Top Chef: New York (Season Premiere)

(Season 5, Episode 1)

"Top Chef: New York" kicked off with a bang (and a few bloody fingers) last night. It’s fun to see the show set in NYC, where there’s such a huge assortment of food everywhere in the city. The first elimination challenge had the teams visiting ethnic neighborhoods to shop for food that reflected that part of town. Fun!

Seventeen contestants started the night, but Lauren quickly got the boot in the first quick-fire challenge. The contestants had to peel 15 apples with a knife (resulting in a bloody-thumb incident – yuk!), dice the apples into perfect squares, and cook something with them in 20 minutes — outdoors on a single burner.

More after the jump, including a video of Patrick:

I’m so impressed with how fast they put the apple dishes together! Thank goodness bloody-thumb guy didn’t have to cook his. But when Padma said, "Please pack your knives and go," I was heartbroken for Lauren. She was classy, though, about being the first to go.

And I thought all the ethnic dishes looked tasty, but my palate goes crazy for cheddar cheese, so what do I know? In the end, Patrick was given the boot. Not sure who to pick for a favorite at this point, but Team Rainbow is lots of fun.

Did you watch? Any thoughts on the show and/or who might go the distance?