MovieChat Forums > Top Chef Masters (2009) Discussion > New Format No Stars awarded

New Format No Stars awarded


Does anyone know why they are not letting the judges each give stars and the diners too?

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I miss the old format in general, including Greene and Raynor. That judging panel was just perfect, a great team. I liked the stars too. Now it's just the diners choosing. So why have judges? And so many chefs! Of dubious quality it seems. The whole thing seems muddled, including Curtis Stone's garbled voice and accent.

Why did they mess with such a delightful show? Perhaps a change of hosts was in order but Kelly wasn't bad. Very cheery and crisp. I'm liking it a lot less.

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I agree with morningsidemary. There was a clear dynamic between the original three judges. In addition, the star rating system was far less subjective (though judging is inherently subjective) as it showed a clear distinction between a favorable and non-favorable dishes without any sense of last minute pathos skewing the elimination process.

Also, Kelly Choi was an underrated, beautiful host. Some people dislike her for the most petty of reasons -- see the anorexia post on this board. An Emmy-winner and grad student, Choi is actually a well-known in NY food circles for producing and hosting several food-related shows. Her replacement Curtis Stone has been dull early in the current season.

Lastly, I must say that the old format of having only 6 finalists in the show was vastly better. I say this because we had the opportunity to know each chef, his/her credentials, restaurants, and charity of choice. And, the truncated roster was fun and light, but felt more distinguished. In this current season, I know nothing about these chefs even though I recognize their faces from other cooking shows. Speaking of which, whatever happened to the chef profiles at the beginning of the show where they introduce each contestant and his/her resume?

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I'm not liking this show anymore :\ hopefully it gets better, and I'm glad Curtis is the new host, I love him lol

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I still like the show. I love most cooking competition shows. But I did like the old format. I wish they used that format on the regular Top Chef show.

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I am really missing the old format. I thought using the stars showed that these contestants were in another catageory (which they are!) than the other Top Chef show contestants. As someone else said, it also really makes me care less about what the judges say, which doesn't seem right for this kind of competiton. So far, this season is just not as good as the previous 2.

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My favorite season was the first hands down. Higher caliber chefs that had the UTMOST respect for each other.

It seemed more focused on cooking while the other seasons began their decline into typical reality tv foolery.

I enjoyed the 6 chef system and learning about each chef. I learned a lot.

I didn't mind Kelly Choi but i was curious as to why they didn't have a chef hosting the show. Either way, I felt she did a good job, she knew her food.

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