Chris Hanmer can sum up his Top Chef: Just Desserts win in one word: unbelievable. "It feels unbelievable to just not have to bite your tongue and hold it in any longer," he tells TVGuide.com. "I can finally talk about it! It's just unbelievable." Hanmer, who owns The School of Pastry Design, triumphed over Matthew Petersen and Sally Camacho, the latter of whom relied on sous chef Orlando to make her showpiece — a point Hanmer drove home at Judge's Table. Does he think that put him over the edge? Find out. Plus: See how his daughter is doing.
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Matthew Petersen took a risk and it didn't pay off. Far from a showpiece specialist, the Top Chef: Just Desserts finalist opted to make a sugar showpiece instead of a chocolate one — which he was familiar with — in the finale, only to have head judge Johnny Iuzzini criticize him for taking the gamble. "I needed to do that to have a chance," he tells TVGuide.com. "It's not something I do. I make plated desserts. I don't make showpieces. ... But I was totally stoked [with how it turned out]. It was standing! It looked good and more importantly, I was proud of it." See what else he has to say about being the underdog, why he didn't want sous chefs and blowing Gail Simmons' mind with speculoos.
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How tough was it for Orlando Santos to get the boot from Top Chef: Just Desserts one week shy of the finale? "Between Judges' Table and the stew room, I think I had completely lost every feeling that I had," he tells TVGuide.com. "When I got to the stew room, seeing everyone just brought back the emotions and all the effort and time it took to get me where I was. It was very, very difficult. When I left off-camera, it was even harder, just walking away knowing I was so close to the finale, and I just broke down."
Santos was shown the door for his dessert-in-disguise paella — the critique of which he found "a little disturbing." Find out why he disagreed with the judges, if he considers himself this season's villain and why he worships Cat Cora.
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With Top Chef and Top Chef: Just Desserts not going anywhere anytime soon, could a crossover episode be in the offing?
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After a more bitter than sweet first season of Top Chef: Just Desserts, we know we weren't the only ones who were wary of what a second season could bring. Will there be another breakdown-prone Seth? Two more crazy Heathers? Twenty gazillion more buckets of tears?
Having seen the premiere (Wednesday, 10/9c, Bravo), we at TVGuide.com are happy to report that the new season is no crybaby-fest redux. So why should you come back for seconds? Here are four reasons:
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