Thwngk!!!!

Okay, so the title of this post probably makes no sense unless you try to pronounce it phonetically. Go ahead, give it a try. Still have no clue what I'm talking about? Why it's the sound signalling the return of Top Chef of course; or at least my underwhelming attempt to somehow articulate the show's signature sound of a knife being unsheathed.

Get ready to hear more of that sound, because season three is coming our way on June 13th. In this week's issue of EW, Producer/Head Judge Tom Colicchio promises a more mature group than the socially retarded troupe we had in season two. Thank goodness for that. This show has always been better when it's been more focused on the food and the competition rather than the contestants. Kudos to the producers for recognizing that as a big part of the show's charm and getting the enterprise back on the right track. In fact, according to the same article, most of this season's crop of contestants are relatively well-established in their own right, which leads me to think of how cool a Top Chef: Celebrity Chef Edition might be. How awesome would it be to see the likes of Emeril, Wolfgang Puck, and Cat Cora on the business end of the judges' table? Not much different from Iron Chef: America you say? Guess again my friend. For all it's strengths, Iron Chef has never asked it's contestants to come up with something brilliant given only 30 minutes and $2 for the vending machine.

Also added to the recipe for season three are a new judge and a new locale. A frequent guest judge in seasons past, Ted Allen has signed on to a full-time judging role. His style and humor will be a welcome addition to what is already a respectable judges' table. A table that this season will be located in Miami. It will be interesting to see if the change in coasts has any effect on the sorts of dishes the contestants create.

As a sort of amuse-bouche prior to the start of the new season, Bravo is bringing us a one-night (June 6th) sudden death round of Top Chef featuring a face-off of the top-shelf contestants from seasons one and two. My money is on any team which includes season one winner Harold Dieterle. Ilan and his sidekick Winged Hairdo Boy I'm sure will each prove too much of a distraction to the other for their season two teammates to overcome.