The Morning After: Can't Live With Your Design, Can't Live Without It

I actually think that Top Chef has surpassed PR in my mind.

Which is kind of weird because you can't taste the food through TV (yet). But you pretty much anyone can "judge" fashion for themselves.

I think that TC enlists a more impressive (to me) roster of judges and I like the "Quick Fire" challenges that keep the 1-hour show from dragging. Finally, I think that the casting process enlists a more diverse pool of challengers - from hash house cooks to haute cuisine -- not to mention more interesting racial/ethnic/gender/SO/geographic balance.

Me too, jimatl. I loooove Top Chef.
Not that I don't like Project Runway, it's dang good. Maybe it's because I like food more than fashion, and can cook a lot better than I can sew, so I can actually make some of the things they make on the show.
Top Design was OK, and I agree with James that the cast was better. Indonesian Opera Dude was awesomely, awesomely gay in a way I had not previously been familiar with, it was fun watching Ondine rise from a nonentity to a competitor, and Nathan's designs kicked some ridiculous ass. And Eddie, the stylist you loved to hate. The tweaks they made to the show this year really worked, including less use of the three-sided empty white boxes. I think the formula could use a little more tweaking, but I'll be back for season three if there is one. On the other hand, I thought HGTV's Design Star got worse in its second season, and I didn't even watch through to the end, which I did for the first two seasons (voted and everything).

oops, I meant Design Star got worse in its most recent season (I think its third).

I agree with jimatl. Top Chef is my favorite Bravo show, and PR is only a guilty pleasure. The addition of the Quick Fire is genius. The winner of it has a lot to live up to for the main challenge and then often fails, and the loser of the Quick Fire knows he or she needs to step up (or grill up, sautee up, etc.).
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Also the hosts of Top Chef are far more enjoyable than the lame, boring, botoxed judges of Top Design or Shear Genius. But I have to admit that Heidi takes the German-chocolate cake for best Bravo host. But with Padma and Tom Calichio (sp!) I love Top Chef
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And jimatl is also right about the spectrum of competitors. On the new season there is a culinary student in the show, the only one. Everyone else is either an owner of their own restaurant or a head chef somewhere. I can't wait. I can't wait.
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As you can tell, I can't wait.

I have to agree -- I think Top Chef has surpassed Project Runway. I love both, but there's something about Top Chef that makes it a little more engaging. Maybe the regular change in scenery? Not only does it rotate cities, but the chefs regularly get out and interact with the real world, which definitely adds to the show. The PR contestants may get 1 or 2 challenges where they scavenge from cars or recycle bins for materials or attend a fancy party, but the vast majority of their time is spend inside Parson's.

You're right, Project Runway seems too into itself with limiting the contestants' interactions with us outside folk, and too uppity, while Top Chef is more raw and realistic.