Double the Elimination Fun

This season of Top Chef is proving to be an exciting one. After last week's lack of elimination, this week we were treated to a double. Josie and Marisa (above, with judge Tom Colicchio) were both cut after a pairs challenge making a six course meal for "Stifler's mom," actress Jennifer Coolidge.

This fast-moving episode began quite unappetizingly. The chefs were presented with undesirable ingredients - from pigs feet to cow cheeks - for their initial quickfire challenge. Shockingly, some of the dishes rose above their disarming ingredients and looked restaurant-ready. The guest judge chose Sam (one of New York's sexiest chefs he is quick to remind us) as the challenge winner, and he was granted immunity from the second challenge of the episode.

This was where the real fun began. Chefs were told to pair off to create six teams, one for each course of Jennifer Coolidge's dinner party. Some of the pairings were unexpected - Mia partnered with Betty after accusing her of cheating just last week - and some were plain weird - Marcel compared his teaming with Frank to a less-than-stellar prom date you just don't want to turn down. After pairing off, teams began planning their dishes, but with little inter-team communication, and as a result the meal seemed disjointed and failed to impress the judges.

As this challenge progressed, it started becoming clear who the front-runners would be for this season. Cliff, who has won two previous immunity challenges and seems to always be in the top three, was teamed with Sam, and though he was already saved from elimination, the two slaved over an intricate two-part dish that landed them in the top two. Rounding out the top four chefs were Mike and Ilan, whose seafood paella won the dinner challenge and brought Mike out of the apathetic slump that had been plaguing him for the last two challenges.

The most exciting part of this episode, for me, was seeing self-obsessed Marisa go home. Somehow her unimpressive dishes hadn't been enough to send her home until last night. I sympathized with Josie about wanting to stay until the end, but after her ego-boosting reaffirmations ("I am a great chef") I realized she and Marisa had partnered for a reason - overconfidence in their own abilities. After a double elimination we're back on schedule with only ten chefs remaining.

The Marcel and Betty Show

It's now coming into focus who the real stars of this season's Top Chef will be. This week's two challenges kept the episode moving at a brisk pace, drew out some fiery personality quirks we had yet to see this season and gave us all a well-appreciated new T.G.I.Friday's menu item.

First up for the contestants was a dessert challenge in which the chefs were assigned to whip up original ice cream flavors. While self-obsessed Marcel concocted an "avant garde" avocado-bacon ice cream, more traditional flavors like peach cobbler and marshmellow-graham cracker (Cliff's winning flavor) impressed the chefs' young customers. Sam, the good-looking hipster - "one of New York's ten sexiest chefs," he reminded us - took it upon himself to flirt with not only his ice cream customers but one of the judges, Gail Simmons. Until this week I had forgotten he was even on the show, so he must be doing something right.

The real fun of this episode wasn't one dorky chef flirting with a judge or even a vat of avocado-bacon ice cream, it was the Marcel vs. Betty (above) blowout. Until Wednesday's episode, Betty had seemed fun, outgoing and well-loved among the cast. However, after witnessing Marcel's childish breakdown in reaction to a faulty deep-frier, she'd had enough and set him straight about his egotistical boasting, immature whining and genuinely obnoxious personality. Though the other contestants seemed to appreciate Betty's blunt honesty, karma, it appears, will bite you in the ass. When it was her turn to quickly cook her Grilled Cheese with Fire Roasted Red Pepper Soup, she had similar equipment problems and was barely able to complete her dish.
Though she and Marcel coincidentally had similar technical problems, instead of bemoaning her poor luck, she forged ahead and ended up winning the challenge.

I have to say the elimination round was a little surprising to me. Michael, a line cook from California, who spent eight dollars of his $100 food budget on beer...for himself, seemed to be the obvious pick to go, as he seems to be blowing off the seriousness of the competition. Alas, it was Emily, boring, salt-loving Emily who was kicked off in this week's installment. I have a sneaking suspicion Michael won't be with us too much longer anyway. Previews for next week include ANOTHER round of cheating accusations and Michael's lackadaisical attitude permeating the kitchen. Sadly, I can't wait.

Top Chef: Project Runway In The Kitchen

It's back. Top Chef (above) - pretty much an exact copy of Project Runway, with contestants making intricate dishes instead of dresses - returned last week with its premiere episode, but I was mourning the demise of Project Runway and was unable to focus on my previous favorite. My, how a week changes things.

Last night I was glued to my TV for the stellar second episode of (what looks to be) a stellar second season for Top Chef. After catching bits and pieces of its debut, I wasn't overly impressed with the new bunch - I did grow attached to season one's contestants - but I had to give the new outing a try. This week's episode improved dramatically upon the first. Lying! Cheating! Getting drunk?

The fourteen remaining chefs were divided into two teams, Team Korea and Team Vietnam, and charged with making a corresponding two-dish menu for a large event. As Team Vietnam sat down conscientiously planning its dishes, Team Korea got drunk. Not too drunk, but drunk enough so that everyone talked loudly over everyone else and couldn't focus on the traitor in their midst...

That's right, only the second episode out and we've already got the drama usually reserved for the final ones. Otto, the elderly chef from The Las Vegas Culinary Institue, was accused of, and consequently sent home for, stealing a case of ingredients. (I'm not quite sure what lychees are.) Marisa, the obvious attention-monger of the group, brought it to everyone's attention during preparation for the challenge and again at the judging table - I'm thinking to distract from her heinously unappealing gelatin-coated dessert. Smart thinking, but we'll see how long she lasts. Judge Tom Colicchio said during the judges' conference he'd prefer to send her home if Otto owned up to stealing the lychees, but Otto saved him the trouble and bowed out.

Two episodes down, fourteen chefs to go. Who'll be on the chopping block next?

Project Finale

Well, he won. Jeffrey Sebelia (right) was declared the winner on last night's finale of Project Runway. What started out seeming like a seedy outsourcing scandal was eventually downgraded into a "compromise" (according to Laura) in which Jeff simply had to exclude a pair of leather shorts. Needless to say, that was a little disappointing, but not as disappointing as Michael Knight -- what happened to him all of a sudden? More on that later.

During last week's episode, suspicions of Jeffrey's work reached a boiling point and we were left wondering what the investigation would reveal. Turns out, not too much, except that Tim Gunn and the producers were "convinced" that Jeffrey's garments were all courtesy of his own (sometimes crazy) hands. Jeff was so overcome with emotion that he started blubbering -- and it may be just me, but it seemed like there was a lot of crying in this episode (Tim Gunn wept on multiple occasions, shockingly).

On to the runway shows. The beautiful thing about PR finales is that practically the whole hour is devoted to what normal episodes reserve for the last fifteen minutes -- the amazing fashions. Jeffrey was first to show at New York's Fashion Week and his collection was...not bad at all. I had a problem with Jeff's work during the rest of the season, it sometimes looked thrown together and a little too out there, but maybe all he needed was his own time and space to make the things he wanted to make. His red polka dot fabric looked young and also chic as it made the transition from a wrap dress to a bathing suit. His other bold color and pattern choices served him well and his line definitely showed the most innovation and range. I'm actually not as upset about him winning as I thought I might be. However...

Uli probably could have taken the title also. Her collection had multiple stylish pieces that judge Nina Garcia noted "every woman would want to wear." She ranged from well-made leather shorts to her standard print dress and yet it somehow seemed completely cohesive, a total "safari" as Uli had envisioned. Though she did show some growth through the course of the show and her final collection was very likable, she couldn't compete with Jeff's maniacal creativity.

Laura's collection was probably the most technically proficient, but that pretty much equals boredom right? I was glad to see her chartreuse gown from last week was gone, but too many of her matronly staples were left -- feathers, golds and high waists. Heidi noted that you could have one of Laura's pieces "in your closet forever," but that kind of statement rarely belies an exciting designer the judges or the fashion world would be waiting for.

Ah, Michael. Poor, poor Michael. I really was not ready for Michael's hoochie-rific, urban safari woman. He had far too many lace-up, metallic, cleavage-baring garments and though they were intended to be sexy and glamorous, they seemed unfocused and not up to par with the other designer's collections. During judging, Michael admitted that at 28 (the youngest competitor on the show) he is the most inexperienced of the bunch and the judges noted his point of view is not as developed, not to mention his ongoing "quest to find identity." He was so successful during the season because he was given strict parameters and made something to fit those objectives, but when he was given free reign to complete his own collection, his inspiration was lacking and consequently his final products were as well.

Overall, I loved this season. I appreciate the surprise of Jeffrey winning, and deservedly so. It's not like we'll never hear from the others, I'm sure they all have a future in the bustling fashion world. Either that or they can always pop up in later seasons of the Project...

Project Reunion

This week's episode of Project Runway was an old standby of the reality show genre: the reunion episode. All of the contestants got the chance to talk about how they really felt about each other, scandals during the season and embarassing previously unseen footage.

All of the designers were back for this surprisingly entertaining look back at season three so far. We were treated to PR favorite Tim Gunn's extensive vocabulary ("three dollar words" according to Robert) and some of the contestants hilariously overused phrases, including Vincent's creepy "that turns me on" exchanges. Vincent could have tried to redeem himself and prove he is not as unhinged as he seemed, but instead we were treated to an unaired tirade involving an expensive shirt he didn't want laundered -- Heidi noted of the meltdown, "We've never had to bleep so much." The only thing funnier than more revelations about Vincent's instability was the fainting epidemic afflicting the show's models. Amanda and Marilinda held up judgement proceedings (on multiple occasions) and needed to sit on the runway to regain their composure. (This is just a shot in the dark, but maybe they should try eating something before those taxing walks down the runway.)

On to the most controversial element of the reunion special (and probably all of season three): Keith Michael. After sauntering out and declaring that he thought his dismissal (for design how-to books) was unfair, Keith Michael leveled conspiracy accusations against producers of the show. He alleged that the books magically appeared back in his room and that he had nothing to do with it. Heidi and Tim immediately dismissed the unfounded (and quite unbelievable) allegations, much to Keith's dismay.

The final four (Uli, Jeffrey, Laura and Michael) received little airtime during this episode, but Michael was on hand long enough to be named the fan favorite and get an oversized check for $10,000. All in all, it was a fun episode and an informative look back at how the field was narrowed from 15 to four.

Favorite Quote: "That happens to you a lot. Why does that happen to you a lot?" ~Heidi, whispering to model Amanda who fainted multiple times during the runway shows

Next week's prelude to the Fashion Week finale and ultimate showdown looks unmissable, with Laura accusing Jeffrey of some scandalous behavior (for more check out the article at E! Online ).

Fashion Week Looms...

This week's new episode was a reminder of why we love Project Runway. The last minute overhauls, the contestants' over-inflated egos and surprising end products that come down the runway. Wednesday's episode was no different, courtesy of Uli, Jeffery and Michael, respectively.

Now that Fashion Week is a palpable goal for the last remaining contestants, Heidi and Co. gave them a shockingly simple challenge - design something that expresses your point of view. Though this sounds easy enough, all of the designers faced their own problems with the challenge. It seemed as though Uli would be the one to go when she once again started to make the SAME dress, but after shredding it and re-designing a shorter version, she came up with the winning look. Laura's dress looked pretty much exactly like her dress from last week crossed with every other dress she has done, although they are always well made as Heidi accurately noted. As for Jeffery and Michael, they provided this week's most unpredictable garments. Jeffrey is a romantic? Somehow I find that hard to believe. His dress from this week strayed too far from his signature style which was the whole aim of this challenge. Michael, on the other hand, demonstrated far too little innovation this week. As the youngest of the bunch, it is not surprising that he does not have as much of a handle on his own point of view yet - a problem which could seriously hurt his chances at Fashion Week, where he'll have to have 12 original creations. Speaking of New York Fashion Week, a sneak preview of the contestants' collections was recently posted on YouTube. (WARNING: Serious spoilers abound in these videos Project Runway Olympus Fashion Week SPOILER)

This week's episode was tense and filled with surprises, but also showcased how close the remaining designers are. The twist this week (that no one would be eliminated) was a welcome one, as we got to see that (1) these people actually like each other, (2) Tim Gunn actually likes them (was he getting teary-eyed?), and (3) the judges aren't sure who the most promising designer is (and I have to agree).

Favorite quotes of this episode: "I'm not trying that on...it'll make me look fat"~Jeffery, joking about modeling Uli's dress, shortly before he put it on and frolicked around the work room
"It looks like every other dress you've ever done" ~Laura, in response to Uli asking if her flowy print dress was alright (the pot calling the kettle black much?)

How good does next week's reunion episode look? Who is the "fan favorite"? Is Keith actually crazy? Find out next week...

Project Re-Runway

So in honor of Wednesday's rerun, and because I have no new source material, I have decided to explain how and why my Project Runway obsession began...

Earlier this year Bravo debuted an ingenious show that followed aspiring chefs as they made intricate meals for themed challenges. The pressing time constraints, beautifully detailed creations and colorful contestants contributed to an hour of weekly television that I became addicted to. (Sound familiar?)

Just like Project Runway, Top Chef had its obvious stars (Harold), its premadonnas (Tiffany) and its flamboyant gay men (Dave was excellent). Also following PR's lead, Top Chef had a harsh judging panel comprised of experts in the field, a hot chick and the occasional guest judge. Week after week the number of contestants dwindled as the challenges got more difficult and, finally, Harold was announced the winner (not surprisingly).

After Top Chef concluded, I found myself still watching its reruns and eventually discovered rerun episodes of a little thing called Project Runway. Though I had never heard of it before (by then Bravo was already re-airing episodes from season two), I was enthralled - it was just like Top Chef but with dresses instead of dishes.

So here we are. I am now proudly addicted to Project Runway and am dreading its coming demise (the last episode airs October 18). However, in its place is the new season of Top Chef. The Project Runway of food...what could be better?