The Columnist Manifesto

The Top Chef finale aired last week.

1. I ended up liking it as much as Project Runway. Message to my three-legged friend: the episode you watched with me was regarded by all Top Chef regular viewers as the worst one. Really.

2. Dave, who got all word on Tiffani with his line "I'm not your bitch, bitch," is himself a total bitch. He's a whiner, a self-centered drama queen, and has a big ol' mean streak. And despite the way the show was edited to make him look like a mensch, I think he lacked integrity in the last episode -- showing up drunk to sou-chef for Tiffani, trying to claim credit for her dessert, etc. He makes a big deal about how unfair it is that his great T-shirt line will be licensed by others, but is it even remotely possible that "I'm not your bitch, bitch" is original with him?

3. Tom Colicchio's blog post for the final episode provided really interesting back story that reminds us how the 1-hour edit can reshape or distort the reality. For instance, the show made it look like Tiffani was overbearing when she insisted Dave get his wine glass off the cooking line, and a liar when she claimed credit for "his" dessert. But in fact, according to Tom, the wine glass was a major health code violation and a hanging offense in professional kitchens; and it was Dave who was overclaiming. I came away from that blog post persuaded that Tom is a mensch and that the judging was legit and not rigged by the producers.

4. Nevertheless, last word to Althouse: "At one point, somebody said that in the end of the day it is not a popularity contest. But, in the end of the day, it was."