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With these Masters, they're all playing for charity and are confident in their own skill – they're not trying to prove anything to anyone. While this can be nice in one respect, it definitely reduces the "OHMYLORD who's going to go home cause it better not be Ariane cause I really like Ariane even though she butchered the turkey wrong but that was really Leah's fault and it's not fair that she's safe from elimination cause I would have sent her home but instead it could be Ariane and please don't let it be Ariane and OHNOITSARIANE!!!" factor.

I know, I know. I'm comparing this new show to its predecessor and that's not fair. Top Chef is a masterpiece of reality television and not every show, not even a spin-off, can be another Top Chef. While such a comparison is almost inevitable, it is unfair.

As I assess the show as a stand-alone series, I feel that it should be taken as a highly entertaining culinary competition among some of the best chefs, judged by some of the most accomplished critics. The challenges are challenging, but not unreasonably so. The exchanges of dialogue between the critics and the chefs can be enjoyed purely as dueling exchanges between accomplished fencers, even if one lacks any type of culinary knowledge. And the new scoring system is brilliant.

I think Top Chef: Masters will be a nice appetizer as I eagerly await the debut of Top Chef Season 6 (which takes place in Vegas, yippee!!). It's all good fun but not entirely satisfying. As a summer intermission, however, it'll definitely do the trick.

Watch What We Say rating: Three TiVos

Watch What We Say: Rating System

Four TiVos: This is television content raised to the level of a transcendent art form. Not only should you TiVo this program for yourself, you should keep it on your TiVo for future generations to watch and savor.

Three TiVos: This is a very good show with a regular spot in my TiVo rotation. I watch every week and will often invite my friends over to share the enjoyable experience.

Two TiVos: I'll TiVo this show if I need something to watch while I'm folding laundry or dusting furniture.

One TiVo: I actively dislike this show and never allow it to take up space in my TiVo. Often times, I'll gripe about the show's producers, ridicule the actors and lambaste the network for keeping it on the air.

Zero TiVos: If this show is on, I unplug my TiVo for fear that the show is accidentally recorded and my entire home entertainment system gets contaminated with this malignant, diseased trash.

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