I love Rick Bayless. Never eaten his food, but he certainly does know his craft in a total way. His knowledge floors me, and I love to read his books AND watch him once a week on PBS here.
Rigged - yes. I was VERY surprised to see Rick on that show. He just doesn't seem like that type of guy for some reason to me. His unpretentious and humble persona, his competitveness never seemed to be at issue. I think there are many different reasons why any one chef would do the show, but with Rick, I think it's for totally different reasons than most others.
I do enjoy these shows, not for showmanship, but for sheer creativity of the food. Blows me away the ingredients on hand and the capabilities in such a short period of time. It's entertainment, what can i say?