My portion was cold, salty, under cooked, and very traditional. Whhaaa.

Sure the program is highly edited, but did Richard deserve to win? In my opinion, NO. To me it appeared he cheated by having one of chefs on his team spy on the judges. Thereby trying to correct any mistakes for the second set of judges. By awarding Richard the big prize, TOP CHEF said it was okay to cheat.

Remember, this program is highly edited. I'm sure they planned the good guy/bad guy routine to keep viewers watching. My guess is Mike isn't the bad guy, just as Richard isn't the good guy. They're both talented chefs and regardless of who won, they will both succeed in the restaurant business.

It was so clear that they wanted Richard to win. He's an amazing chef and a good, fair, helpful, smart guy, but they saved him at times when he made mistakes that other made that got them sent home. case in point - Carla got sent home for a great dish but the pork wasn't all the way cooked, two weeks later Richard makes a great dish (although they liked Mikes better) but Richard's lobster wasn't cooked on some of the judges plates BUT he was still saved. This happened way too many times. I don't like Mike (he's kinda smarmy and sketchy) but he shoulda won. JMHO

Maybe Richard can afford a hair style now with the money he won.

Bravo to Richard for winning...his menu choices were well presented and prepared. He went outside the box and delegated tasks well in the kitchen. Mike was an obnoxious bully in an apron all season. I had to gasp in disbelief when he commented that he felt bad for Antonia leaving...he was so full of himself when he "outplayed" her at every turn and went out of his way to be as annoying as possible to her. This was more of a game to Mike, to see who he could rattle the most rather than a cooking competition...in the end the chef with the most talent won and for that I'm grateful. Let this be the end of seeing Mike Isabella on Top Chef ever again!

BTW, did anyone else notice how happy Antonia was for Richard? Considering: 1) how devastated she was to have recently been told to "pack her knives and go", and 2) that she actually might be distantly related to Mike Isabella (and therefore might root for him), in the end, she still ecstatic (she was holding off tears!) to see Richard win. THAT alone says alot.

Reasons Richard was the clear winner of Top Chef:
1) Most creative of two.
2) took on a more challenging menu last night (and previous challenges as well) and did it outstandingly well.
3) quickly improved upon the only weak item on his menu (the foi gras ice cream) when he LISTENED to the critique (you could see the difference in critique of this plate from the first set of judges to the next).
4) Was a team player from the beginning of the season, and helpful to other contestants.
5) Never had to resort to "stealing" others ideas (ahem, like Mike Isabella had done) to win a challenge.
6) Was his own worst critique (you all out there calling him "whiney" can't see the forest for the trees!), because he always felt he could improve upon something - sign of a true artist in any field.
AND FINALLY,
7) Because Mike Isabella didn't deserve to win - he was just there to keep pissing the viewers off and bring attention to the show.

kbrownmaha - I couldn't have said it better myself! I totally agree that Richard should have won. The fact that Mike ripped off Richard's recipe and won a quick fire challenge because of it, demonstrates what an unethical, immoral person he is. He should have acknowledged that to the judges, and offered Richard half the cash. Maybe then I would have forgiven his lack of integrity.

Mike is so arrogant, and it was obvious he thought he was going to win. In fact, I couldn't help but notice the expression on his face when Richard was announced Top Chef. I found him to be obnoxious, and his annoying laugh drove me to constantly MUTE him.

Bravo to Richard!!! Class won out!!

When it came down to choosing between Mike and Richard as the winner of Top Chef I was glad it was Richard who won. Richard is an innovative, edgy chef who is not afraid to take risks. He is always a selfless team player, always willing to lend a hand to his fellow chefs even while competing against them. Richard’s self-confidence may have been rattled at times, but he confronted his lack of confidence with a true sense of character and integrity.

Mike, on the other hand—where do I begin? Although he has come a long, long, long way since his initial season on Top Chef, the fact remains that Mike is whiney, antagonistic, narcissistic and was only a team player when the voted-off chefs returned to help HIM compete in the final round for Top Chef. THEN and only then, he was all about being a team player. It was just par for Mike’s course. That being said, I might have been able to overlook all of Mike’s character defects if he hadn’t blatantly STOLE Richard’s concept of a recipe and prepared the recipe in a Quick-Fire challenge as if he conceived the entire recipe on his own merit. Mike won that Quick-Fire challenge and the ensuing prize of $10K by FRAUD. How can anyone feel good about a blatantly fraudulent win? Mike may have won—but he had to CHEAT to do so. Mike CHOSE to take the low-road in that Quick Fire challenge. Mike is a thief, clearly lacking in professionalism and integrity. He may have won that Quick Fire challenge but he is forever a fraudulent LOSER in my cookbook of life. If this is how Mike CHOOSES to behave in front of millions on camera, I’d hate to image how he chooses to conduct himself off-camera. Shame, shame, shame and karma at its best.