on my good list, but i’m withholding judgment because (1) i don’t know if he can break out of the mexican thing and (2) once you start mass-marketing food products, you get an automatic -1.
tracy, i base my opinion of chiarello not on his recipes, but on the smugness that i want to punch off his face.
maryann, wait a minute, let us not besmirch the contessa. gay hamptonites are not creepy. whereas i’m sure the “family” chiarello always has over are paid extras.
sara, that’s not grease, it’s a specialty hair foam emulsion.
Dufresne is a counter-culture-wannabe snob.
I’m rooting for Bayless and Besh. I’ve met and interviewed Besh, but other than that bit of bias, I think his NOLA background will prepare him for anything.
I too vote for Bayless. When he is on TV he simultaneously soothes me with his voice while making me run to the store so I can cook his recipes. But, Art Smith and his goat cheese biscuits are downright homey. And, I must also defend Ina’s friends. I speak from experience – chubby ladies and gay men go together like peanut butter and jelly!
peter, i would put cash money on besh. i always thought he should have won “the next iron chef.”
andrea, i like him, and everthing i’m made from his books as been great but he’s almost TOO soothing. like, is he real? who can be that soothing all the time?
Omg, as soon as I saw Tim Love, I wanted to puke. He’s a burger flipper with a rich daddy (I think, I don’t know this for certain). THAT’S IT, yet he seems to get his mug on ever freakin network. He is, by no means the same caliber of chef as any of the other contestants and it is insulting that he would even be there.
Michael Chiraello needs to go away. Ate at his place in St Helena a few years back. Said it was bad on a newspaper blog and HE responded in defense stating he was no longer at Tra Vigne, even though his books along with a gigantic sign of him with his books was draping all over the entrance. I used to dig his shows and Tra Vigne just completely turned me off.
I love WD, but I think Keller is going to kick everyones ass because he’s not really a human. He is a super god from the planet Culinaria. I heard Bayless totally has a rocking body, wonder if he’ll pull a Gordon Ramsey.
Btw, I think any chef with the last name Keller is a super god. It all leads back to TK.
Omg, I didn’t even see the second page. I love Jon Besh. Not only is he an amazingly nice man but he is an awesome chef. August is too die for. He may just take it from the Keller Krew.
I can’t WAIT for this show. FINALLY! When does it start? And for the record, I fucking HATE Chiarello, I HEART John Besh (hope he wins this since he didn’t win Iron Chef America) and seriously though, how much plastic surgery has Rick Bayless had? He looks like an animatron…