Mikey, Mikey, Mikey -- we've been poking fun at this guy, mostly because we like him. He's a goof. Reminds us of some of our college buddies. Forgets his eggs in a breakfast challenge. Is overly thrilled at his sloppy, greezy steak sandwhich in the firehouse challenge. Enjoys throwing out somewhat tired concepts like a twice-baked potato (during the "Thanksgiving innovation" challenge, no less) and surf & turf appetizers. And who can forget the snicker/cheeto lollipop? ...

Ha ha -- so, there was a week hiatus of Bravo's Top Chef -- a perfect chance for your correspondent to get ahead of the game and start writing these reviews shortly after the episode. Alas, we didn't take that chance. So, here's the deal as always: we're talking about last week's episode to psych you up for tonight's. And, wow, last week's ep. was pretty fun! First comment: how is it we've avoided talking about Padma's strange outfits heretofore? Cuz, dude, she's really smokin', obviously, but I think the ladies from Gofugyourself are missing out on a potential Fort Knox of comedy if they aren't taking advatage already....

Oy, gee. We're sick today. We feel like grade-A crapola, and it may color our review of the last episode of Top Chef just a tad. Not to mention that we're about 10 lbs. heavier than when we watched this episode last Wednesday on Bravo, which is making us even more pissy. This episode was a 'very special Thanksgiving' episode. And it was pretty special--Tony Bourdain, the well-known chef and world-traveler, was the guest judge, and yes, we love his bad-boy image, his wry personality, and he writes a hell of a good fictional book along with his spectacular non-fiction. Sorry if we're judging this man on his image, folks, along with his writing and cooking pedigree. Oh, P.S. -- he's had some swell adventures recently with our own Mary Ladd/Jalepeno Girl, which you should check out here and here....

Is the sheen off the apple, or was this crappy episode just a one-time thing? Gosh, we hope it's just the latter, because we'd like for this to remain our favorite show. Why were we displeased this show? Guest judge Ming Tsai was kind of a schmuck.Marcel, who we hoped to continue loving to hate, seemed to take a pill. Oh, and the ridiculous "steal the crate of fruit" melodrama? Handled poorly by everyone....

Hey, folks -- Top Chef season one is over, but that doesn't mean there's not something delicious about it in the news to help us bide our time until season 2 begins (thankfully, again here in San Francisco, according to reports). First things first: according to TV blogger Televisionary, Katie Lee Joel has been given a pink slip; presumably, this means the guy or gal paid to bring her to life is losing his/her......

So last night the best reality show on television came to an end for this season. It was down to the final two -- perhaps there was a little controversy, perhaps one of the other contestants should have been there in some viewers' minds -- but on this program, the final two gave it their all in a stunning performance so see who would go home with the prize. Cripes -- what are we supposed to do until next season?...

This past Wednesday we were treated to part one of the two-part Top Chef finale, which takes place in Las Vegas. While much of our interest in the show had to do with its local, er, location, we're far too invested to back out just because the final is on a bigger, gaudier stage. ...

Ahhh parrots, lambs, and pepper monkeys -- welcome back to our review of the Top Chef animal farm. Another Top Chef episode in the can; the season will be over shortly, so watch it while you can. Although, as we told you last week, that the show's been picked up for another season, this is the last chance for this cast of characters (and this is the last chance to see the epitome of evil amongst food-based game show contestants. Sadly, there won't be much regarding our fair San Francisco in the next few episodes: tonight's episode is a reunion (and presumably something of a clip show), and the finals are in Las Vegas....

Oh, man, we're coming down to it--Bravo's Top Chef just keeps getting better and better. Watch this San Francisco-based series tonight at 10 p.m. before it's too late! Someone is walking away from this competition with a bunch of stuff, including money and a spread in Food & Wine. As usual, we're reminding you what happened last week to hype you up for tonight's episode. ...