Top Chef Speculation: Early Tells?

The new season of Top Chef debuts next week (March 12, 10pm, Bravo), and, sure, New York and San Francisco have more contestants than Los Angeles, but we think local chef Antonia Lofaso (opening chef of Foxtail) will have some longevity on the show. Just look at where she stands in this ad from the March issue of Food & Wine. She's practically dead-center, in a hottie green dress. We don't care who the guy is in the middle. Antonia is right there. A tell? Coincidence? Let's take a look at ads for seasons 1-3 and compare.

Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle, kneeling, front and almost center.

Season 2 winner Ilan Hall, sitting, almost front and center. To be fair, everyone thought Sam Talbot would win that season, thus his prominence on the page.

Season 3 winner Hung Hyunh, smack-dab center.

Now, someone a bit more obsessive might note that in the second season ad above, Betty Fraser, the only LA female contestant that season, also wore a sexy dress in all the ads but got booted in week nine. We're still going with longevity for Antonia: Center placement trumps cleavage.
· Top Chef Chicago: And So It Begins [~ELA~]
· Top Chef Chicago: Contestants, Premiere Announced [~ELA~]