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For the last couple of weeks, I have been thinking a lot about the role of SKILL and the role of CHANCE in Top Chef (and in other reality shows and in other "games.") I have seen a little research on game theory, and if I had more luxury, I would actually research this a bit. But for now, I am just going to blow a little smoke here.

It seems to me that when I play board games, it's frustrating to play a game that is 100% chance. It's like "why bother?" But then it's frustrating to play if the game is 100% skill. For many of the participants, it's "Why bother?" For example, my husband is very good at the game Clue, and he should just win every single time. But because we have to take turns, we have kids being a bit chaotic as players, and we roll dice, he can't just beat me every single time based on his superior skills at logic. That makes it a bit fun, and it makes me willing to play.

With Top Chef, if the game was 100% skill, then we could easily predict what is going to happen after a couple of challenges, and the rest of the season is a snoozefest. I think the element of chance (the Super Bowl game set up, the luck of drawing specific knives, the luck of being on certain teams, the producers' influence on drama over skill, the judges' biases, etc.) makes it interesting and unpredictable to a degree. In fact, things have been unpredictable enough for me to hold out some CHANCE for someone besides Stefan winning the whole enchilada this season. (As I have said AD NASEUM, I am still holding onto Fabio's comment about "it's not how many dragons you kill, but who gets the princess.)

Anyway, I am interested to see how things shake down, because the least skilled people aren't always the ones to go home, and the people with the best skills don't always win the prize.

And as an aside, I just have to say how much I loved Fabio in the Super Bowl challenge for being a real team player and letting everyone else pick their city/team and agreeing with taking whatever was leftover. Remember the judges saying, "Wisconsin! That's a crappy choice for making a memorable dish." He was really being very self-effacing in the selection process, and I noticed that. He seems as though he would be a very pleasant person to have in the kitchen: warm, congenial, intelligent, professional. He's just a decent human being. Yes, he's made some weird food, but I just like him for little things such as that act of self-sacrifice.

Yes, Stinky, I do think that Fabio gets too defensive at the judge's table, and he does rather fancy himself and is a little schmoozy. He got a little OTT at Gail's bridal shower, but I'd love to have him as the FOTH person if I were doing restaurant wars. OTT is better than UTR as Rahdika was. But, really, for him to just sit back on the superbowl challenge and say, "You all pick and I'll take what's left over." That was nice of him. He is not without flaw, but that gesture really impressed me. For character, I see Carla as being more humble and loving and giving than Fabio, but I just wanted to give him a "kudos" for that team player attitude.