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I'm very glad to see all of the outrage over the judge's bad decision.

I thought I was the only one who saw how badly they screwed up.

Tom said Stefan's carpaccio dish was watery, however a few of the judges thought that the carpaccio dish was fine.

Freezing the fish before slicing is a technique, but a technique that Tom is not a fan of. Since he didn't like Stefan, he started nit-picking his dishes much more than the other contestants.

That's why I like to watch Iron Chef America - they have consistent rules for judging and the entire thing seems much more fair.

Tom's opinion and bias changes with the wind; when you take into consideration a chef's "ego" you are betraying what Top Chef is supposed to be about.

It's supposed to be about the food.

Instead of criticizing Stefan's ego, the judges should be mindful of their own egos getting in the way of unbiased judging.

This doesn't take away from Hosea's win, he was judged the best and I'm happy for him.

I guess the judges are more happy awarding Top Chef to a guy who makes out with another contestant, then they are awarding to someone whose personality they dislike.

I'm switching over to Food Network - Iron Chef America and Chopped - my new favorite shows.

Richard Blais is the new Top Chef.

This is the last season that I watch Top Chef. Top Chef rewards mediocrity and you can barely win one challenge and even at that all of the other chefs helped you and then win the show? After Lisa last seasin and Hosea this season something needs to change. Also, having the winner flip off the camera, real classy I would think the producers would want a better class of person than Hosea to win.

Top Chef Fans,

I agree with Helen that there have been a lot of great chef's that have not won anything on Top Chef and have been elminated early in the show, because they didn't know how to play the game. Remember when Adrian was winning alot and messed up the Lamb it was all to do with the meal they just cooked. Ithink that all the CHef's that won each challenge's were picked for the great meal they just prepared. I was a big Fabio fan and thought he should have won but New Orleans cooking style was not his strong suit and he did not deserve to go on after his meal there. I like Carla too, but she just didn't get the job done on the last challenge. She was influnced by Casey who is a string chef also, but that is Carla. She is such a sweetheart and loves everyone she didn't what to disagree with casey. It happened earlier in the season and she was almost sent home for being influnced by others and not cooking her food. Well with all the is said and done I agree with almost every decision the judges made this season. The only challenge I didn't like was the Super Bowl challenge. The season 5 chef's didn't compete against each year and were judges against seasons past and a crowd of students who had their own favorites. All in all, Good Job, to Tom, Padima, Toby, and Gail and all of the guest judges. I think you all did a WONDERFUL job this season. Keep it up. CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT SEASON.

Tim

Even if Stefan is not likable, he should have won Top Chef. But of course, Tom wouldn't want it that way.

Stefan should have won, hands down. Padme does nothing for the show- actually she's getting more annoying with each passing season. Would like to see Gail in her place.

and btw, SASHIMI??? as much as I love sashimi, COME ON! that Hosea dude sucked. as disgusting as Arian's dessert looked in one of the challenges, I was looking forward to seeing her do more. should have kept her on.

This hasn't Top Chef for the past few seasons, it has become Top Boring and Least Deserving Winner. It is becoming obivious the most talented chefs don't on win. Why you picked the guy who just somehow made it to the finale by not getting eliminated, and took no risks. That's all you guys preach all season, Hosea couldn't even try a dessert. It is annoying how you judges don't take the overall performance of the season into consideration, or when you do comment on that, you make ridiculous high standards. Stefan deserved to be arrogant because he can cook his ass off and he did it from the beginning. Shame on all of you.

I was so disappointed with the outcome of the Top Chef final.

Carla is a very nice person,but this final show was too much for her.This was not first time for her to make a mistake.Carla should be Top Personality,but Top Chef-don't think so.
Hosea is mediocre chef.I was wondering what is he doing in the final and he WON??????

Stefan was THE BEST in almost every episode.He should be Top Chef!

Hosea-wrong decision!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hosea!?!?!?! You have got to be kidding me! Stefan was the true winner. It was very obvious from the very start that he was one of the most talented, if not THE most talented this season. Hosea did not show the skill or expertise that Stefan did. The judges should be ashamed that they picked Hosea. And what the heck was wrong with Tom!? Up until now I was a big fan of Tom, but it was very obvious he did not want Stefan to win. I just hope that Stefan knows that majority of viewers see him as the winner. As for Carla I feel bad for her. She is a sweet person who obviously has a hard time saying "NO." Casey needs to be slapped for what she is saying about Carla.

A real finale would have had Stefan and Jeff, but they didn't even give that a chance despite the fact that the meal Jeff came back and created was fabulous by all the judges standards. Totally, unfair to either Stefan or Jeff.

After the fiasco with the sous-chefs I'm ready to call it quits with Top Chef. I watched the final episodes only because they were held in New Orleans (my home town.) I have dined at Commander's Palace numerous times, so the closing venue was also important to me.

Under the circumstances, it would've been more fair had the judges called it a three-way tie and split the prize.

Somebody should make Casey wear sackcloth and ashes for what she did to Carla. Having loser sous-chefs help(?) the competing chefs to win(?) was a disaster.

Gail, I am not impressed with your comments. Very weak attempt to justify your part of the worst Top Chef decision ever. All I can say is that Richard must be an amazing sous chef, because Hosea had not done anything up till then to show he deserved this title. Perhaps professionalism doe not come into play ...hmmm... Hosea's girlfriend must be really proud of him. Oops, is that inappropriate? Oh well. I hope Toby takes over the show. He seems to be the only one that gets it.

I am writing to voice my disapproval of hiring failed Top Chef contestants as sous chefs for the three finalists. It was clear that the woman who 'helped' Carla did not want her to win. I've spoken to several people and they all said, "She wanted to screw up Carla's chances." How do we know? If the 'sous chef' was really interested in Carla winning, she would have MADE SURE the oven temp was correct before putting the soufflés in.

This behavior -- employing former Top Chef losers -- on the part of the judges is unconscionable! Why couldn't the final three have good, qualified, non-top-chef chefs to help them with their meal.

I believe that Carla should be given another chance. Her 'sous chef' was very overbearing and insisted on having her way. It put Carla in a terrible spot.

Pure and simple: it was a dirty trick, and the judges, whether they realized it or not, set her up for it.

You made a foolish decision, Gail. It is clear to most of us the rightful winner is Stefan. And since when is "ego" a drawback in a chef? Oh Please...

Top Chef is like a sports event, what happened in a previous challenge does not apply to the current challenge. As for "Club Stephan," is everybody seriously forgetting about the "frozen fish carpaccio?" That was a serious misstep for Stephan, especially the use of salmon (strong flavor) with halibut (weak flavor). Cooking 101: Freezing fresh fish makes for a very watery seafood (includes freshwater species as well) mush!

Now that I've taken care of most of the other bloggers....

Hi, Gail.

I totally agree with the descriptions that you and Chef Tom made concerning Hosea's meal.

I hope to see you next season!

i totally support Hosea winning the competition. his food is consistently good and he proved himself well on that last meal. you can't deny that he's got the talent to be top chef!

No reason to bash Casey -- she was helpful--- Carla was a host/judge favorite for a long long long time and she should have been gone weeks ago. Her final challenge to win Top Chef and she doesn't check the oven Temperature??? a true Novice>> Carla
heck she won a car--- she can now drive it to Culinary School.
Personally, I am glad to see that tears and sniffles didnt win Top Chef-- although a wimpy and whiner did minus the theatrics (tears).

It is amusing to read some of the comments about how Hosea shouldn't have won and that Stefan should have because he has done better in the past. If Stefan should have won because of that what was the point of the final? The best strategy commented on by the judges is to cook simple foods up until the final then blow them out of the water by amazing food. So if someone serves canned soup for every elimination challenge and wins they should be top chef? I have been uninspired by the dishes created this season and I am glad that Stefan didn't win because as far as I am concerned the entire season has had nothing but boring food in it (Most of which were made by him).

How much of this is determined by the producers? I realize Carla lost her way, so fine, she couldn't have won. But Hosea-really???? Trying to take the good ingredients from Stephan. And Stephan's team can win restaurant challenge with his dessert, but his dessert is not good enough for him to win Top Chef. Consistency should have something to do with who wins. It is so obvious that Tom doesn't like arrogance in the contestants, but why does that bother him when he wants them to be self confidant. Raise the quality of the chefs - you can do that by unbiased judging.

Stefan is the real Top Chef, the judges simply blew it. It was pretty clear by the last two challenges that Tom resented Stefan and either felt threatened by him, or simply didn't want him to win. Saying that Stefan had 'no soul' when he, not Hosea, comforted Carla when she broke down says it all.

Hosea floated under the radar for the entire series and never displayed Stefan's talent or Carla's passion, he's not the real Top Chef.

Stefan is the one we'll see more of in the future.

Clearly most people felt Hosea didn't deserve to win...to which I agree. I think the judges picked him just to get a rouse out of people and ratings for the show. I won't be watching any more seasons of this show.

I agree with the statement about Tom- I doubt he could perform well with canned food and 15 minutes to present a great snack or even an hour or two to prepare some mystery meat like that slimy eel Stefan skinned in 20 seconds. I need to get on top chef --I can be sensitive as long as you judge my sensitivity with that of either Toby or Tom -- I could shed a few tears like Carla did and sigh and say I sent the love out- a few sniffles later I would be TOP Chef! Ok in all seriousness while we await a new season this off time will give both Tom and Toby and Stefan some time to attend Charm School.

Hey Gail! Hosea won with presentation, flavor, technique and imagination, so be it! You could just feel the disappointment in Carla! What an accomplishment to be in the top (3)but then, to not go with your own ideas and style was the most crucial consequence!

Anyone, please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
By the time the show came on I admit I was a little groggy,
but I would swear that Stefan referred to Marcel as a "twat", if that is not what he said, can someone please tell me what he did say? I am glad Hosea won, does anyone know if his flirtations on Top Chef got him in trouble with his girlfriend? Personally I loved Carla, I hope she either opens her own place, or partners with someone with the same passion for food. Also, will we see a tee shirt with something about harnessing the creative monkeys?

Gail, please never leave again. Toby was horrible and unqualified.

Hosea totally deserved to win. Although Carla was my favorite, she definitely missed the mark with her food. Casey can't be blamed, because Carla agreed-but it was still difficult to see Carla so upset because she totally knew she made a fatal mistake. I give Stefan credit for his soup, however, his dessert appeared completely uninspired and not unique at all. Not to mention his watery Carpaccio looked very unappetizing and his attitude was ridiculous. While I believe Hosea, was much more level in all his dishes appearance, (& according the the judges) taste. Plus he was pretty brave to not do a dessert, considering both his competitors did. I believe the judges got it right. If it was based on personality/attitude, Carla would have won. If it was technique, then Stefan. But Hosea was the best of both worlds. It all comes down the the final battle, nothing previous matters. If you sing a solo in a concert one night, and nail it, but the next night your voice cracks, it doesn't matter you did it fantastic previously, the impression you gave the second night crowd, is what they'll know and judge you on..

During the final "judgment" I thought I heard Gail made a comment to the effect of Stephan's dessert being too 80's. Now, how old was Gail in the 80's?....I'm just saying...

The commenters here are so whiny. "Oh, I'm not going to watch anymore. The wrong guy won." Stefan screwed up plenty. Get over it. A lot of time passes between the elimination challenges and the finale. They have plenty of time to learn new techniques, so Hosea could have learned a few new things. Yeah, it would have been nice if sweet Carla won, but she flaked. Stefan was thrown when he didn't have parameters to work within. He grew complacent.

Calm down, People.. They are ALL winners.. Hosea had the greatest of luck on the last challenge, which is all/the rules they must be judged on... If it were all based on past wins/challenges, there would be no finals.. They would just take the person with the most wins, etc., right? Hosea had the best night of his life..made some lucky decisions and can now open his own restaurant...Carla won the hearts of America and the car!!! She will go very far with her wonderful personality and talent and her restaurant will thrive like never before!!! Stefan showed his great talent/skills, and no matter what you all say, he seems to have a "soft center" like his deserts.. He will be getting many calls from chefs all over the country and world who want to work with him.. He will be every much in demand... They ALL won..... Hosea just won the money.. Just like with Richard last season.. he made very teeny mistakes and lost the money, but, he and his wonderful attitude/reputation/talent will follow him forever....Don't be mean about the outcome... They ALL win....

Devastating finale for fans. So inconsistent with the goal of the show as we've come to understand it these last five seasons.

So often we hear Tom explain an elimination as a failure of leadership. It's clear a majority of fans have felt Hosea should have been sent packing back during the farm episode.

Ariane failed to speak up, but she executed the meal the way her leader insisted. She had argued for roasting the lamb, but Hosea asserted his role as team leader, and planned an overall unsuccessful menu.

A fact he never mentioned at judges' table. A lie by omission. Unethical, unprofessional, unsportsmanlike. So many disappointed he was even in the finale. Then finale clips showing Hosea in the kitchen continuing his unsportsmanlike conduct.

Stefan is abundantly confident. Carla was too nice with Casey. While they had some bombs this season, judges' comments on Hosea's best efforts left us feeling he is overall a mediocre chef with a couple lucky moments.

Can TC recover?

Well, as much as I and most many others were pulling for Carla to win Top Chef, based on the current procedure, whether we like it or not Hosea, should have won.

That being said, I was never much of a fan of Stefan, he showed his true colors during the finale when he went to comfort Carla. He moved way up in my book just on that show of compassion.

As for Hosea, his comment, "...At least I cooked my own food" showed his true colors. Talk about a Below the Belt comment. It was totally uncalled for.

Seriously, if you're going to base your decision of Top Chef on just the challenge at hand...which is what you did, then you could basically pick some schmo off the street and ask him to cook his best meal...if it good he's Top Chef!!! This is the most bizarre season of Top Chef yet. Let me ask you, who was the guy who opened doors for the female and male chefs, who was the one who slid out the chairs for both Carla and Leah at the Le Bernidine challenge, and who was the guy who reacted to Carla's breakdown at the last judges table, who?...Stefan. Who's the guy who constantly dogged Stefan, rolled his eyes at him, said he was getting everyone off their game and then flipped two birds at him...who? Potato Head Hosea. I will never think of Hosea as top chef and if he was a real man, which he isn't...like Ariane said, "he's a wimp!...he would give it to the guy that deserves it, Stefan. When I saw him hammer that nail into that eel and skin him, I said...he's the man...he's Top Chef. Nobody can convince me differently.

I don't really care for all the talk about Casey, but in her defense...people need to realize there's a lot you don't see on TV.

As for the show, I take nothing away from Hosea I think he's a great chef. I just don't think you can deny the fact that Stefan was clearly the best? Technically sound. And yes, he has a terrible attitude, but you've chosen Top Chef's before who were "cocky".

What is the point of winning elimination challenges at all in the show? Someone could easily ride the middle throughout the entire season and WIN top chef???

Tom did seem biased towards stefan.

This season did take something away from the show. I hope there are some real changes next year to the structure of the show. Someone else wrote : have all finalists use the same available ingredients.

duh???

A top Chef should know how to make a dessert. Hosea is a hippocrate. He chastised Stefan on an earlier challenge for picking an easy ingredient but when it came time for him to pick - what? no alligator, Hosea? He was always criticized for lack of seasoning in his food by the judges. I guess consistency isn't part of the criteria for picking a Top Chef. I felt bad for Carla but she should have remembered that Casey was the Black Widow in Season 4, always eliminating anyone that was paired up with her. Stefan was clearly the better chef and the judges definitely got it wrong. Want to redeem yourself Bravo? Open up the competition to more international chefs and keep the show about cooking and less about the drama. You're not Fox.

Dear Gail,

Thanks for your time this season and your comments here.

I'm disappointed with the decision of Hosea being named Top Chef because his title refers to his best (& only) accomplishment: preparing one good meal (not outstanding) and displaying confidence for the first time. At no point in the season did he take a leadership role with his peers. He usually was unsure of how to do something, "I never skinned an eel, cooked with z'atar spice, etc. He barely took the reigns with chores he could do such as the case with the farm challenge when he wouldn't break down the lamb.
His single elim win was done because everyone (inc. Stefan) helped recreate his spoiled dish.

Whereas, Stefan created winning dish after winning or good dish time after time. The 3 out of 4 judges dismissing Stefan's dessert as being the reason to lose was absolutely unbelievable. Stefan proved to be helpful to his competitors throughout the season. He also took the leadership role (as in RW as the expeditor) while Leah floundered. He saved the team and got a win with "dessert" of all things! The final point that you and Tom dismissed him was that you both proclaimed he had no soul. Jeez - after you declared his squab to be the best dish of the night and it showed exactly who he is. What is your problem with awarding the title to the true champion???

Gail,

One very telling comment in your blog regarding Hosea - "no ego"

This show should be solely about the food - and not the personalities at play.

That said, I think Stefan won. Yes, he's opinionated and obstinant, but he's also the better chef and has been more consistent throughout the competition.

Tom was criticizing Stefan's dishes much more than Hosea's - looking for an excuse to deny Stefan the win.

I only wish Tom would critique his restaurants with the same vigor he criticized Stefan - I ate at Craft a few months back and the food was pedestrian and sub-par.

This is the last year I'm watching Top Chef.

Hosea Top Chef!!!! If HE can win, I'm going to try out for TC next season....all I have to do is learn how to cook between now and then. Apparently being a creative, seasoned, talented professional doesn't help you....didn't seem to work for Stefan any. As long as I can get Tom Colicchio to like me, I've got it made, since your cooking skills don't really seem to matter. And as for Padma, she's no chef, even I can print up some recipes and create a cookbook. I bet she can't cook a single dish as well as most of those contestants, and yet she sits in judgment of them. Same for Gail. Stefan won that contest but it was pretty clear all season Tom's arrogance would not let Stefan win. Get rid of Tom!! Doesn't he have a lawsuit to be defending?

If they were being judged on heart, then Carla should have won. If on technique, then Stefan was clearly the winner. The decision to give the title to Hosea completely baffles me, because he demonstrated NEITHER of those important qualities, EVER. For being a consistently fair and intelligent judge on Top Chef, Tom really dropped the ball on this one.

Also, whose idea was it to throw the golden baby curve ball in the finale? It seems like something you'd expect in the middle of the season, but the FINAL CHALLENGE?? COME ON!!!

Congratulations on handing over 100k to the least deserving and most loathsome contestant in all of Top Chef history!

I agree that the judging was very inconsistent and feel Tom is now past his use by date. His big ego is pretty obviously getting in his way. Maybe it's time for him to get in the kitchen and show us just how talented he is under the same pressure and then have a panel of judges pick his food to pieces?

Stefan was clearly the more consistent chef overall this season. Hosea was content to cruise at best through most of the competition. I like the new name suggestion - Top Meal!

I think Toby was a great choice of judge and would like to see him in future episodes. Perhaps 5 judges might be better though so you don't have a deadlock decision?

So, when are we going to see a country vs country Top Chef?

.........Hosea?........really???

This show infuriates me. It's like Season Two when you picked that know-nothing Ilan to win over the likes of the three others who made it. Oh, and let's not forget Sam.

Really, Hosea, that classless, bitter, Stefan-hating dude won?!

I realize I'm not tasting the food, but why do you discount a whole season's worth of wins?

This is the first season of Top Chef that I've wached and will be the last. I don't think you could've picked a more incompetent, cowardly and useless chef.

While I respect all the chefs and critics highly, I though the true talent, Stefan, was overlooked by a piece of venison.

Hosea's cooking seemed BORING.

Stefan was passionate and brilliant - I will be calling him for my next catering event as I am in the SoCalif area.

So disappointed in this season's choice.

What a disappointment! The final 1 sec ruined the whole season.
Fire the judges!!!

Check out Stefan's catering site:
http://www.stefanscatering.com/

Yes, I agree with most. Why Hosea? I understand that Carla lost her footing and was out of the running. If Stefan had choked, that would be one thing. But Stefan did a good job, not just only during this challenge, but for most of the season. Hosea? He hasn't done anything impressive the whole season. Just mediocre and spent a lot of time on the bottom. There's no way Hosea is better than Jaime, Fabio, Carla, Jeff or Stefan. You want Hosea representing Top Chef?

The judges were thoughtful in their comments and choice. What a difficult decision. How could you not root for Carla? She never gave up, look at how far she went in the season. Be proud Carla! What a funny, "lovely," person and talented chef. I love that cooks with "love." It was very cool of the "guys" to notice her emotions in the finale and "respond" graciously. Stefan's reaction was most surprising and made me think it was what Hosea said in the interview...that the rivalry was friendly but competitive. Stefan gave flair to the show (as did Fabio). The nicest season of top chefs and talented.

It's amazing to me how many people who have written in this space claim to be able to "taste" food through a television screen. Is there a setting on my TV that I've overlooked?

A dated dessert? Is that what determined this chef's fate? The man won 1/3 of the season's challenges! To me, this is akin to giving George W Bush the Nobel Peace Prize because Mother Teresa, in a weak moment, flips of one of the judges just prior to receiving her award. Seriously flawed outcome.

Gail made a comment about Stephan's dessert being very 80's (or something to that effect). Now, how old was Gail in the 80's to be such an expert and judge on what was going on then in the culinary world?...I'm just saying....

Mediocrity is once again rewarded. This show is becoming a waste of air time, filled with judges intimidated by a contestant who has the skills and creativity to back up his arrogance.

Shallow, whinny, jealous, saboteur unable to stand on his own merits without trying purposely handicap his competition by hoarding some of the best ingredients, this is the person you consider Top Chef. What a waste of a season.

It is obvious that the female judges on this show are simply vessels for Tom C. to reiterate is biased opinions.

Stefan/Carla WERE ROBBED - Hosea should never have won...he hasn't the talent that the others had...and he was so full of himself and smug....urggghhhhhh

Toby Young was the MOST UNBIASED judge at the table and the other chefs that tasted the food were certainly not agreed in thinking it should have been Hosea...

Plus you managed to give Hosea EVERY advantage. Carla got to pick a knife first - big deal - she should have been given a better step up for winning the other challenge.

Props to Stefan who managed to make an amazing soup from an ingredient he had never used before. If I were to eat one of these meals - Hosea's is THE LAST I would choose.

Carla got stuck with the poisonous Casey - yuck - what a way to lose - letting it be a team play rather than sticking with your own food. My heart broke for her.

To Carla & Stefan - I wish you all the best...To Hosea - karma baby karma...hope it bites you hard.

I thought the judges made the correct decision last night. Clearly, Hosea's meal was the best out of the three due to Carla not choosing her own menu and the failure of her souffle and Stefan's watery carpaccio and pedestrian dessert. I agree with the Superbowl analogy. It doesn't matter how you get to the final, you just have to win the final. I wanted Carla to win and thought she had a chance and I thought Stefan would probably win. I believe each of them did better throughout the season and are better chefs, but Hosea did win. Congratulations!

I can't wait until next season....

Season 5 of Top Chef should have been subtitled, "Under The Radar." The fact that Hosea and Leah made the final five and then Hosea won has shown future chefs the strategy to win - just don't be the worst. Neither of those two were the best chefs at any point.

I'm also tired of the gimmick of bringing back other chefs from earlier in the season or past shows. It's as if the producers knew Carla would buckle under to another chef's suggestions. I can only blame Carla as she made up her own mind but the the bringing back of the three former chef-testants added nothing. Richard did as Hosea asked, Marcel was unusually without opinion and Casey was a hurricane of sorts on Carla's chance to win.

Season 6 needs to start with a group of chefs who are all allowed to cook on their own without losing the game in a Quickfire, and the elimination of much of the stunt shows like cooking for 3rd graders or food from a truck stop vending machine. The two episodes leading up to the Season 5 finale were the best of the season because, guess what, they were about actual cooking.

Hosea should not have ever been there. He shouldn't have made it past episode 3. Or 5. Or 9. I have never been so bored watching a contestant cook in all of the seasons. Sad...

Gail that was some BS. judgement call there. For as long as I can remember I have never judged ur judgements but this time around What Gives!! Did Stefan come on to you or something like he usually does why were you so pissed at him.

I don't think they should always take the entire season into account, because if they did that it wouldn't matter how anyone did in the finale at all. If they had said from the start that they were going to go on cumulative performance, then Stephan would have automatically won, he won TEN challenges. Carla and Hosea might as well have stayed home. But I think that in the event of a tie they should take it into account, and it seemed like a tie to me. I did NOT think Hosea should win, based on the fact that he tied with a better overall chef.

Very tough decision to stomach. The thing is we all knew there was no way Tom would allow Stefan to win. It's too bad that so much luck had to factor into the winner. Between the selection of the sous chefs and the extra course, too much was based on the luck of the draw. If the judging is only for this particular show (which I disagree with) fine. How about this? Instead of drawing knives or trying to eat the ring, why not base who choses first on how they did during the 'regular season'? In sports teams compete all year to have a homecourt advantage, so why not hear? Clearly, Richard is the best of the bunch, maybe even the best overall chef on the history of the show. Also, even though the true Champion Stefan handled the alligator just fine, imagine if Hosea was faced with the same challenge. It's time for the Top Chef execs to get on the ball. Of course I never would have know what happened this year if they had actually given the title last year to that sour-puss Lisa since I would have boycotted the show. It was also hard to concentrate last night because of Gail's low cut dress. Nice work Gail.

"I hope it is clear from what you saw of Judges’ Table just how painstakingly difficult it was to reach our verdict."

Actually, it looked like you had your minds pretty much made up on Hosea, but wanted to hear the sounds of your own voices for hours instead. None of us were fooled. We knew exactly where it was going. There are still some questions of course: Exactly why is serving food on overturned shot glasses inventive? It's stupid is what it is, and his menu sounded like a compendium of fellow contestants' ideas throughout the season. And to top it off, who in their right mind wants to end a meal on a plate of venison? Guess what, not customers. Maybe the absinthe started kicking in. Restaurant-goers bypass dessert only if it sounds terrible, cannot afford it, or ate too much because the chef fixed nothing but meat dishes.

Sorry, but Hosea is a mediocre wuss with a limited skill set, (that is according to the majority of guest chefs of high repute whose opinions and taste you courted to give this show credibility). Nothing the judging panel said could contradict that statement. The best thing you said about Hosea was that he was steady, which wasn't even really true, and he wasn't steady while never attempting anything that a mediocre chef couldn't pull off, so you do the math.

I think the big consensus before this finale was that Hosea winning, with all the personality traits of child who is jealous of his more talented classmates, was the worst possible scenario that could have occurred. Well, you may be proud, but the majority of viewers are mightily p***ed off and very few of them will ever visit the philandering moron Hosea's restaurant, if he ever opens one. I'm sure everyone is sorry for his father's health problems; no decent person wishes that painful scenario on anyone. But his father's illness is not a shield to be used against criticism. It does not make Hosea's lack of honorable character immune to the judgement of those on whom he is dependent for his livelihood: the viewers and potential customers who have to visit his restaurant. And I certainly do not want to validate his win, or signal any kind of acceptance of him, by going out of my way to patronize any establishment that has anything to do with this man. That includes this show.

I am somewhat surprised at myself that I am this disturbed by the Top Chef Finale. After all, it is only a reality show with the only difference that it actually has somewhat sympathetic, knowledgeable, and successful judges in it. It's the injustice of it all that just drives me crazy.
I've already started devising conspiracy theories in which there is a betting pool, where everybody thinks that Stefan is going to be the winner which causes the payout to be low for Stefan. So, the next best person available is chosen and it pays a whole lot of money.

Might I say,
Yes, Hosea winning was a complete disappointing finish to Top Chef season 5. Stefan is arrogant and clearly has talent, but he lacks heart. He took short cuts when no one else did because he thought he had the competition in the bag. Personally, Stefan should have gone home in the semi-finals and Fabio should have taken his place. However, Hosea on the other hand. Wtf!? He was getting through by the skin of his teeth half the time! In my opinion, Hosea should have gone home when he failed to reproduce Eric Repirt's monk fish dish. Why? Because Hosea works at an all seafood restaurant and he should have at least been in the top three! Not to mention during elimination he said he knew monk fish needs to rest, and he knew all the mistakes he made. What a liar So technically, Hosea should have gone home when Jamie did and that would have given us Fabio, Jamie, Carla and Stefan for the semi-finals. And Leah was cool and all, but she was losing steam towards the end of her days on Top Chef.

As far as the finale, Carla did make the mistake of letting Casey influence her decisions too much. Girl, what were you thinking!? Casey didn't win Top Chef, don't let her bring you down too! Carla had what Stefan was lacking and that was heart and soul. I feel if Carla would have done things true to herself, she would have won Top Chef 5.

I demand a redo!

Unfortunately for Top Chef since the every beginning of the final I had this feeling that everything was set for Hosea to win. No deserts? The only chef that NEVER did a desert through the whole competition was Hosea, so when it was announced NO DESERTS I was like: ok, then they will make Hosea the winner. And he was. Why, why? Was it a conspiracy to make sure the winner is an american? Why not Carla, then - for sure she is better than Hosea. As a dead fan of TC for 5 years the winning arguments for Hosea were the lamest ever in the show. HUGE JOKE. I wanted to puke watching the made-up arguments and Tom, Padma and Gail??? searching to excuse their "decision". JOKE< JOKE< JOKE

Hosea is a mediocre chef at best. If Carla had done what she's been doing, she would have won. Every time she listened to Casey I cringed. I am not at all a food expert but when I realized she was doing the sous vide I knew the beef would be tough. That being said, Stefan should have won this particular night, being the far superior chef to Hosea. I agree that the judges didn't vote for him because they labeled him as arrogant. I like people who say what they think, and if you're in a competition not convinced you're the best, it's an uphill battle to win.

Gail -- you might want to make sure you bring along Richard Blais when you "show off" Hosea if you want the same quality of food he served at the finale.

No matter how you try to justify this - it was a terrible decision. Hosea is not "top"; he is, at best (at the very best), "middle".

Stefan should have won. Hosea was an ass behind the scenes and he never won the challenges like Stefan did. I honestly believe it was about the judges opinions of their personalities. What a shame. If that was the mark to be judged on (wait...I heard that on the show) then Carla should have won. Never, ever should it have been Hosea. I turned the show off immediately! What a complete manipulation of power and total disregard for your loyal audience and the truth. The public can't get balance, truth and honesty from many people. You've just joined the ranks with many others. I never missed a show.....until now. Publicly, my apologies to Stefan for being treated so awful. Stefan, you are the people's TOP CHEF!

Just want to agree with an earlier post: at least for the final challenge each chef should have to work with the exact same principle ingredients and see who creates the winning meal. That would give a more accurate picture of their strengths with, for example, an appetizer using "any or all of these 5 ingredients", a fish course, meat course and dessert. This format would create a far more level playing field. No chef would be able to select which ingredients he/she likes best and everyone would have to create a dessert.

If the judges can't come up with a voting system which builds on past performance, at least the final meal preparation would be "equal". Then it would be more like a thoroughbred horse race: no matter how many races they have won in the past, there is only one winner of the Kentucky Derby!

Common everyone. What is this moaning and groaning??
This is a competition. You are only as good as your last performance. All 3 finalist survived multiple elimination challenges to get to the last round. It's a one meal cook off! Like it or not, Hosea cooked 3 good courses, Stephan cooked 2 good courses (made a really pedestrian dessert), Carla only one good course (didn't stay true to her vision and cooked someone's else's design). Those are the breaks.

It's like baseball, you can pitch great for 8 innings but if you stumble in the ninth, you can lose the game.

All I can say is that after being a dedicated and enthusiastic viewer for the past five seasons the Judges have completely disappointed and disgraced the show with your choice of Hosea as Top Chef. Hosea?!?!?!? A man who won hardly any challenges and seemed determined to stay just out of the bottom. I could have understood Carla winning as she was the favorite in personality and was on a great winning streak. Stefan who won tons of challenges and did very well in the finale DESERVED to win!!! I can not understand your decision and the reasoning above is faulty because you did not mention the appetizer which Stefan clearly won. That would put them even 2 to 2. With Stefan's AMAZING wins throughout the season this should not have been a close race. He should have won hands down. It should not have mattered whether or not you all approved of his attitude if the show is truly Top Chef the winner should be the one who is actually the TOP Chef! You have lost the integrity of the show and I will not be tuning in for season six.

Gail,
you are calling Stefan arrogant. Whole judging table, excluding Toby, is the most arrogant and opiniated bunch of people on reality show. This whole season was pretty lame, but Stefan and Jamie were the bright stars. Hosea, Top Chef!!! I don't think you guys know the meaning of TOP or CHEF.

I really enjoyed the previous seasons of Top Chef but they undeniably fell short this season, being completely hypocritical in their decision making process. Hosea ended up winning the Top Chef title, talk about unfair endings...I knew Colicchio would eventually disappoint me the minute he endorsed 'diet coke'.
What is most troubling thing to me is that these are the people who have chosen Hung as a Top Chef, and now suddenly they're worried about people having souls.
Not only that, they have shamelessly acted as if the final meal was the basis for their final decision. Everyone who watches the show regularly knows that this is far from the truth. The past performance is always taken into account, and it's pretty obvious regardless of the judges having a conversation about it. Remember Marcel, who clearly wasn't judged solely on the final meal he prepared. He was experimental throughout the whole competition, and had quite a few lows which was his downfall. They actually seemed to be more surprised and fascinated with Marcel's final dishes than Ilan's.
I'm not criticizing the judges for taking past performance into account as it is the way it should be. Just like school, our finals have more weight than each of the other individual tests, papers, and presentations but they still are just a part of the final grade. Nobody ends up in Harvard Law by only taking the final exams as an undergraduate. Consistency is undoubtedly important, and even though I skipped the 4th season, I know that the first three seasons did not produce a final winner who happened to suck as much as Hosea throughout the whole competition. We knew Hosea was a good, knowledgeable chef, yet he kept having trouble pulling it off again and again.
Why not Stefan??? Is it because he's irritating? Is it because he is cocky and arrogant (which I do believe is counterproductive for his future) ? Now we know, 'know it all' Europeans who irritate American audiences do not get to be Top Chefs, at least not on TV...

By the way, wth does not expect a desert at the end of a 3-course meal?

Wow,

I must say that this season has been a real disappointment in many, many regards. Stefan/Carla was robbed of this title last night...shame on all of you.
The show has declined in many ways, there is no way that most of the chefs this season could have even come close to competing with some of those chefs like Ilan, Harold, Hung, or even some non winners such as Tiffany or Marcel...come on, you guys are dropping the ball here. Stefan was clearly better than Hosea, and Carla as well, what were you guys thinking?!
I think you've lowered the standards this season, even the challenges were quite lame compared to past seasons. A real disappointment, I hope it's better next year or Top Chef could be on the way out.

I agree that the result this year is very disappointing and maybe the judging and judges should be changed.I think having a panel of chef's-no Padma or Gail,Toby-and replace with maybe-Bourdain,Ripert,Dufresne-would make it Top Chef instead of (it's been mentioned here already)Top Meal.Oh yeah Tom can go too-I think he's way too biased and picks his fave early and runs with it.

Gail i just have to say i think you're hot and one of my favorite judges since you aren't afraid to give your opinion like some others. I like Sarah Bernhardt for that reason too, even if she can come across as a little too opiniated. Seems like the rest are afraid of Tom.

I don't agree with Hosea as your Top Chef however. He just didn't see like the best Chef this season. It was clearly between Stefan/Carla. Stefan should have been if not for his arrogance, which i can't really blame you for holding it against him. I just have a big problem with you guys not considering past performance because you are basically giving it to the chef that was hot that one night, which seems to happen from show to show for different people. It just doesn't speak for who the 'Top Chef' really was imo. I still love you and the show!

What a load of crap! Stefan, from everything I saw, was the winner. It was clear that Tom and Gail didn't want him to win, so they were hypercritical of his dishes.

A dessert is dated? Verses retro like Cherries Jubilee or Banana's Foster? Give me a break! Everything that has been done before is dated. It should be judged on its merit. If you say "It was a crappy desert and dated", that I can accept as a valid criticism, but when the judges say "It was well made, but dated", then you've gone into personal prejudice, not judging. That's where Tom and Gail were demonstrating.

I agree with the name change to Top Meal, they really don't seem to be taking into consideration performance during the season. If Hosea had blown Stefan's doors off at the finale, that would be one thing, but to ignore that Stefan had done far better than Hosea during the challenges and to justify his losing by a "somewhat generic" desert, it smacks of favorites, not performance.

It's not "hate" against Hosea, I don't think he should have lost or was bad in any way, it's just pretty clear to me, but what was being shown and said, the Stefan should have been the winner.

What a disappointment to say the least!@ I would have thought for such an important title as Top Chef that chefs would be evaluated on their ENTIRE performance. Choosing Hosea was a mistake - he cant even cook fish (Le Bernadin challenge) and he successfully throws anyone under the bus (with Leah when they both hung Ariane out to dry with the lamb) Stefan and Carla were both consistent throughout and never screwed anyone over. At least Stefan and Carla will go very far with very bright futures with incredible talent. In my eyes Stefan and Carla are both Top Chefs.

Thanks for your great blog entries and insights this season. I was thrilled for Hosea's win, but, at the same time bitterly disappointed by Carla's loss. What made it worse was knowing that Casey overpowered her, and Carla is so humble and accommodating that she failed to stay true to herself. She let Casey dominate her choices, and it cost her the competition. I think she would have won if she had been fortunate enough to have had Richard, or even Marcel as her sous chef. Booo Casey! Hisssssssss! But, in the end, it was Carla's missteps that cost her.

I must respond to a comment made about Hosea's restaurant, Jax Fish House. What about your experience made it a "horrible restaurant"? I have been there many times and never been even close to dissapointed. The restaurant is small, busy, and not as refined as some other fine dining establishments, but that is what gives it its charm for me. It is an unpretentious atmosphere that serves up consistently great food. It is my favorite restaurant in a town full of good places to eat. I understand everyone has their own opinions, so I felt like I needed to state mine.

I love Carla, and it would have been great to see her win! BUT, I can see why she was not selected (as much as it pains me to admit). A Top Chef needs to be a strong leader, and unfortunately, she was easily influenced. Okay, but Hosea!? This was a terrible decision. He manages not to mess up one meal and he is a "Top Chef?" Both of his competitors were clearly more talented. I guess it was his lucky day.

Gail, to be honest, my disagreement about Hosea's victory is totally dwarfed by my rage at Casey' unprofessional online rant:

http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2009/02/26/casey-thompson-speaks-out-about...

Ridiculous! And Carla has been so classy and generous in her public remarks about Casey. What is Casey thinking?

I think people are too caught up in the name "Top Chef." The show is a competition, not a search for the country's best chef. There have been some fantastic chefs who didn't make it far because they never figured out how play the game. There are great chefs who don't make it to the top because they screw up just once. That's just how competitions work and this show wouldn't work if every decision took into account every meal cooked. If the judges take the past into consideration, then why not also consider each chef's whole career? Why bother to have them compete, why not just visit each one's restaurant and judge them based on their best cooking in their best environment. Because that would be an entirely different show. That would be some sort of a travel documentary on the Food Network.

I wanted Carla to win. But this is the Super Bowl. They don't hand you the win just because you played well all season. How ridiculous.

What I really don't understand is why these conversations come up so much more often about Top Chef. You don't see the "should have considered past performance" argument nearly as much in forums for Project Runway or Top Design etc etc.

There was no way Tom was going to allow Stefan to win. The squab was the best dish of the night, his dishes were refined, he didn't make any mistakes. You didn't like the plating of the dessert, but I'm sure it tasted very good. Last season, Stephanie had the strongest single dish, the judges didn't like her dessert, but she won.

Clearly, Stefan should have won. That's beyond debate. So let's move on to more truly controversial things, like Casey's ill-advised diatribe about Carla:

http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2009/02/26/casey-thompson-speaks-out-about...

Carla has been nothing but classy in the aftermath of this episode's airing, and for Casey to respond in this hateful, petty, and utterly unprofessional way is just appalling.

I was rooting for Stefan. STEFAN is TOP CHEF (hands down). The judges did not take into account the previous challenges but solely on the last challenge. That being said Hosea did win.
But Stefan, perhaps in the real world, is the better chef.

Congratulations to all three nevertheless. :)

nothing all...just I loved Carla! I'm glad she is in D.C so I can hit her up for some love food :D

I completely agree with "enthusiastic, but disappointed viewer" who said
"If you're going to go by one meal, then call the show 'Top Meal', rather than 'Top Chef'. Which Stefan (or maybe Carla) clearly was."
I have been to Hosea's Jax Fish House and it is a horrible restaurant. I cannot believe the executive chef from that restaurant won.

Last night great finale. I like Joseah-he was a fighter and would not give up. Stefan also a great chef. Carla-We love You! And finally, the favorite on Top Chef...GAIL who is so beautiful and funny. As long as Gail is on Top Chef-I'm watching. She's Top Sexy Judge! Gail We Love You!

Like many others, I thought Stefan was clearly the best chef of the three finalists, but many writers seem to forget that this competition is like the playoffs to the Superbowl - it doesn't matter how well you did earlier in the season, all that matters is how you do at each stage in the playoffs. If you had a poor season and you win a game, you go on; if you had a great season and you lose a game, you're out. If what mattered was how the chefs did in earlier challenges, there would be no reason to have them prepare a final meal. And then it would have been unfair to eliminate Fabio, and the chef before him, and the chef before him, and so on. If Stefan's earlier victories had counted in his favor, the show would be a fraud.

That aside, even not tasting the food I was appalled when I saw that Stefan was going to freeze his fish (of course his carpaccio was going to be watery!), and I could find that dessert of his in any one of a thousand hotel restaurants around the country, though his was undoubtedly better prepared than most. Hosea won that meal on Stefan's mistakes and his own ability to capitalize on his own assets, and that's just the breaks. Hosea was the top chef last night and I'm glad the judges didn't wimp out in the face of Stefan's formidable skills. And yes, I'll watch next year.

Why does Padma have a vote in judging? They coud just as well collect votes from camera and crew, if they're letting her have a vote! They would be equally "competent" to judge a professional chef's dish.