The Food Network D bracket was the last group to compete, but these battles proved that the first round saved the best for last. While the Randomizer kept them on their toes, Tournament of Champions Season 6 episode 4 brought the upsets that no one saw coming.
For the first battle of the night, qualifier winner Carlos Anthony took on Amanda Freitag. Even before the Randomizer revealed the ingredients, it seemed likely that Chef Carlos would take a Latin slant. In most Food Network competitions, he feels most comfortable in that genre.
The Randomizer offered country ribs, jalapenos, stand mixer, battered and cinnamon sticks. This food group begged for Latin or barbecue.
Specifically, Chef Carlos said that he wanted to swing for the fences with his dish. The albondiga with Oaxacan mole was smart Randomizer play. The judges were surprised with how much flavor was in the mole given the short time frame. Additionally, he used the jalapeno well in both the quick pickle and in the meatball. Overall, it was a well-balanced dish.
Chef Amanda made cinnamon glazed country style pork ribs with an aji amarillo sauce. The judges thought that the dish was bright, colorful, and well balanced. They felt the pork was tender, but they wanted the stand mixer to be utilized more.
When the score was revealed, Chef Carlos beat Chef Amanda 87 to 85. After his run in 24 in 24, Chef Carlos could go far in this competition.
For the second battle of Tournament of Champions Season 6 episode 4, Sara Bradley took on Dale Talde. The Randomizer offered Denver steak, turnips, charred v-blade mandoline, and horseradish. Similar to the first battle, these ingredients seemed well suited to the two chefs.
The two time Top Chef finalist, Chef Sara Bradley ensured that each ingredient was used in multiple ways. The Urfa charred Denver steak had a nice crust, but the judges wanted more seasoning. The highlight of her dish was the horseradish being dominate in every bite.
Chef Dale offered a kalbi with pickled turnip wrap. The Korean forward dish was good, but the choice to plate kimchi with the horseradish was a miss. The horseradish was overpowered by the kimchi and the judges pointed it out.
In a slight upset, Chef Sara beat Chef Dale. After him beating a higher seed last season, turnabout was fair play.
For the third battle of Tournament of Champions Season 6 episode 4, Chef Nini Nguyen went up against Chef Claudette Zepeda. The Randomizer offered turkey breast, radicchio, double boiler pan, citrusy, and cantaloupe.
Chef Nini plated turkey tenders with a radicchio salad and a cantelope sabayon. While the judges felt more sabayon with the bigger citrus could have been warranted, they appreciated the cookery and the creativity. Overall, it was a very successful dish and a good use of the Randomizer.
Chef Claudette offered turkey carnitas. While the judges raved over the radicchio, the turkey was overcooked. That mistake caused her demise.
In a resounding win, Chef Nini moves into the sweet 16. Based on this round, she will be tough competition for Chef Carlos.
For the final battle of Tournament of Champions Season 6 episode 4, everyone was wondering if an eighth seed would knock off the top seed. It has happened in all the previous seasons, but not yet in Season 6. With all the other changes this season, nothing is predictable.
The number one seed Chef Tobias Dorzon battled Chef Viana. The final Randomizer of the episode featured mussels, fennel, milk frother, seared, and quinoa. This ingredient combination felt totally out of the box.
Chef Tobias took a more traditional approach with fennel roasted mussels. While it was good, it was imperfect for the competition. It wasn’t that the dish was bad, but it lacked those tiny details.
Chef David offered an elevated, highly detailed dish. The mussels toast sparked a big conversation. He took the difficult road and that high end elegant dish deserved the high praise.
The upset was in the books because Chef David beat Chef Tobias. Could Chef David be the Cinderella story of the season?
New episodes of Tournament of Champions Season 6 air Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network. Episodes can be streamed the next day on MAX.