I'm not exactly sure what happened to Top Chef this season. Unlike past seasons, I really didn't care who won, or have any real emotional stake in the outcome. I didn't mind that I didn't have time to watch the finale until 5 days after it aired. I didn't particularly like Carla (a little nuts, if you ask me - Hootie who? Really?), nor did I like Hosea (I have to admit that I was pretty happy when I found out that the cheater was no longer with his girlfriend (who I'm sure is much more awesome than that brat, Leah,) after the show), and of course, no one liked Stefan.
Stefan posed a problem for me early on. He was cast as the asshole - the Steven Asprinio (season 1), the Marcel (season 2), the Hung (season 3),and the Dale (season 4) - and yet I worried throughout the entire season whether or not we were going to have a Top Chef this season that NO ONE in their right mind would work for. Really? Tom Colicchio, you know better. None of the above "asshole chefs" won, except for Hung, but even Brian Malarkey, who I had the pleasure to interview and ask in person, thought Hung was a really great guy and he'd work with him again if asked. Of course, he said the same thing about Marcel, but I have a hard time believing that part of the answer.
Carla, on the other hand, was the uber-underdog. One comment on the Village Voice website says that the men (Hosea and Stefan) completely "dismissed Carla all season in a manner I thought was very sexist." During the entire finale, all those stupid boys could talk about was each other - Stefan was the one to bet, Hosea is an idiot, etc - but not one of them thought Carla was ever a threat - never mind that she beat their asses multiple times AND drove away in a new car.
The Village Voice writer Hailey Eber put it best in her line: "In the end, it all came down to one big meh." Really. Usually, at the end of Top Chef, I'm in tears. When Stephanie Izzard won last season, I was ecstatic, and my heart was broken for Richard Blaise and his "I choked," line. So sad. When Hung won, I wasn't surprised, but the live reveal at the end was so dramatic that I still felt my heart jump. Plus, he looked so cute and Vietnamese and happy. I wanted to hug Hung Huynh and take him out for a banh mi.
At the beginning of the season, I took a survey after the first episode to see who people thought would win at the end. I didn't bet on Hosea - he's annoying and has no spine (if I had to listen to him talk about "HOW EXCITED!" he was to cook for the guest judges one more time...). I didn't bet on Carla (which made her even more awesome at the end). I did bet on Stefan, even though I didn't want to. I wanted Jamie. I wanted her to win SO BAD. It didn't happen, but even to the last, Stefan wanted her, too. Which made me laugh. When men have crushes on women that will NEVER LIKE THEM, it makes me laugh. Jamie is a lesbian. She will never like you, Stefanasaurus.
One more thought - the look on Jeff's face at the end of the finale broke my heart into a million pieces. I hate to see a blonde surfer chef from Miami look that sad. It's just not right.
So, Hosea is Top Chef. Meh. Well, Fabio - I guess it is "Top Pussy" instead of "Top Chef".
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