Fall TV Blog

Tom Colicchio has absolutely no regrets about naming Hosea Rosenberg winner on Wednesday’s Top Chef season finale, and now he has something to say to fuming fans.

“If I had to do it all over again, reading what I’m reading, I’d still say Hosea wins. He made a better meal,” he told PEOPLE exclusively, calling from New York on Thursday afternoon.

While some fans – including many PEOPLE.com readers – stewed over Rosenberg’s victory and emphasized Stefan Richter’s multiple wins and Carla Hall’s passion for food, Colicchio, who acts as the show’s head judge, stands by the judges’ decision.

“It’s fortunate for Hosea that he put together a better meal than Stefan,” Colicchio says. “Simple as that. We don’t care about personalities. We don’t care about who was making out. We simply care about who put together a better meal from start to finish.”

Plus, he adds, the judges only consider the output from that night’s challenge – never relying on past performances or outside factors.

“I come to Judges’ Table with an idea of who I think should win based on what the challenge was – not based on who I think the best chef is,” he says. (more…)

He sweat it out in New Orleans — and on Wednesday night Hosea Rosenberg, 35, was named Top Chef after beating finalists Carla and Stefan. His secret? Quiet confidence, says the Boulder, Colo.-based chef, who celebrated his win with a rooftop viewing party. “I didn’t get much sleep last night,” he says the next morning. Calling before he begins his official media tour, the Top Chef winner takes on his fierce competitors, explains what happened after his infamous kiss with Leah and tells us what he plans to do with his $100,000 prize. – Brian Orloff

Congratulations on winning. How hard was it for you to keep it a secret?
It wasn’t that hard actually. It was this cool secret and I wanted everyone to find out at the same time. I couldn’t let it get spilled. It sounds weird but it was easier to keep this secret than it was when I got back from New York and knew I was going to the finale. That was actually a harder secret to keep.

You didn’t seem rattled at all during the final challenge — even with the twist. How confident were you?
My attitude was just different in New Orleans. When we were in New York a lot of stuff happened, including the Leah incident. It really rattled me. For the last few weeks there, I really wasn’t feeling like myself — and it showed in my performance. I started out in the beginning of the show doing pretty well. [But then] I was just kind of flipping by. I felt like I barely got into the finale. I was the underdog going in there. But I had some time off and I got to re-collect myself. And for me, going into anything in life with a good attitude … you’ll perform better. I was just thrilled to be there at all. (more…)

He cooked steadily — and quietly — all season, and in Wednesday’s finale, Hosea Rosenberg, 35, bested fan favorite Carla Hall and uber-confident Stefan Richter to become Top Chef.

Cooking a three-course meal — plus a surprise appetizer — at New Orleans’s famed Commander’s Palace, the Boulder, Colo.-based chef came out ahead thanks to his final dish: venison served over wild mushrooms and carbonated blackberries.

“I’m kind of in shock right now,” Rosenberg said after claiming his title and its accompanying $100,000 prize. “I’m just so happy. It feels pretty damn cool.”

Aided by Top Chef finalists from seasons past, including Richard Blais (matched with Hosea), Marcel Vigneron (partnered with Stefan) and Casey Thompson (paired with Carla), the three chefs were, of course, thrown one last twist by head judge Tom Colicchio. They would have to serve an appetizer course utilizing indigenous ingredients: redfish, alligator and crab. (more…)

The end is near!

As Top Chef prepares to wrap its fifth season in New Orleans Wednesday night, three very distinct chefs are left: Finnish contestant Stefan, who’s consistently risen to each challenge and delivered winning food with a healthy dose of bravado each week; seafood aficionado Hosea, whose cooking skills were nearly overshadowed by the heat he and fellow contestant Leah cooked up outside the kitchen; and Carla, the quirky caterer from Washington, D.C., who has proven herself formidable competition with several come-from-behind wins.

So who you’re rooting for to cook up a victory on tonight’s finale? Vote below! –Brian Orloff

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He coined many of this season’s most quotable lines — “top scallop” and “monkey ass in an empty clam shell” — and cooked with his heart full of Italian bravado, but Wednesday night Fabio Viviani, 30, was dismissed from the competition just short of making it to the Top Chef finale. Calling from his California restaurant, the bon vivant opened up — in his very distinct words — about his non-alliance with fellow European Stefan and how his mother thinks he’s a Google star. –Brian Orloff

Personality-wise, you seemed to be this season’s breakout star. Do you crack yourself up?
I don’t because that’s myself. It’s like if you try to tell a joke with nobody’s in the room. At the end, even if it’s a fun joke, you’re not going to laugh. [But] I’m very personable. If you have the chance to meet me, we’re going to have a good time together. I work in the people business.

Did you have a favorite one-liner of the season? Maybe your “Top Scallop” comment?
I didn’t even remember that I said those things. But what I said,
and I really mean it, if I did need it, I [would] chop my finger off,
sear it on a flattop and deal with nine finger after that.

You’re talking about when you injured your hand. What happened exactly? (more…)

They took some time off to rest, study up on Creole cuisine and, in Fabio’s case, grow a mohawk. Then the remaining four chefs — Stefan, Carla, Fabio and Hosea — packed up their knives and headed down to New Orleans recharged and ready for the semifinals.

After arriving in the Big Easy — and, if you’re Carla, interpretive dancing through the airport — the competitors were shuttled to a plantation outside of the city where they were met by local luminary Emeril Lagasse, who dished out their Quickfire Challenge. In a twist, the final four learned they would not be cooking in the challenge — and that they might not be the final four exactly.

Then walked out Leah, Jamie and Jeff, three chefs whom Tom Colicchio explained had been strong competitors and would be given a second stab at the competition in the spirit of “rebirth.” Faced with crawfish, the three had to serve up an authentic dish in little time.

As they cooked, the original final four watched and stewed. “These guys got kicked out, all of them. Now they’re going to be part of the finale again,” Fabio said. “Give me a break. Please!”

But Stefan wasn’t daunted. “There’s no way I’m walking away a loser,” he said. (more…)

Love her or hate her, New Yorker Leah Cohen nearly made it to the semifinals of Top Chef. But she was cut on Wednesday after a runny egg dish failed to impress a who’s who of famous chefs. Apart from her food, the chef also cooked up one of the season’s most memorable — and scandalous moments — when she shared a kiss with fellow contestant Hosea, even though both chefs were dating other people at the time. Calling from New York, Cohen, 26, talks about the fallout from the kiss, explains why she was “done” with the show long before her ouster and tackles our five burning questions. – Brian Orloff

Everybody is wondering, what’s your relationship with Hosea like now?
We’re really good friends. He’s my boy. I love him like a friend. Just straight off the bat we just gravitated together, and it was one night where we kissed. We were drunk and we kissed. It just happened. Of course, I wouldn’t have cheated on my boyfriend on national television, which was probably the most f—-d up thing I did on the show. I can’t take that back. I’ll take full responsibility for my actions.

Do you regret what happened at all?
I definitely regret cheating on [my boyfriend] on national television. He’s not my boyfriend anymore because of what happened on the show and other things. Do I regret kissing Hosea? Um, yes — but no at the same time. I don’t know. It’s weird. Whatever it is, I did [it]. So, there’s nothing I can do to change it.

You’ve been in the bottom on several occasions. Did you ever feel that you were going to be going home earlier than you did? (more…)

With the semifinals around the corner, the remaining five chefs–Carla, Hosea, Leah, Stefan and Fabio — had one last meal to cook in New York. And the taste testers judging their food would be a daunting team of culinary stars.

First up, the chefs had to get through the requisite Quickfire challenge, which was presided over by Wylie Dufresne whose very presence conjures up two words for foodies: molecular gastronomy. Known for his experimental technique (often involving chemically altering ingredients), the star chef told the cheftestants to blow him away with a creative egg dish.

While Stefan busied himself with innovation, creating traditional eggs benedict paired with panna cotta-filled mango puree that cleverly mimicked an egg yolk, other chefs (yes, that would be Carla) fretted about manipulating the properties of food. Her tactic? To use her wit! The chef — who revealed she was a former model (!) — drew inspiration from Dr. Seuss, delivering a breakfast of green eggs and ham that impressed Dufresne enough to nab her a win. The chef praised her for her sense of humor and, interestingly, for her simplistic approach.
(more…)

After judging the cheftestants at his restaurant Le Bernardin on last week’s episode of Top Chef, Eric Ripert has a good sense of who he thinks might come out on top this season. Calling from his restaurant in New York in between work on his upcoming PBS show Avec Eric (which premieres in September), the good-natured master chef told us why Jamie deserved to go home, weighed in the American vs. European chef rivalries and picked his Top Chef winner. –Brian Orloff

Tell us about your new show.
It’s [about] traveling for inspiration — visiting people who are doing interesting things. Sometimes it’s farmers. Sometimes it’s restaurants. We shot in Italy and California. We’re shooting in New York. Then, the last segment of the show will be cooking.

Speaking of shows, you judged last week’s Top Chef. Which contestants do you think have what it takes to win?
I thought Stefan was by far the strongest. He’s the one who really makes a difference, and he won the challenge easily. He has the technique; he has the sensitivity; he has a good palate and a good knowledge and good professional experience. To me, it makes a very big difference.

Is he your pick to win? (more…)

She was outspoken and talented –- and seemed destined to make it to the finale, but a too-salty dish sent San Francisco’s Jamie Lauren packing on Wednesday’s Top Chef. While the elimination may have surprised viewers, the chef seemed to know it was her time. Calling from her Bay-area home, Lauren dished about Stefan’s crush on her (yes, he was for real!), her brassy personality and tackled our five burning questions. -– Brian Orloff

You and Stefan had a fantastic dynamic. Did he really have a crush on you?
Stefan definitely had a real crush on me. Stefan admires talent and I think [he] realized I was the other person there who was on the same level as him. He used to say that to me a lot. And he was convinced that I was going to be in the finale — [that] it was going to be he and I going up against each other. He was probably more bummed that I got sent home than I was because I think he really liked working with me.

So, his “crush” wasn’t of a romantic nature?
There was no romantic anything. That was just nonsense. In all reality, I’m queer. I would never go out with Stefan. That was never going to happen.

You also got some attention from Fabio when he made a joke about how many scallops you used in the competition. What did you think of his “Top Scallop” crack? (more…)