On Demand Weekly

I need an intervention. My "Top Chef" addiction is way out of control (somebody call A&E's "Intervention"!). And you know this because I even wrote you about "Top Chef Just Desserts." We've already basically forgotten that show in the wake of the "Top Chef All Stars" coming on to the set like a blender full of stuff out of control.

Just when I thought there couldn't be any more wonderful Top Chef spinoffs (I mean they even got actual big time chefs like Rick Bayliss and Govind Armstrong to hash it out in front of judges - and they OWN restaurants already!), somebody comes up with the genius idea to get a few of the best of the past contestants (the ones who almost won and who showed mucho presence during taping) and have them hash it out with each other.

This episode is just after Jennifer Carroll (Season 6) got the boot after arguing with the judges that her breakfast dish made for tons of hopped up New York children who spent the night in the Natural History Museum was basically not delicious. Jen, who was kind of quiet and spoke with her food skills in Season 6, ventured towards taking off her earrings, slapping on some Vaseline and going to blows with with the judges (Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Padma Lakshmi and that foodie rebel Anthony Bourdain) over her dish. This kind of meltdown usually happens in the kitchen and not a judges table and came ask a shock to all in the room. It also set a bit of an edgy tone with those contestants who remained, armed with their utensils.

- T. Tara Turk


T. Tara Turk is a novelist/playwright/screenwriter, living in LA with her boyfriend and dog - all three successful TV addicts. You can find her at www.ttaraturk.com or follow her on Twitter @ttaraturk.

Media savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention.

Around the World in 80 Plates (VOD Hidden Gem)
Warning: do not watch this show on an empty stomach

By T. Tara Turk

Bravo TV’s “Around The World in 80 Plates” is just what you expect a Bravo food show to be: highly stylized (more on that later), filled with slowly escalating drama amongst the contestants, big personalities, little personalities, food and fun.

With hosts Curtis Stone (Aussie celeb chef who started out on the TLC channel’s “Take Home Chef”) and Cat Cora (the only female Iron Chef who’s slowly creating her own culinary brand - and bares a striking resemblance to my favorite fictional gastro character on “Treme” - Janette Desautel) we see Bravo trying to keep up the cool host factor though few could compare to my favorite Tom Colicchio! Perhaps this show is a bit tougher than Top Chef as Cora and Stone are noted chefs and Padma Lakshmi is lesser known in that aspect.

The beginning goes like this (you’ve been here before if you watch Top Chef): chefs are picked, flown to a city, meet each other, presented with a challenge, compete, like/dislike each other under the stress of the competition and one team loses though this time the losing team (like Gordon Ramsey’s “Hell’s Kitchen”) votes one chef from their team off the show. That last bit creates a more catty atmosphere than we’re used to with Bravo’s food shows. In many ways, including the catty bits, this show feels like a precursor to the more civilized “Top Chef” franchise.

But this show has a slight advantage over “Top Chef” in that the chefs are traveling to a different city each episode, asked to spend a short amount of time in local restaurants, then asked to recreate local favorites with their own twists.

This first episode was tricky as it was in London

and pub culture is a bit of a religion there

- especially when you introduce, gasp,

Nigella Lawson as a judge!

The original queen of television gastro indulgence (sorry Paula Deen), Nigella’s stardom and frankness when judging takes this show up a notch. I know we probably won’t see here again but putting her in episode one, sets the judging bar really high.