Did Guy Fieri Just Confirm ‘Tournament of Champions’ Season 7 With Surprise Invite? originally appeared on Parade.
In six seasons, Tournament of Champions has established itself as the ultimate culinary competition show because it gets the most decorated chefs to compete, and it has 100 percent blind judging, so the playing field is completely even.
On the brand-new August 13 episode of Guy’s Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions creator and host Guy Fieri handed out a surprise invitation to Chef Jacob Town, who absolutely crushed the Guy’s Grocery Games challenge on the episode. Does that mean what we think it means?
Was that Tournament of Champions invite real? Did it confirm Tournament of Champions season 7?
The invitation was real, but it did not confirm TOC 7. This episode of Guy’s Grocery Games must have been filmed quite some time ago because Chef Town competed in the qualifying round of Tournament of Champions season 6, losing to Chef Jonathon Sawyer, who then entered the tournament as a 7-seed. Those TOC qualifier episodes aired back in February 2025.
Now, that doesn’t mean Tournament of Champions won’t be back — in fact, we would be shocked if it did not return. But for anyone who was fooled by the new episode of Guy’s Grocery Games, Chef Town has already competed on TOC.
RELATED: Who Won ‘Guy’s Grocery Games’ Greatest of All Time GOAT Tournament?
Who is Chef Jacob Town and why did he impress Guy Fieri?
The premise for the episode was that Fieri paired previous contestants together, one savory chef and one sweet chef, and the three teams of two competed in a head-to-head battle.
“What we’ve never done is pair them up to create these Sweet & Savory Super Teams. They won’t know each other, but they sure will know how to turn out impressive three-course meals in a non-stop, full-meal mega battle. It’s Sweet & Savory Superstars tonight on Guy’s Grocery Games,” said Fieri.
The winning team was made up of Chef Denise Elrod, executive pastry chef at the award-winning Blackbird modern Asian restaurant in Florida, and Chef Town, the executive chef and owner of The Spoon Trade and Grover Beach Sourdough, whose “global comfort cuisine” impressed Fieri on his food/travel series, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
RELATED: Two ‘Tournament of Champions’ Winners Book New Gig at Food Network
Chefs Town and Elrod put forth this menu:
Appetizer: Raw oyster with Calabrian chili mignonette and bacon brittle
Entree: New York steak Oscar with crab bearnaise and Yorkshire pudding
Dessert: Chocolate cake with red wine reduction ice cream and a hazelnut bacon brittle
Afterward, Fieri had this to say of Chefs Elrod and Town, “I’ve watched people win. I’ve watched people make great food. I don’t get that wowed that often. This, ladies and gentlemen — Full. Mic. Drop. Wow.”
He then said, “Now, chefs, normally this is where I’m going to send you on a shopping spree. But I have to say that when you come to compete and you perform at a superstar level, you need to be treated like a superstar and therefore, I’m going to give you the 20 grand, $10,000 each.
RELATED: Beloved Star Launching Food Network Show in Historic First
“Chef Jacob, from the minute I met you, I knew there was something different about you. You have a really positive attitude about food, a very humble attitude about food, you respect food. You don’t see it as a challenge, you see it as an opportunity. You’re the shining example of why I do this, so I have an invitation for you.”
Town read the invite aloud, which said, “You’ve just been invited to participate in the Tournament of Champions….. wow. This is…… beyond my wildest expectations, thank you.”
Fieri then also reassured Chef Elrod that if they ever do a sweet Tournament of Champions, she will “without question” get an invitation.
New episodes of Guy’s Grocery Games air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network. If Tournament of Champions does return for season 7, it will most likely premiere in late February or early March.
🎬 SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬
Did Guy Fieri Just Confirm ‘Tournament of Champions’ Season 7 With Surprise Invite? first appeared on Parade on Aug 14, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
