(in order of finish, from worst to first)

HeroOfFire:

Pros: Authenticity high, little deviance from the cartridge.
Cons: Not much inventivity, easy, seemed boring

I think this quest was unfortunately the “black sheep” of the finalists and only got in because of its strong NES connection. Other than that, it was not very fun, generally on the very easy side, and brings very little new to the table. This is not to say it isn't a bad quest, but it feels too much like Randomizer, which does classic much better and lasts a lot longer. I think there are better choices in the end to pick for the 5th Quest and this one out of the finalists kind of disappoints in the long run.

LoveForFire:

Pros: Fun Factor very high, innovation
Cons: Enemy Groups, MIRROR SHIELD, deviates from cartridge too much

This is a hard one for me to place here, goes to show you how strong the 5th Quest entries have been overall. But in the end, including the Mirror Shield I think was inexcusable as it brings a whole new mechanic to the NES that hasn't been explored or maybe even possible to code. Also, there are a few other things like blocks blocking spells and floors blocking spells. Like CJC's quest, this was arguably one of the most fun quests in the contest, but in the end, the stretching of the rules is just way too much.

MischaPetya

Pros: Length, Dungeon Design, Cool NES-like changes
Cons: WAY TOO HARD (Special Version), ROMhack features

This quest will certainly keep you coming back, its dungeons are impressive and I gave it a LP that was very well deserved. This quest has a huge flaws in both versions. The Regular Version has Fire Zols which are not even a Zelda thing, which is questionable. The special version, plays way too much like a ROMhack and the speed is too concerning. As a repeat of what I put in his thread, Zelda is more of a puzzle game and relies more on figuring things out and finding the right way to do things, not reaction time fighting like Street Fighter II. Heck, even challenge quests like James Quest and its recent mix James Quest: Remastered didn't feature things of this level where you need to have picture-perfect reaction time. This is a huge turnoff and has given the community grief in the later levels. With this, I cannot approve of this sadly as the 5th Quest. It'd be a great challenge quest though if released on PureZC and was done up with some cutscenes and stuff.

Nightmare
Pros: Feels like a Zelda game while being creative at the same time
Cons: Wallet usage, dungeon design too linear

It's always hard being objective when it comes to your own work and placing it in retrospect, but I personally think I came in 3rd in this contest. It's a great quest and has a great feel, but the Wallet was used (mostly to show the 255 limitation) and against the top two is a big strike. In fact, it might be why it doesn't win in the end. Also, dungeon design is a bit linear and some of the other entries put that to shame. Oh well, there's always next time.

Chris Miller
Pros: Great feel, Best Level 9 of the contest, Tricky Innovations
Cons: Enemy Groups, a bit on the easy side, neg-hearts need to be displayed with new color, repowered enemies need new colors.

This is a tough call, but I think Chris Miller edged me out by a slim margin on this one, and interchanging him and me is certainly a worthy argument. He knew what he was doing, and presented something in a Zelda like feel. His big chance/change was breaking enemy groups, but something had to be done to show off the features of Zelda Classic. His power curve was by far the best of everybody, with a brutal Level 9 that'll make you proud of beating it. The new colors though can be handled in the consolidation stage and shouldn't be massive negative points.

And my winner:

BigJoe
Pros: Hits the line perfectly between innovation and new enemies, new things introduced, long quest
Cons: Possibly too hard, not exactly the most fun, Level 9 needs to be megamixed a little better

I'm going to go out and say this wasn't the most fun quest I've played, but when it comes to the specs of the contest, this does the job most accurately. The mix of enemies in Level 9 might need to be redone too. Also, screw the powered Like-Likes in 9 and their tendency to eat my shield last minute in tight quarters, led me to a lot of aggravation. But when taking NES limitations into account, this is one of the best you can do. Maybe a few slight changes can be made in the consolidation phase to make this the best quest out there.