Going into the Tournament of Champions Season 6 finale, one thing was certain. A woman chef would win the title, yet again. Sara Bradley, Antonia Lofaso, Britt Rescigno, and Lee Anne Wong all wanted the glory. Smart choices, impeccable execution, and playing the Randomizer best determined which woman chef reigned supreme.
The Tournament of Champions Season 6 finale started with two semi-final battles. The first one featured two chefs who have come close so close in previous seasons. Antonia Lofaso chose to come back and seek the title that has eluded her. Britt Rescigno has been the Cinderella story time and again.
For the first semi-final battle, the Randomizer offered whole pompano, figs, escabeche, lava rocks, and purple. The color aspect was more difficult than it seemed. Luckily, purple is a vibrant color that can easily be added to the plate.
Chef Antonia served a whole fried pompano topped with escabeche. The judges praised this dish because it was very gutsy. Doing a whole fried fish was not easy. But, the flavor was on point. From the crispy texture to the vibrant flavors, it was a well-composed plate. The only criticism is that the plate needed more purple elements.
Chef Britt did a poached pompano. While the dish was full of bright flavors, the judges wanted to see a whole fish. The tostado was a smart addition and it answered the Randomizer well.
When the scores were revealed, the chefs were tied, 82 each. The deciding factor was the taste score. By one point, Chef Antonia secured her spot to battle for the Tournament of Champions Season 6 finale.
In the second semi-final, Sara Bradley battled Lee Anne Wong. The Randomizer was not kind to this pair. They had to create a dish with Blue Silkie Chicken, sorrel, turmeric leaves, en papillote, and black. While the color was easy, en papillote left the chefs scrambling. Those little packets of deliciousness could go terribly wrong.
Chef Sara served a Nashville hot chicken with potatoes en papillote. The judges felt that her dish represented smart cooking. Overall, the crispy chicken was a good approach to the lean protein. While the judges would have liked more sorrel, there was a lot of balance in the dish.
Chef Lee Anne did a double en papillote. The judges almost did not believe that the chicken with the thigh mousseline was cooked in that paper bag. Unfortunately, the black dumplings were a little dense.
With a score of 85 to 83, Chef Sara pulls out a win. She goes into the final Tournament of Champions cook against Chef Antonia.
The Tournament of Champions Season 6 finale is a story of redemption. Multiple times, Chef Antonia has made the final. She has come so close time and again. In contrast, Chef Sara made the Top Chef finale twice and came up short. These two women know how to compete. It came down to who answered the Randomizer best.
For the final Randomizer of Tournament of Champions Season 6, the chefs had to use wagyu beef, huitlacoche, sausage stuffer, hot and spicy and cold and sticky. It was a tall order to accomplish in 60 minutes.
While both chefs were familiar with making sausage, using wagyu in a sausage is almost sacrilege. The high-end ingredient is never used in that method.
Chef Antonia made a take on bangers and mash, wagyu beef sausage with huitlacoche mashed potatoes for her hot dish and a glazed sticky wagyu beef salad. The judges felt that the cold dish was quite successful. The use of the sausage vinaigrette was wise.
Her hot dish was equally as well liked. The judges believed that the texture of the sausage was overall good, but could have used a touch more moisture to offset dryness. Both dishes were quite successful.
Chef Sara offered a beef wagyu tartare and a sausage with corn. The judges raved about the tartare. The jam for the stickiness added to the lusciousness. Unfortunately, she did not use the sausage stuffer in the cold, sticky dish.
Even before the judging began, Chef Sara knew that the texture of her sausage was mushy. While the dish had good lingering heat, the sausage was not successful.
With a final score of 88 to 82, Chef Antonia Lofaso earned her redemption and was crowned Tournament of Champions Season 6 winner. The difference was the use of the sausage stuffer in both dishes. The chef who answers the Randomizer best will always earn the praise.
Chef Antonia proved that hard work is validated. The Princess Warrior got her fairy tale ending.
Could Chef Sara make a run in Tournament of Champions Season 7? Want to catch up on all the action? Previous seasons can be streamed on MAX.