Top Chef Masters is a Tasty Addition

Summer TV is, for the most part, a wasteland of D-list reality and shows deemed not-ready-for-primetime. But some shows work better in the summer, shows that can't compete in the main season but are light and fun enough to fit perfectly in the summertime. I'm thinking Entourage and Nip/Tuck (neither of which should have left summer, or aired their past few seasons, for that matter). And now, Top Chef Masters.

Now, Top Chef Masters is not Top Chef, but it's different enough to be worthwhile on its own while helping carry us over til the original flavor comes back. Taking seasoned pros instead of up-and-coming newbies changes the dynamic in many ways. For one, the stakes are a lot lower. Since none of their careers are on the line, they don't seem to take it all too seriously.

Also lowering the drama is that this time around the first 6 weeks each feature four different chefs, and each winner will continue to the finals. That means we don't get to know a cast over a period of weeks and don't get the Real World-style drama of them all living and drinking together. Lastly, since they're some of the best chefs in the country, the criticisms are never quite as soul-crushing as some of the ones on the original show.

But if there's less drama in some ways, the show's also more interesting in others. Because they're all such established chefs with their regular cooking routines, they're even less inclined towards wacky challenges. Week 1 winner Hubert Keller couldn't even find his way around Whole Foods! There's something amusing about watching a bunch of pros try to remember the basics, and quickly realize it's harder than it looks.

And so far at least the challenges look worthy of Top Chef. No softballs like "cook a French meal." No, they got the microwave/toaster oven only challenge from season 5's Thanksgiving episode combined with the lack of workspace of a college dorm. Now that is a challenge. And it led to Keller cooking in a bathroom. So everyone wins.

Since the food they're putting out is on the whole better than with the novices, this at times feels less like Bravo-style reality and more like Food Network. Since Bravo has the Real Housewives series and Food Network is awesome, I would consider that a compliment. But it does affect the tone of the show.

The critics table is admittedly a large step down, but at least there's no Toby Youngs (though the British guy is clearly the Toby Young stand-in). Not-Padma looks kind of like a bird, red sweater is like a stereotypical food critic, and Gail 2 seems to like everything. At least the real Gail is coming back for future episodes to show them what's what. And the clips of Tom Colicchio were a nice touch.

Since this summer also features Bravo's lame Project Runway knock-off The Fashion Show, it's nice to see Top Chef's spin-off has not followed that same course. So while I'm catching up on Heroes, Dollhouse, and the other shows I didn't have time to watch this past season, I'm glad this provides me with something new to throw in the mix as well.