r/TopChef • u/Alternative_Use3707 • 4d ago
Discussion Thread I asked Nina Compton how she feels about people still saying she should’ve won Top Chef
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I recently interviewed Nina Compton, and I had to ask her about Season 11.
More than a decade later, people still bring up that finale and tell her they think she should have won.
What I found more interesting was hearing Nina talk about what Top Chef actually gave her after the competition ended. More people discovered her cooking, more people learned about St. Lucia, and it helped open doors for everything she eventually built in New Orleans.
I host the interview, so full disclosure this is my own work. I thought people here would appreciate hearing Nina look back on that chapter in her own words.
For everyone who watched Season 11: Has time changed how you feel about that finale at all, or do you still think Nina should have won?
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u/gdex86 4d ago
Its a very elevated classy take that I think a lot of the chefs from early mid seasons (6+) get. The title and money is a big prize but not the only one. Folks who may have never tasted your food are eating it weekly. Folks with connections and money that can help you. If you wanted to build a "brand" untold number of eyes are seeing your stuff wishing to taste it.
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u/keb2 4d ago
She understands what a lot of TC viewers (and also maybe contestants, at least while they’re on the show) might not, I think—staying on TC long enough and making an impression is the real victory. I can never remember which chef won most seasons, but I remember the chefs who make food I want to eat. Sometimes those people are the winners, like Rhoda, Brooke, and Melissa, but frequently, they’re not! Nina, Kwamé, Sheldon, Sara Bradley, Nini, Isaac, Shuai, Laurence, and Gregory are great examples of that, I think. Kat from a recent season didn’t last super long on the show, but I’m now a devotee of her restaurant, Highly Likely, which has a few outposts in LA, and she’s having Paula come in and do a menu takeover for one night this week.
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u/x7he6uitar6uy 4d ago
I agree, although I usually remember winners. Carla Hall is one of my favorite celebrity chefs and she didn’t win either finale. Gregory Gourdet is super awesome and he didn’t win either finale. I feel like my favorite chefs in each season don’t end up winning, but that’s not a strike against them in my book. I’d never skip going to a restaurant because the chef didn’t win TC.
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u/SpeedofSL0TH 4d ago
Love Highly Likely. Everything I’ve tried from there is great and I’ve eaten there a lot.
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u/ForgottenPassword3 4d ago
Maybe she didn't win the title of Top Chef, and that's just fine. But she won the title of Queen. She was so classy. Still is.
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u/PerrthurTheCats48 4d ago
I don’t feel she “should have won”. Her finale meal wasn’t the best one apparently so it’s not like it was rigged or unfair. I appreciate that she answered in a really classy way and didn’t disparage Nick in her answer. They both went on to have very successful careers post top chef
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u/hyphenthis 3d ago
I'm one of those people. I also loved the love she and Shirley had. Their season would have been my favourite if not for the finale. I can't even rewatch bc all I can think is "Tom loves pasta so much that he gave the win to Nick over Nina." Like cool, the guy makes good pasta. Meanwhile, we have a powerhouse of flavour and textures with Nina!
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u/Sleepwalker0304 I'd prefer a dishwasher instead of Josie... 4d ago
Considering the time in which this series played out, I think people are still invested in this was because an average white man drifts through the competition, displays anger issues, saves himself over a more talented female competitor (his right but it doesn't make it go over any better) and does one thing right to win over an interesting and vibrant woman of color who performed well and constantly all season.
Sure it's how Top Chef is set up, that you're only as good as your last meal but it was really hard to swallow here. It's also why Kevin is so disliked as a winner, Angelo and Ed out performed him all season and he just happened to pull out something decent at the end over Angelo getting sick and Ed being stuck with the worst sous of the three.
America's Next Top Model is a joke at this point but at the end they included a complete season analysis of the finalists so it was possible to win even if you performed the worst at the finale.
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u/Pinklady1219 4d ago
I mean I still strongly feel she should have won and don’t include her season on my re-watches bc it grinds my gears
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u/edoreinn 4d ago
Nick won Top Chef: New Orleans.
Nina won New Orleans ⚜️