Top Chef Postmortem - Episode 14

Huh.

Frustrating, really.

Frustrating to see Carla abdicate.

Frustrating to see Stefan sunk by a couple of poor decisions.

Frustrating that we had to wait until the final episode to see this kind of food from Hosea.

(And from the look on Tom's face, I'm not the only one frustrated.)

I don't question that Hosea made the best meal of the evening, and that's how it goes. If you can't bring it in the finale, you don't deserve the title. But still, it's like he just hung around and hung around and hung around and then got his best shot in at just the right time. It doesn't make him unworthy, but it makes for a less than satisfying finish.

Gotta digest this one for a while. Wrap-up next week.

UPDATE : A quick update because I can already see where this is going. Yeah, it sucks, but how does it make sense to blame Hosea or Casey or the show? Blame Carla for not taking control of her own menu. Blame Stefan for freezing his fish and making a cliche for dessert. We can argue until we're blue in the face about whether not considering previous performance is a good or a bad thing (and I'm sure we will, especially now :-), but nobody robbed Stefan or Carla. They robbed themselves, plain and simple.

UPDATE II : God help me, I'm already starting to feel sorry for Hosea. The guy outcooked the favorites in the final episode and I'm as frustrated as everybody, but you'd think the twist was that he poisoned Julia Child. You guys are out for blood :-)

UPDATE III : I'll be curious to see how everybody feels about this season once we've had a chance to step back for a week. Up until Restaurant Wars, it was the WORST SEASON EVER. Then it got really good in a hurry and I saw a lot of people last week declaring it the BEST SEASON EVER. Now, it seems it's back to being the WORST SEASON EVER again for many. But as much as I prefer not to get caught up in the opinion rollercoaster, I am kind of amused by the poetry of it. After all, if the chefs are only as good as their last dish, it's somehow fitting that Top Chef is only as good as its last episode, eh? :-)

UPDATE IV : Incidentally, can we finally put to bed all of the conspiracy theories regarding the producers manipulating the judging process? I mean, really, what producer in his/her right mind would have orchestrated THIS outcome???

UPDATE V : Wow. Apparently things have taken a turn for the kooky. If it's a genuine quote, and if it's anywhere near the target (Blais' facebook status appears to suggest that something, indeed, was afoot in saying that Casey got a bad edit), it's another good reminder of how little we see. Which also raises a point that seems appropriate right now. I love speculating about what's going on as much as the next guy (okay... a little more), but even I'm a little taken aback by the strength of the opinions being formed about people based on -- quite literally -- 10-12 seconds of footage culled from five hours of prep. I'd say the editors might come out of this mess with a little bit of a credibility problem, but anybody who watches the show regularly knows that ship sailed a long time ago. It'll be interesting to see where all of this goes, and folks are free to blame and make personal judgments about those involved, but I'M not about to plant my flag on ground this shaky.

UPDATE VI : I'm going to quote a portion of Jake's comment at the top here, both because it's dead on and because, frankly, I should've had the stones to say it myself yesterday:

"Look, Stefan's been my favorite for most of the season, and I've grown to really like Carla too. But can we all please take a page from both Stefan and Carla and be reasonable about this? Both have acknowledged that Hosea deserved to win, and both have acted with class and humility. On top of that, both will be fine. By all means -- cheer for your favorite, applaud when they succeed, and lament when they fail. But chill with the blame, the conspiracy theories, and the conjecture (you don't know who would have won if the sous were different, or the surprise ingredients, or whatever). It's starting to sound like the drunk football fan who is yelling at everyone around him about how the refs cost his team the game, when the refs didn't make any controversial calls. Don't take away from Hosea's accomplishment, and don't diminish what Stefan and Carla accomplished either."

What he said. We (by which I mean both myself and the folks who have seen fit to participate here) have tried to foster an atmosphere here that respects the chefs involved in the show -- understanding that they're real people -- and keep the discussion as free from the kind of nasty, strident tone that all too frequently dominates the 'net. We all get a little carried away from time to time (and I'm by no means blameless in that regard), but I think most folks here have a sincere interest in staying above speculative mudslinging, and I think we've done a pretty good job of keeping each other honest in that regard. In short, take a deep breath everybody... speak your mind, please, but let's keep this from devolving into the kind of ranting that typifies far too much of the internet.

UPDATE VII : FYI, I've confirmed that Blais' comment below is, indeed, from him. Which is not to cast aspersions on the comments left by anybody else related to the show -- he's just the only one from whom I've managed to wrangle up a confirmation so far. So if you're the skeptical type, you can erase any doubt about the authenticy of that particular comment (that is, unless you don't trust me either :-).

UPDATE VIII : Ditto Carla's husband, Matthew. That's him (not that I think anybody doubted him).

Comments

[KinderJ]

To use the language Toby Young should have employed- Bollocks.

Seriously, that's rubbish.

Just frustrating really. Still, a measure of redemption for Richard Blais.

Really not taking the edge off the pain, though.

[Brent]

Very disappointed for Carla. But you know who I feel sorry for? Not Carla. Casey. She was just throwing out ideas; Carla didn't have to accept them, obviously, and having accepted them, it was Carla's responsibility to make them work. But Casey will no longer remembered as the spunky almost-Top Chef; now she'll be remembered as the chef who killed Hootie.

[KimberH]

I....HATED...

how this stupid finale came down.

[Jdiddy]

I gotta admit, I'm pretty disappointed. This was the last thing I expected, and the whole thing feels pretty anticlimactic now. I am saddened.

[Bart]

That sucked.

Carla should have stuck to her guns, for one.

And I don't agree with the decision, at all.

That really, really sucked. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.

[KimberH]

Hosea? REALLY? F.....ing Hosea?

Ok, you know what, I am going to bed.

[Darcy]

ARGH!

[KimberH]

Wow.

Like anyone will watch next year

[KimberH]

Wow. Top Chef lost any credence they have with me

[Samwise]

This was a victory for Richard Blais, pure and simple. Talk about your Ghost Top Chef.

[karenology]

Brent: I remember Casey as the one who took like two hours to chop a few onions.

[Naomi]

Oh man! Frustrating. Anti-climactic. Disappointing :-(

Stefan made a great point at the end. If he'd made a better dessert, he would have won. And why DIDN'T he make a better dessert? His dessert helped an undeserving restaurant win restaurant wars. And tonight, his dessert lost him the title.

And I can't even talk about Carla right now. I'm too sad.

I hate that I went into this episode pretty much feeling I'd be satisfied with anyone but Hosea. Such a bummer.

And I can't put my finger on why the episode just wasn't as interesting to me as it should have been.

Disappointed all around :-(

[Shelly]

This really is the appropriate ending to a season that rewarded mediocrity. It was painful to watch.

I wish Carla had trusted herself more (did anyone else get the feeling Tom wanted her to win?). When I heard Casey's ideas and her acceptance I cringed.

Still, Carla really was the light of this season. I hope she did take the understanding away with her that she showed everyone how to compete with joy and love. What a lady.

[Maxx]

My god, I am so pissed about this result. Stefan shot himself in the foot with his stupid dessert dish! It looked like one of those dessert trays you'd see in a kid's party at the mall or something, in my opinion. If he had stuck to his guns and done something as strong as his second dish, he could have won! But once again, he got overconfident and thought he was gonna win just because of all of his past victories. And, once again, it resulting in him being shot in the foot.

As for Carla, she could have won if she hadn't listened to Casey as much. More than half the people that were watching (65%) thought that she deserved to win as well, and she just apparently didn't have enough confidence to stick with her own dish ideas. I personally feel some blame rests with Casey, but that's just me.

Dear god, I can't believe this. I was rooting for Stefan, but I was honestly scared stiff every time he presented one of his dishes because I thought he would make a stupid mistake and thing the dish was still really good. I remember sighing with relief when the judges liked his alligator soup, which I thought was the best appetizer just because of the ingredient he had NEVER used. But like the past two episodes, he got a full head since he thought he was a shoe in to win due to all of his past successes. I feel like kicking him repeatedly until he gets it through his head that he needs to actually TRY during the final challenges, since they were the most important.

Sorry for the rant about it, I just thought this was an appropriate place for it, since it's full of Top Chef people like me.

[Jon Olsen]

Oh you know that's not going to happen. You'll be back. We'll all be back. We lived thru Hosleah, we lived thru Top Cook, we lived thru Lisa, we lived thru the vending machine quickfire. We survived Katie Lee Joel. KATIE. LEE. JOEL.

See you next season, junkies.

[DDBen]

Wow I don't really know what to say about a finale like that.

Its pretty clear Toby thinks Stefan should have won.

Hosea just came off as slimy for the entire episode it seemed like Season 2 all over again with the favorites abdicating and then Ilan winning for essentially taking the safe way out and overusing saffron in his case.

I'm certainly not satisfied with how this season ended at all. I find the deciding factor being Stefan did a desert while Hosea didn't being absurd. Carla went down almost exactly like Casey did in her finale its kind of silly they got her instead of Dale who was the actual runner up while she placed a very distant 3rd. I have absolutely no love for how this turned out though I'll be honest that is how I usually feel about the finale Hung/Harold aside.

[KinderJ]

I really wanted Stefan to win this, but let's get this out now- the judges said that this came down to Stefan and Hosea, but ruled for Hosea. Even Fabio, who also was rooting for Stefan, favored Hosea. Taste wise, I have to accept their ruling. What's frustrating for me was that Stefan just could not pull off the win. If it was me, I would have been planning that final menu for weeks, because lets face it, you have to believe that you are going to be cooking that 'best meal of your life.' It just kills me that he did not use that final bit of meticulousness to plan the menu in advance. He cooks the best dish of the evening, but... arg. Just arg.

You know who else looked like he was feeling the arg? Chef Tom. He looked so dispirited at judges table. I think he was as upset as the viewers. I think he liked some of those dishes, but overall he felt that the chefs just did not live up to their potential. Arg. Arg. Arg.

[Anne]

Aw, piss pot.

Carla failed earlier in the season for not trusting herself, and did the same thing in the finale. She lost her Hootieness.

For the guy who skates in on pure mediocrity all season to win? Piss pot. Well, he got the egg. Stefan and Carla will be the stars of the season, and they get the chickens.

Grump.

[babyarm]

All season I've been telling people to not sleep on hosea. He had cooking competition experience which can mean a lot.

Carla for what she was was never a threat. She excelled on single dishes, not multi-courses. Nothing she showed all season would represent that she could have beaten hosea's 4 courses tonight. Her lack of focus just compounded the issue.

You know who killed stefan. Radika. Go back to RW and he wins that challenge because Rhadika's team was such a failure on his desserts and he starts making them more often and then you get the 1980s steakhouse thing he put out there.

Clearly he should have seen Hosea going savory and attacked that with one of his tried and true recipes. It was a strategic loss. Hosea cooked safe all season and Stefan steps out with the LN2 halibut and loses on that alone. I doubt any dessert could have made up the gap.

[Josh]

As someone who's lived in Colorado for the past decade and been able to eat at Jax, I was really surprised to see Hosea fly under the radar for most of the season. The quality of the dishes there is amazing, especially considering that it's a seafood joint in a landlocked state.

I'm sorry to see that everyone's so bummed about Hosea winning but he cooked his food and he cooked the best. I don't think it's like last season where we saw Lisa skate through by the skin of her teeth every episode and fell backwards into the finale.

So, yeah, I'm rooting for the home team but I think based on his performance Hosea deserved to take the win.

[Anne]

And, agreed, Dom. They robbed themselves. And if people had doubts about whether the judges really judged on one night's performance alone, they should be quashed.

I agree that Tom looked bummed. I respect the judges for awarding the best meal, even if it was the most dispiriting possible conclusion. Hosea did deserve the win--he cooked the best meal of the night. It's just a bummer.

[canasian]

Wow... Anyone else think Casey shot Carls in the foot on purpose? Then again, Hung did sous-vide and soufle, so maybe she was trying to give her what has already won once, so why wouldn't it again?

Funny how Casey and Carla's runs were almost identical. Not so great in the beginning, wake up after Restaurant Wars, get paired with a female chef in the finale and totally bomb when it counts.

Frustrated is the perfect word to describe me right now. This may be my favorite group of people ever on Top Chef (for people, not necessarily food, even though we also had some good food), but the only one I really disliked won. I even disliked him more than Leah, who I found at worst immature and lazy. I can't count how many times I've typed the word tool when referring to Hosea on various forums.

I need to hear from Stefan. I have a feeling some more creative plating and technique on that dessert would have won it.

[mar]

Stefan thought he should have won because he won the most challenges through the season. And that he was judged more harshly because they expected more of him. Really? Sorry. I didn't love Hosea throughout the season but I really began to dislike Stefan's attitude at the end. (I was rooting for Carla for sure!) So am I unhappy that Hosea won? Not really. He cooked a really good meal apparently, and was solid enough throughout to have been at the finals. So there it is.

Poor Carla. She should have stuck to what she knows. And poor Casey too. Now she'll be known for three things: 1) Not being able to chop onions. 2) Blowing a great run in the finals during her season. And 3) Screwing over Carla. (Though I agree with PP that it was Carla's choice to take her suggestions, why oh why did she veer from what she knows best?!)

[KarenB]

"This was a victory for Richard Blais, pure and simple. Talk about your Ghost Top Chef." absolutely- and that is the only comfort I get from this really frustrating season. arrrggghhhhh

[Sebastian]

Two things stand out to me about this finale compared to previous ones:

Sous-chefs. I distinctly remember them interviewing the sous-chefs in past finales. Why didn't they do that this time? Because they would tear into Casey for trying to live vicariously through Carla?

Overall Performance. They've also said things in past finales that indicate they take the season-long performance of chefs into account for the finale. Why didn't they do that this time? So that it would at least be a choice?

I really hope that the official blogs will clear things up for me, because I cannot understand how Hosea can win if they take overall performance into account.

Also, did Hosea's "apology" about Leah on the TC blogs come out before or after the finale was filmed and he was named Top Chef?

[KimberH]

It comes down to the prior "top chef" and how far is this?

Blais won, no Hosea!

[Krazikarl]

Man, it was just Hosea's night.

He got lucky and pulled the right knife to get his pick of sous chefs. That meant that he got probably the most respected non winning chef in Top Chef history. No offense to Marcel or Casey, but 9 out of 10 chefs take Blais over them if they got their pick.

He was lucky when he got the baby. Even though his attempt to derail Stephan didnt work, it still meant that he got to pick the ingredient right up his alley (fish, even though he apparently hadnt used that particular fish much).

And he was lucky to top it all off with both of his competitors shot themselves in the foot with a botched desert and a poorly conceived desert.

Sometimes the stars just align in competitions, and on they sure aligned for Hosea. Bummer, but it doesnt sound like the judges could have ruled it any differently.

[Bart]

Dom - reading your edit - yes, the other cheftestants shot themselves in the foot. I certainly don't blame Hosea for winning.

I just find it frustrating that it was so obvious that Stefan, who was clearly the best chef all season and - if we were to go by consistency - should have been Top Chef.

Watching Hosea win because he cooked a fabulous dish is sort of like plopping Ariane in the finals watching her win when she cooks her skate wing. Hosea's victory came because he hit the bulls-eye at the right moment, but the aggregate of what he's accomplished all season doesn't measure up to what Stefan accomplished. Or what Carla accomplished, for that matter.

God, Carla, why couldn't you have just been comfortable doing your own thing?

Ugh. I'm very disappointed.

[KimberH]

"fair"

[Bryan]

Does anyone else think it is ironic that Casey recommended cooking sous vide to Carla when she used to rag on Hung for using the technique too much?

[KimberH]

Why do you make former wanna be chefs come back?

Look at this! Hosea Top Chef? Are you kidding me? Take those bad teeth and kiss Leah.

Wow.

I stayed up for nothing.

Thanks Top Chef.

[redpoint]

Rats.

Carla lost because she was too agreeable. That's how they taught us girls to be (I'm 44 too). That was our lesson. Be good, be nice, listen to others. See where it's gotten us! Third place. Not bad, but third place. Integrity intact. Everybody still likes us. Third place.

[Anne]

I really hate to see people blaming Casey. All we got was what the editors showed us--we have no idea how many suggestions Blais and Marcel gave. It was Carla's job to say no, not suddenly get all "nice."

What really surprised me about Stefan was his comment about the openendedness of the challenge. He didn't even think about it?

[potty mouth princess]

Is Hosea the only TC winner who never won an individual Elimination Challenge?

Mediocre Chef, indeed.

[T]

Was anyone else touched by Stefan's comforting of Carla? It seemed very sincere and -- dare I say -- caring. This whole season, I haven't bought the "evil Stefan" plot. As Dom has pointed out, Stefan appears to have helped his fellow chefs more than possibly any other contestant we've seen. Stefan, you certainly deserved to win.

Other than that, this was a victory for Richard Blais. I'd venture to say that had any of the other two finalists picked Richard as their sous-chef, they would have won.

What a disappointing finale...

[KRK]

Oh, Carla. Why let Casey's suggestions divert you from your plan? Believe in your cooking! I had a bad feeling as soon as Carla and Casey were paired. I'm sure Casey's a lovely person and a great chef, but she just feels like Top Chef Final kryptonite.

Hosea bugged me all season, but he deserved the win tonight.

Stefan will probably always believe that he was held to a higher standard, as mar mentioned above, but that's not what we saw.

[babyarm]

For all those that are up in arms about this. What pastry could stefan have made that would have made up for the second course gap? There's not one.

The real shame is that people will start treating this season like Survivor and just go with the "survive and advance" strategy. There were a lot of chefs this season that had set out to do just that and it made the mid-season boring as hell. If that creeps into 12+ shows then this dies like Queer Eye.

All hail Blais.

[Jon Olsen]

Dude, KimberH. All I'm saying is one of us might need a little NAP.

[mar]

Toby Young has a spirited defense of Stefan on the TC blogs and a discussion of using past performance during judging this round. Sounds like it was so close between Stefan and Hosea but the other judges felt that Hosea's 3rd course outpaced Stefan's dessert by enough to make Hosea the winner (and thus not need to consider past performance so much). I'm looking forward to reading Tom's blog...

[Eli]

Casey has now lost Top Chef twice!
What was she thinking second guessing Carla's menu and basically making her cook her food. sous vide? Whatever. It never works, yet Casey and company persist in trying to convince us that that is cooking. Carla cooked. And if Casey had even watched one episode of Season 5, she would have realized how preposterous her suggestions were.
Casey:
Not satisfied losing once? Had to bring Carla down? You did yourself in; you've done Carla in. Is this a gender thing? One wonders.

[scott]

it really makes me sad to see casey bring down another menu. i see she's still influenced by Hung, the great Sous Vide master, but come on carla. the moment i saw casey take over carla's menu i knew it was over. you can't just start cooking something you never cooked before in the finale. come on hootie!

[KTB]

All this boring talk about who won, who should have won, who should have listened to whom . . .

I'll be having dreams about Gail all night tonight, pregnant or not.

[Lon]

I now understand Gail's comment on her interview about the finale. It's like she knew it would not be popular.

I would not want to be the favored chef going into the finale. Hung is about the only one who was doing well who carried that over into the final.

Personally, I was rooting for Carla because of her personality and because of her late surge. But this isn't the first time a chef has lost because they listened to their sous chef.

I will grant Hosea his due. He obviously did some studying and prep for the finals and upped his game at the right time.

[hootiefan]

So sad for both Carla and Stefan not living up to their potential. But I must note that Stefan showed real class in the finale when he TWICE comforted Carla while she cried. Meanwhile, Cheater Hosea just sat their like a schlump. And Carla did show a better way to compete - with love and class. I don't begrudge Hosea his win, but Carla and Stefan are certainly classier people, in my opinion. Cheers.

[Adam]

First - this isn't Lisa from last year. Hosea was never the dominant chef, but he didn't skate by, either. He was solid. The only chefs who won more challenges were the other two finalists.

I think Blais probably had a strong impact on those dishes. Foie gras foam? Clearly Blais influence.

I cringed when Carla agreed to sous vide the sirloin, but I actually think Casey was right about the souffle. But for a brain fart on the oven temp, it may have been a triumph.

I think we had a bit of a Goldilocks story here with the sous chefs. Marcel kept his mouth shut when he maybe should have pushed Stefan away from frozen fish. Casey made at least one suggestion that got in the way of Carla's cooking style. Blais provided just the right touches on a meal that was still identifiably Hosea's.

[west coast fan]

hi guys just checking in while waitng for the finale, guess what YOU JUST SPOILED IT, thnks west coast fan 8:59 PST

[Skillet Doux]

"hi guys just checking in while waitng for the finale, guess what YOU JUST SPOILED IT, thnks west coast fan 8:59 PST"

Y'know, the Bravo site posts right away too... why should it be any different here?

(Not to mention which, most of the West Coast providers don't even delay.)

[Chris W]

I would think someone living on the west coast would have learned by now that shows tend to air earlier in the other time zones....

[Darcy]

Darn, KTB beat me to the punch: Gail's cleavage was the most memorable thing about tonight's episode.

Why oh why did carla listen to casey. I also feel bad for Casey.

Hosea came off as a bit of a prick in this episode. I really would like to know how much of Blais was in that meal.

Stefan seemed to catch shrugitis.

Alright,..i'm at peace. Thanks for those updates Dom.

I hope next season rocks.

[Steve]

Carla listened to Casey. Stefan made a poor decision and then didn't "bring it" for dessert. Gawd this is frustrating.