TV Review-----AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 PLATES

Call it THE AMAZING RACE crossed with TOP CHEF with a dose of SURVIVOR thrown in. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 PLATES is the newest Reality TV Competition and it airs on Bravo. Curtis Stone and Cat Cora are the Hosts. The premise has some of the finest Chefs in America competing for $150,000 and bragging rights. The Premiere took place in London where the Chefs meet for the first time and are immediately given their task. In this case, they had to find 3 separate pubs and partake in some of the traditional gastro pub menu selections. The first pub had them downing what looked to be a mighty potent alcoholic concoction and eating something disgusting looking called Black Pudding. Then at the second pub, they had a choice between eating a steak & kidney pie OR downing 3 yards of ale. And finally, at the third pub, they had a traditional fish & chips dish. The first team to finish received a "special ingredient" that would help them in the final challenge. In this case, the winning team received the permission to use potatoes in their dishes, while the losing team was refused the right to use potatoes. Made making fish & chips a bit difficult without the chips. Their task was to take over two of the pubs they attended and serve the meals that they had that day. Hmmmm....perhaps at least one of the two teams should have had the steak & kidney pie so they at least had an idea of what it consisted of! Without giving away the ending, the losing team of the final challenge must choose one of their own to be sent home. I must say that I have grown weary of TOP CHEF and found AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 PLATES to be a refreshing change. I like taking a peek at the traditional food of other countries and the upcoming episodes promise to be much more exotic than London. The Chefs are certainly an appropriate blend of personalities guaranteed to provide the appropriate drama. I thought the Premiere was slick, beautifully filmed, and quickly paced. I like the fact that local people choose the winning team based on how their own traditional meals are served and prepared. I also like the fact that the Hosts of the show do not have a say in who goes home each week, thus the SURVIVOR aspect of the show. I think Bravo has the start of a new franchise here and special kudos for Curtis and Cara as the Hosts. Not a fan of Padma or her scar. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 PLATES had me hooked by the first commercial break.