Food is a fickle business. The Emmy-winning cooking competition series “Top Chef” returned to Bravo for season 20 on Thursday, March 9, with supersized episodes airing every single Thursday at 9:00pm. But not every chef put their best foot forward every week. And all it takes is one misstep to send you home, especially in a season with such elite competitors. Scroll down to see which chefs had to pack their knives and go, when, and why, updated every week as additional chefs get the boot.
Season 20 of “Top Chef” is a first-of-its-kind World All-Stars edition. It brings together chefs from all over the world, representing the international spinoffs of “Top Chef” including Canada, Mexico, France, Thailand, and more. Altogether the 16 chefs represent 11 different shows from around the world, including a few cheftestants who represent the American version of the series.
But that’s not the only way this season of “Top Chef” has gone international. This year the main competition takes place in London, England, with a grand finale to be set in Paris, France, making this the show’s first season to take place entirely outside of the United States. But as usual the show is hosted by Padma Lakshmi with judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. And eliminated chefs still get an opportunity to return to the competition every week in “Last Chance Kitchen.”
What do you think of “Top Chef” season 20? Do you think the right chefs were eliminated? And who will ultimately win the grand prize of $250,000 and a feature in “Food and Wine” magazine? See the list of ousted chefs below.
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Samuel Albert (16th Place)
Image Credit: David Moir/Bravo When was he eliminated? “London Calling” (episode one)
What dish was he eliminated for? Tiger prawn carpaccio, prawn head emulsion, vegetables, and prawn cracker
What did the judges think? His vegetables showed different techniques and presented different textures, but he made the unforgivable mistake of failing to devein his prawns. There were also too many prawns, shifting the balance of what was supposed to be a vegetable-focused dish.
“Last Chance Kitchen” result: He competed against Dawn Burrell, but unfortunately his Japanese fusion salmon didn’t have enough Japanese influence or seasoning, so he was eliminated for good.
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Dawn Burrell (15th Place)
Image Credit: David Moir/Bravo When was she eliminated? “Rice, Rice Baby” (episode two)
What dish was she eliminated for? Black Venus congee with black bean and five-spice braised oxtail
What did the judges think? Her oxtail was successful, but unfortunately she didn’t have enough time to cook her black rice completely, so it was much too crunchy for a congee. The judges thought it was more like a black rice soup.
“Last Chance Kitchen” result: She defeated Samuel Albert in the first head-to-head, so she lived to fight another day. But then she was eliminated in a triple threat match against Dale MacKay and May Phattanant Thongthong.
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Dale MacKay (13th Place — TIED)
Image Credit: David Moir/Bravo When was he eliminated? “Cheeky Pints and Pub Bites” (episode three)
What dish was he eliminated for? Thai-style scotch egg with Thai sausage, crispy salad, cilantro aioli, and Thai fish sauce dressing
What did the judges think? The egg was perfectly cooked, but the meat was too dense and it wasn’t as crispy as a Scotch egg needs to be.
“Last Chance Kitchen” result: He and May Phattanant Thongthong faced Dawn Burrell in a triple-threat match, and Burrell was eliminated from the competition for good.
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May Phattanant Thongthong (13th Place — TIED)
Image Credit: David Moir/Bravo When was she eliminated? “Cheeky Pints and Pub Bites” (episode three)
What dish was she eliminated for? Thai-style scotch egg with Thai sausage, crispy salad, cilantro aioli, and Thai fish sauce dressing
What did the judges think? The egg was perfectly cooked, but the meat was too dense and it wasn’t as crispy as a Scotch egg needs to be.
“Last Chance Kitchen” result: She and Dale MacKay faced Dawn Burrell in a triple-threat match, and Burrell was eliminated from the competition for good.
