Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

'Top Chef' Finale Predictions

Posted by Adam Kuban, June 11, 2008 at 2:30 PM

The season finale of Top Chef: Chicago is tonight of course. If you'd like to catch up on what's gone down in previous episodes, check out Serious Eats' Top Chef coverage here, including Lisa's infamous denunciation of food bloggers "who can't even afford to eat in my restaurant, let alone know how to cook." After the jump, our predictions on who will win.

Ed Says ...

I'm going to go with Stephanie. I just read an interview with her in which she claims her favorite Chicago restaurant is Schwa, this amazing little restaurant at which Michael Carlson and two colleagues wait on customers, cook the oft-unusual food, and wash the dishes. Anyone who likes Schwa a lot is OK in my book.

Emily Says ...

I haven't been following this season diligently, but I have managed to catch it during a marathon session. Honestly, as long as Lisa doesn't pull through to a (miraculous?) upset victory, I'll be pretty satisfied with any of the others. That said, I've got a feeling that if Richard plays his cards right, he could come away as the winner, as he's been pretty solid throughout the season.

Erin Says ...

Admittedly, I am only a fair-weather watcher, but my gut says Stephanie. I remember watching the Chicago police academy episode and thinking, Shoot, if I had just spent 15 hours fighting crime, I would want a big, fat bowl of her meatball soup before anything else.

Harold Says ...

Having watched the entire season, I know for certain that both Richard and Stephanie are capable of producing meals that will get them crowned Top Chef. And there's the rub: If you take the judges at their word, each competition is largely separate from the rest of the challenges. There's no "season average" in Top Chef. Not that it would make the finals easier to handicap, since Richard and Stephanie have both won four Elimination challenges. Of course, going by this logic—that each challenge is self-contained—the door is obviously still open to an apocalyptic upset by Lisa, which is why I've started stocking a survival bunker with canned goods and small arms. In any case, all this is to say: I have no clue who's going to win. My gut tells me Richard will pull out the stops for the final challenge and if he nails his dishes, he'll be nearly impossible to beat. And so I'm rooting, as always, for the underdog. Go, Stephanie!

Raphael Says ...

I think that Antonia losing last week was entirely unexpected—Top Chef really shows that any of the contestants can have an off day. Stephanie's been the most consistent throughout the season, so I think she'll win. But don't underestimate the dark horse that is Lisa!

Adam Says ...

I've been watching off and on and keeping up with episodes I've missed via Harold's coverage here on the site. As a lot of people do, I think Lisa has gotten this far not so much through skill but because other people have bricked it at key moments. This is a lot like Project Runway's third season, when Alison Kelly, an otherwise strong contestant, was eliminated because of one unfortunate twist while that doofus Vincent Libretti was allowed to continue. Anyway, I think the judging is fairly unpredictable so I will just say here that I hope Richard wins. He seems likable, despite the fauxhawk.

Post a Comment Favorite this!  (0)

Tags: Top Chef, Top Chef Chicago, Top Chef: Season 4, TV