Hosea Crowned "Top Chef"

Hosea Rosenberg cooked his way to the title of "Top Chef" in Wednesday night's season five finale showdown in New Orleans, according to E! News. Head judge Tom Colicchio told Rosenberg, 35, along with finalists Stefan Richter and Carla Hall, to "cook us the best three course meal of your life," plus a surprise appetizer made from a local New Orleans ingredient. The contestants were also paired with past Top Chef finalists as guest sous chefs.

Rosenberg wowed the judges with a perfectly executed foie gras and scallops and a venison dish with carbonated blackberries in lieu of dessert to earn the title and the $100,000 prize money. Considered the favorite, Richter's first and third course fell flat, though he scored the night's best dish with his squab and cabbage creation and impressed the panel with his alligator soup appetizer. Fan-favorite Hall lost the momentum she had built with recent wins when she experimented with a menu featuring sous-vide beef and an overcooked blue-cheese souffle.

"It felt amazing to win," Rosenberg said. "But to have it come down neck in neck with Stefan just made it all that sweeter. That was the icing on the cake."