Top Chef Texas: Bigger and Meatier

Top Chef Texas had its premiere last night on BRAVO and it absolutely did not disappoint.

The one thing about this consistently successful franchise that keeps us coming back for more aside from the mouth-watering confections on display is the way the camera flawlessly captures the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

And last night’s episode served up a course that would satisfy any viewer’s palette. As an homage to the grandiosity associated with the state of Texas, every aspect of the show was presented on a larger scale and the menu overflowed with Meat, Meat and more Meat. This time we were introduced to 29 incredibly talented contestants, who all seemed to run the gamut in the food industry. The age differences were also quite glaring and it appeared casting made an effort to represent almost every state on the map.

At the start of the show, all the contestants converged at the Alamo, and the sight of host Padma Lakshmi  standing in front of this imposing landmark, gave the signal that the stakes were going to be much higher this time around.

By the first Quickfire challenge, it was clear that the goal was to reduce the 29 hopefuls to 15 competing chefs. The first chunk were either unapologetically dismissed or placed “on the “bubble” which was explained as a sort of limbo stage where the contestants who didn’t impress enough to be promptly handed a chef’s coat, will still have the opportunity to wear one if they successfully beat out other contestants who share the same fate.  

By next week’s episode, the competition will be in full swing, with all the usual suspects including Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons assuming their positions at the judges table determining the fate of the eager-eyed chefs.

Let the games begin!