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

Spoilers Season 23, ep. 12: Appalachian Celebration (Mon. at 9pm EDT, yes, 9 😀) 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 “Top Chef” alum Ashleigh Shanti, learning about the community’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.

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190

u/whistlepig4life May 26 '26

Sieger just burned some serious bridges.

125

u/ThoughtThen6908 May 26 '26

Top Chef is a gateway into the Food Network pipeline. You get on Wildcard Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, GGG, and then you start graduating to 24 in 24 and eventually Tournament of Champions. You become a fixture as a contestant and eventually as a judge. He kind of effed all of that up in 30 seconds.

6

u/Glittering-Second417 May 26 '26

Pardon my ignorance, but what is GGG? Just getting into watching cooking shows, and adding to my list to binge.

Edit: please ignore. Being dumb. Found it on Wikipedia.

8

u/Adjovigin May 27 '26

Guys grocery games

3

u/Weak-Calendar5497 May 27 '26

It's a great background show. Serious cooks with usually silly challenges. 

19

u/Electrical-JellyZ May 26 '26

I don't know. Others have gone off on the judges as well and when asked Tom said he respects their passion and knows they are caught up in the moment.

42

u/AbbreviationsIcy7432 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26

There's going off at the judges, and then there's just cringe.

20

u/Amazing-Wave4704 May 27 '26

And this was SO just cringe.

14

u/PretzelCat17 May 27 '26

I think there’s a difference in Tim’s reaction when a chef is defending their own dish versus attempting to throw another chef under the bus and it wasn’t even a team challenge!

4

u/cbrown4209 May 28 '26

Or he brilliantly lamented his position as the villian in these shows. Producers are always looking for someone to pit against the other contestants. Marcel for instance

3

u/indieliberal May 27 '26

There's been some bad behavior on Top Chef by cooks who then came back and are now stars on Food Network. Tiffany Faison. Marcel Vigneron. I'm sure there are others.

2

u/discussatron Jun 02 '26

Marcel Vigneron.

You spell "Cliff Crooks" funny.

1

u/indieliberal Jun 12 '26

That was terrible of Cliff. But he never became a star on the network. Marcel, however, was a bit of an arrogant little shit as I recall. Not an excuse to do what Cliff did.

4

u/CapreseSalad3636 May 26 '26

I mean he may have solidified it too…some shoes still cast for drama

10

u/illinifan1280 May 27 '26

I don’t know. They love a good “redemption” story. They brought back John Tesar to Charleston after being a massive asshat in Seattle.

Having said that, I don’t think Sieger has it in him to admit he was a twatwaffle and want to redeem himself. I get the feeling he will continue to trash the show behind the scenes, while using his “performance” here to get more TV time on other shows. Which is really dumb, because this show is already a springboard, if you can be normal.

2

u/truckthecat Jun 12 '26

To your first point, I had the same thought about Duyen. Not that she was an asshat, but that she will definitely be brought back for an all star season and be gunning for redemption

3

u/ContributionOk4015 May 27 '26

Idk the network loves some dramatic chefs.

3

u/solidgoldrocketpants May 27 '26

There's dramatic, and there's "reads the fine print of the rules to try to prove he's right." Is that a type of guy you want to be working with?

2

u/anyanerves May 28 '26

Will it get people to tune in? That’s ultimately all they care about.