Top Chef, Season 3.... Can't believe it's already over.

Hung, Dale and Casey. What a battle to the finish line. Well, sort of. After the early favorite Trey fell victim to fluky circumstances and got knocked out early, Hung remained consistent throughout the season. Casey slowly shed her image as the token hottie and asserted herself into the mix more and more as the season wore on. By the final five or six, it became apparent that it would come down to a Hung v. Casey battle right down to the wire. Also, lurking in the background as a strong dark horse was our coiffure-challenged, Sarah-Nguyen's-best-gay-friend Dale. To me, he showed the most raw passion and fortitude among all contestants, except for maybe Hung. All in all, i think the judges got it right this season. My only notable objections were the untimely departure of Trey and the belated nixing of Sara the "Cheesemaker." Gawd, has there ever been a more annoying contestant on Top Chef? As for the final showdown, i was a bit disappointed that Casey couldn't quite put it all together, but in the end, the big bucks went to the most deserving dude. This season also had its share of entertaining side stories: the Joy & Howie love fest, the thinly veiled character development of Casey as the attractive, soulful and likeable girl-next-door (when in fact she could get as downright nasty as anyone), the belated attempts by Hung to please the masses with his newly found humility, etc. etc.... I could go on and on. In the end, another highly entertaining season of the best show on TV. Can't wait for Season 4. Oh, by the way, you should check out blog entries by Anthony Bourdain, er, the "guy with the most enviable job on TV", on Top Chef. http://www.bravotv.com/blog/anthonybourdain