Top Chef Watch: Season Four

To my delight, Bravo announced this summer that they would be taping season four of Top Chef in Chicago. To make things better, the Red Eye reported last week that filming began last Friday, Sept 21. Bravo said in their announcement that they are aiming to finish filming before the weather in Chicago "gets brutally cold" - which could be next week for all we know, but I'm guessing that means by the end of the year. I'm not sure how long the taping runs, but with fourteen contestants I'm thinking at least two months.

Fellow blogger Femdom Future has already unearthed the audition tapes for five of the new season four contestants: check them out here.

I've grown to love the show, especially this season, and I'm excited to hear it's being taped in my own town. Despite my recent run-in with Dale Levitski (current contestant on Season 3), I'm not much of a "celebrity stalker". However, I do fully intend to keep my eyes and ears open for the whereabouts of the Top Chef 4 crew over the next few months. I mean, I live in Lincoln Park -- right in between Charlie Trotters and Aliena -- they've GOT to come to my neighborhood at some point - they just HAVE to!!

First questions first: where do we think the contestants are staying in Chicago? They stayed at Fountainbleu in Miami...

Second: Where will their main kitchen be? I'm thinking either the Illinois Institute of Art in the Loop, the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, or the Calphalon Culinary Center in Chicago.

... and the Top Chef Watch: Season Four begins!!