'Top Chef' judges react to 'Portland' finale on 'WWHL'

July 2 (UPI) -- The Top Chef judges are weighing in on the Portland finale.

Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons appeared on Thursday's episode of Watch What Happens Live following the final episode of Top Chef: Portland.

The trio of judges discussed the showdown between contestants Gabe Erales, Shota Nakajima and Dawn Burrell, which ended with Erales being named the winner of Top Chef: Portland.

Colicchio was asked if he thought Burrell was a contender for the win, despite her running out of time to plate her food.

"She was definitely a contender," Colicchio said. "She had been doing this for the better part of the season -- leaving things off. She just had a hard time with the clock. Absolutely, her food was fantastic all season long, but she certainly couldn't win leaving stuff off the plate."

Lakshmi said Erales showed skill and promise from the beginning of the competition.

"You know, I saw immediately that he had incredible sauce work, and to me that is always one of the most integral parts of cooking," Lakshmi said.

"It was clear that he was going to do well; whether he wins or not is anyone's guess, because there's so many things that get in your way," she added. "But yes, I mean, he showed extraordinary skill from the get-go."

Simmons was asked if she thought Erales was the frontrunner going into the season finale.

"I don't really approach it that way," Simmons said. "You can't, because you just never know what kind of day they're going to have, what kind of menu they're going to give us. And truthfully, all three of them just the day before had shown us incredible food."

"There's just no way to know. You just wake up, and every day is a new day. It was probably going to be Shota or Gabe, truthfully, but Dawn has won many times before and her food's beautiful, so it was anyone's game."

Top Chef: Portland was filmed in Portland, Ore., and surrounding areas. The season was the first to film since the COVID-19 pandemic and reflected on the impact of the pandemic on the food industry.