On last week's premiere of Top Chef 5, we said hello to seventeen new cheftestants and goodbye to two, Patrick and Lauren. And in the flurry of activity, we got a few glimpses into who could be a contender in the Big Apple, and who might not make it there.

Fortunes can change quickly on a reality show, but as Padma pointed out, the winner of the first elimination challenge has won the whole she-bang for three out of the prior four seasons. Does last week's episode give us a feeling that's possible?

Sure, I could see Stefan remaining strong throughout the competition. He's got skills, completing the technical peeling task in the Quickfire Challenge first. His first elimination dish showed a good palate, with flavors and seasoning that pleased the judges. And he's got confidence, which can keep him steady if cockiness doesn't make him too big for his britches.

Eugene also is on many people's lists already as one to watch. Mine as well. He's gained his knowledge through working his way up through the kitchen. Getting the perspective of each station in the kitchen can be invaluable in a world like Top Chef 5, where you don't have a garde manger or saucier to handle certain elements for you. He also seems to have a good memory for flavors; he tasted a dish at the Indian market, and said he would try to recreate it. We don't know if he set out to make exactly that dish, but he nailed the essence of an authentic Indian dish well enough to impress Padma Lakshmi.

Hosea didn't make it into the top three, and Lee Anne Wong noted in her production blog that she wasn't crazy about his dish. But he did get praise from the judges, and both Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio took care to point out his good dish in their blogs. He might be one to watch as well.

Jamie didn't get a lot of screen time for her skills; more for being part of Team Rainbow and for being all business in the kitchen. But the judges and Lee Anne Wong all comment on her deconstructed Greek salad and fish. Keep an eye on that one.

As to Leah, she did well with the flavors of her Quickfire apple dish and her Elimination Challenge dish was one of the top three. She just might be rusty with apple peeling, and that's what landed her in the bottom four in the Quickfire. But if speed is an issue for her, she might struggle ahead. I think we need more information before we can really get a sense.

So those are the folks I'm watching as potential strong cheftestants. Who could be at risk?

Danny won his pairing against eliminated Patrick, but that wasn't saying much, and the judges didn't like his salad much either, in concept or execution. Melissa seemed a little deer-in-headlights, but she didn't get a lot of screen time. Carla is out to prove a caterer can succeed on the show, but I'm one of those folks who needs it proven to her. I'm just not convinced a food professional who isn't in the kitchen of a restaurant can really do well on the show due to the way the challenges are designed.

Ariane's lack of self-confidence could be her downfall…and could just be editing. And Stephanie Izard made it all the way to a win vacillating between assured brilliance and self-doubting uncertainty. So we'll have to get a little more info before we know which it is for her.

I'm not sure about Radhika either. Her pork dish in the Quickfire seemed to be solid, but she landed in the bottom twice in one episode, so unless it was nerves, that doesn't seem to bode well.

We'll see what happens on the next episode of Top Chef 5.

- Leslie Seaton, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of Bravo)