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I keep my eyes on these five individuals as cooking begins, alert to any sign of disaster. Alas, the only warning signs are emanating from Ariane (who I am beginning to root for due to her vulnerability but has dangerously undercooked her farro grain) and Patrick (who has violated Rule #1 at Top Chef: When you're in an elimination challenge, don't use ingredients that you're not familiar with).

Every instance in which a chef has ignored this rule has resulted in utter catastrophe and I fear that Patrick, with his woeful attempt at cooking black rice noodles for the first time, will be the latest example of what not to do.

After the contestants present their dishes to the panel of judges, which includes one of the most celebrated chefs on the planet, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the judges deliberate and pick the best and worst dishes of the night. On top are sous-chef Leah with a modern Italian dish, an overly-confident Fin named Stefan (also the Quickfire Challenge winner), who composed an elegant Middle Eastern dish and Gene, who despite ignorance of what tzatziki is, composed a delicious recreation of a classic Indian dish. Stefan ends up winning.

On the bottom are, as I feared, Ariane and Patrick. I agree with most of the judges sentiments: Ariane was guilty of a technical error in that she severely undercooked her farro grain. Patrick was guilty of a culinary inspiration error in that he didn't really capture anything quintessential about Chinese cuisine in his dish and botched the black rice noodles ("He thought that he could slop some bok choy on the plate and it would be Chinese," remarked Jean-Georges).

For my own taste, I think it's pretty obvious that Patrick should go home. Not only does he lack ambition and experience, but he also came up with the most simplistic, amateur dish of the bunch. On top of that, I just don't believe that he has a whole lot of passion for cooking.

In the end, Patrick is indeed sent home and Ariane breathes a sigh of relief.

As a whole, I would say that the episode was enjoyable but not great. The early episodes of every season of Top Chef are plagued by a lack of time to adequately cover the actions by all the chefs and as a viewer, you haven't really had the chance to get to know any of them yet. While I had a good time and am thrilled that Top Chef is back, I can only give it a rating of Three TiVos.

That is not to say, however, that I won't be back for seconds. I'm going to be back for seconds and thirds and fourths and fifths and a whole lot of dessert. Believe me, I am eagerly awaiting the next couple of weeks.

Watch What We Say rating for the Top Chef Season Premiere: 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.

BOP is doing a link exchange with our good friends at Buddy TV this season. For more Top Chef info, visit their site.

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