Top Chef All-Stars: Down to the Dirty Dozen

I have to admit.

After Jen got the boot I was beginning to wonder if my handicapping skills were not as sharp as I thought. I firmly believed that the seemingly-talented, Eric Ripert-mentored chef from my homeland would be around at least until the last-third of the competition and, maybe, just maybe would make it to the Top Chef All-Stars finale.

But after that rocky patch it looks like the stars have realigned and all is right with the reality cooking show universe. Elia, Stephen and Dale L (all "Longshots" according to Danny the Polack) have been sent packing and even Spike and Casey (both of whom I thought could compete for the title or mail in a horrific culinary monstrosity) got the boot for committing a couple cardinal Top Chef sins: letting Angelo fiddle with a dish; and, working the front of the house while somebody else preps your chicken feet, respectively.

Seriously, I am notorious in my household for pretty much eating any and every part of the chicken. (Don't get me started. It's definitely a holdover from my childhood when my Dad would be given the luxury of picking over the chicken carcass after Mom had gotten all she could out of it.) And, well, I wouldn't have eaten those chicken feet. Even on a dare.

Okay, maybe on a dare, but that's the only way!

And so we head into the middle rounds with most of my favorites left, though if I was re-seeding at this point I might knock Fabio down into the middle of the pack (the turtle walking kinda weirded me out) and bump up either Tre or Dale L. I still feel like the former is too flippant while the latter is too pig-headed, but hey, I've been accused of being both myself.

So, who do you like on Top Chef All-Stars now that the first third of the cheftestants have been weeded out?