Antonia says she “wasn’t competing at 100 percent,” Lisa is “an amazing chef and person”

Perhaps the most tragic part of Top Chef 4‘s surprising elimination on Wednesday was that it robbed us of the show’s most likable, most deserving final three ever. Instead of Richard and Stephanie being joined by Antonia, the final three will be rounded out by pouty-face, defensive Lisa, who even managed to pout about making it to the final three because Richard and Stephanie didn’t congratulate her. Pouty pout pout.

Based upon the judges’ feedback, Antonia, the single mother who’s executive chef at Foxtail in L.A., was basically eliminated for having undercooked beans. But she admits that she was at fault. “It’s disappointing, but we have off days. You take responsibility for that. I wasn’t competing at 100 percent, and I have to respect what the decision was,” Antonia told People. “I’m not displeased with what I was trying to do, but in the end, I think they understood where I was conceptually, but the execution just fell short.”

As to pouty-face Lisa, Antonia says that our impression of her is wrong, that apparently she’s not as confrontational and bitter and angry and untalented as she sometimes appears to be on TV. “What you guys see on TV is only a very small percentage of what people are. She is an amazing chef and person, and I feel bad that she’s gotten such a bad rap. I talk to her still on a weekly basis and I wish her the best in everything she does,” Antonia said.