Bravo announced two new cooking shows yesterday: A competition show, Top Chef Junior and an untitled docu-series following world-renowed chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli.
Top Chef Junior will be a competition show (based on Top Chef) with teens ages 13-16 competing to become a junior Top Chef, and the untitled "Jean-Christophe Novelli Project" will be a docu-series following Jean as he moves to L.A. to start a new professional cooking school. I guess they have to fill their slate somehow with Project Runway being gone, and cooking works for them...so if it ain't broke...
The Jean-Christophe show sounds pretty simple. It'll be good if his students are interesting, so I guess it's all based on the casting. There is hope for this show, as his "Novelli Academy Cookery School" in the UK has placed in the "Top 25 Cookery Schools in the World." And, The New York Times did call Jean, "World's Sexiest Chef." With that said, I'm all for good food and a hot chef.
I have to say, that I'm a little hesitant about Top Chef Junior. I feel like the Bravo audience will either LOVE the teens and eat it up or completely revolt and it could ruin the Top Chef brand completely (no in between). Can't wait to see what they give us...Casting, Casting, Casting. Fingers crossed.
Comments (5)
Hey Nads, are you sure that they dropped Project Runway? I was watching the finale of Top Chef and Bravo had a commerical for Project Runway slated to start in July at a new time (9 pm). I know there was talk of PR going to Lifetime but I'm thinking that Lifetime may have bought the rights to the past episodes to air.
1 of 5 | Posted by featherhead | Posted on June 12, 2008 8:53 AM
yeah, there will be one more season of Project Runway, and then, it's going to Lifetime in 2009. So this is the last one on Bravo in July and then when it goes to Lifetime the producers of the show will change (meaning Weinstein still owns it, but the Magical Elves won't be producing it anymore) Boo! It's such a bummer. The Magical Elves will be producing Top Chef Junior though.
2 of 5 | Posted by Nads | Posted on June 12, 2008 12:44 PM
Top Chef Junior sounds like it might be a cute show. I'm sure it won't have the cussing and sabatoge of Top Chef though!! Gees, I hope not anyway...
I am surprised Bravo let Project Runway get away, it is a really popular show, which means more $$$ for them.
3 of 5 | Posted by featherhead | Posted on June 13, 2008 4:43 AM
I know, I don't think that Bravo was too happy about it either. It all had to do with money and whatever internal beef they had in the biz dept. with the Weinstein company and Bravo.
My best friend works at Bravo, and I know the thought over there is that it's a loss for them. I hope that Lifetime can match the show quality as there will be new producers. The format will all be the same though. I know one thing and that's that Lifetime scored BIG TIME! But at least the show is still on, and we have one more season on Bravo. Things could be worse...it could have gone away completely!
4 of 5 | Posted by Nads | Posted on June 13, 2008 2:07 PM
That's true, we could have lost it forever!! I love that show. When it moves to Lifetime, it will probably be the only show I watch on that channel. I used to like Lifetime, but it has seemed to change, it's more cheesy now then ever.
5 of 5 | Posted by featherhead | Posted on June 14, 2008 8:23 AM