"Top Chef Masters" Finale: Bravo!

Warning: If you do not want to know the result of last night’s “Top Chef Masters,” stop reading now…

It’s so rare when the person I want to win actually wins a reality competition show, so I savor it whenever it happens…

Which is what I did last night when Rick Bayless took home the title of Top Chef Master. I was a little concerned when his seafood came out overcooked and actually had flashbacks of when Dale lost “Top Chef: Miami” because of one dish. But thankfully, Rick triumphed, thanks to the rest of his dishes and critic James Oseland’s insistence on not giving Michael Chiraello anything more than 3 ½ stars…

Maybe Michael’s idea to serve one of his dishes on charred pages of James’ magazine was not such a good idea…

Last night’s episode was strong from start-to-finish as for the first time, all of the “Top Chef” winners gathered together to judge the meal. Plus, the final challenge—a four-course meal detailing the story of the chefs’ lives—was beyond brilliant. It was also nice to see the chefs just be able to do their thing without any final twists.

And the way the episode was edited was fantastic as the outcome was truly kept in suspense until the very end. If Jay Rayner had not given Rick the four stars he needed, I think I would have thrown something at the TV.

And judging by the BravoTV.com poll that showed how little support Michael had, I wouldn’t have been the only one…

I truly hope that Bravo does this show again, because it was a lot of fun to watch. In fact, I already have a suggestion for them…

Anthony Bourdain vs. Rocco DiSpirito. How awesome would that be to watch?

For more from behind the scenes of last night’s finale, be sure to visit the Bravo website and read the critics’ blogs. Plus, you can get Rick’s thoughts on the finale at www.Rickwon.com...