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Stating the obvious, Kristen is going to win the third course. She presents celery root purée with bone marrow, mushrooms, bitter greens & radishes. The best news for the judges is that they can eat this meal with their utensils. The other aspects of it are lacking. Padma points out that the dish is cold. Tom does not like that she stewed rather than roasted the mushrooms. Despite their criticisms, the two hosts both vote for her as does Emeril. She again wins a round via unanimous decision. If the judging had occurred at any local tavern, Brooke would have won this round in a walk. I strongly suspect that had Brooke served any other dish in her repertoire, she would have won the round and been well positioned to win Top Chef. Instead, she must win both remaining rounds to claim the title.

CJ greets Brooke upon her return to the kitchen. She delivers the news that they are now losing two to one. I give Stefan and CJ tremendous credit for what happens next. Both of them lock in at the news that their backs are against the wall. These seasoned pros now have their competitor fires stoked. CJ bluntly states, “We’ll kill this one.” That’s a great teammate.

Brooke’s situation grows more perilous when Kristen discusses her fourth course. Unlike the first three, she has practiced this one in anticipation of the finale. Kristen is a single vote away from a three round sweep of her opponent. She has been that dominant thus far. In fact, if Tom had gotten to lead the vote the way he usually does, the title of Top Chef would already be determined. Despite all of this, the fourth dish is the one that provides Kristen with confidence. I do NOT like Brooke’s chances.

My concern grows when the finale features another several minutes of filler. There is a limited amount of time left in the episode. If the cooking is not being featured and we are not already seeing the judging for round four, there is a solid chance there will not be a round five. Well, I say that but I guess it is possible that this episode my TiVo also named Finale could be a two-parter. I’m still a little bitter about what happened last week.

After the celebration of previous Top Chef champions (my favorite is Richard Blais), a different type of fluff is aired. A random woman in the crowd hits on Stefan. Yes, I’m serious. During his cooking, he is forced to swivel his head as someone shouts, “Hey Stefan, is your restaurant in Malibu?” How broken would a woman have to be to hit on Stefan? Err, not counting Kristen…

At the 50 minute mark of a 60 minute show, the fourth course is presented. I already know that if the show cuts to commercial at any point, something I am frankly expecting, Kristen is the new champion of Top Chef. Brooke keeps hope alive by creating braised pork cheek & red snapper with collard green slaw & sorrel purée. I joke all the time about my lousy palate, so I rarely get to type these words. I would eat this dish. Well, the pork part of it anyway. The judges again relish the dish, and I remember that Brooke is better at desserts than Kristen. If Brooke can win the favor of three judges this round, she still has a solid shot at the championship.

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