http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/09/28/TOP-CHEF----Hawaii-Finale-Part-1.aspx It is down to the wire on TOP CHEF, as four of the best cooks around battle it out for the grand prize. Tonight was part 1 of a two-part finale, and I’m chomping at the bit to find out who will win. There’s a lot at stake for these ambitious professionals, and I can feel the stress right through my TV screen. I can’t even imagine what it was like for them. But that’s one of the reasons this show is so compelling. Watching truly talented people sweat it out for their craft is so much more fulfilling than watching somebody win a Reality TV show because they were meaner than everybody else. Of course, I watch all those shows as well; it’s just that this type of competition requires some actual talent. Not only do we get the pleasure of watching the whole thing play out, on TOP CHEF you can even learn a thing or two, as the website provides the recipes of the food the chef-testants have cooked. Food and entertainment, come on it doesn’t get any better than that … right? We are down to the fantastic four, Casey, Hung, Dale and Brian. And for the first part of the finale, they were sent off to Aspen, Colorado. But this trip wasn’t all fun and games; we still have a winner to crown. To kick things off, the chef-testants were given a Quickfire Challenge judged by famous seafood chef, Eric Ripert. The goal of this challenge was to take freshly caught fish, and I do mean fresh, as they competed by the side of a babbling brook, and prepare it with the most basic of ingredients on a makeshift stove. Surprisingly, Brian – who is known for his creative seafood dishes – seemed to falter on this one. All things considered, the dishes looked pretty good. Of course I don’t know how they tasted, and that’s really the key to any of these challenges. But in the end, it was my girl Casey who came out on top. That gives me hope that this will be the women’s year to take the title home. That’s if she can pull through the elimination round. en-US Critics Rant info@criticsrant.com Subtext Version 1.9.4.0 http://www.criticsrant.com/images/default_gravatar_bullhorn.png http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/09/28/TOP-CHEF----Hawaii-Finale-Part-1.aspx 77 60