'Top Chef: Boston' Episode 1 Spoilers: Judges Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio Pull No Punches!

It's what we've been waiting for all year: a new season of Top Chef and it's in Boston!

We start with the new contestants talking about how great Top Chef is. Yada yada yada...

The chefs come into the kitchen and it's the beautiful Padma Lakshmi and former winner Richard Blais welcoming them. Richard is joining the crew as a judge this year, which is an awesome idea!

First we have Katsuji, who is Mexican-Japanese and Jewish and has a Mexican Kosher restaurant. Already my favorite! Mei Lin is the Sous Chef for former winner Michael Voltaggio. Ron is a big guy and wants to break the mold to win Top Chef. Adam who worked at Jean-Georges vegan restaurants. Keriann was first female and first American to win world's greatest young chef, but she never said who gave her that title. George is business partners with former contestant Mike Isabella. Joy has a small restaurant and is intimidated by the other chefs who have worked with big names. That's all we get right now because there are 16 contestants in total.

Padma drops a bomb that there will be a sudden death quickfire where you'll be eliminated right away if you lose. The chefs are divided into four teams where each chef and team needs to prepare different foods. The slowest chef on the slowest team is up for elimination.

The green team wins with Keriann's monster speed shucking clams. Yellow comes in second. Katsuji is losing it for the blue team after they were in first place the whole time. Blue team comes in third. Red is last so now it depends on who is the slowest on the team. The slowest on the team was George so in a twist, he gets to pick any chef to cook against in a cook-off. If he wins, they both stay, but if he loses, he's gone. He chooses Gregory as payback for stealing the mackerel from him. The dish they have to make has to have one of the foods they had to prep during the quickfire.

George makes a pan-seared mackerel, while Gregory is making a seafood trio. Gregory wins and we finally hear Padma tell George to "please pack your knives and go!"

It's time for the elimination challenge! The challenge is to make dishes for a booth at the "Top Chef Food Festival." They need to serve an updated version of the first dish they ever made. They're off to the races shopping for the food they'll need for their booth. Aaron says he is making an updated version of bacon and eggs, which will be a huge risk. Usually, when the editors and producers leave a comment like that in it foretells not so good things.

The chefs now make into the kitchen to start cooking. They have three hours to cook for 250 guests. Here come Richard and Tom Colicchio to talk to the chefs and find out what they're making, which really means to ruffle their feathers. My favorite, Katsuji, talks about the fondue he's making and even forgets what ingredients he puts in. You can't make this stuff up!

Once the chefs are done they wheel out their food to the festival. Their booths are amongst big names in the cooking world along with past Top Chef winners. In the middle of serving, the judges come in to taste the food at each booth. We have Padma, Tom, Richard, and perennial judge Gail Simmons. The judges aren't pulling any punches this year. They are telling every chef what they think of their food right on the spot while they taste it. Katie basically made a broccoli salad and got a very harsh critique, but who knows if that will translate to the judges' table. Not as harsh as the critique for Aaron, who gave Padma a very fatty piece of pork belly that she had to spit out.

The judges come together to discuss their favorites and least favorites with them not liking a lot of the dishes.

The chefs come into the stew room and Padma comes in with a shocker...the judges want to see everyone! Doug, Mei, and Gregory are the judges' favorite dishes. The judges talk to them while all of the other contestants are off to the side watching. And the winner of the first elimination challenge is...Mei!

Katie, Michael, and say it isn't so Katsuji!!! are in the bottom this week. The chef that Padma tells to pack their knives and go is....Michael. His corn soup dish with salmon eggs was too fishy for the judges.

All in all, I have to say I love Richard as a new judge and all the other little changes to the show this year really work. A great premiere episode to the season!

What did you think of the first episode of the season?