"TopChefDc" news and stories

We've seen contenders come and go. We've shed tears for some (Tiffany, we thought you'd go so far!). We've endured others (specifically those of you who constantly mangle metaphors, Angelo). Some, we've been completely indifferent to -- maybe unfairly (sorry, Kevin). Perhaps most importantly, we (and Ed) survived The Quite Possibly Staged Great Pea Puree Heist.

It all came down to three, and we'd be lying if we said they all fit the usual Top Chef mold: Of Kevin, Ed and Angelo, only the latter had the requisite level of camera-ready overblown arrogance. Only Kevin had the now-patented Top Chef Anger Management Problem, and even then it was only rarely -- we got the feeling it was being played up more than anything.

Going into the finale, we were all for Ed: his unpretentious plating, his levels and levels of flavors, his at-times acrobatic techniques (stuffing a duck neck -- impressive!). It helped that he beat resident villain and intermittent frontrunner Angelo -- at his own game, Asian food, and twice! -- in the first part of the finale.

What good is Singapore if we don't get to experience it through Tiffany's awestruck eyes? That was the question we were asking ourselves when we sat down to watch the endurance test -- for the chefs, at least -- that is the Top Chef finale. We know we should be over our favorite cheftestant's elimination by now, but we weren't.

Instead of Tiffany's brilliantly skewed, down-to-earth worldview, we got Angelo's weird, "I'm Asian on the inside" commentary on, well, just about everything. From the moment he arrived, he acted like he owned the continent. Boasting about his wok skills, mocking Ed's aversion to black cockles, Angelo loudly announced his dominance early on -- which, of course, made him a prime target for being taken down, something Ed was more than willing to attempt (and rather successfully, at that).

We're winding down on Top Chef. With five contestants and still no clear front-runner, anyone could go home. The tension is high. The challenges are ever-more bizarre. Padma is wearing a weird tuxedo-jacket-and-men's-necktie combo. And the need to get the hell away from the stifling thematic confines of Washington, D.C., are more apparent than ever.

The second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin? NASA food scientists? Entrees meant to be freeze-dried and served in zero gravity? Really?

With just one elimination to go before a change of scenery, we were anxiously awaiting the announcement of the exotic locale. Apparently, we weren't the only ones.

Slashfood's exclusive exit interviews with the latest Top Chef contestant to get the boot. In an effort to prevent spoilers, we've included the text after the jump.