For the first time since the W. Bush Administration, Padma Lakshmi is not driving the welcome wagon when Top Chef introduces the new field of cheftestants in a season premiere. Kristen Kish is at the helm, and the early reviews are strong. She might not project the authority Padma brought after 19 seasons as host, but she does have bring something unique: A Top Chef title. It’s a distinction that comes through from the opening moments of the episode.
This is an “inverted” episode of Top Chef that dives right into the Elimination Challenge, and effectively saves the QuickFile for the end, disguised as a cook-off with elimination on the line. Tom and Kevin approve. They also like the “divisional” structure of the elimination challenge, with the field of 15 chefs divided into three 5-chef mini-competitions — even if preparing soup is a high-floor, low-ceiling challenge, whereas stuffed pasta is a beast.
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