Top Chef: Chicago Season 4 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I got hooked on Top Chef when I saw a marathon re-run of the entire first season in San Francisco. What a treat to watch the episodes back to back! It was a very strong opening season. The contestants were quite good and fun to watch because most of them were hard-working and likeable. There was entertaining quirky behavior (e.g. Stephen's ties) and irritating personalities were kept to a minimum. It was more about the food (especially in the later episodes) and not about weird TV.
NOTE for Casting Directors: When looking for contestants, only allow for a certain amount of attitude if it is backed up by SIGNIFICANT talent. Don't waste our time with excessively negative behavior - it is truly pointless and not worthwhile entertainment. This was the problem with seasons 2 & 4.
The challenges of Season 3 were the absolute best! Cooking at Le Cirque and the French Culinary Institute was a pleasure to watch. Daniel Boulud and Eric Ripert were notable guest judges and the biting wit of Anthony Bourdain in several appearances added the right amount of spice. The finale in Colorado was brilliant. Season 3 set the bar really high and the show is struggling mightily to live up to those standards and failing miserably with Season 4. Viewers were spoiled because of the top quality of Season 3.
In Season 4, all of the judges and producers CONTINUALLY tell us that these are the best contestants that we have ever seen. They only say that ALL THE TIME so that we might actually believe it. Don't. It's a sad ploy. Negative, whiny, pathetic behavior is a prevalent theme in each episode. What's the strategy? Despised contestants are kept on the show so that the audience will keep watching from week to week until the hated contestant gets booted off. There are only 4 really good chefs (Richard, Stephanie, Antonia and Dale) on this season who are of the same caliber as those on season 1 and 3.
As for the judges: Tom Colicchio is an all-around congenial host. Padma Lakshmi sparkles in her role as a sort of Vanna White with a voice. Ted Allen combines wit with kindness. Gail Simmons of Food & Wine rounds out the table. They have a benevolent background presence until the final moment. This works.
I like the suspense of the show and have high hopes for season 5 (another odd number). Probably will skip season 6 if this is an actual pattern!
PLEASE make it more about the food and showcase people with admirable qualities. Believe me, people will watch good behavior! We care more about creative and technical talent, clean competition (it can be tough but highlight more positive camaraderie), and particularly, challenges at exclusive venues.
Make us watch because of a suspenseful close competition of matched talent, not just because we want to see someone get the axe. You'll have an even more amazing following.
3 stars on average:
Season 1: 4 stars
Season 2: 1 star
Season 3: 5 stars
Season 4: 2 stars (would have been 1 star if it were not for Richard's talent, Stephanie's positive attitude and Antonia's hard work)

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