Watch the video after the jump.

In the end, the judges simply couldn’t decide who to send packing. So instead of a Final Four, Top Chef has five finalists dueling for the All-Stars title.

Not only was the cooking great, but the reunion of chefs and their families was touching. But the best part of the show had to be the punking of Richard Blais. He got punk’d twice – once for his alright dish and secondly at Judges Table. Take a look…

Read what Gail Simmons had to say about Richard’s reaction then keep up with Richard Blais on Twitter.

Overheard at dinner…

Padma: “it’s like a little prick in my mouth at the tip of my tongue… then it got big in my mouth.”

Natalie, her friends, and Tom couldn’t stop laughing.

Spoiler Alert Below

Meaty Mike Isabella was sent home after meating Natalie with undercooked leeks.

But to finish off this season of Top Chef, it came down to a disappointing dessert – not the ones Stefan and Carla created but Hosea’s victory. Yes, Hosea won the title of Top Chef, yet it feels anti-climatic. Going into the finals, it was Stefan’s title to lose, but Carla was definitely in her groove in New Orleans. It just never seemed like Hosea had a chance. But what’s that saying again? “That’s why you play the game.”

Carla was immediately out of the running as soon as her souffle fell apart. She didn’t stick to her cooking style of love and soul and let too much of her sous chef, Casey, influence her dishes. The judges immediately recognized the non-Carla-ness of her dishes.

Stefan was unflappable the entire season. Even getting stuck preparing a surprise alligator soup for the first time, he pulled it off. His dessert was welcomed but didn’t impress which is more or less telltale of Stefan. He executes to perfection, knows what to do, but his dishes are, well, too jaded. He’s been there, he’s done that. So he can kill all the elimination challenges, but when left to his own free choice and creativity, he admitted he has difficulty. As a well experienced, life-long chef, I think Stefan forgot his deep down passion for cooking.

Which is why Hosea won. He felt like he had something to prove. All finalists said that but Hosea (and Carla) really felt that. With Carla faltering and Stefan producing solid but not soulful enough dishes, Hosea managed to create a balanced menu showing off consistency along with his passion.

Congratulations are in order for Hosea, but I must admit that I am disappointed with this dessert.

Both restaurants struggled, but in the end, the Europeans, Stefan and Fabio, saved the Sunset Lounge. Fabio worked the front of the restaurant as only he could while Stefan continued his dominance, creating two desserts that delivered his team to salvation. I thought Stefan’s culinary weakness would have been desserts, but I surely was wrong. Even though Stefan is portrayed as an arrogant, non-team player, that dude can cook and is the one to beat in Season 5.

As expected, losing team leader, Radhika, was sent home after her nerve-racking experience in Restaurant Wars. Did I mention Stefan was arrogant? Read his words about Radhika’s departure. True, but a little too blunt.

For these two reasons, Ariane was ousted after mangling her team’s lamb dish. Tom Colicchio presented his philosophy of cooking, stressing the respect chefs show their ingredients. Ariane, he felt, dishonored her lamb with her butchering. Even though Ariane has done well with lamb in past competitions, each elimination brings a clean slate, so Ariane was dismissed.

Gene almost made it through this week’s double elimination with the backing of new judge Toby Young who admired Gene’s wild creativity. Unfortunately, Gene’s visual whole fish dish with daikon, tomato, and basil didn’t have the flavorful punch the judges were looking for.

Here’s how it went down.

Gene, thanks for a showcasing Hawaii’s culinary talent and wish you much future success!

What can I say, but Top Chef contestant Gene is lucky. For the past two weeks, the Hawaii-raised chef has been in the bottom three but has managed to fight off elimination.

In Episode 5, Gail’s Wedding Shower, Gene took the lead role for his “New-themed” team and went with a surf and turf sushi that bombed. But yet, Danny was sent packing for his undeniable belief that their team produced a dynamite dish. Just a side note, but it looks like the Top Chef judges no longer boot out the losing team’s leader. In the past, the leader of the losing team was an automatic out. This year, it looks like the judges are rewarding those that step up into the leadership role, failure or not.

In Episode 6, 12 Days of Christmas, Gene was fuming for being in the bottom three with his underwhelming dish. Fortunately, in the spirit of the Holidays and since all the chefs helped out Hosea and Radhika whose food had spoiled, no one was eliminated this week. Out of the bottom three, Gene was surely the one who would have gone home.

While I’m no food expert, Gene can cook otherwise he wouldn’t be on the show. Only thing is his dishes seem influenced too much by Las Vegas where he works. His creations would wow the hotel and casino guests but not the sophisticated palates of the Top Chef judges. This is where his lack of formal culinary training will hurt his chances of going all the way. But then again, Gene does have that drive, going from dish washer to executive chef, so he is a survivor. But how much luck does he have?

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But what Gene doesn’t have in training, he makes up for with drive, determination, and a survivor’s mentality. Just check out his contribution to Team Cougar in Episode 3. In the Elimination Challenge of making a Thanksgiving meal for the Foo Fighters with a minimal kitchen, Gene makeshifts a Hawaiian style hibachi to smoke his pork.

Even though Gene didn’t get much air time this week, everyone noticed Gene’s hibachi, and Head Judge Tom Colicchio even called Gene’s pork dish one of his favorite dishes of this challenge.

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Amazingly, Ariane was not the one sent home.

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Just based purely on superficial looks, I woulda never thought Gene was a local boy but whatever. His first foray into Indian cuisine, and Gene unknowingly makes a classic Indian dish to Padma’s delight. Even though Gene was outdone by Stefan in the first elimination challenge, I hope Gene becomes the new face of Hawaiian style cooking on Top Chef.

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• A Safe End for Top Chef Chicago
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• Spiked at the Top Chef Finals
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• War on Top Chef
• No More California Flair on Top Chef Chicago
• Top Chef Gettin’ Some Heat
• Top Chef Chicago is Unmemorable
• No Effen Flava on Top Chef Chicago
• FAT Represented in Top Chef
• Top Chef Season 4 Starts Today

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Stephanie’s win was definitely a safe ending to Season Four. Stephanie and Richard both performed well throughout the entire season, but both had their foibles in the finals. Surprisingly, Lisa appeared to have a very good shot at pulling out the win. She was serene during the prep session and wasn’t flustered when she lost her sous chef. The judges liked her dishes while Stephanie and Richard’s menus had their highs and lows. Lisa’s menu was more consistent, but I think her attitude and character shown through the series was her ultimate downfall.

Even though Top Chef is about making great dishes, character of the chef makes a Top Chef. So the even keeled, mostly non-emotional Stephanie is a deserving winner. Congratulations.

First a female (Kristi Yamaguchi) wins Dancing with the Stars. Now Stephanie is the first female Top Chef winner. Is a female winner of Top Chef Junior next?

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Anyways, as usual, Stephanie and Richard were the favorites leaving Antonia and Lisa on the cutting block at Judges’ Table. Who was eliminated? None other than -S’s favorite, Antonia, for undercooked beans. Watch as Padma delivers the news.

But more disgustingly, watch as Lisa bags on Stephanie and Richard for not congratulating her on making the finals. Our household has made the stand to drop Top Chef from our television lineup if Lisa wins.

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I got to admit that Spike knew how to play the game. He knew when to shine, and he knew when to duck for cover. He was versatile, running the front of restaurants but also contributing in the kitchen. He can cook but inexperience at his young age might have been a factor.

So other than Lisa, I have no qualms about the final four. Yes, I still think Dale should be in the finals, but all you potential Top Chef contestants out there know this – don’t be an Executive Chef for Restaurant Wars. It just doesn’t pay off. If your team loses, you’re out like Dale and Tre from Season 3. Even if your team wins, the Executive Chef doesn’t necessarily get individual honors. Stephanie won the Restaurant Wars competition even though Antonia was the Executive Chef. Just don’t do it.

Back to the finalists. Stephanie’s probably going to win. She’s the rock of the competition, rarely showing emotion. Wait, here she is getting excited.

Richard could win but has been a little inconsistent of late. Antonia makes “insightful” dishes as described by Judge Gail Simmons. Lisa… I don’t know. But what I do know is seeing the last three Top Chef winners as guest judges emphasized how unmemorable this year’s chefs are. Harold, Ilan, and Hung – now there’s a trio of memorable personalities.

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Personally, I liked Dale’s style bringing kicks to the kitchen, first with his Air Jordan III in the Top Chef promo and always rocking them blue Air Max 1 (?, never got a good look at them). He usually did well in the competitions, but when it came to teamwork and elevating the performance of his teammates, Dale was like MJ in his early days. When Jordan came to Chicago, he dazzled and bewildered with his offensive abilities. Similarly, Dale’s individual creations were tasty and imaginative. But over the years, Michael came to understand that he couldn’t do it alone. The play of his teammates were vital to success and only being an offensive weapon was not good enough. Michael began to trust in his teammates and got them involved. MJ also diversified his own game adding tenacious defense to his unstoppable offense.

That’s where Dale fell a little short. In Wedding Wars, Dale did everything instead of finding ways of getting the team involved. While he sought input from fellow chefs, Lisa and Spike, in Restaurant Wars, Dale couldn’t get a team effort going. Everyone’s individual agenda overruled the success of the team. In the end, there was no cohesive menu complemented by Dale’s signature taste and style.

The format of the finals for this season changed a little with the inclusion of the top four chefs. Previously, it was the top three chefs. With five chefs remaining, I have issues with Lisa and/or Spike making the finals along with Richard, Stephanie, Antonia, and the now eliminated Dale. Richard and Stephanie belong in the finals. I picked Dale to be there. Antonia’s been solid in competitions dealing with fundamentals but her high end stuff has been kinda weak. Lisa is too angry and recalcitrant to make the finals an enjoyable event. Spike? He more weaseled his way this far on the show, not really standing out. Yep, Top Chef Chicago is becoming more and more unmemorable.

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This week, Andrew, the guy who swears a ton, was sent home doing a healthy, faux sushi roll for Chicago cops. The bottom three of Andrew, Spike, and Lisa went at each other while Dale racked up another win. I thought Top Chef would have needed security to escort Andrew out but he admittedly went quietly.

Head Judge Tom Colicchio was The Master of the show, putting these contending chefs in their places with some poignant but accurate comments. When the bottom three each went ballistic defending their dishes, Tom’s retorts shut them up faster than a biotch slap upside the head. Tom rocked and was the highlight of this hour.

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The team of Dale, Lisa, Nikki, and Spike never gelled and was easily the losing team. The current Chefs admitted to watching previous seasons of Top Chef, but Nikki must have missed Restaurant Wars from Season 3. That’s the one where Tre, the Executive Chef for the team, was eliminated for not acting like the Executive Chef. Even with her Italian food expertise, Nikki didn’t guide the team to victory preparing Italian dishes for the groom. You know Head Judge Tom Colicchio ain’t down with Executive Chefs not stepping up.

The groom’s team was an eclectic crew, and I need to get video footage as they stood at Judges’ table. Their body language was a telltale sign. Dale went ballistic for right or wrong, Lisa was her bitter angry self, Spike didn’t help the mix, and Nikki simply went along for the ride.

Although I must say this episode was probably my favorite of this season. The Quick Fire and Wedding Wars were interesting challenges. More time was spent showing the personalities of the chefs although none of them are still fan favorites. In fact, I think most of the chefs really dislike each other more than other seasons.

The show’s producers must realize this lack of fan support as well. How else can you explain the recent “What is Padma Wearing?” addition to the Top Chef website? How does this improve the culinary aspect of the show?

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But in the land of da Bears, tough defense, and Rex Grossman as QB, flair got no place. While Ryan’s been shaky throughout the season, I thought he might be making a turnaround after a pretty good showing in Episode 4 Film Food and doing well in Episode 5’s Quick Fire challenge. I thought Nikki was going to go after she ran out of food for the judges and seemed to not make an effort with her sausage and peppers dish.

This episode was a little amusing but still the overall season is pretty boring. I don’t know if this year’s chefs are keeping themselves reserved or if they’re all ultra competitive, not wanting to show any flaws. But there’s not much to engage the viewers. Even continual winner Stephanie isn’t exciting to watch. Though she keeps winning or being in the top, there’s nothing there making me root for her.

For the remaining chefs, here are some inspirational words from Chicago legend, Michael Jordan.

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And I say awkward since it seems like the show’s producers added this segment just to add conflict and controversy. To me, it didn’t really fit the natural flow since the show was over for all intents and purposes. But still it was fun to watch…

Here we go!

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