Project Runway

Remember PBS? They bring you "Sesame Street" and "Antiques Roadshow," and they are the guys who allegedly have no commercials. Remember them? Struggling to keep its tenuous hold on the margins of viewers' consciousness, holding at least a place discernible with peripheral vision, PBS now adds some spice for foodies. Starring on "Made in Spain," real chef of DC Jose Andres "brings the exciting flavors of his native Spain to the American audience with easy and informative recipes created in his Washington, DC, kitchen using products found here in the U.S." According to the PBS website, each episode presents an easy-to-follow recipe for a great Spanish dish, which would-be Spaniards can whip up in their own heartland kitchens. In addition to whetting your appetite for something spicy and savory, "Made in Spain" may trigger episodes of wanderlust, because it shows "treasured Spanish locations," where each episode's dishes originated. For a nation still convinced Taco Bell serves "authentic" Mexican food, "Made in Spain" may seem just a little too piquant for the palette, but Jose Andres himself may become one of America's favorite ethnic dishes.

If you are lucky enough to reside in one of the cities that experience the rush of adrenalin that happens when the foodie race with huge trucks rolls through you may want to get out of the way for them! Each city that finds the competitive show stopping off to serve up some savory foods gets to experience how frantic and frenetic the competition actually is. The teams must come up with a menu, then shop for what they will make, then serve it out and hope they can make some profit when it's all through. The truck that earns the least in cash is the one to be eliminated that week. Season one had an extra challenge provided by stopping off at a Truck stop at each city and season two finds a Speed Bump of some sort that creates unexpected circumstances (like running out of propane or needing to relocate after setting up for their day's business). Tyler Florence (Food Network star of How to Boil Water and Food 911) is host and each food truck team has their own unique theme for the food they serve. It's fast and fun viewing!

American reality shows seldom satisfy as much as the fabulous dishes produced on this program! That is they would if we could get our hands on them and actually taste them like the judges do. Contestants have challenges in each episode that test their culinary talents specifically in the art of making desserts. Gail Simmons is the host and judges include Johnny Luzzini, Hubert Keller, and Dannielle Kyrillos with two challenges per episode. One challenging test is called a Quickfire followed by the Elimination Challenge. Quickfire being as the title implies, a quick test of the contestant's fundamental and basic skills in the kitchen. Elimination round is difficult and each chef must show how adaptable and creative they can be with a list of needs and use of specific ingredients. As with many other reality style shows, one contestant is eliminated at the end of each week, until there are only two remaining and the heat is not only in the kitchen but almost comes through the screen to us, the viewing audience. The loser is announced during the "Judges Table" at the end of each episode. Challenging these "experts in their own field" is a fun way to find out who can take the pressure and stand the heat until the finale at the end of the season. The winner receives $100,000 and the prestigious title of Top Chef in the world of Pastry Desserts.

The first of two spin-offs from Bravo's phenomenally popular "Top Chef" TV show, the masters edition focuses on accomplished chefs competing more for acclaim as the best of the best than for cash and glamorous prizes. Competition starts with twenty-four prominent masters of haute cuisine, who face unusual challenges from celebrity judges, who then evaluate their fare and determine which kitchen-kings stay and which pack-up their blades and hit the road. For example, one episode of "Top Chef Masters" challenged the chefs to prepare satisfying and flavorful lactose-free and gluten-free meals for Hollywood stars with food allergies. Rising to the occasion, the chefs showed dazzling inventiveness without hyper-drama. "Top Chef Masters" show breaks the reality television rules by showing chefs behaving with dignity, professionalism, collegiality, and even some plain old courtesy. No ego. No tantrums. Despite the absence of super-sensation, "Top Chef Masters" TV show has scored well in ratings, because it focuses more on the food than the cooks' foolishness.

Designed and built according to Bravo's standard blueprint for reality programming, "Shear Genius" TV show pits hairstylists against one another in cut-throat competition for reputation and glamorous prizes. In its first season, "Shear Genius" series steadily gained loyal viewers by word-of-mouth, and the original coterie of just over one million fans has made the program just popular and just profitable enough that Bravo programmers have stayed with it. For the first two seasons, "Charlie's Angels" mega-star Jacklyn Smith came out of retirement to host "Shear Genius"; in the third season Brazilian super-model Camila Alves took over hosting and refereeing the competitions. Like the top chefs and the aspiring fashion designers, the hair stylists on "Shear Genius" compete against the clock, arbitrary constraints, and one another, submitting their work for celebrity judges' approval. In some of the most intense challenges, the shear wizards work on mannequins' hair; in some of the eliminations, they work on aspiring models' locks. Winning styles are displayed on the Wall of Fame at Allure magazine, and the best stylist is celebrated with the signature expression, "Your work is shear genius!"

Taking its name from the long-honored description of intoxication as being "three sheets to the wind," international travelogue "Three Sheets" deals comprehensively with serious and proper consumption of strong waters, staging a global pub-crawl for viewers of the Travel Channel. In each episode of "Three Sheets," comedian Zane Lamprey guides his tourist coterie from watering hole to watering hole, introducing them to local brews, distilleries, and mixes, initiating them into local drinking customs and games, feeding them the best of local fare, and ultimately returning them to more or less normal consciousness with the best of indigenous hangover remedies. Serving the special needs of exceptionally conscientious viewers, Lamprey frequently includes notes, links, and pronunciation guides as he introduces new beverages or sophisticated drinking terminology. Over its several seasons, "Three Sheets" has developed running gags, recurring characters, and its own original coinage"”especially for drink-related faux pas. Steve McKenna, Logan "the beer hunter," and Jim the Cop lead the list of Lamprey's co-conspirators. Conscious of the stigma attached to drinking alone, Lamprey travels always with a stuffed monkey, Pleepleus, who appears randomly, unpredictably in each show.