Top Chef - S6E13 Power Rankings

And so, it comes down to three. The right three, no less. This is the culmination of what it's hard to refute is, culinarily speaking, the strongest season to date. The contestant just eliminated, according to Gail, was the strongest female chef the series has seen.

So the question becomes, who has the edge in the freeform "give us your best shot" finale?

The recipe for Top Chef success has, to my mind, remained fairly constant since the show's inception. Over the course of the season, the game changes a little bit -- morphs slowly, as it were -- especially so as we head into the finals. In the early stages, it's all about technique. Who can cook a piece of beef, who can make a simple sauce, who can season their food, and who can't? In the early running, it doesn't really matter what you make. As long as you make it well, you'll stick around. Then, as the folks who are lacking in the skills department are slowly picked off, creativity comes more into play. Who can do interesting things with their skills? Who can combine flavors and textures to make their food notable and compelling? Who can surprise and delight the judges? The contestants who have a hard time using their creativity to adapt to the challenge at hand, or those who find themselves mimicing those around them are usually the next to go. But now, we're at the very end. At this point, it should be established that everybody who's still standing can do interesting things and do them well (if, sometimes, with varying degrees of consistency). So in a season when the finale is chock-full of creative, talented chefs, how do you distinguish between them? Perhaps more than in any previous season, I'd have thought we'd hear talk of the final element -- that thing that puts a winner over the top. And that is, which chef is executing a mature, personal style? For those who see artistry in cooking rather than simply a highly-honed craft (though we won't start that old debate right now), the question becomes which chefs sometimes produce art, and which are artists, with a strong and clearly-defined voice? It's no longer enough to make a great dish. Everybody will (should) be making great dishes. It has to be a great Kevin dish, or a great Michael dish, and the judges will want to feel as though they could recognize it anywhere. In the finale, they're going to be looking to name a winner who isn't just good, but who is also unique.

At least that's how it's always been.

But something this past week made me wonder. The judges were incredibly picky. Exceedingly picky. With such a strong field, it's almost as though they raised the bar so high that even the tiniest misstep could simply take you out of contention. So will the winner be the one who manages not to make even the tiniest mistake? Will the title go to the master technician rather than the master visionary? I'm really not sure. Before this past episode, I would have called it effectively a two-horse race with a potential spoiler. Bryan makes great food, yes, but Kevin and Michael have been the ones with a clear voice, an identifiable style, and the wow factor. This week, Mike put out two dishes that twisted and thrilled the judges' brains. Kevin blew them away by doing so much with so little in his vegetarian dish. But who won? The guy whose work was seemingly less interesting, but closer to flawless. And to me, that throws everything into question.

It also makes the finale a whole lot harder to handicap. But let's do this. Let's presume, for a moment, that all three bring their A game tonight, and let's look at what they've done over the course of the season to wow the judges:

The power rankings are not purely a prediction of who is most likely to win, or an assessment of last episode's dishes, or a reflection of the contestants' historical performance, but rather a nebulous amalgam of all three, combined with a little bit of gut feeling, to provide a relative measure of current awesomeness.

Wins

Top

Bottom

1 Kevin Quickfires 4 7 0 Last Week: 1 Eliminations 5 9 1 Kevin announced himself early, winning the inaugural elimination challenge with his oil-poached arctic char with turnip salsa verde. To go with his escargot, he made a candied bacon jam that Tom set upon reverse-engineering the moment he returned home. After a small stumble with mole, he took the bull by the horns and won with a deconstructed version of the one of the world's most complex sauces. Late in the season, he went on a tear, bringing out simple flavors left and right, winning with his pork pate and vegetarian dish. And in the Bocuse d'Or challenge, though his dish wasn't the most interesting, he won for executing it perfectly (sense a theme, here?). Kevin makes food that plays simple and rustic but has a lot going on under the hood, and simply tastes great. It's a style that might be called conservative when compared to previous winners, but it's also a style that, in terms of culinary trends, is approaching or at its apex of popularity, and we've never had anybody execute it at this level.

2 Michael V. Quickfires 2 4 1 Last Week: 2 Eliminations 3 9 1 Michael's history this season has been a mix of bold failures and mind-blowing successes, sometimes within the same dish. He rocked episode two, getting one win and a heap of raised eyebrows for his nitro gazpacho and his apple and goat cheese sorbets. For the Air Force challenge, he was operating on a different plane, turning out a dish far more sophisticated in appearance than the judges thought possible given the constraints. His mustard noodles wowed the French luminaries, his dashi with miso-cured black cod stood out on the ranch amid cowboy fare, and his deconstructed Caesar was praised for its incredible precision. He dominated restaurant wars, pulling off a pair of dishes that wowed the judges and anchored what Tom called the best RW showing to date. He did wild things with chicken wings, the right simple things with grape leaves and vines, and he produced a couple of near misses that still left the judges wide-eyed. Michael's the wild man who brings shock and awe and delights even the most jaded palates. He makes believers of judges who might ordinarily be suspicious of his style of cuisine. When he's on, he's ON.

3 Bryan Quickfires 0 3 3 Last Week: 3 Eliminations 4 8 0 Bryan, to me, is the enigma. There's no questioning his talent. But he started out with some Michael-esque wow factor before slowly drifting into a more quiet excellence. His early-season successes, like his sweet and sour guacamole macaroon and meat-glued trout with deconstructed Hollandaise had Tom swooning. Then, all of a sudden, it's like he switched gears, going more traditional and winning at the cowboy cookout before leaving the winner's circle for a long time, reemerging only this week with very straightforward dishes that were executed almost flawlessly. Which chef is he? Which one shows up in the finale? The reason I still can't put him above Michael is that I'm still not sure, and the "zany technique with traditional flavors" angle that he was rocking early in the season seems to have fallen by the wayside, and wins or no wins, the judges haven't seemed as excited about his food since episodes two and four. He hasn't showed that easily pigeonholed style in weeks. And yet, there he is, winning the first part of the finale if not on style, then on points. What to think?

4 Jennifer C. Quickfires 4 6 3 Last Week: 5 Eliminations 1 5 3 Wow, I can't remember the last time somebody seemed to devastated on their way out the door. I'm not talking simply a matter of water works, but the look of somebody who is really, truly struggling with the fact that she went home when she did. It's hard to watch. But it's also hard to argue that if one of the four horsemen had to be left out of the finale, it shouldn't have been her. That midseason lull was long and brutal, and she never quite seemed to hit the heights of the other three. But it's also amazing to consider that despite that, she might've been considered the favorite three or four out of six seasons. It only further illustrates the strength of this season's class. But that's the downside of having such a great collection of chefs. Except for one, all of them have to go home at some point.

No divining details from the previews this week. I just want to see this one play out. But I'm intensely curious about how it will. I feel like I don't know which angle the judges will take. If they take that route that they have so many times before -- which chef is articulating a mature, personal vision? -- then it's a close call between Kevin and Michael, with the edge going to Kevin because of his remarkable consistency and greater culinary trends, despite the understanding that small slip-ups by either could tilt the balance. But if they judge like they did last week, where simply not making those small errors can allow you to win a TKO on points, then suddenly Bryan is right in the mix. And then there's the wildcard scenario, where the very technique-forward early season Bryan suddenly reappears, in which case it's a total toss-up no matter how they judge. The only thing certain, I think, is that it truly is anybody's game, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised to see any of the three walking home with the title.

So in what is rapidly becoming traditional fashion, no rooting for any chef in particular. Here's simply hoping that everybody truly gets in their best shot, and let the chips fall where they may.

Discuss!!!

Comments

[timothy]

Wow. Well said. I generally agree with the way you lay out the evolution of a TC season: first the chefs prove they have technique, then consistency, then vision. Last week made me think that once the judges are set up to critique, compare, and revel in three fully realized visions, any slip of technique stands out. If, for example, Jen oversalts something, the judges can't even think about her food concepts, and the slip in technique trumps all. That is why the finale will be hard to watch for me. The rigors of competition can cause anyone to make a technique mistake, and whoever makes the most or the biggest will be out. I want the finals to center on three amazing manifestations of vision, but I worry that it will be about who slips the least. This is why when a friend and fellow TC fan asked me who I predicted would win, I surprised myself and said "Bryan." He seems the most likely to execute flawlessly. Next I would actually say Michael. He has shown he has the capability of slipping up, but when his technique is on, his food is inevitably visionary. I loved your recap of his highlights and I thought of the one you did not mention: the banana polenta. That dish had people laughing with glee. It has had me imagining how it must have tasted for the past month. If his technique is on for every course, if the judges are laughing in awe and delight, he wins. And then there is Kevin. I want him to win. He seems to embody all the elusive ways that simplicity and complexity come together. I just worry that his style can least absorb a slip in technique and in the pressure cooker that is finale, some slip seems probable. So my prediction is 1) Bryan,2) Michael,3) Kevin. My preference is 1)Kevin, 2)Michael, 3) Bryan. My hope is no slip ups and best dishes all around.

[gilmore]

I don't know.

I want Kevin to win. I will not be unhappy with any of the three as a winner.

In the artist mode, Kevin shoots in black and white. Ansel Adams is the epitome of a great photographer who exclusively used black and white. Not much photoshopping for Kevin.
Michael uses all of the bells and whistles of photoshop to create wild color pictures that do not look like the initial subject.
Bryan creates great black and white or color pictures and uses photoshop to enhance when necessary.

Bryan seems to be able to create great desserts. After last seasons no dessert winner, I think Bryan will be the winner.

[Dan V.]

"Not much photoshopping for Kevin."

Keep in mind that Adams spent boatloads of time in the darkroom, which was the Photoshop of his day.

[Danny]

I've got to go with Bryan as the winner with Kevin as a very close second. I see Mike as third and possibly a distant third. A lot with Mike is going to depend on how much stuff that Lee Ann is able to bring up to Napa. It would best serve Mike if none of the fancy stuff is brought or if all of the fancy stuff is brought. If only a portion is brought, I think that he may well try things that aren't possible without all of the technology necessary.

This is what excites me so much about Kevin. He could go into my kitchen which is fairly stocked with good standard things (pressure cooker, rice maker, Calphalon and Crousset, etc.) and with my fridge and pantry on a poorly stocked day and make an amazaing meal. He's that good. But somehow I just see Bryan edging him out. Just a gut feeling. If Bryan and Kevin are both technically flawless but Bryan is more creative, he has the win. I see Mike the least likely to be technically flawless.

[Skillet Doux]

"I loved your recap of his highlights and I thought of the one you did not mention: the banana polenta. That dish had people laughing with glee."

How could I have forgotten the banana polenta?!?!

*shakes fist*

[Read]

Timothy:

Great analogy!

[peterme]

While I want Kevin to win, I believe Bryan will come out ahead. When time is not a concern, and what matters is putting out amazing high-end fine-dining food, Bryan wins. His technique, preparation, cool, and gastronomic sensibility are exactly what wins on Top Chef.

I think Kevin comes in second, and Michael comes in third. When Michael is on, he's unstoppable, but his risk-taking can lead him down a path from which he cannot recover (see: Richard Blais).

[Skillet Doux]

I realize it's early, but I have to say... I'm a little surprised by the unanimous Bryan prediction so far. If not for last week, he wouldn't have won an EC since episode five.

Interesting :-)

[Bart]

Last season, I wanted to see either Carla or Stefan walk away with the big prize, and I was left bitterly, BITTERLY disappointed with Hosea's win.

The season prior, I rooted for Blais, but was surprised to see Stefanie win. Still, I wasn't disappointed, but the season-long coronation of Richard Blais never happened.

This year, I'd be happy with either a Kevin or Bryan victory, which probably means that Mike is going to win. I won't be angry or disappointed in a Mike Voltaggio victory, because he certainly has the chops to be Top Chef. But I feel like Bryan or Kevin deserve it more.

At least this year there's no chance of a Hosea-esque win. I still get a little angry when I see him in the opening credits.

[gilmore]

Dan v. - right. Adams did burning and dodging, bringing out tonalities, contrasting light and dark. Not adding a moon where there was none, elongating a mountain, producing a watercolor effect from a photo, etc.

[happysohappy]

I realize that this is a food geek comment and not directly related to the final tonight but I wanted to comment about banana polenta. Within the context of Italian colonial history it makes sense (if I remember correctly Michael said something about an Italian chef making the polenta initially). The Italians developed extensive banana plantations in Italian Somaliland (present day Somalia) in the early part of the 20th Century and this resulted in large amounts of bananas exported (dumped really, lots of subsidies attached to the bananas) into Italy up until the 1970s. So I wouldn't be surprised to see many more banana recipes from this period of time in Italy.

[Karen]

Excellent post, Dom. I cannot disagree with anything you said. Thanks for NOT bringing personality into your assessments as it has nothing to do with the food, which is what Tom says, too. For the fans, no matter who wins, no one loses with these three.

[anon man]

A few quick comments. I would personally swtich the brothers, but realize its debatable. To me, Michael swings for the fences too much. Sure, when it works, the diners get weak in the knees, but when it fails, even with a warning track shot, its merely razzle with no dazzle.

Also, your summary of Kevin with his technical percision makes him sound like Antonia (who I liked, but was generally sold short here). Kevin might be simple, but he has quiet creativity to his cooking which sometimes shines through Michael's tricks.

Kevin is a nice middle between Kevin and Michael. His food is generally more straight-forward than his brother, but he is clearly more comfortable with MG-like techniques than Kevin. Also, IMHO, he uses them in a more restrained and appropriate way than does his brother or any of the other of the MG-influenced chefs, with the exception of Blais who strikes me as between the brothers on the "classic v. MG technique" scale (which I just made up).

As for your liveblogging idea. Due to kid bedtime issues, I'm usually 15-30 minutes behind on the DVR, so not so good for me.

[babyarm]

The last two season winners have certainly won "on points" which is a nice way of putting it BTW. Nothing really looked or was presented as groundbreaking that won for Steph or Hosea really.

Hung probably won on style and points both that season.

Blais still suffered I think more than anyone from trying to do too much with his sous and then getting caught out with no help. Not being able to recover from this he finished a distant 3rd that year. Sous do play a big role in these things and there are some people to help out this time as usual.

Bryan is doing a cake, but other than the gratuitous red snapper beheading there's hardly any other detail coming out from the menus.

In other years it has always been an "anybody but..." finale. This year it's just going to be hoping they all get out what they wanted to do.

Following this show might be the least anticipated reunion show of all 6 seasons.

[Perry]

I'm pulling for Bryan to win only because he is the local chef.

Dom, Bryan did very well in episode 8 where Charlie Palmer picked Kevin over Bryan for the win.

[Skillet Doux]

"Dom, Bryan did very well in episode 8 where Charlie Palmer picked Kevin over Bryan for the win."

Oh, no doubt, and he performed extremely well on many other occasions in the second half of the season. I just find it interesting that most people seem to be picking a fellow for the win who -- before this past Wednesday -- had been bested six out of the last seven elimination challenges by his finale competition (with that seventh win going to Jen).

It's true, his overall wins are up there, and there's a lot to be said for having the hot hand going into the finale, but it's been a long run of Kevin and Mike leading up to the finals. I'm a little surprised that this one win -- especially one so different in style from most of his early-season wins -- has suddenly converted him into the favorite in most people's minds. For weeks, the meme from most of the crowd has been that Kevin is the clear favorite, and I'm surprised that one batch of slightly less-than-tender brisket has suddenly relegated him to second place.

[babyarm]

I think it's natural to choose Bryan as a favorite here. If anything this format plays very poorly for Kevin. His range as it were has been fairly limited in the terrestrial protein that cannot achieve flight variety. Bryan has put out successful dishes in a variety of styles and formats (plus a pastry from time to time). Kevin is more of a "throwdown" contestant. Bryan is a "chopped" guy if you want to use other food contest analogies. This contest tonight is "chopped" with no restraints.

When they won their challenges has little to do with it, but it's nice for Bryan to have some momentum as it were. Momentum carried from episodes filmed 4 months ago can't possibly play as big a role.

MikeV could easily fall into the Blais beartrap, and I would project him to do so.

This is the "makeup" year for the last two, and the judges at the JT including Padma now have enough of an input to overrule Tom.

Bryan, Kevin, MikeV

[Bart]

"For weeks, the meme from most of the crowd has been that Kevin is the clear favorite, and I'm surprised that one batch of slightly less-than-tender brisket has suddenly relegated him to second place."

I don't know about everyone else, but I've always felt that Bryan should have been ranked higher than Mike on your blog. For me, it's all about his poise and maturity.

I think for the last three or four rankings you've posted, I've been saying I'd rank Bryan higher, despite whatever wins Mike's accrued.

[Skillet Doux]

"I don't know about everyone else, but I've always felt that Bryan should have been ranked higher than Mike on your blog. For me, it's all about his poise and maturity."

Oh, absolutely. I've generally broken from the crowd there, I think. But we're not talking about crowd sentiment putting Bryan over Mike, which I wouldn't find the least bit surprising. We're talking about a sudden change in crowd sentiment putting Bryan over Kevin for the win! That, I find surprising.

[Luray]

I'm rooting for Kevin. I will be okay with either of the brothers winning for all the same reasons others have mentioned, there's certainly no Hosea in the bunch. But Kevin's food is still the food I would most likely travel for. I'm always curious to see what he comes up with before any of the others.

[Skillet Doux]

To expand upon that, I don't for a moment think Bryan can't take this thing home, or even that he's that far behind the other two in terms of handicapping. It's just that I only see him pulling it off one of two ways. Either the judges go hypertechnical and he makes the fewest mistakes, or the early season Bryan who could produce the same kind of joyous reactions that Kevin and Mike have been getting out of the judges lately suddenly comes rushing back. Otherwise, yeah, he won this past week, but did any of the judges really seem all that excited about giving it to him? Content, sure, but nothing about that struck me as enthusiastic. In the final final call, screw-ups aside, I just can't see them passing over somebody who thrills and excites them in favor of somebody who's a little more technically correct.

[timothy]

Yeah. I honestly surprised myself when I first told my friend I thought Bryan would win. It's just something about the "big game" quality of the finale. I think it comes down to who makes the least mistakes, and Bryan seems -- well, not exactly the safest, but the most precise.

[Skillet Doux]

Well, let's look at it another way then.

If the sentiment is that Bryan wins because he's cool and calm and precise for the big game, I have three questions:

Does he beat Kevin if Kevin brings his A game?

Does he beat Michael if Michael brings his A game?

Do you think it likely that neither Kevin nor Michael bring their A game?

[Amanda P.]

While I think I like Kevin better, and agree that he has been the favorite for a while, I also understand where the Bryan love is coming from. Bryan has seemed to perform the best when he has an opportunity to think and plan (think campfire). I can't imagine that he hasn't been planning this upcoming meal for 4 months, which I think gives him an edge. On the other hand, if they throw an ingredient twist or other restriction, Kevin and Mike both think faster on their feet.

Mostly, I just don't like Mike very much. :)

[Amanda P.]

Hmm - I thought I posted, but it has disappeared. If I get two responses here, apologies.

While I agree that Kevin has been the season (and fan, I think) favorite, I believe that Bryan has had his best performances when given the opportunity to think about what he is going to do. Bryan has certainly had opportunity to think about what he is going to do in the show tonight, and unless he is presented with an ingredient twist or restriction, I think he has the best chance. If something happens to throw him off of his plan (and I don't count staffing twists, as I would bet that he made his plans assuming no assistance), I would expect him to finish 3rd, all others performing as expected.

I just really hope that Mike doesn't win. I don't like the character he plays on tv. :)

[Amanda P.]

Gah - sorry for the duplicate, everyone!

[kit]

Lee Anne's got another post up, about last week's episode:

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/lee-anne-wong/full-circle

[anon man]

I think the answer to your questions would be:

No.
Yes.
No. (Although its likely that one of the three has a bad day or bad dish, although it could be any of them.)

But, I think what you're missing here is that to date, the challenges are make a dish, maybe two. Even the Bocuse D'Or challenge was a single protein and two veggies.

The finals are a different sport. Assuming its another variety of "cook us a meal", then Bryan I believe, has a better chance of a full progression of a meal. Single dish to single dish, I think all three can excel, but I have this hunch that this full menu approach is something Bryan can do better.

[gilmore]

I want Kevin to win. I think Kevin's cooking is the one I want to eat.

But, after reflecting, I think Bryan will win due to the time to plan plus his shown skill at making dessert. I am sure Kevin and Michael will bring a dessert with them, but I see Bryan finishing with a flourish.

Bryan has won nothing in the way of $$ (Except for Michael's split of Restaurant Wars), material goods or trips (or Bocuse D'or). In a close race, the judges will favor him.

[Shelly]

For me:

I think if Michael does his best, he'll win. But it would have to be a great set of dishes to beat the best of the others, and often his dishes just don't work as well as he'd like.

If Michael isn't at the top of his game, but Bryan and Kevin are, I think Kevin would win. He seems to have a genius that goes beyond what Bryan has been offering lately.

But, Kevin and Michael might over-reach, and Bryan has been the slow but steady guy who just needs them to make small slip-ups. We know from past seasons that's not unlikely in the finale. So it's very possible he could take it. But I don't think he's as good a chef as the others on their good days.

[babyarm]

Lol at the market from last week being fake. That was a great deception and had me fooled.

[Esther]

kit, thanks for posting the link to Lee Anne. I find one quote especially interesting: "Bryan’s ravioli was far and away the best dish of the night in my opinion." That doesn't sound like winning on a technicality; it sounds like he really did make the best food.

I don't even want to make predictions for tonight; I love Kevin and thus want him to win, but I'd be perfectly content if any of them won. Which is a mark of what a fabulous season this has been.

[TxGriff]

Thanks for the link to Lee Anne's blog. Has anyone else noticied that she seems somewhat...less than thrilled about Kevin? I noticed that in her last blog as well. It just seems is such contrast to the gushing that we get from the judges.

For reasons I can't entirely explain, I also feel like Bryan might be winning tonight...but when I think about it for awhile, I come up with convincing arguments for all three of them. My personal hope is that Kevin takes it, although this is the first and only time that I would be ok with any of the finalists winning.

[gilmore]

TxGriff - I noticed that too. Maybe it has to do with how the food tastes after sitting around for an hour?

[twelden]

TxGriff - I thought the same thing about Lee Anne's take on Kevin. Based on what we saw in the last episode (and Tom's and Gail's blog comments as well, I think), they thought Kevin's carrot/beet salad dish was terrific. Lee Anne seemed at best underwhelmed. She mentioned that she didn't eat Jen's dish (which she clearly loved) until nearly an hour later. If the same is true of Kevin's dish, maybe it simply didn't age very well?

As for who is going to win, if I were a betting man I would say Kevin - he has such a steady, thoughtful approach to the way he cooks food, and it has worked so well for him throughout the season, I just find it hard to imagine he'll "go Blais" and choke away the final. (Unless of course its some Atlanta chef complex we don't know about ;-)). And the review of his restaraunt posted in the last TC thread makes it clear that, while his food may seem to some technically simply, his flavors are anything but, and often suprisingly innovative. I'm thinking (hoping?) his flavors will win the day.

[rab01]

Thanks for the link to Lee Anne's blog. She really didn't like any of Kevin's dishes that day. Looking back over her blogs, she occasionally complimented his execution (sometimes quite highly) but I don't see her saying that any of his EC pairings or choices particularly impressed her for creativity or originality. (The closest I could find was her praise for the dish he did with Jen.) That may be because she just hasn't said a ton about any of the chefs' food this season or because Kevin's food strikes her as simple and safe; I can't tell.

As for Jen's dish that she loved, that was the quickfire so we don't know how long the EC food sat before she tasted it. For the EC, she was definitely on the "Jen oversalted her cheese terribly" train.

[seanchai]

Sorry if this is double-posted, but a very illuminating conversation with the Brothers V in today's Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/12/08/DI2009120801553.html?nav=hcmodule

[The Last Stop]

In my assessment, Bryan has been the one showing the most untapped potential. Though he hasn't been pulling down ECs lately, of the three finalists, Bryan seems to be the one who would most benefit from ample time and resources. It seems as though Michael and Kevin, in contrast, have been able more consistently fulfill their vision when constrained. As many have noted, Kevin's been winning by playing it smart - he knows exactly what he can accomplish within the limits of a given challenge. And that's a great strategy that's gotten him the best record in TC history(I'm surprised more people aren't commenting on that fact). But can he (or Mike) beat Bryan when he has all the time he needs to realize his vision? I'm guessing no. That's my reading, anyhow - though I think similar reasoning is behind the suprising-to-some "Bryan takes it" meme.

[gilmore]

Thanks for the link seanchai. What a great article.

[Hiemdall]

Interesting interview from the Washington Post. I guess the first thing they will do together is to cook in the James Beard house in March. I am looking forward to meet both chefs. But first is to meet Stephanie in the James Beard house event this month.

[anon man]

On Leann's latest blog, I thought it nice that she, in a semi-official capacity, talked about how screwed Bryan has been in terms of prizes for his string of wins. No cash; no cars, nada. Not even a set of non-stick cookware.

[rab01]

That's a fun Washington Post chat. My favorite bit:

Q: Who has the cooler tattoos?

Michael Voltaggio: I would say me, up until recently. And then I took Bryan to a shop where I get tattooed, and he had a really good idea. He got like a pencil sketch of fish on his arm, and it doesn't really look like a tattoo at all. I almost got mad at Bryan and this artist. I go to him all the time; Bryan comes out for two days, and has a way sicker tattoo than I have.

Bryan Voltaggio: That's a true story. He was actually pretty upset when we left the shop. It just goes to show it's taken me a year to decide and find an artist that can do this tattoo. It took an hour for him to sketch it out. He did it and it was perfect and I knew it was time to get it. Just goes to show if you look at our personalities and food, I need to process things and plan and make sure it's exactly what I want before I execute it. Michael on the other hand has a quicker reaction that can result in something great or something he's not happy with. That's why my tattoo is sicker.

[timothy]

"If the sentiment is that Bryan wins because he's cool and calm and precise for the big game, I have three questions:
Does he beat Kevin if Kevin brings his A game?
Does he beat Michael if Michael brings his A game?
Do you think it likely that neither Kevin nor Michael bring their A game?"

Okay, if everyone brings their A game, first of all, it would be amazing television. Secondly, I guess under those circumstances, I think I would give the nod to Kevin, but only because his style seems so perfectly suited to Tom's taste. It would still be close. If Michael hits every dish right on target, he is apt to create some happy diners and, most importantly, he might invent a couple of dishes. I think he could win it under those circumstances. I guess I just have a gut feeling (no pun intended) that your last question is the key question. For reasons already discussed (degree of difficulty, limited access to tools and product) it's not hard for me to imagine that Michael won't have his A game. And maybe I just feel burned by TC faves in the past, but I can see something going slightly askew for Kevin. I still think Bryan's the one to beat. That said, I am not supremely confident of that opinion and would not bet on it. Lastly, I would not at all feel bad if Mike wins. If he wins it will be because his food is extraordinary, and the prickly nature of his televised personality would not be enough for me to root against him.

[rab01]

I've got absolutely no guess as to who wins tonight but, Dom, I want to invert your question a bit. I don't think it's: "Does X beat Y if Y brings his A game?"

I think/hope that the real question turns out to be: "Which of Kevin, Mike and Brian is most likely to have not yet shown us their real A game?"

I think we all agree that any of them could lose if they're off their game. But which of them can do a meal that surpasses our expectations of them? (For example, I think that Hung did that.) With a field this strong, I doubt that 2 chefs will "choke." So, the judges will either be parsing really minor subtleties, arguing about matters of sheer personal preference, or looking at who went way beyond the pale ....

[TxGriff]

I think Timothy nailed my trepidation- I feel as though we've almost always seen the favorite burn out. Kevin's food is all about mastery of execution and the complex layering of flavor- it anything is off balance, his food is the most at risk. Being from Dallas, it's kind of like when I watch the first roud of the playoffs- I want to think the Cowboys are going to impress me, but deep down, I know it isn't going to happen.

Well, that would be assuming that the Cowboys are on the same level as Kevin...so maybe that wasn't the best analogy. ;-)

[SorchaRei]

I think that the Washington Post chat illustrates why Bryan looks to me to have better odds going into tonight than he did in earlier rounds. The thing is, he knows the basic outline of tonight's challenge: Cook the best meal of your life. He's had four months to prepare. He talks about how his process isn't really suited to the Top Chef "do everything on the fly" approach. I think that he's more likely to shine tonight than in any previous challenge.

That being said, I'm rooting for Kevin. I think he has a very good shot, but with a simpler style, he has less room for error. The review of the Woddifre Grill made a point that his little flavor surprises sit on top of perfectly prepared food -- if anything isn't perfect, that would be an issue. Whereas with the more complex styles of the Volts, any creativity will be more obvious even if execution slips a little.

So I'd like to see Kevin win, which I think he will if he executes cleanly. However, I expect great things from Bryan, too, given the amount of time to think they've had. Of course, Mike's always a contender, but his penchant for going long means that he either wins big or has an off night (and then loses big).

[SorchaRei]

Welcome to Bravo's world. On their front page, they say: Catch up on the entire second half of the season before this Thursday's finale. OK, then.

[Will Allen]

Some of you know the result by now, but from my mountain redoubt, I will just say that this is an extremely close match, and that means pure dumb luck can play a huge role.