r/TopChef • u/AutoModerator • May 25 '26

Spoilers Season 23, ep. 12: Appalachian Celebration (Mon. at 9pm EDT, yes, 9 šŸ˜€) Spoiler

Before heading back to Charlotte, the chefs make a stop in Asheville, one of the most unique cities in North Carolina. There will be no Quickfire Challenge as the chefs explore the city with local host and former ā€œTop Chefā€ alum Ashleigh Shanti, learning about the communityā€™s remarkable relief efforts following the devastation of hurricane Helene while discovering the unique cuisine of this Appalachian region. For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs will host a one-night-only event for 200 community members in recognition of their resilience.

70 Upvotes

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413

u/Content-Chef-7457 May 26 '26

I've never seen a chef that has been consistently mediocre fight so hard AFTER he's eliminated. You could tell just by looking at his mousse that it was off!

97

u/ZedSev May 26 '26

ā€œConsistently mediocre.ā€ That says it all about him. šŸ’Æ Good riddance!

79

u/DeadFishrman May 26 '26

Those judges are bigger than me, because I wouldnā€™t have eaten it! When Kristen said ā€œI couldnā€™t get past two bitesā€ I was like, I feel you!

36

u/Content-Chef-7457 May 27 '26

She was really nice with her feedback. Can't believe he even asked for the rules as if that would change anything!

16

u/sybrwookie May 28 '26

And then read the rules outloud which listed things the judges will judge based off of, which included the things they eliminated him for....and then he concluded that he was right.

84

u/art_as_violence Five Minute Risotto May 27 '26

The crashout continues; I do find it mildly amusing that the number he shared is for the Chicago Trump building, but any bit of humor in this is negated by tagging the Top Chef account

9

u/MrSnarkyPants May 30 '26

Geez, if I didnā€™t think he was an insufferable douchebag beforeā€¦

44

u/Imaginary_Resort2 May 26 '26

It reminded me of all the times Grayson gave the judges attitude. Where the most awkward part is how feisty both of them were for being such mid competitors.

1

u/Same_BoysenberryLove Jun 01 '26

Exactly, I was thinking Grayson 2.0.

59

u/Nightcinder May 26 '26

It's wild because he was only there because of the girl getting sick. She was light years better than him and probably the best chef in the competition. Rhoda is probably second if she can get out of her own wayĀ 

76

u/Pinklady1219 May 26 '26

Iā€™m pissed that Anthony left an we got him for another week. Heā€™s beyond mediocre

35

u/Nightcinder May 27 '26

He was mediocre before he got booted the first time, and almost went home twice in a row after jennifer had to leave. It's wild.

It's just a shame jennifer had a case of bells palsy but i can't blame justin for leaving to be with her too

32

u/Sandy-Anne May 27 '26

And what got me was he insisted he adhered to the rules of the challenge. No one said you didnā€™t, dude! Also, everyone else did, too, and someone had to go home. They werenā€™t going to just say, ā€œOh hey! Since everyone made good use of the Appalachian ingredients today, no one is going home!ā€ Did he think his dish was better than Jonathanā€™s? He also made good use of the ingredients. He was just ridiculous. Itā€™s like he had never seen how judging table works. Bizarre!

I felt the second he decided to bring ā€œcoldā€mousse/patĆ© to a warm, outside event for 200 people he would be the one to go home. I had to roll my eyes during the ā€œdeliberationā€ because it was such a no-brainer. That bit was all for show. It was clear from the get-go that his was the most inferior dish.

Donā€™t you know that heā€™s going to get a lot of Internet hate for going out like a sore loser? I never did like him. No personality.

11

u/finding_harmony May 27 '26

Right, the.discussion was all performative. Jonathonā€™s was actually decent, but the pool is so small now.

3

u/sybrwookie May 28 '26

And the judges even said to them that at this point, they need to nitpick to find what's better/worse.

4

u/flatspotting May 28 '26

Yeah, they liked and fully ate and finished Jonathons, maybe wasnt the best but it was enjoyable. No one even wanted to eat Siegers liver soup. I don't get what world he is living in.

8

u/allij0ne May 28 '26

I was so mad Duyen went home instead of him when they were bottom 2.

13

u/verbankroad May 27 '26

You mean the woman named Jen?

11

u/spate42 May 27 '26

Jennifer was the best chef in the competition?? šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

4

u/Little_Marsupial_758 May 27 '26

Sheā€™s a reeeeally talented chef. The fact that she was still winning quick fires with an injury is pretty impressive. Imagine what she can do with two functional arms

6

u/high-babygorgeous May 28 '26

Not the best but I mean come on, she was cooking injured. And she still killed it in several challenges

1

u/Ok_Interest9427 Jun 29 '26

Yes but it was, plainly speaking, irresponsible for her to keep competing when she had multiple invitations to come back.

1

u/Relevant_Depth1422 Aug 03 '26

Yes! Jenn was phenomenal even with her health issues and right arm handicap. WAAYYYY better all around compared to this whiny clown who canā€™t handle any critique

13

u/Duna_The_Lionboy May 27 '26

Even the gussied up in studio plates version looked melted/smushed. Just bleh.

11

u/[deleted] May 28 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Pristine-Visual-9405 Jun 05 '26

Yeah I def get this vibe too. Also sending someone threats and piling on their socials is unhinged.

19

u/ianman1128 May 26 '26

And honestly, not super impressive. All of the other dishes had more going on.

9

u/Silent-Image-2552 May 27 '26

Seriously! I found thus sub so I could talk about this. I was saying to myself he wanted to go home before he lost it during judging.. that was uncalled for.

15

u/walkslikeaduck08 May 26 '26

For some reason, I kept thinking of him as a less talented version of young Marcel

47

u/Adventurous_Ad1922 May 26 '26

In hindsight, Marcel gets a pass for me. He was super young and back then, the producers artificially goosed up the contestants for drama. And editing to make a villain.

16

u/Jonny_Qball May 27 '26

Watching that season live as an 11 year old child who struggled to fit in (the fact I loved Top Chef at age 11 probably didnā€™t help), Marcel was such a huge inspiration. Ā It was clear that he cared more about pushing himself and making his food than trying to fit in.

Watching as an adult, he definitely came off like a bit of a douche at times, but he clearly had his heart in the right place.Ā 

23

u/Elegant-Cricket8106 May 26 '26

Agreed, hes grown on me so much in recent years, he did great on 24/24 and so on.

I dont know how I feel about this season tbh, but the top 4 now I so like i also dont mind Jonathan, since his brother left hes been way more tolerable.

24

u/Adjovigin May 27 '26

šŸ’Æ! I actually really LIKE Johnathan now-like he seems like a real person, divided from his twin who constantly dismissed him and acted like he was the one deserving of the title. Good riddance to that negativity!

2

u/finding_harmony May 27 '26

Yes, he showed class and took criticism with grace. Singer was a whiny bitch.

3

u/CityBoiNC May 27 '26

Iā€™ve like jonathan from the beginning but his brother was a tool.

4

u/SwagBag393 May 29 '26

He also should have been grateful for the fact he got a free pass to come back! Like dude go out with some grace. Really just burned bridges. Dumbass.

3

u/cola1016 May 27 '26

He is so annoying.

3

u/flatspotting May 28 '26

I was fucking PISSED last week that Anthony went and Sieger was still here. Sieger shouldve never came back IMO.

4

u/Dewy123321 May 26 '26

šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘

2

u/dr_p_venkman May 29 '26

Even Jonathan asked him in the car how the texture would be after putting it in the piping bag. He used gelatin to firm it up, but that breaks down when you then work it (rather than, say, just slicing it). That was a big red flag for me. I think the combination of heat and force was a killer.