For someone who claims to not watch that much tv, I really watch a lot of tv. Granted I’m usually tuned to something like cooking shows just as white noise in the background while I surf the web or get work done, but just this week I realized how many different programs have worked their way into my regular routine. I’m still catching every episode of Holmes on Homes (Discovery Home channel), the new seasons of Top Chef (Bravo) and After Hours With Daniel (Mojo), High Stakes Poker (GSN) and I still end most days with the Daily Show and Colbert Report (Comedy Channel). And the rest of the time, my TV is usually on WLIW Create for all the cooking shows and Ask This Old House. I’ve also recently started watching I Bet You (Mojo) where poker studs Phil “Unabomber” Laak and Antonio Esfandiari just go around inventing bets to make with each other. Stoopid mindless fun including one episode where Antonio loses a bet and is a little on tilt and decides just for the heck of it to cut for high card with some guy where the loser has to get the other guy’s name tattooed in full on his arm. Nuts. Antonio ended up winning, but I think he was crapping his pants before they flipped the cards when he realized what he was about to do.

Speaking of Top Chef, in this week’s episode, as soon as Manuel ordered the Chilean Sea Bass I knew he had screwed himself. How did I know? Precisely because I watch so much weird stuff on tv. You see, Daniel Boulud was the guest judge for this episode, and in an episode of After Hours with Daniel, he mentions that in all his years, he has never served Chilean Sea Bass in his restaurants. In his words “I think it’s kind of gross, really”. And with the absolute reverential level of respect that he commands, I knew his opinion would influence all the other judges. While they never show Boulud making a negative comment about the choice of fish, Tom Colicchio made mention of the fish being “fishy” which certainly sounded like him wanting to agree with the words of the master. Sure enough, Manuel got the axe shortly thereafter.

Finally, mark your calendars for April 15th. Besides being tax day, it is the start of the next season of The Big Break competition on the Golf Channel, The Big Break Ka’anapali. Featuring the ladies in this season, the one I’ll be watching is Susan Choi who gets my vote as the most likely next-big-thing regardless of how she finishes on the show. Born and raised on Long Island and now living in Natick, MA, the recent Wellesley grad is a rookie with exactly the right elements to become a star in today’s world. Judging from the show’s teasers and her audition material, Susan is a sweet, un-jaded young woman who, unlike most of the other big Asian names in women’s golf, speaks perfect English and doesn’t come off as mean, aloof, awkward or strange in any way. A talented, attractive, normal Asian American with strong religious and family values who will be up against seemingly surly, bitter, ruthless competitors. In clips from the preview, you see people calling her “a snot-nosed little rookie” and “luckiest, stupidest girl in the world”. I think even if Susan loses, she will win her fair share of fans and hopefully that will translate to some real dollars for her at some point because it sounds like her family has some financial challenges they’re counting on her to remedy. She’s gone pro, so she can accept endorsements now. Sponsors, make it happen!