"Top Chef: Las Vegas": Bryan and Kevin Speak

When I participated in the conference call last week with “Top Chef: Las Vegas” runners-up Kevin Gillespie and Bryan Voltaggio I sounded terrible. I was exhibiting the effects of a pretty nasty head cold…

But when I apologized to Bryan for my voice, his response was, “Did you lose it screaming too much for Michael?” I started to say something, but then I just laughed and said, “I’m not going to answer that.” You guys know that Michael was my favorite, but Bryan and Kevin didn’t need to know that (Although I would tell Michael later)…

The most interesting thing the guys shared was Kevin’s reaction to being eliminated—something the show has never done with the third place finisher as far as I know…

“It was a little strange. It was upsetting. It hurt my pride quite a bit. I questioned why they chose to do it that way.” Later during the call, Bryan went back to that to agree with Kevin. “I too believe that he should have stayed. We all worked very hard to get to that point. I think Michael feels the same. I wish he was there for that moment.” Kevin added, “I wanted us to all share in that moment together.”

My turn actually came right after that and I mentioned that they knew that was done because it’s a TV show, but honestly I don’t think they did. Of course, it’s easy for me to say watching from my couch at home…

Spinning off of that conversation, I asked Bryan about whether he thought the show concentrated too much on him and his brother and he got a little defensive…

“We earned our spots at the top. There was a chance [it wouldn’t happen]. He was up for elimination. It was about the food but it did give it an added dynamic.”

For the record, I wasn’t insinuating that they didn’t earn their spot. I was just wondering if Bryan thought it was a little bit of overkill…

I then asked both of them about the final Judges’ Table and just how long it actually was to which Kevin responded, “How long was it actually or how long did it feel like?”

Kevin said they were approaching 10-12 hours, which he called “a long time to sit through.” Bryan added that it was 6:45 in the morning when they were done…

Here’s a taste of what else the guys had to say…

Kevin on his popularity: “I’m happy to be the People’s Champion in a lot of regards.”

Kevin on whether he knew the Voltaggio brothers would be his biggest competition: “From the very first day, I assumed that would be the case.”

Bryan on his reaction to having to use eliminated cheftestants as sous chefs: “I wasn’t worried. Everybody who was there was very talented. I was actually pretty excited.”

Bryan on competing with his brother: “We were definitely striving for it. We were gonna do whatever it takes to get to the end. It was a fun ride.”

Kevin on his final challenge: “I don’t think I showed up 100 percent in the game. Unfortunately I had a lot of things going on in my life at the time. But I was pretty happy with the meal. Was it my best? No. By no means.”

Kevin on whether the competition should be cumulative: “I wish the competition was cumulative. [Looking back] it should be obvious that we would make it to the finals.” (The trio combined to win 12 of 13 challenges.) Short of creating a point system, that’s not an option. It’s a double-edged sword.”

Bryan on what challenge he would like to do over again: Bryan said he was unhappy with his chilled gnash in the Angels and Devils Quickfire. “But I got a little redemption in Restaurant Wars.” On his failure to win Quickfires, Bryan said, “It takes a little longer for me to express a dish.”

Kevin on what challenge he would like to do over again: “I would love to have the opportunity to approach the mystery bucket dish again…I knew I messed up the mushroom.”

Kevin on his final pork belly dish: “I still stand by it. Did I think it was undercooked? No not at all. It accomplished what I wanted it to.”

Bryan on his cooking style: “Michael will take a little more risks. I want people to understand what my food is about. I transform things that people recognize.”

Bryan on his future plans: Right now he’s staying at his restaurant, VOLT. But he said that he and Michael will be doing some things together, including a new website they just launched—VoltaggioBrothers.com. “We realized we could work together in the kitchen.”

Bryan and Kevin on their favorite Quickfires: Kevin said the escargot was his favorite and the Pigs & Pinot was his favorite Elimination Challenge. Bryan laughed and said he had no favorite Quickfire.

Bryan on the experience: “My expectations changed after the first challenge. Every challenge was new and different. There were definitely some new people involved. Some incredible chefs. Vegas has a lot to play with.”

Kevin on the experience: “It’s a lot harder than I expected. And it’s a lot more rewarding than I expected.” It exceeded everything. It’s still kind of a whirlwind to tell you the truth.”

Bryan on Kevin: “I think he strategically grew the beard a little longer [for the finale]. I knew how talented he was going to be. I could tell he was going to be a force to be reckoned with.”

Kevin on his beard: “I wanted to intentionally show up looking like a hillbilly. I did it for TV. I thought it would be funny.”

You can hear more of what Bryan and Kevin have to say on the “Top Chef: Las Vegas Reunion” Wednesday, December 16th at 9 p.m. on Bravo…

Photo Credit: Virginia Sherwood/Bravo