Channel Surfing: HBO Renews Boardwalk Empire, Law & Order: Criminal Intent to Return, Lone Star DOA, Fringe, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Break open the moonshine! HBO has renewed period drama Boardwalk Empire for a second season, after airing just one episode of the Terence Winter/Martin Scorsese crime drama, which averaged 4.8 million viewers in its premiere broadcast. “All the ingredients aligned for this one, from Mark Wahlberg and Steve Levinson’s initial pitch, to Martin Scorsese’s enormous contributions as director and executive producer, to the genius of Terry Winter and the expertise of Tim Van Patten, to a stellar cast led by Steve Buscemi,” said Michael Lombardo, President of HBO Programming, in a statement. “The response from the media and our viewers has been nothing short of amazing.” (via press release)

In other renewal news, USA has finally closed a deal to renew Law & Order: Criminal Intent for a tenth and final season of eight episodes, with original series lead Vincent D'Onofrio set to reprise his role as Detective Robert Goren, while producers are said to be in talks with Kathryn Erbe and other former stars to return. “We have been the fortunate caretakers of this legendary series, and we plan to give it the world-class farewell it so richly deserves,” said Jeff Wachtel, USA's president of original programming and UCP's co-head of original content. The cabler has also given executive producer Dick Wolf a pilot commitment for a new project at USA. New episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent are set to launch next year. (Deadline)

After the deadly ratings encountered by FOX's new fall drama Lone Star, the 20th Century Fox Television-produced drama is already said to be on death watch, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Andrew Wallenstein. "No one in TV should be happy about this," Wallenstein quotes one agent with a client on Lone Star as saying. "This is going to have a chilling effect on networks taking chances on anything but cookie-cutter shows." xxx "Though Fox declined comment, it's possible the network is delaying the announcement of a decision, perhaps waiting for the cover that will be provided today by its announcement of the American Idol judges," wrote Wallenstein. "That Star will be canceled is being treated in industry circles as fait accompli, a matter of when, not if. Tellingly, while most underwhelming TV debuts are often followed by entreaties from counter-spinning execs magnifying glimmers of hope in the ratings data -- "did you see that uptick in the last quarter-hour among women 25-34?" -- the back-channel phone calls from network and studio execs never came." (Hollywood Reporter)

More Bubbles! Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Andre Royo (The Wire) will reprise his role on FOX's Fringe after his first appearance in tomorrow night's season premiere, where he plays a cab driver that Anna Torv's Olivia Dunham encounters "over there." [Editor: Having seen the episode in question, I can say that it was a no-brainer than Royo would be back at some point.] (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

It's official: Bravo has finally confirmed what has been floating about the internet for quite some time now. The next season of Top Chef will be an all-stars edition, with 18 runners-up from previous seasons returning to compete for another shot at the title. While the full cast has been available at various web sites for the last few weeks, Bravo will officially unveil the cast on tonight's Top Chef reunion special. [Editor: Also, Anthony Bourdain will return as a regular judge this time around, alternating with Gail Simmons.] (TVGuide.com)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jorge Garcia (Lost) will guest star in an upcoming episode of ABC midseason comedy Mr. Sunshine, starring Matthew Perry. Garcia will play "a staffer at the second-rate San Diego sports arena that Perry’s character manages" and will appear in the retooled pilot episode. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Elsewhere, Entertainment Weekly's Mandi Bierly reported that Lyle Lovett will be guest staring on an upcoming episode of ABC's Castle this season, where he will play Agent Darryl Shafer, described as "a shadowy government figure who detains and interrogates Castle (Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic) as they investigate the death of a prominent astrophysicist whose body was found in her car—a victim of explosive decompression." Lovett's appearance is slated for the ninth episode of the current season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

The Hollywood Reporter's Allison Hope Weiner has an interview with No Ordinary Family star Michael Chiklis about his role on the ABC superhero family drama. "The big question for me was tone, and how do I pull this off in terms of tone," said Chiklis when asked about any concerns about being on network television rather than cable. "As you know, network television, television in general, has become very niche-oriented. It's very targeted toward a certain audience. Now we're embarking on a show that is all too rare on television: It's one of those kinds of shows that tries to appeal to a broad audience and, in order to do that, the things that are successful don't take themselves too seriously. This is pure entertainment and it's witty and fun, yet soulful and heartfelt. But you also have those great adrenal moments. The threat there is if you go too far in any direction, you go over the top comedically or be too melodramatic and you can fail. Yet if you aren't bold in any direction, you can become vanilla. Tonally, we felt it had to be crisp and smart and fun -- yet not taking itself too seriously." (Hollywood Reporter)

SPOILER! E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that Dave Annable's real-life fiancee Odette Yustman will guest star on an upcoming episode of ABC's Brothers & Sisters as a new interest for Annable's Justin. Yustman, set to appear in one episode, will play a "nurse who starts to fall for Justin, as he's still mending his broken heart from his split with Rebecca." Rebecca, of course, is played by Annable's ex-girlfriend Emily Van Camp, who is set to depart the series after just a handful of episodes this season. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck is reporting that Will Forte will return to CBS' How I Met Your Mother, where he will reprise his role as Randy. "Marshall will wrestle with whether or not to fire Randy, who is as hopeless as a paralegal as he is with the ladies," co-creator Craig Thomas told Keck. "There is also a shocking twist as it starts to become clear that Robin — in a moment of weakness — may or may not have hooked up with Randy on Halloween night." (TV Guide Magazine)

ABC has given a put pilot order to a drama inspired by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner's book "The Lost Girls Three Friends, Four Continents, One Unconventional Detour Around the World," which will be adapted by Idly Modrovich (Californication). Project, from Warner Bros. Television, will be executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

The Daily Beast Exclusive: "Top Chef's Surprise Finish"

Still scratching your head over last night's season finale of Top Chef?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest feature, "Top Chef's Surprise Finish," an exclusive interview with the culinary competition series' executive producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz--yes, the brains behind the ubiquitous Magical Elves--as we discuss the winner, what went wrong this season, culinary tourism, the language of reality television, and Justin Bieber.

(Yes, you read that last bit correctly.)

Head to the comments section to share your thoughts about the now-wrapped Washington D.C.-set season of Top Chef and whether you enjoyed the season or thought that it lacked the sophisticated palate of previous seasons... and what you'd do to correct any of the show's current issues, should you have any.

Singapore Sling: Thoughts on the Season Finale of Top Chef

Um, yeah.

After a seriously contentious season of Top Chef, the Washington D.C.-set seventh season came to a close with a final showdown between Angelo, Kevin, and Ed in Singapore, amid a head-scratching judges' decision that made me question just what they were thinking... and what we'd seen throughout the course of the season as members of the home audience.

I watched the season finale earlier this week and had a very difficult time keeping my mouth shut about the winner and my intense disappointment over the outcome of the season. While the Singapore installments gave the series a much-needed jolt, it didn't remove the bad taste in mouth about this season as a whole nor the decision to crown a particular person the ultimate winner and bearer of the title of Top Chef.

(If you haven't already, head over to The Daily Beast to read my exclusive interview with Top Chef's executive producers, where we discuss my criticisms of the past season, what went wrong, and the winner revealed last night.)

So what did I think of the episode and the chef selected as the overall winner of this season? Let's discuss...

So the winner of this season of Top Chef is Kevin?!?! While he performed pretty well overall this season, he only won one Elimination Challenge over the course of the season and flew so far under the radar that I didn't even expect him to make the Final Four over the far superior Tiffany.

So what gives? What went down in Singapore that led to his dark horse being crowned the ultimate victor?

I had a sinking feeling that Angelo would be out of the running due to his sudden and inexplicable illness, as seen from the promos for this week's episode. While Angelo did manage to rally on the last day and present four courses for the judges, his performance was entirely dependent on that of sous chef Hung, who managed to do all of Angelo's shopping and prep ahead of time.

In fact, I felt that the sous chefs had a huge effect on the outcome of the Singapore culinary battle, given that winner Kevin managed to get none other than Michael Voltaggio to serve as his sous chef. Wait a second here. The winner of the last Top Chef, arguably one of the strongest chefs ever to play the game, was recruited as a sous chef for the final challenge that would decide the ultimate winner? How on earth is that fair?

Granted, Ed and Angelo also had winners to work with and Angelo's sous, Hung, is a workhorse of the highest order. He flies around that kitchen and can pull off the work of 50 chefs in about a few hours' time. But I've never been a fan of Ilan and I was surprised when he won his particular season. And Ed here seemed to have been undone a bit by Ilan, who kept offering his own opinions of what Ed should be doing but instead brought little more than a halfway decent sticky toffee pudding and salted whipped cream to the plate.

In any event, the final three chefs had to prepare an extraordinary four-course meal for their final challenge, one that comprised a vegetable course, a fish course, a meat course, and a--shudder--dessert.

So what did they make? Let's take a look:

Angelo:

• First Course: pickled royale mushrooms, char siu bao pork belly, noodles, and watermelon tea
• Second Course: sautéed rouget, olive oil-poached cuttlefish with "Asian Style" bouillabaisse
• Third Course: sautéed duck breast and foie gras with marshmallow, daikon-ginger salad and a tart cherry shooter
• Fourth Course: Thai Jewel: coconut-vanilla cream and crushed ice with exotic fruits, yam taro, and saffron syrup

Ed:

• First Course: chilled summer corn veloute with fried black cockles and silan
• Second Course: stuffed rouget and glazed slipper lobster, cuttlefish with zucchini pesto, toasted pine nuts
• Third Course: Duck Two Ways: roasted breast and braised stuffed neck with baby spinach and duck jus
• Fourth Course: sticky toffee-date pudding with fleur de sel crème Chantilly "a la Ilan"

Kevin:

• First Course: eggplant, zucchini, and pepper terrine, tomatoes, jalapenos, and sweet soy reduction with ginger oil
• Second Course: rouget, cuttlefish noodles, pork belly, cockles, slipper lobster, and cigala
• Third Course: roasted duck breast with duck dumpling, caramelized bok choy, and coriander sauce
• Fourth Course: Frozen Singapore Sling with tropical fruits

First, I do think it was a stroke of genius on the part of the producers to have the judges select the proteins for the chefs and require them to use them as part of the meal and highlight them accordingly. It put them on somewhat equal playing ground and challenged them to use these ingredients in innovative ways while still having them compete against one another using the same elements on the plate, just configured in their own inimitable way.

Second, I do think Kevin did some things right. While I question whether he was the best chef this season (a title I don't think is really warranted), he did--as Tom Colicchio put it--take the most risks. Or at least took one major risk that paid off. Whereas Angelo and Ed both used proteins in their vegetable first course--Angelo with pork belly and Ed with black cockles--Kevin created a purely vegetarian dish for his start that stood up to both of those dishes.

I do, however, wish that the judges had been more strict during the instructions and had said that it was to be a "vegetarian" rather than "vegetable" dish. I would have liked to have seen what each of them could have done without the use of proteins in their starters. Would it have changed the outcome? Who knows.

There were some interesting techniques in play here. Kevin's transformation of the cuttlefish into noodle-like ribbons, Ed's stuffing of the duck's neck, Angelo's watermelon tea and that cinnamon-spiced marshmallow, though the latter was less than successful, as was his bizarre decision to include that tart cherry shooter on the plate... and describe it as a palate-cleanser, which it was nothing of the sort whatsoever.

While the judges seemed to be enraptured by Kevin's deceptively simple Sinagpore Sling-inspired dessert, I thought that it was Angelo's "Thai Jewel" dessert, with its unexpected flavors of saffron, that was a far superior dessert, at least in terms of technique, execution, and presentation. Ed's dessert--Ilan's main contribution to the team--was a total disappointment. Sure, Gail said that it seemed to be in keeping with Ed's personality (and his somewhat disappointing attitude this week) that dessert was more or less an afterthought, but it's also the last thing that you're giving the judges in a competition to win $150,000. Why would you leave that for your sous chef to conceive and execute? It looked sloppy and homemade, rather than something you'd find in a fine dining establishment and it totally missed the point of including dessert as part of the dinner. The judges wanted to be wowed four times over. They didn't want a piece of sticky toffee pudding presented with very little thought or grace.

Each of the contestants had their high and low points in the final leg and, yes, you're only as good as your last dish. But I can't help but question the judges decision to award the win to Kevin when they only once picked him out as the strongest chef that week prior. Surely, there must be some thought to the overall performance, vision, and execution of the chefs when they make their way to the final judges' table. Or there should be, anyway. In the meantime, I can't help but feel frustrated both by the outcome and by the season at large. Here's to hoping that the producers can fix some of the issues that many of us have had with this season...

What did you think of the season as a whole? Did Kevin deserve to win over Ed and Angelo? Was the the strongest chef? Head to the comments section to discuss and debate.

Next week on Top Chef ("Reunion Special"), it's one last chance to catch up with the cast of the Washington, D.C. season before the series returns sometime next year with a new installment on Bravo.

Holy Asian Extravaganza: The Final Four Compete in Singapore on Top Chef

After a lackluster season of Top Chef, having even a single enjoyable and tense episode is a step in the right direction, really.

Last night's episode ("Finale, Part One"), which saw the final four contestants jet off to Singapore for the last few challenges before the ultimate culinary showdown, seemed to showcase the spark and magic that this season has been largely missing, forcing the contestants to jump through some pretty narrow hoops as the finish line inches its way ever closer.

Perhaps the producers were smart to leave behind stuffy Washington D.C. for the street markets of sweltering Singapore; each of the chefs seemed to far more awake and creative as a whole than we've seen them collectively this season, invigorated by the flavors and scents of Southeast Asia.

I have to say that I was extremely impressed by the performance of each of the four. While there were some technical issues at play, each of them turned out gorgeous and complex plates that showcased the tastes of Southeast Asia while also remaining true to their own culinary ethos and personality. Given that Angelo was considered the front-runner going into this season--and into the final legs--it's interesting that the arrogant chef--who is known for his innovative take on Asian cuisine--didn't fare as well as many had expected, leaving this competition open for the taking.

So how did the chefs do? And what did they prepare this week? Let's take a closer look.

It was instantly apparent that the chefs were more energetic and engaged as soon as we saw them in the Singapore street market; there was an infectious energy even as the chefs continued to sweat profusely throughout the installment. As an episode it literally contained the blood, sweat, and tears (well, Angelo's anyway) of the cheftestants as they were faced with some pretty intense challenges before the final round.

Which is how it should be. This season has been largely marred by uneven editing, some lame challenges, and a decided lack of atmosphere, much of which was undone by shifting the focus to the strong chefs of this group and taking them outside of their comfort zone by depositing them in an overwhelming marketplace crowded by scents and tastes that they might not have had a firm grasp of.

But they are chefs, after all, and they quickly picked up the nuance of Southeast Asian street food after a tour of the market... and a surprise Quickfire Challenge that had them cooking street food using a wok and a burner just like any of the other hawkers within the expansive (and hunger-inducing) marketplace.

So what did they make? Here's the rundown...

Quickfire Challenge:

• Angelo:chili frog legs with pineapple and rambutan salsa
Ed: stir fry noodles with black pepper sauce, lobster and gai lan
• Kelly: Chinese noodles with lobster, cockles, bean sprouts, and Chinese broccoli
• Kevin: seafood stew with lobster and cuttlefish with crispy shallots

I knew straightaway that Ed had this challenge in the bag. He was calm, cool, and collected and he delivered a dish that drew in the diverse flavors of the market while also elevating street food to a whole new level. His dish was beautifully presented, a mix of two kinds of noodles, a simple lime wedge, and some greens the only accompaniments. It wasn't fussy, overdone, or crowded. Simple food done beautifully.

Which isn't to say that Angelo and Kelly were out of the running but their dishes, while masterfully executed, didn't quite reach up to the high standard that Ed had created. Some nice touches from Angelo: the pineapple in the salsa had the right amount of sweetness to cut through the fire of the chili and I have to say that I'm impressed he was able to pull off the frog's legs in such a short amount of time and have them be cooked perfectly. Kelly's dish was a beautiful bowl of noodles, lobster, and cockles, elegantly presented. Kevin's inexperience with the wok, however, was immediately noticeable. His dish was easily the weakest of the bunch.

No surprise that Ed walked away the winner here... and with immunity from the coming Elimination Challenge. But would he rest on his laurels or would he push himself to compete just as hard as if he hadn't already secured a spot in the final three? I had a feeling it would be the latter, especially as he seemed like he wanted to defeat rival Angelo at all costs. I found it interesting that no one named Ed as their chief competition before that Quickfire, but afterward it was entirely clear that they were all shocked at just how well Ed had performed... even though he had won his fair share of challenges back in D.C. Huh.

For their Elimination Challenge, the chefs would have to work as a team to create a meal for Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin and 80 guests based on local cuisines and cook their dishes a la minute. Which meant no cooking their dishes ahead of time: each dish would have to be cooked to order.

No small feat, this. 80 guests all ordering at once from a menu of eight items (Ed wisely had conceived two dishes ahead of time, while the others had to scramble at the last second to come up with a second dish each) puts an enormous strain on the kitchen, particularly as the waitstaff hadn't been trained to work with them and they had such a short amount of time--one hour!--to prep ahead of the service.

So what did they make for their two dishes each? Let's take a gander...

Elimination Challenge:

• Angelo: spicy shrimp broth with ginger and prawn dumplings and lamb tartare with rambutan ceviche and curry oil
• Ed: crispy rice and potato cakes, sweet and sour pork, and kai lan and fried banana fritter with red chili paste
• Kelly: chilled cucumber-yogurt soup, bitter melon salad and seared prawns, spicy red coconut curry, crispy prawn heads
• Kevin: clam chowder with flavors of Southeast Asia and 63° farm egg, pearl tapioca, radish condiment

Once again, it was Ed who took the early lead here with two dishes that had the judges swooning. His crispy rice cake with pork belly and kai lan was an early favorite, a masterful dish that showed off the local flavors while also presenting a strong portrait of Ed as a Western chef. But it was his fried banana fritters with red chili paste inside that had the judges going crazy. (Gail herself said that the only flaw was that she wanted six of them rather than the two provided.) Despite having immunity, Ed had once again run circles around his competitors, making him--in my opinion--the one to beat next week.

Angelo's lamb tartare was a thing of beauty, gorgeously presented and pulled off expertly. We've seen other chefs fail when attempting to create a tartare from lamb, presenting a dish that's mealy, metallic, or unappetizing. But in the hands of Angelo, the lamb was perfectly cut and seasoned and captured the refinement of a tuna tartare. Too bad his soup was so intensely salty; the saline quality of that dish knocked him right out of the running.

I was extremely impressed with Kevin's two dishes here, especially as he didn't perform as well as the others in the Quickfire (and had Padma calling him out for his inexperience with the wok). But he delivered two knock-out dishes, with a Southeast Asian-inspired clam chowder and his take on congee, here with a perfectly cooked 63-degree egg, the yolk nice and runny, and simple accompaniments of radish and red chili. Elegant, simple, and delicious, he more than won a spot in the charmed circle of the final three.

And then there was Kelly. I really wanted her to perform better than she did here as she made a few mistakes that sealed her fate in the end. I'm not sure why she included the fish in her bitter melon and cucumber soup as the flavors of that dish seemed in perfect harmony without needing the inclusion of a protein in there, especially when the fish itself seemed oddly cut and several judges complained about the oddness of the texture. Likewise, she pulled back far too much on the heat of her red curry, which lacked the fire that the judges wanted, even as they raved about her guava-apple salad, which Tom felt should have been better integrated into the dish and might have elevated the dish.

Alas, it was Kelly who was not going to stick around for the final battle, leaving the guys--Ed, Angelo, and Kevin--to duke it out for the title of Top Chef next week. As for why they were summoned back to the judges' table... Well, we all know what that's about.

What did you think of this week's episode? Would you have sent Kelly home? Is Ed now the front-runner to take home the top prize? Head to the comments section to discuss and debate.

Next week on the season finale of Top Chef ("Finale, Part Two"), the three remaining chefs attempt to cook the best meal of each of their lives; with the title of Top Chef on the line, Angelo falls ill.

Top Chef Preview: Always A Twist



Top Chef Preview: Angelo's Sick

Gastro-nauts and Space Cadets: Another Frustrating Episode of Bravo's Top Chef

It's only fitting that a frustrating and uneven season of Bravo's Top Chef should have yet another frustrating twist in the final challenge in Washington D.C.

I've been extremely vocal about my dislike of this season of Top Chef, which is strange to me as I've been an obsessive devotee since the very first episode of this culinary challenge series, which is also the first reality series to dethrone CBS' The Amazing Race from its Emmys perch.

But while last season rightly snagged an Emmy Award, this season of Top Chef has been almost painful to sit through and several times I nearly walked right out without paying the bill. Lackluster casting, poor editing, and some head-scratching challenges have left me questioning whether there needs to be a shake-up behind the scenes of this series, or whether they just need to cast better next time.

Bravo would appear to be launching an All-Stars edition of Top Chef for next season, which Reality Blurred reports is already filming in Manhattan. Andy has the full list of cheftestants returning for another shot at culinary glory, but I'd advise against reading the piece unless you want to be potentially spoiled about the outcome of this season.

It might be a step in the right direction or at least bring back some familiar faces with the grit, determination, and--above all else--the talent to make the competition interesting again.

Which isn't to say that there haven't been some stand-out chefs this season, because there have been but it seemed to take so long to slog through the also-rans and talent-deprived this season that it sucked the fun out of the proceedings, really.

And then there was last night's episode ("Gastro-nauts")... So what did I think about this week's installment of Top Chef and why am I steaming? Read on.

I had made up my mind a few weeks back that the Final Four this season would be Angelo, Tiffany, Ed, and Kelly. Each of the four was among the most talented, inventive, and consistently great chefs in the bunch and I was increasingly impressed and blown away by Tiffany, who managed to come up from the middle of the pack to win time and time again these last few weeks. Considering that I had nearly written her off in the first episode, I was surprised by how much I'd come to love Tiffany over the last few months and was rooting for her to take it all the way to the finale.

It was not to be, sadly.

I'm still shaking my head in disbelief over last night's judging decision, which sent Tiffany packing while keeping Kevin in the running. With only four spots available for Singapore--the first time the series has gone international--I had every hope that Tiffany would be among those heading overseas and competing for the top prize. After all, the judges have been extremely impressed with her work and her ability to coax massive flavor out of just about everything... whereas Kevin hasn't been as strong a player, in my mind, anyway.

Tiffany brought a much needed spark to the competition and she seemed to provoke the best kind of reactions in her competitors, who seemed to love her carefree nature and her killer culinary instincts. Her success the past few weeks have pushed everyone towards climbing higher, imbuing the competition with some much needed energy and charm the last few episodes.

Hell, she nearly won the Quickfire this week--in which the chefs had to create a dish that would be paired with a specific wine--for yet another fantastic plate, though she was edged out by Angelo in the end with his sautéed foie gras with black salt and fennel salad. While I was impressed with Angelo's dish and would gladly order it at a restaurant, it was Tiffany's dish that had me salivating: a cocoa- and black pepper-crusted Wagyu tenderloin with spring risotto, which seemed to leap out of the screen and into my stomach. Beautifully cooked, elegantly plated, and infused with so much flavor and complexity, it was a gorgeous dish that she should be proud of.

Which is why what happened next was so entirely frustrating.

For their final Elimination Challenge before the finale, the chefs were tasked with creating dishes that could be freeze-dried and taken into outer space. While space-obsessed Kelly was enamored instantly with this task, I thought it was a pretty lame challenge to offer the chefs as their final showdown in Washington D.C. It seemed like something that should have come far earlier in the season rather than the last major hurdle before earning a spot among the Final Four.

Even more puzzling: the chefs didn't have to actually freeze-dry anything. Despite the fact that the dishes were meant to be designed to be eaten in space--and therefore must be fried-dried before breaking through the upper atmosphere--the dishes were going to be served as-is to the judges back on Earth. So who is to say that any of the dishes were really suitable?

While Kelly was taken to task for the excess liquid on her dish (pan roasted halibut with artichoke-fennel barigoule and salsa verde salad), not a single complaint was raised about how well fried onion rings--which would then be freeze-dried and reheated--would hold up under those conditions... while Angelo used candied ginger for his dish (ginger-lacquered short ribs with pea puree, pickled mushrooms, and horseradish crème fraiche), despite the fact that they were expressly told not to use a high concentration of sugar.

So what were they really being judged on then? If the dishes weren't being eaten in the context or format that the task was designed for--unlike previous years, where they had to actually freeze ready-made meals and then reheat them--then how could anyone really judge the final product?

The judges also said that they would be giving points for originality and creativity. Which confused me then how Kevin's traditional home-style dish--NY strip steak with bacon, jalapeno, corn puree, and onion rings--managed to get through and sit among ginger-lacquered short ribs, artichoke-fennel barigoule, and Ed's Moroccan-inspired yogurt-marinated rack of lamb with eggplant puree, cous cous croquette, and hummus, but Tiffany's dish failed to make the cut.

For the record, her dish was a gorgeous pan-seared Alaskan halibut with coconut curry, snow pea shoots, and jasmine rice, which matched what the NASA organizers set as the brief in the first place. Despite it being a curry, it wasn't overtly runny or too liquidy; it had heat, and the halibut would freeze-dry easily.

Should Tiffany have not cooked the pea shoots in the fish sauce? Definitely. It was a rare misstep from Tiffany; the pea shoots were there to provide crunch and contrast with the other elements. But by cooking them in the fish sauce, it took out the essential verdant crunchiness of the shoots in the first place.

And then there was that pepper skin, which seemed to lose Tiffany her spot. The judges thought it amateurish that she left it in the dish and said it lent a bitterness to the dish. Um, yeah? But it also negated everything else she had done? It was more of a blatant flaw than Kevin using sirloin at this point in the competition? It got her booted?

For a season obsessed with missing pea puree, it might be fitting that a top contender would be sent home for pepper skin but that doesn't make it any less of a bitter pill to swallow. Tiffany seemed poised to perhaps take it all; she had made front-runner Angelo a little less certain of his victory and she made all of them better chefs by example. While I'm intrigued to see what Angelo, Ed, and Kelly cook up in the final rounds, I have to say that I'm a less than excited now that Tiffany is out of the running and Kevin took her spot in the final round. It's not to say that Kevin is a bad chef because he isn't, but he seems to lack the creativity and energy that Tiffany brought to the kitchen--and the show--each week.

And when you have a season as lackluster and dull as this, you need every last bit of spark that you can find.

What did you think of this week's episode? Should Tiffany have been the one to go home? Should it have been Kevin? And what do you think of the Final Four? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Top Chef ("Finale, Part One"), the competition moves to Singapore as the chefs are narrowed down to the final three.

County Fairs, Dancers, and White Castle: The Winner is Named on the Season Finale of Work of Art

I'll admit that I didn't expect to enjoy Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist as much as I did in the end.

Before the season began, I was curious just how the format would work. After all, true art takes time to develop, and the series seemed based around the type of severe time restraints that could hamper true creativity.

But a funny thing happened: I found myself sucked in and captivated by what was unfolding before me. I had hoped, all along, that the final three contestants standing would be Miles, Abdi, and Peregrine. And that's just what happened going into last night's season finale of Work of Art ("The Big Show"), in which the final three artists presented a group show, with one of them walking away the winner of the season and their very own show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

For one thing, I loved just how very different each of these artists was, how each of them focused on different subject matters and expressed their artistic temperaments in vastly different styles, some preferring oil and charcoal, sculpture and sketches, or massive mechanical parts and rapidly constructed silkscreens. Plus, the troika assembled for the final showdown were all so supportive and encouraging of one another, which was refreshing to see on a reality competition series.

I also really wanted to see what each of them would be able to pull off, given a longer time frame to work with and without camera crews and fellow contestants hovering over them. As I said earlier, true art takes time. It can't always be cobbled together in a few hours before midnight and inspiration and execution take time.

There's no way, for example, that Abdi could have created those sculptures in an evening in the Work of Art studio; they were the products of precision, time, and effort unfolding over the course of several months rather than a scant few hours. Which is what true Art--with an intentional capital-A--is really all about: the artistic process itself. I'm glad that the producers of Work of Art did realize this, granting the final three artists a larger timeframe to work with, taking the format of the final show from Magical Elves' former reality competition hit, Project Runway. It's a device that not only allowed the finalists time to contemplate and reflect, but also for the cameras to follow them home and check in on their progress and their life after filming on the majority of the season has wrapped.

What we see in their work is vastly different than what we glimpsed on the series. There's far more thought and conceptualizing going on here, as each of them tackles themes that are important to them, themes that are enacted in a variety of work and media, allowing them to built towards a show with a vast array of pieces, rather than one singular work.

So what did I think of their final efforts? Let's discuss.

Despite his efforts to stay away from being so rigid and orderly, Miles still managed to remain too constricted, creating a series of pieces that tackled both death and surveillance but remained out of reach. There was a tantalizing quality to the series, which depicted elderly patrons of a local White Castle--and the homeless man who froze to death outside two days after his picture was snapped by Miles-but the work remained far too lodged within Miles' own head.

He had stumbled onto an intriguing concept but it was a concept that hadn't quite worked itself out yet, remaining something in progress rather than something complete and finished. In particular, I wasn't moved at all by the abstractions that he created from the photographs of the dead man. It was a thought-provoking study but the story behind the pieces were more interesting than the pieces themselves. To the untrained eye, they were abstractions without any concrete coherence.

I was really taken by a lot of Peregrine's work for her County Fair show but agree that she could have done with some editing. While I loved the series of sketches depicting vomiting girls (I'd have to disagree that she should lose those), the empty beeswax portrait frames didn't really move me at all, and I thought that she could have ditched those without impacting the feeling or scope of her show in the least.

The photograph of the twin unborn fawns is something that I can't shake from my mind and I didn't even see it in person. There was something so beautiful and sad, fragile and heartbreaking about the piece, so beautifully lit, that was impossible to escape. Likewise, the wax doll's head under glass and the beautiful yellow horse remained standout pieces that were engaging, complex, and compelling. I thought that she understood her theme well and executed an amazing and ambitious show that showed off the range of her skills and styles and produced some unusual and strong work as a result.

And then there was Abdi, who seemed doomed to fail when his sculptures turned up at the gallery only half-finished. I needn't have worried for Abdi often produces his best work when struggling to finish in the eleventh hour. Despite having some issues with the two massive sculptures, Abdi managed to finish on time and deliver a show of staggering beauty and grace. Those two sculptures, finally removed from their plaster and painted and dressed, remained on the floor. Provocative and beautiful, they seemed to pose a number of questions about their identity and purpose. Were they in a state of repose? Were they dead? Were they stretching for dance or sport?

There was a gracefulness to the bodies that was echoed in several other of his pieces, including the color-inversion self-portrait (inverted in position as well) and the photograph of the bodybag entitled "Home." They asked big questions of not just race and identity but of mortality as well. It was the work of an accomplished technician but also a savvy and inspired artist pondering the mysteries of life and death themselves.

I had a feeling that it would come down to either Abdi or Peregrine in the end, given that Miles' work was a little too abstract in the end. But I'm overjoyed that Abdi took home the grand prize and will get a chance to launch his own show at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. He's completely deserving of the award and the honor and I can't wait to see just what he's able to accomplish on a broader scale. As for Peregrine, I dare say that this isn't the last we hear of her. Her show demonstrated great range and complexity and I think we'll be seeing big things from this accomplished and "otherworldly" artist in the years to come.

What did you think of the season finale? Would you have awarded the win to Abdi? Just what went wrong with Miles' work? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Based on the spot looking for auditions at the end of the episode, it does indeed seem like Work of Art will be back for a second season. Stay tuned for information about a launch date.

Cheese Course or Just Desserts: A Dramatic Exit for One Top Chef Contestant

Is it just me or does Restaurant Wars always bring out the worst in the cheftestants?

The fiercest comments on Top Chef this week didn't emanate from former New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni, but rather from the contestants of the losing team.

On this week's episode ("Restaurant Wars"), the eight remaining contestants were split into two teams and tasked with running a dinner service at a restaurant for one evening, developing and executing the menu and running the front of house at the same time as the kitchen. It's a fan-favorite challenge that always pushes the contestants well past their breaking points but this season the Restaurant Wars challenge wasn't so much fun as frustrating to watch, given that the eliminated chef was an outstanding talent who went home while other, lesser contestants still remain in the competition.

It was this elimination that left me scratching my head at the end of the episode. While I've disagreed with the judges' decisions in the past, this one just left me extremely perplexed. Yes, you're only as good as your last dish but when your ten last dishes have all been pretty abysmal, how are you not getting sent home?

That's the question that I kept asking myself after the final credits rolled last night. How are Amanda and Alex still in this competition, despite some truly awful dishes and near-eliminations, while Kenny gets sent home, despite taking the reins in the kitchen?

Granted, their team--which ran the 2121 restaurant--lost in the challenge. Ed's team, which oversaw the egregiously named EVOO, had more better dishes collectively than the blue team. But Kenny kept them motivated and kept the dishes going out of the kitchen. If only the dishes themselves had been better. Which lead me to wonder: just where was the quality control at 2121? Kenny, the self-regarded "beast" of the competition, has been an outstanding competitor and has dazzled the judges in the past with his refined palate and precision. So just what happened here?

Kenny's two dishes--a salad that contained no less than what seemed to be 72 ingredients and a dessert/cheese course that featured a fried goat cheese croquette atop of a bed of strawberries and rhubarb--failed to hit their marks entirely. I'd agree with the judges' criticism that Kenny should have listened to Coco Channel and removed at least two accessories from that starter, which was over-labored and overflowing with too many ideas and ingredients. For a salad dish, there was far too much going on and it wasn't tasty either. As for the cheese issue, I do applaud Kenny for looking to reinvent the cheese course but what he created would have worked better as a starter than as a dessert replacement, really. The judges also said that it tasted soapy and the crust on it was ghastly. Neither of which you really want in a dessert, especially as Kelly's chocolate ganache tart was a thing of beauty (even if her ice cream was tasteless).

Still, Kenny not only delivered two dishes--sub-par though they might be--but he also oversaw the kitchen as the executive chef. Did he ever taste Kelly's soup? It certainly looked that way from the footage, when he advised her not to add more salt to the "thin" sweet corn soup. Which means that he was also attempting to keep an eye on the quality of the dishes going out into the dining room and failed on that account as well.

But it was clear that he had his hands full, in any event.

Amanda, on the other hand, had only one dish to execute and it was a monumental failure. Why is it that every week she seems to be struggling with an unknown protein (in this case, grass-fed beef), an unknown cooking element (here, a wood-burning stove), and outright confusion why she keeps landing in the bottom week after week? Why does she seem to fail every time she attempts to cook a piece of meat? And, even more irritatingly, how is it that she's managed to squeeze past elimination time after time?

I thought for sure that she would be the one to be packing her knives and going home, just as I thought that it would be Alex, who has long outstayed his welcome on Top Chef, who would be eliminated should the red team have lost. The fact that Alex mangled everything he touched this week would have been brought up for certain. His efforts to butcher the lamb were shockingly poor; his filleting of the fish left not only scales but bones for Tiffany to then deal with in the kitchen. No wonder his team relegated him to the front room (which the blue team should have done with Amanda), as he seems to create a perfect storm of discontent and mess everywhere he turns. (And that's to say nothing of the fact that he seasoned the fish during the Quickfire Challenge for no apparent reason and way too early, resulting in his team's loss there.)

Was the blue team right to attempt to throw Alex under the bus despite the fact that his team had won the challenge and was therefore safe from elimination? I'll get back to you on that. But the fact that they failed to bring up the pea puree was an odd moment as well, considering what a big deal that had been the last two weeks and that the cloud of suspicion still hung over Alex this week. Why not shine a light on the controversy in front of the judges?

The fact remains that the two weakest chefs at this point were Alex and Amanda and either one of them should have been the one to pack their knives. To send Kenny home seemed both a capricious move on the part of the judges and an effort on the part of the producers to inject some drama into the proceedings, following a season that's been severing lacking in narrative tension. (In my opinion, it's been the weakest season of Top Chef to date, one that's been waylaid by poor editing, lackluster casting, and tired challenges.)

Sending Kenny home was clearly meant to be a message that no one left in the competition is safe. The early episodes of the season seemed to relish in setting up Kenny and Angelo as adversaries who would be fighting until the bitter end; both were keen competitors, driven by this rivalry to outdo one another on a weekly basis. But to send Kenny home is to remove even the slightest of intrigue from the season.

Not that Kenny should have been kept around in order to justify that intrigue, but the fact that he *was* sent home rather than the two consistently weak links makes me question the validity of the entire competition. If Kenny has to go home but Alex and Amanda remain to fight another day, then what's the point in performing well? Why not play it safe and remain in the middle until the final rounds? Why be a strong chef if you can be just a hair better than the weakest of the weak and narrowly avoid elimination?

I had thought with last week's ouster of Stephen that the competition this season was finally moving in the right direction. But this move makes me question just what the judges are thinking, really. And that, more than anything, leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

What did you think of this week's episode? Was it right that Kenny was sent home? Who would you have eliminated and why? Head to the comments section to discuss and dish out your thoughts on this week's episode and this season of Top Chef.

Next week on Top Chef ("Covert Cuisine"), mystery and spyjinks abound when items in a mystery box challenge the chefs, who must then transform famous dishes into different culinary fare; later, the chefs head to the Central Intelligence Agency for their elimination challenge.

Top Chef Preview: Mystery Box



Top Chef Preview: At the CIA Headquarters

The Daily Beast: "Flipping Out's Real-Life Fall-Out"

Wondering just what went down with Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis and Ryan Brown? Or where their relationship stands now following last fall's explosive reunion special?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my latest feature, entitled "Flipping Out's Real-Life Fall-Out," where I talk to Jeff Lewis, Ryan Brown, Jenni Pulos, and Bravo's Andy Cohen about Season Four of Flipping Out, Jeff's now booming design business, and whether television ruined his relationship with Ryan Brown.

Were you on Team Jeff or Team Ryan last year? And does the piece change your perspective at all or strengthen your convictions? Head to the comments section to discuss, debate, and analyze.

Season Four of Flipping Out begins tomorrow night at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo. You can read my advance review of the fourth season premiere here.

It's a Great Day at Jeff Lewis' Office: An Advance Review of Season Four of Bravo's Flipping Out

Bravo's addictive and hysterical reality series Flipping Out returns next month with a whole new season of meltdowns, freak outs, and dirty, dirty... martinis. (Yes, martinis.)

I had the chance to watch the Season Four opener of Flipping Out a few days ago and instantly fell back in love with this series, which manages to effortlessly remain one of the most consistently funny and eye-opening reality series on television today. (That it remains off the radar of the majority of viewers is a crime against reality TV that simply cannot stand.)

Season Four finds the gang at Jeff Lewis Design grappling with some very different problems than when we last saw them. Longtime viewers will remember that Season Three of Flipping Out focused on the economic downturn and how the global financial crisis wreaked havoc with Jeff's business... and with his relationship with ex-boyfriend and business partner Ryan Brown.

Yes, the fallout from that, er, fallout resonates sharply throughout the Season Four opener and while Jeff Lewis is still at his OCD best, we also see a very different Jeff than the one we saw fall apart last season. He's more confident, a little more calm, and a hell of a lot more collected. Likely part of that has to do with the fact that Jeff Lewis Design has taken off at a meteoric rate since we last checked in with the tempestuous owner.

Things have changed, mostly for the better. Ryan is completely out of the picture (Brown doesn't appear in the credit sequence or any of the press for Season Four) and Jeff's business is booming to the point where he is now being flown on private jets, consulting on projects all over California and in New York, redoing restaurants and homes, and has more work than he knows what to do with. (He has learned one thing from Ryan, however, and that's the fact that he has to bill for his time.)

But success brings a whole new slew of issues. Namely, the fact that the employees at Jeff Lewis Design haven't quite kept up with the massive changes afoot with their business. Jenni is now only working part-time as the company's Chief Operations Officer, and seems more interested in her new boyfriend than in keeping track of client phone numbers. Executive assistant Sarah still needs some more on-the-job training. She might be family (her sister, Jeff's realtor, married Jeff's brother) but she also needs to be able to keep up with Jeff's demands and she seems... a little scattered at times. Trace is finishing up college and so is splitting his time between the office and school.

And then there's Jett, who has actually carved out quite a niche for himself as Jeff's house assistant, a role that has caused a fair bit of conflict between him and Zoila and which plays to many of his strengths, like his flair for making the pitch-perfect dirty martini for Jeff Lewis. (Yes, the measurements are exacting and precise.) While family lunches might be gone--a necessary sacrifice in the face of an expanding business--and dinner might be verboten but Jeff seems to relish the thought of plying his employees with liquor each night as he keeps them working until after 9 pm.

There's also a baby in the mix but I won't spoil who it belongs to and just what said infant is doing hanging around Jeff Lewis Design.

Ultimately, the Season Four premiere perfectly matches just what I love about this series, offering the perfect entrypoint for new viewers while continuing the misadventures of the lovable misfits that make up Jeff Lewis Design. So grab a martini, turn off the phone, and prepare to flip out yourself.



Season Four of Flipping Out launches Tuesday, August 10th at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

Rant: Dear Bravo, Please Stop The Obvious Editing on Top Chef

Gee, I wonder who was going to pack their knives last night?

Honestly, I was going to do a Top Chef culinary recap today, but I'm just not feeling it, especially after last night's episode ("Capitol Grill") fell into the same trap that recent episodes of Top Chef have (which I bemoaned last week at length).

I understand that we're in the early rounds right now and there are still a lot of contestants to cover but I've officially had it with the editing on Top Chef this season as within five minutes of each episode beginning, it's painfully obvious to anyone who has ever watched a reality competition series just who will be getting eliminated that week.

Is Top Chef about more than just who packs their knives and who walks away the winner that week? Sure. It's a culinary-themed competition and as a voracious foodie, I love watching the chefs at work. But it also can't lose sight of the fact that it's also a reality competition series and that much of tension derived from such a format emanates from the fact that someone will be going home that week.

To erase that possibility by cheating attention to the eliminated party and focusing on them throughout the episode denies the viewer that hook. I'll still be watching Top Chef and likely writing about it but this week the continued trend just irked me to such a degree that I can't bring myself to actually discuss the, you know, food.

Magical Elves and Top Chef editors: please get it together and stop tipping your hand at the top of every installment. I'm begging you.

Next week on Top Chef ("Room Service"), the chefs are tasked with creating baby food for Padma's newborn baby; later, the chefs are tested on their hospitality service.

School Lunch Project: Thinking Outside of the Lunch Box on Top Chef

Is it just me or is it blatantly obvious from the opening minutes of each episode of Top Chef just who is going home that week?

I've taken the editors of Bravo's culinary competition series to task in the past for obvious editing but last night's episode ("Outside the Lunch Box") featured the most egregious editing yet, in my opinion. Within about two minutes of the installment beginning, I had identified just who I thought would be packing their knives this week... and was completely correct on that front.

Sure, it happens from time to time, but it seems to be happening with alarming regularity on Top Chef of late. Keep an eye for who seems to be the focus of attention that week and who is getting a majority of screen time and nine times out of ten, you've got your eliminated contestant.

Which isn't to say that there aren't other enjoyable and rewarding aspects of the series, because there are. But this is, after all, a reality competition series and part of that format, week after week, is that there is going to be a winner and a loser. By removing all drama about who that eliminated contestant will be, the editors deflate a lot of the tension from the individual installments, a necessary component to the long-term health of a franchise.

There are a number of reality series that do this but I feel it most keenly with Top Chef, particularly at the beginning of a season when the personalities/identities of the contestants are a little less known. There is bound to a fair amount of elimination fodder in the early rounds and I get that; I just don't want it telegraphed to me each week without any sense of subtlety.

But enough about that. Let's move on to the culinary aspect of the series, which this week featured the contestants pairing up to create biparti-sandwiches (UGH!) whilst working with one hand behind their backs and then, working in teams, to create a healthy, nutritious, and delicious school lunch as part of First Lady Michelle Obama's anti-obesity campaign. (Fittingly, the two challenges featured guest judge Sam Kass, the White House chef.)

So how did they do? Let's take a look.

Quickfire Challenge:

• Tamesha and Amanda: grilled sandwich with sliced prosciutto, Swiss cheese, dijon Mustard, and pepper salsa
• Andrea and Kevin: Philly Cuban Sandwich with roasted pork, pickles, whole grain mustard, and gruyere
• Angelo and Tracey: sandwich with flounder marinated in fish sauce, spicy Sriracha mayonnaise, pickled red onions, and herb salad
• Arnold and Kelly: curry-rubbed grilled chicken with honey, Indonesian sambal, cucumber, mint, dill, and cilantro
• Kenny and Ed: Korean chili-rubbed Ahi tuna on an open-faced sandwich with cucumber and mango slaw on multi-grain bread
• Tiffany and Lynne: flatbread saltimbocca sandwich with goat cheese, artichokes, yellow peppers, and white asparagus
Jacqueline and Stephen: grilled chicken and avocado sandwich with rosemary skewers
• Timothy and Alex: croque madame with ground lamb, mornay sauce, and poached egg

I loved the fact that so many of the chefs were scoffing at the challenge--a half an hour to create a sandwich--before they realized that they'd literally be doing it with one hand tied behind their backs. Some of the teams worked better together than others, though I will admit that I was surprised none of them ended up needing medical attention from knife wounds. Some had some real inspiration while others (such as Jaqueline and Stephen) didn't really create anything innovative or different. I knew that the top two would definitely be Angelo and Tracey for their flounder sandwich and Kenny and Ed for their ahi open-faced sandwich with slaw. Both showed a real understanding of the challenge and a real creativity when it came to devising something original and delicious.

No surprise that the win went to Angelo and Tracey, earning Angelo his third consecutive win and giving both team members immunity from elimination. The latter would, of course, prove to be a real boon as the challenge was team-based. Whereas each member of every other team had a 25 percent chance of getting eliminated, their other two team members--second placers Ed and Kenney--had a 50 percent shot at packing their knives this week. Did Angelo in choosing them to be on their team look for the strongest players in an effort to win? Or did he choose them hoping to throw the challenge and get one of them sent home? (Namely, his closest rival, Kenny.) Hmmm....

Elimination Challenge:

• Amanda, Tamesha, Stephen, Jacqueline: braised chicken thighs in a sherry jus; bean and tomato Salad with pickled red onions and apple cider vinaigrette; sweet onion rice with tomato, carrots, and green onions; and banana pudding with skim milk, strawberries, and strawberry sauce
• Alex, Andrea, Kevin, Timothy: grilled apple cider BBQ chicken; picnic coleslaw with yogurt; mac and cheese with whole wheat crust, skim milk, and low-fat cheese; fresh melon kebab with orange Chantilly, dipped in yogurt
• Tracey, Angelo, Ed, Kenny: chicken burger with fiesta rice; “Peanut Butter and Celery Crudite” with crispy tuile; sweet potato puree with cinnamon; apple bread pudding with cinnamon yogurt
• Kelly, Arnold, Lynne, Tiffany: braised pork carnitas tacos with pickled onions and cilantro; roasted corn salad with cilantro-lime vinaigrette, chili oil, sugar, salt, and lime juice; black bean cake with whole grain and sweet crispy potatoes; caramelized sweet potatoes and sherbert

I knew Amanda's team would be in the bottom. Her chicken was so revolting to the children and so inappropriate, given the presence of cooking wine in the dish, that it should never have been served in a school cafeteria setting. The fact that Amanda defended the dish by saying that she liked chicken that way defeated the entire point of the challenge. Stephen's rice even looked gummy on screen. And then there was Jacqueline's dessert. Last week, she attempted to make low-fat chicken liver mousse for no real reason; this week, she poured two pounds of sugar (!!!!) into a starchy banana pudding, turning what was meant to be a healthy dessert into a high-caloric, high-sugar dish. I was really, really stunned.

I want to praise Alex's team for really thinking outside of the lunch box and being creative in transforming tasty food that the kids know and love into healthy food as well. Using apple cider rather than sugar in the BBQ sauce was a stroke of genius, as was lightening the cole slaw by using a little mayonnaise and a lot of yogurt instead. The dessert--a colorful, interactive melon skewer with a yogurt dipping sauce--continued the theme here. The only low point: Timothy's mac and cheese, which failed to win over the judges.

As for Angelo's team, I really don't know what to say. Just looking at the plate, it looks very uniformly brown. There's very little color here and there seems to be A LOT of sweet happening on the plate, between the dessert, the sweet potato mash, and Angelo's bizarre peanut butter-celery crudite with tuile, which seemed completely out of place on a kid's lunch tray, not to mention the fact that it was a poor attempt at delivering vegetables to the plate and was loaded with sugars. I also question Ed's decision to load his sweet potatoes with cinnamon and chili, making it far too spicy for most kids' palates. Just odd and I couldn't shake the notion that Angelo threw the challenge in an effort to get either Kenny or Ed sent home. He knew that this was not a winning dish and he didn't care as he had immunity for himself. Gamesmanship is a part of every reality competition series but I'd prefer to see the chefs stop thinking about the game and more about their own individual dishes. Sigh.

Despite their bickering (which made me want to push each of them in the Potomac), Kelly's team nailed the challenge completely, delivering a plate that was bursting with color, flavor, and healthiness. It just looked delicious and appetizing. The pink swirl of the pickled onion and green of the cilantro set off the lusciousness of the carnitas, itself swathed in a homemade oatmeal-based soft taco. (The fact that they made the tortillas from scratch was a huge advantage here.) Despite Arnold bemoaning his "salsa," he delivered a delicious corn and tomato salad that was filled with deftly layered flavors. I loved the sweet potato "wig" on Lynne's black bean cake, which again made it fun and interactive for the kids and the fact that Tiffany combined a vegetable--sweet potatoes--and a low-fat sherbet into a delicious dessert that was delicious, healthy, and low-fat. Well done all around.

No surprise that the team of Kelly/Arnold/Lynne/Tiffany walked way with the win this week... nor that it would be Jacqueline who would be packing her knives. I pegged her as an early cast-off straightaway and the editing this week underscored her imminent departure from the competition.

Best line of the evening: "I love vodka, but I'm not cookin' with it." - Gail Simmons

What did you think of this week's episode? Who would you have picked to win this week's challenge and who should have packed their knives? Tired of the predictable editing? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Top Chef ("Capitol Grill"), the remaining chefs are tasked with creating a pie from scratch for their Quickfire Challenge and later, the contestants must grill up a classic picnic.

Top Chef Preview: Desserts? No!



Top Chef Preview: Serving George Washington

Talk Back: What Are You Watching This Summer?

As the Summer Solstice has come and gone now, the hot months of summer are officially in full swing as the broadcast and cable networks bring out their slate of originals and burn-offs during the sweltering season.

While I'm sinking my teeth into quite a bit of programming this summer (including HBO's True Blood, Bravo's Top Chef, and my latest obsession, BBC America's upcoming Come Dine With Me) and catching up on some others (cough, Friday Night Lights, cough), I'm curious to know just what you are watching right now... and what you intend to watch this summer. Are you hooked on USA's dramedies? Can't wait for the return of Entourage? Trembling at the thought of more True Blood? Intrigued by Work of Art? Spooked by the thought of Syfy's Haven?

Head to the comments section to discuss what's on your season pass this summer, what's failed to click with you so far, and what new and returning television series you are most looking forward to over the next few months.

Channel Surfing: Leigh and Morissette Return to Weeds, Jamie Foxx Preps TV Pilot, Sarah Drew Talks Grey's, Doctor Who, and More

Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alanis Morissette will return to Weeds for the Showtime dark comedy's sixth season, set to launch August 16th. Leigh will reprise her role as Nancy's sister Jill in one episode, with Morissette due to appear in two episodes as Andy's girlfriend Audra Kitson, who also happened to be Nancy's doctor. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Jamie Foxx has shot a trailer for a potential television project entitled Tommy's Little Girl, which features Paul Sorvino, Selma Blair, James Russo, and Tony Sirico. Project would revolve around the relationship between a mobster (Sorvino) and his daughter (Blair) and will be pitched to cable networks. (Deadline)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has an interview with newly promoted Grey's Anatomy series regular Sarah Drew, in which they discuss her "polarizing alter ego" April, among other topics. " I definitely had that feeling," said Drew when asked if the season finale pushed April together with the rest of the Seattle Grace crew. "April has been kind of annoying this past season. [Laughs] Just neurotic and really insecure, and this was the first time she was able to band together — both with Cristina and Meredith — to help solve a [crisis]. Most of my stuff before was with Patrick [Dempsey] and fawning over him awkwardly. So this was the first opportunity to actually bond in a positive way with them. They say tragedy brings people together, so I guess that’s what happened." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

MAJOR SPOILERS! UK paper The Daily Mirror has an interview with Doctor Who head writer/executive producer Steven Moffat about the season finale of Doctor Who, which brings an end to the first season under new Doctor, Matt Smith, and finds the Time Lord in a bit of a bind. "The doctor is trapped inside a prison from which even he can't escape," said Moffat. "Amy Pond is dead. Rory is plastic. River Song has been blown up in the Tardis, which has been blown up and destroyed every sun in the universe. I think any other hero would be in a pickle but I think the Doctor can take it... I really do think episode 13, the episode we'll see on Saturday, is a story only Doctor Who can do - no other show could have come close to a story like this." The finale will air Saturday night in the UK on BBC One and in two weeks on BBC America in the US. (via Digital Spy)

Vulture's Josef Adalian is reporting that FOX will not go ahead with its unscripted Glee spinoff, which would have depicted the search for actors to play three new roles on the musical-comedy. "Though they collected the tryout videos, Murphy and Fox execs have since quietly agreed to kill the on-air competition after it became clear that working on the reality show would mean less time for planning season two (and the recently announced season three)," writes Adalian. "As it is, Murphy and his team have already had their schedules crowded by such extracurricular events as the brief Glee live tour, multiple hit soundtrack albums, a trip to the White House, and, of course, Oprah." (Vulture)

TVGuide.com's Gina DiNunno talks to Tom Colicchio about Season Seven of Bravo's Top Chef and weighs in on the change at the judges' table, where master chef Eric Ripert has taken over for Toby Young. "For me, I like having him there," Colicchio told DiNunno. "I liked working with Toby [Young], but he didn't have the most authoritative voice when it came to the food. Toby is more of a scene critic when it comes to restaurants — or at least that's my understanding of it. He did know a good amount about food though. Having Eric judging the food has a little bit more weight than Toby judging your food. But you're not going to get the one-line zingers that we got out of Toby. [Laughs]" (TVGuide.com)

[Editor: elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd has an interview with Top Chef executive producers Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth, in which they talk about why this season is Obama-less, the reason behind the name Magical Elves, how they pick the cities for Top Chef, and the status of other projects in development, including spinoff Top Chef Jr.)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Jon Cassar (24) has come board FOX's upcoming adventure series Terra Nova as an executive producer/director. He joins a staff that includes former 24 executive producers Brannon Braga and David Fury and will direct multiple episodes of the series. (Alex Graves is set to direct the pilot episode.) (Deadline)

The Futon Critic is reporting that Project Runway will return to Lifetime on Thursday, July 29th at 9 pm ET/PT, right before half-hour spinoff series On the Road With Austin & Santino. (Futon Critic)

V star Elizabeth Mitchell has indicated that she's open for a possible romance between her character on the ABC sci-fi series, Erica Evans, and Charles Mesure's Kyle Hobbes. “He’s awesome, isn’t he? When he first came on, I said to [exec producer Scott] Rosenbaum, 'You need to make this guy a deal, now,'" Mitchell told Fancast's Matt Mitovich, though she added that Erica could fall for either Hobbes or Joel Gretsch's Father Jack. "Maybe it’s just because I’m a woman, but I’m up for a little romance!" (Fancast's The Big Tease)

TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck has the dish on the upcoming two-parter on USA's Royal Pains, in which Mark Feuerstein's Hank heads to Cuba. The two-episode arc will feature guest stars Tony Plana (Ugly Betty) and Ana de la Reguera (Cop Out), the latter of which will be a potential love interest for Hank. The actress will also appear on Season Two of HBO's Eastbound and Down, where she is set to recur all season as the new love interest for Danny McBride's Kenny Powers. (TV Guide Magazine)

ABC's reality series Shark Tank will return to the lineup this summer... for one episode (a shelved installment from last season) on July 15th at 8 pm ET/PT, while ABC will repeat several other episodes during July and August. There's been no official word on the fate of the Sony Pictures Television-produced series. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer will produce the 83rd Academy Awards telecast, which is slated to air Sunday, February 27th on ABC. Mischer will also serve as the director for the awards telecast. (via press release)

In other Oscar-related news, Deadline's Nikki Finke is reporting that Board of Governor members have discussed moving the annual awards telecast to January, which could lead to conflicts with NBC's Golden Globes. "The awards season is too long currently. This will shorten and reduce the amount of campaigning," an unnamed studio head told Finke. "Also, it will make the Oscars the definitive awards show again. The Globes can't move a lot earlier as all the movies wouldn't be released yet. The only potential downside is how do people see all the films in time to vote for nominations?" (Deadline)

Lifetime has hired Discovery executive Gena McCarthy as SVP of reality and alternative programming at the cabler. She will report to JoAnn Alfano. (Variety)

Tyra Banks' production company Bankable has hired former Warner Music International chairman/CEO Patrick Vien as president/COO, effective immediately. He'll be based in New York and will report to Banks. (Hollywood Reporter)

Stay tuned.

Representing Your Constituency: Sink or Swim on the Season Premiere of Top Chef

I already spoke in general terms about the season premiere of Top Chef over in my advance review of the episode, but now that the episode has aired, we can get down to the details of the food that the cheftestants prepared this week.

First episodes are always tricky as there are a lot of new contestants and it's often hard to keep track of all of them, particularly when there are seventeen of them being introduced all at once. But this is Top Chef, after all, so it's only typical that the strongest performers would stand out in the first week... along with some of those who might be destined to be packing their knives sooner rather than later.

This week's episode of Top Chef ("What's Your Constituency?") found the new crop of contenders heading to Washington D.C., where they were immediately put through their paces in a round-robin Quickfire Challenge--with only four chefs actually getting to create a dish--before heading into their first Elimination Challenge, where they would have to create a dish that reflected where each of them was from and serve it to about 150 guests at a cocktail party.

So how did they do and what did they make? Let's discuss.

I thought it was interesting--and telling--that the producers would opt to begin the season with a mise-en-place tournament that would test their knife skills, their speed, and their ability to execute efficiently under intense pressure. Each round would force them to prep a different ingredient: in the first round they would have to peel ten potatoes; in the second, brunoise 10 cups of onions; in the third, break down four chickens into eight parts; and then, in the final leg, they would have to use those ingredients to prepare a dish. And, oh, there was also $20K on the line for the winner as it was a high-stakes challenge. (I discussed the oddness of having Vegas-style high-stakes in Washington in my review.)

The four remaining chefs still standing at the end--Timothy, Kevin, Kenny, and Angelo--then had a half an hour to prepare a dish using the onions, chicken, and potatoes that would wow Padma and Tom... and demonstrate to the other contestants just how strong they are.

Here's what they made:

• Angelo: roasted chicken wing and thigh; curried onion jam; potato noodles
• Kevin: boneless chicken wing with hot and sour broth, tomatoes, fennel, potato, and mushroom
• Tim: garlic-roasted chicken, potato galette, oyster mushrooms
• Kenny: duo of chicken with Moroccan spice, potato puree, and onion confit

I knew instantly that it would be between Angelo and Kenny. Just looking at how well executed and presented their dishes were, it was blatantly obvious that one of these two would be walking away with the $20,000. Tim's dish had way too much cream and just looked messy and less sophisticated. (There's nothing wrong with simplicity in a dish but then it needs to be presented immaculately.) Kevin's broth was criticized for having way too much salt.

Which, yes, left it to Kenny and Angelo. I thought Kenny pulled off an amazingly complex dish in just under 30 minutes; that beautiful plate could have come out of any four-star kitchen. Plus, he really showcased a variety of flavors and spices. Meanwhile, I was extremely impressed by Angelo's use of the starch here as he transformed the spuds into gorgeous potato noodles, no small feat given the time crunch they had.

Not surprisingly, Angelo was named the winner of the Quickfire... and a rivalry between him and Kenny was born right there.

For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs would have to take the flavors of their own constituencies and transform them into dishes that represented where they came from. The chefs would be split into teams of four, with them competing head to head within the group, with one chef from each team up for the win... and one up for elimination.

So what did they make? Let's discuss.

Team 1:

• Amanda (California): red snapper carpaccio with cucumber, clementines, sencha oil, daikon, and caraway gelee
• Arnold (Thailand and Tennessee): kaffir lime and basil cake with palm sugar anglaise and "Myint" julep
• Kevin (Mid-Atlantic): Pennsylvania lamb, Meyer lemon and pistachio marmalade, and spring onions
• Jacqueline (New York): duo of Hudson Valley chicken liver and port wine mousse

Amanda's dish, meant to evoke early Wolfgang Puck California cuisine was criticized for being messy and underseasoned. I'd have to agree with the messiness of the presentation; that gelee looked really loose and unappetizing and it didn't so much evoke Puck as it did almost parody him. Hmmm... Kevin's dish was universally praised as being tender and well seasoned, and he introduced some nice notes of ginger there as well. I knew straightaway that Jacqueline would be up for elimination for her coarse and grainy chicken liver mousse, which she made without any fat. Not only should the terrine have been sieved but there was no reason to make this a non-fat liver mousse. Just odd.

Team 2:

• Stephen (Ohio): potato-crushed ribeye, celery root puree, scarlet stadium mustard vinaigrette
• Ed (New England): sauteed cod cakes with Boston baked beans and shaved fennel salad
• Lynne (Hudson Valley): corn-camembert ice cream on waffles, with bacon praline and caramel sauce
• Tracey (The South): stone-ground grits, maple cheddar, Port Royal Rock shrimp
• Kenny (Colorado): coffee-rubbed trout, black bean mole, goat cheese polenta, and quinoa

Tracey's shrimp were criticized for being bland; Ed's beans and beans were said to be too heavy, with Tom feeling that the fish cakes were all filler and very little cod itself. Stephen destroyed the integrity and flavor of the rib-eye by deep frying it... and turning it into little more that fried shoe leather. Kenny's dish was universally praised for its depth of flavor and lovely presentation.

Team 3:

• Alex (Russia and California): deconstructed short rib borscht with cabbage, red beet puree, creme fraiche
• Tamesha (Caribbean): jerk chicken sphere, soft polenta, tamarind, mango, papaya, jicama, and cilantro
• Andrea (South Florida and Italy): pork with chorizo potato gnocchi, calabaza, and orange gremolata
• Tim (Maryland): pan searched Maryland rockfish with pickled leek, dill, and grilled crostini with ginger and sesame seeds

The judges thought that Andrea's gnocchi was well seasoned, though it didn't exactly scream South Florida/Miami. Tim's fish dish didn't go over too well, with the judges criticizing the homogeneous quality of the two sauces; likewise, I didn't feel like it captured Maryland at all. Yes, the rockfish was from there but there were so many other things that Tim could have done that would better summed up the Chesapeake Bay area. However, I would applaud Alex for taking a calculated risk with his deconstructed borscht, which was very well done indeed: each of the ingredients was expertly prepared and they added up to a sum that captured the essence of borscht.

Team 4:

• Tiffany (The South): Cajun shrimp and crawfish salad, chicken-fried tomatillos, and bacon-sherry vinaigrette
• Kelly (Rocky Mountains): spice-crusted New York strip steak with fiddlehead fern, asparagus, and wild mushroom saute
• Angelo (Rural Connecticut): smoked arctic char with pickled shallots, chili tapioca, and smoked bacon broth
• John (Michigan): maple mousse napoleon with crisp macadamia nuts and vanilla sauce

Angelo once again ranked high; his arctic char was universally loved by the judges, though Gail questioned whether there was too much dill (Tom disagreed). It was a confident and accomplished dish that once again demonstrated his skill and poise. Kelly's New York strip steak was praised for her deft seasoning and execution. But the dreadlocked and awkward John didn't fare so well. His dish wasn't a favorite as the judges tasted sugar but not maple in the allegedly maple napoleon, which was also messy and not well executed at all. It was likely that he'd be sent home for this poor showing.

The top chefs ended up, not surprisingly, being Angelo, Kenny, Alex, and Kevin, with all of them receiving some well-earned praise. It fell to new judge Eric Ripert to announce the winner who was... Angelo. Again! Look for this extremely ambitious chef to fight to keep his lead week after week. There's a huge target on this guy's back...

At the bottom of the pack: Stephen, John, Jacqueline, and Tim. Most of these came as no surprise but I think that Tim was shocked to find himself up for elimination after he performed so well during the Quickfire (though didn't win that challenge). His speed and skill might be there but he has to work on his presentation and conceptualization skills. As for the others, I would have sent all three home, to be honest. Jacqueline made so many errors in her dish that it was shocking she even made it into the competition; every step she made was a huge and glaring misstep. Stephen showed very little skill or ability with his dish and a woeful appreciation of ingredients. And then there was John, whose maple napoleon was one of the worst dishes of the evening... and he didn't even make the pastry himself! No surprise that the Michigan chef was sent packing.

Do you agree with the judges' decision last night? Should Angelo have won? Did John deserve to be sent home? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Top Chef ("Outside the Lunch Box"), the chefs create healthy kid fare at a middle school in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's national initiative to end childhood obesity.

Top Chef Preview: Who Got High and Came Up with This?


Top Chef Preview: Going Back to School

Backstabbing and Brunoise: An Advance Review of Top Chef D.C.

Before we can even catch our collective breath after the end of Top Chef Masters, Bravo has brought back the original Top Chef to the lineup, beginning with tonight's season premiere ("What's Your Constituency?").

While I've loved seeing master chefs hone their craft even further on Top Chef Masters, I have to say that I'm really excited by the return of Top Chef itself. There's an even fiercer air of competition from these chefs, many of whom are just beginning their culinary careers... and are therefore less likely to play nice and be as helpful as the masters. Which means more drama, inevitably.

Heading to Washington D.C., this season of Top Chef finds the seventeen new contestants attempting to outdo their competitors in the nation's capital, which means that the setting is only too apt for the backstabbing and manipulation likely to unfold as this season's episodes get underway. In the first installment alone, we're treated to one of the most hyper-ambitious contestants that the entire series has yet produced. (That would be Angelo Sosa, of course.)

Tonight's episode finds the chefs competing in a round robin Quickfire Challenge with an emphasis on prep work and mis-en-place before the four last chefs standing get an opportunity to use the ingredients to dazzle the judges, which this time around includes the silver-haired Frenchman Eric Ripert, thankfully replacing former judge Toby Young. (I'm hungrily anticipating Ripert's criticisms and think he'll be more honest than pithy, whereas Young seemed more determined to drop some bon mots than offer some real culinary critiques.)

The judges on the whole seem more unified this season; there's something intoxicating about seeing Ripert at the judges table alongside such icons as Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio and knowing that he'll be sticking around all season long. He adds a certain gravitas and knowledge that Young lacked in abundance.

Likewise, the contestants seem eager and hungry, in the best possible sense of the word. Through the opening Quickfire, some rather fierce contenders emerge for the throne, including the aforementioned Angelo and Kenny Gilbert, both of whom manage to turn out incredibly polished dishes in a severe time crunch. Keep your eyes on these two as they are likely to go very far indeed during the competition.

But there are also some duds among the group, which becomes crystal clear during the first Elimination Challenge, in which the chefs are tasked with creating dishes that reflect where they came from, in essence, a symbolic display of their own constituencies, which makes sense with the nation's political leaders gathering in Washington from their own enclaves.

There are quite a few missteps here, including one contestant who opts to make a fat-free rendition of chicken liver terrine... which is traditionally made with fat, as that's what makes it a terrine or mousse in the first place. And then there's John Somerville, with his huge dreadlocks and off-putting manner and a dish called O-High-O that's, well, impossible to describe if you haven't seen it. There's a lot of chaff to be cut from the wheat if these chefs don't step up to the plate.

Which is fine and good, in theory. Last season, it was too obvious that the Voltaggio Brothers were two of the strongest contenders (while this year we might call it for Angelo and Kenny), but I want to be surprised. I'm hoping that nerves played a huge role in some of the missteps witnessed here and that there might still be some dark horse players emerge over the next few weeks.

My only complaint, in fact, is that the so-called "High Stakes" Quickfire is in effect again this season. This gimmick worked during the Las Vegas season but it's more than a little head-scratching here. Just what does the term "high stakes" have to do with Washington, D.C.? I'd at least have hoped that the producers would have found something more apt for the political scene. (Any suggestions?)

All in all, tonight's season premiere is a nice taste of the nation and the perfect beginning for another cutthroat edition of Top Chef. Just make sure you've eaten beforehand.

Top Chef D.C. Preview: Welcome to D.C.


Top Chef D.C. Preview: Trying to Represent


Top Chef D.C. premieres tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

History on the Plate: The Top Chef Masters Season Finale

I really enjoyed this season of Top Chef Masters, which came to a close last night with a heart-stopping final showdown between three of the strongest chefs in the competition.

It was only fitting that the season finale ("Top Chef Master") would ask each of these master chefs to reflect back on their lives and their careers and pull together a final three-course meal for the critics that reflected where they had been and where they were going.

Happy childhoods, struggles, and painful memories--as well as creative awakening--were all demonstrated on the plate as Marcus Samuelsson, Susur Lee, and Rick Moonen faced off for the title of Top Chef Master and a substantial donation to the charity they were playing for.

So how did they do? And who walked out of the Top Chef Masters kitchen as the ultimate winner? Let's discuss.

At this point in the competition, I'm glad that we didn't see a final Quickfire Challenge and instead the time that would have been used focusing on that challenge was spent getting to know the backstories of the final three competitors.

Hearing about Samuelsson's adoption to Sweden as a child, Moonen's childhood spent clamming with his dad, the death of Lee's first wife, all of these things brought me closer to knowing--and therefore understanding--each of these chefs, their creative inspirations, and the source of their culinary passions.

For their final challenge, each of them would have to prepare a three-course meal that reflected three pivotal moments in their lives: where they came from, when they realized that they wanted to be a chef, and where they're going, their culinary journey displayed in three dishes that encapsulated their collective experiences.

So what did they prepare? Let's take a look.

SAMUELSSON:

• First Course: lightly smoked char with sweet horseradish-shellfish broth and mashed root vegetables
• Second Course: Salt cured duck with foie gras ganache, sour tomato jam, and aged balsamic
• Third Course: Berberre-flavored hamachi meat balls with sea urchin broth and wild mushroom couscous

I thought that Samuelsson offered a real variety of tastes, flavors, and textures as well as a global perspective that captured both his African heritage and his Swedish childhood.

The most successful dish of the three had to be his second course of duck as the critics were blown away by the foie gras ganache (really a masterful presentation) and the the salt cured duck. Just a beautiful plate that was well conceptualized and well executed and which didn't fall into one of the traps that Samuelsson has all season long: he didn't overload the plate or gild the lily. Instead, he presented an accomplished dish that showed great skill and creativity.

His least successful dish did seem to be that final dish, a traditional African presentation of tartare that didn't quite win the critics over, thanks to its dry texture. I commend Samuelsson to sticking to his guns and not catering to Western appetites but I also think that sometimes there do need to be baby steps involved with introducing a culinary tradition into a new area. There isn't a lot of exposure to African cuisines within the Western world and there are certain preconceptions about taste and texture that have to be overcome. Could he have cheated it a little and still get his point across? Sure, especially as I keep coming back to Gail Simmons' critique about the texture of the tartare.

MOONEN:

• First Course: glazed kushi oyster with American sustainable caviar, hamachi, and live sea scallop crudo
• Second Course: "Bacon and Eggs," with braised pork belly, poached egg, truffles, Sardinian gnocchi, and turnips
• Third Course: New Zealand venison with matsutake mushrooms, pear butter, stuffed cippolini onions, Brussels sprout leaves, and natural jus

I have to give Moonen credit for trying something different here, veering away from fish to only present one seafood-focused dish of the three and absolutely nailing his final course, a succulent and perfectly cooked loin of venison that had me salivating on the television screen. Pairing the venison with matsutakes and that amazing pear butter was inspired, picking up the subtle flavors of both to create a dish that captured the essence of the forest and the magic of those wild, woodsy, and fresh flavors. It's a dish I'd gladly eat every day.

Likewise, his oyster was stunning. I'm not an oyster fan but I would have devoured that kushi oyster in a heartbeat. Exquisite presentation, amazing flavor profiles, and a plate that could only have come from a chef's chefs, a true master in every sense of the word. Less successful, however, was Rick's second course, with some critics taking exception to the firmness of the gnocchi, while some criticized him for using pork belly and not allowing it to crisp enough to impart the bacony flavor the dish promised. Still, Simmons praised the perfection of the poached egg on the dish, which lusciously oozed out its yolk to create a silky sauce for the gnocchi, turnips, and truffles...

LEE:

• First Course: royal of steamed scallop with Cantonese black bean sauce, dim sum shrimp and crab croquette
• Second Course: tuna with wasabi mousse, picked cucumber and artichoke with charred sea bream
• Third Course: Lamb Thailandaise with Chiang Mai sausage, peanut and green curry sauces, mint chutney and polenta

I fully expected to be wowed by whatever Susur Lee would be preparing for this final battle and he didn't disappoint, though I was confused--as were the critics by that mount of tuna, inexpertly cut and studded with pickled cucumbers. It resembled nothing less than an alien creature and did not exactly look particularly inviting, especially as it stole the eye away from the true star of the plat: that charred sea bream, which had all of the critics raving. Sometimes less is more and sometimes you have to be able to step back, edit, and look at a plate with a critical eye. Could he have done better by thinly slicing the tuna into a sashimi? Likely yes.

However, it was a rare misstep in a three-course meal that was otherwise absolutely stellar. That scallop in black bean sauce looked amazing as did that crispy croquette of shrimp and crab with its web of fried tendrils. But the true star was that Thai lamb and Chiang Mai sausage, a stunning display of Thai cuisine infused with modern, pan-Asian asthetics and flavors. Some questioned the polenta, but I bought his explanation of lightness there. A masterful dish that offered multiple sauces, multiple flavors, and a true understanding of Asian cuisine.

Who would win? Which of these three extremely talented chefs would take home the title and bragging rights to the title of Top Chef Master? I actually believed that it would come down to a showdown between Lee and Moonen, as Samuelsson had nailed the second course but his other two dishes didn't seem to be as strong as Moonen's or Lee's in the first and third course categories.

So I was extremely puzzled and a little confused when Jay Rayner gave Samuelsson five stars, the highest of any of the chefs, when the editing hadn't exactly showed the critics to be that bowled over by all three of Samuelsson's dishes... to the point where I actually thought that he was the least likely to walk away the victor. Did I miss something? Were the judges that much more pleased and blown away by Samuelsson's three dishes than it initially appeared?

But despite having few criticisms for either Lee or Moonen--both of whom looked shocked--it was Samuelsson who walked away the victor, entirely on the strength of that five-star rating from Rayner. Odd, no? While I think Samuelsson is a super-talented chef, I didn't think his performance this season had him tipped for the winner, nor did I think his overall meal this week quite matched up to Lee or Moonen.

What did you think? Did the right chef win? Who would you have given the title to? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Top Chef Masters may have ended, but a brand-new season of Top Chef begins next week on Bravo.

The Secret of Life is in Art: An Advance Review of Bravo's Work of Art

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.” - Leonardo Da Vinci

I'll admit that my expectations for Bravo's newest reality competition series Work of Art were painfully low. After all, this seems just just the sort of series for which you can easily make a snide remark about it being less exciting than watching paint dry.

But I have to say that I was extremely pleasantly surprised by Work of Art, which premieres tonight. Not only was it fast-paced and exciting, but it was slickly produced, thanks in part to the crack team at Magical Elves, which has once again worked its reality magic on this format.

Art isn't the most accessible of topics, yet the show--which is hosted by China Chow--is just that: tearing away the sort of potential pretentiousness of its subject by allowing the audience to enter the minds of some gifted artists--each coming from different media--and participate in the artistic process.

The result is a fun and engaging hour that's overflowing with quirky and memorable contestants, several of whom seem to have forgotten that they're on camera and shouldn't be making biting remarks that will come back to haunt them later on when the judges turn up and harshly criticize their own work.

But while there's definitely enough drama here to pique the attention of Project Runway or Top Chef fans, there's also something exciting about the format as well, which sees the artists get a different assignment each week. In the series premiere, it's to compose a portrait of a randomly-assigned fellow contestant, in which they must not only capture the exterior likeness of their subject but also the ethereal internal elements of what make them unique.

While other series may have had all of the contestants compose realistic portraiture paintings, Work of Art revels in the individuality of the artists in its midst, allowing them to use what ever medium they deem to be fitting. Which means that the audience gets to see examples of abstract painting, three-dimensional installation, silkscreening, photography, and more.

Ultimately, I'm on board for the season, if the premiere episode is any indication of just where the competition is heading. There are some supremely talented individuals in the mix (and a few that left me scratching my head) whose progress I'm excited to follow over the course of the season. It's the rare series that can take us inside the artist's mind but Work of Art manages to do just that... and makes it a thrilling place to be, to boot.

Work of Art premieres tonight at 11 pm ET/PT on Bravo.

The Daily Beast: "19 Reasons to Watch TV This Summer"

Looking to set your TiVo season pass this summer before you head out on vacation? Or sticking around and wondering just what's worth watching (or at least checking out) this summer?

Head over to The Daily Beast, where you can read my piece entitled, "19 Reasons to Watch TV This Summer," where I break down 19 new and returning series airing during the sweltering season, including HBO's True Blood AMC's Rubicon and Mad Men, Bravo's Work of Art and Top Chef: DC, FOX's Masterchef, Syfy's Haven, USA's White Collar, TNT's Memphis Beat and Rizzoli & Isles, BBC America's Being Human, and a lot more.

Check out the gallery to read descriptions of the series and then head to the comments section to discuss just what you're most excited about this summer.

Channel Surfing: Amy Ryan Nabs In Treatment Role, Jessalyn Gilsig Talks Glee, Sanaa Lathan Spies Tilda, and More

Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Amy Ryan (The Office, The Wire) has landed a role on Season Three of HBO's psychiatric drama In Treatment, where she will play the new therapist for Gabriel Byrne's Paul. That role was formerly supplied by Dianne Wiest's Gina, who was Paul's mentor/psychotherapist for the first two seasons. (Wiest has departed the series.) [Editor: it's about high time that Ryan had a regular gig on a series. She's been a favorite since her turn on The Wire as Beadie, so it's only fitting that she returns to HBO for In Treatnment.] (Deadline)

E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos has an interview with Glee's Jessalyn Gilsig, who plays Will's scheming ex-wife Terri. So will Terri be returning for Season Two of Glee? And just what was up with her potentially inappropriate interest in Finn (Cory Monteith)? While Gilsig admits that she hasn't yet received her official pickup from FOX for next season, she did discuss what happened with Finn in this week's episode ("Funk"). "What happened was completely by accident," Gilsig told E! Online about Terri's relationship with Finn. "She sees in Finn so much of what she saw in Will when she first met him because he's the same age as Will was. It's her way of remembering happier times—when she used to be kind to Will. And she realizes, here's a chance to be supportive of this kid." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)

Sanaa Lathan (Nip/Tuck) is the latest actor to board HBO's comedy pilot Tilda, which stars Diane Keaton, Jason Patric, and Ellen Page, according to Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. Lathan will play Sasha Litt, described as "a mysterious new head of operations that RMG head Andrew Brown (Jason Patric) brings in to work at the studio." Production on the pilot, written by Cynthia Mort and directed by Bill Condon, is slated to get underway soon in Los Angeles. (Deadline)

ABC won't be coming to the rescue of cancelled CBS comedy series The New Adventures of Old Christine after talks broke down between ABC and studio Warner Bros. Television. "The network had showed strong interest in picking up Old Christine for the past three years," writes Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "But when the show finally became available this year, a deal proved impossible to make as ABC was said to be unwilling to pay the high license fee needed to keep the veteran comedy series going." Which means that the Old Christine episode that aired May 12th will in fact serve as the series finale. (Deadline)

SPOILER! Leonard Nimoy has hinted that he might be returning to FOX's Fringe, despite the fact that his character, William Bell, appeared to have died in the season finale. "Do I think William Bell is really dead?" said Nimoy in a video on the official website. "This is science fiction. I have died in science fiction many times and somehow magically or scientifically come back. Given that he has disintegrated, what happens in the future remains to be seen." [Editor: his conjecture would also cast doubts upon Nimoy's "retirement" from acting as well.] (via Digital Spy)

What, was the title Conveyor Belt of Doom already taken? Chris Jericho will serve as host of ABC's "extreme game show" Downfall, set to air launch June 22nd. Series, which has been ordered for six episodes, will feature "contestants try to answer questions while on the roof of a Los Angeles high-rise. Meanwhile, 'the largest conveyor belt ever seen on TV' will send potential winnings (cash and prizes), the player's personal possessions and even friends and family over the side of the building." (Hollywood Reporter)

NBC Universal has signed a two-year overall deal with writer Lisa Zwerling (FlashForward), under which she will join the staff of NBC's upcoming drama series The Event as a consulting producer and develop new projects for Universal Media Studios. "Lisa is a breath of fresh air, so smart and passionate," said NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios drama exec VP Laura Lancaster told Variety. "We're impressed with her creative range and feel so fortunate she's decided to make UMS her home." (Variety)

"Sword of omens, give me sight beyond sight!" Cartoon Network has ordered a new animated series of ThunderCats (based on the much beloved 1980s animated series) from Warner Bros. Animation. "The update will combine swords and science with high-stakes battles as good and evil clash for the Stones of Power," writes The Hollywood Reporter's James Hibberd. News comes after Cartoon Network gave a series order to animated superhero project Green Lantern. (Hollywood Reporter)

BBC Worldwide America has hired former Nickelodeon executive Herb Scannell has the new president of U.S. operations, where he will oversee digital channel BBC America as well as BBC Worldwide America's US-based studio and production entity. "I would assume (BBC America) has more original shows launching than any other channel in cable TV," Scannell told Variety. "That's just by nature, given the number of shows coming from the BBC that haven't aired here in the States. I do have an interest in supplementing that with made-in-America shows that kind of have the three major attributes that make a BBC show: That they're smart, innovative and irreverent. Those are the key building blocks to think about programming wise and in branding." (Variety)

After nearly 40 years, the axe has fallen on Roy Clarke's long-running British comedy series Last Of The Summer Wine, which will end its run after more than 30 seasons this year, BBC One confirmed. "Last Of The Summer Wine has been part of BBC One for nearly 40 years," said Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One, in a statement. "This wonderful final series is a fitting farewell to these much loved characters and I am delighted some of the channel's other heritage brands will be helping to say goodbye in style." (BBC)

Frances Berwick has been promoted to president of Bravo, filling a position that has been empty since Lauren Zalaznick was promoted to president of NBC Universal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks in 2008. [Editor: congrats, Frances!] (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Geoduck and Monkfish Liver, Oh My: Scary Surf and Turf on Top Chef Masters

I know that a lot of people were turned off my this week's Elimination Challenge on Bravo's Top Chef Masters, given its use of some out of the ordinary (okay, extreme) ingredients, such as geoduck, black chicken, duck's tongue, kangaroo, sea cucumber, and monkfish liver.

While I haven't eaten a single item that was on offer here, I like to be open-minded. I'm somewhat culinarily adventurous and, if one of these master chefs cooked something, I would eat whatever they put down in front of me, if I had the chance. Even if that was something as unpalatable as the Pacific Northwest's phallic-looking bivalve the geoduck or the sea cucumber, which Susan Feniger described as "a slug."

So while it didn't exactly stir my appetite, I was fascinated to see how each of the chefs would adapt and use these ingredients on this week's episode of Top Chef Masters ("Scary Surf and Turf").

Tasked with using two unusual proteins--a land-based one and a sea element--the seven remaining master chefs would have to construct a masterful dish that would satisfy the critics and the extreme cuisine experts assembled. But before that, a lighthearted Quickfire Challenge that rewarded the chefs creativity and their knowledge of The Simpsons.

So how did the chefs do? Let's discuss.

I thought that the Quickfire Challenge was really quite a lot of fun. I especially loved the idea that the chefs would have to conceptualize their dish around a specific Simpsons character and everyone there--save Susur Lee--seemed to be intimately familiar with The Simpsons or at least had enough of a surface knowledge to fake it, as they'd be cooking for creator Matt Groening, producer Matt Selman, and actor Hank Azaria... as well as Chief Wiggum, Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, Moe, and Apu.

Here's what they made:

• Jody Adams (Lisa): cracked wheat salad with goat's milk ricotta, barbecue beets, and baked kale chips
• Susur Lee (Marge): purple potatoes, pan roasted pork chop, glazed grapes with mustard sauce
• Tony Mantuano (Chief Wiggum): fried bacon-honey pizza dough with boozy coffee
• Rick Moonen (Homer): shrimp "sloppy D'Oh!" with truffle potato chps and beer
• Susan Feniger (Moe): millet crispy treats with peanut butter chips, donus, and Mexican hot chocolate
• Marcus Samuelsson (Apu): Indian-style tomato soup with condiments of rice, chickpeas, chutney, melon, and nuts
Jonathan Waxman (Bart): spaghetti bambino with grilled tomato, ham, and cheese sandwich

While Lee managed to pull off a convincing portrait of Marge, I didn't really think that it quite met the brief here; yes, Marge may have found it fun to encourage some levity and fun with the food (chocolate chip faces on pancakes and all that), the items that made up the portrait seemed odd and thrown in to make the look rather than the taste work (olives, pretzels, etc.)... and Mantuano would have done better here had he been able to use more bacon fat to infuse the saline porkiness into the pizza dough. But he was unable to as Lee used his pan of rendered fan as a trash receptacle. (Grr.) I thought that Samuelsson delivered an amazing traditional Indian repast but it wasn't quite in fitting with Apu's need to assimilate. Waxman nailed Bart precisely with a beautifully rendered, delicious, and simple meal of spaghetti and grilled cheese. I love Feniger's millet treats (she serves them at Street) but didn't quite get what she was going for here with Moe; everything should have slid down a notch to more of a sleazy/cheap quotient. I thought that Adams nailed Lisa's entire culinary ethos with a beautifully rendered vegetarian dish that played with unexpected texture and juxtaposition... But it was Moonen's seafood take on the sloppy Joe that earned him the win here, transforming the humble dish into something elegant and refined, thanks to some shrimp and truffle oil. Well played, sir.

For their Elimination Challenge, the chefs had to select two unusual proteins from a rather gruesome table display and then combine them into a single dish that showcased both proteins to their fullest. I will admit to being unfamiliar with the taste of all of these ingredients (I'm no Andrew Zimmern) but I was intrigued by how the chefs would deal with not one, but two, extreme cuisine items on a single plate, a delicate balancing act that would require some serious conceptualizing and precise execution for it to really work here.

Here's what they made:

• Moonen: poached black chicken mousse and roulade, monkfish liver torchon, butter leeks
• Mantuano: crostino with calamari in zimino, goat cheese ravioli with braised goat sauce
• Lee: poached monkfish liver, black chicken veloute, black chiken with monkfish liver, beggar's purse with vegetables
• Adams: Sicilian-spiced roast goat, geoduck and chickpea chowder, homemade harissa
• Waxman: giant squid fritto misto, fried duck tongue, fideo with duck tongue
Samuelsson: geoduck and kangaroo sausage, geoduck with couscous, geoduck and kangaroo tartareFeniger: marinated sea cucumber, fried sea cucumber, kangaroo with juniper sauce

No surprise here that Susur Lee came out ahead. Given his familiarity with the ingredients, I do think that the judges were hoping to be wowed by his creativity and Lee did not disappoint. When the critics' only real complaint is that something tiny and minuscule seems superfluous on the plate, you know that you've won them over completely. I thought that his use of classic techniques and modern presentation were elegant and refined. The way that he boned the chicken leg and stuffed it, mirroring its image with the monkfish liver and chicken was brilliant. No surprise that he walked away with a near perfect showing here.

Working with same ingredients, Moonen also nearly walked away with the top spot, transforming his black chicken and monkfish liver selections into a classic French preparation that pushed him away from his reputation as "the seafood guy" and showed his range and his classical training. A beautiful dish that I would have eaten in a heartbeat, even with the addition of the leeks, which some critics seemed to think gilding the lily a bit.

I think Mantuano had a fantastic idea with his dish and only wish that he had been able to braise the goat for longer to create more of a rich and goat-laden sauce for his velvety pasta here. The critics seemed split on the seasoning of his crostino but that was more a quibble than anything. Not a winning dish but a very well done one that would have been better received had there been more than just ribbony pieces of tender goat atop those pasta pillows.

Feniger needed some editing, though I thought that her ideas were spot-on. She marinated the sea cucumber and served it raw with some tofu... and also deep-fried it for another preparation, which she served with some soba noodles, the latter of which made the critics sing with happiness. But the profundity of elements on the plate: various salads and garnishes overcrowded the presentation, resulting in a confusion of ideas, tastes, and textures. Overload, really.

Poor Jody. She too had problems with the goat and attempted to cook the goat rare by roasting it, which didn't quite result in the texture necessary to enjoy the protein: it was far too chewy and needed to have been cooked longer... and it made me very nervous about her chances here. The critics did love her geoduck and chickpea chowder which they raved about, and thought an absolutely perfect use of the geoduck. Alas...

Likewise, poor Jonathan Waxman was in a fog this week and I was concerned that either he or Adams would be the one to get the boot this week. His plate seemed schizophrenic at best: a messy hodgepodge of elements: fritto misto, fideo, fried duck tongues, of which threatened to spill off the plate. Waxman was clearly out of his element here; gone was the cheery, optimistic, and magical alchemist and, in his stead, remained a bewildered chef who had no idea what he was putting together.

I thought Samuelsson would excel at this challenge but, after seeing his dish, I knew that he too would wind up in the bottom three with Adams and Waxman. I wasn't sure what to make of his over the top plate: there was sausage, way overcooked geoduck with couscous, a tartate, and an oversaucing that looked more like a broth on the plate. Too much and in need of rethinking here.

Ultimately, it came down to Waxman and Adams and the undercooked goat was what did Jody Adams in, unfortunately. I'm really sad to see her go and was hoping that both she and Waxman would stick around to the final rounds. (I'd have been far happier to see Samuelsson go home this week.)

What did you think of this week's episode? Would you have send Jody Adams home? Would you have awarded the top spot to Susur Lee or Rick Moonen? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on Top Chef Masters ("Tailgating"), the chefs are tasked with a Quickfire with a very specific focus: the leg; later they turn their skills to an even bigger challenge, preparing a tailgate feast for college football fans.

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