By Sarah
It's the finale! Before we get to it, I have to say, this will be a complete surprise to me. I was on Twitter last night (Wednesday), as well as today (Thursday) and nothing was ruined. It's a Top Chef miracle!
I am torn between Sarah and Paul. I get the impression from most that they hate Sarah and that they love Paul. It's the opposite for me. I -- obviously lacking both Smell- and Taste-o-Vision -- just don't get Paul's dishes. I know the judges do and maybe I'm just culinarily stunted (yes, you're saying), but give me fresh homemade pasta any day. That being said, I think it's anyone's game, truly.
Now! As usual, one of the biggest question marks in the finale is, "Who's going to sous chef?" This time around, they bring back not only chefs who got kicked off, but chefs who didn't even make it through in the first place, as well as two James Beard Award-winning chefs. Each potential sous chef will cook a dish and then Sarah and Paul will have to choose blindly based on the dish.
Sarah winds up with Nyesha, Paul with one of the master chefs. Next up, Paul picks Ty-Lor (UMLAUT is BACK!) and Sarah, trying to pick Heather (based on the dish she remembers from Heather's menu) ends up choosing Tyler, that kid who butchered the hell out of the pork and didn't make it through the first round. Paul's last picks are Malibu Chris and Keith and his beard, and Sarah gets Grayson and the beloved Heather.
For the actual finale challenge, the chefs must create a four-course menu and they will each be cooking in separate restaurants, which I think is a Top Chef first, is it not? In Sarah's kitchen, there's a little friction with Tyler working too slowly, while in Paul's kitchen, he worries that the master chef won't be too keen on taking orders.
Sarah, staying true to her roots, starts with a homemade pasta, followed by a salmon dish. Once again, Paul is making things that the judges love, but that skeeve me out. I'm sorry Paul, I bet everything tastes great, but that jiggly thing and slow scrambled egg? HORK.
At one point, they send the chefs out to a random "Table 30" or whatever and boom: There are Paul's parents (his dad was crying!) and Sarah's mom and fiance. Cue the waterworks, Top Chef!
At Judges' Table, there seems to be a consensus that Paul's first round of service was better than his second, whereas Sarah's was better for the second group of judges. Either way, the judges agree that sending anyone home for either meal is going to be tough.
But! I decision must be made! And the winner...
...with their families standing by at Judges' Table, no pressure or anything!...
...is...
...Paul!
Were you surprised? I was. But also not. Pretty much how I've felt all season.
I thought of you when Umlaut came back! Every time they showed him and/or his name, a little tape played in my head saying "Ty-LOR Umlaut". Pavlov, etc.
Despite having been a lackluster commenter, I've really enjoyed your posts covering this season and have looked forward to reading them every week.
Regarding Sarah: I think she is a whiny bee-eye, and not very likeable. But I understand where you're coming from on the food. Z & I were discussing it afterward, and I think that is the first time I've seen the person who finished second be such a sore loser. Crying and saying she should have won?! (There's only so much you can blame on editing.) What about how it WAS anyone's game, and Paul is a great chef, deserved it, etc.? This is why I cannot stand Sarah. I'm looking forward to the reunion, where hopefully she, Heather, and Lindsay get called out on being mean girls to Bev. Because come on.
Look! There's a whole season of comments in one comment! Weeee!
Posted by: Caitlin | March 02, 2012 at 01:14 PM
DUDE. I caught the first few seconds of Watch What Happens Live (Andy Cohens got the FOUR ONE ONNNNNE!) and she did say that the best person won. I was shocked she said that! Seemed not like her for sure.
Posted by: Home Sweet Sarah | March 02, 2012 at 01:28 PM
Ahhh! I can't believe I missed it. Reruns?
Yeah, I know what you mean about the food. Any food I would like is not "top chef" material...not sure what that means...but that it how I can usually predict who will win. Like that time Sarah made the weird peach combo thing? I was like, "oh gosh, too weird NOT to win.". There seems to be this thin line they flirt with of not-quite-but-nearly awful that apparently equals genius? Like, not over or under cooking things, creating collusions, etc.?
But anyway....yay for Austin (I mean, Paul) for winning!
Posted by: J | March 02, 2012 at 02:04 PM
Being from Austin and having experienced Chef Paul's food...it's amazing! The best man won without a doubt!
Posted by: Leslie | March 02, 2012 at 02:07 PM
I've definitely been anti-Sarah. She's SO whiny and I hate that she was one of the one's picking on Bev. I mean, I can see why you might be frustrated being on a team with Bev because she's kind of quiet and off in her own world, which usually doesn't make for a great teammate in a high-pressured, time-crunch situation like you see in Top Chef, but come on. Those girls acted like they were in middle school. My god. (This is why I love, love, LOVE Grayson. Despite being 5-15 years younger than all the whiny Bs, she was easily the most adult female on the show and just did not buy into the drama.)
However, as much as I was not a fan of Sarah's personality, I always thought her pastas looked DAMN good. I'd eat at her restaurant, for sure. That said, I feel like she probably cooked the best meal of her life for the finale and STILL didn't win, so I think she was just flat out wrong when she said she should have won. I can't imagine her doing any better than she did, so I don't see how she could have beaten Paul unless he was off his game.
Posted by: stephanie | March 02, 2012 at 05:26 PM