Top Chef -- TV Episode Recaps & News

For the Elim-lim, Penn and Teller, the duo known for “deconstructing” magic tricks, called upon the cheftestants to deconstruct classic dishes drawn at random.

S.06
Ep.05
'Camping'

Top Chef: Feel the Love

Last night the chefs said howdy-do to Tim “He’s a Cowboy, on a Steel Spatula He Rides” Love.

S.06
Ep.04
'Vivre Las Vegas'

Top Chef: France, Baby, France!

Daniel “One of the Baddest Mother[bleep]ers” Boulud asks the cheftestants to feed him something he has never tasted before, using escargot.

S.06
Ep.03
'Thunderbirds'

Top Chef Gets KP Duty

The cheftestants face a court-martial.

S.06
Ep.02
'Bachelor/ette Party'

Top Chef: Michael Introduces Us to Nitro Gazpacho (Again)

The cheftestants roll the dice with Todd English.

S.06
Ep.01
'Sin City Vice'

Odds Are, Top Chef: Vegas Is Going to Be a Good One

What’s up with Padma’s sexy-raspy voice, and who’s going to be the biggest douche bag?

S.05
Ep.14
'Finale (Part 2)'

Adam Platt on the Top Chef Finale: ‘The Key Was the Alligator’

Our recap of the season five: New York finale.

S.05
Ep.13
'Finale (Part 1)'

Adam Platt on Top Chef: ‘Stefan Is Drinking Like a Fish’

We talk with Platt about last night's episode.

S.05
Ep.12
'The Last Supper'

Adam Platt on Top Chef: ‘Carla Is Clearly a Savant of Some Kind’

We talk with Platt about last night's episode.

S.05
Ep.11
'Le Bernardin'

Top Chef Stephanie Izard Is Tired of Toby Young’s One-liners, Too

We chatted with last season's winner about last night's episode.

S.05
Ep.10
'Super Bowl Chef Showdown'

Adam Platt: ‘I Thought Top Chef Was Supposed to Be About New York?’

Platt chats about last night's football-themed episode.

S.05
Ep.09
'Restaurant Wars'

Adam Platt Wants to Know, Who Was Really on the Top Chef Futon?

Was that really Hosea making out with Leah?

S.05
Ep.08
'Down on the Farm'

Adam Platt Actually Half-Liked Crop Chef

Plus, our favorite critic responds to Toby Young.

S.05
Ep.07
'Focus Group'

Top Chef: Adam Platt Misses Gail, Sees a Horror Show Ahead

Last night's episode: Ham-fisted product placements, insipid background music, and forced bon mots.

S.05
Ep.06
'12 Days of Christmas'

Grinch-Like Adam Platt to Top Chef Producers: ‘A Pox on Their Houses!’

Last night's episode was like getting coal in your stocking.

S.05
Ep.05
'Gail's Bridal Shower'

Is Top Chef’s Evil Baldy Capable of ‘Outpalating’ Even Adam Platt?

We discuss the latest episode with the magazine's esteemed critic.

S.05
Ep.04
'Today Show'

Adam Platt Wonders How a Watermelon and Tomato Salad Could Wow the Top Chef Judges

As Ariane-gate continues to unfold, we asked our restaurant critic to make sense of it all.

S.05
Ep.02
'Show Your Craft'

Top Chef: Adam Platt Is Unnerved by PDA, Freakishly Bad Dishes

Our esteemed restaurant critic fears there are many bleak hours of non-drama ahead.

S.05
Ep.01
Episode 01

Adam Platt Sees a Kinder, Gentler ‘Top Chef,’ Evil Baldy Aside

The new season of ‘Top Chef’ is finally upon us. Adam Platt rejoins us for a post-show chat.

S.04
Ep.14
'Finale'

‘Top Chef’ Is Over, and Adam Platt Can Rest

Justice is served, with braised pistachios.

S.04
Ep.13
'Puerto Rico'

‘Top Chef’ Tease Fills Adam Platt With Rancor

After a poor performance, our least-favorite chef hangs on to torture us.

S.04
Ep.12
'High Steaks'

Adam Platt Predicts a Dull Future for ‘Top Chef’

The final four chefs prepare for their trip to Puerto Rico, but does anyone even care anymore?

S.04
Ep.11
'Restaurant Wars'

Adam Platt Fears the Gaze of the ‘Top Chef’ Gorgon

Dale and Lisa's tango of hatred truly terrified us on this week's 'Top Chef.'

S.04
Ep.10
'To Serve and Protect'

Adam Platt Has No Idea Who Sam Talbot Is

Last night's 'Top Chef' featured loathing and injustice of a sort so disturbing that only commiseration with Adam Platt could help.

S.04
Ep.09
'Wedding Wars'

Adam Platt Sees Justice Served on ‘Top Chef’

In one of the best 'Top Chef' episodes in recent memory, justice was served, and we and Adam Platt were very happy about it.

S.04
Ep.08
'Common Threads'

The Worst Episode of ‘Top Chef’?

Uncle Ben's and an economy meal for children does not add up to high-level entertainment. It just doesn't.

S.04
Ep.07
'Improv'

Adam Platt Sees ‘Top Chef’ Slowly Unraveling

Johnny Iuzzini and random improvisations make for an especially bizarre Top Chef episode.

S.04
Ep.06
'Tailgating'

Football Metaphors Not Enough to Save ‘Top Chef’

The cheftestants cook for discerning Bears fan, but the challenge proves too much for one out-of-towner.

S.04
Ep.05
'The Elements'

Adam Platt Bemoans ‘Top Chef’ Tantrums

After endless squabbling and a surprise ejection, we sat down to our IM chat with Adam Platt in a dark mood.

S.04
Ep.04
'Film Food'

‘Top Chef’ Boots the Weak, Keeps the Obnoxious

After watching last night's Top Chef, Adam Platt confronts the cold truth of reality TV.

S.04
Ep.03
'Block Party'

Adam Platt Pities ‘Top Chef’ Judges

Bad cooking? Obnoxious cheftestants? Sounds like last night's Top Chef was fantastic!

S.04
Ep.02
'Zoo Food'

Adam Platt Laments Latest ‘Top Chef’ Casualty

In week two of Top Chef, a trip to the zoo left one cheftestant alone in the wild.

S.04
Ep.01
'Anything You Can Cook I Can Cook Better'

‘Top Chef’ Is Back, and Adam Platt Isn't Happy About It

Finally, after an interminable wait only broken by doses of Top Chef books, cell-phone games, and Sudoku, the series itself is back.

S.03
Ep.14
'Finale: Part 2'

Adam Platt Was Right About ‘Top Chef’ All Along

The Top Chef finale turned out to be all we had hoped, as the three remaining rivals were all allowed to make whatever they wanted for a blue-ribbon panel of judges.

S.03
Ep.13
'Finale: Part 1'

Even Adam Platt Was Moved by Last Night’s ‘Top Chef’

Last night's penultimate Top Chef featured two enormously entertaining challenges.

S.03
Ep.12
'Manhattan Project'

Hung Earns Platt’s Reluctant Respect on ‘Top Chef’

The final cut prior to the Top Chef finale was made last night, as the contestants came to New York to cook before the most august figures the show could muster.

S.03
Ep.11
'Snacks on a Plane'

Pain, Empathy, and Ennui Over Last Night’s ‘Top Chef’

Unlike recent episodes, where nearly all produced hideous, inedible dishes, this one went pretty well.

S.03
Ep.10
'Chef Overboard'

Adam Platt Finally Gets His Wish

The inevitable finally occurred on last night's Top Chef.

S.03
Ep.09
'Second Helping'

The Gay Side of ‘Top Chef’ Comes Out

This week’s Top Chef was a good one, a do-over of last week’s failed restaurant openings.

S.03
Ep.08
'Restaurant Wars'

Truces and Vanilla Candles Ruin This Week's ‘Top Chef’

On this week’s Top Chef, the contestants faced a Quickfire Challenge in which they were asked to make burgers for Daniel Boulud.

S.03
Ep.07
'Guilty Pleasures'

Platt Stands Up for the Latest ‘Top Chef’ Non-Winner

Padma lies and tells the contestants that they're going to go out clubbing.

S.03
Ep.06
'Freezer Burn'

Adam Platt Finds the Moral in Last Night’s ‘Top Chef’

After an inane "culinary bee," the chefs were made to pair off and create frozen pasta dinners.

S.03
Ep.05
'Latin Lunch'

‘Top Chef’ Biases Finally Out on the Table

This week’s Top Chef provided another opportunity for the contestants to humiliate themselves, a chance they took full advantage of.

S.03
Ep.04
'Cooking by Numbers'

Sternbergh Thinks There Are Too Many Locals on ‘Top Chef’

Last night’s episode of Top Chef was a bloodbath.

S.03
Ep.03
'Family Favorites'

Adam Platt Thought Micah From ‘Top Chef’ Was a Train Wreck

The kicked-off cheftestant was barely done sniffling his/her good-byes when we were on Instant Messenger with our buddy, the acerbic Adam Platt, comparing notes.

S.03
Ep.02
'Sunny Delights'

Adam Platt Is Willing to Bet Against Howie on ‘Top Chef’

This week’s episode was especially entertaining.

S.03
Ep.01
'First Impressions'

Josh DeChellis Gives the ‘Top Chef’ Contestants High Marks

This season, we’re planning on kibitzing about the show every week with a variety of fellow viewers, all of whom will help us to dissect that episode’s round of flashy dishes and behind-the-scenes treachery.