Chef Curtis Stone and Gail Simmons as seen in “Top Chef Duels”

OK, it's confession time. I was a doubter.

Way back in 2006 (wow, was that really eight years ago?), when reality TV was ruling the roost, Bravo brought what I thought was an all-too-familiar taste to the table. Take a bunch of people, force them to live together and then throw challenge after challenge at these poor sods until only one of them's still hanging on. It felt tired, it felt familiar and the fact that these "cheftestants" (and heck, they were called the ridiculous-sounding "cheftestants!) were all professional chefs just didn't seem like it would help "Top Chef" stand out from a saturated reality field.

Boy, was I ever wrong. "Top Chef" turned out to be incredibly compelling to watch, and the format has gone on to become a huge ratings success, with international versions and tasty little spinoffs adding to the growing "Top Chef" empire -- not to mention becoming one of my own personal favorite shows

This summer, a new sibling will be joining the "Top Chef" family. "Top Chef Duels," premiering on Wednesday, Aug. 6, on Bravo, is a refreshing twist on the old format. This round isn't about Quickfires and Elimination challenges -- this is an all-out series of head-to-head duels between some of the show's most memorable cheftestants from the past.

Bringing back some of the greatest culinary talent ever seen in "Top Chef" and its sister show "Top Chef Masters" sure sounds like a recipe for excitement, and with the level of competition on display, this may be the most intense challenge of these chefs' lives. Each episode will bring together two of the series' past greats to face off against one another in a trio of challenges that will test not only their mettle in the kitchen, but also their knowledge of their opponent's weaknesses.

"Top Chef Masters" host Curtis Stone will be on hand as host and judge, and the ever-popular Gail Simmons will be the other anchor at the judges table, joined by a revolving door of guest judges.

Sounds exciting, right? But oh, there's even more on the plate. It wouldn't be "Top Chef" without an online companion show, and this time around it's "The Knockout," hosted by Wolfgang Puck. Formatted pretty similarly to "Top Chef's" companion "Last Chance Kitchen," "The Knockout" will give eliminated chefs a chance to cook their way back into the main competition.

One-on-one duels is certainly a new twist to the "Top Chef" way of doing things, but with names like Kristen Kish, Richard Blais and Kevin Gillespie on the roster, you can bet that this time I'm no doubter. Be a believer and catch "Top Chef Duels" Wednesday, Aug. 6, on Bravo.