Top Chef's First Female Winner Stephanie Izard Takes Top Honors

Another season of "Top Chef" has come to an exciting conclusion with Stephanie named "Top Chef," the first female to win this title. I was as thrilled to see Stephanie win as I was sad to see Antonia forced to "pack her knives and go" last week. Antonia was my favorite of the season. She really seemed to know what she was doing, got along well with everyone, and really did some creative cooking.

Stephanie was a close second for me, though. She really rocked in "Restaurant Wars" and "Wedding Wars" with colleagues Antonia and Richard. That should have been a sign for the judges to keep Antonia in the final three and send Lisa packing, but then, I didn't get to taste the food. Even a tiny mistake was enough to be eliminated and it cost Antonia big time.

The "Restaurant Wars" was a great episode, and I believe the first successful restaurant venture on any of the seasons. Stephanie was a great front person and offered tasty dishes as well. Probably the overwhelming key to their success was the ability of the team to work together. This is the biggest downfall for competitors of all these competition shows. When will the contestants learn to check their egos at the door? I'll admit that it's difficult pleasing the judges, though. It's either, "Why can't you get along?" or "You need to assert yourself as a chef (designer, stylist)."

Lisa, on the other hand, couldn't seem to get along with anybody. Every show has its contestant you love to hate, and Lisa definitely walked right into this role, especially toward the end. Yet, these "bullies" create the drama on the shows and I'm sure the producers love them for the interest they stir up.

Stephanie's less-than-impressive dessert on the final show was worrisome. The judges loved Lisa's fruit dish and Richard's banana scallops (seen for at least the second time) was at least passable. However, Stephanie's perfect snapper, delicious quail, and fruity lamb dish assured her win.

Yes, sometimes nice guys finish first, and Stephanie was certainly pleasant compared to potty mouth, egotistical Lisa. Lisa kept it interesting, I must admit. When she got to stay and Antonia was kicked off, Bravo's message boards nearly had a melt down. Stephanie, on the other hand, got along, proved herself a team player, didn't have a massive ego, and kept negative comments to a minimum.

Perhaps the key ingredient to Stephanie's win was her ability to continue surprising the chefs, as Padma said about her lamb dish. The chefs really want to know who has what it takes to be inventive, not just today, but into the future.

The toughest thing about judging the contestants on "Top Chef" is that we can't evaluate their food. It might look pretty, but we don't get to eat it. And just because someone is a jerk, doesn't mean they aren't a great chef. Ever seen "Hell's Kitchen"? Wow, Gordon Ramsey is crazy!

That's why I can't wait for the next season of "Project Runway." Bring on the designers!