And the Winner of Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen Season 20 Is...
Judge Padma Lakshmi revealed the chef who will be returning to the Top Chef kitchen.
After 10 weeks, the chefs eliminated from Top Chef: World All Stars (a.k.a. Season 20) and sent to compete on Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen for an opportunity to re-enter the competition were narrowed down to two. But in a surprise end to the Last Chance Kitchen season finale, Judge Tom Colicchio did not, in fact, announce a winner at the end of the two-part, four-chef end of the season.
That job was left to Top Chef host and judge Padma Lakshmi at the beginning of Episode 12 ("Goodbye London"), which premiered on May 25.
Who won Last Chance Kitchen Season 20?
First, Padma asked the remaining four chefs — Buddha Lo, Gabriel "Gabri" Rodriquez, Ali Ghzawi, and Tom Goetter — who they expected might return to Top Chef. Gabri suggested he felt it might be Charbel Hayek, who did make it to the final round of Last Chance Kitchen after her Episode 8 ("Street Food Fight") elimination, might be the one to return.
Instead, Sara Bradley, who — with Amar Santana — had been one of two contestants eliminated in Episode 11 ("Battle of the Wellingtons"), strode back onto the stage.
"Hello, boys," she said.
In an interview with producers, she struck an even more competitive tone.
"Those boys thought they were rid of me?" she said. "I'm back b-tches!"
But she also gave everyone hugs, and accepted Padma's welcome with a giggle.
And then, the competition continued.
After Buddha won the day's Quickfire Challenge with the best gelatinous dish, the chefs went back into the kitchen to discover that Episode 12 would be their final Elimination Challenge in London — and only four would head off to Paris after offering judges their best trompe-l'oeil dish. (A trompe-l'oeil dish is one food that tricks the eye and looks like another.)
Buddha won the challenge, and Sara survived to cook another day. Tom, however, had to pack up his knives.
