Hmm...

Spoilers ahead - FYI.

One time, I was reading up on "Top Chef" drinking games on the interwebs. Each version I found was very complicated. One in particular involved having two teams - Contestants vs. Judges. Again, it was confusing, but it was something along the lines of every time Padma said something ridiculous or that she didn't seem qualified to say, the Judges team took a drink. On the other side (and this is the one I do remember very accurately), if a contest said something full of foreshadowing that would probably doom them in the end, the Contestants team took a drink. This is exactly what went through my head during the "Top Chef" finale last night when Carla said early on, "I know I can do this if I just cook my food."

So last night my husband and I rushed home (we were at church for Ash Wednesday, but we have priorities, man!), grabbed some beverages and cookies, and settled in to take in the episode.

The episode broke down like this: Breakfast; pick sous chefs by drawing knives; Hosea-Richard, Stefan-Marcel, Carla-Casey; cook the best meal of your life using what's available at this restaurant; fight over foie gras; sous-vide; TWIST - eat king cake, find baby, dole out Cajun protein for appetizer course - Hosea-redfish, Carla-Blue Crab; Stefan-alligator; alligator sucks; service; judging.

With the aforementioned quote, it did not start off looking well for my buddy, Carla. Alongwith the rest of the "Top Chef" viewership, we wondered who would the sous chefs be? I would like to say that I recognized Richard Blais while they were still in the shadows - it was the hair. The pairings seemed perfect, until it went downhill.

Carla and Casey teamed up for a girl power team, and I was a little excited by this. They are both Southern with French training (Casey learned how to cook from her French grandmother) and super ladies. Oh, was I wrong! The SECOND Casey mentioned doing the steak sous-vide, I knew Carla was done for. This was also when I realized I was really really pulling for Carla. Then came the tart-souffle debacle. It was painful.

The OTHER irritating part was Hosea and Stefan's exclusive competition. Not ONCE did they mention Carla (maybe this was creative editing, but I think they were just being competitive boys). Had Carla cooked her love-soul-food, she would have blown both of them out of the water. Their respective menus are as follows.

Appetizer course: Hosea - redfish on griddled corncake with remoulade, Stefan - alligator soup, Carla - chiso Blue Crab soup with chayote salsa (TIE - all awesome)
First course: Hosea - sashimi 3 ways, Stefan - hamachi, Carla - bouillabasse (Carla wins, but Hosea's is a little better than Stefan's)
Second course: Hosea - scallop with foie gras, Stefan - squab with cabbage, Carla - Meat and potatoes/sous-vide NY strip steak with potato log and excellent sauce (TIE between Hosea and Stefan)
Third course: Hosea - venison with mushrooms and blueberries, Stefan - ice cream with chocolate mousse and a banana lollipop, Carla - something that was missing a bleu cheese souffle (Hosea wins)

Judges Table was just heartbreaking. You could see that the judges were disappointed by Carla and she was even more disappointed in herself - and then just had to count her out and choose between the boys (this same thing happened to Casey during her finale...). Then followed one of the most touching moments in "Top Chef" history (in conjunction with the 12 Days of Christmas challenge earlier in the season when all of the chefs pitched in to help Hosea and Radhika), Carla was explaining why she should be Top Chef while tears were streaming down her face and Stefan was moved and reached out to comfort her. Then later, in the stew room, he wiped away her tears. He may be cocky, but it was nice to see a gentler side.

When it was all said and done, Hosea edged out Stefan, and I was just disappointed. I liked Hosea a lot early on, he was even one of my faves, but then came the dalliance with Leah (didn't you like their lip-to-lip congratulatory kiss?!) and he (and she) just lost all class in my eyes. Although Stefan was overly-confident, he was much more constistent than Hosea. I will concede that his cockiness led to him phoning in the last few challenges, though. And Carla - my least favorite after the first episode, but then my heart's pick to win. She cooked with soul (like Stephanie) and maintained a positive attitude throughout, gaining friends rather than enemies. Good luck always.

Next week we are treated to a reunion special. I'll be tuned in and let you know what I think.