‘Top Chef: Seattle’ finale review: Was Kristen Kish or Brooke Williamson the winner?
“Top Chef: Seattle” ended on Wednesday night, and we had an intense culinary battle like no other. It was the first cook-off ever in front of a live audience, and at the end of the day, there could only be one winner.
So who ended up coming out on top? We predicted beforehand that it would be Brooke Williamson, who won more challenges over the course of the season than anyone else. However, Kristen Kish had a major ax to grind of her own in the finale: she was eliminated during an ill-fated Restaurant Wars task, and she had to prove herself as someone really worthy of being in the competition.
At the end of the day, Kristen ended up being victorious in what was a pretty anticlimactic as far as endings go. We knew when there was just a few minutes left that she was going to end up being on top, and there really was no need for the final round that the judges were talking about in the closing minutes.
What we are a bit more curious about now is seeing what the general public thinks about this. Kristen won the season despite being gone from several weeks of the season, and unless you watched “Last Chance Kitchen” extensively, you probably have no idea of her full journey on this season. However, her win is also testament to the fact that this show really is all about what you do today, and not the culinary challenges that you succeed at yesterday. One weaker round can do you end, and it really is possible to win a competition like this even if you have one off night.
What do you think about the finale, and did the right person win? We’re going to have more thoughts soon, but for now, we want to hear from you in the comments below! If you want to check out some of our pre-show “Top Chef” rankings, we have them for you over here!
Photo: Bravo
zee chen
February 28, 2013 @ 1:03 pm
I hated this finale so much. It was everything I hate about top chef. The egos of the judges and past winners, forcing them to cook for 160 people which was freaking ridiculous and then this entire lame concept and format was such a joke. I am furious they ruined a season that gave us two amazing female chefs with such a horrible finale. Bravo please NEVER ever do the finale like this again. It was so unfair, so boring and so sad really. I feel really bad for Brooke. She will have to endure the legacy of having to compete on the worst top chef format ever.
JK
February 28, 2013 @ 4:25 am
Both ladies are great chefs but I found myself rooting for Kristen. I usually would hate that someone who missed so much of the competition won but it was such a farce she was ever eliminated in the first place plus she did have a long journey on LCK. Combine those factors and it feels forced. Did they eliminate the front runner get eyeballs on their web series? Bring her back and she only needs to win one challenge to make the finale. Hmm….
I also hated the format of the finale. Rushed, disjointed, predictable and completely out of style and synch with every other episode of the show. Loved the winners being there, wish we saw more of them. What was their critiques? There was no need for a studio audience. Nice the famili