Wanted: Knives, cunning, and a canapé or two

I don't watch a lot of TV. Don't get me wrong—I enjoy the tube as much as the next person. I just have a hard time planting myself for more then three minutes at a time (unless I'm in bed with my book).

So when I do flip on the TV, I usually do so with intention.  I can pretty much guarantee I am either watching sports or a cooking show. Not just any sports or cooking show, though. It'll be baseball, soccer, or tennis; Top Chef, Iron Chef, or Mexico: One Plate at a Time. I'm fussy like that.

Lately, though, I've been despairing because the new season of Top Chef Masters is really not doing it for me. The new cast of judges is pretentious and petty, the challenges are absurd, and it's painfully clear that the whole rodeo isn't worth these talented chefs' time or effort. (At least they are competing for charity. That is a saving grace—and an important one.)

I am five episodes in now and thinking I may need to trade this hour of programming for another. Seeing as I clearly have an affinity for competition-based reality programming, what would you recommend I watch instead?

My kitty thanks you for your input. (TV watching is the one time during the day that I am at home and sitting. He likes that.)

Photo by Flickr user John Loo