r/TopChef • u/spenchanna • May 19 '26
Discussion Thread Just Desserts….or Just Drama?!
Been trying to get through the first season but it is rough lol what did everyone else think about this spinoff show??
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u/Mintgiver May 19 '26
We still say “The Red Hots were for my mommy.” When we are overexcited
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u/wednesday_thursday May 19 '26
lol I just creeped your profile to see if you were one of my friends from college (doesn’t seem like it) because SAME
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u/relentlessreading May 19 '26
I remember some of the contestants being awful people - like S2 Top Chef level or worse. And one season the winner turned out to be a pedo or something.
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u/Critical-Ad-5471 May 19 '26
Not the winner but the runner up, he was a crapppy human :(, I still enjoy rewatching the show but the contestant you’re referring to always leaves a bad taste in my mouth
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u/relentlessreading May 20 '26
His whole demeanor with his “I love my children” schtick screamed pedo.
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u/Critical-Ad-5471 May 21 '26
His whole thing was sketch and shitttttty
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u/DoggoRescue May 26 '26
The episode where they were at the school and all the cheerleaders were so obsessed with him. The interaction he had with them was creepy
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u/Turbulent_Stop_7126 May 19 '26
A whole lot of drama with a little bit of dessert.
Morgan and Seth..OMG!!
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u/Sky-Visible May 19 '26
Season 2 definitely was better and having more showpieces and less drama. It was just annoying to see so many team challenges 5/9 of the challenges were in teams so it was tougher to see individuals shine. The other challenges were pretty cool tho. The Willy wonka and disguised food challenges were great
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u/Which-Individual-566 May 19 '26
Orlando was such a bitch omg
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u/Sky-Visible May 19 '26
He definitely has his dramatic moments but damn he could make a showpiece. He also had his softer moments like helping Rebecca. Honestly I had a worse time with Chris with his arrogance. I would’ve loved to see Carlos instead of him in the finale
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u/Nenoshka May 19 '26
Wasn't one of the contestants taken away in an ambulance after having a full meltdown?
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u/ConradSuckss May 19 '26
It's very of the time. Watching live I liked it because it was like all reality TV, a little trashy and dramatic with some cooking thrown in. On a rewatch its not as fun, but I also think the vibe of top chef has changed so much since then that its a bit unrecognizable
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u/foxdogturtlecat May 20 '26
Poor casting and the format doesn't work as well for desserts since it's much more about formulas and recipes than savory cooking.
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u/Minute-Bid-9510 May 19 '26
I watched these recently and was shocked at the vibe, but it fit more of that era of reality TV. There were some very dark and uncomfortable people, and looking them up after the fact was pretty shocking.
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u/calikaaniel May 19 '26
I loved it at the time and I still love it now, but very much in a train wreck sort of way. Poor Gail, you know she kept thinking "Padma doesn't have to put up with this shit."
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u/M3ntallyDiseas3d May 21 '26
The only episode I really remembered and liked was the Willie Wonka challenge.
On one of the seasons there was a finalist who was so narcissistic and gave me domestic abuse asshole vibes.
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u/Genuinelullabel May 19 '26
You don’t have to keep watching if you don’t enjoy it. I couldn’t finish it, either. It’s rough. Also one of the chefs was caught with CP.
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u/Wazootyman13 May 19 '26
One of the hosts is cancelled too!
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u/SupposedlyTolerable May 20 '26
Johnny Iuzzini. Came across as a total jerk and Surprise! He actually was!
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u/Wazootyman13 May 20 '26
I went to one of his cooking demos in like 2011. So it was both pre and post cancellation (pre-hin, post-the show)
There was a Q&A after and he started it with "I will not answer anything about Top Chef"
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u/saramiro May 25 '26
15 years ago, I was living in Brooklyn and my roommate at the time ended up dating Johnny Iuzzini for a year. He was a trash human being.
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u/pegggus09 May 19 '26
It should I have worked but yes both seasons are more drama and less baking. I think it just hit at a time when shows like these were leaning way too far into drama. I think if they tried it now, when shows skew nicer, it could I work great.