It’s time for the final four chefs on “America’s Culinary Cup” to compete for a spot in next week’s finale. Padma Lakshmi continues to put these chefs to the test. They will continue working on the 10 Culinary Commandments. The next one: taste! Watch with us tonight during our “America’s Culinary Cup” 2026 live recap and see who got eliminated on “America’s Culinary Cup” tonight with us.
Bittersweet Semifinals on ‘America’s Culinary Cup
Last week’s challenge had the chefs working on world cuisine. The five remaining chefs had three hours to create a dumpling, rice, and noodle dish, with each dish being inspired by a different world cuisine. The chef with the highest score would win extra time in this week’s challenge, and the chef with the lowest score would be eliminated.
It was a close battle for that top spot, as things were shifting as each dish was made. However, Chris made a perfect-score noodle dish to win the challenge and the time advantage for tonight. Katie dropped the ball on the noodle dish, which saw her slip into last place and get sent home.
Now, the chefs will be tested on taste tonight. This will be a challenge highlighting the five flavor profiles. The fight to be named the winner of “America’s Culinary Cup” season 1 continues tonight, but who got eliminated on “America’s Culinary Cup” tonight? Find out with our Live Recap below!
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD: THIS LIVE RECAP WILL BE UPDATED THROUGHOUT THE EPISODE, SO DO NOT KEEP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ SPOILERS.
May 6 Live Recap – Week 10
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Semifinals Begin
The final four chefs head into the kitchen. A spot in the finale next week is up for grabs. The judges arrive. For today’s Culinary Commandment, they are mastering the art of taste. They will be tested on the five taste profiles: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, and Umami. For this challenge, they will create two dishes (one hot and one cold) for a taste profile, which was selected by the board:
- Sweet – Chris
- Sour – Cara
- Salty – Matt
- Bitter – Buddha
No one got Umami, which they all seemed to want. They will have 75 minutes to create their two dishes. For winning the last challenge, Chris will get 30 extra minutes. However, he has to take time away from his competitors, either 30 minutes from one chef or 15 minutes from two chefs. He decides to take 15 minutes away from Buddha and Matt each. That means Chris gets 1 hour and 45 minutes to cook, Cara gets 75 minutes, and Buddha and Matt get an hour to cook.
Cooking Time
The time starts and Chris is working. Cara then starts, as Matt and Buddha are stressed about the short amount of time they will have. Chris has struggled when having too much time, so will this hurt him tonight, and will he overdo it?
Everyone has started to cook now. Matt and Buddha are stressed, but they are trying to get as much done as they can. That was quick, but the time is up and tasting to start now!
Tasting on ‘America’s Culinary Cup’
We will see the judges start tasting these dishes:
- Chris (Sweet) – For his hot dish, Michael said it’s delicious. Padma said it’s super delicious, and the cabbage is the star of the dish. They said he didn’t even need the fish. For the cold dish, Padma said she really likes it. He hit the nail on the head with this cold dish. Michael said the sauce reminds him of French dressing.
- Cara (Sour) – For her hot dish, Padma said this is a good version of this dish. She did an excellent job and has no notes. Michael said he loves the spice level, and the sour elements come through. Wylie says it has a lot of umami and wants to see it more sour. For her cold dish, Padma said she definitely got the sour. Michael liked the dish. Wylie said he liked how it had multiple forms of sour on it.
- Matt (Salty) – For his hot dish, Wylie said it was salty in all the right ways. Padma said the leeks are the star of this plate. Michael said great dish. For his cold dish, Michael said he liked it, and it was smart to highlight three ingredients. Padma said she really liked it. Wylie said he wanted more of the green puree, but very clever.
- Buddha (Bitter) – For his hot dish, Wylie said he had two pieces of bone on his plate. Michael said he liked the lamb. Padma said she got the bitter, but wanted her lamb to be treated a little bit better. For his cold dish, Michael said he found the bitterness in all of the ingredients. Padma said he nailed the bitter, but the fish is drowning in everything. Wylie said he loves bitter, and loves everything in this dish.
Results
For tonight, the top two chefs will be safe and make it into the finale. The bottom two chefs will go head-to-head in a sudden-death cookoff for the final spot. Here are the scores:
- Matt – 105 points (out of a possible 120)
- Cara – 98 points
- Chris – 88 points
- Buddha – 77 points
That means Matt and Cara are definitely in next week’s finale. Chris and Buddha will be cooking in a head-to-head cookoff tonight!
Head-to-Head Cookoff
For this challenge, the chefs will have to use two taste profiles in one dish. One of those taste profiles has to be umami. The other will be their choice. The dish has to be perfectly executed and perfectly balanced. They will have 75 minutes to create their dish.
The chefs get started on their dishes. Chris often gets into his own head, and he is intimidated by Buddha. Cara and Matt watch, saying their dishes are quite similar. Chris is trying to keep his dish simpler and not overdo it, since that has been his feedback on other challenges.
Buddha is struggling with the taste of his sauce. However, the time is running down and plating is happening.
Tasting & Results
The time is up, and the judges have the dishes, so time for tasting!
- Chris (Umami & Sweet) – Padma said it’s a well-composed, focused dish. He hit the sweet and umami elements beautifully. Wylie said maybe a little sweet, but very impressed. Michael said the scallop comes through.
- Buddha (Umami & Salty) – Padma said very pretty. Michael said this dish shows some of his best work. He did say the sauce is a umami bomb. Wylie said the cauliflower is delicious. It’s fantastic stuff. Padma loved it.
Results – Padma said it’s hard to decide which dish should win here. Padma votes for Chris. Wylie and Michael also vote for Chris, which means he is headed to the finale, and Buddha has been eliminated!
CBSWhat do you think of the results on “America’s Culinary Cup” tonight?
