avablog

Leah and I are viewers of Top Chef, a show on the Bravo network that pits chefs against each other to see which is the best. I’m sure I’m not exhibiting any great prescience when I say I picked Richard as a finalist from the first episode. He seemed more polished, imaginative, and skilled than almost every other chef in the group, and he was easygoing. Other chefs rose and fell over the course of the program, But Richard did indeed end up on the final episode.

Richard lost to Stephanie, whose solid work over the weeks and really fine execution earned her the title of the first woman top chef. The pity in the whole thing is that Richard tied for second place with Lisa, who was nearly the worst offender in a group of malcontents who each burned out in various nasty little fits of anger and spite in front of the judges. I was happy for Stephanie, sad for Richard, and miffed that Lisa was anywhere near the final episode. Chalk it up to creating good television, I guess (and no, I’m not suggesting the show was fixed in any way *cough*).