Wednesday nights during Top Chef season are a family affair here at Chez Monkee. First I got my 10 year old son addicted (he's now 13 and owns an official Top Chef tee which I make him share); then my daughter, Mini-Me, got into the act and now it's a snuggly threesome on the loveseat as the kettle whistles, flames shoot up and our weekly fix of cooking-vicariously-through-others begins. Our favorite thing to do during the intro is, as each chef mugs for the camera, to recite either GONE or STAY whichever is appropriate. It's a lot of fun when it gets to the last coupla episodes because we're chanting 'GONE..GONE... GONE....GONE' with less than a handful of STAY's thrown in.

We rooted for Harold in Season 1. Have eaten at his NYC restaurant, Perilla. Loved it when Dave & Stephen showed up incredibly hungover to be Tiffani's sous chefs. Didn't matter, the right chef won.

Season 2- I gotta say I liked Marcel a lot more than most TC fans but knew he was too young to take it although he really banged it out in the finale. Still, I would've been a lot happier to see Sam or Elia in the top spot versus Ilan who seemed more of a one trick pony (spanish mustang specifically).

From the minute they started the first Season 3 quick fire which forced the 'cheftestants' (that's a bravo term, not mine) to assemble amuse bouche from the leftover pickins' of their welcome buffet, I knew which chef hung the moon and it was .... Hung. There was just no way anybody else was gonna touch him that year. Well done, sir.

So here we are at the end of Season Four... Richard, Stephanie and... Lisa??? WTF?? I'm sorry, remind me again how many Quick Fire challenges she's won? Oh, NONE??? And how many elimination challenges, ONE? And was that part of a team? And HOW MANY times have we seen her standing with the dregs of a challenge at judge's table with her chin all pulled back, bulging eyes half-mast , nose and face in a classic 'who farted' scrunch. I wish she was Bri'ish because I can just hear that face saying 'oh, you fu'in wanker. wot, dint like ma fu'in beans, you wankin' wanker'. I'm sorry, I'm a little bitter, as is friend Clai who should be chiming in tonight with some entertaining and informative comments. (Just remember girlfriend, you get to be Padma in our next life but only if I get your hand-me-downs)

I've had a hard time bonding with anybody this year. The dark horses came out late. I really liked Dale who should've made it farther and then, last week, the ax comes down on Antonia? My Antonia? For PIDGEON PEAS???? Clai and I had to regroup quick but in case you haven't gathered, we'll be rooting for the chefs with more than 4 letters in their name.

And goshdarnit, I would like to see a female Top Chef for once. But Stephanie's going to have to cook her butt off to blaze past Richard.

23 minutes and counting... can't wait to see what Padma is weaing.