‘Top Chef: Seattle’ finale rankings: Will Brooke Williamson, Kristen Kish win it all?

We have written some rather lengthy rankings for “Top Chef: Seattle,” but this one is pretty easy considering that we only have two contestants left: Brooke Williamson and Kristen Kish. Both are enormously talented, and regardless of who wins, we know that the show is set to have its first female winner now since season 4.

Before we announce our prediction for who is going to earn the coveted title this time around, let’s kick things off by sharing what we think are the advantages and disadvantages for each chef leading up to the show’s first-ever performance in front of a live audience. On a brief aside, we really don’t like this twist, since we’d prefer the chefs be given a huge amount of time to create something crazy and out of this world for the final challenge of the season.

Brooke Williamson

Advantages – She is by far the most successful chef of the season, and has in particular been on a roll over the past several weeks. She has a long history in the restaurant business from an early age, and is familiar with a multitude of styles and techniques. Even when it appears that she is struggling (such as last week, when she found herself in the weeds), she is adept at being able to find a way to get out of it.

Disadvantages – She spends much of her time now managing her properties along with her husband, and probably less time in the kitchen overall than her competition. Therefore, Kristen may have had a little bit more time to prepare. Plus, Brooke is known to take massive risks, which leaves open the possibilitiy of a catastrophic failure at the very end.

Kristen Kish

Advantages – While she doesn’t own a restaurant, Kristen is clearly ambitious beyond her years. She knows how to create upscale food, is incredibly smart, and is not afraid at times to push herself. She also mastered the art of one-on-one showdowns courtesy of “Last Chance Kitchen,” and she was really only eliminated thanks to some communication breakdowns with Josie in the first place.

Disadvantages – She was still eliminated, and the judges may favor a winner who never went through the web series at all. Plus, Kristen was criticized last week for playing it a little bit safe, and thus doesn’t have the same sort of momentum going into the final round.

So who is likely to end up winning the season? At the moment, we’re ranking Brooke as the likely winner, and Kristen as the runner up for one simple reason: Brooke has been unstoppable as of late. Kristen has a chance of winning the season, but Brooke has proven time and time again that she is by and large able to work her way out of tough situations, so even if she does struggle in the final round, you still cannot count her out.

Who’s your pick to win “Top Chef” this season? We want to hear your thoughts in the poll below, and you can check out some more on Sheldon Simeon’s elimination over at the link here.

Photo: Bravo