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Tom,

The viewer response is overwelming. Be careful. The viewers know who is best. No, we don't taste the food, but we hear your comments. The alligator and the New Orleans thing is not fair to Europeans.

Hosea should have been eliminated a few times, especially when he and Lea were unfair to Adriana.

Your show is good because you do recuite good chefs (unlike Hells Kitchen, but I do like Gordon).

The final judging criteria needs to be evaluated. I want the show to continue to succede but choices like the top Spanish Chef and Hosea have to be rectified or we will lose interest.

The twists in the final are annoying. Forcing alligator and knife draws for help biassed the game. Everyone should have been on the same level field.

Most people are unhappy with the outcome and for good reasons. Think about it.

I must say that this was my favorite season, I feel that the quality of chefs improves each year. I appreciate your thoughts on a 2 finalist 5 course meal that you suggest and I hope they incorporate that into season 6. I was sad to see Carla Sous vie the beef at Casey's suggestion, but I think that Casey was thinking back to when Hung beat her in the finale with the same technique. I live in Washington DC and I hope Carla opens a restaurant in the area so that I can taste her food firsthand. Thanks again for a wonderful season and looking forward to Season 6.

I feel in my heart that Carla is the best chef. I was rooting for her and really hoped she would win Top Chef. What I admire most about her is the "LOVE" she brought to every dish. When she cooked from her heart, her food was always spectacular. Unfortunately, she lacked the confidence to go with her heart during the finale and this was ultimately her undoing. I understand why she lost, as unfortunate as it is. I hope she has learned to always listen to her heart and to trust her instinct. Not only is she a great chef, but a great person from what I could see. I was always uplifted by her positive attitude. She was always a good human being first. Her attitude was refreshing and it was a pleasure to see her make it as far as she did.

Carla - if you read this - I would go to your restaurant any time. You are a class act and a fabulous role model for us all. All the best to you!!!

Sorry, Tom. I'm not buying it. Your judging has been too inconsistent all season to make your explanation believable. In the future, try designing a rubric for the last challenge that will factor in the "jazz" of quickfires results, the "classical" of elimination results, and the performance in the final challenge. Weight them however you want - but to me that will be more fair. To crown a middle of the road performer as top chef just indicates that your judging has serious problems. I hope you can fix it. You really turned off your viewers with this one.

Please bring back the 2 person finale challenge. You make good arguments for it. But you made a bad decision this year.

Some episodes sucked this season - super bowl all stars? Where were the stars?
Romance behind the scenes - nobody wanted to see that.
Show more cooking techniques and seasoning secrets. Bring the Relays and Bees back; they were fun and educational. That's why I watch this show: for the food, not the personalities.

Not much substance to these much awaited three pages. Guess you support Hosea or at least your perception.
Your dismissal of Carla's good dish...I'd like to have heard why it was good.
You seem to have been in a bad mood all season. Shave off your soul patch and rejoin the human race...the food you cook will taste better if you cook it with soul (and without your soul patch)

just for your info chef, the new york giants didn't get two chances to save themselves. there wasn't opportunistic LUCK given to them every step of the way where they were allowed to play ALL THE EASY TEAMS (easy ingredients - hosea's king cake/red fish choice).

please do not try to defend your decision with the superbowl example. i see no resemblance. may i remind you, if the giants did not win as many games as they did, they wouldn't have even gotten to the playoffs. SO, to say that hosea was like the ny giants is absurd. hosean can't even handle an eel.

From one Tom to another, Stick to the kitchen. Your analogy of the pats and giants to this doesn't hold water. Anyone who watched the giants the last 5 weeks of the season would have known that they very well could beat anyone. And they did. Chris Collingsworth, an nfl analyst, said as much before the game. The analogy would have made sense if Carla, who really came on late into the season had defeated Stefan, the obvious Top Chef from this season.

Just face it, the rules of Top Chef are horrible, and you picked a mediocre chef as Top Chef. It's a shame really.

Tom, it was nice to see Blais finally get his win

No way do I believe that mediocre Hosea deserved the win.

I believe he got to hang around longer than he should have, because of his little fling with Leah

Not only was he uninspiring throughout, but he was an obnoxious xenophobe and a plain ol bore

He came across as shallow and dimwitted.

Irrelevant what a word to describe a final decision. TC need better rules, no variations just imagine Hosea with Marcel and the alligator.If you want a 3 course meal define it; any good restaurant offer one and none ends with venison,Top ingredients should be available for all contestant not for the first to find it.Somehow to listen maybe good Tom it seems you were mad to stefan attitude you didnt hear Fleur de Lys Chef saying that you should not avoid dessert if you want to be a TC, and Bayonas lady susan toast to that.A draw??? many people in the blogs are against the decision ? more than any Top Chef maybe not so irrelevant mmmm. Colo....

No one believes you. If it really were that simple, you would have had a decision in 5 minutes. Bad judging, bad season. Maybe you should let other people judge for awhile.

A little too defensive of a blog to be credible, Chef. Your disdain, coupled with Gail's obvious distate for Stefan colored your thinking. Sure you get final say, but I think it is time for a new host. You don't even give Stefan credit for the alligator dude. Shame on you.

As many of the other succesful chef/judges agreed, Stefan should have won. The difficulty factor of the alligator assignment should have put him over the top hands down. 10 wins versus 1 win. Hosea won his only elimination challenge when everyone else pitched in to help. Don't even pretend to think that the presentation of Hosea's app was his creation. That screamed Richard and you should have guessed that, or at least acknowledged it.

You disliked Stefan's confidence and were off-put by his smug belief in his ability. I would rather taste the food of an honestly great chef than a bitter, envious come-from-behind infidel. Dramatic, I know, but Hosea's character was dispicable in and out of the kitchen ---- downright malevolent and mean spirited. Stefan has a European smirk and way that is just different, but not ugly in spirit. Carla never had afighting chance and was lucky to make it so far.

I wish someone would change the rules, or modify their prejudices at the judge's table. Super bowl?, please.

Hosea's win was only in part a win for Blais. The true progenitor of Hosea's victory is our boy Mikey: skate through the season under the radar for as long as you can, aim for the middle of the pack, occasionally find yourself in bottom three but never produce the worst dish. Maybe you'll get lucky and make it to the finals, where the producers or judges will write rules which take your weaknesses out of play. Here's to you, Mikey!
Now every future season will find the chefs striving for medicrity to avoid elimination. That will make for great television!
And Tom, the next time I'm fine dining, I'll be sure to order the venison for dessert, then wait for the derisive stares and guffaws from the waitstaff and the kitchen.

Hi Tom! I have been waiting for your commentary on the finale. While I may be disappointed in the way it ended, I have to agree with you. I have nothing against Hosea and I wish him much success in the future. I know that Carla, Stephan, Fabio and most of the other chefs will benefit from having been part of TC too. My favorite episode was the one held at Le Bernardin. A very high bar was set and it was an excellent challenge. Thank you Tom for your food and your point of view. :)

The problem with your lame explanation is that there is now no incentive for any viewers to watch your show. In the end, you picked someone who is not particularly good (for god's sake, a fish chef who can't cook fish!!) to be the Top Chef. Stefan's the clear winner and certainly most of your viewers think the same thing. He has been strong all season and at the end of the day we viewers want to see someone who consistently wins come out as the winner of your competition. At the end of the day, you are a TV network. It's about time you listen to your viewers and, like it or not, you clearly have a format that is turning all of us off your show. I am certain though that Stefan will have a fantastic career. As for Hosea, his 15 minutes are up. Go home.

I was so excited to see Hosea win. Being from Denver Co. I have eaten at JAX FISH HOUSE many times. I love their food it is always so yummy and plated so beautifully. I don't know if Hosea ever actually prepared my meals. I'm so proud to see one of our own chefs win. It brings a lot of pride to our state. It was nice also to see that their are chefs out there that are great at what they do but also have heart and care about the people they work with. It really gets old being exposed to chefs who are rude and ugly. Life is way to short for that type of crappy behavior. Food preparation should be about a celebration of what love and life should be about.

You think that Hosea’s raw fish, scallops and venison is Top Chef? That is a ridiculous combination of ingredients and you would not order that in a restaurant. Surf and turf gone bad. I cook venison and pair it with earthy ingredients, not raw fish and scallops because they don’t taste good together. It doesn’t take a genius to know that.

Tom, I believe that you believe what you are saying and I respect that. But also believe that the fans believe what we are saying too.

It was just too much of a sock in the gut to see Hosea win. He was not Top Chef.

Tom: As you have been able to tell by the barrage of negative comments, picking a mediocre chef that slided by many challenges by sheer luck was a slap in the face to many viewers. Hosea's amoral and salacious behaviour was a major contributory factor in this debacle. What brings a myriad of consternations is the fact that this contestant threw other competitors(Arianne) under the bus and did not seem to be a leader or teammember in any task. In the first seasons, this was a factor that seem to weigh in your early decisions. The ratings were very high because everyone wanted to see a fair competition with a crowned winner that showed the true qualities of a Top Chef throughout the progression of the entire show. Hosea did not fit that profile.

I'm cool with the end result...my only complaint of the finale? It was 2 hours of stuff crammed into 1 hour. Why couldn't we see the judges and sous-chefs discussion? And after Hosea wins, a minute later we're off the air? Totally anti-climactic! Bravo, this show needs a longer finale!!!! Make it happen next season, please!

Tom: I don't know how you put up with 90% of these comments, and sometimes that may even include some of mine, but from all of us to all of you: THANK YOU for taking the time to blog each week and give us such great insight to each episode and beyond. I hope you'll be coming back to Atlantic City for another cooking expo later this year. Best wishes!

Poor Choice! You blew it, Tom!

Surprise – Bravo has employed a mediocre PR firm that told them to release controversial news late on a Friday. Most people move “off" the news cycle when the weekend begins. Come on Brave/Tom – step up to the plate – your viewers had questions and you’ve dodged them. Bad form.

Very well written, Tom. I admit I was disaappointed that Hosea won because I never connected with him as I did with Carla, Stefan or even Fabio and I was one of those Thursday morning quarterbacks who complained about him being named Top Chef. But after reading your blog, especially with the football analogy, I understand why the panel selected Hosea. Now I can only say, I can't wait til next season! I love Top Chef!

I just watched the finale- I CANNOT BELIEVE the decision
Stefan has been consistently winning just about all the competitions- hosea has hardly won any
You cannot choose a top chef on ONE DAY dishes!
shame on you! I led me to think the competition was fixed!!!

While I understand your decision, Stephan appeared to be a far superior chef throughout the season to Josea. My nine year old daughter was even flabbergasted when he was awarded "Top Chef." His underdog attitude got old...always the victim. Stephan's arrogance was at least admirable, considering his skills.

I, for one, am a very disappointed viewer. Hosea seemed mediocre at best, and a whiny, little jerk at worst. You tasted the food, we didn't. However, it was pretty obvious the editing kept trying to make Stephan out to be a "villain". That was dumb. He was still pretty likable. I liked Hosea at the beginning of the season but as it went on he became more and more annoying with his constant bitch*ng about Stephan. His behavior during the finale had me rooting for Stephan...that was after I realized my favorite, Carla, was not going to make it. I hear what you are saying but check out Toby's blog, I don't think he would agree with you...unfortunately for Stephan, your opinion is the one that counts (I have a feeling Toby may not be invited back...). Next season, please think hard on how to make it a more leveled playing field for the finale. And please bring back Anthony!

Not to try being a Monday mornig quarterback, this was the most pethetic choice for TC I could ever have viewed as even being capable of having the title of chef, much less top. He is a "hack" fish and chips cook, that cannot handle much other than kissing butt, that got very lucky. It seems that I am in total agreement with Toby that a very severe injustice has transpired in this contest-good luck top chump, hope the little tr@mp hasn't spent your cash because you will need it to pay the bills and go back to your 3rd rate diner and fry up your fish and chips.

Well,

Once again the under tones of bias. I have never seen a panel say immediatly after judges table - we can agree Carla is out. You judges are a joke with your so call refined pallets. Your a bunch of racist. I have had enough of you. I will watch no longer. It's not because you did not choose Carla, it was you quick dismissal of her as a human being. Your show is another piece of crap. Same thing happen in project runway. The rules changed when I believe his name is gerald won and should have been in finals. Yet project runway injuected new ruls and he was eliminated. He was robbed. In your case you act as though she (carla) did not belong there. Look in the mirror. Oh the old "I have black in my circle", is bull. Your a bunch of idiots and also cowards.

I said it.

Tom,

I think you nailed it on the head with your Superbowl Patriots/Giants analogy. I'm not a fan of Stefan or Hosea, but based on your comments, the right person won.

I hope Carla wins fan favorite, though I think it's a tight race between her and Fabio!

See you next season!

I have been watching Top Chef since the first season and found this season disappointing on so many levels ending with Richard...I mean Hosea winning.

Tom,

Contrary to popular belief, I feel the chefs in Season Five were good.

Particularly the Season Five Cheftestants were good people.

The ridiculous drama of noted villain/villainess of past seasons was not missed.

As a musician (Oberlin), and a cook it is all about composing.

Classical pieces are composed beforehand with mordents, trills, etc. added and jazz musicians are always composing to an established song.

It is a perfect analogy to cookery and the best chefs can straddle both mediums. Adding trills, mordents, etc. to their classical repertoire or improvising from a basic riff and taking where it has never been.

It saddens me about Carla, but I cannot second guess the judges' decision. Congratulations on one of your most poignant and nuanced seasons.

Red Beans and Ricely Yours,

Wilmita

PS. I never really liked Casey

honestly, i think most people are outraged by hosea's win not b/c stefan was the stronger throughout the series, but b/c hosea came off as such a despicable jerk.

i don't even mean the creepy "cheat on girlfriend on national TV" thing, but his obsession with stefan and general demeanor were really offputting. he's no ilan (sadistic richkid fratboy), but he looked really bad.

i'm sure his finale meal was the better of the 3 (really, you could tell that by looking). i'm also sure that tweaking the format would make the finale much more interesting (even if tweaking means returning to the original format--but the "2 planned courses" idea is very good). this season's finale was a letdown, and it looked like the judges agreed.

Tom - Excellent blog. I only wish that it had appeared sooner for a better understanding of the judges' final decision. Perhaps, this would have diminished the disappointment and anger expressed by so many loyal viewers. For those viewers who report that they will never watch another new episode of "Top Chef", I've said the same thing at the finish of every season. I have never missed one show and I have re-watched them over-and-over again. Please don't return to having only two chefs in the finale. That dilutes the interest of rabid fans because they only have a 50% chance of being right (or, wrong). Although my favorite chef has only won once during the 5 seasons, it's only logical and fair for the contestants to be determined winners episode-by-episode. Otherwise, the "Top Chef" could be determined after 2, 3, 4, etc. episodes. The show ends too soon for me as it exists now! I can't wait to meet next season's contestant. What about Paris as the location?

testing

Tom,

Thanks so much for giving yet another well-written explanation of the things that go on out of the final edit. Knowing how you on the panel make your decisions, the way food has been "scored", etc., I think helps those of us who aren't in the know have a better understanding of both the show and of the process of cooking well.

I wish people would cut you judges some slack about the whole, "But s/he was stronger throughout the whole season" thing. You have said over and over that each challenge is independent of the others; you're only judging on what they do that day. If that means a "stronger" chef goes home, it may not be popular, but that's the way the game is played.

One thing you said that I wonder about though, and that's the idea of the chefs doing the final challenge on the fly. In previous seasons, the chefs are heard commenting on making preparations based on the location of the finale, which only makes sense. It seems that any chef who's thinking would do the same, and have a set of not only their own best meals, but ones that match up with where they're going. Anything other would seem to handicap them. Do you agree?

Overall, another strong and enjoyable season. Thank you!

Tom,
Many of us disagree with what you said of Hosea being the clear winner, he arguably created a slightly better meal on the final. Stefan's skill through the season spoke for itself and in the number of wins he had. Since two of the judges (Toby Young and Hubert Keller) preferred Stefan, I believe many viewers feel the overall body of work for the season should have come into play. Hosea was in the middle of the field most of the time. Stefan shined throughout. We the viewers don't taste the food but we know what we saw in the episodes. For him to win, he should have had to hit it out of the ballpark, not barely squeak by. Give some credence to the opinions of the other judges, we the viewers do.

As a first time viewer of the Top Chef finale, I was disappointed by the huge role that random chance--the knife draw and the King Cake--played in the outcome.
It seemed to me that Richard was far and away the best sous chef, both in terms of his chops and his ability to be a team player (and perhaps to learn from his mistakes in his own less-than-successful finale.)
Hosea got Richard.
And he got to avoid the Alligator, which likely would have bothered him much more than Stefan.
I can't help but feel that if Hosea didn't win both of those draws, he's not Top Chef.
While it was great for Carla to win the car for winning the first half of the Finale, she should have also gotten an advantage in the choice of sous chef or ingredient (picking first in a random knife draw isn't an advantage)
Why not just do rock/paper/scissors for the $100K?
For my money, I'd let Stefan do the cooking. And have Carla join me for dinner.

Thanks for this great commentary on the finale. I love that your show evokes so much emotion in viewers that they are willing to write these impassioned opinions about chefs without ever, ever tasting the food. It is a tv marvel, and a brilliant success of your show. Thanks for a great year - I can't wait for season 6!

I think it's an awful approach to judging and dishing out the title of 'top chef,' based on the dishes created for one day, despite an entire series of episodes. What's the point of all the previous episodes then? You and your producers should just cast for a one day, single event cook-off and name your top chef there. Considering all the past challenges, Stefan has proven himself to be a better chef than Hosea and I really wonder if Hosea's courses would have been as refined if Richard wasn't his sous chef.

I think this season was not as good as the previous ones.
The challenges didn't seem as tough. Like you made it simple for these chefs.I didn't always agree with your calls but I think this last one was spot on.
Hope the next season will go back to way it use to be.

Your decision sucked and your justification of it is even worse. Hosea is not a Top Chef. He was mediocre and okay for most of the season. Your criticisms of Stefan seem tainted by your issues with his personality, which is unfortunate. I am sure that both Carla and Stefan are going to have long careers ahead of them while Hosea will continue to be the bore that he is.