Spoilers below for anyone who hasn't yet watched the Top Chef Colorado finale.
It has been one heck of a season on Top Chef, which basically only had one villain (the blame-throwing Claudette) mixed in with a ton of extremely likable people, such as the two remaining finalists Adrienne Cheatham and Joe Flamm. There really wasn't a clear favorite going into tonight's finale, though Joe's Last Chance Kitchen dominance spoke to his skills under pressure. In any case, there could only be one winner after that fancified meal in this season's finale, and that winner was Joe Flamm. Congratulations!
As it usually goes, the Top Chef Colorado finale gave Adrienne and Joe a little time to take a load off and enjoy someone else cooking their food for once. (Well, I guess the final four all got to share a meal prepared by their family members, but it's a whole different ballgame when the esteemed Tom Colicchio and Graham Elliot are in the kitchen.) But, of course, fans didn't tune in just to watch the two remaining chefs go gaga over other people's food. We want to watch them sweat through preparing their own awe-inspiring dishes.
And thankfully, Adrienne and Joe were provided some assistance in order to put that whopper of a four-course meal together. Former contestants Fatima Ali and Joe Sasto joined Joe (Flamm)'s team as his super-talented sous chefs, while Chris Scott (Go Eagles!) and Carrie Baird were the amazing additions to Adrienne's side. It would have been worth watching an entire season of these two teams facing each other in different challenges. But, of course, only one chef could emerge the victor, and Joe Flamm did just that, having put together a jaw-dropping meal of Italian food, with his Tortellini En Brodo being such a standout that judge Gail Simmons actually called it "magical."
It was a wild season for both Adrienne and Joe. The former came close to going home in the first episode, and then went on to earn high marks for her fine dining skills, though she only ended up winning her first Elimination Challenge just two weeks ahead of the finale. Meanwhile, Joe had an early win with his Sticky Licky chicken wings, but was eliminated in Episode 9 over a Sudden Death Quickfire Challenge, only to reemerge a few weeks later as the overall winner. (At least after that first batch of LCK contestants had been burned through.)
While Top Chef Colorado may be wrapped up and finished, Bravo has already announced that Season 16 will take Padma, Tom and a new batch of contestants to Kentucky for what will assumedly be some whiskey-filled meals. While waiting to see what feasts will get created next season, head to our midseason premiere schedule for all the new and returning shows on the way.
