Top Chef

Top Chef is a big fave in our house. I think probably because Matt and I both like it and really enjoy watching it together. Aside from cooking shows and Myth Busters, we don't have a lot of TV overlap (actually, Matt hardly watches TV at all).

So last night we sat down to watch the final episode and much like the rest of this season, I wasn't loving the challenge. The whole season has felt a bit uninspired what with these goofy Quaker Oats and Diet Dr. Pepper challenges. It was sort of a snore to have them cook whatever they wanted, especially since they couldn't really do that when they didn't get to go shopping for ingredients. It would have been such a kick to see them out and about in NO, hitting Farmer's markets (in their Toyota Venzas, no doubt), but they were confined to the contents of the walk-ins. *yawn* Despite the lackluster challenge rules, I did enjoy the episode overall and I liked the appetizer being thrown in.

At the onset of the evening, I would never have picked Hosea to win. He seems talented and steady and even though he's stepped it up a bit towards the end, he's never really shone brightly in my mind. My money might've been on Stefan and my hopes for Carla. Carla was completely the biggest disappointment. I felt like she caved under pressure and let herself be led astray by her sous chef. It was terribly disappointing when she'd been so strong before … and sorry … cheese tart sounds much tastier than bleu cheese souffle.

Stefan sounded like he put in a pretty solid performance but worked too hard to put in the expected dessert rather than doing something to show off his strengths as a chef. It was over for him in my mind when his buddy Fabio thought Hosea had done better … Fabio didn't seem terribly objective in the past.

Hosea I think played the smartest game. I am sure he's a very talented chef (and he's our Hometown guy), but I don't necessarily think he was the most talented chef there. He was the smartest player there and it seemed like he had a lot of heart in it … he never gave up (even with that nasty eel). He focused on cooking what he cooked well and making sure his dishes left the judges with the best taste possible in their mouths.

Was Hosea the strongest chef throughout the season? Doubtful. But he was the strongest chef on the night when it counted most. I didn't love this season like I did last, but I definitely won't be packing up my knives just yet.