Top Chef All Stars

Top Chef All Stars premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo.  I have high hopes for this show and I am confident that it will deliver.  My one fear is that there will be slightly more unnecessary drama between cast-mates as they dwell on mistakes made on past seasons.  There will be the inevitable jab at Casey for the failed sous-vide job when she was serving as sous chef to Carla.  But, hopefully the focus will still be on food.

Who are the strong contenders for this season?  I thought it might be fun to make a few predictions, and then we can see how it all turns out.

You can brush up on your contestants here

Angelo, Season 7: I do not think he will make it far.  He is probably burnt out from last season, his restaurant Xie Xie closed, and he is no longer marrying his (mail-order) bride.  

Dale, Season 3: I just met Dale at his restaurant in Chicago, called Sprout.  I think Dale has what it takes to win, but I have a feeling he may approach this with a more relaxed and fun attitude.  He has a successful restaurant.  He will cook great food, and make people laugh.

Casey, Season 3: Casey is on this show to right a wrong.  Top Chef fans are mad at her for persuading Carla to use the sous-vide method, a method of cooking Carla was unfamiliar with. It cost Carla the win.  You can be mad at Casey, but you have to put some of the heat on Carla for letting Casey persuade her.  Long story short, Casey will be cooking with her heart and will be working to get that charm back.  I think she will succeed.  

Elia, Season 2: Elia is a ball of fire.  She is going to bring it, and I think she will do really well.  I think she will make it to the Top 10.  

Marcel, Season 2 & Fabio, Season 5: Both great chefs.  I put them together though because a television show is a television show, meaning that a television show has to be entertaining.  Marcel is a jerk.  Fabio is an Italian charmer.  Marcel will piss people off.  Fabio will deliver those one-liners that will make hearts swoon.  We will be watching them for their entertainment value.

Stephen, Season 1: Saw him in Union Square once.  He is a sommelier.  He kicked some major butt in the first season.  However, he made a weak return to a Top Chef special once where it was clear that his time spent not in the kitchen was impacting his cooking.  He will make it to the top 10 though.  No way would he come back on to this show without studying and practicing first.

Tiffany, Season 7: I think she is running on adrenaline from Season 7 and will go far.  She will be a great teammate, and people will warm up to her quickly.

Spike, Season 4: Spike has opened two very successful restaurants in D.C. and won the Burger Bash event at the NYC Food & Wine Festival.  He has definitely proven himself to be a talented chef without the show.  I fear he will revert back to his annoying antics from Season 4.

Mike, Season 6: Mike annoys me.  He seems kind of dumb.  I hope he leaves in the first few episodes. 

Dale, Season 4: I barely remember him.  I think that says it all.

Antonia, Season 4: I think she will go far.  She has that underdog vibe, but she actually kicks butt.  

Jamie, Season 5: I like Jamie.  I really liked her restaurant, Absinthe, in San Francisco.  Top ten.  

Here are my Top 5:

Tre, Season 3: Tre was kicked off during Restaurant Wars.  He should have made it far.  It was devastating when he left.  He will not let that happen again.

Jennifer, Season 6: Jennifer was slightly annoying at the beginning of Season 6, but then she grew on me.  She is a fabulous chef who works incredibly hard.  She is going to do everything she can to take all of these men down.

Tiffani, Season 1: Tiffani was heartbroken when she lost to Harold on Season 1.  She has frequently appeared on these one episode holiday special Top Chef showdowns, and she comes with fire in her eyes.  I have no doubts that she will be well prepared and fired up.  I don't know how she will do, but she will be in it to win it.

Richard, Season 4: He had a bad night on his season finale.  He could have won.  This is his second chance.

Carla, Season 5: I am really pushing for my Hooty-Hoo girl to make it to the top five.  I think she learned a lot on the show, has a strong support system, and works really hard.  Please Carla, make it to the end for me.  I don't know if she will actually make it to the Top 5.  I just really want her too.

Have a delicious day!

NYC Menu Girl