‘Top Chef: California’ finale review: Was Amar Santana or Jeremy Ford the season 13 winner?

Tonight, “Top Chef” had its final face-off of the season, and it was one that was fairly intense until the very end. Jeremy Ford started off the season extremely strong, but we admit that a few weeks before the finale, we were worried about his long-term odds of sticking around this season. Meanwhile, Amar Santana was out of the competition altogether two weeks ago, and needed “Last Chance Kitchen” in order to stick around.

With that said, both chefs had a few things going against them insofar as a winners’ edit, but at the same time, they each also had some elements that they were obviously bringing to the table starting with talent first and foremost. They’re both great.

In the end, though, the winner was … Jeremy! That’s right: The Taco Dude ended up becoming the champion in the end. Was he a worthy champ? We’d argue so, mostly because we saw constantly how he was someone who pushed himself hard and was super-passionate. He wasn’t perfect, but that was part of his appeal. he’s also a very different sort of winner than the show has had in a while on the basis of personality and style. He’ll be a worthy representative for the franchise.

Now, we must begin what is going to be a lengthy and not-fun hiatus while we wait for the show to come back next season. We’re ultimately just lucky that we know for sure that it is.

What do you think of the finale for “Top Chef”? Did the right person win? Share with a comment, and head over here to get some more information on the next season. Also, sign up over here to bite into some other TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Bravo.)