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what kinda decision was that? clearly the chef that didnt complete the competition should have left..perhaps mississippi boy wasnt a good cook but there is always the next challeng to get rid of him...you guys really blew it with this one, just going to show how you compromise your own rules for ratings. and you vulgar language needs to be addressed with your contestants. perhaps give them a bible or something this language is not acceptable in a christian household and therefore we must stop watching your show. good luck and please re-think your desision about who packed their knives.

I would like the episode 1 quickfire challenge recipe.

I think that the judges are two faced this year. I am only saying that because you got rid of Clay and he had both products on the dish. When if fact you got rid of Dave in the first season for not having one of the 3 dishes. I am not saying that Clay is great but he had both potions of his dish. If I ordered surf and turf and only got surf I would be asking for he chef. No chef lets a dish go from the window unfinished.

What happened to Padma's arm? How did she get that scar??

This show needs to find standards on judging criteria and stick to it!!! Tom I was really disappointed tonight by your change in standards regarding what was requested of the contestant??? Do you remember this same dilemma with Dave at the final challenge with Tiffany? If this is your standard now with eliminating Clay instead of the guy who forgot the frog legs, than why was Dave eliminated in season 1????? Dave's flavors were far superior to Tiffany by the customers, but he forgot that 1 dish and you stated, " that's like leaving someone's order off?" This guy left off one of his proteins, how was that different? With the final challenge the Circ de Sole didn't even like Tiffany's dishes!!! Too salty, didn't like the choices! They loved Dave's flavors, and stated it! but he left off one dish!!!! He should have stayed if flavors were the criteria than as it is now!!!! But it added more to leave the self-absorbed, rude, demeaning, lying (now we can't forget that when she said she talked in length about the dessert that Dave was in charge of ) You left the sub-standard cook with no integrity and left the great cook with flavors who deserved to stay GO?????? WHY??? MAYBE IT'S LIKE YOU KEPT MARSEL INSTEAD OF KEEPING SAM, THAT DESERVED TO STAY???? Stick to doing restaurants and writing menu's and books, and leave judging to people who have clear-cut standards to everyone!!!!! You let the wrong guy go again!!! HAVE A STANDARD, SO WE KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT!! THE GUY FORGOT SOMEONE'S ORDER AND THAT, WAS WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT WITH DAVE, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE SAME WITH THIS GUY!!!

The first episode of Season 3 contained all the needed ingredient's - flavor, style, color and taste. Thanks TOP CHEF for Season 3!

I disagree with last nite's poll, Chef Tom knows exactly how to get a potential TOP CHEF to utilize their styles wisely and put out the best dish possible without being crass. Along with his keen palate Chef Tom definitely is a harder and more demanding Judge than guest Judge Anthony Bourdain.

this new show of top chef is so cool and i wish i could meet them.

Can I get the recipe that Micah made in the 1st quick fire challenge. My family would love it.

Thanks,
Jackie

Hey I went to school with Micah...she shows great cooking talent...keep up the good work Micah.

I am impressed all the way around by the start of season 3. The contestants put out some pretty good food, they seemed professional and the challenges were cool. The overall look of the show has been elevated and I wonder if season 1 ( new culinary producer) Lenann has a thing or two to do with that.
I am again hopeful that Top Chef is the great show it was season 1.
I was pretty disappointed at season 2. I think most people enjoy the food and the challenges, the chaos and drama muddy up the show and hopefully there will not be much of that this season.
Anthony Bouadian is a great judge but Tom is Top Chef!

I would love to see a special show with the audition tapes of people who made it and people who didn't.... wouldn't that be great?

Top Chef is my FAVORITE show by far and I get so excited to get the text messages too! Thanks, Bravo!

I am liking the new seaoson of top chef too. I hope Casey wins she is very talented and has a real passion for food. We went to culinary school together and I havent seen her in three years and she looks great.

I agree with the other comments about who they let go. I couldn't remember who it was but I remembered someone was let go for not putting all the items on the plate. I don't think they made the right decision to let Clay go. If this is a sign of how the show is going to be this season I don't think I'm going to like it. Why do contestants always have to talk smack about each other that is the one thing I don't like about the reality shows they always feel that they have to put someone down.

To all of the people who say Howie should have gone home after this challenge...the name of the show is "Top Chef". Despite Howie's mistake, the judges saw a potential for him to eventually become Top Chef. The judges did not see that potential in Clay.

As for comparing Howie's incomplete challenge to Dave's incomplete challenge in season one, Howie's mistake was simply a matter of running a couple of seconds late (a mistake that isn't a big deal in the real world), while Dave forgot one dish altogether (a mistake that's inexcusable in the real world). You really can't compare the two.

Oh yeah, and to Gene...I really hope you're not serious. If you don't like the language, then don't watch a show that's on Bravo at 10 at night. Nobody forced you to watch this show.

I did not agree with sending Clay home. As many people have already wrote. There seems to be a double standard and as an ethical person, I have an ethical dilema with this... Howie is obviously a better chef AND he did not complete the challenge...Remeber judges, you are on tape and national tv....

I did not agree with sending Clay home. As many people have already wrote. There seems to be a double standard and as an ethical person, I have an ethical dilema with this... Howie is obviously a better chef AND he did not complete the challenge...Remember judges, you are on tape and national tv....

The snobby judges sent the "redneckboy" home and kept the chef who didn't even finish his froglegs!! Shame on them! Clay's only crime was talking slow. He should have gotten extra points for being done on time.

I loved the first season of Top Chef, the second not as well. This third season looks as though it might be a good one, I hope the drama is as good as year 1. I couldn't stand the arrogance of Tiffanie. And the drama with Marcel? Come on, he wasn't that dislikable, it was dull. Hope this season is up to snuff.

Last year, clearly the best cook of the night, Dave, did not advance because he forgot 1 dish of 3 because when he realized it he didn't have time to finish the 3rd dish. I guess the same criteria does not apply this year.

Also, I want to know did Padmah and Marcel get married over the off season? I mean, obviously he was her pet. Poor little Marcel, are you okay? What garbage that was.

I gotta say, I am glad the show is back. I hated the end of the last season and I truly believe it was done for ratings. Of course I didn't watch the finale episode. Who cared after they booted the better chef. I think tonights decision was correct. You have to be able to cook, and Clay just didn't prove that he could.

I am sure everyones nerves were on end, especially being the first challenge but in the end its about cooking well, not just throwing food on a plate to say you completed the challenge. Bravo to the judges for making a sound decision.

We're planning our own "teen cooking" challenge here and I can't wait to see what each will bring to the table and who will reign "top chef". I am sure Doritos is going to make the list, though our rules will only be that its edible..

anyone got rolaids!?

I love to watch cooking shows--which is what this is. However, I do not enjoy the way your contestants are portrayed as immature and trash mouthed. It is difficult to have respect for "chefs" who act like 5th graders on the playground, instead of world class, high talent chefs. Why don't you concentrate on the cooking and the good sides of their personalities so that we can be proud of them. Is Joey really as obnoxious as you have portrayed him?

Hi, Padma.

I enjoy this team of chefs immensely.

I love TOP CHEF but confess to being perplexed about Clay's elimination due to Howie's failure to complete the assignment and poor time management.

Perhaps a grass roots movement is already underfoot to bring Clay back.

On a more positive note, and rally round me TOP CHEF fans, will we see DVDs of each season as we did for PROJECT RUNWAY (seasons 1 and 2)? I own both and have watched them multiple times.

How can you not eliminate a chef who served an incomplete entree? Incomplete is incomplete any way you slice it. The wrong chef was sent home with his packed knives. While Clay did not appear to have the qualities or potential to be a Top Chef, he DID prepare a COMPLETE serving. So the bottom line is you kept a Chef for making a Risotto...that's wonderful.

I'm glad Howie didn't get sent home for not plating the second dish. He sweated it out in the bottom three as he well should have. I bet he won't do that again. If his one dish had really sucked, I wouldn't be sticking up for him, but the judges seemed to enjoy his one dish, and he did OK in the quickfire challenge. Clay botched the quickfire challenge and Tom called one of his elimination round dishes "inedible." So it appears that while Howie has the skills to compete well against the other chefs, Clay failed to grasp the basics. In the end, they sent the right chef home, I think. I guess my point is, I'm glad the judges have some discretion and that the contest is geared toward advancing the better chefs and gives them leeway to mess up without automatic disqualification.

I am in agreement with the others about the unfairness of sending Clay home- Is this really a contest or is this rigged?- I don't care if the other guy (Marcel?) had "chef potential"- who knows what kind of real potential Clay had. Once again you let- standards for one- not be upheld for everyone. I looks crooked. When Betty substituted sugar and varied her recipe- in season 2 for camp glucose. But yet her team won. They should have been disqualified and Betty sent home!!!! And this keeping Marcel season 2 and letting Sam go home... Marcel was kept because he added contention to the show...and - letting the ones whom- are being petty- keep going..and I'm sick of FOAMS!!! I will never eat another foam again as long as I live!!!! and all his chemical additives- this turned me off- as an organic person...Please let this be a real contest! and if you all have to cheat- don't let it be on camera- it looks bad!! It is my vote- we have a Top Chef- extreme home version - with real people- who know what real americans eat!

I am in agreement with the others about the unfairness of sending Clay home- Is this really a contest or is this rigged?- I don't care if the other guy (Marcel?) had "chef potential"- who knows what kind of real potential Clay had. Once again you let- standards for one- not be upheld for everyone. I looks crooked. When Betty substituted sugar and varied her recipe- in season 2 for camp glucose. But yet her team won. They should have been disqualified and Betty sent home!!!! And this keeping Marcel season 2 and letting Sam go home... Marcel was kept because he added contention to the show...and - letting the ones whom- are being petty- keep going..and I'm sick of FOAMS!!! I will never eat another foam again as long as I live!!!! and all his chemical additives- this turned me off- as an organic person...Please let this be a real contest! and if you all have to cheat- don't let it be on camera- it looks bad!! It is my vote- we have a Top Chef- extreme home version - with real people- who know what real americans eat!

I also don't think Clay should have been eliminated last night. I thnk Howie should have gone home for an unfinished meal. I believe Clay would have been a most competative chef, and and, being from the South, would love to have seen some of the great dishes he would have put out. Yes, a terrible mistake was made.

This first episode was a tasty little amuse bouche (I learned something new) for what is shaping up to be a thoroughly delicious season three!

However, I thought it was weak of chef Bourdain to basically only counter Howie with "You s.o.b!" when Howie, to justify his mistake, quoted from Bourdain's book about eccentric Ecuadorian chefs who set their own pace when serving food. Bourdain should have nailed him with the fact that Howie is not in some out-of-the-way privately owned restaurant in South America, he's in a cooking competition in New York. Ahh, regrets!

As for Clay, I hope you stick with southern cooking and don't give up. We all get better with time. Chock up this defeat to experience, and be glad for it. I wish you all the best.

PLEASE BRING CLAY BACK!!!
You made a mistake in letting him go. I hope that you will find a way to let him have a second chance. He would have improved and he added a lot of southern spice to the mix. Bad decision guys.

Yes, what is the scar from on Padma's arm? Didn't notice it before..

Clearly Clay was not Top Chef material. The judges understood he would not have lasted through the many upcoming challenges if his food was among the worst in the first two. He was hesitant and let his nerves get the best of him -- two qualities that will keep him from ever being the best of the best. Howie, on the other hand, showed impressive skills throughout the first two challenges, making only one timing error. I would much rather see a chef go home that obviously isn't of the same caliber as the other chefs than have a solid chef leave because of a 3 second mistake. Nobody wants to sit through another season 2 watching the worst of the chefs stay week after week just because he stayed under the radar for most of the season (sorry, Michael, you should have been booted during the first episode, too). Thank goodness the judges sent Clay home at the beginning, so viewers can see that great food IS the central focus of Top Chef 3!

First off, I wish Mr. Bourdain could judge every show. I seen every episode from each season and I respect Tom's opinion, but I'm confused why Clay got sent home. It is clear that he is not at the same level as the other chef's, however, one of the things I respected about the show was that it followed the rules. Dave (who was better than Tiffany) got cut because he left an item off, even though Tom admitted his food as better. Cliff from Season 2 was released for "assaulting" the little foam guy. Please stay consistent with the rules.

I missed the show on Wednesday but just saw it. One of the chefs mentioned judge Tom's willingness to eat anything, even the brains from a live monkey. I've heard of this barbaric practice before, even seen photos, and I had the same reaction. I've been in tears for the last hour thinking that people could still be so inhumane in the name of gourmandizing. I'm disgusted and upset! Please DON'T ever let anyone mention eating a live creature on this show again, please!!!!!

Oops, I'm so distraught I said Tom was the heathen who at live monkey brain but it was Anthony Bourdain.

I thought Clay did his best, but he seemed to lack the basic knowledge of certain kitchen skills that chefs learn through proper training. I have a feeling that he cooks great with what he knows, but he's not ready for fine dining. Keep on smiling Clay! You're awesome.

All-in-all a pretty good start to the season. I am rather upset that Clay was sent home, but then again, a true southern boy should KNOW how to cook a wild pig! So maybe both Clay AND Howie should have gone home: Clay because his dish was inedible and Howie, because he didn't complete the challenge. Let us just please have a little more consistancy, a little less theatrics and lots of cleaner language.

By the way, I too would like to see you list Micha's recipe and for the person who asked if Padma and Marcel got married---I believe that Padma is married to acclaimed author, Salmon Rushdie, but I am curious about her arm.

Comments on Judging and Criteria.
Some of you have noted that it seems that some of the judges, like TOM have used different criteria and has changed this from challenge to challenge. Some people are REALLY mad about this, for example, with Clay and the "frog leg guy". Doesn't everyone know that it's NOT all about just TASTE and Food execution? Has anyone read the FINE print on the Top Chef web site? It says that the decisions made about who wins, who loses, and the challenges are "discussed" with the producers and Bravo! That must mean that while they probably don't control who wins challenges and who looses, they carry weight about those decisions. I happen to agree though, that While Tom says one thing once about forgetting an entree and then Clay's food is just all around bad, I would agree when they said that the "missing frog leg" guy is a better cook/chef than Clay. I mean, come on, Bordain even said that NOTHING bout it tasted good, and NON of the panelists could say ANYTHING good about any part of Clay's dish. So when it was discussed that the guys Risotto, although missing the frogs legs was good, that was better to have a REAL good tasting ONE part of the dish, and leaving off the other required part, then having a completed dish and NOTHING was good about it. If you watch the FoodNetwork show about "who's gonna be the next food network stay", the people can have ALL the stage presence they want and REALLY shine there, but their FOOD MUST ROCK TOO.

To: gene jessee, I think your comment about vulgar language has merrit, but however, that is NOT real life. It's like my sister doing home schooling with her kids; they seem to be better with man and science, but when it comes time to social skills, they'll be far left behind. I was wondering if you have ever watched, "Hell's Kitchen", and Chef Gordan Ramsey? Every other word utterd from him is the "F" word. I'm not saying you have to like it, but it's how he is and it's part of human nature and some people just swear, so in the context of it being used, that's life and I wouldn't stop watchin a show I enjoy becasue this is actually reality tv. When you go out in real life, like at a club, a school board meeting, something hosted by the community, you are subject to hearing what people say; are you just going to get up and leave a meeting that you're attending about your community just becuae someone swears? I agree that perhaps people should be considerate about this, but it's not going to stop. Anyways, the show PEEPS out the bad words. In some cases you can tell what they've said, but a lot of it is beeped out. That's about the best they can do; I believe cable/sat. tv has more lattitude for showing/revealing and allowing bad language moreso than netork tv, but goodness, Hells Kitchen in on CBS I think, eithe way, it's one of the major 4 networks. I wouldn't let the language bother you so much.

I loved the "season 1 vs season 2" cook-off. Now how about the judges? It was the picture of chef Colicchio standing next to chef Bourdain ... now that would be an interesting competition! Give them the exotic proteins and see what THEY can do with those ingredients. YUM!

I agree that Clay should not have been kicked out so quickly. It would have been interesting to see what a southern dishes would have been, even though I am from the north. Doube standards there.

Bad language...have you ever been in a top restruant kitchen?Have you even ever worked in a restruant?? Bad language...grow up dude.Yeah,a Bible would help....ugh.

Top Chef continues to maintain high standards.... It is a good replacement for the ailing Project Runway!