TV Watch

Spike Dishes on Tonight’s All-Star Battle on Top Chef

01/28/2009 at 12:00 AM EST

Hours before his cameo and Superbowl throw-down on Top Chef, PEOPLE.com spoke to season four's Spike Mendelsohn, owner of Good Stuff Eatery in Washington, D.C., about the current cheftestants and how they're all "too bland" for his taste.

What's your prediction for this season's Top Chef winner? My money is on Hosea! I think he's playing the game, he's flirting with Leah, making great TV and at the same time he's trying to produce good food and get himself in the way of Stefan.

How would you rate this season in New York? Be nice! These guys don't have enough...style, humor, bravado, I can't put my finger on it. Where is the fun?! They're too bland for my taste. Plus, N.Y.C. has so many great chefs and great things to do. Seeing Martha Stewart and being on GMA? That's cool, but the city has so much more potential than that.



Do you think their challenges have been harder or easier than yours? Our eliminations were definitely harder since it was a lot of catering stuff. This season it seems like they focused a lot more on individual skills, where I remember having to set aside my personal philosophies a lot.

Have you talked to Tom or Padma about this season? Yes. Everyone is psyched that the show is so popular. But I gotta say, it was kind of hard to top us....I mean vanilla love, culinary boner, lesbian scandals, that's classic stuff. Fabio can't even top that, even with his grandmamma.

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