Tournament of Champions season 6 aired episode 7 on April 13, 2025. It saw the remaining eight contenders get split into pairs, each putting their best foot forward to win the champion’s belt and the monetary prize. Among them were Chef Antonia Lofaso and Chef Kevin Lee. Despite his efforts, in a repeat of last year’s quarterfinals, Kevin lost the challenge to Antonia and got eliminated.
After the judges tasted and reviewed the dishes, they scored Antonia 88 out of 100 points, while Kevin received 85. Consequently, Antonia defeated Kevin and advanced to the semi-finals, where she would compete against Chef Britt Rescigno, who outperformed Chef Kaleena Bliss earlier in the episode.
The randomizer had tasked Kevin and Antonia to prepare a smooth and crunchy dish with pork cheeks, flat beans, and mamba peanut butter. Moreover, they had to use a pizza oven in its creation. While the panelists appreciated both preparations, they preferred Antonia’s composition over Kevin’s.
Tournament of Champions fans on X commented on Antonia’s victory. While many were displeased with the outcome, others wondered if the show was “rigged.”
“Man….I really want Kevin to take down Antonia. But I guess they’re really playing up her story after she couldn’t handle losing last season. Boo hoo,” a fan wrote.
“I hope Kevin Lee takes down Antonia so hard,” another fan commented.
“Tournament of Champions is rigged this year! Too many lower dishes have won!” a netizen tweeted.
While some Tournament of Champions fans were unhappy with Antonia defeating Kevin, others claimed the network wanted to make her the winner.
“This show is just not for male chefs. Kevin is the last man standing and he’s going up against Antonia tonight. Geez Louise!” a user reacted.
“This show is rigged that Antonia can quit her crying because she doesn’t win every year,” a person commented.
“I think this matched is rigged for #brittrescigno, a #guyfieri fave, but ultimately they are paving the way for #AntoniaLofaso tournament win. That’s Guy’s all time favorite and she is on almost as many @FoodNetwork shows,” another fan wrote.
However, some Tournament of Champions fans were happy with Antonia’s performance.
“This is Antonia’s year man! I know it is! She’s coming for it all! Lets go!!” a person reacted.
“Yay, Antonia Lofaso!” another user posted.
What did Antonia and Kevin prepare in episode 7 of Tournament of Champions season 6?
After being assigned a random assortment of ingredients, Kevin and Antonia started preparing their dishes. While Kevin presented the judges with a pork cheek ragu and flat bean polenta topped with a pork cheek and cabbage egg roll, Antonia served braised pork cheeks with a coconut corn puree.
The Tournament of Champions contestants were judged by Iron Chefs Ming Tsai, Cat Cora, and Michael Symon. Ming complimented Kevin’s preparation, saying it had nice plating and that the pork cheeks were tender and luscious. Michael, however, criticized the mamba peanut butter as he could not understand its function on the platter.
Cat, on the other hand, appreciated Kevin’s dish, but admitted she disliked the cheese. She threw down her napkin while tasting Antonia’s dish, calling it “phenomenal.” Michael expressed a similar sentiment, saying the addition of the corn puree was “brilliant.”
Consequently, Antonia received 44 points for taste, 35 for use of the randomizer, and nine for plating. Meanwhile, Kevin was awarded 43 for taste, 34 for the use of the randomizer, and eight for presentation. As a result, Antonia progressed to the semifinals of Tournament of Champions, while Kevin took his leave.
Tournament of Champions season 6 is available to stream on Max.
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Edited by Raina Saha
