This is my first season watching TC, and I gotta say - I'm really enjoying it.  My husband is a long time fan of TC & was always trying to get me to watch it with him, but before this season I just wasnt interested.  But after the strike fiasco, I guess I was more open to watching new shows (out of desperation??).   Maybe another reason I chose to pass on TC before this season was because I had allready been a watcher of other cooking-competition type shows on other networks - like Hell' s Kitchen on Fox and Next Food Network Star & Next Iron Chef, both on the Food Network. , and allthough I like all three of those shows - I didnt think that they were the greatest shows on TV, and I wasnt sure if I wanted to add another "ok" cooking show to my list of must-see's.   Then I watched TC & I have to say - I think of the 2 cooking-compt. shows I'm watching right now (TC & HK), I like TC the best.  It has such a nice flow to the episodes (not too much time wasted on boring, unessential stuff),  and I really like the challenges!  They're really cool!  Plus, I think the contestants are better chef's from the get-go, and they all seem to be real characters!  I enjoy their potty-mouths (man,  I had no idea that chef's were soo prone to cursing!  I love it!),  and most of them seem to have very colorful personalities that I either love or hate. For example,  I  like Spike - but what was up with his cockiness & back-talk to the judges on the 5/14 show?  Mind your p's & q's  and watch who youre talking to dude, or youre sure to be out on **** real soon, and I'd hate to see him go for something that dumb & preventable!   My real fav. to win the whole thing is Antonia.  I LOVE her!  She seems really talented & also seems like a really likable person, too.  I cant stand Dale (allthough he seems to be a talented chef - I hate his attitude!), or Lisa.  Ever notice that when she's in front of the judges - if looks could kill, that whole panel would be six feet under with rocks piled on top of their graves!  Yikes, woman!  I dont think she seems to be a very good chef (does she know what a stir-fry is?), but it's her whining ("someone sabotaged my rice!") and her horrible attitude that make me dislike her soo much more. 

Dont get me wrong - I DO love the great-outspoken-rude-cursing-often hilariousness of Chef Gordon Ramsey on Hell's Kitchen, but I think after some consideration, that I actually do like TC a little more.  Thanks babe, for introducing me to such a cool new show!  Love ya!  xoxo