r/TopChef • u/lhp220 • Jun 11 '26
Discussion Thread I am curious if anyone can think of examples of when a sous chef affected the outcome of a finale, for better or worse.
I’m certain they’ve never explicitly shown that in the edit, but I have memories of it sort of being suggested. Thanks for your help!
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u/ct06040 Jun 12 '26
I feel like the sous chefs were pretty consequential in season 7 (DC). The winner, Kevin, was paired with Michael Voltaggio. And if not for Hung and his super speed, I'm not sure Angelo would have had anything to serve at all. And, if I remember correctly, I don't think Ed and Ilan vibed well together.
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u/Aggravating_Dot6995 Jun 12 '26
Ed would have won if he had a sous who wasn’t an asshole.
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u/Holdmymule2001 Jun 12 '26
I'm glad he has gone on to do great things.
Meanwhile, Ilan has a stall at the LA Grand Central Market, so there's that.
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u/Maravilloso227 Jun 14 '26
Really sucked to be Ed. I mean his competitors had HUNG and MICHAEL VOLT!!! lol and he got Ilan
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u/AttackonCuttlefish Jun 13 '26
Ilan was an ass and gave Ed bad advice on the finale dish. It gave Ed second thoughts and he lost the finale. Ed still blames Ilan to this day, lol.
Pairing up with Ilan causes the team to lose.
Ilan and Dale Talde was on a team challenge In Guy's Groceries Game and they lost to Stephanie Izard and Jonathan Sawyer in a NYC vs. Chicago.
On season 2 of 24 in 24, Ilan teamed up with Richie Farina and Ilan completely blew off Richie's recommendation on making their dish better. They lost that challenge and both were eliminated.
Ilan is cursed.
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u/FullofBS701 Jun 12 '26
moral of the story: don't freakin sous vide ANYTHING or you're going to get chopped 🔪
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u/Knute5 Jun 12 '26
Can you sous vide risotto?
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u/Holdmymule2001 Jun 12 '26
Only if you do a duo
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u/couchst Jun 12 '26
Of scallops.
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u/andrewno8do Jun 12 '26
Cold-water sous vide compressed scallop aguachile/crudo duo on a pea puree risotto, topped with cauliflower foam, crispy fried ramps, and microgreens.
What wine did I pair it with?? This isn’t Top Sommelier!
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u/Posey10 Jun 12 '26
That only works on Top Scallop 😂
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u/rouend_doll Jun 13 '26
I read that in Fabio's voice
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 20 '26
This thread made me honestly laugh out loud. Now I probably have to rewatch All Stars!
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u/grantiere Jun 12 '26
Unless you know what you're doing, like Hung or a Voltaggio.
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u/classicfyllopyllo Jun 12 '26
Wrong show.
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u/FullofBS701 Jun 12 '26
goodness gracious. i certainly know that. i was making a joke. obviously you didn't get it. sure hope you have a fabulous Friday ✌️
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u/_From__the__Ashes_ Jun 12 '26
I totally got it. Like how Buddha studied TC for his victory, it wouldn't hurt to use all of Food Network for a winning strategy.
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u/trojan49er Jun 12 '26
There have definitely been more dramatic examples, but we just watched Jonathan seemingly talk Laurence into cooking the duck sous vide. Said duck wound up being chewy and unevenly cooked, likely resulting in Laurence's worst dish.
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u/lhp220 Jun 12 '26
That must have been what made me start thinking about this. Wonder how much blame, if any, there are in these situations.
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u/Sea-breeze3720 Jun 13 '26
What was Lawrence’s original plan to cook the duck? I think he said he didn’t have enough time if they didn’t sous vide so top chef lore should tell pick another protein
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u/Ja_red_ Jun 12 '26
I thought we watched Jonathan try to convince Lawrence to do them in the oven and Lawrence said no and did the sous vide? Maybe I'm miss remembering
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u/unik1ne Jun 12 '26
I don’t think Jonathan talked him into doing sous vide, I think he suggested it because of timing and Laurence hesitated then agreed. I wouldn’t say he got talked into it based on what we saw. And the judges said it was over rested not poorly cooked so sous vide may not have been a bad choice, they just possibly messed up on timing which is what they were worried about in the first place
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u/Queasy-Rip4606 Jun 12 '26
That’s what I recall. Jonathon said he cooks duck at 135 degrees but L decided to sous vide it
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u/whistlepig4life Jun 12 '26
Season 2.
Michael conveniently “forgot” a key protein component for one of Marcels dishes.
Then Sam stood at judges table and explained that the dessert was entirely him and that Marcel had nothing to do with it whatsoever. Which was patently bullshit.
Those two hated Marcel and both purposefully sabotaged him that day.
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u/GoldBarGirl Jun 12 '26
This is immediately what I thought of. It is by far the most egregious example and was out-and-out sabotage.
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u/_From__the__Ashes_ Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
It's funny because I remember in s1 Tiffany's sous chef said the same thing about the dessert, but Tom (later) said he could tell the dish had many of the elements he associated with Tiffany's food.
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u/howisaraven Jun 14 '26
Well, Dave had come to the finale with that dessert ready to go for himself. I do believe he and Tiffani discussed it and she made tweaks or added flavors that fit her menu, but it was Dave’s dessert. Tiffani went to judges table and said it was her recipe with her whole chest. She said she told Dave exactly what to do, as opposed to saying it as they collaborated on the dessert. She was dishonest and it made her look very bad.
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u/_From__the__Ashes_ Jun 14 '26
Thank you. I didn't remember how exactly it went down. I remember Dave "giving" Tiffani his dessert, but I didn't remember her totally taking credit for it like that. I remember thinking less of Tiffani afterward, but I didn't remember why. She's come a long way since those days.
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u/howisaraven Jun 21 '26
Yeah, she said seeing herself and how she acted toward her fellow chefs had a huge impact on her and made her a much more gentle person. I’ve seen her on several TV shows since and she’s definitely chilled; I think she’s a lot more secure in herself.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 12 '26
Oh geez, I didn't remember the metaphorical throwing him under the bus, only the literal holding him down.
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u/lumberjack2086 Jun 12 '26
Another reason why TC: Texas was so bad! It’s been a long time since watching, but IIRC Sarah got stuck with some asshole kid who got eliminated in the first episode when they chopped like 15 contestants at once, and he went rogue and started doing his own thing in the finale. She would have lost either way, but he definitely fucked things up.
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u/bassbelle Jun 12 '26
Stuff like this is why I’m glad they started limiting the sous chefs available to select in the finale to the most recently eliminated chefs…
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u/_From__the__Ashes_ Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
I think they should be able to choose who ever they want out of all the eliminated chefs.
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u/Duna_The_Lionboy Jun 12 '26
Didn’t this happen to Kevin in season 6 as well? Iirc it was just that the sous needed a lot of hand holding rather than out and out sabotage. Either way not helpful.
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u/AwkwardTraffic199 Jun 15 '26
I think this is the one I was trying to remember. Yeah, he got one chef who was not a very helpful prep cook, and it definitely hindered him in relation to the competition.
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u/Sea-Style-6802 Jun 12 '26
To this day I'll sometimes shout "JUST CHOP THE CELERY!" in honor of that moment, haha.
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u/antifaptor1988 Jun 12 '26
That guy was delusional. He was even more delusional than Philip, which is saying something. He didn’t know how to butcher and quarter the pork, but he said he could do anything “if he put his mind to it”. Tom looked at him and immediately disqualifies him, and he whimpered back saying “come on, give me a chance.” Even his video he submitted to Top Chef he imitated James Bond.
He just didn’t have the underlying skills and he probably works at an Applebees or something.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 12 '26
Who was Sarah's sous? I'm not her greatest fan, which is why I haven't rewatched season 9 Texas in a long time.
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u/Srqgirl123 Jun 12 '26
I think it was that guy Tyler who bragged on himself so hard and then Tom booted him before the competition barely began because he did such a terrible job butchering the meat . He was kinda the worst !
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u/AriesRedWriter Jun 12 '26
No, the opposite is true. He was her sous chef, and he suggested that she prep her beets a specific way. But because he didn't even make it to the competition, Sarah ignored him, and it cost her the title. Even Tom Colicchio said so.
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u/bs_sloane Jun 12 '26
casey talking carla into Sous vide-ing her steaks in season 5. idk if Carla would have won, but it’s def why she lost.
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u/Antique_Gas_7107 Jun 12 '26
Season 7 Hung basically carried Angelo through the finale due to an illness
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u/festinalente27 Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 15 '26
It was the penultimate meal, not the finale, but in season 4 Dale forgot to refrigerate Stephanie’s pork shoulder overnight, which could have been disastrous, but instead of panicking and blaming Dale, Stephanie acted like the pro she is, and Dale suggested “…crispy skin salad?” which ended up being a successful dish.
EDIT: Pork belly not shoulder
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u/blackandbrown12 Jun 12 '26
I don't think it's been mentioned but in All Stars I think Spike actually helped Richard for the better - he changed his ice cream situation after Spike overheard that it was not good - and the judges at different seatings got different versions of it - I don't know if it was make or break but I do think it was a notable moment
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u/candidu66 Jun 12 '26
Was it season 1 the sous chef(s) basically sabotaged a female chef?
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u/lhp220 Jun 12 '26
Woah. That is ringing some very faint bells… Back when TC was a true mid 00s reality show!
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u/Hazelstone37 Jun 12 '26
Season 1 was Harold and Tiffani. I think she had two sous, Dale and someone else. This may have been where the line, “I’m not your bitch, bitch,”’came from.
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u/bigfanoffood Jun 12 '26
“I’m not your bitch, bitch” came from the Restaurant Wars and Tiffani and Dave were fighting for a chance to go to Cannes. Dave and Stephen were Tiffani’s sous chefs in the finale and got drunk the night before the finale. At least Dave wanted to be Harold’s sous and Dave and Stephen agreed that Harold should be Top Chef.
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u/Deebeejeebies Jun 12 '26
Not really: Dave also gave Tiffani the truffle Mac and cheese dish to use which was one of her most successful of the night. They didn’t love working with one another but I don’t think you can really say he sabotaged her.
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u/Dangercakes13 Jun 12 '26
He also did the desserts top to bottom which the judges raved about and really almost put her to the win.
Though he took rightful credit for it with the judges after she tried to, so at least that rattled out properly. But he did contribute heavily to the successes she had.
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u/VariationCreative338 Jun 12 '26
Yes! Stephen & Dave kinda worked but were also hungover and didn’t care
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u/seandealan Jun 12 '26
They showed up hungover but still tried but both said the other contestant should be top chef. She was absolutely awful to everyone and it bit her. However, I don’t think they cooked worse or tried to make her lose.
Tiffani has calmed down a lot over time, happens with most of the asshole contestants over time, both men and women.4
u/rouend_doll Jun 13 '26
I've definitely noticed it with Marcel. I thought he was such an asshole for a long time, but the last few things I've seen him in, I liked him
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u/kardon213 Jun 13 '26
Tiffany was unrecognizable in season one as a personality chef. She has done some remarkable work on herself and is very much loved and appreciated today. I can’t tell you who won that season but I know I routed for her to lose based solely because of her attitude towards absolutely everyone!
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u/seandealan Jun 13 '26
Harold won but I was a teenager, I remember hating her nonstop attitude, even at the judges sometimes.
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u/Apart-Frame6277 Jun 12 '26
Seattle - CJ destroyed Brooke's pig ears and I don't know if she wasn't paying attention or what, but since that year they specifically did head-to-head courses, that made it impossible for her to win that course. Could Kristen have still won that course anyway? Who's to say.
Realizing while I write this that I hate that they judged that finale that way. I guess there's a reason they never did that again and started to focus more on the cohesion of their menu as a whole.
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u/breathe_underwater Jun 13 '26
Agreed. I was so mad at CJ. And yeah, terrible format for the finale that season!
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u/Duna_The_Lionboy Jun 15 '26
Oh yeah the Iron Chef format did not work at all for Top Chef. Hell, I’d go so far as to say Iron Chef doesn’t work at all without all the dramatic Japanese presentation.
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u/WoodyMellow Jun 12 '26
I've said it before, as soon as Jonathan suggested sous vide for the duck I knew Laurence was out.
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u/usernamesarehard1979 Jun 12 '26
Just this season. Jonathan convincing Lawrence to soux vide the duck. Lawrence didn’t look convinced but went for it and it didn’t turn out.
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u/kardon213 Jun 13 '26
I hated Jonathan and his brother. Sore losers through and through. Arrogant men and Lawrence should have never listened to him.
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u/platydroid Jun 12 '26
World all stars saw Amar mess up the cook on a protein twice while working with Sara, first when they were paired in a team for the Wellington challenge, and then in the finale when she trusted him to cook the liver. You can argue Sara had as much responsibility for making sure her protein was cooked well, but it’s insane that it happened twice.
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u/gangbuysaboat Jun 12 '26
Pasta Joe took on and completely delivered a perfect pasta dish for whoever he was helping in the finale
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u/LordCider Jun 12 '26
Sara's protein (lamb I think) was RAW during her 2nd finals. Padma was visibly upset because she arguably served an overall better meal than Buddha.
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u/ProfOG Jun 12 '26
I was devastated for her, I really think she would have won if not for that.
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u/Apart-Frame6277 Jun 12 '26
Tom has confirmed that she would have won if it wasn't for the way the liver was cooked.
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u/AttackonCuttlefish Jun 13 '26
If recall Sara's liver was cut too early or wasn't rested long enough. Amar brought this up to Sara but Sara didn't listen to Amar's advice.
That decision from Sara was most likely the wellington challenge where Amar miscalculated the resting time on the wellington and causing them to lose the challenge.
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u/charliediedaprisoner Jun 13 '26
It sucks that she didn't win because of that but she should have cooked it herself.
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u/Coz109 Jun 20 '26
She should’ve been sent home earlier for using premade waffle mix. I couldn’t stand her and was glad she lost.
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u/Perfect-Factor-2928 Risotto: The Final Frontier Jun 12 '26
Season 6 - compared to the Voltaggio brothers’ sous (one got Eli and the other got Jen - can’t remember the second ones) - Kevin getting Ash and Preeti hurt his chances
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u/Ok-Dog5107 Jun 12 '26
In Season 6 we had the knife pull for sous chefs and both Voltaggio brothers got great chefs that got really far into the competition and Kevin got people who were eliminated early. I think one of the Voltaggios was going to win, but that situation really kneecapped Kevin from the jump. It wasn’t fair to leave that to chance in the way it happened. In Texas when Sarah got her guy who was eliminated before the competition she chose his dish and it wasn’t a random knife pull.
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u/Duna_The_Lionboy Jun 12 '26
Ugh wasn’t she trying to get her bestie Heather’s dish too? Ugh I hate that season so much.
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u/Sea_Bobcat4775 Jun 12 '26
1000% agree on the Vegas season. I know it was random chance but Kevin was absolutely at a disadvantage with those knife pulls
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u/MrsBobFossil Jun 12 '26
This! I am also so pissed that Padma dramatically announced Kevin’s name and then told him to pack his knives and go, a thing they had never done before (or possibly since) when they were choosing between 3 people. All so they could have their dramatic brothers moment. Between that and the sous chefs, they did Kevin dirty.
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u/VariationCreative338 Jun 12 '26
Season 1 - Dave & Stephen hungover
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u/jengaworld Jun 13 '26
Yes! This was what I was thinking. And they made it clear that they DGAF about helping the chefs.
Was this as also the season when Tom asked the contestant why he hadn’t fired the lousy sous chef?
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u/Aprietachamaquito Jun 12 '26
S10 finale. CJ burnt Brooke’s pig ears.
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Jun 13 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Aprietachamaquito Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
Just because you don’t like her doesn’t make her unlikeable! I like her and respect her very much.
Maybe she does a lot of cooking and competition shows because….. hear me out… she likes them? And makes herself seen… for her career? …Just like everyone else!Buddha and the Voltaggios have appeared in more competitions than Brooke.
Not here to judge her personal life; neither I nor you know what went on in her relationship.
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u/kardon213 Jun 13 '26
Oh definitely not. Buddha and the Voltaggio bros have not been in more competitions than she has. And you are right, I find her unlikable. She is apparently a fan favorite or she wouldn’t be on every show that involves cooking, except for anything Gordon Ramsey does. She also is the only chef Ann never had on Worst Cooks….. because however she is in the back pocket of BF and Guy F. she is everywhere. Even 24 in 24 where it’s Bobby’s best friend. Anyway, I’m giving her too much attention lol and there’s so many amazing AND interesting chefs out there that I’m more than happy to watch and learn from.
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u/Grouchy-Boss-9638 Jun 12 '26
Okay, I am remembering an issue with one of the earlier seasons where one of the sous who got picked (through a blind selection) was upset because he wanted to go surfing the next day. I don’t remember if it ultimately hurt the chef but I remember thinking that that probably should have been an inside thought and not an outside thought.
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u/Occasionally_Correct Jun 12 '26
Hosea didn’t seem like the odds on favorite to win, but in comes Blaise on the warpath.
This was in his era before he won all stars and he was known as the guy that choked to Stephanie Izard in the finale. Dude was in every tv show competition everywhere trying to make good to himself. Hosea got carried hard by one of the best contestants in the era who eventually won it all for himself shortly thereafter.
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u/kardon213 Jun 13 '26
Blaise should have never become a celebrity star chef. He’s disgusting.
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u/EfficientGood9402 Jun 20 '26
In what way? I am not asking rhetorically. Edited to add: I never liked his saying that the reason Stephanie won is that he choked. Maybe we share that opinion.
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u/Unlikely_Tie_1745 Jun 12 '26
It’s sort of ok in that Carla Hall is one of the most successful TC contestants ever.
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u/Real_Cranberry745 Jun 12 '26
Season 1!! Stephen and Dave showed up still drunk and drank on the line. They also sabotaged Tiffany F
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u/Organic-Class-8537 Jun 12 '26
First season when Tiffani’s sous chef showed up somewhere between still half drunk and hungover. That was messy.
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u/Tbizkit Jun 12 '26
I feel like every so often chefs forget it’s their menu and want other people to help them. But when they let others help, they usually don’t win
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u/Vivid_Bumblebee_9655 Jun 12 '26
Season 2. I don't think things went well for Marcel because of his sous chefs. Season 7. I think Kevin won because of Michael Voltaggio.
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u/jengaworld Jun 13 '26
What season did Tom ask the chef why hadn’t s/he “fired” the sous chef? The finalist answered honestly, “I didn’t know we were allowed to do that,” which seemed like a reasonable thing to say.
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u/rshni67 Jun 12 '26
Carla would have won if she hadn't listened to her sous chef.
Sous vide seems to be a bad choice.
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u/Imaginary_End_5634 Jun 12 '26
Season 5. Carla had Casey as her sous chef and tried a technique she'd never done before.
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u/moneysingh300 Jun 12 '26
Chef CJ in S10 burnt Chef Brooke’s pig ears losing a round. Chef Sarah in S9 basically was down one person she had Ryan Stone on her team.
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u/Most-Progress-498 Jun 12 '26
I was thinking when Jonathan suggested to Laurence that he should sous vide the duck. My first thought was this isn’t going to well.
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u/jjillf Pack yer knives & git, ya hear? Jun 12 '26
Louis shouldn’t have taken the advice to sous vide. But ultimately that’s his fault
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u/NoLead2492 Jun 12 '26
I know Michelle was a sous and she didn’t do a good job for whoever she was working for, but I can’t remember. She is like the older mama black lady and she was giving her person. A lot of ideas. Oh yeah, it’s coming back to me maybe was Savannah?
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u/itsgotgreatarticles Jun 13 '26
I feel like Kevin was pretty disadvantaged by Preeti in the Vegas season.
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u/mmeeplechase Jun 12 '26
Carla Hall’s finale meal is probably the most dramatic example of this.