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theWit's Sous Chef Tests the Fires in 'Hell's Kitchen'

Where: 201 N. State St. [map], Chicago, IL, United States, 60601

theWit's Russell Kook, sous chef of cibo matto, took on potty-mouthed Gordon Ramsay in last night's eighth-season premiere of Hell's Kitchen.

The 29-year-old sous chef joined 15 other contestants to compete for the head chef position at LA Market, a restaurant in the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE. The job carries a $250,000 salary. The winner also gets to be a spokesperson for Rosemount Estate Wines.

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Reality Shows / Heidi Montag / Spencer Pratt / Rod Blagojevich / → All Tags

Costa Rica Braces For The Speidi-Moon

So ballsy former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich won't be living the pura vida in Costa Rica after all. That pesky indictment has quashed Blago's plans to continue his fifteen minutes with a stint on the NBC reality show "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!" (He won't be getting the rumored $80K a week that some news outlets reported he'd earn from NBC either.)

Instead, reality leeches and newlyweds Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt will get to unleash their egos and suck any camera time dry all while calling Costa Rica home. (Can they move there for good, please?!)

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Atlantic City Hotels / Reality Shows / Hotel Restaurants / Gordon Ramsay / → All Tags

'Hell's Kitchen' Descends on The Borgata Atlantic City

Where: 1 Borgata Way [map], Atlantic City, NJ, United States, 08401

Tip: Fast forward to the 5:07 mark for their trip to The Borgata

Anybody watching this fifth season of Hell's Kitchen with angry chef Gordon Ramsay knows all too well about the final grand prize awaiting the winner: a restaurant of their own within the The Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. This most recent episode not only revealed the unfinished, massive space, but also gave viewers of the show a peek at the features of The Borgata and a glimpse inside the hotel's pimpin' private jet.

Aside from the jet and the restaurants, we learn from the hotel's Director of Marketing that The Borgata "launched the culinary revolution in Atlantic City" and was named a "Foodie Hotel" by Forbes.com. Big boasts from the hotel, but then we get a tour of the hotel's other restaurants from Bobby Flay and Wolfgang Puck to prove that they do have the big-name restaurants.

Perhaps now we'll have to start watching Hell's Kitchen, if only to see at whose place we'll able to eat in a year or so. Fast forward towards the end of the video to check out the gigantic space allotted to the winner. At a point, one of the finalists asks the Director of Marketing "how many square feet is this?" to which the Director replies, "more than you can use, I bet." No fooling; this is a huge new venture for a hotel in a city already struggling in the economy.

Top Chef / TV Set Hotels / Manhattan Hotels / Hotel News / Affinia Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / Reality Shows / → All Tags

"Top Chef" Season Five Contestants to Heat It Up at New York's Benjamin Hotel

Where: 125 E. 50th Street [map], New York, ny, United States, 10022

We love the reality show Top Chef on Bravo and it doesn't hurt that the show always has some hotel element that we can grok about. Like Season Three when the contestants shacked up at the Fontainebleau in Miami.

Now for the fifth season, the show is headed back to New York City and The Benjamin Hotel in Midtown East will play a big role.

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TV Set Hotels / Miami Beach Hotel Reviews / Top Chef / Reality Shows / → All Tags

'Top Chefs' Cut It Up at the Fontainebleau Resort

We were traveling last week so we had to miss the premiere of one of our newest fave shows ever, Top Chef. But yesterday, we hunkered down in front of our TiVo and caught up on all that we missed (Entourage, Flight of the Conchords and Lauer's interview with the dreamy Princes of Wales included.)

The first two seasons of Top Chef took place in Los Angeles but for the third season, the show was moved to Miami and guess where the first meeting of the contestants took place? Gianni Versace's former residence-turned-exclusive-hotel, Casa Casuarina.

And that's not all, the contestants are being put up in the Penthouse suite of the Fontainebleau Resort and Tower on Collins Ave, a la Real World Las Vegas at the Palms.

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Detroit Hotels / Hotels on Television / Reality Shows / → All Tags

The White Rapper Hotel Review

Where: 600 E. University Drive [map], Rochester, MI, United States, 48307

Late last night we passed on Letterman and found ourselves aimlessly watching VH1's The White Rapper Show.

Listen, it was late and vapid television soothes the soul. In any event, the show, which is apparently some sort of series long contest, and in the end MC Search will determine who the greatest white rapper is, or some such thing.

Point is, last night the hip hoppers went to the D where they were set to do battle 8 Mile style in the basement of St. Andrew's.

VH1 even rented the guys a lived in trailer, to set the mood. However, about half way through the show two of the rappers won a night at the Royal Park Hotel--room 421, the Royal Grand suite to be exact.

Never mind that the Royal Park Hotel, which MC Search describes as the nicest hotel in the D, is in the R, Rochester, which is thirty miles north of the D, we get a rare hotel review from white rapper wannabes Shamrock and John Brown:

Marble floors...everywhere. Stunning chandeliers, gold elevators, and the maître d' waitin' fo us with champagne.

The words are strong, but the flow is missin'. These guys gotta work on a delivery with more enthusiasm. Funny thing is, it sounds like their hotel review is fairly on the money.

Related Stories:
· Royal Park reviews [TripAdvisor]
· The (white) Rapper Show [VH1]