The finale of Top Chef All Stars is finally here tonight. It has been an interesting season to watch with several highs and lows. I think it has been fun to watch even though I haven't always enjoyed the types of challenges the contestants have had to endure. Here are my thoughts about the final two: Richard and Mike.
When the season started, I thought that Richard Blais was the one to beat. He was a very strong competitor in the Chicago season. He and the winner from his season, Stephanie, were neck and neck all throughout the competition. For that finale, I figured it was pretty much a toss-up between the two of them. He seemed like one of the strongest chefs from the collection of "All-Stars". On the other hand, Mike Isabella, who competed in the season based in Las Vegas, never appeared to be very strong to me. The Las Vegas season had some really extraordinary talent in the Voltaggio brothers, along with Kevin and Jen. Mike paled in comparison to this foursome. When this season started, I expected Mike to go home in the first half of the contestants. With the finale here, there have been several surprises along the way for both of these contestants.
Richard: Can we say obsessive? He over-analyzes everything he makes and becomes a little nutty under pressure. He uses liquid nitrogen way too much. He thinks too highly of himself. I don't like it that he felt like he lost in Chicago because he messed up and that he gives Stephanie no credit for her own skills. I don't like how dismissive he is to the other chefs on the show. He is a very highly skilled chef, and I would love to try some of his food. He does think outside the box and is able to put together dishes with ingredients he does not normally use and they still seem to taste great. However, he has not been at the top of his game the entire season and he has really gotten on my nerves.
Mike: Mike layed low for most of the first part of the season. He was never the worst, but rarely one of the best. However, he has gotten on a role, winning several challenges late in the season. That said, I just don't find him impressive. I really dislike his personality and honestly cannot believe he is in the finale. He is so rude and arrogant and I can't stand that.
So I will reluctantly cheer for Richard tonight. He deserves to win. Ironically, I was a bigger Richard fan before the All-Stars season than after. We will all know soon who is Top Chef.
In a future post, I will talk more about the rest of the season and the things that made it good and bad.
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