‘Top Chef’ season 14 video: The new chefs meet the returnees
We’ve already made one thing clear about the format for “Top Chef” season 14: We don’t like it. While we’d love to have a season stuffed to the brim with returning contestants (we’re really fond of the All-Star season), a season with half returnees isn’t anywhere near as good on paper. That means you’ve got a crop of chefs with some familiarity to the rigors of this competition, and some that are going into it without that valuable experience.
Maybe there are some shows out there where being on a previous season isn’t as useful, but here, we think it’s incredibly valuable. You’re used to the time limit, the presence of cameras constantly in your face, and the strategy that is present here at times. You can view the full roster of returning chefs over at this link, but if you just watch the sneak peek below from Thursday’s season premiere (airing at 10:00 p.m. Eastern), odds are you’ll encounter a few faces that you’ll recognize almost right away, anyway. Brooke was one of our favorites on her first season, and we did find Katsuji to be entertainment gold the last time he was around.
The new chefs seem rather shocked to see this many returnees present, though at the same time they had to assume that something was up the moment that they walked in there and realized that there were only so many of them present.
This preview also serves as a great means for the contestants to be introduced to new judge Graham Elliot, who they probably know in some shape or form already. He was on “Top Chef Masters,” but interesting there’s no mention in here of his “MasterChef” experience given that this is probably what he’s best known for. Granted, that’s a different network. We’ve always been a Graham fan, and he was super-nice when we interviewed him back in the day for “MasterChef.” It’s nice to have him around this season.
Want to get some other news in regards to “Top Chef” right away? Then be sure to head over here! We’ll be covering the show all season long, so that is something that you can look forward to checking out in the weeks ahead. (Photo: Bravo.)