[dankhank]

i don't think hung is nearly mature enough to win top chef. his chances went to near zero percent when he nearly broke down crying trying to explain his difficulties with joey during the frozen pasta challenge. leadership qualities clearly become more important than technical cooking chops in the finals, for these judges. just look at last season.

howie and sara are both due to be eliminated any episode now.

i can't figure out how good a chef brian is yet. he takes risks and (iirc) has had some standout dishes. he might really shine in the late challenges when the chefs can do their own thing and use awesome ingredients.

tre and casey seem all around solid and are probably co-favorites right now. dale and cj both seem more talented than either of them but are more prone to screwups or personality flaws (cj). i find it very hard to predict the winner of this season.