It may not have been the most entertaining season, nor did I think it was the best culinary expose, but Top Chef has wrapped up another solid season. Along with many viewers, I breathed a sigh of relief last night when the winner was announced. Lisa came dangerously close to winning but to me that would not have been justified based on her past performance over the course of the season. She simply wasn't as consistent as Richard and Stephanie.

Alas, Richard's consistency failed him at the worst possible time. Fortunately, Stephanie delivered a solid, if not awe-inspiring, performance and claimed the title of first female Top Chef. This seemed to be the first season where the judges appeared to overtly consider past performance in making elimination decisions. There was no clear indication that it was a factor in the final challenge, but one must imagine that it could not be entirely disregarded given the closeness of the battle.

I, for one, am a huge proponent of factoring in past performance. In fact, I would be supportive of each week's challenge merely being one more factor to consider, rather than the overriding concern. Would it take away some of the weekly drama? I doubt it, particularly because you could still use the challenge to see who ends up on the chopping block. But I think the overall skill and execution of each chef should be factored in. Even the best chefs have off nights. And despite what the judges may say, some of the chefs are demonstrably better than others, even if Top Chef does a better job of assembling a quality cast than say Hell's Kitchen.

In any case, congratulations to Stephanie. A job well done. I look forward to another season of Top Chef next year.