Okay, did I miss the beginning of this episode on my recording? Because I feel like this episode started in the middle and I'm super confused. Anyway, apparently the finale is filmed live? And the final challenge is to cook a five-course meal in front of a live audience. All nine former winners are there. Brooke and Kristen are cooking in what looks like an Iron Chef or Chopped kitchen stadium. The whole thing just feels bizarre and off-brand. The judges are Tom, Gail, Emeril, Padma and Hugh.

Anyway, they each have sous-chefs. Brooke has CJ, Stefan and Kuniko. Kristen has Sheldon, Josh and Lizzie. After each course is served, the judges offer live critiques and decide who won the round. Apparently, if someone wins three rounds, they win. So then do they stop cooking? Even if it's like round three? This is fucked up. Here are the courses:

First Course:

Kristen: chicken liver mousse with frisée, mustard, prune, hazelnuts and pumpernickel. The judges love the flavors and the only complaint is Gail's; she didn't like that the lettuce covered the mousse.

Brooke: crispy pig ear and chicory salad, six-minute egg, apricot jam and candied kumquats. We saw her making a version of this in her restaurant in the previous episode. Everyone loves it, although a few judges felt the pig ears were overcooked -- we saw CJ burning them in the kitchen.

Kristen wins the round with votes from Gail, Hugh and Emeril.

Second Course, where they are required to cook scallops:

Brooke: seared scallop with salt cod puree, speck, black currant and mustard seed vinaigrette. None of the judges have a bad thing to say about the flavor, how the scallop is cooked or the concept.

Kristen: citrus and lavender cured scallop with bitter orange, Meyer lemon and apple. Kristen really loves those Meyer lemons. It's her fennel. The judges also have huge compliments.

Brooke wins the round but it's close -- Hugh has to be the tie-breaker.

Third Course:

Brooke: vadouvan fried chicken wing with sumac yogurt-tahini and pickled kohlrabi fattoush. The judges are surprised by the dish and Brooke explains that she wanted to redeem herself after her previous fried chicken fiasco. Emeril loves it and Tom likes the elements, but isn't sure how they mesh.

Kristen: celery root purée with bone marrow, mushrooms, bitter greens and radishes. Tom has questions about the mushrooms and Padma is mad that the dish isn't hot. Gail and Emeril love it.

Despite it not being hot, Padma casts the deciding vote for Kristen to win the round and she leads two to one.

Fourth Course:

Brooke: braised pork cheek and red snapper with collard green slaw and sorrel puree. All of the judges love it and they especially appreciate the sorrel and the pomegranate.

Kristen: red snapper with leeks, little gem lettuce, tarragon, uni and shellfish nage. Gail has a problem with the leeks, but Hugh totally rips on her for being upset about using a knife.

Because the episode is only an hour long and the judges start announcing their votes at like minute fifty-four, it's pretty obvious that they won't be doing another round. Kristen wins the round.

Which means that Kristen is the next Top Chef! Pretty amazing that she came back from Last Chance Kitchen. I hope Josie feels like a real asshole. I'm not sure why she should, but I just hope she does in general.

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