Author |
Message |
Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:14 pm
Very unsatisfying finale. I think Hosea is the least appealing of the finalists, but what do I know?
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Thorandtara
Member
09-15-2008
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:15 pm
I wish she hadn't let Casey take over. More importantly, the judges finally did take into account Stefan's lack of "soul." Even Tom (all about technique) said technique isn't everything. Personality and soul have to count.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:17 pm
Very unsatisfying indeed!! Hosea should not have even been in F-4, let alone F-3, let alone Top Chef! It is weird, this win actually made Top Chef drop a notch for me. And I've had plenty of other Top Chefs where my fav did not win the title... But I at least felt the winner was at least somewhat deserving. But not this time.
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Beth4freedom
Member
10-24-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:38 pm
I was really torn once I realized that Carla was out of the running. I realized I had no idea who to root for, although ultimately i wanted someone to win who really WANTED it, and I didn't feel that someone was Stefan. So glad Hosea took it over Stefan, but agree "unsatisfactory."
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Beth4freedom
Member
10-24-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:38 pm
I wish final three had been Fabio, Carla, Jamie.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:46 pm
Those three would have been great too. Would have been happy with a top chef of any of these: Jamie, Carla, Stephan, Fabio, Ariane or Jeff. Just not Hosea or Leah.
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Nerovh
Member
06-12-2005
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:47 pm
It seemed to me like the judges weren't all that thrilled either at their choices left to them after Carla messed up. It just seemed like an all-around let-down, not just because Carla lost. I think Carla will probably regret working with Casey and listening to her for a long while. Why on earth would Carla think it was a good idea to experiment with that cooking the meat in plastic bags technique on the FINAL CHALLENGE? It's NEVER a good idea to experiment on that particular challenge. I knew as soon as I saw that Carla was letting Casey talk her into all that stuff that Carla was in trouble.
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Nerovh
Member
06-12-2005
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:50 pm
Oh, yeah, and how did Fabio get to be a guest at the dinner? Have they done that before, invited a bootee back as a guest at the finale dinner?
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Tishala
Member
08-01-2000
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:50 pm
If Carla couldn't stand up to her sous chef, she doesn't deserve to win.
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Ladytex
Member
09-27-2001
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:51 pm
I wasted an hour of my life. I was disappointed in Carla ... um, honey, Casey lost, why listen to her over yourself. Dance with who brung you ... cook YOUR food, that's what got ya to the finals ....
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:54 pm
I did think Stefan was very sweet to Carla. But Carla lost this herself. It was not just a simple matter of one bad souffle, it was her not believing in herself. Not standing up and telling her sous chef what to do instead of the other way around.
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Kellee
Member
07-07-2004
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 8:59 pm
arghhhh made the mistake of adding Gail on Twitter before watching the finale...okay haven't watched the finale but am sad Carla did not take it home..but so ecstatic Stefan did not either...
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Nerovh
Member
06-12-2005
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 9:01 pm
I agree that Carla didn't deserve to win if she couldn't stand up for her own style of cooking. That's what bothers me a lot, that she didn't just "lose", she kinda just "threw" it away. I'm very disappointed in her. But I liked how sweet Stefan was to her, wasn't he the one that hugged her during the judging when she started crying?
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Kc103
Member
07-13-2004
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 9:08 pm
I was really sorry to see Carla be so swayed in the final challenge. Too bad the chefs couldn't have just prepared the food themselves for a smaller number of people. Like some of you already said, I knew that she probably took herself out of the running by making that choice with the meat. But then to change her dessert too?? What was she thinking? Sadly, she did lose it by herself by making poor decisions. She kind of went back to how she was acting more toward the beginning of the season. Tom even mentioned to her earlier in the season that you have to listen to yourself about your dishes and not others. I didn't really particularly care for Stefan or Hosea. However, between the two I was rooting just slightly a little more for Hosea. Stefan's attitude made his food seem a little "colder" to me..as a viewer. However, he seemed very compassionate to Carla at the Judges' Table and afterwards as well. Perhaps they edited him to look more like the "bad" guy than he really was. I was also surprised to see Fabio at the dinner giving his opinions on the final three. I wouldn't be surprised to see him show up in some future role on Top Chef or another type of cooking show on Bravo. I think they were taken with his personality as were a lot of viewers as well.
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Beth4freedom
Member
10-24-2003
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 9:27 pm
I think they had Fabio on there because they know he has a winning personality with the viewers. I really want Carla to win Fan Favorite, I think her chief competition would be Fabio. I always go to vote just a little too late :-( or I would have voted for Carla. I think Fabio is going to have a lot of opportunities come his way in any case. Casey lost much the way Carla did. Both were slow starters, then came on with a lot of wins toward the end, and then lost it in the clutch. Richard also lost it "in the clutch". Marcel was different; he was in a tight race with Ian, and he did cook "his best meal"; they just had to choose one, and decided Ian was a bit further along in his career. (That by the way, was the one other season I didn't like either of the potential winners; Sam was gone and he was the only one worth anything in my opinion, at least of the finalists.) Always sad to see a potential winner lose it at the last moment: Casey, Richard and now Carla--and I had rooted for all three!
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Thorandtara
Member
09-15-2008
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 10:03 pm
I'm watching the finale for the second time (becaue I can) and truthfully, if they are sticking to the judge one meal at a time, then Hosea deserved to win. Perhaps the finale should take into account the entire season. Which of course, would open an entirely new kettle of fish. And, truly a top chef would not let her sous-chef take over. I think, either way, (one meal or cumulative effort) Carla was not going to win. Of the two remaining, I think Hosea was the right choice. I just don't think Hosea should have been there at all.
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Reader234
Member
08-13-2000
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 10:15 pm
I thought Fabio was there to throw off any season spoilers! Stefan was hard for me to watch - he has such a strong personality - I liked what Carla said that she wanted to come to the show, to bring to the show "love"...
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Watching2
Member
07-07-2001
| Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 11:27 pm
Disappointed here, too. Carla really threw herself under the bus. When I heard her say she didn't know how to cook meat the way Casey suggested and then she did, I thought, "Why would you do that now of all times?!" I don't think I could have stomached the smugness of Stefan had he won, so I guess Hosea was better. I would have liked to see different people in the finale as well.
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Sadiesmom
Member
03-13-2002
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 12:00 am
Ack, when I saw Casey there, I thought NOOOOOO. She lost usually because she was doing something she did not know. I just knew Carla would hurt herself, She was never good in group challenges and she probably took Tom's advice about listening to their helpers too much to heart. Why would you do something that you don't know in the last time? When she said souffle, I also moaned. If they go wrong, nothing you can do. It was fgrustrating, but it qwas sweet to see Stephan comfort Carla in the judges table, just leave his spot and walk over to her. I liked everyone this year, I take villain editing into consideration usually, having met some reality people who had bad edits and were really sweet.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 12:22 am
Sad that Casey was the kiss of death for Carla (but of course it was Carla's ultimate decision what to cook and how to cook it , I also thought it was sweet to see Stefan comfort Carla and as for Hosea.. I am happy the season is over so we don't have to hear him bash Stefan.. it was more about beating Stefan than cooking, almost. Frankly that was just as bad as Stefan would have been IMO. At least the voting viewers mostly went for Carla. She'll be pleased to know that and if they have voting for fan favorite, I think Carla's a shoe in.. Plus she won the car, yah!
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 3:51 am
Carla must have said more during the judges table because they all looked devastated after she spoke. I was stunned at how sweet Stefan was to her. I am so disappointed that she didn't cook her own food too.
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Marameko
Member
07-15-2002
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 4:42 am
I am disappointed, but it was Carla's fault. Just glad Stefan is not "Top Chef". I do not like the fact that Carla was not seen as the person to beat between the 2 men. She was totally discounted.
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Lexie_girl
Member
07-30-2004
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 5:41 am
I'm so sad.
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Tntitanfan
Member
08-03-2001
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 5:41 am
Carla is just NOT a "take charge and take no prisoners" sort of person. I really think you have to have some of that in you to win final competitions.I was pulling for Stefan over Hosea, but I wasn't there and didn't eat the food. I was pleased with Stefan's tenderness toward Carla and with the fact that Fabio was able to put "Team Europe" aside and judge the food.
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Riviere
Member
09-09-2000
| Thursday, February 26, 2009 - 6:37 am
Have to agree Carla was a Fan Favorite and I hoped she would win. However, all of her classical training & experience don't count when a Top Chef would never get so rattled during a finale they'd allow the sous chef to choose what will be served and then forget to turn down oven when making a souffle. Carla brought so much zest and soul to the table, it was really sad to watch Casey walk all over her. Though even the judges seemed to want Carla to win, there wasn't anything to do. Makes me wonder if Casey wasn't deliberately sabotaging Carla's biggest night? Guess the ending proves that a Top Chef has to be in charge, and Nice Guys often don't win...
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