i love the different aspects of each chef. susar so into what he THINKS, rick just doing what heKNOWS, marcus very INNOVATIVE, and then there is jonathan who cooks as i do(i think) just FEELS IT. i never miss a show and my husband puts up with it quite well (besides he loves to eat) love and laughter!

i enjoyed watching the show..it took courage to vote marcus as the winner as some of the comments show..hopefully there will be a time when all chefs will be voted on their skill..though sometimes the critics were hard on marcus's dish he always received high marks with the people he served..one voter said on the show he never had beef 'melt in his mouth before' though a critic called his food mushy..it is a matter of taste- but marcus rolled with the challenges and not every dish is european but there is a large diversity of tastes and cuisines that should be explored as well - marcus fit that bill congratulations marcus

I agree...I loved all three but how can you not give it to Susur??? The most interesting and dynamic chef of the show.
But kudos to Marcus and his great charity. Next time it should be about the the dish at the time on conception and not what you would like after eating it 5 times later.

CONGRATULATION MARCUS !!!!!!!!!!!!

YOU ARE ETHIOPIAN HERO!!! We proud of you keep it up!!
God bless you & God bless America!!!

I think Virginia from NY said it best. James, please don't feel crummy. I have enjoyed living vicariously through you on the judges' panel and I have also enjoyed reading your blog entries almost as much as watching the episodes themselves. Your posts are always so well written - I almost feel that I know you. I have found you to be a charming judge and hope to see you on the panel next season.

As for the disagreements by some viewers about who should have won, I have found from watching many seasons of Top Chef and both seasons of Top Chef Masters that the editors invariably skew the episodes so that the results are as suprising as possible. Whenever a contestant is overly confident, s/he is more often than not the one that goes home. Same goes for contestants who are sure they are the ones that will be sent packing - i.e., they are usually spared at the end. Although the editing decisions make sense if the goal is to heighten the viewers' suspense, they can often leave us feeling more than a little like we've been had.

All that said, I absolutely love this show!

Someone who wins with a dish that was least liked just because it was from Ethiopia is a sign of PC at its worst. I would also say that while I am sure you are a nice man you are inconsistent as a judge.

Obviously, the final outcome of finale was stolen from Susur and given to the safe, politically correct contestant. Shame on you Top Chef.

The proliferation of reality tv has made us all think we're experts on the subject. That's why you get the cynical comments accusing Top Chef and Top Chef Masters of being rigged, or judges of being biased.

Well it's true some shows are shamelessly manipulated. The only difference between them and dramatic shows is that reality producers don't have to pay union rates to writers and actors. But some shows are genuine. Top Chef has earned the respect of the, um, top chefs around the world because it is dead-on honest and takes its job seriously. The judges try very hard to remain unbiased (though how a snail-hater, say, could judge a dish of escargots is beyond me.)

However, it's still television, and while the Top Chef producers don't manipulate the results they definitely manipulate our expectations. Thus, sometimes we are only allowed to hear the best comments about the losing dish and the worst about the ultimate winner. That way the final announcement can come as a surprise and even create controversy. The judges spend hours (sometimes) nit-picking each dish. All of these contestants are of such high quality that there's plenty to rave about. And there's usually some flaw to tease out of even a masterpiece. The producers pull out a rave here, a slam there and make us believe we know exactly what's going to happen. Editing!

Mr Oseland, you're a gem. I hope the show returns next season, and you with it.

James,

As a latecomer to the blogs may I just say that I found your comments about the final meal to be a revelation in themselves. It's so apparent how much you loved the food and the statements each chef made. And I want to thank you for that love.

Re Waxman, I wasn't thinking any judge in particular was biased against Chef Waxman as much as I thought the panel was biased against chicken. And this perplexed me, and continues to do so. If a dish is craved as a last supper dish by someone the likes of Lidia Bastianich, then who are we to argue? Roasted chicken may be simple, but it is in simplicity the layers of flavor can be revealed, such as you describe with the salad.

So, disappointed but not thinking you hate Waxman.

I LOVE TOP CHEF MASTERS. They ALL deserve to win. Susur, Rick and Marcus are just incredible and I dont envy the judges one bit...except to eat the food. Too bad there couldnt be a 3 way tie in the finale, but Marcus deserves to win. HE is incredibly talented and I love how he pulls flavors from around the world. They are all great chefs. Congrats to all and especially Marcus! Keep up the good work and cant wait to next season!

The outcome of this show was pure insanity!

The most criticised dish of the evening was done by Marcus, yet at judging time he wins.

Susur Lee's skills as a chef made him the obvious winner.

I truly believe this outcome was predetermined, & it was frustrating as a loyal viewer to watch this folly.

Great show. All of the contestants were wonderful! As a non meat eater, I would never consume a lot of the dishes, but to watch the presentation and techniques used is fun. I think some people feel that judging on ONLY the task for that show is not consistent. Obviously if it was cumulative scores Mr. Lee would have won, but if it is only the current task, unless we are there to taste the food (and see all undedited comments) we cannot second guess the judges whom surely have a difficult task.

Well done.

Susur should have won! He is clearly the top chef of the group. I felt like this season had an agenda outside judging the food and the chefs' skills.

This is ridiculous -- Susur Lee should have won! Susur never finished in the bottom 2; he got the highest scores in 2 challenges; and he came in 2nd to a chef who was always hovering in the middle or bottom of the pack until the last couple of shows. Ughhhhh.

Me thinks you doth protest too much about the obvious bias so many people saw on your part. Please consider bowing out of judging now that the season is over, because you are the one truly unpleasant note that downgrades the whole production.

Kudos to Marcus. Having 2 nephews adopted from Ethiopia, I had my fingers crossed for him.

I have watched Top Chef from the beginning and this show was the most biased I have seen! To not have given the win to Susur Lee after his excellent showings week after week was a sad commentary on how the remarks just don't match the results. No one on that show even came close to his brilliance in the kitchen. Maybe there was something going on behind the scenes that the public did not know about but if the win was based solely on the result of cooking how can anyone have the nerve to say that Susur didn't deserve the title after his display of excellence week after week? I was totally blown away by his energy, stamina, diversity and sheer genius. What a great guy and an inspiration to us all. He might not have been given the title by the "judges" but I know there are a lot of people out there who think he is the real TOP CHEF MASTER!!!!

Life is full of frustrating ironies. For example, the chef who, over-all, received the most criticism, won the fewest challenges and least money (before the finale) and was the least liked, WON! Notice how Rick Moonen waxed poetic over the opportunity to cook side-by-side with Susur Lee and ? His silence and gentlemanliness said it all.

James, I am so jealous that I couldn't taste the amazing meal that you all enjoyed! I am sure it was difficult to narrow down a winner.
I hope that there is a next season and that you will be there to judge, as usual.
Viewers, remember that Bravo is in charge of the editing and all of the judges discussion does not make it to the screen.
Bravo, remember that your viewers only see what you allow us to see and sometimes they feel betrayed by your editing. Just sayin...

James, I love you - you are always so sweet with your judging - I saw that episode, and I didn't notice anything like that, I think people were just being sore losers - I haven't seen the finale yet - but I'm looking forward to catching it in reruns. I work as a teacher, and the kids, have been wiping me out. I have been too tired to catch it. You are a great judge, and really fun to watch. I hope there is another season of Top Chef Masters; it's one of my favorite shows - I like the chefs so much, and now that I'm remembering that episode with Jonathan; you were right on point. Well, thanks again for a great season of food and fun.

I think we miss a lot in the editing.These are all top chef masters to me and I would love to eat at any of their restaurants.And thank you james for explaining about your feelings about Jonathan Waxman....but 2/12 stars....still a no no!!!!

Marcus winning seemed strange considering the judges comments. It seemed there was only one dish the judges disliked, the last one by Marcus.
There were a few small remarks about the other chefs but nothing like the ones about Marcus' dish.

It seemed like the judges were suddenly caught up in a story instead of the food. As viewers we have to go by the judges comments and tonight just doesn't add up.

I thought Susur would win for sure considering the judges comments, not to mention his stellar performance week after week. How does one judge give 5 stars after a dish that wasn't well received?

Oh well, congrats to Marcus and his charity. He seems like a very nice person so my comments aren't personal either. It seemed all about the food, until tonight...

Dear James,

First off all I would like to thanks the judges. Also some of the people still complaining about Jonathan I don't know why the judges already did there job, but we love Jonathan (he is also a true master).we r happy about Marcus.Congratulation Marcus.

We do not see all of that goes on at critics table. Only what the producers want us to see. I enjoyed the show!! CONGRATULATIONS MARCUS!!!

James thank for all your honest comments through out the season. The viewers that look at color vs. competition are back in the truly dark ages. If Marcus had been a white person from Africa he would have been revered. I loved the show and the best season for Top Chef Masters. You had very true competition and very competitive chefs with great dishes. To think that any of the judges would not vote on the quality vs. skin color is preposterous!!

I was surprised to see you respond to the negative comments, being that this IS the internet and all, so that's what people do on it, complain. However, I could see their point. With that said, I applaud you for the response to them.

My comment didn't get posted last week, but in it I'd said (after watching a replay of the episode) that I couldn't see what was "biased" towards your giving Jonathon 2-1/2 stars. You seemed to be chuckling, which told me that something was edited down/out, perhaps a comical line from someone on the set, maybe even Jonathan himself. I think people just thought you really didn't like him, which makes no sense.

With tonight's meal, I thought the scoring would go from top to bottom, Susur then Marcus then Rick. I was rather surprised to see Marcus win, but I have no issue with it at all. All three of them rocked the final challenge and it could have gone to any of them. Congrats to all, and specifically Marcus for this tremendous feat.

I have a feeling Bravo won't be doing a third season of TCM, which is a damn shame. I guess the show's too classy for this network. (Actually, that's completely accurate.) Third season or not, thank you once again for providing the blogs and giving us great insight. I wish you would join your fellow judges on the social networking tip because I'd love to get a random couple of tidbits from your culinary mind now and then like I do from Gail and Jay and Padma and the like. Be well and I'll hopefully see you on screen for Season 3!!

In regard to Jonathan Waxman, I felt that your criticism was valid and that he was the one who over-reacted, even inappropriately.

Sorry, still don't believe you aren't biased!! Those posting all realize that we cannot taste or smell the food offered and we realize the episodes are edited but, bias is evident! As for tonight, Lee should have been named Top Chef Master--the remarks made by all tonight DID NOT match the results!! I think it's time to replace the 'judges' before season 3 and you should go first!