Things I Learned at the ‘Top Chef Chicago’ Reunion
And I Thought I Knew It All
Last night, Bravo aired a reunion special for the competitors who participated in the recently finished Chicago-set fourth season of Top Chef. I admit I joked earlier that the special would just be a rehashing of what viewers should already know if they paid attention, but I was wrong.
The reunion actually threw out a few tidbits even alert fans might not have noticed. Some of the things I personally learned include:
- If you believe Internet chatter, coupled chefs Zoi Antonitsas and Jennifer Biesty are coupled no more — Love how they refused to confirm or deny that by not commenting directly since it really isn’t anybody’s business anyway
- There was a whole lot more man-love going on around the chef’s shared home than the aired episodes showed, and the guys involved don’t care who knows it — Good for them!
- Although Andrew D’Ambrosi claims he’s not gay, he would totally get it on with Evangelos “Spike” Mendelsohn, and he doesn’t care who knows that either — Good for him!
- Dale Talde is nowhere near as much of a jerk as the show presented him as being
- Shockingly, sourpuss Lisa Fernandes is also less offensive personality-wise than the show presented her as being, although she’s still a bitter pill to swallow
- Judge Gail Simmons takes naps on the set during boring segments and doesn’t deny that she has/had/will always have a crush on competitor Andrew
- Being on a team with The Black Hammer, better known as Antonia Lofaso, was almost a guaranteed kiss of death since four competitors who came into too-close contact with her during the challenges got booted
- If you get bumped earlier than, say, the fifth round, nobody cares about you, judging by the general lack of participation during the reunion from the first four to get shown the door this season: Nimma Osman, Valerie Bolon, Erik Hopfinger, and Manuel Trevino
- People really, really love first female victor Stephanie Izard because, for the first time in Top Chef history, the overall winner was also the chosen Fan Favorite — Good for her!
- All this time I thought I just enjoyed Top Chef when I actually had a Culinary Boner for it — Didn’t think that was possible, being a girl and whatnot
Related Post: ‘Top Chef’ Crowns a Fitting Victor
Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi/Top Chef photo courtesy of F. Scott Schafer/Bravo
