Top Chef: The End. Seriously.

It's the end, and the chefs are cooking the meal of their life. Each chef is given a celebrity sous-chef (one of them being my chef boyfriend, Eric Ripert) and set to work. The episode is kind of a blur to me, and kind of a letdown. Ultimately I felt that -- surprise -- Lisa should not have been there. It might be my issue with the judging. I think I just prefer that the chefs are judged as a whole - not per challenge. In that case, Dale should have clearly been in the top three. I really can't get over Lisa making it so far.

There isn't too much to say. Stephanie won, and I would have been pretty happy with either Richard or Stephanie as the winner, but ultimately I felt that Richard dominated the entire season. So in the end Stephanie wins, Richard chokes, and Lisa flies off into the sunset on her broom, with your little dog too. eh.

Comments

[jmundstuk]

If the competition were judged as a whole, there would be no final three, no sudden death cook-off (well, that's what it is ) less drama and poorer TV. In baseball, the season record means nothing when teams get into the finals. Also, Dale was every bit as offensive as Lisa on screen and he had a lot less self-awareness than she did. Stephanie was really strong all season and I'll bet she runs a great kitchen. Isn't that part of being Top Chef also?

[BlueandGreen]

I would've been equally happy with Richard or Stephanie as the winner; that said, I do think if Dale had made it to the final three, he would've walloped it right out of the ballpark. But Stephanie proved she has the chops (among other cuts) and well deserved her win.

It was actually painful to watch Richard go down in flames, after the fantastic food he produced all season. So many toys, so little time! I really think his gizmos were his undoing. Put down the smoker, dude, and just cook!

As for Lisa ... the taste of humble pie must be very bitter, indeed ... heh heh.

[jukesgrrl]

Lisa only got in the finals because she created controversy and made the competition aspect of more entertaining. Has there ever been one of these so-called "reality" shows where we didn't love-to-hate at least one of the finalists? I'm sure she's not eating humble pie; it's not on her menu (and we know Lisa never goes outside her comfort zone).

[lwaxanatroi]

What struck me about Richard was that his making the tabasco "pearls" for oysters and then serving them to the chefs in the kitchen was a generous, fun thing to do--and it cost him. Had he served raw oysters with nitrogen-frozen pearls as his appetizer, he would have killed it for that dish. But be fair to Lisa; she won the judges over with her Asian flavors. I really would have liked to taste that black rice pudding for myself.

[Philippa]

I share your feelings, Jane. Lisa had been in the bottom countless of times yet managed to stay on until the finale. Unbelievable!

It's unfortunate Richard wasn't at his best in the episode that mattered the most. He's one of the best chefs the show ever had.

Stephanie had consistently served good food all season and didn't disappoint in Puerto Rico. She deserves her title. Not only is she the first female Top Chef, but also the first winner who did not graduate from the Culinary Institute of America.

By the way, do you know that Ilan and Hung battled it out in the kitchen for GenderPAC? Ilan emerged the victor.

[weiland]

Stephanie was every bit as dominant as Richard during the season. Richard was more dynamic and less dorky, but they both won their share of challenges. Richard choked by his own admission. It wasn't a choke on the level of the one that allowed the painfully ordinary Ilan to beat Marcel in season 2, but it was a choke. The problem with Richard in a competition like this is he thinks more like an artist than someone trying to win the competition.

Lisa wasn't one of the top 3 chefs, but she did have good luck in that whenever she was on the block, there was always someone who was a little bit worse to spare her from being cut. My feeling going into the finale was she would have to destroy the competition in order to win and that wasn't going to happen with Richard and Stephanie there.

[Serfie]

Anthony Bourdain and Tom Collichio both address this topic on their blogs.

You should probably read them, because their arguments are good.

Basically, the judges judge the food just as you see on TV, like in a bubble. They don't get to see what the viewers see on TV.

So, if you judge the performance of the chefs on their food as a whole, the only person who has tasted all the food is Padma and only she can make a judgment on the totality of work, since she is the only one present at all the challenges and judge's tables.

Besides, as viewers, we haven't tasted to food, so what the hell do we know?

It seems the most solid chefs always make it to the top, so I don't understand why people keep complaining about the injustices.

Lastly, in real life, if you are a cook and you screw up badly on a dish, the person eating your food only knows you by your screw up and not by your resume.

[clevelandchick]

I totally agree, Lisa should have been outta there a long long time ago. Every show I'd watch and she'd be on the block and they let her go all the way to the final? She did not play well with others on any of the team challenges. But, it is TV and they probably kept her around to keep it interesting.

[DietrichMoody]

Jane, So how do you really feel about Lisa?? lol

Enjoyed the show when I could watch it.

I think Lisa was unstable like that Andrew guy. Hey, I thought Spike was going to make it to the last three. Dale on the other hand, deserves a bio on Dickipedia - he was a selfish jerk.