Top Chef Masters, Season 2

If you like Top Chef AT ALL, you HAVE to watch this season of TCM. Really. This season was fantastic right up to the finale which was fantastic. Do yourself a favour and download this NOW. I watch Top Chef with my brother and I know he hasn't been watching Top Chef Masters this season because he wasn't wowed by the first season, but I'm going to buy this as a present for him. I know he'll love it and his cooking will be inspired by it.

I had to stop watching during the finale's final scene to write this review. I would have paid anything to be there eating that meal. I watched Top Chef Masters last season and wasn't blown away, but this season changes everything. They addressed all of the issues with Season 1 and then took it above and beyond. I have to agree with the other reviewer and say that this season of Top Chef Masters has been at least on par with the best seasons of Top Chef. The challenges were fun and interesting, and even though it's a very short season you felt like you got to know the contestant chefs. A fact which has inspired me to want to visit all of their restaurants, so I've made myself a google map to plan the pilgrimage. If you live anywhere near Chicago, DC, New York, Philladelphia, LA, San Francisco, Boulder or Las Vegas chances are there are quite a few Top Chef or Top Chef Masters restaurants near you. This show has combined two things which I love about the Top Chef franchise; being exposed to new fascinating concepts and techniques in cooking which you would otherwise have to pay a small fortune to experience first hand, and great characters you can really get involved with. This year it felt much more like the contestants were really personally invested in the charities they were competing for, often because of their own personal stories connected with them, and they also seemed much more personally invested in winning. Perhaps as a result of that greater connection to their charities and/or perhaps because (as happened with Top Chef) as the show becomes better known, winning the title gains in prestige... A fact which gives me great respect for the shows creators. Truly, bravo!

Here's hoping season 2 is as good as Season 1. The caliber of chefs makes this a must see, and if you don't know the "cooking" world enough to know who they are; once you watch this show you'll understand why they are the Masters in their craft. So happy they kept this series going, Thanks Bravo!!! You've made this woman very very happy waiting for Wednesday nights!