Man, Top Chef has gained some serious momentum these past few weeks. The hazing incident, the tight-lipped complaints about Padma, the crappy, producer-driven elimination of Sam in favor of an Ilan vs. Marcel match-up. (Got spoilers? Oh, yeah, but don't click here unless you want to know who gets paprika-ed in the end.) Today's Top Chef bombshell - Padma's a pothead, and I'm not referring to her affinity for Le Creuset cookware. According to our friends over at Best Week Ever, Padma enjoys toking up on the set. Allegedly, this was a fairly regular occurrence.

It is tough being a model in the kitchen. Your taut bare midriff is a cooking oil accident waiting to happen. Your chainmail bikini plus all those flying knives equals nothing good, and don't even get me started on the whole stiletto/non-slip mat combination. Ex-model and Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi has bravely faced down the hottest of kitchens all season, and for what? She's getting nothing but guff from the ousted Top Chef competitors.

Reporting to New York Magazine, cooks Ilan Hall, Cliff Crooks and Sam Talbot have all turned tight-lipped and a wee bit sour at mention of Padma's name. When asked about her culinary taste, Hall turned to the Bravo publicist at his side and asked, "Um, are we allowed to say disparaging things about Padma? No. She's beautiful. Mostly, she just explained things, and she did a good job at that." Commenting on her attire, Crooks suggested that around a working kitchen, poor Padma would either be a "fire hazard" or "get hurt." Somebody's got to be the face of this competition, people. Give Ms. Salman Rushdie a break.