By Jennifer Larson
In this installment of TOP CHEF, we got to see past and present
cheftestants squirm in their seats after being forced to relive some of their wilder, funnier and more juvenile on-camera moments.
Normally, I’m not the type that enjoys a reunion. If I get the urge to see old friends or family members, I’ll just pull out the old scrapbook from underneath my bed. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t love watching somebody else’s, especially a reunion of reality TV contestants. It’s entertaining to see how they feel about their experience after they’ve had the luxury of some perspective. Considering the fireworks that have exploded in the TOP CHEF kitchen over the past three seasons, it’s funny to see the chefs try to explain their behavior. Or, at least I thought it would be. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite deliver.
The show started off with a question and answer session, which — for my money — fell flatter than a crêpe suzette. I don’t find questions from viewers such as, “Did it take the judges very long to decide which chef was going to be kicked off that week?” to be riveting TV. I was, however, very happy to see my favorite TOP CHEF title holder, first season winner, Harold, back. And, can we talk about Lee Anne? She doesn’t even look like the same person. It was also nice to see Micah get grilled about her “Americans love their ketchup” comment. We also learned that because Lee Anne is now a TOP CHEF culinary producer, we can thank her for a lot of this season’s challenges.
The fan questions were peppered throughout the episode, as were funny clips that brought back nice memories. My favorite ones included anything that featured Steven from Season One. Sadly, Steven didn’t make it to the live show, but he was there in spirit, as everybody there who knew him remembered him fondly. And, where was Marcel? I have a great idea for a special episode: a cook-off between Steven and Marcel! Although, considering the fact that I’m sure they are the same person, I’m not sure how that would work.
The judges, put on the spot, had to explain how and why Sam — from Season Two — didn’t make the finals. This was the first time Chef Tom Colicchio had to do a little backtracking about one of his comments. Personally, I think Chef Tom is always right, but he did make it clear that the show only airs snippets of what are sometimes several hours of agonizing deliberations. We all know by now that liberties are always taken in the editing room for these reality shows, don't we? They would be as boring as — well, as this reunion show was — if they didn’t.
The only fireworks we saw tonight were old favorites from previously-seen episodes, which they titled “TOP CHEF’S Top Fights.” The best of these were the ones with Marcel and Élan, or maybe the ones with Marcel and Betty; no
wait, it was the fight with Marcel and Sam. Actually, it was the hair-cutting debacle with Marcel and Cliff. All joking aside, Cliff actually got kicked off the show for that playful display. Shockingly, we didn’t hear a peep from Dave until 40 minutes into the show. With all his frenetic energy, I don’t know how he sat there that long without uttering a word or shedding a tear. Anybody who watched Season One will know what I’m talking about.
In one of the strangest moments of the evening, we learn that the Bear Men of America — a community of gay men who love burly guys — feel the same way as I do about the amazing Chef Colicchio. I’m not quite sure why they felt it was pertinent to include that, but here, here Bear Men of America!
Ultimately, I would have preferred to see some cooking and a nail-biting elimination this week. There were no secrets revealed, no fights put out and no food to salivate over. Aren’t those the reasons we all tune in? Maybe the reunion episode where Hung shows up will be better. At least we can count on him to wield a knife.