My Comment: Who won? No really, have you EVER seen a more confusing season finale? If you have read the judges blogs (I am not encouraging you to do so, unless you have about an hour of free time to spend on being unproductive), but there appears to be some 'Surprise' conclusions as to who wanted whom to win.Now then, it appears the determined winner was contestant Chef, Michael Voltaggio - according to you - the "Completely unlikeable of the two bland Voltaggio brothers", who appeared on the show. Quite frankly, I would have preferred Kevin (aka Yukon Cornelius), for the win.
Moreover, 'unlikeable/bland' is an astute commentary on your part, as I could not agree more and also personally found the entire season 'bland' and filled with unlikeable and generally irrelevant characters.
For some reason, Top Chef has become literally a characture of itself - a disturbing version of 'Jumping the Shark'. I have analyzed the show with you and continue to be slightly puzzled as to why the gloss is beginning to rapidly fade.
Is it the contestants (Now appearing more like characters in a reality show, more than professional Chefs), or could it be the judges (Padma appears to be trying at great lengths to carry the show, while Tom appears to minimizing his appearances in the show), or is the incessant "Apprentice-like" product placement, "Your reward/prize is (Insert cookware, appliances, or Glad family of products here)".
Let's hope the Chefs can finally figure out how to make dessert by next season, before someone comes up with the idea for a Just Desserts show...oops, too late.
The Random Daily is an extension of Val St. John's News Blog, StJohnDaily.com. 
