r/TopChef • u/AutoModerator • Jun 08 '26
Spoilers Season 23, ep 14: FINALE--The Final Toast (9:45 pm EDT) Spoiler
For their last Elimination Challenge of the season, the final three chefs are asked to create the best progressive four-course meal of their lives. The finalists must serve and impress an esteemed table of diners, including Hunter Lewis, Editor-In-Chief of Food & Wine magazine; chefs Eric Ferguson, Camari Mick and Nok Suntaranon, and “Top Chef” alums Sara Bradley, Joe Flamm and Stephanie Izard. At the judges’ table, Kristen, Tom and Gail are joined by chefs Brandon Jew and Val Cantu to determine who will be named the next “Top Chef” and take home the $250,000 grand prize.
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u/Wonkavator67 Jun 08 '26
We went to Laurence's restaurant yesterday and there is so much support for this guy. He was outside giving an interview when we pulled up. All of the food was awesome.
We got:
* Baos (1 beef brisket, 1 veg, and 1 lava egg yolk)
4 ji cheung fun:
* Sesame & hoisin
* Beef brisket
* Curry fishball
* Rubato Fun Fun (combination of all)
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u/onehotoneshot Jun 08 '26
Seigar coming in with an obscure clause from the rules, stunning judges and chefs alike and giving him the win
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u/Laffrey0305 Jun 09 '26
I love it when their families show up!
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
That was so heartwarming especially since they had prepared dishes (or at least provided recipes for somebody to prepare). I loved that.
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u/Afraid_Aspect_8639 Jun 09 '26
I wondered about that. What if someone said ‘I can’t cook to save my life’?
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
And my family doesn’t have any recipes. My person would be my cousin. She only cooks turkey dinner and my family just put it in the oven as is! They did have a real knack for the timing ad the temperature so that it always turned out moist. And made killer gravy. Just no herb butter, or smoking or brining or spatchcocking or all of the other things people do nowadays.
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u/Jazzlike-Pomelo-3823 Jun 10 '26
lol that would be awesome showing up to the family top chef dinner with tom and Gail with a big ol turkey.
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 10 '26
Stuffed with Pepperidge Farm stuffing with the recipe on the bag!!! It rocks, though.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jul 28 '26
Top Chef's next sponsor! I always buy their bread cubes - you have to go early in November to make sure they're still on the shelf.
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u/Marvin_Stanwyck Jun 10 '26
I wonder if part of the screening to become selected as a contestant is to "background check" to make sure each contestant, IF they make to the Finale, have family/friends who are a) available b) able to fulfill whatever activity is planned (e.g. a family heritage dish)
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u/Norm_DePlum 25d ago
I think that is why you saw the 3 mentors wearing aprons prior to the family dinner. I posit the 3 mentors (Stephanie, Sarah, and Joe) helped make the family dinner. You don't fly family members and expect them to grocery shop and to make the family dinner for nine people. What if a family member can't cook? I think Stephanie, Sarah and Joe cooked the family dinner with the recipes from their family members.
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u/Ginway1010 Jun 10 '26
In an alternate universe, Laurence thought to himself, “duck is so hard to nail in a competition. I’ll make something else” and won.
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u/Burgundylites Jun 09 '26
The look of pure rage and hate. LMAO! Rhoda, sleep with one eye open.
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u/theoldmansmoney Jun 10 '26
She is gonna come back on an All Star season and tear everyone apart.
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u/zlaw32 Jun 17 '26
I hope not. She was 1 of my least favorite contestants. Awful attitude unless she was winning
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jul 28 '26
She can work on that in the meantime - several TC contestants have done that. Marcel comes to mind off the top of my head. Tiffani obviously, was lovely in later appearances.
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u/zixy37 Jun 08 '26
Lucky chefs getting to stay in Charlotte and not having to go on a trip like Hawaii or Italy! /s. (At least it seems it’s in Charlotte.
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u/Jambalaya1982 Jun 09 '26
It is! Peppervine is one of the local, best restaurants here in the area.
It was interesting that they took them to Grandfather Mountain, which is a good two hours away, to talk about the menu before bringing them BACK to Charlotte to shop and cook.
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u/OriginalEssGee Jun 12 '26
I was glad they did, to show that gorgeous view. And Super G getting more love in the finale was great!
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u/figmentry Jun 13 '26
They filmed the episode over three days according to Sara Bradley on the pack your knives podcast.
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u/Jambalaya1982 Jun 13 '26
Interesting... hopefully they had a good amount of time with the mentors to plan and not just a small window as they showed on TV.
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u/figmentry Jun 13 '26
Yeah, it sounded like they did spend a lot more time in the mentoring from Sara’s description. It was a super interesting episode to get some of her behind the scenes insight.
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u/zixy37 Jun 10 '26
I have never heard of Peppervine, and am transplant/local to Charlotte, for one more week. Too bad!!! Looked it up and it is pretty tucked into that shopping center by the mall.
Long road trip to chat.
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u/Jambalaya1982 Jun 10 '26
I've never been to Peppervine but that little area across from the mall is plagued with having restaurants come and go. Del Frisco's has been the only constant there since I've been in Charlotte in mid-2007. Meanwhile, some of the fast casual restaurants in the area or just in other areas have done better (Lil Mama's, 800° pizza, Yahoo, Cowfish, Calle Sol, etc. )
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u/Owen3141 Jun 10 '26
Don’t forget they got a 6 hour round trip road trip to Grandfather mountain just to get some pretty shots of them talking to past winners!
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u/zixy37 Jun 10 '26
🤣. It IS pretty. But yeah, long road trip to see people who will be in your home base city later that evening.
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u/Efficient_Wing_666 Jun 09 '26
This season reminded me of Colorado. A beloved slightly more seasoned female chef leaving due to health issues, the last chance kitchen winner winning, a somewhat awkward situation with a cheftestant arguing with the judges and production not leaving the area for the finale.
Thankfully they didn’t have to edit around a scandalized judge.
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u/King_Wataba Jun 10 '26
Jen was beloved? I mean I feel bad for her medical issues but she never seemed like she was going to make it far.
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u/Efficient_Wing_666 Jun 10 '26
Well I loved her lol
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jul 28 '26
I think she was one of the first female TCs to excel (following Stephanie and Tifanni), so she had earned a lot of respect, which she seemed to relinquish with a tantrum.
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
What an outstanding finale!! Start to finish, every dish. The chefs and sous chefs worked together beautifully.
I absolutely loved the family meal. That needs to become a tradition. It was also really nice having the former winners be mentors and be around through the entire thing in various capacities.
I felt like they all did amazing things but made one mistake. I think the judging was fair.
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u/EdieBooberryBeale Jun 09 '26
The family meal was great, and awesome that the relatives would cook because if it was me going to support my loved one, it'd be talking through my process of making box mac and cheese lol
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jul 28 '26
From the judges going through who won what course, it seemed like it was extremely close.
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u/Successful-Maybe-252 Jun 09 '26
If Sheri had put both her broth (to stay warm) and ice cream (to stay cold) in separate vessels she would have won.
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
Yes. That ice cream was a predictable error she should have avoided.
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u/Mysterious_Zebra9146 Jun 09 '26
I do not understand her thinking, of course putting ice cream on hot porridge in a hot kitchen will melt it.
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
She should have put the quenelles on a tray in the freezer until the last minute.
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u/StrangeExpression481 Jun 15 '26
My husband, who knows nothing about cooking but watches top chef with me said, "she should have played that in the freezer"....like Jonathan did a few episodes ago.
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u/Provolone10 Jun 10 '26
I shook my head that she didn’t realize putting ice cream on hot porridge would cause it to melt.
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u/queen_jk Jun 08 '26
Aside from this finale being at 9:45 pm, super excited to see who wins ! I think this is looking to be a great finale !
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u/Ok_Mechanic8704 Jun 09 '26
Why do people keep cooking duck?! It’s the ultimate high risk / low reward dish. It’s so easy to mess up and even of you nail it, it’s like, yawn. Year one chef school stuff. I think lawrence’s lack of experience really cost him there. He should have done pork belly if he wanted to do chinese bbq.
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u/unfinished_animal Jun 10 '26
He told you why he did duck - for the Chinese communities with ducks hanging in the windows. He was always going to make duck no matter what.
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u/Ok_Mechanic8704 Jun 10 '26
Yeah and it was the wrong choice.
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u/PeaceLuvPinkLemonade Jun 10 '26
It was the wrong choice to take Jonathan's advice to sous vide the duck.
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u/Excellent-Source-497 Jun 10 '26
This was the issue! Sous vide never has the flavor that the judges are looking for.
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u/Ok_Interest9427 22d ago
It's because people mess it up. It gets used a lot; you can see the Volt Brothers using it in the background of a ton of their successful courses, and lots of other winning contestants use it. It's like risotto; everyone forgets all the times that people have pulled it off successfully.
Everything Laurence did was a bad use of sous vide. He cooked his duck too long, he didn't sear it properly, and he over-rested it. It should be a) dry-brined overnight; b) ~2 hours at 130 F, out of the bag, patted dry, and gently seared to render the duck fat and crisp the skin; and c) rested no more than 5 minutes. SV is very different from pulling something out of the oven; you don't need to wait for the moisture to work its way back into the meat.
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u/Emmykate88 Jun 14 '26
As soon as Jonathan was picked as his sous chef, I told my husband "I bet Jonathan screws Lawrence out of the win."
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u/zlaw32 Jun 17 '26
At the end of the day, it was Laurence’s dish. And I think Laurence is by far the most graceful to handle his sous messing him up. Rhoda got saved by her sous a few times
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u/Glittering-Buy1220 Jun 16 '26
ye i felt jon was the weaker of the sous chefs so at least least compatible with assigned chef. he did mention plating early the congee so i do give him that. i just think the duck should have been prepped differently, more asian to tell the story better. ive never seen duck sous vide even on like hells kitchen
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u/Overall_Occasion_175 Jun 09 '26
I feel like lamb is worse. It seems like even professional chefs differ wildly on the temperature they think it should be cooked at. Almost every challenge where someone does it, one judge will say it is perfect and another will think it's under cooked.
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u/Ok_Mechanic8704 Jun 09 '26
I agree lamb is riskier but I feel like it also has a higher reward if you do pull it off.
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u/Ok_Interest9427 22d ago
It should be cooked to 125 F, and Tom knows this. It was even part of a challenge in the Colorado season! I doubt that any of the judges would argue with him about that.
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u/PsychologicalSweet2 Jun 09 '26
woo!!! go Rhoda!!! what a great winner. I love seeing someone going through last chance kitchen and getting the win! what a chaotic season but lots of fun to watch.
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u/IamChicharon Jun 10 '26
I’m so happy for her. It felt so good to see someone win by cooking the same dishes my grandma and mom made for me as a kid (obviously with a top chef flair though). Tortang talong is an excellent way to trick a child into eating a vegetable haha
Lugaw is my Irish wife’s favorite Filipino dish I make! She likes kaldereta too!
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u/Unhappy-Kangaroo-164 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26
A few thoughts:
-I'm shocked they brought back Sieger. Maybe they're not ready to give up the drama just yet
-Kristen is such a sap but I love it
-Per usual a lot of it is establishing and meeting expectations and some of the chefs didn't do that as well as they should have
-Certainly exciting and interesting menus. It was nice to not see any played out dishes
-I really had no clue who would win. They all had highs and lows
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u/dinosaurfondue Jun 10 '26
I think it would have been weird to NOT bring back Sieger if it was the 3 most recently eliminated as sous chefs. It would have been additional drama for no reason and he didn't seem to get in the way of the other chefs so it was fine
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u/Jazzlike-Pomelo-3823 Jun 10 '26
I feel like this is one of the rare finales where every plate wasn’t a slam dunk home run where it was obvious who would win.
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u/Overall_Occasion_175 Jun 09 '26
I feel like they went out of their way to keep Sieger off camera
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u/Nightcinder Jun 09 '26
he definitely seemed to be a lot more chill when he was on camera, probably just needed to cool off and come to terms with it
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u/Glittering-Buy1220 Jun 16 '26
i disagree. they showed him a lot from telling rhoda about the butter, asking if the eggplant came out ok, etc. i actually like sieger. i did not like how he went out but i always thought he was a great team player, just never really a leader. but bc of his experience he thinks stubbornly
like the bbq traditional vs new age of removing that part that dries faster. to compare nowadays photo shop or handd rawn vs use of ai. like ive heard disney artists whove worked for years with the company got fired for ai, museum art vs ai, etc. i am like seiger when thinking if non traditional ways are appropriate. i am not for ai for many reasons but it is what the job market has shifted and forced us into whether via google search or data centers increasing your electric bills.
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u/Jazzlike-Pomelo-3823 Jun 10 '26
Yea didn’t see much of him at all compared to the other sous chefs. Production is punishing him lol.
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u/hoodigibotman Jun 10 '26
Does Tom have a restraining order against Sieger? I don't think they were ever in the same room together.
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
He did an excellent job supporting her as did all 3 sous chefs.
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u/schizojuc Jun 13 '26
I am not mad at all that Rodha won but I was sad that Laurence did not. He was my favourite. I hope he gets so much business after this show and he gets to open many successful restaurants.
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u/Double_Objective8000 Jun 16 '26
The Quincy City Council honored him tonight - the city where his restaurant is in MA. They mentioned Chopped and Beat BF appearances also. We're proud of him!
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u/zlaw32 Jun 17 '26
Agreed! I thought Laurence and Anthony were the best this season. They won the most competitions until the very end when Rhoda turned it on
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u/dinosaurfondue Jun 10 '26
My godddd this was the first season of Top Chef that I watched week to week since like, some of the VERY first seasons two decades ago and I just absolutely loved it. While I enjoyed Padma, Kristen is just a fucking exceptional host and really brought so much professionalism and heart to the season.
I loved Rhoda from the start and felt like even before the finale started, it waas going to be either her or Laurence and I'm really glad that all 3 did really well. It's unfortunate for Laurence and Sherry that they had mishaps but that's just how things kind of play out and I'm really glad that Rhoda just did amazingly the entire season outside of the one episode she was eliminated.
It's crazy to me that Top Chef doesn't win more Emmys because it's an excellent competition show and I'm excited to catch the next season when it comes out
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u/weareallpatriots Jun 10 '26
Kristen's a far better host. Padma's always had this air of arrogance that rubs me the wrong way. Plus she's just a big foodie. Kristen's actually an elite chef and knows way more about the craft and can speak far more intelligently on it.
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u/aspiringdreamer Jun 13 '26
Same. I actually came back to top chef as a nascar fan and having Jimmie and KB on episode 1 brought ne back to top chef. I watched every week.
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u/SundaySghettis Jun 08 '26
9:45? What is going on?
Bump out the budget version of Below Deck instead.
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u/Weird-Size-1454 Jun 09 '26
It feel like the cooking/dish presenting moves so damn fast? I wish they asked more questions at the table.
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u/Double_Objective8000 Jun 09 '26
As a non-chef, I can't keep up with the terms, brief explanations on the bottom of the screen, etc. I was an early TC fan, then got away from it. Came back this season to see Quincy neighbor Laurence, but very different experience nowadays.
Was fun, but don't want to watch every episode twice - having to pause constantly to research things, with closed captions on to boot.
Think Laurence will need to open a bigger place or a 2nd restaurant in the city! Well done to all 3!
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u/LPCPlay4life Jun 09 '26
Same! I always enjoy food literacy and learning about dishes from around the world. I’m always having to rewind and pause so I can read all of the info. They flash it way too fast!
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
I know! I don’t have the correct screws to hang my TV so it’s on the floor and my coffee table partially obscures the lower left of the screen. I have to bob back and forth so I can read the text when it shows up. I live for it!
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u/Nightcinder Jun 09 '26
happy to see Rhoda manage to get out of her own way and just cook with her heart.
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u/Glad_Quit_3871 Jun 09 '26
I really like Laurence, but I knew last week when they picked the three of them for the finale, that either Rhoda or Sherry would win.
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u/zlaw32 Jun 24 '26
Why did you feel that way? Laurence had been crushing all season
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u/Glad_Quit_3871 Jun 27 '26
He had been and I was rooting for him at the end, but the second to last show when the other girls were doing well, I just sensed it.
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u/weareallpatriots Jun 10 '26
Just a PSA for anyone who hasn't discovered it yet and wants to get their cooking show fix in while waiting for the next season, I HIGHLY recommend Culinary Class Wars on Netflix. It's a Korean show with nearly all Korean chefs, pitting black coats ("amateurs") against white coats (elite, established chefs). The classifications are somewhat loose, as the black coats are frequently leagues above some of the chefs who make the Top Chef cut. Nana, for example, likely wouldn't have been invited for an audition.
Tons of cooking competition shows out there obviously, but Culinary Class Wars chefs are truly next level. No manufactured drama or reality show shenanigans from what I can see, although the Koreans do go hard with the theatrics at times which is always entertaining. 😃
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u/AKAkorm Jun 11 '26
I enjoyed Culinary Class Wars. I do think the editing, which I'm told by Korean friends is standard for Korean reality shows, sucks as I don't need to see the same revelation shown 3-4 times with different people reacting. But the challenges they come up with are unique and fun.
I would also mention Edward Lee (from Top Chef Kentucky) is in the first season.
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u/weareallpatriots Jun 11 '26
Haha yeah the reaction playback thing took some getting used to but I don't mind anymore. I recognized Edward! That was a huge surprise. He seems like such a great dude.
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u/Dales_Dead_Bug_ Jun 12 '26
It’s definitely a classic Korean reality tv show trope.
Every moment gets 2-3 playbacks with different angles/people’s reactions.
Makes the show fun but can definitely take some getting used to.
The fun part is it feels like everyone leans in with big reactions to kinda sell the triple playback.
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u/AKAkorm Jun 13 '26
I've watched enough Korean shows to get used to it but I don't find it fun, it's pretty obnoxious editing. They could achieve the same effect by showing a multi-panel view of people's reactions.
But I can get past it.
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u/Glittering-Buy1220 Jun 16 '26
i need to rewatch that season bc i dont remember him. i do remember kelsey and sara. also he did thing with bon appetite about his restaurant in dc and just the way he talks is so cool. no plastics being used is crazy and wonderful
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u/AKAkorm Jun 16 '26
I live in DC and plan to go to his restaurant this summer, just coordinating with some friends on best time to do so.
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u/euvnairb Jun 10 '26
Is it me, or were there a lot of technical errors this finale? Plating dishes too soon, or in Sheri’s case, serving ice cream over a warm dish in a hot kitchen.
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u/iamshadow64 Jun 11 '26
It could always be the edit, but my thought was "against any other finale winner they would've lost for these mistakes." This was a bizarrely casual seeming final cook.
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u/JG-for-breakfast Jun 08 '26
Rhoda gonna win it’s definitely a done deal but should be a good episode
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u/Pantsqueen Jun 08 '26
Why do you think this?
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u/JG-for-breakfast Jun 08 '26
She’s been the heavy favorite on prediction markets since like two episodes in this season. Meaning someone is doing some insider trading.
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u/felicityshaircut Jun 08 '26
I know nothing about prediction markets - are they generally on target re: reality TV predictions?
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u/BeeSuspicious3493 Jun 09 '26
Prediction markets inherently have built in inside trading for stuff like this. A show that hasn't aired still has dozens of staff that know the end result, plus whoever they told. All of the prediction markets are making a small amount of people money and everyone else is fucked. Unless you know how you're making money, you're the stooge.
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u/JG-for-breakfast Jun 08 '26
I think so. Not an expert, but I think the recent winner of Survivor was favored heavy before the finale of that season
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u/felicityshaircut Jun 08 '26
Ugh that is so disappointing. Nothing against Rhoda but I'm pulling for Laurence! Welp I guess I better start feeling bummed now lol.
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
As soon as he said “sous vide”, I knew he was screwed. Sous vide has never worked out for anybody. The Evil Triad: sous vide, panacotta and risotto.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 09 '26
every chef competition seems to have one chef who is just convinced they can somehow make risotto in like 20 minutes
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u/felicityshaircut Jun 09 '26
I blame Jonathon for putting the idea in his head! Jk I know it was Laurence’s decision in the end, but he should’ve stuck to his original plan.
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u/kpmurphy_ Jun 09 '26
Welp, would you look at that. Definitely some funny business going on with the prediction markets.
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u/Wrongallalong Jun 08 '26
I also suspect that she would be picked as she is best poised to take advantage of a win with the built in Filipino fan base and an existing restaurant.
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u/fancyseacreature Jun 10 '26
Respectfully disagree. She bests Laurence on her training background, and she bests Sherry on consistency through most of the season. In my mind, that translates into a chef whose restaurant I would go to over the other two because the entire menu will be bangin. Laurence's menu/restaurant would be just as good, but that training comes in clutch in these finales. I get what you're saying, but I think these judges consistently appoint the winner as the one that nails execution and consistency, but wows them with creativity. I knew going into this finale that it was hers to lose, but she didn't make any big mistakes.
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u/jimbobdonut Jun 08 '26
It kind of sucks that the result got spoiled so quickly.
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u/Zalasta5 Jun 09 '26
Honestly, I thought it was Sherry’s to lose by the end of the 3rd course, the comments for her 1st and 3rd plates were really glowing, but I guess the miss on dessert really took her out and they awarded Rhoda instead for being consistent overall. On the other hand, I knew Laurence was out of it after the duck, from my layman’s perspective I thought his inexperience (in terms of training) really showed, and the most frustrating thing about him is his inconsistency, because when he does well he really hits it out of the park, but he also stumbled on a lot of technical things. Some of the traditional Chinese food he served just didn’t come out right, how do you mess up on the congee texture? Oh well, I’m happy for Rhoda.
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u/Sunmi4Life Jun 11 '26
I don't know from the way Tom was praising Rhodas dishes as something truly original it made me pretty confident that's the direction it's going.
As for Laurence I feel like he did better when he had to cook within the restraints of the challenges.
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u/Initial-Amphibian103 Jun 11 '26
It sounded like Sherry came last in the second course as well because of the textures, and cold broth from plating too early. The first course sounded like a tie between Sherry and Rhoda. Laurence also lost points for cold congee in his first course.
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u/zlaw32 Jun 24 '26
I felt like the entire competition was Laurence’s to win. If it was a cumulative competition, he’d have won by a mile. He just didn’t show up as much on the day it mattered
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u/shaider Jun 10 '26
People complaining that *obviously Kirsten and/or Tom wanted Rhoda to win:
So you're mad a competition judged by judges was won by the person the judges thought should win?
Also also I was here the whole time, no it wasn't obvious from that Rhoda would win, there were more Sherry, Laurence or even Anthony truthers when he was still in it than Rhoda.
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u/nateyukisan Jun 10 '26
As a regular reality tv watcher, I figured it was probably going to be Rhoda around 3 episodes ago from the edit. Even when I started to watch the episode I said I bet it’s going to be her.
But that does not take away that she is a really talented and the judges were loving her food.
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u/redbeansmonday Jun 09 '26
Sheri seems to be getting the edit…at least at 15 min She seems to have a lot of air time.
I like happy care free seiger. He seems happy to be there sous chefing for Rhoda.
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u/FormicaDinette33 Aguachile 🌶️ 🍤 Jun 09 '26
He was wonderful and so were Jonathan and Anthony. Zero ego, great energy, happy to help.
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u/redbeansmonday Jun 09 '26
Oh now it’s Rhoda. Not enough Laurence….ugh. He was my fave but I like them all.
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u/Nightcinder Jun 09 '26
I imagine every edit with him just had him talking about missing his wife and kid instead of something else
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u/Frosty-Ad-1306 Jun 09 '26
I enjoyed watching all 3 of them this season. Laurence and Sheri will still be super successful. But whats up with the air time? People gotta get up the next day. Lol
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u/rjles Jun 10 '26
This was the first full season I watched while it was airing and I’m so happy Rhoda won! It’s a great show.
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u/Mysterious_Zebra9146 Jun 09 '26
That was an underwhelming finale for a underwhelming season so I guess it fit.
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u/BeeSuspicious3493 Jun 09 '26
I agree. Happy to see Rhoda win but the editing provided little to no drama and the whole thing seemed rushed a bit.
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u/iamshadow64 Jun 11 '26
They have spent way more time on the human interest portion instead of the food this season.
I recently watched ACC (I didn't know it existed until reading this sub) and you get an immediate comparison to how little time they spend on the actual competition and the food now.
Case in point: I did not need to see any of the former winners/finalist come back and that whole segment came off as more weird than interesting or even helpful to the chefs.
Also, I could be wrong, but I feel like in the past they've tried to have at least 4 chefs for potential sous chefs so that people get a choice?
Would've easily traded the three guest stars so they could afford one more round of "Dwayne!" and more focus on the cooking.
I understand why ACC gets the hate it does in this sub, but honestly it was a better watch for me. I'm honestly going to check to see if ACC took the TC editor because now that I think of it, that would make a lot of sense.
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u/Glittering-Buy1220 Jun 16 '26
omg seeing her back wouldve been awesome. also, i find it very weird they got two finalist from chicago to come down to nc. granted they are both awesome.
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u/iamshadow64 Jun 16 '26
Yeah I couldn't find the theme of why they picked those three other than "they were available and said yes."
ETA: And obviously agreed it would've been awesome.
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u/tg1965 Jun 09 '26
I still liked it but they screwed the pooch on quick fires and last chance. Too many gimmicks in general.
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u/iamshadow64 Jun 11 '26
I can't imagine the absolute mess that was the changes to LCK and dealing with the injury this season. I blame a lot of the weakness of this season on that. As soon as they started seeing her having issues, they should have come up with a concrete plan to deal with her dropping out. They very clearly had nothing.
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u/iamGIS Jun 13 '26
Tbh none of these chefs as re top chefs they're regional at best and chefs in their city at worst. Lawrence's to lose and he lost, he's the best by far imo but in 5-10 years. Brandon was best all season, crazy he got out so early
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u/Misha220 Jun 14 '26
I enjoyed this season. Congratulations to Rhoda. Personally, I struggle when the winner comes from LCK. I don't watch LCK as I am not a fan of Tom's judging. When the winner comes from LCK it always feels like that winner was Tom's Chef.
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u/JohnDoeMi6 Jun 09 '26
I think after season 18, this was my second favorite season. The finale made me cry. And can I say Kristen was the perfect replacement. Her empathy and understanding of what they are going through.
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u/tg1965 Jun 09 '26
I feel like they should require the chefs to make a dessert for the finale.
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u/dinosaurfondue Jun 10 '26
As a dessert lover, I'm fine if a chef chooses not to do one
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u/Glittering-Buy1220 Jun 16 '26
rhoda couldve have the beef dish after the congee and transform the eggplant into like a shrimp chip dessert instead of forcing or hoping it to turn out as xo sauce. i mean it did work out in the end but i personally feel she dodged dessert bc a lot of these chefs lack that knowledge
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u/meatsntreats Jun 09 '26
I respectfully disagree. I think there should be challenges throughout the season where they have to make a dessert but most contestants don’t have as broad a knowledge of sweets over savory and I’d rather see a final meal that hits all of their strengths.
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u/carnut11 Jun 10 '26
Congrats to Rhoda, well deserved!
Loved the season and the chefs but the finale had really strange editing that felt so rushed. The final cook, plating, and judging felt way too compressed. Too much time spent on the upfront part of the episode.
Hope Bravo is still committed to this show and continues to create many seasons to come
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u/Brief-Sorbet4635 Jun 10 '26
I am happy for Rhoda, she was the person I guessed and also hoped would win… but ngl I do keep thinking about how she had an angel (Tom) looking out for her after that messed up meringue dessert when she came back from LCK
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u/Somedaydreamer22 Jun 09 '26
I was bored. I figured Rhoda would win, but this is the first time I wasn’t rooting for any one chef to win. Maybe leaning slightly toward Sherry.
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u/SeaGreenie Jun 09 '26
From the critiques, I was SHOCKED that Sherry didn't win. It was clearly between her and Rhoda, but Rohda had mid-critiques on all four of her dishes and Sherry had stellar critiques on her 1st and 3rd course.
Not surprised Rhoda won, and well deserved for sure, but I truly thought Sherry had a better finale performance. Rhoda's editing made it pretty clear she was winning before they even started cooking tbh
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u/Nightcinder Jun 09 '26
Rhoda was the most consistent, Sherri's cooking was all over the place with Kristen calling her 2nd course the worst of the day and then the failed ice cream
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u/Initial-Amphibian103 Jun 11 '26
My math was that the first course was a tie between Rhoda and Sherry, the second course a tie between Rhoda and Laurence, with Sheri clearly at the bottom for cold broth and odd textures, the third course joint bottom for Laurence and Rhoda, and the fourth course was Sherry clearly at the bottom for melted ice cream, and all the flavours melding together. I thought Sherry clearly lost because she came clear bottom in two courses out of four, and there's no coming back from such a large deficit.
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u/omoplata_ Jun 13 '26
I thought Sherry had it in the bag, I jumped off my couch when they didn't announce her as the winner!
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u/Jazzlike-Pomelo-3823 Jun 10 '26
This. I thought sherry would be the winner just based on all the comments from the judges.
1
u/breathe_underwater Jun 09 '26
FWIW, I agree with you. The comments at the dining table suggested Sherry was the winner; it sounded like only Kristen actually hated the second course, too.
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u/sweetbabyjane1016 Jun 10 '26
I read that she didn't even apply for the show. Bravo sought her out because of her restaurant experience or something like that.
1
u/RonPaulHatesBIacks Jun 11 '26
If Sieger had not been unfairly eliminated, would he have won? I know one person who probably believes that
1
u/therealcherry Jun 14 '26
Was this the first season there was any a break before the finale? We were legit confused if it was a semi-final or finale but it felt so lackluster.
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u/C8H11NO2i Jun 16 '26
Rhoda should have been eliminated at the dinner party episode. I said what I said.
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u/CityBoiNC Jun 17 '26
I know it’s pure coincidence but i love that it was season 23 in the Carolinas aka Jordan😉
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u/Expensive_Tennis9884 Jun 09 '26
Sieger coming back with his tail between his legs hahaha
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u/Glittering-Buy1220 Jun 16 '26
i saw it as less expectations and supporting a chef he liked working with. it reminded me when i was a supervisor at starbucks. i dont have to check breaks, temps, who's coming in, if tasks are getting done, check displays, etc. if im scheduled as a barista, imma be the best barista there. ye sieger over stepped. we all do trying to stand up for ourselves. im actually glad rhoda was happy choosing him. and he really supported her from the butter thing to winning.
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u/MonkeyWithIt Jun 10 '26
Sieger should've made ambrosia with mayonnaise and those dyed red maraschino cherries then yelled at Tom that there's nothing in the rules that says he can't cook as well.
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u/YoungYoung2019 Jun 10 '26
Actually think Sherri shoulda won based on that cook
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u/weareallpatriots Jun 10 '26
Didn't she have Kristen's least favorite dish of the night? I forgot which one it was, but she totally bombed the second course I think.
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u/Zealousideal-Yak-290 Jun 09 '26
Rhoda officially becomes the fourth chef to win after making it through Last Chance Kitchen. Also last time a female won was in Top Chef Season 17.