We are down to only five chefs on “America’s Culinary Cup,” and the competition continues tonight, as Padma Lakshmi is putting these chefs to the test. They will continue working on the 10 Culinary Commandments. The next one: world cuisine! 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.
World Cuisine on ‘America’s Culinary Cup
Last week’s challenge had the chefs working on consistency. The six remaining chefs had to pair up and create 30 of the exact same dish. The chefs were working with fish, and either had to grill it, poach it, or sear it. For winning the week before, Buddha got to pick the pairs and cooking method for the week. The team with the highest score was safe for the week, while the other four chefs would face off in an elimination cook-off, with one more chef saying goodbye.
Buddha made a wise choice for his partner, as he and Matt won the challenge and immunity. The other four chefs faced off in the Elimination Cook-Off, which they had 10 minutes to create the perfect French omelette. No brown on these omelettes, which Chris and Keith both had. In the end, the judges sent home Keith.
Now, the chefs will be tested on world cuisine tonight. 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.
April 29 Live Recap – Week 9
KEEP REFRESHING THE PAGE FOR THE LATEST “AMERICA’S CULINARY CUP” LIVE RECAP UPDATES.
Week 9 Begins
The chefs arrive in the kitchen, and there are five podiums, so they think it’s going to be a knowledge challenge. The judges arrive, and tonight’s Culinary Commandment will be world cuisine. For this challenge, they will be cooking a dumpling, rice, and noodle dish that is inspired by a different world cuisine. The board has 16 countries on it. The chefs will answer trivia questions to choose the countries they will cook:
- Buddha – Thailand, Nigeria, and India
- Matt – Japan, Jamaica, and Italy
- Cara – Ukraine, France, and Korea
- Katie – Spain, Peru, and Mexico
- Chris – Morocco, Lebanon, and Turkey
The chefs will have three hours to complete their three dishes. One dish is being served every hour. The winner of this challenge will win extra time in next week’s challenge. There will be guest judges tonight: Roy Choi, Asma Khan, and Kwame Onwuachi.
Cooking Time
The chefs get started on their dishes. The judges go around to chat with the chefs. They are feeling the pressure, especially with the guest judges in place.
Katie has never made a dumpling before, so unsure which country she is going to make it for. Chris is making spinners, which are hand-spun dumplings.
Dumpling Tasting
Up first is the dumpling course, as the chefs start serving to the judges:
- Cara – They said the dumplings are great. The sauce is good. They aren’t up on Ukrainian flavors, but want to go to Ukraine now.
- Chris – Beautiful dish. The flavors are great. The sauce is beautiful. There is some Moroccan in this dish.
- Buddha – They loved the broth, but the radish as a wrapper gave the broth bitterness.
- Matt – The presentation was elegant. All the flavors speak to Japan, but it was timid. They wanted one drop of soy sauce.
- Katie – They love the flavor of the sauce, but confused about the composition of the dish. The dumpling eats very gummy. Out of all the dumplings, this is the least successful.
The scores are revealed after that first round of dishes:
- Cara – 107 points (out of a possible 120 points)
- Chris – 101 points
- Matt – 83 points
- Buddha – 81 points
- Katie – 73 points
Rice Dish Tasting
The chefs are back to cooking. This second dish will be the rice dish. They are cooking again, and the judges walk around to see how the chefs are doing. Katie was last up with the dumpling dish, but first up for this rice dish. Time for tasting:
- Katie – They really liked the dish. She got a lot of flavor into that dish. They said it was bold and successful.
- Chris – They love the duck, but the rice is soggy. Outside of the technical elements, they really enjoyed it.
- Cara – Roy said the rice got lost and was mushy. The star was the leeks. Padma said she loved it.
- Matt – They said the dish is a head-scratcher. The rice is well-cooked, but they wouldn’t say this is from Jamaica. They said it would taste more like a dish you would receive on a cruise to Jamaica.
- Buddha – They said they feel let down. They wanted more richness and fat from the lamb. The dish is too wet, and it’s underseasoned. They said it’s not nice.
After the dishes are all served, here are the scores for the rice round and overall:
- Cara – 187 points overall (80 for rice dish)
- Chris – 178 points overall (77 for rice dish)
- Katie – 176 points overall (103 for rice dish)
- Matt – 153 points overall (70 for rice dish)
- Buddha – 145 points overall (64 for rice dish)
Noodle Dish Tasting
The final dish is on the clock. The chefs are working on these dishes, as the pressure is on. Buddha is definitely struggling with this challenge, including the noodle dish. Katie said she didn’t make a traditional Mexican dish, so hoping the judges enjoy it. Time for the tasting:
- Katie – They said they wanted the sauce saucier. It was not the pasta they expected. They wanted to see a different pasta in there. She didn’t make her own rice, so the judges called her out on that.
- Chris – Padma said this is one of the best things he’s ever made. They said this is the bomb and told him to loosen up.
- Matt – They loved it. They wanted more crab, as it added sweetness to it. Padma said it had enough crab. The pasta was impeccable, which he made himself.
- Cara – Roy said he respects this dish. She just needed another tablespoon of sauce, but she had everything else. Padma loved the texture of it all, but it ate bland for her. She wanted more punch.
- Buddha – Wylie said once again, we see how clever he is. It was whimsical and delicious. It was really fun, and liked the texture. Roy said the rice noodles got lost for him.
Finals Scores on ‘America’s Culinary Cup’
The judges have scored all the dishes, and here are the final scores for tonight’s challenge. The winning chef will get extra cook time for next week. The lowest score will be eliminated:
- Chris – 298 points overall (120 points for noodle dish – a perfect score)
- Matt – 263 points overall (110 points for noodle dish)
- Cara – 261 points overall (74 points for noodle dish)
- Buddha – 241 points overall (96 points on noodle dish)
- Katie – 236 points overall (60 points on noodle dish)
Chris wins tonight’s challenge, and just weeks after his competitors voted him least likely to win! The losing chef tonight is Katie, who has been eliminated from the competition.
CBSWhat did you think of tonight’s results?
