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It’s finally Top Chef finale time, and I’m able to say something that I’m only able to say for about half of the Top Chef seasons: the two most deserving chefs will battle it out for the title. For my money, Greg and Mei have been the two chefs who most consistently put out solid dishes day in and day out, combining to win more than a third of all Elimination Challenges (two for Greg and three for Mei) and Quickfires (four for Greg and one for Mei).

In other words, this is gonna be good.

The episode kicks off with all the drama-mustering montages the Top Chef producers can muster. We get Mei and Greg talking about their time working under Top Chef winner Michael Voltaggio and renowned chef Jean George, respectively. Mei comments that Greg has won more challenges over the course of the season, but she’s now 10 times the chef she was when she started. Greg also acknowledges his early season victories, but notes that he struggled as the challenges (and competing talent) got tougher. He found his stride again in Mexico, though, and won’t be holding anything back.

We get a quick peek at how Greg and Mei reacted after being named in the final two. Mei is relieved after dodging elimination for the second episode in a row. With the finale ahead, “may the best man win,” she tells Greg.

Dayum, guuuuuuuuuuuuurl.

The next morning, the chefs rise before the break of down and slip into the SUV for a ride to who-knows-where. Before they know it, a partially-inflated hot air balloon appears in front of them. Their reward for making it to the top two (and transport for no apparent reason to where they’ll be given instructions for the finale) will be a hot air balloon ride over San Miguel giving them spectacular views of the city. While Greg is thrilled and having a blast, I’m thinking Mei might be a bit acrophobic - she doesn’t look entirely at ease.

As the balloon starts to descend, the chefs spot Tom and Padma standing in what appears to be a vineyard. Upon meeting up, Tom doles out details regarding the final challenge. “Tomorrow night,” he says, “the challenge is to create the meal of your lives.” Well, that’s straightforward and relatively constraint-free, as expected. He tells them that they’ll be asked to cook the best four dishes they can possibly cook, and should aim to leave the kitchen with no regrets.

Recognizing (as always) that the finalists will need a little bit of help, Padma brings out all of the eliminated chefs, from which the finalists will select sous chefs. At this point, I’m thinking that 75% of those chefs should just have slept in. Chefs like Aaron, Ron, Joy, and Stacy haven’t yet been picked as sous chefs by any of the finalists, and they sure as hell won’t be getting picked today.

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