Spoiler alert! This story discusses the finale of Top Chef: Wisconsin. Those who haven’t seen it can stream the season with a Peacock subscription.
Top Chef has crowned its 21st winner. Brooklyn chef Danny Garcia cashed in on the $250,000 prize in the end by out-cooking the hometown hero Dan Jacobs as well as North Carolina’s Savannah Miller. However, fans of the show weren’t exactly satisfied with how it all went down, as many thought the edit led viewers to believe that Jacobs was the more deserving cheftestant. This season’s new host Kristen Kish has spoken out about her first time behind the finale curtain, and I have to say, it’s reassuring to hear what she had to say about their process.
Top Chef: Wisconsin didn’t see any huge reality TV scandals the likes of Season 7’s missing pea purée, but many fans (myself included) were left a little puzzled when Danny Garcia was announced the winner over Dan Jacobs. However, Kristen Kish didn’t seem to think there was any cause for alarm, as she told the Daily Beast the judges were all in agreement about the New York carrot whisperer. Kish said:
Obviously, this is my first time sitting on that side of the table being part of it, but I didn’t find it to be long or drawn out. We were all unanimously in agreement on our winner. I don’t remember having any major points of contention, or disagreements, or different points of views of who we thought was better or not.
I’m actually reassured by the host’s comment, because while I don’t particularly like being misled by editors, I’d almost prefer that to Top Chef handing over $250,000 to a less-deserving contestant. I also trust that as a former contestant herself, Kristen Kish would have no problem speaking out if she thought the judging was handled unfairly.
Personally, I thought the competition was tilting in Dan Jacobs' favor during the tasting, but after hearing what Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons said after, it seemed more like Danny Garcia might pull out the win. Apparently it might not have been quite as close as the show made it seem. The host continued:
Ultimately, at the end of the day, Danny just out-cooked his competitors, and he did so in such a way that told a story and technique and balance and a true progression of a beautiful, beautiful meal. That’s not to say there aren’t high points and low points, we’re very honest. You know, Savannah’s pasta dish was technically flawed.
Past seasons have seen some pretty contentious finales, with the judges deliberating into the early morning hours to settle on a choice. On Season 21, however, the judgets apparently came to a consensus relatively easily, according to both Kristen Kish and Tom Colicchio, the latter of whom has been hitting the comment section this season to clarify some of the show’s rules. He did so again to address the controversial finale, agreeing with Kish that anyone who heard their unedited 90-minute conversation knew that Danny Garcia was the clear winner.
Wanting the edit to reflect how events actually go down is a pretty big ask on reality TV, if we're being honest, and Top Chef is not the worst offender when it comes to misleading viewers. Hopefully, however, there won’t be any more finale surprises in future seasons.
Stay tuned to our 2024 TV schedule to see what premieres are coming soon, and in the meantime, past seasons of the Bravo show that makes me hungry just thinking about it are available on Peacock, which is one of the best streaming services to subscribe to.
