I’ve decided to enact a strict “three episode” policy for all reality shows. I won’t judge how good or bad the show is until I’ve sat through three entire episodes. This policy is painful at times, but necessary to weed awful shows out of the limited time I have to watch TV. (See Here Come The Newlyweds.)

I’ve now completed my preliminary obligation to Top Chef Chicago and despite some reservations (no pun intended) after the first two episodes, I’ve decided this could end up being a good season after all.

The fourth installment of the popular Bravo reality series takes 15 would-be celebrity chefs to the culinary mecca of Chicago. This season is a familiar blend of stereotypical characters from seasons past with one big exception: this time around there is a lesbian couple among the competitors (they compete separately, of course).

First, lets meet the cheftestants (Bravo’s word, not mine):

• Andrew: Fiery, fast-talking Andrew is a 30-year-old sous-chef from New York City via Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Andrew has studied everything from molecular gastronomy to West African cuisine. His experience is matched only by his cockiness. Andrew is fond of saying things like , “I ain’t goin’ no where, this is my house.” After three episodes, he is still in the game and even won the second elimination challenge (the Zoo party) though his team was shamed in the third episode’s block party challenge.
• Antonia: Lovely, mild-mannered Antonia is a 31-year-old executive chef at Los Angeles’ Foxtail. She also worked at famed Spago restaurant. Antonia is a single-mother. So far the judges have liked her food but she hasn’t won any quick-fire or elimination challenges. She’ll be your stock under-the-radar chef who may just surprise her fellow contestants.
• Dale: Talk about the home field advantage. Dale is a 29-year-old sous chef at Chicago’s Buddaken restaurant. He is known for his innovative use of Asian flavors. His food has been fairly solid; so far though, he hasn’t won any quick-fire or elimination challenges.
• Erik: This 38-year-old executive chef from San Francisco’s Circa restaurant looked like he could become the season’s favorite underdog. He is rough around the edges and self-taught. But alas fate and corn dogs can be cruel. He was given the boot in Episode 3 after his soggy corndog fiasco brought down his entire team in the block party challenge.
• Jennifer: Faux-hawked and one-half of this season’s resident lesbian couple, Jennifer is a 35-year-old executive chef at San Francisco’s COCO500 Restaurant. Jennifer is trained in classic French and Mediterranean cuisine and believes in seasonal cooking.  She is dating Zoi, who I’ll get to in a few. So far Jennifer hasn’t won any quick-fire or elimination challenges.
• Lisa: Lisa is a 27-year-old chef in New York city via Toronto, Canada. Her style blends Asian flavors with a Latin flair. She hasn’t won any challenges yet.
• Manuel: This Texas native is an executive chef in New York City. Manuel is 33 years old and classically trained in French cuisine. He hasn’t won any challenges yet. Not even the taco quick-fire challenge which I suspect he thought he’d have in the bag because he is of Mexican descent.
• Mark: Mark is a 29-year-old self-taught chef from New Zealand. He is currently a sous chef at Public restaurant in New York City. He is probably among the most colorful of contestants. He’s done everything from work in a slaughterhouse to washing dishes. Mark has won one quick-fire challenge.
• Nikki: Someone has to fill the vacuum left by Betty in Season 2 by playing the well-meaning loud mouth. Meet Nikki, a 35-year-old restaurant owner from New York City (are there aspiring chefs anywhere besides NYC and San Francisco?). She hasn’t won any challenges yet and her disastrous Velveeta macaroni and cheese nearly got her sent home in last night’s block party challenge.
• Nimma: Nimma we hardly knew ya. The 26-year-old Atlanta, Georgia cook was sent home after the first elimination challenge that pitted each chef against a fellow competitor to recreate a classic dish. Her over-salted shrimp scampi sealed her fate as the first chef kicked off in Season 4.
• Richard: There had to be a snooty, intense Stephan/Marcel/Hung type character though so far Richard seems to be a bit more mild-mannered than the ostentatious windbags of seasons past. He is 35, a chef and culinary designer in Atlanta, Georgia. His tastes run towards molecular gastronomy. Last night his re-invention of a street taco into fine dining by replacing the taco shell with jicama won him immunity but his block party paella left a bad taste in the judges mouth. Judge Tom Colicchio likened Richard’s paella to rice pilaf.
• Ryan: The resident McDreamy of the bunch, Ryan is a chef, consultant at Myth Cafe in San Francisco. He grew up in California’s Central Valley where he knew early on he wanted to be a chef, even requesting a wok one Christmas as a child. (How troubled were his parents by that one?) Ryan hasn’t won any challenges yet except the one for ‘best-looking contestant’.
• Spike: Spike is a 27-year-old chef in New York’s Tribeca who comes originally from Canada. He hasn’t won any challenges yet but I’m pretty sure he will and I’m pretty sure his cockiness will rub the other chefs and judges the wrong way at some point or another. Between his annoying collection of fedoras and street talk, he should add some spice into this otherwise dull collection of cooks.
• Stephanie: So far this 31-year-old Connecticut native is the front-runner. Stephanie has won two out of three elimination challenges including last night’s block party challenge where her interesting use of a won-ton wrapper as part of a dessert cobbler wowed the judges.
• Valerie: Another Chicago resident, Valerie is 32 years old and a personal chef. It was her dead on arrival blinis in the zoo party challenge in episode two sent her packing.
• Zoi: Zoi is a 30-year-old Seattle native. She is currently a chef in San Francisco. Zoi is the other half of this season’s lesbian couple/competitors with Jennifer. She is described as ‘self-taught’. Zoi hasn’t won any challenges yet and her “worse than store bought” pasta salad in Episode 3’s block party challenge nearly sent her home.

Episode 3 finally got down and dirty with the challenges. The quick-fire had the chefs reinventing the taco as fine-dining for celebrity chef Rick Bayless. Erik’s Taco Bell plating, Lisa’s too-chewy skirt steak and Ryan’s use of paper on his taco (a fine-dining no no apparently) put them in the bottom three in the quickfire. Andrew’s duck/plantain taco, Spike’s homage to street flavor tacos and Richard’s jicama taco all put them in Bayless’ top three. Richard won immunity much to Spike and Andrew’s shock and amazement since they know - at least in their hearts - they are the best.

Into the Toyota Highlanders and a few calls on their Verizon phones later (Bravo LOVES those clunky product placement moments), the chefs end up in an unassuming Chicago neighborhood. They learn their challenge is to cook for the neighborhood’s block party. First though they have to go door to door to borrow the groceries. Suspiciously enough they find a lot of Hidden Valley Ranch and KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce.

The two teams go in very different directions with their menus. The Blue team of Richard, Stephanie, Nikki, Mark, Lisa and Antonia decide to step up the traditional block party fare into higher brow cuisine like paella. The Red team of Jennifer, Zoi, Dale, Andrew, Erik, Spike and Ryan decide to stay true to classic Americana with things like little hamburgers and corndogs.

There were a few notable disasters on each team. On the blue team, Nikki’s Velveeta macaroni and cheese was likened to a tasteless brick. On the blue team Ryan’s Waldorf salad was deemed too watery and mushy, Zoi’s pasta salad was called awful and Erik’s corn dogs were deemed too soggy to serve.

In the end, it was those blasted corn-dogs that had Erik packing his knives and going home and his team reeling. Spike and Andrew were shocked that they didn’t win, they even got cocky with the judges but to no avail. On the flip side, Stephanie’s yummy sounding mixed fruit, oatmeal and pine nut cobbler with won-ton crispy sugar cracker won her yet another elimination challenge.

Next week’s episode promises yet another team challenge. Please, please let them cook on their own. I don’t know why, but in this show and on Project Runway I just hate the team challenges.

The next episode of Top Chef Chicago airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.