“Top Chef” returned for its 19th season on March 3, 2022, bringing the show back to Texas — Houston, to be exact. The show was set in the Lone Star State a decade ago for season nine, stopping in cities like San Antonio, Dallas, and Austin, but not in Houston, which is the fourth most populous city in the United States of America. So how did this year’s cheftestants do? Scroll down for the results of “Top Chef: Houston,” updated every week as another chef packs their knives and goes. (Spoiler Alert for anyone not caught up on the episodes that have aired thus far.)
The 15 chefs from a wide variety of backgrounds who started the competition were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Leia Gaccione, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Stephanie Miller, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch. They competed for...
The 15 chefs from a wide variety of backgrounds who started the competition were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Leia Gaccione, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Stephanie Miller, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch. They competed for...
- 6/3/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
There were just six chefs left on “Top Chef: Houston” going into episode 10, “Dinner in Zero Gravity,” as the competition gets closer to the home stretch: Damarr Brown, Evelyn Garcia, Jae Jung, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, and Nick Wallace. So at this elite level of the competition, it was time for them to shoot for the stars. But their first challenge kept them grounded.
See‘Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen’: Did Sarah Welch ‘destroy’ Luke Kolpin like the 5 chefs who came before him? [Watch] Quickfire Challenge
Before launching into space they found a message from host Padma Lakshmi waiting for them when they woke up: “Grab a map and meet me at the Houston Farmer’s Market.” So that part of the challenge was clear at least. When they arrived, Padma greeted them along with the guest judge for this challenge: “Top Chef” All-Star Claudette Zepeda. They explained a little...
See‘Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen’: Did Sarah Welch ‘destroy’ Luke Kolpin like the 5 chefs who came before him? [Watch] Quickfire Challenge
Before launching into space they found a message from host Padma Lakshmi waiting for them when they woke up: “Grab a map and meet me at the Houston Farmer’s Market.” So that part of the challenge was clear at least. When they arrived, Padma greeted them along with the guest judge for this challenge: “Top Chef” All-Star Claudette Zepeda. They explained a little...
- 5/6/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“I don’t know if anybody is ready to leave. I’m just happy to have swam in the same pool as everybody,” said Luke Kolpin during his exit interview after his “Top Chef” elimination in seventh place. In “Freedmen’s Town,” he and his fellow chefs made dishes that fed their souls, but Kolpin’s meatloaf fell just short of his competitors in an especially strong challenge where no one made a bad dish. But he remained positive nevertheless. “I fell in love with cooking because there was always an opportunity to learn, and you’re never going to stop learning. I’m excited to continue on this journey.”
See‘Top Chef: Houston’ episode 9 recap: ‘Freedmen’s Town’ turned into Mother’s Day as chefs went back to their roots
Kolpin had another chance immediately thereafter in “Last Chance Kitchen” where he faced Sarah “The Buzzsaw” Welch, who was...
See‘Top Chef: Houston’ episode 9 recap: ‘Freedmen’s Town’ turned into Mother’s Day as chefs went back to their roots
Kolpin had another chance immediately thereafter in “Last Chance Kitchen” where he faced Sarah “The Buzzsaw” Welch, who was...
- 5/2/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“I think anybody who walks through the doors is shocked to see me because of how long ago I was eliminated. But I also think it should instill fear because he knows how many people I had to destroy to be here still,” said “Top Chef” contestant Sarah Welch upon greeting her latest challenger in “Last Chance Kitchen,” Luke Kolpin, who was eliminated for overly dense and dry meatloaf in “Freedmen’s Town.” She had already won five “Lck” challenges in a row. Was she able to continue her winning streak? Watch the complete episode above.
See‘Top Chef: Houston’ episode 9 recap: ‘Freedmen’s Town’ turned into Mother’s Day as chefs went back to their roots
Though Luke was eliminated for imperfect meatloaf, his dish wasn’t actually that bad, according to the judges. He was simply up against chefs whose dishes were almost uniformly great. So instead...
See‘Top Chef: Houston’ episode 9 recap: ‘Freedmen’s Town’ turned into Mother’s Day as chefs went back to their roots
Though Luke was eliminated for imperfect meatloaf, his dish wasn’t actually that bad, according to the judges. He was simply up against chefs whose dishes were almost uniformly great. So instead...
- 4/29/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Last week’s “Top Chef” episode, “Restaurant Wars,” was a giant killer as it ended with the elimination of Jackson Kalb. He’d had the judges’ favorite dishes for the majority of the season up to that point despite not being able to taste his own food, but his poor ideas combined with his poor front-of-house service ended his run on the show. That left seven cheftestants in the competition: Damarr Brown, Evelyn Garcia, Jae Jung, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, and Nick Wallace. How did they fare in episode nine, “Freedmen’s Town,” when they had to cook food that nurtured their own souls. Read on to find out what happened this week.
Quickfire Challenge
The show started with an especially consequential Quickfire Challenge as this would be the last time this season that the winner would get immunity from elimination. Host Padma Lakshmi would decide the winner...
Quickfire Challenge
The show started with an especially consequential Quickfire Challenge as this would be the last time this season that the winner would get immunity from elimination. Host Padma Lakshmi would decide the winner...
- 4/29/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
I feel like I have egg on my face, which is appropriate for “Top Chef.” Less than a week ago I wrote about how Jackson Kalb could ride his malfunctioning taste buds all the way to the season 19 championship. He had one of the judges’ favorite dishes in six of the first seven challenges despite Covid taking away his most important senses. The first time all season he was at the bottom for an Elimination Challenge was “Restaurant Wars,” but that was all it took for him to be eliminated. Like all contestants, though, he had a shot at redemption in “Last Chance Kitchen,” where he faced his friend Sarah Welch.
Since Jackson was eliminated for his flawed restaurant concept, their challenge on “Lck” was to come up with a concept for a ghost kitchen: a business that prepares delivery-only meals. They had to showcase that concept in three dishes...
Since Jackson was eliminated for his flawed restaurant concept, their challenge on “Lck” was to come up with a concept for a ghost kitchen: a business that prepares delivery-only meals. They had to showcase that concept in three dishes...
- 4/22/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“Top Chef: Houston” went into episode eight with eight contestants left in the kitchen: Damarr Brown, Evelyn Garcia, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, and Nick Wallace. That’s a nice even number that splits cleanly into two teams of four, so during this week’s ominous opener with the chefs driving to their next challenge — as if to the gallows — Damarr wondered aloud, “It’s gotta be Restaurant Wars, right?”
Damarr hit the nail on the head! It was time for one of “Top Chef’s” most notorious challenges, where the chefs team up to create rival restaurants, given only 36 hours to plan, design, and execute the whole thing from top to bottom. Deciding the two teams started with drawing knives, but it didn’t end there. Most of the knives were blank, while Nick drew one that said “First Choice” and Jae drew one that said “Second Choice.
Damarr hit the nail on the head! It was time for one of “Top Chef’s” most notorious challenges, where the chefs team up to create rival restaurants, given only 36 hours to plan, design, and execute the whole thing from top to bottom. Deciding the two teams started with drawing knives, but it didn’t end there. Most of the knives were blank, while Nick drew one that said “First Choice” and Jae drew one that said “Second Choice.
- 4/22/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
With the exit of Monica Feybesse from the “Top Chef: Houston” kitchen last week, there were nine cheftestants left going into episode seven, “Swallow the Competition”: Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Evelyn Garcia, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, and Nick Wallace. But swallowing the competition had two meanings as those nine hopefuls would learn. Read on to find out what happened this week.
See‘Top Chef: Houston’ episode 6 recap: Ousted chef returned and contestants celebrated ‘Texas Trailblaze-hers’ Quickfire Challenge
Host Padma Lakshmi introduced two guest judges — Ope Amosu and “Top Chef” All-Star Kwame Onwuachi — who explained that the chefs would be dealing with Nigerian cuisine, specifically swallows, which are starches that are cooked (usually boiled) until tender and then dipped into a soup or stew. Each chef was to prepare a dish to complement a particular swallow. But before cooking they had the opportunity to...
See‘Top Chef: Houston’ episode 6 recap: Ousted chef returned and contestants celebrated ‘Texas Trailblaze-hers’ Quickfire Challenge
Host Padma Lakshmi introduced two guest judges — Ope Amosu and “Top Chef” All-Star Kwame Onwuachi — who explained that the chefs would be dealing with Nigerian cuisine, specifically swallows, which are starches that are cooked (usually boiled) until tender and then dipped into a soup or stew. Each chef was to prepare a dish to complement a particular swallow. But before cooking they had the opportunity to...
- 4/15/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“Top Chef: Houston” contestant Ashleigh Shanti was like a boomerang: eliminated last week in “Don’t Mess with BBQ,” fighting for redemption on “Last Chance Kitchen,” and immediately earning a spot back in the competition for episode six, “Trailblaze-hers,” where she re-joined the other nine chefs: Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monique Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, and Nick Wallace. Did she fare better this week when the contestants paid tribute to legendary women?
Before that main challenge, though, the 10 chefs once again had to rely on teamwork.
See‘Top Chef’ spoilers: Who had to pack their knives and go during Houston season? Quickfire Challenge
Host Padma Lakshmi, joined by guest judges and “Top Chef” All-stars Nini Nguyen and Kelsey Barnard Clark, reintroduced Ashleigh to her teammates and then directed them all towards a collection of ingredients. Five chefs would choose a sweet ingredient, and...
Before that main challenge, though, the 10 chefs once again had to rely on teamwork.
See‘Top Chef’ spoilers: Who had to pack their knives and go during Houston season? Quickfire Challenge
Host Padma Lakshmi, joined by guest judges and “Top Chef” All-stars Nini Nguyen and Kelsey Barnard Clark, reintroduced Ashleigh to her teammates and then directed them all towards a collection of ingredients. Five chefs would choose a sweet ingredient, and...
- 4/8/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Last week’s team challenge on “Top Chef” ended with the double elimination of Robert Hernandez and Sarah Welch, which left 10 cooks in the kitchen: Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, and Nick Wallace. But they didn’t have time to process that before Padma Lakshmi visited them backstage to get them ready for their next challenge. Read on to find out what happened in “Don’t Mess with BBQ.”
Padma let the chefs know that the very next morning they would meet “Top Chef” All-Star Brooke Williamson on location, which worried the contestants because Padma wouldn’t rush to prepare you immediately for the next challenge if it weren’t going to be a doozy. Indeed, they did have their work cut out for them the next morning when they met up with Brooke, who led them...
Padma let the chefs know that the very next morning they would meet “Top Chef” All-Star Brooke Williamson on location, which worried the contestants because Padma wouldn’t rush to prepare you immediately for the next challenge if it weren’t going to be a doozy. Indeed, they did have their work cut out for them the next morning when they met up with Brooke, who led them...
- 4/1/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Last week’s episode of “Top Chef” brought the 13 contestants to an Asian night market to prepare their own versions of Asian street foods. Unfortunately, Sam Kang‘s ill-advised preparation of his potatoes got him eliminated. But that was easy compared to this week’s episode, “Doppelgangers,” where there was a double elimination, cutting the competition from 12 contestants to 10 in one fell swoop. So who were the unlucky duo? Read on to find out what happened when the chefs had to create clever lookalike dishes.
The 12 cheftestants who went into “Doppelgangers” were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch. But before they broke up into teams of two, they had to mind their own biscuits.
See‘Top Chef’ spoilers: Who had to pack their knives and go during Houston season? Quickfire Challenge...
The 12 cheftestants who went into “Doppelgangers” were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch. But before they broke up into teams of two, they had to mind their own biscuits.
See‘Top Chef’ spoilers: Who had to pack their knives and go during Houston season? Quickfire Challenge...
- 3/25/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Episode two of “Top Chef: Houston” brought the cheftestants out on the football field to try to score a culinary touchdown. They’re back outside again in “Noodles and Rice and Everything Nice,” this time at an Asian night market. Read on for a recap of this flavorful world tour.
The lucky 13 remaining competitors were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch. And there was so much work for them to do this week that host Padma Lakshmi told them there would be no Quickfire Challenge (meaning no immunity), and that they’d be going straight to the week’s main course.
See‘Top Chef’ spoilers: Who had to pack their knives and go during Houston season? Elimination Challenge
The chefs were greeted by Padma, guest judge Hung Huynh (winner...
The lucky 13 remaining competitors were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch. And there was so much work for them to do this week that host Padma Lakshmi told them there would be no Quickfire Challenge (meaning no immunity), and that they’d be going straight to the week’s main course.
See‘Top Chef’ spoilers: Who had to pack their knives and go during Houston season? Elimination Challenge
The chefs were greeted by Padma, guest judge Hung Huynh (winner...
- 3/18/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“Top Chef: Houston” started last week with a challenge focused around primal cuts of beef. So it’s fitting that episode two, “Friday Night Bites,” took the cheftestants in completely the opposite direction: carbs! Read on to find out what the contestants did with my favorite food group.
See‘Top Chef’ season 19 premiere recap: ‘Primal Instincts’ started Houston competition with a beefy team challenge
The 14 chefs remaining in the competition were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Stephanie Miller, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch.
But before the chefs went carb crazy, they had to tangle with my second favorite food group …
Quickfire Challenge
When the cheftestants entered the kitchen, they were greeted by Padma Lakshmi and guest judge Irma Galvan, a James Beard Award winning chef. They were surrounded by piles of cheese and a fondue machine.
See‘Top Chef’ season 19 premiere recap: ‘Primal Instincts’ started Houston competition with a beefy team challenge
The 14 chefs remaining in the competition were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Stephanie Miller, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch.
But before the chefs went carb crazy, they had to tangle with my second favorite food group …
Quickfire Challenge
When the cheftestants entered the kitchen, they were greeted by Padma Lakshmi and guest judge Irma Galvan, a James Beard Award winning chef. They were surrounded by piles of cheese and a fondue machine.
- 3/11/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“Top Chef” has held a season in Texas before, but perhaps surprisingly they never made a stop in Houston, America’s fourth largest city, until now. Season 19 of the cooking competition kicked off in the Lone Star State on Thursday night, March 3, with “Primal Instincts,” a tricky team challenge to see who was a cut (of beef) above the rest.
The 15 chefs from all walks of life competing for the $250,000 grand prize were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Leia Gaccione, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Stephanie Miller, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch.
Just how steep is the competition? As soon as host Padma Lakshmi invited them into the kitchen for the very first time, she asked how many of the cheftestants had been James Beard Award nominees — several hands went up. Then she asked how many of them...
The 15 chefs from all walks of life competing for the $250,000 grand prize were Damarr Brown, Jo Chan, Monica Feybesse, Leia Gaccione, Evelyn Garcia, Robert Hernandez, Jae Jung, Jackson Kalb, Sam Kang, Luke Kolpin, Buddha Lo, Stephanie Miller, Ashleigh Shanti, Nick Wallace, and Sarah Welch.
Just how steep is the competition? As soon as host Padma Lakshmi invited them into the kitchen for the very first time, she asked how many of the cheftestants had been James Beard Award nominees — several hands went up. Then she asked how many of them...
- 3/4/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
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