‘Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen’: An unsurprising result in Seattle

We’re a couple of days late on “Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen” this week, but for those of you who want to stay updated on the Bravo web series without really watching it religiously, we’re here to help.

With both CJ and Tyler getting a chance to stick around thanks largely in part to them continuing their “team” theme from the prior challenge in the cooking competition, they divided and squared off as individuals this week against Eliza, the relatively-quiet competitor this season who was eliminated over what was really an issue in slicing and preparation. The challenge? Making a perfect dish that utilizes two common ingredients in pickles and carrots relatively well. It was a bit of a strange challenge, but one that allowed the contestants the opportunity to show off their innovation a little bit.

As for the end result made by Tom Colicchio, don’t even pretend that you never saw this one coming: CJ was declared the winner, and he thus gets the opportunity to live on for a little while longer. When you remember his talent from his first “Top Chef” appearance, coupled with the fact that his elimination was only partially his fault to begin with, you knew he had a better shot than someone rattled from elimination and someone else (in Tyler) who seemed more or less just happy to be there and celebrating his sobriety, which are two things that are certainly worth lauding. CJ just has that competitive edge at the moment (not to mention a height advantage if they do a basketball challenge), so expect to see him remain a contender there for some time.

Do you think CJ could stick around in “Last Chance Kitchen” for a little while? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below, and you can also read more about this season over at the link here.

Photo: Bravo