With the qualifying rounds in the rearview mirror, "Top Chef Masters" moved on to the highly anticipated championship round featuring six amazing chefs: Rick Bayless, Hubert Keller, Anita Lo, Michael Chiarello, Suzanne Tracht, and Art Smith. To no one's surprise, Wednesday night's episode was a lot of fun to watch.

But I do have one bone to pick with the "TCM" format: the star-based scoring system. I was under the impression that "TCM" was going back to the traditional "Top Chef" episode style, where the judges make a final decision based on the chefs' performances in the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges.

Instead, the show goes with the cop-out method of assigning stars to what the contestants are doing. And it's not just the judges who are voting on the dishes; in every episode of "TCM," there's a portion of the show where diners give star ratings. I think what this does is essentially lessen the blow to the chefs' egos when it's elimination time. Instead of the judges simply cutting them down for their failures, it becomes a case of, "Well, people just weren't a fan of what you did this week."

On some level, I can see why "TCM" went with this method of easing the blow, but it takes away from the true "Top Chef" drama and brutal truth telling that it's known for. Maybe the star system was one of the critical elements "TCM" came up with to lure incredible chefs on to the show without fear of being completely humiliated.

I'm holding out hope that "TCM" will revert to the traditional judging in the finale. If not, don't be surprised when the winner is determined by a mere half-star. That way, everyone looks good and egos remain intact.

GOODBYE, SUZANNE!

I hate to be petty, but it was nice to see Suzanne Tracht pack up her knives and leave the kitchen. We should've seen it coming, though, especially when she was in the bottom two with Art Smith - a clear mismatch if I've ever seen one.

Despite making a disgusting-looking (and undercooked) ball of diced lamb with a whole egg inside, Art was spared. That goes to show exactly how unappealing it was for Suzanne to be around. In another unofficial competition that keeps track of how many words each person says per episode, Art beat Suzanne with a score of 8,862 to 12.

Not to keep harping on the same thing, but it was a mistake in the first place to keep her over the three other chefs from her group in the qualifying round.

In summary...

I told you so.


Story by Phil McRae

Starpulse contributing writer

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