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The outcome of the second course rests on the opinion of Unibrow Hugh. If he favors Kristen, she will likely become Top Chef. Thankfully for Brooke, he evens the playing field by scoring the round for her. Kristen and Brooke are tied at one with three courses to go. I am amused to see that the judges seem to be feeling the pressure every bit as much as the players. This live finale is uncharted territory for them as well.

The third course of the evening proves to be a divisive topic. Having previously struggled on the fried chicken challenges, Brooke boldly goes where no chef has ever gone before or ever will again. She decides to create chicken wings for this, the course of her life. Brooke seeks to find redemption for her worst performance of the entire season. Meanwhile, Kristen calmly crafts a “super umami” dish that is much more standard fare for the judges. This course clearly defines the difference between regular cuisine and Top Chef. People have chicken wings every day yet half the North American population (statistic made up on the spot) has never tried umami. Somehow, Brooke is the odd one for her choice.

The next two minutes contain filler about Kristen. What I largely take from this footage is how difficult this situation must be for Kristen’s BFF for the past few years, Stephanie Cmar. She was one of the other contestants who qualified for the show, but she failed to earn her jacket. Now, her neighbor, co-worker and friend (not with benefits, she swears) is the toast of Top Chef while she can only watch from the audience. My heart bleeds for her. I sincerely hope that the producers of Top Chef acknowledge that they probably made a mistake and provide her with another opportunity to compete in a couple of seasons. I have complete confidence that the difference between Stephanie and Kristen is marginal at best. Talent tends to cluster.

There is one shining moment during the Kristen filler. Due to the scheduling of the finale and the radio silence about results, her family did not realize Kristen had the opportunity to return to the game. After watching the Restaurant Wars episode where she was eliminated, her father came up huge. He recounts to Gail that he immediately texted his daughter, “Kristen, you’re my Top Chef.” Somebody buy that man a World’s Greatest Dad mug!

The third course judging is effectively over before a bite is taken. I have a tremendous amount of respect bordering on reverence for Tom Colicchio, but that does not change the fact that he is against the chicken wing concept before he tastes the food. Brooke presents Vadouvan fried chicken with sumac yogurt-tahini & pickled kohlrabi fattoush. I did not know that any of those things was a thing. Fattoush sounds like a Polynesian pro wrestler.

To his credit, Emeril acknowledges the bravado of the choice and firmly states that it is delicious. Tom is kind and smiles as he talks. His micro-expressions are not positive, though. I will note that several of the other champions, particularly Kevin from season 7, are deeply impressed by Brooke’s choice. I suspect that even if she loses tonight, they will remember this meal more than any other from the finale. Tom will not speak kindly of it, though.

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