
As a movie critic, I must say that the opening montage was a whirlwind of shaky vlogs from contestants embarking on their culinary journey, sprinkled with impressive resumes and countless shots of the Delta logo that stretched on like a never-ending road. Upon reaching the same Canadian parking lot, the sight of the iconic Top Chef knife block had me gripped with anticipation, mirroring the emotions of the contestants themselves.
In an attempt to breathe fresh air into the show’s format for Season 21 (affectionately titled “Haaave You Met Milwaukee?”), Kristen Kish took over Padma Lakshmi’s host seat, aiming to bring about change. However, many of the risks — in terms of format, editing, and pacing — did not quite hit the mark. Thus, while I fully acknowledge and applaud Top Chef’s desire to experiment after all these years, the constant deviations from the original formula mostly left me feeling perplexed rather than exhilarated.