Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen finale: Who should return to the competition?
As much as we love the web series and applaud Bravo for keeping it going for so long, we’ve never quite understood the whole “keeping the result a secret until they return to the competition” part. It makes the baseless assumption that viewers are suddenly not going to watch the show itself because they know the end result of this; are Top Chef viewers really so shallow? We want to see the end result of the winning chef being named as opposed to just seeing them re-enter the competition later after they’ve already digested the win.
In this final episode, Brother Luck and Joseph Flamm (Bruce Kalman was already eliminated in the first part of the two-episode finale) competed in a battle to re-enter the competition by making a dish that was completely their choice. What was so interesting about the showdown was simply that the two parties went in interesting routes with their proteins. Brother opted to use chicken as his primary protein, a surprise since it is often perceived as too simple. He wanted to elevate that while Joe chose to work with a tough protein in lamb shoulder that often isn’t tender enough to serve on a competition like this.
Our perception, based on the reactions from the judges and Tom Colicchio’s critique, is that Joe is probably the winner. He made a dish that heavily emphasized fava beans, something that we don’t necessarily love but other people in the culinary community seem to. Personally, we would’ve been all about Brother Luck’s given that some of his ingredients, whether it be the chili-rubbed apple or some of the aromatic stuffing, really speak to our own food sensibility. They’re both really good chefs, but what was a little surprising is that all three judges (including the eliminated chefs, who all functioned as one vote) chose the same person to advance. There wasn’t much debate here.
Who do you want to see back in Top Chef for the finale: Brother Luck or Joseph Flamm? Share in the comments! Also, you can like CarterMatt on Facebook in the comments! Also, you can like CarterMatt on Facebook in the event you want to get some more updates regarding the show. (Photo: Bravo.)