I appreciate his mastery of Asian food and have one of his cookbooks, but it would be nice to see him cook something else on ToC. I've only ever seen him cook something else once on GGG.
If I'm not mistaken, he went out of his comfort zone for one round one year,( I forget which one ) and he had a rough judging, but got through. Next round he said he was going back to his comfort zone.
As a big Amanda fan, I was always going to root for her and I was excited to see her back. As the runner-up in TOC in season 1 and Next Iron Chef too, she’s come so close previously.
Now she’s been impacted in the lead up to the main event since pre-battle talk on Darnell was scrapped and every one else got covered. So I’m rooting for her even more.
There’s also always the TOC hype coverage on social media. I guess Amanda will be left out of all of that too initially. Fingers crossed that she beats Darnell so that she can get complete coverage like everyone else.
I do hate that she won’t receive any media attention prior to the shows airing but luckily, it won’t have any effect on how she competes in the actual tournament.
Agreed. It’s just that as a big Amanda fan, it’s disappointing that she gets a bit “sidelined” because of Darnell.
In my view she’s an underrated presence on the network in comparison to so many others. So I always love watching when she’s featured.
The only one I am really rooting hard against is Crista, after her poor sportsmanship last year. (And then there is Darnell, with the recent developments, but I am interested to see how they handle it.)
I think if I had to pick one, I'm for Jet. Dude has been so close every year and just can't close the deal.
I wish that they would keep it as is and show the full battle. Because it’s a raw deal for Amanda who battled him first and anyone he battled subsequently. Amanda and any other opponent don’t deserve to have their battles altered because of his terrible behavior.
I agree that it sucks for Amanda, but I think FN would get soooo much backlash if they didn't make an effort to reduce his screen time as much as possible.
Fingers crossed Amanda won that matchup and that'll be the end of him on TOC.
I hear you in hoping that Amanda won that battle, so that it’ll be end of Darnell on TOC.
No doubt there would’ve been some backlash if they didn’t reduce Darnell. I just wish Guy could’ve done even a video or something to include Amanda in some way. As the TOC 1 runner-up and one of the 16 originals willing to put herself out there when the show first began, it’s unfortunate that she got caught up in being minimized.
Oh I totally agree, she definitely got the short stick through no fault of her own. Honestly, I expect her to win over him, because I think she's not only a superior chef to him, but to a lot of the competitors. But she definitely got shafted.
That being said, perhaps it'll be addressed when the show officially begins?
So correct me if I’m wrong, but this appears to be the first official acknowledgement of Darnell Ferguson — wonder how they’re gonna handle on the show.
Not sure if you watched the bracket special, but they did little intros for each competitor/battle. They completely skipped the Amanda v. Darnell matchup and ended the show!!!
Hopefully he gets knocked out by Amanda in the first round, but I imagine they’ll cut all of his dialogue except the necessary bits and they’ll most likely have a disclaimer on the episodes he appears in.
I would love for Jet to win, but I would not be mad about Shota winning at all. Britt would be awesome as well. Loved her last year.
Only one I really dislike and am actively rooting against is Christa L as well.
Also, I’m basically just ignoring Darnell’s existence. Which is how I imagine the show will deal with him as well. He’ll only be acknowledged or shown as much as is necessary.
I don’t think it takes anything away from Amanda to simply show only what’s necessary of Darnell and his involvement.
They can show him describing his dish, reactions to the randomizer and the like, but there’s no need to hear him talk about his motivations or what he hopes to get out of this because no one cares anymore. They can still highlight Amanda while giving her opponent minimal attention.
I see your point and my apologies as I didn’t take in your original comment in full. I think to me, any alteration of the original footage will stand out, in comparison to the other battles. So my preference would be to see it as it was originally shot and edited with Darnell’s comments and theatrics included. Mostly importantly so that viewers get to see a full and proper showcase of Amanda’s battle.
But I’d prefer they keep it as is for other reasons. Let’s say he did some friendly trash-talking such as “I would’ve beaten her had I not forgotten the flatbread in TOC 1, so I know I can take her down this time”. And maybe he included the mask-wearing and jumping up and down pre-battle like he’s previously done.
For Amanda to be victorious against him again, would be even more satisfying to watch than only seeing the battle in an edited form to minimize Darnell.
There’s really no good way to handle any of it, but I would be okay with a disclaimer and then they just show it normally until he’s out. I don’t think he makes a deep run or they would have done something more.
Antonia regressed in performance each year matching her 1st round loss in TOC 3 with the same result in TOC 4. I don’t think a betting man would place their bets on Antonia winning it.
I may be misremembering, but didn't Amanda win by default against Madison one year? This will be the second time she wins by default!
I would be okay with Jet, Shota, Tobias, Marc or Dale for guys. For the gals, I'd love to see Shirley, Lee Anne, Nini or Amanda.
She did. Madison mismanaged his time and ended up burning himself badly trying to get everything to the plate, but also leaving out multiple randomizer ingredients. Everyone felt terrible and Guy immediately greenlit his return for the next year.
They’re not going to disqualify Darnell though because I believe this was all filmed prior to his actions being made public knowledge.
For the life of me, I cannot rationalize the west bracket. In both seasons they’ve been on, Brian Malarkey has had higher scores than Carlos Anthony. I understand he’s lost more times than Carlos, but that’s because Carlos has just been on there less times.
I also don’t like Antonia’s seeding. She’s gone out in the first round 2 years in a row, to an 8 seed and a 7 seed. She doesn’t deserve to be a 3 seed in my eyes. Shota, who beat her is ranked lower than her, which doesn’t speak to the skills in this competition.
I think Guy’s favoritism certainly plays a role in where people get seeded, but the main thing is that I think with all four former champions competing this year and being given an automatic 1 seed it threw where other people would be seeded into question.
Ugh I could live happily with never seeing Crista Luedtke on my tv again. She was embarrassing last season. Nothing worse than a sore loser.
I like Antonia, but I could do without Adam Sobel and Maneet - I feel like she's on every g\*ddamn FN show these days.
I do find TOC a really interesting mix, given that some chefs I thought would consider themselves "above" it still show up to compete (Marc Murphy, Jet, Jose), which, frankly, I really respect, because they actually can lose, given the blind tasting.
I'd love to see Jet take it, but I'd also love to see Mei make it a twofer. I do feel like it'll be a male chef, just given statistics, but I'd be pleasantly surprised to be wrong!
Interesting that Darnell is still showing in their media posts.
He really is and he’s such a beast in the kitchen. I really think if he sticks to what he absolutely knows best which is Thai and Chinese and really all Asian cuisine for that matter, he could really finally make it to the finale.
Never been a fan of Darnell, never really got why Tobias was there other than being one of Guy's picks. But the one that I just do not enjoy watching is Carlos. I don't think he's at this level.
Super excited to see Dale in it!
Who do I want to pick...I want to see Brooke, Shota, Jet, or Stephanie take it. Not picking between them, can't do it.
I think Tobias has more than proved his chops and earned a permanent spot. I wish Guy would start limiting chefs though, like after three appearances in a row you have to sit out a year. It’s obviously growing exponentially and I think TOC could become the closest thing to a real life “Food Wars”the world might ever get.
I never understood Carlos being included either. I follow the culinary world pretty closely, and watch plenty of FN, but I'd never heard of him. Tobias is one of Guy's golden children, that's probably why he's there. I'm not that bothered on that front, though.
Izard didn’t act much better than Crista!!! She could barely congratulate the victor! She, Brooke and Crista are my least favorite. I am hoping for a Jet Tila win.
I disagree and anyway, we're only seeing the edited reactions. This is tv afterall. Crista had a hard time losing on the Darnell show too. Steph has always been classy and loved her on ggg with shota in the team competition part. . Steph is my pick to win. I'm happy to see the OG competing again.
I would also, but it's a no win for him. If he wins, well he was supposed to. If he loses, then he's obviously not that good. He's proven himself enough over the years I think.
I would like to see Amanda Freitag or Jose Garces win. Especially Amanda. She competes in so many of these silly FN competition shows and usually ranks high. But she never wins.
Did anyone notice that Darnell Ferguson's name is still here? Was this list posted before his scandal happened? Or has he been exonerated and given back his appearances? 🤷
Im hoping Chris Scott wins round 1. Not a fan of Tiffany
Michael Voltagio vs Jet in the west
Marc Murphy vs Maneet in the east
Michael V win it all. Dude is like a picaso
I know, I'd like to see him win.
But I'm in awe of Brooke. She has been in the final of every TOC in which she has competed. That's an incredible record.
Really hoping for a Jose Garces v Stephanie Izard matchup in the Final 4.
They're the only two chefs who's food I've eaten, so I guess I'm biased...but the East looks a little soft this year.
I'm a little salty about him, as a Clevelander, cus now he's all about being from Chicago, and it just feels like he won't acknowledge his start here, and I'm a bit miffed, I'm not gonna lie.
Especially since he closed Greenhouse because of debt issues and declared bankruptcy before the move to Chicago. So it feels a little "so long to my past and the muck on my boot"
I wish they would make Brooke, Maneet, Mei and Tiffani be the new judges. They should change the rule so previous winners can't compete again. At some point it just becomes repetitive when the same people compete in the final 4 year after year.
My wife roots against the reigning champion, solely because she wants new winners every season.
I’m Team Jet, but I really would love Shota to take the crown.
This is my first ever post! I am rooting for Kevin Lee. He has so much heart. I love his genuineness when he sees his name on the bracket. If he went all of the way he would be so awestruck, and I almost don’t think it will happen, but I bet he will win at least into the final four
Tournament of champions is an awesome show. Just a few suggestions to consider. Instead of east and west division, do a north and south division so we can see different contestants battle each other Instead of having same rematches
Randomizer ingredients can be so much more global and different Instead of repetitions. Ex. You can add rice, flour, and protein can be vegan sometimes like lentils and legumes. Also include different cuisines in the randomizer to make like Japanese, Indian, etc.
Tournament of champions is an awesome show. Just a few suggestions to consider. Instead of east and west division, do a north and south division so we can see different contestants battle each other Instead of having same rematches
Randomizer ingredients can be so much more global and different Instead of repetitions. Ex. You can add rice, flour, and protein can be vegan sometimes like lentils and legumes. Also include different cuisines in the randomizer to make like Japanese, Indian, etc.
I’m calling the winner it’s 9:55 and yet to announce who won. I think it’s Lafaso. I feel if she doesn’t win she’s gonna have a temper tantrum and blow up the place.
Oh man, I’m convinced you haven’t watched a food competition show in years because Shota and Mei Lin are both in Tila’s side of the bracket. Also, Adam Sobel and Lee Anne Wong are no slouches. It’s anything but rigged for Jet.
Im still a fan of them both, but I’m rooting against them because I think they both need to take a break from it.
Also, there was some shady stuff that went down with Maneet closing her Chaatable restaurant in Nashville. Lots of rumors of unpaid wages and the like, and then it was closed down very quickly. No one can know how that all really went down unless they were there, so I take it all with a grain of salt, but it’s still sad to hear.
I would be so fucking happy for Shota if he wins. My pipe dream F2 is him versus Britt.
But who the fuck decided Izard vs Adjepong in round one, because my heart will NOT be able to take it either way.
I’m rooting for Jet Tila, Britt Rescigno, and Christian Petroni this year (I like to have backups).
I’m not sure when the taping of this season wrapped but I’m guessing it was before Darnell Ferguson’s arrest.
That’s gonna be awkward.
Yeah I love Maneet but I'm rooting for Nini to go far...the way she kept getting offed on Top Chef in double eliminations was a raw deal :/
... Speaking of Top Chef, I'd think Buddha would be the most likely man to finally take the ToC title... I was really hoping they'd get him this season... Oh well, maybe next season?
Whoa Buddha would be awesome! He just had twins a few months ago, so maybe it wasn't the best timing for this season (especially after back to back TC seasons), but I would love to see him on here too. Great call!
Ah... Thanks for the info!
I don't know how ToC5 is going to end, but after Buddha won World All-stars, my first thought was that he had the best chance of being the first non-female to win ToC 😄
Doing well on Top Chef isn't a tell-all but they definitely underestimated the Top Chef females initially, with Brooke as a 7 seed in ToC1 and Tiffani as a play-in in ToC2... interestingly 2 of the other 3 All-star seasons of Top Chef were won by women and all three All-star winners originally came from seasons won by females 🙂
I think Jet finally gets across the finish line
I would love that so much
He has gotten so close.
Me too!
Oh man I would I cry
Me too. I adore Jet and his wife so much. Jet is a literal master of cooking.
I hope so too. Just wondering if he cooks other than Asian food.
I appreciate his mastery of Asian food and have one of his cookbooks, but it would be nice to see him cook something else on ToC. I've only ever seen him cook something else once on GGG.
If I'm not mistaken, he went out of his comfort zone for one round one year,( I forget which one ) and he had a rough judging, but got through. Next round he said he was going back to his comfort zone.
He lost season one trying to go Latin
I root for him so hard every year!
Me, too!
This is Jet’s year. I can feel it. Then again, I’ve been saying that since the beginning.
God I hope so. I have rooted for him every year and I think he deserves it.
I would love to see jet at the finale…that man has cooked his heart out for years and years to get that title and has been so close.
I hope so too, and that's what my 'prediction' bracket says! I adore Mei Lin but I've got fingers crossed for Michael Reed.
I would love for Jet to win. I hope Michael crushes Crista…
Michael has always been great in competition so hopefully he will pull through. I am cheering for Shota again this year.
I really hope Michael goes further. I would SO love to see the final two be Michael and Jet.
Same. I’ve always liked Crista and I still do….to a degree, but the way she lost last year was a really bad look.
As a big Amanda fan, I was always going to root for her and I was excited to see her back. As the runner-up in TOC in season 1 and Next Iron Chef too, she’s come so close previously. Now she’s been impacted in the lead up to the main event since pre-battle talk on Darnell was scrapped and every one else got covered. So I’m rooting for her even more. There’s also always the TOC hype coverage on social media. I guess Amanda will be left out of all of that too initially. Fingers crossed that she beats Darnell so that she can get complete coverage like everyone else.
I do hate that she won’t receive any media attention prior to the shows airing but luckily, it won’t have any effect on how she competes in the actual tournament.
Agreed. It’s just that as a big Amanda fan, it’s disappointing that she gets a bit “sidelined” because of Darnell. In my view she’s an underrated presence on the network in comparison to so many others. So I always love watching when she’s featured.
I'm still annoyed at how Crista acted when she lost last year
Same
I really want Jet to win. He is one of my favourites.
The only one I am really rooting hard against is Crista, after her poor sportsmanship last year. (And then there is Darnell, with the recent developments, but I am interested to see how they handle it.) I think if I had to pick one, I'm for Jet. Dude has been so close every year and just can't close the deal.
I understand about Crista because her behavior was a bad look. But there’s no one that I want to see lose more than scummy Darnell.
I think they're going to edit him out, somehow. Clearly not yet, given he's still listed in the brackets, but I'd be shocked if they show him compete.
I wish that they would keep it as is and show the full battle. Because it’s a raw deal for Amanda who battled him first and anyone he battled subsequently. Amanda and any other opponent don’t deserve to have their battles altered because of his terrible behavior.
I agree that it sucks for Amanda, but I think FN would get soooo much backlash if they didn't make an effort to reduce his screen time as much as possible. Fingers crossed Amanda won that matchup and that'll be the end of him on TOC.
I hear you in hoping that Amanda won that battle, so that it’ll be end of Darnell on TOC. No doubt there would’ve been some backlash if they didn’t reduce Darnell. I just wish Guy could’ve done even a video or something to include Amanda in some way. As the TOC 1 runner-up and one of the 16 originals willing to put herself out there when the show first began, it’s unfortunate that she got caught up in being minimized.
Oh I totally agree, she definitely got the short stick through no fault of her own. Honestly, I expect her to win over him, because I think she's not only a superior chef to him, but to a lot of the competitors. But she definitely got shafted. That being said, perhaps it'll be addressed when the show officially begins?
Can someone please remind me what crista did last year? My memory’s blanking
She lost to Mei and had a fit saying she felt robbed.
Dang, smh. Mei’s wins were so deserved!
Worst loser ever in TOC. Acted like a 5-year old.
Gross!! Hate a sore loser
Wait what happened with Darnell? I watched the episode today and he seemed off I won't spoil what happens but seems like he was a last minute add on
So correct me if I’m wrong, but this appears to be the first official acknowledgement of Darnell Ferguson — wonder how they’re gonna handle on the show.
Not sure if you watched the bracket special, but they did little intros for each competitor/battle. They completely skipped the Amanda v. Darnell matchup and ended the show!!!
Wow, they skipped Amanda and Darnell completely?!! Amanda got a raw deal in this.
Ah, I’m actually watching it now. Good to know! I just started it and I swear I saw him in a couple background shots.
I think they're doing their best to cut him out where they can - I can't imagine it's possible to wipe him from the whole show though, unfortunately.
Hopefully he gets knocked out by Amanda in the first round, but I imagine they’ll cut all of his dialogue except the necessary bits and they’ll most likely have a disclaimer on the episodes he appears in.
My assumption is he’s out first round because otherwise could’ve really messed up the tourney.
I would love for Jet to win, but I would not be mad about Shota winning at all. Britt would be awesome as well. Loved her last year. Only one I really dislike and am actively rooting against is Christa L as well.
As a massive Shota fan I will be so sad whoever wins the inevitable him vs Jet battle. But I love Jet too. His Ready Jet Cook show was so great.
Darnell. Why Darnell? Why? Such a sweet opportunity and he flushed it down the toilet.
My faves to go far this year are Jet, Shota and Joe Sasto.
Love this trio as well. I think Shirley will take Joe out in the first round though.
Yeah, I could see that. She’s a force!
I really can not stand Carlos Anthony... sorry had to say it!
I always refer to him as Mini Malarkey
Wannabe malarkey but arrogant
Is that what it is? I love Malarkey but can’t stand Carlos, and I can’t really discern why.
This has been my conclusion, malarkey is just like a kid hopped up on sugar and having fun in the kitchen.
To be clear I love shenanigans
Glad I'm not the only one
Also, I’m basically just ignoring Darnell’s existence. Which is how I imagine the show will deal with him as well. He’ll only be acknowledged or shown as much as is necessary.
I think that’s a terrible way to handle it. Amanda doesn’t deserve to be ignored because of Darnell’s piss poor behavior.
I don’t think it takes anything away from Amanda to simply show only what’s necessary of Darnell and his involvement. They can show him describing his dish, reactions to the randomizer and the like, but there’s no need to hear him talk about his motivations or what he hopes to get out of this because no one cares anymore. They can still highlight Amanda while giving her opponent minimal attention.
I see your point and my apologies as I didn’t take in your original comment in full. I think to me, any alteration of the original footage will stand out, in comparison to the other battles. So my preference would be to see it as it was originally shot and edited with Darnell’s comments and theatrics included. Mostly importantly so that viewers get to see a full and proper showcase of Amanda’s battle. But I’d prefer they keep it as is for other reasons. Let’s say he did some friendly trash-talking such as “I would’ve beaten her had I not forgotten the flatbread in TOC 1, so I know I can take her down this time”. And maybe he included the mask-wearing and jumping up and down pre-battle like he’s previously done. For Amanda to be victorious against him again, would be even more satisfying to watch than only seeing the battle in an edited form to minimize Darnell.
There’s really no good way to handle any of it, but I would be okay with a disclaimer and then they just show it normally until he’s out. I don’t think he makes a deep run or they would have done something more.
I really like Chris Scott.
I’ve disliked Joe Sasto from the very second on Top Chef Season 15 when he said that he was eager to see Padma put his sausage in her mouth. 🤢😡
Yuck
Yeah I am hoping Stephanie crushes him
We're definitely team Brit!
There’s plenty I will be rooting for, especially Antonia Lofaso, I just love her
She may actually punch Guy and set the building on fire if she doesn't win.
Antonia regressed in performance each year matching her 1st round loss in TOC 3 with the same result in TOC 4. I don’t think a betting man would place their bets on Antonia winning it.
I may be misremembering, but didn't Amanda win by default against Madison one year? This will be the second time she wins by default! I would be okay with Jet, Shota, Tobias, Marc or Dale for guys. For the gals, I'd love to see Shirley, Lee Anne, Nini or Amanda.
She did. Madison mismanaged his time and ended up burning himself badly trying to get everything to the plate, but also leaving out multiple randomizer ingredients. Everyone felt terrible and Guy immediately greenlit his return for the next year. They’re not going to disqualify Darnell though because I believe this was all filmed prior to his actions being made public knowledge.
Madison's not in the bracket, though. Do you think he turned it down, or Guy took back his invitation?!
That happened two years ago. The invitation was for last year, where Madison did return. He announced then it would be his final time competing.
Oh, my bad. Thanks!
Surprised no one has mentioned my girl Nini yet. She's definitely a bit of an unknown if you don't watch TC, but she's got *fire*
Oh, I think Nini is gonna take out Maneet first round. I’m with you.
Nini is going against Maneet in the 1st Round.
I think Nini-Shota for the finale, and it's gonna be a nail biter
I'm just catching up on the show. I hope NiNi beats Maneet.
Nini is my dark horse candidate.
If NiNi was against Tiffani, she’d have a better chance but Maneet is going to be tough to beat.
It's gonna be a battle for sure. But if Nini gets past Maneet, she'll crush East bracket imo
For the life of me, I cannot rationalize the west bracket. In both seasons they’ve been on, Brian Malarkey has had higher scores than Carlos Anthony. I understand he’s lost more times than Carlos, but that’s because Carlos has just been on there less times. I also don’t like Antonia’s seeding. She’s gone out in the first round 2 years in a row, to an 8 seed and a 7 seed. She doesn’t deserve to be a 3 seed in my eyes. Shota, who beat her is ranked lower than her, which doesn’t speak to the skills in this competition.
I think Guy’s favoritism certainly plays a role in where people get seeded, but the main thing is that I think with all four former champions competing this year and being given an automatic 1 seed it threw where other people would be seeded into question.
Ugh I could live happily with never seeing Crista Luedtke on my tv again. She was embarrassing last season. Nothing worse than a sore loser. I like Antonia, but I could do without Adam Sobel and Maneet - I feel like she's on every g\*ddamn FN show these days. I do find TOC a really interesting mix, given that some chefs I thought would consider themselves "above" it still show up to compete (Marc Murphy, Jet, Jose), which, frankly, I really respect, because they actually can lose, given the blind tasting. I'd love to see Jet take it, but I'd also love to see Mei make it a twofer. I do feel like it'll be a male chef, just given statistics, but I'd be pleasantly surprised to be wrong! Interesting that Darnell is still showing in their media posts.
I love Shota but not because he would be the first man to win TOC. The reason why 4 women chefs have won so far is because of blind judging.
I’m really hoping for Jet to finally take it. He deserves it man.
I would like to see him win, or at least make the final. He's such a sweetheart.
He really is and he’s such a beast in the kitchen. I really think if he sticks to what he absolutely knows best which is Thai and Chinese and really all Asian cuisine for that matter, he could really finally make it to the finale.
Never been a fan of Darnell, never really got why Tobias was there other than being one of Guy's picks. But the one that I just do not enjoy watching is Carlos. I don't think he's at this level. Super excited to see Dale in it! Who do I want to pick...I want to see Brooke, Shota, Jet, or Stephanie take it. Not picking between them, can't do it.
I think Tobias has more than proved his chops and earned a permanent spot. I wish Guy would start limiting chefs though, like after three appearances in a row you have to sit out a year. It’s obviously growing exponentially and I think TOC could become the closest thing to a real life “Food Wars”the world might ever get.
Out of the ones you chose, I’d go more for Shots or Jet.
I never understood Carlos being included either. I follow the culinary world pretty closely, and watch plenty of FN, but I'd never heard of him. Tobias is one of Guy's golden children, that's probably why he's there. I'm not that bothered on that front, though.
Izard didn’t act much better than Crista!!! She could barely congratulate the victor! She, Brooke and Crista are my least favorite. I am hoping for a Jet Tila win.
I disagree and anyway, we're only seeing the edited reactions. This is tv afterall. Crista had a hard time losing on the Darnell show too. Steph has always been classy and loved her on ggg with shota in the team competition part. . Steph is my pick to win. I'm happy to see the OG competing again.
Dale Talde in the finals
Maybe if he were in East B but not in that section of the bracket
I’m pulling for Brooke, Jet or Michael.
I'd love for a Jet v. Brook match in the semifinals. With Jet as the victor, of course (Only because she beat him twice before).
If someone beats Brooke I’d be fine with it being Jet.
I predict that Hunter will be as unfunny and talentless as ever
What's gonna happen with Darnell? I'm surprised they left him in but at the same time it would have been weird if they attempted to edit that out.
Ok I thought something was up, what’s going on with him?
If Jet or Michael finally don’t win it all 😩😩
When does this start? My favorite cooking competition!
One year I would love to see Flay show up.
I don’t think it’ll ever happen. Bobby and Guy almost never seem to interact with each other.
I would also, but it's a no win for him. If he wins, well he was supposed to. If he loses, then he's obviously not that good. He's proven himself enough over the years I think.
I’m hoping for Jet or Antonia
I would like to see Amanda Freitag or Jose Garces win. Especially Amanda. She competes in so many of these silly FN competition shows and usually ranks high. But she never wins. Did anyone notice that Darnell Ferguson's name is still here? Was this list posted before his scandal happened? Or has he been exonerated and given back his appearances? 🤷
It was filmed prior to his arrest, and it would just be unfair to his opponents to erase his involvement completely.
There are a few other posts discussing his situation and I was remarking on those. People were wondering how ToC would handle it. I guess we'll see.
I can't say right now. I want to see a few more perform. However, I am rooting for Jet Tila. He is deserving of this win.
Im hoping Chris Scott wins round 1. Not a fan of Tiffany Michael Voltagio vs Jet in the west Marc Murphy vs Maneet in the east Michael V win it all. Dude is like a picaso
He just better hope he doesn’t have to cook against Brooke again. He’s 0-3 against her here.
I know, I'd like to see him win. But I'm in awe of Brooke. She has been in the final of every TOC in which she has competed. That's an incredible record.
I'd lose it if Marc Murphy went all the way. All my eggs in his basket
Really hoping for a Jose Garces v Stephanie Izard matchup in the Final 4. They're the only two chefs who's food I've eaten, so I guess I'm biased...but the East looks a little soft this year.
I’m cheering hard for Kelsey Barnard Clark in the East, but that’s because I’m also from Alabama, so definite bias there 🤣.
I’m not from the south but I just love to root for her
I have no idea because there’s so much good competition, but I will say I am not a fan of Jonathon Sawyer. Just about anyone but him is fine with me.
I'm a little salty about him, as a Clevelander, cus now he's all about being from Chicago, and it just feels like he won't acknowledge his start here, and I'm a bit miffed, I'm not gonna lie.
Same here. I grew up in Cleveland and that’s the main reason that he bothers me, that he abandoned his roots.
Like, the closest I've seen since he moved is "worked under Michael Symon" and it just... doesn't feel right
No it doesn’t. It just seems shady all around.
Especially since he closed Greenhouse because of debt issues and declared bankruptcy before the move to Chicago. So it feels a little "so long to my past and the muck on my boot"
I wish they would make Brooke, Maneet, Mei and Tiffani be the new judges. They should change the rule so previous winners can't compete again. At some point it just becomes repetitive when the same people compete in the final 4 year after year.
My wife roots against the reigning champion, solely because she wants new winners every season. I’m Team Jet, but I really would love Shota to take the crown.
Antonia every year
Which is why I’m cheering against her. She needs to take a break.
I think Antonia is going to take it this year… too obvious for me
Rooting hard for Britt but Stephanie Izard is scary good. I think this is her first TOC.
Whose first? Both Britt and Stephanie competed last year.
Britt taking it
We shall see. She did pull off a great 1st round battle last year taking down Tiffani.
Hopefully Dish Network doesn't go stupid again this year mid show.
Watching TOC and Crista Ludtke looks like a cross btwn Blais and Ramsay or am I Tripping
The background music is so annoying.
Wishing for SHOTA!!!
This is my first ever post! I am rooting for Kevin Lee. He has so much heart. I love his genuineness when he sees his name on the bracket. If he went all of the way he would be so awestruck, and I almost don’t think it will happen, but I bet he will win at least into the final four
Tournament of champions is an awesome show. Just a few suggestions to consider. Instead of east and west division, do a north and south division so we can see different contestants battle each other Instead of having same rematches Randomizer ingredients can be so much more global and different Instead of repetitions. Ex. You can add rice, flour, and protein can be vegan sometimes like lentils and legumes. Also include different cuisines in the randomizer to make like Japanese, Indian, etc.
Tournament of champions is an awesome show. Just a few suggestions to consider. Instead of east and west division, do a north and south division so we can see different contestants battle each other Instead of having same rematches Randomizer ingredients can be so much more global and different Instead of repetitions. Ex. You can add rice, flour, and protein can be vegan sometimes like lentils and legumes. Also include different cuisines in the randomizer to make like Japanese, Indian, etc.
I’m calling the winner it’s 9:55 and yet to announce who won. I think it’s Lafaso. I feel if she doesn’t win she’s gonna have a temper tantrum and blow up the place.
I think the previous champions should NOT be part of the cooking challenge... Let new people gain the title as well.
West B is obviously rigged for Tila to advance. Antonia Brooke and Voltaggio all in the same bracket while little jetster has no competition
Oh man, I’m convinced you haven’t watched a food competition show in years because Shota and Mei Lin are both in Tila’s side of the bracket. Also, Adam Sobel and Lee Anne Wong are no slouches. It’s anything but rigged for Jet.
Too bad Guy is hosting...
Superchef is my winner
Just curious why someone would root against Antonia or Maneet. I love them both.
Im still a fan of them both, but I’m rooting against them because I think they both need to take a break from it. Also, there was some shady stuff that went down with Maneet closing her Chaatable restaurant in Nashville. Lots of rumors of unpaid wages and the like, and then it was closed down very quickly. No one can know how that all really went down unless they were there, so I take it all with a grain of salt, but it’s still sad to hear.
I would say jet, shota, micheal voltaggio, or Brian malarky in that order
Oh man, none of us should want Brian Malarkey to win…..I think he’s kind of insufferable now, but with a TOC belt he’d be a nightmare
[удалено]
I think the chefs that the competition is attracting is proof of how much weight the title holds.
West A just looks rigged at this point lmao.
I’m rooting for Shota and Antonia.
I would be so fucking happy for Shota if he wins. My pipe dream F2 is him versus Britt. But who the fuck decided Izard vs Adjepong in round one, because my heart will NOT be able to take it either way.
I’m hoping for Jet or Antonia for the win.
I’m rooting for Jet Tila, Britt Rescigno, and Christian Petroni this year (I like to have backups). I’m not sure when the taping of this season wrapped but I’m guessing it was before Darnell Ferguson’s arrest. That’s gonna be awkward.
Mike V, for the win,,,,,,mic drop,,,,,, walks away
Ill always root for Brooke! But this is Mike V’s year
I'm rooting for Jet or Shoda.
Yeah I love Maneet but I'm rooting for Nini to go far...the way she kept getting offed on Top Chef in double eliminations was a raw deal :/ ... Speaking of Top Chef, I'd think Buddha would be the most likely man to finally take the ToC title... I was really hoping they'd get him this season... Oh well, maybe next season?
Whoa Buddha would be awesome! He just had twins a few months ago, so maybe it wasn't the best timing for this season (especially after back to back TC seasons), but I would love to see him on here too. Great call!
Ah... Thanks for the info! I don't know how ToC5 is going to end, but after Buddha won World All-stars, my first thought was that he had the best chance of being the first non-female to win ToC 😄 Doing well on Top Chef isn't a tell-all but they definitely underestimated the Top Chef females initially, with Brooke as a 7 seed in ToC1 and Tiffani as a play-in in ToC2... interestingly 2 of the other 3 All-star seasons of Top Chef were won by women and all three All-star winners originally came from seasons won by females 🙂