Top Chef exit interviews on CHOW.com

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Coming in strong, Richard Blais, looked like he had it all wrapped up. He’d been the master of surprise, wowing the Top Chef Judges all season long with his inventive cuisine and gadget-heavy technique. But in the end, even with the help of Chef Dan Barber, Richard reveals he was unable to wrap his…

Antonia Lofaso was the surefire candidate for the final three, so it was to everyone's surprise that she was the one sent packing. Was it the undercooked peas that led to her downfall? And did she really snub Gail? The break before the finale was beneficial for some, but proved to be the downfall f…

Spike Mendelson doesn't need help on how to cook a steak; he wins the Quickfire Challenge handily with his mad butchering skills. But his winner's advantage is quickly squandered when he chooses frozen scallops. (Were they planted in Rick Tramonto's kitchen? Bravo doesn't want us to have that conve…

With Dale Talde booted, the Top Chef kitchen is looking downright roomy. In last night's "Restaurant Wars" episode, the dream team from "Wedding Wars" reunited, leaving the nightmare team (or "short-bus allstars," according to Dale) of Dale, Lisa, and Spike to their own struggle. What does Dale hav…

Andrew D'Ambrosi, described by Ted Allen as "quite Shakespearean," breaks some rules and packs his knives. In a conversation with Jane Goldman, Andrew tosses off some witty one-liners and explains the perils of cresting too soon (he was the winner on Episode 2). About Lisa's betrayal? Eh. In the en…

Nikki Cascone gets put on the non-golden team in a wedding-catering challenge, and she's dinged for not stepping up and taking responsibility. Meanwhile, Dale shows his petulant side, again. Lisa pouts, again. Nikki talks to Meredith Arthur about her love of the adrenaline rush in the kitchen and h…

Mark Simmons, the didgeridoo-playin', sweet-curry-fixin' Kiwi, calls out Padma Lakshmi as Yoko Ono in his exit interview on Bravotv.com, but we were too distracted by his CHOW T-shirt to really understand the comparison. (Who is John in this equation? Who is Ringo?) He talks with Shawn Rose about t…

Jennifer Biesty and her phallic asparagus get booted while the judges give Lisa and Antonia's excessive improvisation (in which Polish sausage becomes chorizo) a pass at the judges' table. Is arrogance rewarded? Yes. Did Bravo overload on the sexual deviance jokes? Yes. And do most people want Lisa…

Ryan Scott explains how classy his mom is. His great sin, in episode 6? According to him, it's that he went too big with his bread salad with marinated chicken, poached pear, and brandy cocoa. According to Gail Simmons, "none of it actually tasted good."