It has been a deliciously entertaining ride since June's first episode, but outlasting all the memorable "cheftestants" are Hung Huynh, Casey Thompson and Dale Levitski, Season Three's finalists who in terms of personality profile and culinary aptitude are strangely reminiscent of Season Two top finishers Marcel Vigneron, Elia Aboumrad and Ilan Hall, respectively.
For the first time in three seasons of the juicy reality juggernaut, the winner will not be from New York. For the second time, the top trio consists of two men and one woman. And for the second year in a row, competing for the ultimate prize is an impish, disliked technical maestro, a friendly but feisty feminist and a chef with an infectious, offbeat Italian passion.
It seems only natural to begin the discussion of Top Chef Miami with Hung, he of the laser-like focus who possesses arguably the most legitimate shot at winning this year's title.
Hung is indeed the only cook among the finalists who has received any formal culinary education, and his technical proficiency, as head judge Tom Colicchio put it, "is in a league by itself."
Even Hung's colleagues, who have disapproved of his overall kitchen etiquette since the beginning, extol the superb knife skills that have carried many of his dishes from above-average to spectacular.
"He should definitely win the show. He has the most consistent performances," Rebecca Harrington '11 said, referring to the Vietnamese specialist's win tally of four Quickfires and one Elimination Challenge. "He has the most talent and creativity. It's pretty clear he wants it the most."
While no one would question Hung's artistry -- a certain topographically complex "Smurf Village" dish comes to mind -- his major problem has really been defending the "heart" of his food, which interestingly enough is an issue with which gastro-chemist Marcel also grappled. A restrained, logical dish with on-point flavors is impressive, the judges say, but at risk of soullessness. At least in Hung's favor is his lack of dependence upon a single technique, a la Marcellian foams, as well as his status as the sole contestant to have won the same episode's Quickfire Challenge and Elimination Challenge.
But emerging as the main threat to Hung has been the beguiling Casey, who after a run-of-the-peppermill start has made a declarative push to the finale by capturing some fashion of a victory in three of the four weeks since Restaurant Wars. The winners of Seasons One and Two both won the first Elimination Challenge; but since Tre is now long gone, it must be noted that Casey was the first of the three remaining chefs to win the big one.
"Casey is a surprise in the rough because she's supposedly not classically trained," Kristin McGhee '09 said. "Yet she keeps winning."
Truth be told, Casey has won a whopping three Quickfires and three Elimination Challenges, a total that doubles the top performance of any woman of any season and ties the record set by last year's Sam Talbot. The most crucial of Casey's myriad wins occurred last week in the season's penultimate episode, while as others struggled to prepare something edible in the Aspen wilderness, Casey wowed guest judge Eric Ripert with a cleanly prepared trout filet. Her first Quickfire triumph in almost two months had great timing, as it made her the only finalist with access to the personal pantry brought from home.
"It's obvious that Top Chef's female contestants have never done as well as their male counterparts, which is truthfully reflected in the culinary industry," Emily Carian '11 said. "I'm happiest to see Casey in the finale." Ignoring her apparent inability to chop onions under duress, it is evident that Casey is the first female finalist with a believable chance to win it all.
Rounding out the golden three is this season's quirky dark horse, the cowboy-lovin' Dale Levitski, who will probably be crowned the fan favorite after admitting that Top Chef has inspired him to beat recent personal tragedies and rediscover his love for food. Winner of one Elimination Challenge and two Quickfires, Dale is comparatively the least impressive chef heading into the championship round. It seems like, as Harrington noted, that "at least half of his success comes from luck." But like last year's Ilan, Dale has almost never appeared on the chopping block. Also the only finalist in his 30s Dale appears far more resourceful under pressure than Hung or Casey -- last week he abandoned two failing plans en route to a surprising victory. His greatest strength may be, as McGhee said, that "he knows when to pull out all the stops."
"I'd really like Dale to win," Carian said. "I think that he has the most spirit despite his seemingly lacking culinary point of view." After all, it must mean something that so many of the ousted chefs said he was among the contestants to beat in their exit videos.
There is a strange sense of full-circleness, even an enjoyable predictability, that is gained from the recurring elements constituting the Top Chef finalists from season to season. The recipe for a contestant's success -- book knowledge, great instincts and a bit of good fortune -- will never change.
