I am from Portugal and i'm watching season 7. I just love this show. And you, Tom, are my favorite judge (OK, i like Toby Young also, but he's missing).

Just one sugestion: portuguese cuisine is very good, do you know it? It's never mencioned in the show and it's a shame.

Please forgive me for my gramatical errors.

Um abraço. :)

The difficulty level of the challenges was uneven.  I think Tom's "audition" was the most revealing.  And Wolfgang Puck was a lot more generous than I would have been.  I would have been kicked out of culinary school if I had presented a scorched omelet!  Looking forward to the rest of the season.

Season 10 - amazing how the show has matured. Remember the first season, where a couple of culinary students were in the mix? I'm happy to see people with serious cooking chops compete. TC has more than earned its reputation among serious chefs.

Now to all you haters who will complain about group challenges: how else are you going to get 16 people to cook and be judged in the TV span of 45 minutes? So just sit back and live through the group challenges in the beginning of the season. Remember that only one winner and one "pack your knives" loser means that rarely will the true loser of the challenge make it through.

And to the people who start complaining about the best chef not always winning: it's a game of attrition too, and nerves of steel are required in addition to cooking skill. I would be homesick as hell after a week, and I imagine that a lot of contestants underestimate that separation anxiety.

I'm looking forward to Season 10! Welcome back to the blogs Tom - you're the best!

I love this show... It's realest reality show on TV and the week by week competitions and the friendships and rivalries that develop are always fun to watch. I agree with some previous comments that Wolfgang Puck's offensive comments food and kitchen equipment to women were pretty offensive. Hugh is hilarious and I don't understand that he seems to have suddenly developed haters. His blow-by-blow accounts of the episodes in his blog have always been essential reading for me as a fan of the show.  

I thought the opening episode was set up to highlight Tom. And the salad challenge.  Olive Garden makes a decent challenge.  It's a COOKING show! I was disappointed in Chef Puck's omelette. Seemed a bit too brown for what I know a proper omelette to be.  A lot of home cooks could have made the show based on 3/4 of the challenges.  A bit disappointing for the opener.  But I'll still watch.  

I do feel like the audition phase was very uneven. It would have been nice to see the other 3 do what Tom did. I think part of being a top Chef should be not only about what you can cook but how you manage yourself in a kitchen. Wish the producers would have all gotten together and made an executive decision to make the auditions the same across the board. Seems like Tom gave them the toughest test. Regardless, I'm excited to see what this season is going to bring!

I didn't have any problems with the second audition process. Tom's was definitely the best IMO. Only issue was Wolfgang's comment about women. If I were there I would have called him out for insulting women like that. He should make a public apology for that. And if anything cooking used to be a woman's job so he's also insulting himself for the -insert expletive here- he is. 

I really enjoyed the first episode of this season since the focus is back on cooking rather than shooting bow and arrows or hacking ice or ski racing.  You definitely had the hardest challenge with prepping for dinner service.  

Good start to the season, I liked the audition process, but with the "most hated" bit you were telegraphing that he would get in. Hope this isn't a sign of "housewife" drama for the show. BTW, Hugh needs to stick to critiquing and leave the witty banter to you, Emeril, and Wolfgang; the suit of armor thing was painfully banal.

This first ep was predictable, even with the twist of an extra audition to get on board the Seattle train. The only "test" I liked was the one given by you.  Having the cooks perform in your kitchen was interesting.   I am most disappointed to see Hugh Unibrow-Snarkism as a judge. During his season on TC Masters, he was knocked out in round one!  He got to return only because another chef dropped out. Therefore, he was more lucky than talented (or deserving) to proceed.  I really can't stand him.  

This was my first Top Chef episode and I enjoyed it very much. It was great to watch each contestant as they were put through their paces. I agree that maturity and experience are of utmost importance. I look forward to watching as contestant down sizing continues.

Forget it girl chefs, only 1 girl has won Top Chef in 9 seasons & that was because Richard admitted he choked. As in season's past I suspect ths season's MALE top chef has already been chosen.

Tom, I love this show but I have a big "ISSUE".  I know that the world has changed from the old ways to new way's, but some things need to remaine the same.  No chef should be in the kitchen without some type of HEADDRESS.  In some of the past season's I have seen chefs dripping sweat from their nois, stringy hair and face and sweat was  dripped into the  food in a couple of episodes  that is Soooooooo!!!!! unsanitary.  Please address this issue with your producers, because I don't think nobody wants to eat some body else's body SWEAT!!!!!.  This is one of the best show's on BRAVO.

Thanks Tom  

Very subjective way to do things. I don't think that many of the chefs doing the salads or omelettes would have made it past Tom. Doesn't make for a very even competition. Hopefully Tom with be over seeing the remainder of the competition. Also, what's up with the sexist comments by Wolfgang? Are we going to have to endure that through the entire season. And finally, what was with the "origami" comment from that one chef? Quite racist I thought. Not impressed with most of them so far. Please do some better editing.

c'mon, no African American contestants at all?...I'm very disappointed!!

Welcome to Seattle! Can't wait to see how this plays out, love Top Chef!

Really Top Chef.   I have owned a restaurant for 18 years and I would put my ex-husband up against any one of those chefs with his salad or omelet.   Is that all it takes this year.  Next year I will have him try out.  Very disappointed in the auditions from 2 of the Chefs.   I loved Toms and Emerils try outs.   Hope this season gets better.