Jul 27 2010
First Iron, Then Top, Now Master…Chef, That Is
In the pantheon (nay, panoply) of filmed cooking competitions, Japan's (not America's, which is a ersatz ripoff of the transparently rigged Japanese original) Iron Chef was probably the first. Then came Bravo's Top Chef here stateside (followed by a bunch of minor variations on Food Network and elsewhere) and now Master Chef from none other than the volatile (and somewhat financially bankrupt) Gordon Ramsay.
From what I've read, Master Chef, which solely features home cooks with no professional experience, finds the curse-flinging Ramsay at his mellowest best.
We can discover if this is true ourselves tonight, Tuesday, July 27 (9 p.m. my time), on the inaugural episode. Meanwhile, Top Chef—so far the most popular and well done of the U.S. shows—continues tomorrow night, but I'm already thinking they're dragging this thing on too long. Let's get rid of the competitors we all know can make it and get this over with!
Anyway, the producers have a set number of weeks promised to Bravo, so we're stuck. Meanwhile, tomorrow night—much to my chagrin—D.C. politicians get involved in the proceedings. Let's leave the double-talkers in their pleasure domes and stick to serious business, but here's a preview clip:
