Top Chef Duels Thoughts and Observations (The Meta Thread)

[Kromm]

Since it's discussed on Bravo's website, I think we can call this one a done deal.  In short, it's pretty much an All-Stars show, but with some kind of head-to-head format.

More details:http://bravowatch.com/top-chef-extreme-new-culinary-competition-show-coming-to-bravo/

So...

1.) Viewer/fan nominations to be on the show.
2.) One on one Iron-Chefesque format, featuring the Top Chef alums
3.) Includes alums of BOTH the Mothership show as well as Top Chef Masters.
4.) Some kind of tournament style, with a winner of each head to head, and an season ending championship round
5.) No airing date yet more specific than "Summer 2014".

[Kromm]

So apparently the name got changed from Top Chef Extreme to Top Chef Duels, eh?

Also, it looks like we are saddled with Curtis Stone as a host/judge, as well as yet another edition with Gail Simmons (the GOOD news is that the last two judges are Wolfgang Puck and Hugh Acheson--which almost makes up for those first two).

[Bella]

I noticed the name change a couple of days ago.

Curtis Stone is one of those people who seems to be more TV personality (I hate myself for writing those two words) than chef. I don't quite get the appeal. I really don't mind Gail that much, but again, there's this whole category of food and fashion people who wouldn't seem to have time for their ostensible day jobs because they're in front of the camera so much. Maybe it leads to good promotions for talented underlings, or at least an attractive addition to the resume.

[Rhondinella]

See, I'm weird, I guess, cause I like Stone (I think I'm just a sucker for the accent) and have never really been able to stand Gail.  Can't put my finger on what bugs me about her, but it's something.

I'll change the title of this thread to reflect the new name and also make it into a "General Discussion" thread.  When it starts airing we'll lock this thread and make individual episode threads.  Until then, talk about the show here (but all spoilers go in tags or in the spoilers thread, K?)

[ajay]

We have a premiere date and a line up! August 8 per Hollywood Reporter

 

Episode 101: Richard Blais (Top Chef Chicago runner- up and Top Chef All-Stars winner) vs. Marcel Vigneron (Top Chef Season 2 runner up)
Episode 102:  Shirley Chung (Top Chef New Orleans finalist) vs. Brooke Williamson (Top Chef Seattle runner up)
Episode 103: Mike Isabella (Top Chef All-Stars runner up) vs. Antonia Lofaso (Top Chef Chicago finalist)
Episode 104:  CJ Jacobson (Top Chef Miami contestant) vs. Stefan Richter (Top Chef Season 5 runner up)
Episode 105: David Burke (Top Chef Masters Season 5) vs. Takashi Yagihashi (Top Chef Masters Season 4)
Episode 106: Tiffani Faison (Top Chef Season 1 runner up) vs. Dale Talde (Top Chef Chicago and Top Chef All-Star contestant)
Episode 107: Nyesha Arrington (Top Chef Texas contestant) vs. Jen Carroll (Top Chef Las Vegas finalist)
Episode 108: Stephanie Izard (Top Chef Chicago winner) vs. Kristen Kish (Top Chef Seattle winner)
Episode 109: Kevin Gillespie (Top Chef Las Vegas fan favorite) vs. Art Smith (Top Chef Masters Season 1)
Episode 110: Championship Finale

 

I want Richard and Mike Isabella to go away, but I'm excited about Shirley vs. Brooke. And poor, poor Antonia gets stuck with Mike again. I'm also interested in Stephanie vs. Kristin. It looks like mostly a good line up.

Edited June 4, 2014 by ajay

[Julia]

Episode 105: David Burke (Top Chef Masters Season 5) vs. Takashi Yagihashi (Top Chef Masters Season 4)

 

 

Oh, the adorable is strong in this one.

 

Depending on whether Season 1 Tiffani or All Star Tiffani shows up, Tiffani vs. Dale could be quite a battle.

[AriAu]

Episode 108: Stephanie Izard (Top Chef Chicago winner) vs. Kristen Kish (Top Chef Seattle winner)

 

This looks to be the cooking highlight. Great chefs, great creative food, great cheftestants, no drama. Same goes for Shirley vs Brooke

 

 

.Episode 101: Richard Blais (Top Chef Chicago runner- up and Top Chef All-Stars winner) vs. Marcel Vigneron (Top Chef Season 2 runner up)

Episode 104:  CJ Jacobson (Top Chef Miami contestant) vs. Stefan Richter (Top Chef Season 5 runner up)

 

These will have lots of drama and in the first case liquid nitro and foam

Episode 109: Kevin Gillespie (Top Chef Las Vegas fan favorite) vs. Art Smith (Top Chef Masters Season 1)

 

Is this Kevin's first time back for anything?

Edited June 4, 2014 by AriAu

[FormerMod-a1]

Oh wow - I think I'm going to love this.  Even the people I'm not thrilled with, I like their match-ups.  

[Charmqn]

Damn, Stephanie vs Kristen in the first round. Should have saved that for later.

 

And, yay Kevin G is returning.

[FormerMod-a1]

Just thought of 2 more I would have loved to have seen that are not on that list.  Angelo Sosa and Hung Huynh (sp?).  But still, I know I will enjoy this!  

 

Hope it does well.  I wonder how the finale will be structured

[galax-arena]

It looks like they tried to pair up somewhat evenly matched cheftestants, but I don't know, I think I would have rather have had higher seeded chefs go up against lower seeded chefs, the way it works for a lot of sports tournaments. Doesn't seem right that someone like Stephanie or Kristen will get knocked out in the first round. Save that for the next one! I'm sad because I like them both lol. 

 

But I guess it wouldn't have been interesting to see a total blow-out/mismatch. 

Edited June 5, 2014 by galax-arena

[Kromm]

But I guess it wouldn't have been interesting to see a total blow-out/mismatch. 

In theory a normal contestant (and not even a winning one) against a Master might be a blowout... except... it's only Art Smith!

[AriAu]

Two other random observations

The best duel is missing-Voltaggio vs Voltaggio.I know we got it in the Season 6 finale, but it would still be fun to see again.

AND the best thing is NO SPIKE!! No stupid hat, no stupid game playing, no mediocre cooking, no bullshit.

[mlp]

 

Is this Kevin's first time back for anything?

 

Kevin was on at least one other show that I know of - Ilan Hall's Knife Fight on Esquire.  His opponent was someone I wasn't familiar with, Eric Park, and I can't remember for sure who won right now but I think Kevin did.

[fliptopbox]

I'm just glad Ilan isn't involved in this. Something about him seriously bugs me, to the point where I can't even watch Knife Fight....and it's not even him cooking.

[Julia]

+1

Ilan struck me as a one-man answer to that not-so-fresh feeling in his season, and nothing I've seen since has changed my mind (like, really, son, your signature dish is bacon-wrapped matzoh balls? Way to go. I remember how edgy I thought the whole piling treyf on kosher food thing was when some more creative attention-seeking hipster douche in Brooklyn thought of it a decade before you did).

That said, aquarian1, I would actually order Hung v Ilan on pay per view if I had to.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Ilan struck me as a one-man answer to that not-so-fresh feeling in his season

A bad winner in a bad season.  Agree that it wasn't just that his food seemed kind of less-than, but he has a smarmy personality that rubbed me the wrong way.

 

I would actually order Hung v Ilan on pay per view if I had to.

 

Ha!  Plus a milllion. I loved Hung, I really did.  I'd even be interested in a basic cooking skills showdown - like breaking down a chicken.

[LuckyBitch]

We have a premiere date and a line up! August 8 per Hollywood Reporter

 

ajay, thanks for the info. I don't want to be nitpicky on a typo, but I just want to let everyone know that the Hollywood Reporter actually says the premiere date is Wednesday, August 6th:

 

Hosted by celebrity chef Curtis Stone, the 10-episode Top Chef Duels will hit TV screens on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Edited June 9, 2014 by LuckyBitch

[Rhondinella]

Yes.  Assuming it is airing on the first Wednesday of August, that would be the 6th, not the 8th.

[cooksdelight]

Is this Kevin's first time back for anything?

Top Chef related, yes. He was asked to be on All Stars but declined because he told me he was in the middle of trying to get his new restaurant opened. And I think there were some personal issues as well. But so glad to see him back.

[heckkitty]

This looks all kinds of amazing.  My predictions:

 

Episode 101: Richard Blais (Top Chef Chicago runner-up and Top Chef All-Stars winner) vs. Marcel Vigneron (Top Chef Season 2 runner-up) - Blais, no contest.

Episode 102:  Shirley Chung (Top Chef New Orleans finalist) vs. Brooke Williamson (Top Chef Seattle runner-up) - really tough contest.  I could see either of them taking it, but I'm leaning toward Brooke.

Episode 103: Mike Isabella (Top Chef All-Stars runner-up) vs. Antonia Lofaso (Top Chef Chicago finalist) - I think Isabella's very hard to beat; judges seem to love him. I think Antonia is one who could actually do it though.

Episode 104:  CJ Jacobson (Top Chef Miami contestant) vs. Stefan Richter (Top Chef Season 5 runner-up) - Stefan

Episode 105: David Burke (Top Chef Masters Season 5) vs. Takashi Yagihashi (Top Chef Masters Season 4) - Ooh, battle of the Masters.  I'm gonna go with Yagihashi.

Episode 106: Tiffani Faison (Top Chef Season 1 runner-up) vs. Dale Talde (Top Chef Chicago and Top Chef All-Star contestant) - Hard to not pick Tiffani. I'm not a big fan, but she seems to always do well.

Episode 107: Nyesha Arrington (Top Chef Texas contestant) vs. Jen Carroll (Top Chef Las Vegas finalist) - Jen

Episode 108: Stephanie Izard (Top Chef Chicago winner) vs. Kristen Kish (Top Chef Seattle winner) - Oh, man.  Umm... Stephanie (why, Top Chef, why??).
Episode 109: Kevin Gillespie (Top Chef Las Vegas fan favorite) vs. Art Smith (Top Chef Masters Season 1) - bleah. Couldn't Stephanie get one of these and Kristen get the other?  No idea.

[AriAu]

heckkitty, it will be interesting to see if the judges take the need for future drama into account. I know, I know that they always say they don't consider it,but given the head to head nature, maybe it will be in the back of their minds just a little. There is way more drama with Tiffani than Dale, but based on restaurant success, Dale should mop the floor with her. Isabella brings lots of drama too so we will see if it factors in at all. On the original format of TC Masters the judges did not seem to help out the people with bigger resumes (Besh in particular laid an egg), but may be something to keep an eye on here.

[Julia]

I wonder if Isabella the restaurant owner won't be quite as obnoxious as Isabella the nobody who was chasing venture capital.

[Lablover27]

I can not wait for this show!  So excited for it.  I just saw the clip on Bravo and had to come here to see if there was a thread!  YES! 

 

And heckkitty, thank you!  I think I may print out your post!!  Great to see Nyesha back!  Nyesha got robbed!  Looking forward to see Kristen too.  I caught the red locks and said "Tiffani!"  

 

This shall be a pleasure to watch.

Edited June 26, 2014 by Lablover27

[Kromm]

 

Episode 107: Nyesha Arrington (Top Chef Texas contestant) vs. Jen Carroll (Top Chef Las Vegas finalist) - Jen

It probably depends on which version of Jen we get--the Trainwreck or the legit Chef.  

 

I'm gonna say despite Nyesha not going nearly as far as Jen previously, that Jen, even if she's pulled back from being a total wreck, STILL probably won't react to pressure as well. I mean despite her continuing to somehow hang around the Top Chef brand (remember she was part of the lame Life After Top Chef thing) I think her restaurant STILL isn't anywhere near opening.  Years later.  

 

That said, I don't think Nyehsa has a real Chef gig anymore either. I know (via another reality show) she briefly had a job at The Wilshire, in LA, but doesn't seem to anymore. That said, her own resume claims she had it as recently as last year.  

Edited June 26, 2014 by Kromm

[anonymiss]

This is a brilliant way to get viewers like myself to care about the franchise again. I've been pretty disengaged post-All-Stars and TC Masters' pool is dried up. 

 

I actually like Spike but there's so many favourites returning I'm not going to particularly miss him. I do wish Hung had time to show off his excellence again, though.

[cooksdelight]

Nyesha left The Wilshire last summer. She's mostly doing celebrity chef gigs now, special appearances, charity things, etc. Jen left TC All Stars on such bad terms I am surprised they asked her back. I think Nyesha can take her. :)

[Kromm]

Nyesha left The Wilshire last summer. She's mostly doing celebrity chef gigs now, special appearances, charity things, etc. Jen left TC All Stars on such bad terms I am surprised they asked her back. I think Nyesha can take her. :)

They'd ALREADY given her a prime gig on Life After Top Chef.  The attention from that show is probably the only thing that kept her head above water when the bottom fell out of her restaurant plans AGAIN.

 

So basically both Nyesha and Jen are in the same boat of making a semi-living as non-restaurant working low-rent "celebrity chefs", appearing at a local regional food or wine festivals, mall appearances, and other lovely venues.

[cooksdelight]

I forgot about Life After Top Chef. That show was forgettable, at least to me it was.

[Bella]

That was a horrible show.

 

I kept wanting to like Jen, and she kept losing me. So I guess I want Nyesha to win, but then we'll have to witness more of Jen's bad attitude.

 

It's too bad she can't just drop it and cook. If she thinks the critiques are unfair, she can stop putting herself in front of the judges for whom she has such great disdain.

[cooksdelight]

There's a part of me that thinks Jen would rather be a TV "star" chef than a restaurant owner. She's had the opportunities to open one, but I think she's either lazy or doesn't have the drive and direction to follow orders from her investors. It's their money, after all.

[AriAu]

She's had the opportunities to open one, but I think she's either lazy or doesn't have the drive and direction to follow orders from her investors. It's their money, after all.

 

I think she has had a lot of bad luck in an industry where even a lot of good luck is often not enough to succeed. I think she would like to open a restaurant but only on her terms. At this point, she has had such mixed PR from this and from the industry that she may need to go cook somewhere and generate some positive buzz....or just win this and then wait for the investors to flock to her! (where is the sarcasm font)

[cooksdelight]

If I remember correctly, Jen's investors wanted her in one location, she didn't want to be there. Again, if they are the ones fronting the money, you do what they say. The industry is especially hard for a woman to open a restaurant on her own, let alone with investor money. I've seen people win Top Chef only to go belly up after trying to parlay the winnings into a restaurant. You really need to partner with a good business manager who can guide you and point out the pitfalls that lie ahead. Even if she does well in this competition, I don't see her winning the whole shebang. Is that how this works? They battle off in twos, then the next round begins?

Speaking of which, I wanted to try Stefan's restaurant in Santa Monica last month with a friend of mine, but it was closed. 

[Rhondinella]

We have a premiere date and a line up! August 8 per Hollywood Reporter

 

 

I guess something has changed because the Bravo website has the premiere date listed as August 6, a Wednesday, which has been the normal night for the TC franchise.

[Nutjob]

Stefan vs. CJ just has blowout written all over it, but then I'm not a fan of CJ, so...

 

Also, the Kristen/Stephanie match is impossible. I really like them both, so I'll just root for both and be happy/bummed no matter what.

 

Kevin! Yay!

[LuckyBitch]

I guess something has changed because the Bravo website has the premiere date listed as August 6, a Wednesday, which has been the normal night for the TC franchise.

 

Lol, no, August 6th was always the date. The original post about the premiere date had a typo. Scroll up to my post on June 8th where I quoted the article that was linked by the original poster.

[The Solution]

Wow, I'm really hoping that Marcel beats the snot out of RIchard Blais. I've always liked Marcel.

 

Also hoping that Nyesha beats Jen. Talk about a battle between someone you're glad to see again versus three-day-old fish.

[cooksdelight]

I agree, I hope Marcel beats Richard also. Richard has gotten to the point he believes his own hype.

[Rhondinella]

Marcel is a sniveling little weasel who needs to never, ever be on my TV again.  The only person worse on this franchise was Ilan Hall, for bullying Marcel.

 

That's my opinion and I"m sticking to it.

[Tunia]

The whiney Art Smith again?  Would much prefer Hung.  Maybe he wasn't available?

[AriAu]

Marcel is a sniveling little weasel who needs to never, ever be on my TV again.  The only person worse on this franchise was Ilan Hall, for bullying Marcel.

 

Agreed, but where does Spike, a more charming little weasel, fit in?

[Julia]

I think Spike is his own worst enemy (which is impressive, considering the competition), because he's so determined to come across as a brodude. I don't have a good idea what he's capable of, but I know he makes himself hard to take seriously.

[Bella]

Spike's restaurants are good, and maybe with success (and possibly age), he'll drop the attitude. He doesn't need it.

[Rhondinella]

Spike never bothered me.  I kinda liked him.  

[The Solution]

Spike was my favorite. No matter what, he was always having a good time and he seemed to be in on the joke.

[Julia]

I warmed to him when he was on Next Iron Chef. He was a little cockier than my preference on Top Chef (although that's definitely JMO, considering what a growth industry cocky young chefs is...)

[Julia]

I didn't realize the whole franchise was on Hulu now. I've been bingewatching Masters.

 

After watching Dale Talde's hydrant-seeking behavior with Michael Chiarello, I'm

 

a) amazed that someone managed to look more testosterone posioned than Michael Chiarello, and

 

b) in a position I never, ever pictured myself in - I have my fingers crossed for Tiffani Faison to kick someone's ass.

[Bella]

Apparently Dale's restaurant in Brooklyn serves absolutely fantastic food, but rumor has it that he has trouble keeping staff. Ya think?!?!

 

I'll be cheering on Tiffani, too.

[cooksdelight]

Apparently Dale's restaurant in Brooklyn serves absolutely fantastic food, but rumor has it that he has trouble keeping staff. Ya think?!?!

He is constantly advertising on Facebook for open positions. At least once a month, more than one job opening. Very high turnover from what I've seen. I'm going to start paying more attention to the ones who keep advertising for jobs, as it pertains to who is competing on this show and others.

[locomoco]

I'm confused about the scheduling... there's a series of 1-on-1s, but there doesn't seem to be any playoffs between the 9 winners scheduled... it just goes to the finale. Having 9 chefs left seems like a lot of chefs the whittle down to a championship match in one episode.