Reader: Where's the creativity on Top Chef?

The Top Chef crew came to Denver this week, auditioning chefs for the tenth season of the Bravo show. "We've had auditions before in Denver, but never a proper casting call, and it was time to see what the city's chefs really had to offer," Hunter Braun, Top Chef's senior...

By Patricia Calhoun

February 24, 2012

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The Top Chef crew came to Denver this week, auditioning chefs for the tenth season of the Bravo show. "We've had auditions before in Denver, but never a proper casting call, and it was time to see what the city's chefs really had to offer," Hunter Braun, Top Chef's senior casting producer, told Lori Midson. "There are a few people who auditioned that I'm really excited about, and while there's no quota, I'd really like to make this trip worthwhile and see a couple of chefs from Colorado on the show."

But Home TV isn't impressed:

As evidenced from this season, creativity is not a requirement. Two of the three finalists (not Paul), didn't exhibit ANY creativity throughout the season, and both failed miserably when it came to team challenges, either failing and blaming others or quitting (restaurant wars and barbeque).

When creativity isn't a factor, giving a line cook at Chilis just as good a chance of winning as a Beard finalist, why would a great chef risk an established reputation?

We could think of a lot of reasons -- and we'd bet that Hosea Rosenberg, the winner of season five, could think of about 100,000 of them. Is there a local chef you'd like to see on Top Chef?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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