Tonight's TV Hot List: Monday, Nov. 16, 2009

Gossip Girl
9/8c CW
Lady Gaga appears in tonight's episode, and if things go Blair's way, she'll agree to a private concert for some NYU students. Blair's been trying to impress her classmates all season long, and this latest plan of hers just might do the trick. Meanwhile, Dan, Olivia and Vanessa get involved with a school play, but working in such close proximity with each other could prove problematic as they deal with the fallout from their threesome last week. — Jennifer Sankowski
Two and a Half Men
9/8c CBS
So, Chelsea has lived with Charlie for how long? It would seem that believing in his ability to stay faithful at all would be proof of either great faith or blind love, but what is Chelsea thinking when she invites her beautiful college roommate, played by Battlestar Galactica actress Tricia Helfer, to stay at the house temporarily? It gets better: The new houseguest is there because she's getting over a bad breakup, the kind that leaves you vulnerable. Oh boy! — Bill Ecklund
Dear Food Network
9/8c Food Network
Turkey Day is less than two weeks away, so if you're still not sure what to do with that frozen bird, this hour may help you get it to the table. Food Network hosts are sharing their favorite recipes for cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes and other Thanksgiving staples. And they're answering viewer questions, too. Maybe yours will make it on air. — Karen Andzejewicz
Castle
10:02/9:02c ABC
Castle and Beckett may have gotten past the rough patch in their working relationship, but it's Alexis who's making strides as Beckett's friend. While her dad tries to help an endangered call girl, Alexis confides in Beckett, leaving her very curious father to wonder about his daughter's secret. Since mysteries are Castle's forte, odds are he'll do his best to figure it all out. — Rhoda Charles
Chef Academy
11/10c Bravo
The network's newest cuisine-based reality show tracks French-born, London-based chef Jean-Christophe Novelli's experiences in Los Angeles as he tries to launch a culinary academy. With help from assistant Steve Kitchen (an apt surname there), Novelli selects nine aspiring chefs as test subjects for his institute. In the premiere, these disparate pupils take on their first test by preparing their signature dishes. There's a culinary caveat in this series, however: Failing three tests warrants a student's unceremonious dismissal from the program. — Dean Maurer