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    Top Chef 2

    Top Chef puts Dallas' John Tesar on the backburner — for now

    Teresa Gubbins
    Dec 9, 2016 | 1:16 pm
    Top Chef
    Rookies lost, veterans won.
    Photo courtesy of Bravo

    If you were looking for John Tesar drama on the second episode of Top Chef, which aired on December 8, you went home empty-handed. After a debut that focused on Dallas' favorite chef, the Bravo channel chef competition reality show kept Tesar in the background, instead going to its fallback plot device for this season: rookies versus veterans.

    This episode was a place setter, with exposition about the history and culinary traditions of Charleston, South Carolina. You learn that South Carolina played a pivotal role in the Revolution, and that it has seafood. You see a massive seafood boil get poured out onto a table. You watch the contestants nibble on shrimp.

    The episode splits the chefs into two groups, veterans versus novices duh, who eat a family-style meal at the home of a prominent local. The chefs must watch, they must observe these cooks in their home settings. They must eat, digest, then return with their chef spin on what they ate.

    Some of the novices are still irked about being on the novice team, and this is where the episode sets up the plot. Portland chef B.J. Smith complains that he deserves to be on the veteran team, because he owns his own restaurant — missing the definition of "veteran" here, i.e., you have been on the show before.

    B.J. strikes again when the teams go food shopping. The novices are bonkers out of control. Who's buying the butter? Are you buying the butter, or am I? Oops, everyone buys butter. B.J. selfishly buys a pork tenderloin, which eats up $125 of their $500 budget, leaving other chefs with just a few basil leaves and birdseed for their dishes.

    But B.J. has to have that pork loin, because he's the meat guy. He's all about meat. Meat is his thing. He's known for his meat. Imagine our surprise when he undercooks the meat. He pulls it out of the oven and it's trichinosis-red. He tries to quickly sauté it but #fail.

    The meals are served. For the veteran team, things run as smooth as butter. Every course, better than the last. Winning dish goes to former Dallasite Casey Thompson, for her shredded collards.

    The rookies lose. Chef Annie Pettry gets the boot for her unforgivably soggy crust on her tomato tart. Judge Gail Simmons hates that pork loin, but no way are they going to bump B.J. They need his arrogance for another episode.

    ---

    Top Chef airs Thursdays at 9 pm CST on Bravo.

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    Venue News

    McKinney breaks ground on new Sunset Amphitheater live music venue

    Teresa Gubbins
    Jun 20, 2025 | 3:44 pm
    Sunset Amphitheater McKinney
    venu.live
    xx

    The ground was at last broken on a new live music view opening in 2026: Sunset Amphitheater powered by Eight Elite Light Beer, a 20,000-seat facility located at the northeast corner of US 75 and SH 121 in McKinney, slated to open in 2026.

    The $300 million venue is being developed as part of a public-private partnership between Venu, the City of McKinney, the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, and the McKinney Community Development Corporation.

    Venu is a Colorado-based hospitality and live music venue developer formerly known as Notes Live, with multiple concepts in the works (many seeking funding) including Sunset Amphitheater, which they're opening in Oklahoma and El Paso, as well as McKinney.

    The Sunset Amphitheater at McKinney powered by Eight Elite Light Beer may be a mouthful of a name but it also reveals that it has already landed a sponor in the beer company launched by ex-Dallas Cowboys Troy Aikman.

    The venue will feature a flexible multi-season configuration for year-round programming, with suites, members-only club, canopied roof, and wind walls, to provide protection from inclement weather and comfortable atmosphere in the winter.

    There will also be food and beverage through a partnership with Aramark Sports + Entertainment, a massive enterprise that provides food services to NBA and NHL arenas, baseball fields, zoos, college facillities, and more.

    The members-only club is called The Aikman Club, in collaboration with Troy Aikman, and will be nestled at the center of the amphitheater: a one-of-a-kind space with "world-class cuisine," unmatched views, premium seating, and high-end amenities for its elite members.

    “We’re so excited to be here,” said Venu founder and CEO J.W. Roth in a statement. “We’re gonna build the most luxurious, fully seated, multi configuration, multi seasonal venue in history right here in McKinney. The organizations here in McKinney have been nothing short of incredible. This groundbreaking wouldn't be possible without that unwavering passion of the folks of McKinney.”

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    news/entertainment
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