I am so miffed at their decision!

All in all, Dale took far more of a chance on his menu. Although they didn't care for his lobster dish, Hung himself admitted that he played it safe with the chocolate cake.

Casey rocks! She's so down to earth, and deserves to win this.

By the way - Did Hung do a little "homage to Marcel" with that coconut foam? Seemed like Marcel was happier than anybody when the decision was announced. Or maybe, villains just tend to root for eachother.

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Thanks for that info. I had no idea why the reveal was done in Chicago, especially since it is Dale's hometown, until you shared this. At first, I thought it was Top Chef: Flyer Talk style, with stops in Miami, Newark, New York City, Aspen and Chicago. I wonder why Bravo didn't clarify this, seeing as it would have been a natural promotion for their next season.

I had exactly the same thought--and then I rolled my eyes.

I didn't really get that impression, rather that it was a very tough call.

According the the results of the text message poll they do during the ads, the audience was about 60% for Casey, about 22% for Dale, and about 18% for Hung. Why would the producers try to influence the judges to pick the audience's least favorite finalist?

Um, no. If anything you have it reversed. Hung was the one that got the Michelin 3 Star compliment. He was the one who had 4 edible dishes. Recall that Dale's lobster dish was piss poor.

Not sure I agree with that logic either. Both of them had two of the best dishes in the four rounds. Dale had one dish the judges just didn't like. The worst of Hung's dishes may have been "meh," but mediocre beats downright bad any day.

edit: I watched the show with half an eye while working last night, and I'm watching it again now. I think I was too harsh on Dale regarding credit for CJ.

Apparently she didn't. She didn't even think so. I have to give her props though for giving Howie the credit he was due for his dish. I don't think Dale did that with properly with CJ, though he certainly wasn't nearly as bad as Tiffani taking credit for Dave's desserts.

Ok, here's another discussion point. Which season of the three, has the best collection of cooking talent?

Going into the final couple of episodes of season 3, I didn't think they were nearly as good as the prior two - but the last couple of contestants and their dishes really elevated my overall feeling on season 3.

My vote would be for season 2 (even though they didn't win the 1 vs. 2 challenge).

That's a tough call as far as 2 vs. 3. I certainly agree on season 1 probably being the weakest group overall of the three. Season 2, the main reservation I have was from the finale when Sam picked to work with Marcel, saying he could actually learn something, whereas he knew Ilan would just do more Spanish dishes. The fact that the winner of season two is apparently so one-dimensional is a bit of a drop down for them in my book.

I think Ilan's weaknesses were shown in the 1 vs. 2 challenge when he cooked duck - it was noted that duck isn't big in spanish cuisine and his end product showed his lack of ability outside of his comfort cuisine.

I'm a huge spanish food fan though, so it's tough for me to nitpick.

My comment was based on the judges agreeing that Dale's lamb was equal to Hung's duck. Dale was also given credit for his lobster dish being much more ambitious than the chocolate cake. Of course, I wouldn't mind being able to taste all of those dishes to check the accuracy of the judges' opinions! :)

grrrrrrrrrrrr - stupid judges. Hung just grated on my nerves since Day one of this season. I throught that Dale should win (since it was obvious that Casey was 'out of it'). Hung just had major attitude through the whole season and was irritating imo.

I'm just disappointed. And is it just me, or does Tom C seem to have grown some "attitude" as well since Season 1? I don't remember him mentoring at all this season; just basically putting people down.

I LOVED the guest sous chefs - that was very cool and a nice surprise!

Comments from the judges are pared down from very lengthy discussions (according to Tom's blog on more than one occassion) into soundbites meant to keep you wondering who they're going to pick at the last minute. If any production influence is involved.. it's in what the soundbites are, not in who got picked.

I found Hung annoying too, but in more of a "completely oblivious to anyone but myself" way as opposed Marcel and Tiffany, who seemed to go out of their way to antagonize their opponents, which ended up being a major contributor their downfall.

I have to agree with "meh" cake over inedible lobster and no dessert.

FWIW, I hope CJ wins fan favorite.