Rubbernecking: Top Chef Finale
Season Five of Top Chef came to a close last night with a final cook-off in New Orleans. Seventeen chefs started this journey last November 12 and the final three were Stefan Richter (from Santa Monica, age 36); Hosea Rosenberg (from Boulder, Colorado, age 35); and Carla Hall (age 44, from Washington D.C.). Their final challenge is to cook a three course meal for 12 judges and distinguished guests at the world-famous Commander's Palace Restaurant.
To assist them, through the indubitable magic of Reality TV, the judges located three runners up from previous seasons to serve as their sous chefs for the most important meal of their lives. As our heroes scurry into the kitchen to do the prep the day before, Stefan and Hosea are already grandstanding with swiping all the foie gras 'n' shit from each other. Boys, boys!
Meanwhile, Carla's got her own drama going on as it seems her sous chef Casey Thompson (from Season 2) is quietly trying to put her on stamp on the menu. She talks Carla into doing a sous-vide sirloin, which is something she's never done before; as well as a blue cheese soufflé for the final course which later falls flat - literally.
The night before the final challenge, our intrepid three receive a visit from a voodoo tarot card reader to tell their fortunes. The only thing we learn from this is that Stefan confides that he has stabbed voodoo dolls in the name of Hosea and Carla. Apparently he's taking no chances.
The day of reckoning starts with a surprise last minute protein based course being added to the mix and the upper hand is awarded randomly to Hosea, who gets to pick his ingredient and decide who gets the others. He picks red fish and gives Carla the crab, sticking his nemesis Stefan with the alligator, which Stefan has never cooked before.
Long story short; the dinner guests include chefs, restaurant owners, restaurant critics, food writers, and Branford Marsalis. The best line of the entire show has to go to guest and celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, who moans, "I don't know if it's only me but I'm tired of eating foie gras" (at which judge Gail Simmons, possibly realizing how effete and elitist that sounds, shakes her head). After the meal is consumed, the four judges (Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, Gail Simmons, and Toby Young) hand down the final judgment. Carla, after the failure of two of her three courses, is written off right away. Her sous-vide steak was too tough; she f-ed up the soufflé by putting it into a too-hot oven (Wasn't Casey around to trouble shoot that at least? Some sous chef she turned out to be).
With Carla out of the running, the judges seemed truly despondent to have to choose between Stefan's dizzying highs (his squab was apparently pure poetry and the best dish of the night) and lows (his dessert creation was pronounced "pedestrian at best" and "completely dated; this sings 1982"), and Hosea's progressive arc of consistent good flavors. Since Carla is, admittedly, the most soulful chef of the three, this is a devastating choice. And hence Hosea is crowned Top Chef.
The exit interviews often say it all on these shows and this one was no exception. Hosea rather flatly states to the camera, "I couldn't be happier. Things are gonna change." Over and out. The season's ups and downs shall be revisited next week al dente with the cast reunion show on Bravo, Wednesday March 4th at 10pm.
Read more of Holly's ruminations on the slings and arrows of popular culture at Snoop* Du Jour.
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I would have loved to have seen Carla win, but she learned a harsh lesson about self-confidence and being true to yourself.
Based on the number of challenge wins, Stefan is by far and away probably the best of the three technically. He used to be my neighbor and he's incredibly likeable. I find his confidence endearing.
Basically, this was like a disappointing end to The Amazing Race. You can have great teams that excel all season long (like Carla and Stefan), but choke on the last leg, allowing a meh floater who does well on the last leg to win the competition. I'll bet Hosea is a nice guy and a good chef, but what kind of "top chef" doesn't do desserts? I found the ending unsatisfying, sort of like a disappointing Chinese food dinner.
It was hard to see Carla taken out of the running. I think anyone who could the judges swoon over peas should probably have won. She is very likable and it seemed as if the judges were fans of her cooking. Carla learned very hard lessons - 1. The big test is not the time to prepare meals that she has not prepared before 2. Be true to herself 3. What she does is very good ...
Carla's lack of self-confidence got her off to a shaky start this season and it finally took her out of the race.
I was never impressed with Hosea and think it should have gone to Stefan if not to Carla.
The end felt like a triumph of the second-best chef because he was cuter and nicer than Stefan, the better cook. It's odd when you consider that we have nothing to base our opinion on except what the judges have been saying about these chefs and their food. It was an unsatisfying ending.
Stefan is / was by far the most talented chef on the entire show. He's the Top Chef whether or not the judges chose to give him the title. Hosea lacked passion for food, turning out sub-par performances throughout the series. He won only because the other two lost, not because he was the best chef.
I think we'll continue to see great things from both Stefan and Carla, Hosea will fade back into the woodwork.
I agree. The other two lost more than the Hosea won, but that's the competition as structured. It's too bad the judges couldn't or wouldn't take the overall performance over the whole season into account when naming the winner. They could have awarded a price for the final competition, but then named the grand prize to the best overall chef.
I love how people who NEVER TASTED THE FOOD can have such strong opinions on who "should have" won.
I do, however, agree that the rules are kind of unfair, in that Stefan won sooo many challenges and that should somehow be factored in at the end.
Read Tom C's comments on the People web site - he is spouting such BS. Such as saying that the judges have all the say about who stays/goes and that the producers are not involved - yeh, right. And that they decide who stays/goes based on that one particular episode's meal and not on past work - right, wasn't Leah's fish sent back once and she got to stay? Wasn't Stefan's next to last meal panned by the judges but he got to stay? I've gotten fed up with this show - the rules change every episode. I did not watch the finale but when my daughter told me who won, I thought she was joking. and I'm not even interested in seeing a rerun. I was a Carla fan and even though I didn't like Sefan's arrogance, he was certainly a better chef than Hosea.
I agree. The kept Leah on just to drag out the soap-opera live on TV with Hosea. Pleeease. She was the weakest from the second eposoide.
Giving the win to Hosea was laughable. Stephan deserves his own show and I won't be surprised if the two Euro bro's get one. This is the second year in a row they have screwed up. so I'm done. Its all about the ratings and money.
I think Carla also said it and very diplomatically. She said when *she* cooks it's great and from the heart. Undercurrent? Casey was responsible for Carla's loss.
I'm glad Carla won the car. Too bad it wasn't a hybrid.
I've already seen Carla on local shows in the DC area. Expect to see more of her. I don't think Hosea derserved to win even tho he may have screwed up the least on last night's show. He simply won because the other 2 made minor mistakes, not because he was the best.. Even the judges showed they were hampered by the rules. I don't think they would have picked Hosea otherwise. Sad, it's a great show, but picking someone based on their final meal is not determining the Top Chef.
The men were dismissive of Carla all season in a manner I thought was very sexist. Even when she won multiple challenges, the men on the show were constantly dismissing her. She kept beating them, drove away with a new car, and they still kept writing her off.
Carla has to accept responsibility for submitting to Casey's will. (Think about the funky racial politics of Carla letting Casey tell her what to do!)
However, Casey was completely out of line. Did you hear how disrespectful she was when she spoke to Carla? She was politely bullying her into doing what she wanted. She knew Carla had a plan, and she kept pressuring her to change it. She knew Carla had never cooked sous-vide, and she pushed her to do it. They didn't show the whole thing, but I think Casey controlled that dish and it bombed. Did you notice that they loved the sauce (Carla), but hated the beef (Casey) . If Carla had won, Casey would have tries to take credit for it! Maybe that was the agenda.
The reason I blame Casey is that she put Carla into such a difficult position. Carla would have had to confront and challenge Casey in order to manage the situation while also continuing to get Casey to cook for her. It was a horrible situation that Casey put Carla in.
Carla kept the peace but lost the competition. Wrong choice. She has to live with it, but its heart breaking.
Diva:
Your post provides a perfect example of why men consider women to be whiny and not up to the standard that men live with every day.
She FAILED - badly - in 2/3 of the task at hand. That means she is NOT a 'Top Chef' - but a talented chef who does some things well - and others badly.
She does not get 'special consideration' just because she is a woman. (eyeroll)
She failed to execute the task given - failed miserably at asserting her own knowledge and desires - and fell victim to the same 'peace at any price' that resulted in her bowing to Casey while having NO knowledge of how to properly cook the dish suggested.
In short - she was a disaster. As BOTH of the women on the panel stated - clearly.
For Heaven's sake - STOP MAKING EXCUSES BASED ON GENDER!!!!! That is NOT how oe earns respect in this world.
i agree... I thought Carla had delivered consistently good food throughout the competition. And I was disappointed when she got Casey as her sous chef. Casey overstepped her bounds and changed the menu -- and by that I mean, effing with Carla's mind and second-guessing her choices -- on two of the dishes.
Carla had a good rep for desserts and pastries (the one screw up I recall was some kind of chocolate cake thang a couple of weeks ago) but Casey talks her out of a tart for dessert (which would have saved her) and the sous-vide was a complete "what the hell???"
Carla deserved better, but I think Casey was meant to be a test of Carla as manager. And to that end, being less assertive cost her a big win.
However, out of the three, it is Carla's restaurant I think I would visit.
Carla should have remembered that Casey messed up her meat and wasn't pick TOP chef for a reason.
Carla will be fine and her attitude was great.
she could use a show of her own.
THIS!!! yes you are so right I was hoping someone else saw it. Casey behaved with the worst of female behaviors - ugh - just shut up and take orders like a good little soldier already. I was so mad that she was giving ANY kind of opinion or suggestion. It was so out of line and if the tables had been turned she would have had a hissy fit. I didn't see Carla's reaction as insecurity or weakness though as some folks have. I saw someone who hit the weary wall a day too early for competition. She just seemed DONE to me. And I think she thought to herself "yay a female - I can relax and take it easy because this sister of spirit will go easy on me and take care of me and help me out to do the best I can" I think she thought that because that's the kind of person CARLA is and how she would've been. But not everyone is so full of LOVE. Dammit.
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