"Top Chef" Scores A Touchdown

I haven’t said much about my beloved “Top Chef” lately because there really hasn’t been that much to say.

But that all ended Wednesday night with the season’s strongest episode to date and one of the strongest in “Top Chef” history…

You can usually tell by how the episode is edited who will be in trouble. So when Hosea started talking about all of Stefan’s victories, I knew it was either bad for Hosea or Stefan. But which one?

In honor of the Super Bowl this Sunday, the elimination challenge was “Top Chef Bowl.” Each contestant had to cook head-to-head—not against each other, but against contestants from previous seasons. Each pair had to cook a dish inspired by an NFL city in twenty minutes in front of a live audience. The judges’ choice received seven points (touchdown) while the choice of the culinary students in the audience got three points (field goal). Any contestant who did not win their head-to-head was eligible for elimination.

Stefan won the Quickfire Challenge so he got to choose which “all-star” to cook against. He chose Season One’s Andrea, who was actually eliminated twice, because he was sure he could beat her. I knew at that moment that Stefan was in trouble…

Now the other contestants don’t really like Stefan because he wins so much and he’s so cocky about it. But he’s quickly become my favorite because I love his attitude. He’s replaced hottie Jeff as my fave because Jeff just can’t seem to learn that more is not better. And who doesn’t love Fabio, who has got the fan favorite sewed up?

So when it got down to the competition, it was a lot of fun as the chefs did some trash talking while they hustled to get their dishes done. And since the judges voted one-by-one, it created a good deal of tension.

And sure enough, Andrea edged out Stefan—but not before he fell in love with her. But I was sure that Stefan would be fine—until it dawned on me that if he was the only one who lost his head-to-head, he would go home.

That’s when I got nervous…

But Stefan was not alone in the bottom three. He was joined by Fabio and Jeff.

That’s right. One of my three favorites had to go home…

Now I’m a big proponent of eliminating contestants based on their work and not on their entertainment value. But in this case, I knew that the absence of Stefan or Fabio would leave a major hole in the show.

So even though Jeff was my original favorite, I rooted for the judges to send him home.

And in the last ten minutes, I felt more tension that I’ve felt all season watching “24”…

In the end, the judges did the right thing and sent Jeff home. Yes, Fabio overcooked his venison, but Jeff never learned how to edit his ideas—even though it continually bit him.

Now, there are only six left as the show hits the home stretch and heads for the finale in New Orleans.

I still believe Stefan is the favorite if his cockiness doesn’t get the best of him. Personally, I would love to see Stefan take on Hosea and Fabio in the finale, but first we have to get rid of Carla, the “love” chef; Jamie, who Stefan has the hots for; and Leah, who Hosea has the hots for.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love this show?...

“Top Chef: New York” airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Bravo…

Photo Credit: Virginia Sherwood/Bravo