Sarah Grueneberg
Sarah Grueneberg came up short to Paul on the Top Chef finale, but if you ask her, she did win. "I feel like I won too," she tells TVGuide.com. "I truly believe that. I woke up [the day after the finale aired] with this great calm. There is no more nervousness and nothing to be ashamed about. I'm really excited for my career now. It was overall a positive experience. I can't be more proud of how I did. If I'm going to be second, I couldn't think of a better way and a better place to be." But what part of her final meal cost her the title and $125,000? See what she thinks below. Plus: What's up with her and Beverly?
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Paul Qui
What was going through Paul Qui's head when Padma Lakshmi named him Top Chef? "I was honestly so tired that I think I missed it and I had a really delayed reaction," he tells TVGuide.com. "But then I realized she [said my name] and I was super excited." In addition to his big win over Sarah, the Austin-based chef set a record this season for most elimination challenges wins (eight) and won another $60,000 on top of his $125,000 grand prize. How does he plan on using the money? And why is he so calm, cool and collected? Find out below.
Top Chef's Lindsay: I didn't take enough risks
Congratulations! The judges kept reiterating that it was really close. Did it feel that way to you?
Paul: Thanks! Yeah. I didn't have any idea. I wanted to win, but it could've gone either way. You never know what's going to make or break it and sometimes you still don't.
Your dad was adorable crying on the side after you won.
Paul: Oh yeah! I've never seen my dad cry like that. It was pretty...
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Top Chef
[SPOILER ALERT: The following story reveals the winner of Top Chef Season 9. Read at your own risk.]
After trekking through Texas and enduring more all-nighters and meat challenges than you can imagine, Paul Qui and Sarah Grueneberg faced off for the last time for the Top Chef Season 9 title.
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Lindsay Autry
When does frozen mousse trump perfectly cooked halibut? When you're on Top Chef! Despite her nearly inedible, ice-hard confection, Sarah — with some major backing from Tom Colicchio — made it to the finale with Paul over her pal Lindsay Autry, whose error-free, albeit less creative, dish sent her packing. "I think they were really nitpicking at that point and it came down to doing something risky like what she did against me being great, but not risky enough," Lindsay tells TVGuide.com. "I know I didn't make any mistakes, but I guess they wanted to see more." Was she surprised that her well-made dish lost to such shoddy execution? Find out below.
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Beverly Kim
After re-entering the competition following her Last Chance Kitchen victory and earning a spot in the final four, Beverly Kim's second Top Chef stint came to a quick end when she lost all three rounds in the Olympics-inspired tasks. "I was eliminated twice! How many people can say that? I think it was easier to watch this time, but it was still very heartbreaking for me," she tells TVGuide.com. "I really did want to win and I definitely wanted to go all the way. I wasn't ready to go so early the first time. I think this time was OK. I hoped for more, but given the circumstances, I gave my best. I'm really glad that I made it far enough to show my cooking, so now people can see who I am." But the Chicago-based chef couldn't show off her culinary style completely in the challenges that were more Top Athlete than Top Chef. Does she think the challenges were unfair? And does she hold any grudges toward Sarah, Lindsay and Heather? Find out below.
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Grayson Schmitz
Grayson Schmitz's big Top Chef adventure came to an end when her stuffed chicken dish for guest judge Pee Wee Herman was deemed... well, we don't really know what. It was big and featured multiple seasonal flavors, but it wasn't under-seasoned or undercooked, like Sarah's or Ed's. "The whole thing is so subjective and I think it was really close, but ultimately they liked mine the least for whatever reason," she tells TVGuide.com. "And that's fine. Someone had to go home and it was me." But the New York-based chef didn't go directly home: She faced off with Beverly on Last Chance Kitchen to win a spot back on the show (the winner will be revealed and will re-enter the competition on next week's episode), which didn't exactly thrill her. Find out why below.
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Heather Terhune
Was it karma that sent Heather Terhune packing from Top Chef? After weeks of verbally assaulting Beverly, she was booted for her disastrous Beef Stroganoff the same day that her frenemy placed in the top three in both the Quickfire and Elimination challenges. "I think it was all me, nothing else," Heather tells TVGuide.com. "I didn't cook the meat properly and I have no one and nothing to blame but myself." But the Chicago-based chef knows the story line couldn't have been scripted any better. "[Beverly] does well and the villain leaves!" So what exactly was the deal between the two of them? Find out below.
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Top Chef: Texas
Jeers to Top Chef: Texas for throwing too many cooks into the broth.
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Yeah, yeah, we know, everything's bigger in Texas, but...
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Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio
As we all know, everything is bigger in Texas — and that includes Top Chef.
Top Chef heads to Texas for Season 9
The Emmy-winning series hits the Lone Star State for Season 9 — bigger than ever before with an unprecedented 29 cheftestants. That's not the only difference this season though. Here are five things to know before you saddle up for the premiere (Wednesday, 10/9c, Bravo):
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Fabio Viviani
Fabio Viviani fielded his share of TV show pitches the last few years — including one with Bravo that never came to fruition — but the endlessly quotable Top Chef alum finally joined forces with Yahoo!, not a network, to launch his Italian-cooking series Chow Ciao. "[With the previous TV pitches] I was kind of put on the spot for doing content for the network rather than be myself," Viviani tells TVGuide.com. "Once Yahoo! approached me, they just asked me to be me." The 3-to-5 minute episodes, part of Yahoo!'s new slate of online shows, go live every Monday and features Viviani demonstrating his favorite dishes, which, of course do not include burgers (or "boor-gers"). Find out what else you can expect from the series, if Viviani will pop on Top Chef again, and how his beloved turtle is doing.
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