Ilan the raging dickhead wins, which is a fitting end to an extremely shitty season. That's the extent of the detail I'm going to go into about this episode, because I care too much about my blood pressure to relive it.
Rather than talking about the finale, I'm going to quote myself from way back when:
So, Top Chef. Inaugural seasons are hard to call, because you never know if the show is going to get better over time (Project Runway) or worse (America's Next Top Model). If I give the season a C, will I think more kindly of it if the next one sucks rocks? This show certainly has plenty to improve upon. I know asking for a new hostess and new judges is like crying for the moon, but I have to try. The judging was far and away the worst thing about the show. Ptom is an egotistical asshole, KatieBot has the charisma of a Saltine, and Gail is...well, I don't have much of a problem with Gail. I'd probably like her more if she were grouped with different people. That's a big stumbling block as far as enjoying the show overall. Disliking the judges is not the same thing as disliking a particular challenge. At least a sucky challenge is dispensed with in one episode. Also, the consistent bringing in the top three, then the bottom three -- combined with showing who winds up at the table in the episode previews -- killed a lot of suspense. Really, the entire judging aspect of the show needs to be overhauled.
Still, there was plenty to love about Top Chef, and they got a lot right for their first try at this. The casting was far better than I thought it was going to be when I first heard about these particular contestants. Ken was a bad idea, but at least it was a mistake that was quickly rectified. Tiffani and Stephen were engaging villains. Lee Anne, Andrea, Cynthia, and Lisa had me in their cheering sections, and Harold was a likable and deserving winner. Most of the guest judges were articulate and fair. Most of the challenges were creative and well-planned. That's nothing to sneeze at.
There's just that fucking Ptom.
Overall Season Grade: B-
Wow. I never would have imagined when I originally wrote this that the Reality Show Gods were listening, and pretty much fixed everything I asked them to. KatieBot has been banished, and Padma was an articulate and engaging replacement. Ptom reined in his attitude, only being a total jerkoff in one episode. Lo and behold, the judging has been fixed.
But the Reality Show Gods are a mischievous bunch. They righted what I thought was wrong...and ruined everything that I thought was right. The casting? Awful. Anyone with a shred of likability was a distant memory by the halfway point. The villains? All the conceit of Jeffrey, the pomposity of Tiffani, and the arrogance of Stephen, with none of the fun. The challenges? Crappy retreads of first-season challenges, or worse, retreads of earlier challenges in this season. The winner? A fucking scumwad. Compared to Ilan, Jeffrey's my favorite person ever. This show started out so promising, and has quickly slid into joyless, unwatchable muck. Good riddance, Season 2.
Overall Grade: D-
Overall Season Grade: D-
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