Most unlikely host? Bravo's Andy Cohen expands his late night kingdom

In high school, Andy Cohen was voted “Most Talkative” and “Biggest Gossip.” Hardly the sort of recognition one might think would be advantageous. But it’s precisely those unrestrained and chatty tendencies that have gotten him where he is now: a cable exec who has become one of TV’s most brazen talk show hosts.

Interactions with Cohen on his Bravo series “Watch What Happens Live” range from candid to shocking to absurd. Like when he asked Emmy-winning, Mark Twain Award-earning Tina Fey whether she would rather wax Alec Baldwin’s front or backside.

“Back,” she answered wryly.

It’s all part of Cohen’s screwy charm as ringleader of the no-holds barred talk circus that is his Bravo show. At a time when the late night roster is overcrowded with name brands like Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel, David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, Cohen’s bare bones, off-kilter approach helped carve the half-hour New York-based chatfest a loyal following—which regularly attracts more than 1 million viewers--and become destination-viewing on the cable network, which is owned by NBC Universal.

“WWHL” began its 6th season Sunday by expanding from two nights a week to five, planting Cohen —an unabashedly gay and gleefully Jewish 43-year-old -- even more firmly in his role as the main man of Bravo, otherwise best known for “Real Housewives” and “Top Chefs.”

“It’s like, oh my god, I have to be in the studio at 11 o’clock at night most of my week?” said Cohen, seated at a table at the Sunset Tower Hotel during a recent trip to LA. “It seems restricting, and then you sort of realize that it’s not. I drink alcohol and get to talk about wigs and stuff. It’s about having fun for 30 minutes. Our biggest concern is what cocktail or drink our guests prefer.”

Bravo gives Kathy Griffin a talk show, announces premiere dates

Comedian Kathy Griffin, a staple personality on Bravo with her outlandish stand-up specials and reality series "My Life on the D-List," will be getting her own prime-time pop culture talk show on the network in the spring, the network announced Saturday.

Titled "Kathy," the show will feature Griffin's rants on tabloid fodder, stand-up routines, celebrity interviews and taped segments. The show continues Bravo's experiment with the talk-show format. Its first foray, "Watch What Happens Live," has been successful with Andy Cohen as host; it kicks off its sixth season Sunday, which will see the show expand to five nights a week.

In addition to the talk show, Griffin will also have two stand-up comedy specials air on the network this year -- bringing her total 15 since 2005.

The network also announced premiere dates for new and returning series:

NEW SERIES:

“Interior Therapy with Jeff Lewis," which sees the house-flipping Bravo-lebrity taking on the role as a home therapist, premieres March 14 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

"Shahs of Sunset," which has been described as being in the vein of "Jersey Shore," follows a group of young Persian American friends in Los Angeles. It premieres in March.

“Love Broker" introduces viewers to another matchmaker, New York's Lori Zaslow, and premieres in March.

“Million Dollar Listing New York," a spin-off to "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles," premieres in March.

“Around the World in 80 Plates,” which features "culinary experts" Curtis Stone and Cat Cora as hosts of a culinary competition that takes place across 10 countries in 44 days, premieres in March.

“Don’t Be Tardy for the Wedding" chronicles "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Zolciak's journey to the aisle and premieres in the spring.

NEW SPECIALS:

“The Ring Leader” looks at over-the-top wedding planner Kristen Banta. It airs Feb. 27.

“The Kandi Factory” will see "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kandi Burruss, a multi-platinum songwriter, as she tries to mold two music hopefuls.

RETURNING SERIES:

Season 4 of “Tabatha Takes Over” will premiere Jan. 10. And this time she's transforming more than just hair salons.

“Inside the Actors Studio” returns Jan. 31, with George Clooney as the first guest.

The third season of “Bethenny Ever After” begins Feb. 20.

"Pregnant in Heels" enters its second season in the spring.

The original matchmaker, Patti Stanger, returns for a sixth season of “The Millionaire Matchmaker” in the spring, along with "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles," which is back for a fifth season.

-- Yvonne Villarreal

Twitter.com/villarrealy 

Photo: Kathy Griffin tapes a her stand-up special. Griffin is getting her own talks show on Bravo. Credit: Bravo

'Top Chef: Texas': Tom Colicchio tighter than bark on a tree

Tom Colicchio doesn't seem to be having much fun in the current season of "Top Chef." Perhaps the cooking competition's lead judge hasn't been impressed by the overall cooking, or maybe he doesn't like the heat and humidity. Or maybe he'd just rather be greeting diners at Craft. But he's always seemed to understand the essential challenges of the punitive pressures under which the "Top Chef" contestants must work -- until Wednesday night.

In the evening's "BBQ Pit Wars," the remaining nine chefs were divided into three teams, mandated to barbecue three proteins (chicken, beef brisket, pork ribs) and plate two sides for 300 diners -- with no sleep. The sheer logistics of the task were daunting enough, but when the team of Ty-Lör, Edward and Sarah lost the latter member to apparent heat stroke, Tom heartlessly failed to appreciate what the two chefs suddenly had to do: 100% of the work with 33% less manpower. As Sarah keeled, Edward went into overdrive, logically deciding that he and Ty-Lör (who had immunity from winning the Quickfire challenge with an inventive watermelon with vanilla bean honey concoction) never would be able to carve their food to order. Instead, they cut up their meats early, admittedly hacking them as if they were feeding downed trees from the windstorm into a wood chipper.

Throughout the nine seasons of the show, Colicchio has repeatedly urged his contestants to improvise -- if a dish or an ingredient isn't working, ditch it. But when Edward and Ty-Lör did the very same thing, he was tempted to send both of them home for allowing the meats to steam on warming trays.

Anyone who has had the privilege of dining at one of Colicchio's restaurants knows that the staff-to-client ratio is as high as an ultra-deluxe resort; you can measure in nanoseconds how long your dropped napkin might be on the floor. So why would a man who floods the zone with service believe that two people could and should do the work of three times as many? By Ty-Lör's own math, he and Edward had to make 2,100 "plate strokes" to serve 300 diners each seven items. But when it came to judging, Colicchio showed no mercy, repeatedly crabbing about their cutting the meat too soon. Maybe he should have insisted that Sarah revive herself in the walk-in freezer and keep at it.

If Chris J. has a chill pill like the weird miracle berry he served in the Quickfire, he should slip Colicchio one -- and fast. 

It would have been even more merciless for the judges to send Sarah packing, who was after all so sick she had to be wheeled off by paramedics (not that we are rooting for her to stick around long). Chris C. was forced to say goodbye for a Dr Pepper glaze and spice rub that was too salty even at a restaurant called the Salt Lick.

And while we're talking about the Salt Lick, we can't let go unchallenged Padma Lakshmi's absurd, boosterish contention that it serves the best barbecue in Texas. It's not even considered the best such food in Austin, an honor that goes to Franklin Barbecue, or JMueller BBQ. Maybe those two joints simply didn't want "Top Chef" shooting in their restaurants, and were thus demoted.

So let's get a little perspective on "Top Chef," and maybe the rest of the season will be better.

RELATED:

'Top Chef: Texas': Excellence rarer than hen's teeth

'Top Chef: Texas': Haven't we seen that cake before?

'Top Chef: Texas': Fixin' to get interesting

'Top Chef: Texas': Diners are all hat, no cattle

 -- John Horn

Photo: Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons in "Top Chef: Texas." Credit: Vivian Zink / Bravo

 

'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' recap: Horrors in Hawaii

If there’s a moment that encapsulates the absurd tragedy of this season of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” it’s when Kyle, in a face-eating pair of sunglasses, and Lisa, wearing inch-long false eyelashes resembling enormous Amazonian spiders, field a dramatic call from Taylor. Her voice breaking, Taylor says she’s decided to end her marriage to Russell. Kyle and Lisa pretend to be surprised.

Yet as Taylor poured out her heart all Icould about think were Lisa’s insane eyelashes. “If she wears those suckers on a Hawaiian beach during bright, gleaming daylight, then what does she wear when she really wants to go for broke?” I wondered. Then I began to calculate how much time Lisa must spend putting on her fake eyelashes, or more likely paying someone to do it for her, and I realized I hadn’t heard a word Taylor was saying. Such are the perils of watching “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”: There’s just so much fodder everywhere it can be awfully hard to stay focused. The episode as a whole was like this, full of silly, cartoonish distractions that momentarily took our minds off the monumental bummer of the Armstrongs’ failing marriage, Russell’s impending suicide, and Kim’s rapidly deteriorating mental state. 

It all begins at Kyle’s White Party in the tense, tear-streaked minutes after Taylor and Russell’s unceremonious departure. Kyle resolves to enjoy herself, an activity which for Kyle involves talking to perfect strangers about how upset she is, inhaling Fatburger fries and scowling at her sister across the dance floor. Looks like a blast! Meanwhile, Taylor and Russell are enduring one of the most uncomfortable limo rides in the history of reality television — and that’s saying a lot. Russell claims what Camille said was “an out-and-out lie,” while Taylor suggests it was merely an exaggeration. It’s a fairly typical semantic spat between spouses, except that the subject — domestic abuse — is gravely serious. The obliqueness of the Armstrongs’ conversation is what makes it all so bizarrely painful to watch.

 

Q&A: Brad Goreski on his new Bravo series and parting ways with Rachel Zoe

Brad Goreski‘s new series "It’s a Brad, Brad World" finally premieres Jan. 2 on Bravo (we say "finally," because those commercials have been working overtime). In it, Goreski, 34, attempts to break out on his own as a Hollywood stylist. And while he doesn't have quite the same snazzy fashion vernacular ("Bananas!" "I die!") as his former boss Rachel Zoe, there are fashion shoots, significant other quibbles, and celebrity clientle (albeit, on a somewhat smaller scale; in the first episode, his only celebrity client is Jessica Alba).  

We chatted briefly with the reality star/stylist, who was recently named "exclusive brand stylist" for Kate Spade — about his headlining his own show and the split from stylist Rachel Zoe in September 2010 — which, it turns out, didn't end as amicably as they let on.

You left working for Rachel Zoe to break out on your own as a stylist. It's a pretty big undertaking. Had you thought about establishing yourself in the field before letting the cameras follow you? I would think they'd be a distraction ...

Well, you know, initially I didn't want to. I wanted to focus on getting my portfolio together, which I did. About six months after I went out on my own, I got a lot of emails about meeting with people and such.  I initially wanted to do a makeover show. Then, when I met with Shed Media, the production company for the show, they loved the idea of a makeover show, but they thought what people liked so much about me on Rachel show was me going through my firsts — my first Oscars, my first triumphs, my first failures. We decided that it was an exciting time in my life and that it might be interesting and worthwhile to continue letting people see what I was up to. We thought it would be interesting to show somebody who was not necessarily at the top of their game but was climbing their way to get there and the struggles that entails. Also, I was very much interested in showing the complete other side of my life, which is my personal life and my family life — aspects they weren't introduced to on Rachel's show.

My main focus was also to focus on the process of styling. And the process that goes into a photo shoot. It's not like we just arrive on the set with clothes. There are many steps in between. There's also many steps to putting together an Oscar outfit. There are skills that come with this job, believe it or not.

Have their been clients that have been turned off by all the cameras?

Not so far. Not everyone wants to be on camera, sure. But I wouldn't say that it's prevented me from getting a job.

How about the drama factor. Bravo has made a name for itself with those table-flipping housewives. Is there a sense of pressure that you have to provide that same kind of drama?

'Top Chef: Texas': Excellence rarer than hen's teeth

Wednesday night’s loser on “Top Chef: Texas” wasn’t just Heather, but the Whole Foods Market butcher counter, whose gristly cuts played a role in not one but two disastrous meat dishes.

But even if it’s easy to aim some blame toward the upscale market, the inescapable takeaway from the episode was that it’s really hard to get excited about any of the remaining cooks.

We are just one week from reaching “Top Chef’s” halfway mark, when eight of the final 16 chefs will be left. And so far the unevenness of the cooking — not as it relates to steak — has been startling. Every remaining chef except Paul has finished on the bottom at least once, and nobody besides Paul has more than one elimination win (Paul also has two Quickfire wins, more than anyone else).

Heather, who was booted for a beef stroganoff whose dumplings were leaden and whose cut stumped judge Emeril Lagasse — “I don’t even know what it is,” he said of Heather’s mystery meat — and the long-departed Chuy were the only other chefs with more than a single-elimination win.

So what can be said of the remaining contestants? First, there’s apparently no Michael or Bryan Voltaggio (from Season 6) among them, someone who not only consistently meets the fundamental aspects of a cooking challenge, but also exceed them. Second, we’re not sure there’s even an Angelo Sosa (season seven), a cook who shows constant creative flair and is not married to a particular style of preparation.

Beverly seems one personal slight away from a total emotional breakdown, and rarely strays from her knitting. Grayson, who also served up some ghastly Whole Foods meat Wednesday night (in a portion so large it looked like a souvenir from an Ultimate Frisbee convention), rarely makes smart choices, and Chris C. continues to throw so many things on the plate it’s hard to find his entrée or its purpose.

We like Chris J., but finishing a steak with A1 sauce (as he did Wednesday) and his sweet potato debacle from a previous week don’t bode well for his long-term prospects, and even though Ty-Lör has one elimination challenge win, he’s been on the bottom on three separate occasions.

So that leaves Paul, who is clearly the most solid chef week in and week out, and ... Lindsay? She never wins anything (except one Quickfire), yet she’s rarely in trouble, either. Edward? It’s easier to get excited about the Indianapolis Colts finally winning a game. Sarah? She won Wednesday night for her sausage and stuffed cabbage, and has only been on the bottom once, in the first real episode (after the also-rans were excised).

Maybe the weeks ahead will clarify the picture. But right now it’s murky, which is good neither in a soup nor a contest.

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'Top Chef: Texas': Fixin' to get interesting

'Top Chef: Texas': Diners are all hat, no cattle

-- John Horn

Photo: Edward Lee, left, Beverly Kim and Sarah Grueneberg of “Top Chef: Texas.” Credit: Vivian Zink / Bravo

 

 

'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' recap: 'Friends don't sue friends'

There’s a point in every episode of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” where I find myself wondering, “Is it all worth it?” This week, as Kyle Richards swanned about, crying glamorously over the various feuds erupting at her annual White Party, I had to wonder why any sane, already wealthy person would subject themselves to the exquisite torture of starring in a reality TV series. The emotions may be real, but the scenarios are, more often than not, highly orchestrated and entirely voluntarily. So why do it?

I suppose that’s a little like asking the sun not to shine, isn’t it? The thing that I find perplexing -- and extremely fascinating -- about several of the ladies of Beverly Hills is how they can, at times, seem eminently rational despite the fact that they’re doing one of the least sensible things a person can do.

Take Adrienne, for instance. This season she’s emerged as the linchpin of the series, the sage housewife forever trying to broker peace between her more hot-headed friends. As the episode begins she sits down with Paul to discuss the litigious email Russell sent to Camille. “Friends don’t sue friends,” she says, shaking her head in dismay. At this point you might find yourself saying, “No duh,” but this, dear reader, is what qualifies as emotional intelligence in the world of the Real Housewives.

Meanwhile Kyle is in last-minute party-planning frenzy, running around looking studiously disheveled in a banana clip and a “NOH8” T-shirt (that Kyle: never afraid to take a stance). On top of the usual hostess anxieties, Kyle’s nervous about Kim bringing her mystery boyfriend, Ken, and the ongoing tension with Brandi. “What am I supposed to do, have 10 different white parties?” she asks, pretending like she thinks that’s an absurd idea.   

Little does she know that a much larger brouhaha is looming. While her hair is setting, Kyle gets a call from Adrienne, who briefs her on Russell’s Email of Doom. She and Paul are still coming to the party, but they may have to extricate themselves if things get too crazy. Now here’s one of those classic, “Real Housewives” moments of cognitive dissonance. It’s mature, in a way, for Adrienne to call Kyle and be upfront about her trepidation. But then I remember the only reason the White Party — or any of the other highly staged events that have taken place over the course of the season — exists is to be a forum for drama.

And, oh, the drama that unfolded!

'Top Chef: Texas': Heather goes catty whompus

The stakes were twice as high in Wednesday’s “Top Chef: Texas”—in a double-elimination challenge, where the test was cooking game, two chefs would be cut loose. The judges considered the failed dishes carefully, and there were several two-person teams that easily could have been dispatched. But they still picked the wrong loser.

Heather should have been sent home—twice.

If you’re simply evaluating the food, it was a close call. Chris J. and Grayson’s elk was uninspired, Dakota and Nyesha’s venison way undercooked, and Heather and Beverly’s duck neither crispy nor ambitious. But this is reality television, and while the judges may not see what happens behind closed doors, they did witness how hardheartedly Heather trashed her partner, Beverly, and not so much for how she cooked the night’s meal, but for how Beverly prepared shrimp an episode ago. Cooking is a team sport, and just because Heather was paired with Beverly in the kitchen—in terms of chemistry, imagine Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich trying to be civil as each other’s date at a gay wedding—didn’t mean she didn’t have to try to work out their differences.

“You guys clearly didn’t work together, and it really showed,” lead judge Tom Colicchio said.

To say that Heather threw Beverly under the bus is an insult to Greyhound. It was more like Amtrak, United Airlines and the Queen Mary put together. Worse, Heather refused to man up to the behavior she so publicly displayed.

“I felt I had no say in our dish,” she said, a statement refuted by all of the commands she barked Beverly’s way. “I’m not selling her out,” she also said, again about as credible as a radio commercial touting 2% home loans. But Heather wouldn’t stop there. She also had to psychoanalyze Beverly—“She doesn’t trust herself,” “She doesn’t think like a chef”—but failed to examine her own conduct, or even her own cooking. When the other 11 chefs nominated Heather and Beverly’s quail for potential elimination, Heather assumed they were getting back at her “because I was on the top last time,” a reference to her win last week for her (borrowed and repeated) cake recipe.

While we’re all for a little bit of drama, it’s disappointing that Heather survived. Perhaps she could take a cue from Dakota, who had the courage and class to admit to her own shortcomings in the kitchen, plating a dish of venison so rare we thought we heard the “Bambi” theme song playing in the background. Sarah remarked early in the show, “karma’s a bitch,” and we wonder, in fact hope, if Heather’s going to get hers soon.

--John Horn

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'Top Chef: Texas': Haven't we seen that cake before?

'Top Chef: Texas': Fixin' to get interesting

'Top Chef: Texas': Diners are all hat, no cattle

Photo: Heather Terhune in "Top Chef: Texas." Credit: Vivian Zink/Bravo.

 

'Top Chef: Texas': Haven't we seen that cake before?

Was that a snake in the grass? Or is Heather an even bigger conniver than Sarah?

After a few weeks of fledgling mediocrity, the remaining 13 chefs in “Top Chef: Texas” revealed some of their true colors Wednesday night. The cooking was so dismal that lead judge Tom Colicchio said he had no trouble sending a cook home.

Even on the scale of “Top Chef” disasters, Whitney’s uncooked potato gratin (just the kind of cool side dish you want when it’s more than 100 degrees outside) was an epic fail — a bad idea poorly executed. And when you’re grilling steaks in Texas, as Ty-Lör did, it’s probably best to cook them just a shade more rare than a 20-year-old horse saddle.

But what really caught our eye was Heather’s demeanor. We had just started warming to her when she recycled her Quinceañera cake from three weeks ago, passing off as her own creation a dish that is actually based on Edward’s recipe. She compounded her error by calling out Beverly in the stew room and generally acting like a bully in the kitchen.

Chris J. cooked a delicious steak salad, Grayson excelled in the Quickfire with her scallop ravioli, and Nyesha, having stumbled early with her sauces, redeemed herself with a compound butter.

We’re at that point where it’s possible to discern the winning (and unlikable) personalities more so than their cooking. We continue to root for both Chris J. and Chris C., but we’re off the Heather bandwagon. She and Sarah deserve each other, but we’re not sure if it’s physically possible for them to throw each other under the bus at the same time.

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Photo:  Heather Terhune in "Top Chef: Texas." Credit: Vivian Zink/Bravo

Late Night: Taylor Armstrong talks about abuse, husband's suicide

On Monday's episode of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," Taylor Armstong, whose estranged husband Russell committed suicide in August, suffered the latest in a string of emotional breakdowns that have erupted all season long.

Afterward, she stopped by "Watch What Happens Live" for a post-meltdown debriefing with Bravo mascot Andy Cohen. It was a decidedly somber interview on what's typically a boisterous, irreverent talk show.

Armstrong admitted that it was difficult to watch the episode. "I see a woman who was out of control ... about to go off the deep end," she said. "My biggest fears were unraveling. For me it was as though I lived my life for quite a long time with a boiling pot I was holding a lid on top of, and it was starting to boil over."

She also explained her seemingly irrational anger toward Camille Grammer, who brought up the subject of Armstrong's abusive marriage on camera, after the two women had discussed it in private. "For me admitting that I was being abused on national television was something that I didn't think would ever happen," she said.

The interview also provided an opportunity for Armstrong to plug her book, "Hiding From Reality." Breaking into tears, she told Cohen that she hopes that by sharing her own long personal history with abuse, she might be able to help other women "break the cycle."

"The cycle of violence in domestic violence is so hard to understand and I wanted people to see me for who I really am," she said. "And to understand that this started at a very young age for me, I ended up in this situation because of my own flaws and my own insecurities.”

Cohen asked Armstrong how her daughter, Kennedy, is coping in the wake of her father's suicide. "We each have good days and bad days, but we have amazing friends and loved ones around us, and we have great psychological support, so we're very fortunate," Armstrong replied.

For most of the interview, Armstrong spoke with the studied vocabulary of someone who's obviously been spending a lot of time in therapy. But she did drop at least one bombshell, admitting to Cohen that her daughter was with her the night she found her husband's body. "She knew something was bad. The first thing she said was, 'Did Daddy do something dumb?'" Armstrong recalled.

Understandably, the 5-year-old is still struggling to come to terms with her father's death. "We talk about it a lot.... It hasn't been easy."

 

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"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills": War parties

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" recap: Medium lips

— Meredith Blake
twitter.com/MeredithBlake

Photo: Taylor Armstrong on "Real Housewives." Credit: Evans Vestal Ward/Bravo.

'Top Chef: Texas': Diners are all hat, no cattle

The hook of Wednesday’s “Top Chef: Texas” was catering a progressive dinner party, but given the flat-as-a-pancake palettes of its Dallas diners, it should have been called a regressive night out.

If any more proof was needed that money can’t buy you taste, the well-heeled hosts for the cooking competition’s three-stop dinner party (appetizers, main courses, desserts) proved at every stop that they might be happier eating at a local Black Angus. One host, who considers herself an expert in entertaining, admitted she doesn’t like to try anything new. Another said his favorite dessert involved gummy bears. Another disparaged a beautiful dessert by saying it looked like Elmo. And another mistook a red wine reduction for blood. They then capped the dinner party with a classic after-dinner drink — margaritas!

When Padma remarked of Ty-Lör’s poor pork tenderloin, “so much and nothing at all,” she could have been talking about the diners themselves, and we can’t blame the remaining 14 chefs for mostly struggling to figure out what the heck the three couples really liked or wanted.

Fortunately, the Dallas dilettantes weren’t judging the finished food, because they might have given the top prize to Chris C.’s cupcakes, which the real “Top Chef” judges detested. Paul won for his roasted brussel sprouts (we cooked the same thing for Thanksgiving, although not nearly as nicely), and while we were relieved to see that Chris J. wasn’t eliminated a week after his colleague Richie was dispatched, it did feel like Chuy was properly expunged for a disastrous salmon dish that he admitted he cooks in his own restaurant.

Texas may have a rich food tradition, but let’s hope “Top Chef” can find diners in its upcoming episodes just a bit more adventurous than 5-year-olds.

RELATED:

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'Top Chef: Texas': Make your own tortillas, or else

'Top Chef: Texas': A last-chance kitchen that has many problems

-- John Horn

Photo: Lindsay, Sarah, Chris J. and Whitney in "Top Chef: Texas." Credit: Vivian Zink / Bravo
 

'Top Chef: Texas': Fixin' to get interesting

It's only the second real episode of "Top Chef: Texas," with the first two installments cutting the herd of cooks from 29 to 16, yet even at this early juncture a number of storylines are emerging.

Although it’s far too soon to identify safely who might last well into the competition, it’s safe to say who we will be rooting for and against. At the same time, the remaining 14 contestants after this week's cut might remember some potential lessons based not only on what’s happened in this ninth season but in previous “Top Chef” seasons.

Who and what stands out?

1. Even with so many chilies, enough with the “Padma is hot” remarks. There’s been only one episode so far in which a chef hasn’t commented on host Padma Lakshmi’s pulchritude. Last season, “Top Chef” wrapped things up with lingering shots of her in a bikini. On Wednesday, she rode a horse like Lady Godiva in chaps, as if she were sauntering down a fashion show runway in the middle of a rodeo. It’s a show about cooking, not curves, and anyone with eyes already gets that she’s attractive.

2. Chris C. has the most reality show smarts. He noted of the duplicitous Sarah over some grocery store ploy, “There’s just something about Sarah that’s rubbing me the wrong way.” Us, too. Chuy’s self-aggrandizing act, which started funny and is getting tiresome, was spotted early by Chris C., who remarked of Chuy ironically, “I’ve dubbed him the most interesting man in the world.”

3. Go big or go home. Paul won the Quickfire Challenge as the only chef willing to cook with the ghost chili, which is so hot you can degrease most Caterpillar tractors with three of them chopped with a teaspoon of warm water. In the elimination challenge, which called for teams to make chili, the white team almost went home for plating chili that wasn’t spicy.

4. There’s no crying in cooking. Nyesha made this remark when Beverly started crying a gully washer of tears at the rodeo, not over the cruelty to the animals but because she missed her husband. We’re not sure Nyesha’s right -- anyone who’s slaved over a soufflé only to have it come out of the oven the height and density of a Frisbee, is allowed to weep -- but it’s probably good reality show advice.

5. Chris J. is now our new favorite. We like Heather’s personality, and are intrigued by Ty-Lor’s sense of humor, but Chris J. might have the biggest heart. Although the double glasses seems more affected than practical -- outside of flash fires, when do you really need sunglasses in the kitchen? -- it was impossible not to be touched by the compassion and concern he showed for Richie, with whom he works alongside in Chicago’s Moto restaurant. We didn’t get that much affection in a whole season from the brothers Voltaggio.

RELATED:

'Top Chef: Texas': Make your own tortillas, or else

'Top Chef: Texas': A last-chance kitchen that has many problems

'Top Chef: Texas': Don't mess with Tom Colicchio

'Top Chef: Texas': Make your own tortillas, or else

--John Horn

Photo: Beverly Kim, Nyesha Arrington and Richie Farina in “Top Chef: Texas.”

Credit:  Virginia Sherwood / Bravo