Top Chef season 15: Premiere date hopes; how to avoid another mess
The first thing we want to do is issue a reminder that there will in fact be a season 15 for the long-running Bravo series. The franchise was renewed back in January, and if you think in terms of the empire that now surrounds the series, which includes products and occasional spin-offs, it’s hard to imagine it going anywhere in the near future.
As for possible premiere dates, it’s probably fair to expect November / December once more. This is a good place for the show to air given that it avoids, save for February, the majority of the sweeps programming out there and capitalizes on some quieter periods of the season. Why change something if it’s not broken?
Now, let’s talk problem-solving
We leave season 4 feeling incredibly conflicted. In terms of likable personalities, Top Chef: Charleston had many. We’ve loved Sheldon Simeon for ages, Brooke Williamson felt like a winner from the start, and regardless of if she or Shirley Chung takes home the title, it’s easy to feel happy about the end result. Even when you think about people who didn’t make it far, Jim Smith was a super-likable underdog and Katsuji Tanabe is pretty good pot-stirrer for what this competition is.
Now, let’s be blunt: Hopefully the show never does another returning players versus newbies format. It was a terrible idea when it first was ordered, and it’s a terrible idea in retrospect. The newbie chefs have such an inherent disadvantage that if we were cast on one of these seasons, we’d be liable to make up some excuse and hope to do another one down the road. It’s not so much about culinary experience; it’s about being used to the rigors of doing the show and having production in your face and the long hours. This is an adjustment, and it doomed so many perfectly good chefs in the early going this season.
You’ll be able to see our take on the finale later over at the link here. (Photo: Bravo.)
What do you want to see on Top Chef season 15? Be sure to sound off now in the comments!