Top Chef: End-of-Season Recap

Wow, I sort of dropped the ball on my Top Chef posts, didn’t I? I kept meaning to write recaps and then I just didn’t get around to it. You know how that goes though, right?

Rather than try to do extensive recaps of the past few episodes, I figured I’d make it brief, then highlight some of my favorites things about this season!

If you’re interested in reading my previous recaps, you can check them out here, here, here, and here.

Here’s a quick look at the challenges/eliminations that took place throughout the last few episodes:

Episode 12

For the Quickfire, chefs had to create a sushi dish in 30 minutes. Josh and Lizzie were on the bottom, while Brooke and Stefan were the top two (Stefan was the winner). The Elimination Challenge required chefs to make fried chicken. While this seems simple enough, some chefs really struggled and over-thought this challenge. Josh was the winner, which was no surprised based on his southern roots. This was also the episode where Josie was finally eliminated! Buh-bye.

Episode 13

This episode began with the chefs boarding a cruise ship to Alaska. Sheldon won the challenging Quickfire, which was to create 200 one-bite appetizers. The Elimination Challenge had chefs reinventing surf and turf and Brooke walked away as the winner while Stefan was shockingly sent home.

Episode 14

For the Quickfire, chefs had 30 minutes to create a dish with Alaskan crab. The winner – Sheldon – walked away with $5,000. For the Elimination Challenge, chefs had to create a dish utilizing salmon and sourdough bread. The winner would walk away with a luxury trip for two to Costa Rica. While my girl Brooke took home the big prize, I was sad to see my other favorite female contestant, Lizzie, get eliminated.

Episode 14

For the final, pre-finale episode, the chefs had a Quickfire that required them to prepare a meal for Iditarod participants. The winner was (once again!) Brooke for a beautiful halibut dish. Brooke continued her winning streak (she’s really cleaning up at the end!) with a victory in the Elimination Challenge, too. Chefs had to create a dish that reminded them of when they first decided to become a chef. Brooke’s chicken dish stole the show, and Josh was sent home his foie gras.

So now you should be all caught up!

Looking back over the entire season, there were many highlights.

For me, one of the best parts was having multiple strong women competitors. It’s been a while since a girl took home the title of Top Chef (waaay back in season 4) and this season Brooke is in a good position entering the finale. (Not to mention that the two remaining Last Chance Kitchen chefs are Lizzie and Kristen.)

Another season highlight for me was Restaurant Wars, although I’m always partial to this episode each season. I love to see how the chefs react in real restaurant settings and how they handle the pressure of being judged not only by the “official” judges but by the restaurant-goers as well.

As for who I think is going to be the ultimate winner this year, it should be no surprise that I’m rooting for Brooke! She had some great dishes this season, my favorite of which was probably her cheddar cheese and apple dish from back in episode 6. Plus, she’s likable. I always found it so sweet that she talks about her young son a lot in her interviews.

Although my schedule is crazy this week, I definitely plan on tuning in (or DVRing) part one of the finale which airs tomorrow at 10PM. It all comes down to Brooke vs. Sheldon + whoever gets thrown in the mix from Last Chance Kitchen.

Here’s a sneak peek of what we can expect:

(I hope Brooke can pull it together!)

Content and/or other value provided by my partner, Bravo.

If you’re a Top Chef fanatic, who are you rooting for as the finale approaches? Who do you think will be the winner from Last Chance Kitchen – Lizzie or Kristen? Too close to call!