It's Back!

Can I just say I love this show? I'm so happy it's back on.

The show got off to a great start last night. While sending someone home within the first 10 minutes, before they even got to unpack, was a little cruel, it certainly set a no-nonsense tone for the season.

The first challenge for the 17 contestants was to peel 15 apples using a paring knife. The first nine to finish to Tom's approval were safe. The remaining eight went on to the next challenge. This time they had to brunoise* two cups worth of the apples. Again to Tom's approval. The first four were safe. The remaining four then had 20 minutes to prepare a dish. The dish Tom liked least would go home.

The writing on the wall was there to let you know who was going home. It's the only one they did a backstory on during the segment. Lauren is a 24 year old married chef. Her husband is currently deployed. Within minutes of arriving, she found out that one of the other contestants was her good friend, Patrick. They were friends at the Culinary Institute of America, where Patrick, 21, is still a student. The mere fact they told us all of this within the first few minutes of the episode did not bode well for these two. Neither did the fact that they ended up in the bottom two of the quickfire.

In my opinion, they ended up there because they didn't cook. The other two grabbed a protein (pork and scallops) and prepared a dish. Both Lauren and Patrick made salads. Lauren ended up eliminated and the reunion was over before it even began.

The elimination challenge was also excellent. I had this whole review written in my head about the two who ended up in the bottom, and why I thought the right one went home. Then I went online and read Tom's blog about why they decided the way they did. He said everything I thought, but he was actually there and tasted the food. I was thrilled to see that my reasoning was right on target. On the other hand, his version has more credibility since he's an actual judge.

Be sure to catch one of the many repeats this week. I actually love that they show the episode multiple times. It's nice knowing that if I miss the Wednesday night premiere, I can always watch it on Thursday or over the weekend.

It's too early for me to pick a favorite yet as I like to watch them work and see their personalities. It does seem like they have some very talented people competing this season. I think it's going to be a fun ride!

*Brunoise is a method of food preparation in which the food item is first julienned and then turned 90° and diced again, producing cubes of a side length of about 3 mm on each side or less.