Top Chef Is Back, But Has It Gotten Boring?

It's hard to judge a reality competition by its season premiere. Usually, it's much of the same—contestants boasting about their inevitable win, judges explaining the rules for the umpteenth time, and, on Top Chef, at least, Padma shilling for the current sponsor (looks like we'll be hearing lots more about Dial NutriSkin in the weeks to come!).

Luckily, Top Chef is an established series—the show returned for Season 7 last night—and we're used to these growing pains. We know that once the judges/producers weed out the crappy (read: boring) contestants, things will run a lot more smoothly. In the meantime, I'll focus on the food, which looked pretty damn good in glorious high definition. And while there are no clear frontrunners yet, I'm at least mildly intrigued by a few. (I want to punch Angelo. That counts as intrigue, right?)

The first Quickfire Challenge was of the relay race variety: I can barely watch these without hyperventilating. But many of the chefs seemed to do fine expertly peeling potatoes, dicing onions, not cutting off a finger. Well, one chef—I can't be bothered to learn all of their names yet—did slice her palm, but I think we can let that one slide. When Angelo won, he announced his intention to win every single challenge. I scoffed and wanted to smack him again, but I also admired his tenacity. I think we have this season's villain!

For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs had to cook something that reflected their native region. In general, I'm a fan of the flashier, themed challenges—I'm looking for good television, not good food. It's not as though I get to taste anything. But again, this was the season premiere, so I'll cut them some slack. I think these kind of challenges are meant to give us a sense of who the chefs are, but for the life of me, I can't remember any of them. Except Angelo. I love/hate him already.

OK, I also remember John, because of the hair and the crazy eyes. He made me feel uneasy. Did you notice that even the judges couldn't hide their discomfort when he was presenting his dish? I'm sure he's a nice guy, but he's also nightmare fodder. No wonder they sent him home first.

If I sound less than enthused, it's because there really wasn't anything remarkable about the episode. And even though I kind of expected as much, I was still hoping for a bit more. The challenges were middle-of-the-road, and so far the contestants' personalities seem strangely muted. You're on reality TV, guys—smile! Throw something! That said, I remain faithful that things will improve. Mostly, I want to see more Eric Ripert. If I can't have Fabio and Stefan, I need at least one awesome accent.

Oh, and one brief, final note: The episode was titled "House of Chef-presentatives." Yes, I cringed, but it actually made me kind of happy. Looks like the producers of Top Chef still have a sense of humor.

What did you think of the premiere?