And It Stoned Me

While we only watched the first season of Top Chef Masters (the second season aired at a bad time for us to commit DVR space), I was somewhat interested in catching the new season until I saw that it was now being hosted by Australian chef Curtis Stone. While not a huge fan of former host Kelly Choi, I think I'd prefer her somewhat robotic demeanor to Stone, who I only know through his TV ads.

He's apparently hosted a show on TLC and has popped up on a variety of reality shows (most notably a season of The Celebrity Apprentice, which gives you an idea of just how much of a "celebrity" chef he is, at least by US terms), so I suppose he's qualified to host a cooking show on basic cable. Probably moreso than competing, given that who the two winners have been. I mean, I don't know how skilled he is in the kitchen, but it's a short list of people who could top Rick Bayless or Marcus Samuelsson.

Anyway, I find Stone to smug by half and will likely sit this season out. I'll also admit to not being thrilled by the contestant lineup, featuring a dozen chefs I don't recognize by name (I never claimed to be that deep into chefs).