By Iron Chef Leftovers
Disclaimer – I wrote this after the first episode of “Top Chef: All-Stars” aired and have not revised any predictions.
I normally hate “All-Star” type shows – it is normally the, “hey, we have run out of good ideas, so let’s bring back some old contestants and put them through their paces again.” In the case of Top Chef, it isn’t a bad thing. For most reality shows, winning is more luck than skill. In Top Chef, it is almost entirely skill, so to have them bring back a group of contestants who generally finished in the top 5 or so of their respective seasons isn’t a bad thing. The real question is, how many of them have their hearts in it this time around? There is some serious cash on the line, so there is huge incentive. Besides, even if you hate the show, how could you not want to tune in every week to hear guest judge Anthony Bourdain be snarky? Makes me want to get a hold of all of the footage they have just to see what comments from Bourdain did not make it.
Spoilers and Predictions after the jump.
I had to watch the first episode before making my predictions just to see who had their heart in it. There is a ton of talent in this season (even with a few great non-winner not showing up), so it is going to be a tough one to pick a final 4, but here we go:
Tiffani Faison – She nearly won season 1 and might be the best chef in this competition. She feels she should have won and has something to prove. She is my pick to win the entire thing.
Tre Wilcox – He may have been the best chef in Season 3 and was done in by Restaurant Wars. Another chef with something to prove and here is his chance.
Richard Blais – I love Blais. He was the best chef in Season 4 and just came undone in the finals. If Tiffani is not the best chef this season, Blais certainly is. I love his creativity and he really knows how to play with his food.
Marcel Vigneron – It came down to Marcel and Illan in the Season 2 finale. Tom said something to the effect that the decision came down to who was the best chef now (during the finale) or who was the best chef in the competition (based on the whole body of work). Marcel just lost. He is a complete ass and his ego is as big as his hair, but he can freaking cook and knows his shit. Fortunately this isn’t a peer voting competition otherwise he would be the first one off the show.
I would have loved to see Kevin, Eli, Stephan, and Mike Voltaggio in this competition only because I think they are the best chefs from past season not taking part.
Some thoughts from Episode 1:
• I loved that the elimination challenge was the reinventing of the dish that got them kicked off in the first place. I loved Bourdain’s comments about Dale’s Butterscotch Scallops (he liked them), especially since Bourdain once described the eating the dish as the worst thing he had ever tasted and it was like “filching Mrs. Butterworth.”
• I really thought that Fabio was going to jump over the judges table and get into a fist fight with Bourdain. Bourdain’s comments were pretty harsh, but Fabio overreacted.
• It was pretty obvious which contestants are going to be quick to go. I never understood why Stephen Aspirino was back on (probably his personality), considering he is no longer in the kitchen and wasn’t a great chef to begin with. It amazed me he didn’t get eliminated – Elia’s dish must have really sucked.
Let the fun begin, It should be a very interesting season.
FlatbreadGarden 
Yeah, you can tell Blais wants it. Before the season started I thought Jen could also be at the end if she did not get in her own head like she did in Vegas.
Mike is nicer (still a dick but nicer)
Angelo needs to keep his hands out of other peoples food and is more cocky than in last season
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We have multiple instances of the Angelo-Blais-Marcel and they scare me – their food is too complicated. Blais should win this entire thing at this point.
Jen really went off on the judges, I don’t think she deals well with no sleep. I was really pulling for her, but she didn’t seem to be totally dedicated to the cause in the first episode.
How the heck does Jamie avoid getting canned week after week? Her food has been awful and she doesn’t seem like she wanted to be there.
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You may find this interesting. It’s from a TV Guide interview with the producers of the show — discussing who was picked for the show and why:
“Throughout all of our seasons, there was no more dramatic a story than the one that centered around Marcel,” Lipsitz says. No kidding. When his fellow contestants tried to forcibly shave the friendless Marcel’s head, someone got booted from the show. “We had the most perplexing situation with him — all the contestants somehow reacted negatively toward him, but the producers? We couldn’t find anything that he was doing that was aggravating! We just didn’t get it.” Really? Did they miss all that posturing? The rapping? Was it an act they found harmless? Is Marcel just misunderstood? “Honestly? He’s, like, a lovely person,” Lipsitz says. Says Cutforth: “He’s exceptionally competitive, and incredibly accomplished for someone his age, that probably annoyed the others.”
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For clarity:
All of the text within quotations in the previous comment is not mine — I copied and pasted from the interview.
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