There are scores of TV shows out there, with dozens of new episodes each week, not to mention everything you can find on Hulu Plus, Netflix streaming, and HBO Go. How’s a viewer to keep up? To help you sort through all that television has to offer, Flavorwire is compiling the five best moments on TV each week. This time, Bravo swoops in to inject summer programming with a healthy dose of insanity reality.
Top Chefs Draw Knives
It’s not Top Chef: Masters. It’s not Top Chef: All Stars, either. Top Chef: Duels is basically both of those shows with a slightly different competition format, but who cares? Food porn! The franchise’s latest spinoff kicked off this week with Richard Blais (who happens to have restaurants in both my hometowns) and Marcel Vigneron, with the victory going to Blais. There were liquid nitrogen shots involved.
Much as we love a good cooking competition show, the title of Best Bravo Reality Series This Week goes to Extreme Guide to Parenting, in which a couple decides to go all-in with attachment and hang out with their infant 24 hours a day. Between that and the “eco-kosher” mom, the show’s a reverse Dr. Spock, showing how not to raise stable kids one case study at a time.
The Wu-Tang Clan, Together Again
On The Daily Show, because where else? Jon Stewart does an admirable job of navigating a group interview of intimidating size, but the highlight is, of course, Wu-Tang Clan’s performance.
Legend of Korra Goes Dark
The sequel series to critically beloved Avatar: The Last Airbender has been uneven in its almost-three seasons to date. But although Legend of Korra hasn’t been as universally beloved as its predecessor, in some respects it’s far less of a kid’s show. The Nickelodeon show shocked fans this week with a straight-up political assassination, unusual for a saga that’s been reluctant to show death at all. But with three episodes left to go, the Earth Queen’s demise at the hands of bender terrorist Zaheer is just the kick Korra needs.
Nathan Fielder, Weight Loss Coach
The latest object of Nathan for You‘s vicious parody/twisted experimentation is weight loss motivation. You know those incentive programs that send a donation to the political party you don’t support if the pounds don’t come off? Nathan’s version sends humiliating photos to people you love — and the concept comes from the customer, as with the guy who proposes sending a picture of him with his mistress to his kids. Like everything else on the show, it’s intensely uncomfortable. And very, very funny.