Howdy folks!  And welcome again to another Liveblog of the new season of the Top Chef franchise, known as Top Chef Masters.

With all the confessing going on with the South Carolina governor, I have something to say.  A confession here about my dinner tonight.  As I am currently going for a svelter, more beachworthy version of myself, I've been trying to keep the calories at bay.  That means I have to do things like forego doing beef stroganoff in the slow cooker in favor of buffalo burgers.  Of course, if I were Kelly Choi, I would be so sticklike that I could eat stroganoff every single day for every meal for a month and still wear a size 4. 

Note to self: send some stroganoff to Kelly Choi.  She could use it.

Tonight we’ll meet Rick Bayless, who I have to confess, is one of my favorite chefs.  I own one of his cookbooks, and enjoyed many of his restaurants when I lived in Chicago.  Bayless was doing the local food thing since the early 1990’s, before it became the latest craze in fine dining.  And Bayless has always made his food accessible to the masses. Even as an impoverished law student, I didn’t have to scrimp for more than a week to afford to dine in one of his restaurants, even the pricier ones.

So with my hopeless dinner and my biases duly confessed, I suppose we can begin….

10:00 p.m. -- from the promos, this looks like the "offal" episode.  Cool. 

10:01 p.m. -- Wilo Benet, from Puerto Rico, is here to school the other Top Chefs....he was the judge in the Top Chef Chicago finale.

10:02 p.m. -- Cidy Pawlcyn is from Nappa Valley.  I'm going to confess here that I have a real issue with Nappa chefs.  I probably need to explain this better, but now Ludo LeFebre is on the screen, and I am overwhelmed with his Frenchiness.  This oughta be fun.

10:04 p.m. -- And here he is, my favorite man, Rick Bayless.  He's HAWSOME.

10:05 p.m. -- I love how Frenchie seems upset at how much Bayless is talking to Kelly Choi.

10:06 p.m. -- the "color" challenge.  I never liked that one. 

10:07 p.m. -- Frenchie is so into being French trained.  It's going to be funny to watch him run up against these other folks.  Anyone who counts out Cindy Pawlcyn at this point is kidding themselves.  Rick did get lucky getting green.  And of course he's using tomatillos.....

10:09 p.m. -- Wilo tries flowers for the ladies.  He could be in for a rude schock.  And right of the bat, Frenchie can't do time constraints.  And boy does he lose it.  In his fabulous Frenchie way.

10:13 p.m. -- Okay, a bit of explanation about my "issues" with the Nappa chefs.  There's this vibe in Nappa that is very casual, and yet very pretentious.  I can't really explain it except to say that there's nothing more digusting than snobbery that tries to pretend it's egalitarian.

10:15 p.m. -- Frenchie is really not happy, because NOW they forgot his precious gazpacho.

10:16 p.m. -- Frenchie so needs valium. 

10:17 -- Pawlcyn's dish goes over well, and Rick's dish is pronounced complex.  But Wilo's dish is truly loved, despite the fact he never removed the ring.

10:18 p.m. -- Wilo's salmon get's docked a half a star for the ring, but he wins anyway.  Ludo only gets three stars. 

10:19 p.m. -- This is a street food challenge.  And here comes the offal.....

10:20 p.m. -- A word here on Kelly Choi's delivery....she really needs to wear less make up. 

10:21 p.m. -- Ludo is FRENCH...he can cook ANYTHING....because well, that's how it is when you are FRENCH.

10:22 p.m. -- Frenchie is doing a quesadilla.  And he's asking Rick Bayless to recommend a cheese for him.  That is the most priceless thing so far. I think Pawlcyn is making a mistake doing a soup.

10:23 p.m. -- Frenchie so needs to lighten up.  Seriously.  He's acting like it's somehow odd or copycatting for Bayless to do mexican food when he's already chosen mexican food.  What, Bayless is supposed to abdicate the food he's KNOWN for because Frenchie doesn't have a better, more frenchie idea for street food involving pig ears?

10:25 p.m. -- I gotta say, Frenchie is making liveblogging this a little too easy.  He's a snarky blogger's dream, that one.

10:27 p.m. -- Cindy Pawlcyn has bright patent red chef clogs.  I LOVE THAT!!!

10:29 p.m. -- And again Frenchie is having trouble with the time constraints......

10:30 p.m. -- Rick is giving good thought to how to SELL the food, which should stand him in good stead.  I still think that it's a bit of a mistake for Cindy to do soup.

10:30 p.m. -- Wilo has concealed his heart in a bunch of other proteins.  I don't know if the judges are necessarily going to like that.

10:32 p.m. -- And once again, Frenchie mismanages his time.  I wonder how the service is in his restaurant.

10:32 p.m. -- Rick is slipping them the tongue.  Funny, as much as i love Rick, I am not making him my date candidate.

10:34 p.m. -- Rick's tongue goes over very, very well. The critics LOVE it.

10:34 p.m. -- Wilo's doing up his hearts with style and verve.  You know, I think Kelly looks much better here...she's not wearing quite as much make up.  and the more structured jacket suits her better than the flowy crap she usually wears.

1o:35 p.m. -- The judges like Wilo's heart as well.

10:36 p.m. -- Frenchie is copping an attitude with the critics, particularly with Jay.  This is not going to go well for him.  The critics are not being "charmed," Frenchie.  Really, they aren't.

10:38 p.m. -- Pawlcyn is being very cool and collected.  And I like that.  I think Jay doesn't like it.  This should be an interesting table.  Frenchie, of course, is deluded.

10:42 p.m. -- So far, no one is emerging as the Chef I Want to Date for the evening.  I love Rick, and no matter who I was on a date with, I'd want him cooking.  But honestly, Wilo's not my style, I don't play on the right team to date Cindy, and Frenchie?  Sorry, but no.  Seriously.  Who needs that kind of drama?

10:43 p.m. -- I think it's so funny that Frenchie has such a hard-on to take down Rick Bayless.  Such hubris.  He's GOT to be smoking something.  Dude, you are a french-trained chef cooking mexican and you think you can beat a guy who made his culinary bones cooking authentic mexican cuisine?  Seriously, what're you smoking?  Can I have some?  That's got to be some good shit.

10:46 p.m. -- I love the way he says "pig hear."

10:47 p.m. -- Jay hated Cindy's broth.  Rick likes his tongue.  You can tell Kelly Choi likes Rick.

10:49 p.m. -- Wilo is getting some weird questions for the critics.  I can't tell if they like it or not.

10:50 p.m. -- I will say this.  That blue is a very good color on Kelly.  Pawlcyn's soup was apparently lacking in punch.  Wilo is getting slammed because he cut up the heart too much.  Rick's dish was ruled perfect, even though he used bacon.  But isn't everything better with bacon?

10:51 p.m. -- Ludo's pig ear was the toughest, sure, but to say "pretty good job" ain't gonna give him the come from behind victory he wants against Rick Bayless.

10:55 p.m. -- Okay, working our way through the stars.  Jay gives him four stars, the other judges, three.  He's toast.

10:56 p.m. -- Ouch!  Pawlcyn's dish doesn't get her more than 3-1/2 stars and doesn't even beat Ludo. 

10:57 p.m. -- Rick SMOKES Frenchie's 16 -1/2 stars.

10:58 p.m. -- Wilo is putting up a good fight, but he's no match for Rick Bayless.  Rick just rocks.  I am so excited to see him win.

10:59 p.m. -- Frenchie of course, has to say something snarky about Rick winning.....

NEXT WEEK: The chef that totally melts my heart -- John Besh is going to be on the list...

 Be sure to join us next week, everyone!