Blais On Choking: "It wasn't about screwing up."

It will go down as one of the biggest moments in “Top Chef” history. When Richard Blais told the judges he “choked” during the "Top Chef: Chicago" finale.

But Blais told me that comment has been a little misunderstood.

“A lot of people think that I was conceding defeat, but that wasn’t it. I just knew it wasn’t my best performance. I’m a perfectionist and I knew that wasn’t my best performance."

As he told the demonstration audience, “I’m never happy…It wasn’t about screwing up.”

When I asked him if he was over losing, he told me that he was. At this point in the interview, "Top Chef: Miami" winner Hung Huynh jumped in to say that he was upset about Richard’s loss.

“I wanted Richard to win,” Hung told me. “I rooted for him from the beginning.”

When I asked him why, Hung told me it was because of the attitude Richard brought to his cooking. “He has such passion.”

As Richard thanked Hung for his kind words, Hung threw another compliment Richard’s way. “You’re going to be the most successful of the chefs [from your season].”

Richard responded, “I hope so”…