Warning: If you haven’t seen last night’s “Top Chef” finale, stop reading and come back after you have.

"I just don't want Bryan to win." Heh. (Bravo photo)

OK, first, I’d like to apologize to my neighbors for screaming “WHAAAAAT?!?!” when last night’s winner was announced. I know it was late, so sorry, but I was shocked and it just came out.

I have a real problem with the finale. But not necessarily with the winner. As Kevin said, on any given day, any of the three (and I’d throw in a fourth, Jennifer) could be called the better chef. And last night, Michael was the best. I can buy that.

Michael’s dishes were consistently the most creative and bold, and bratty attitude or not, the guy’s a fantastic chef. I was rooting for Kevin (who wasn’t?), but he had an off night – with pork, of all things. Bryan put out the most elegant and sophisticated dishes, but there was too much restraint. (Still, watching the episode, I thought he’d win.) I think for the final competition, you really need to go all-out, push your skills to the limit and throw caution to the wind; Kevin and Bryan played it relatively safe, while Michael took some chances. And it paid off for him.

Too bad anyone watching on TV didn’t see why.

Here’s how I scored it at home: Kevin had the best first dish, the mom-inspired one. Michael won the mystery-box second course. Bryan took the third course with his “perfect” venison. And Bryan also won the dessert. So Bryan should have won, 2-1-1, right?

Wrong.

Here’s where the “Top Chef” editors utterly failed, misleading viewers by depriving them of one crucial fact: Michael, not Bryan, had the judges’ favorite main course. Though Bryan’s venison was great, Michael’s squab was even better. However, during Judges’ Table, I can recall no mention of the squab, other than a criticism of the mushrooms. And seeing how this was the dish that won Michael the competition, it seems utterly manipulative to exclude their praise for it.

Head judge Tom Colicchio’s blog tells the whole story, and he freely admits the editing was misleading and left even him scratching his head. But he also explains exactly why Michael won. If the finale left you befuddled or miffed, it’s a must-read. Click here to read the whole thing.

Tom sums it up:

So at the end of the day, Kevin won the first course, Bryan won the last, and Michael won the middle two, giving him the ultimate win. The equation is pretty much that simple.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Kevin thought the day had gone to Bryan, or that Bryan’s venison dish was strong enough to plant a question in the minds of viewers, or even that we ended with Bryan’s winning dessert, leaving a strong last impression. When taking a step back and thinking over the entire meal, while Bryan’s dishes were certainly solid, while his dessert won and he made a strong showing with his venison course, Michael just hit higher notes all along the way throughout the meal. He just did.

But you know what? I shouldn’t have had to read Tom’s blog to find out why Michael won. There was a huge failure there and a breach of viewers’ trust. A fact that important should never have been left cut up on the editing room floor.

So now after knowing the reasons, I’m more satisfied with the ending. And despite the editing shenanigans, it was a solid end to by far the best season of “Top Chef” yet. I’d eat at any of the final four’s restaurants any day.

What do you think? Does knowing this make the winner more palatable? And are you still upset about how Kevin was shown the door?