I think the problem with Top Chef is that they're trying to make it into a very serious competition with only the best contestants, and only the most famous judges. They literally take themselves too seriously and it sucks all the fun out of the show. The first few seasons had a bit of fun - remember Season 2? The past 3 seasons have gone downhill for me.
What I'd really like to see is a Top Chef competition with home cooks. Yeah!! And I'd love to see them cook homestyle cooking like meatloaf, soups, kid friendly foods, and roast beef. Because so far non of the TC dishes inspire me to cook them.