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By Vinnie Penn
Special to MSN TV
The best thing about a show like Bravo's Emmy-winning "Top Chef" (premiering Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET/PT) potentially jumping the shark is that one of the many chefs on hand could just as easily grill it up with a nice citrus glaze.
"Top Chef" arguably jumped the mako shark last season in New York, when producers brought on Toby Young, author of "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," as a new judge. Wherein another reality show behemoth like "American Idol" did the same via Kara DioGuardi, she at least had substantial industry credibility as a music veteran, a hit songwriter with a distinct vantage point. What exactly does Young bring? He toiled as a food critic before penning the book that made him a non-household name. Methinks the powers-that-be assumed he'd bring the Ramsay.
Sure, "Chef" has essentially been shuffling the judge deck since the show's start, the mainstay being head judge Tom Colicchio, chef/owner of Craft Restaurants. But comparatively speaking, over on "The Next Food Network Star," the head judge is chef Bobby Flay, who, excuse the pun, knows how to throw down. Cooking skill set conjecture aside, Flay knows good TV, hosting shows of his own, while Colicchio, renowned culinary figure though he may be, does not have the same presence or engage the camera as intensely as the contestants do.
But hey, "Top Chef" is the award-winner, and a bona fide hit with the ratings to prove it. It could all really boil down to Bravo vs. the Food Network more than the shows themselves.
However, the glitz and the glamour of Sin City may only prove to be a distraction for the show. The 24/7 vibe of the city won't make the chefs' collective brows sweat any more furiously, nor will the fact that so many culinary luminaries have set up shop there, including Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck, who is the guest judge in the premiere. Wherein Vegas did help MTV's long-running "Real World" roommates pull the ripcord like no previous season had, I doubt we'll see any of the "Top Chef" contestants hopping into a Jacuzzi after doing a few belly button shots off one another. Their shooters will be oyster and shitake mushroom.
Furthermore, as far as dining goes, putting Vegas up against New York is really like making Spider-Man take on Jimmy Neutron. But, to be fair, like "The Real World," "Top Chef" has committed itself to a new location every time out. Season 1 was filmed in San Francisco, and Season 2 only a hop, skip, and a jump away in Los Angeles. Then, the real globetrotting began: Next came Miami, a premier dining destination. Miami begat Chicago, Chicago begat New York, and NYC somehow begat Vegas, even while so many other (better) locations come to mind.
Even so, the real question is why this is even necessary. For "The Real World" it makes sense, but these chefs could have been assembled on a Los Angeles soundstage for every installment and the grits would've still hit the fan.
But I'm no hater. I love "Top Chef," and cooking shows in general, particularly the accessible ones where I may be able to go away from the TV and pull off one of the recipes (like Rachael Ray or Guy Fieri), as opposed to the ones where I can ogle at the presentation and sometimes even the presenter (Giada De Laurentiis anyone?). I do find the competition on "The Next Food Network Star" to be far more compelling and, therefore, viewable.
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