Top Chef Chicago: the Final 9

Chef Tom and Host Padma with judges Ted & Gail (and a host of guest judges) have reduced the field of Top Chef Chicago contenders from 16 to 9. As we hit the halfway point of the season, time to evaluate the remaining chefs to see who has the potential to be in the Final Four and ultimately, "Top Chef."

The Favorite

Richard - If you polled the other Chefs as to who the favorite is I would think Richard's name would come up the most often. He is consistently reinventing dishes such as the Improv episode when he created a tofu dish that tasted like steak. Finally, a tofu dish I could eat. Not only does he bring the outside the box ideas, but he has shown an ability to "regular" stuff as well such as his burgers during the tailgating episode. His biggest risk is going too far as the judges did not care for his poached salmon in during the Elements episode - especially when several pieces turned up with scales. Another mistake like that and sayonara Richard.

The Contenders

If Richard is eliminated - the race for Top Chef would be wide open. The three main contenders have shown an ability to redefine food, make solid flavors and think outside the box.

Andrew - His food has been consistently well-received in terms texture, seasoning and taste. Somewhat under the radar, and known more for crazy fun-loving attitude, he's been a solid performer.

Dale - Has grown more comfortable as the season has moved along and has demonstrated a strong ability with spices and sauces. Seems to struggle if he's partnered with a Chef he doesn't have confidence in, so he may need to overcome that or be at risk for a premature departure.

Lisa - Her personality may not make her very popular with the other Chef's, but can cook. She reinvented bacon during the elements episode and has consistently delivered top-notch food. Potential weakness is a stubbornness to do things her way which almost cost her in the Improv special with Polish Sausage made of fish?

The Pretenders

Stephanie - Had a couple of early Elimination Challenge wins, but has slowed a bit in the last few episodes. She's going to have to regain some of that early touch if she wants to find herself in the Final Four and with a chance for the title.

Mark - His performance has been all over the map. He's had some highs including his Christmas Story dish with Ryan in Film Food and some lows with a dirty tailgating performance and a poor reinvention of Duck L'orange. If can harness some more "A" dishes over the last half of the season, he could be a surprise finalist.

The Long Shots

Fans of eliminated chefs probably point to these chefs when saying, "My Chef should still be there." These chefs are going to have to really turn up their game in order to advance. They've been getting by mostly in the middle of the pack.

Antonia - No home-run dishes yet and she's been in the bottom groups in 4 of the 7 episodes (Zoo, Film, Elements and Improv). Granted, she won the "Best palate" Quickfire Challenge but that only proves she can eat and rate food - what I'd like to see is her cook it.

Nikki - Aside from the tailgating episode (when she ran out of food for the judges) she's been middle of the pack for the entire season. She's shown an ability to make homemade pasta, but are yet to see her stand out with seasoning or sauces of her own.

Spike - Bounced back from having been on the chopping block in some of the earlier episodes. Not sure there has ever been a contestant as obsessed with soup. Still haven't seen him make a complete dish as his successful dishes have been starters or appetizers.

The Should Probably Still Be There

Jen - She got the boot for some phallic bread that apparently didn't taste very good and hindered the rest of the dish. While she'd likely have been a contender had she stuck around, she is the perfect illustration of how a minor detail can be the reason for elimination. I would like to have seen what other creative dishes she could come up with. Though, I will not miss her harping on the elimination of her partner Zoi, which despite her (obviously biased) opinion, I felt was the right decision by the judges.