While Rhoda Magbitang’s heartfelt finale meal won her the title of Top Chef, another moment will likely go down as the most memorable part of Season 23.
When Sieger Bayer was eliminated in episode 12, he was not having it, going so far as to point out other chefs’ dishes he felt were weaker and reading the rules of the challenge on camera to prove his point. In a new interview with People, Magbitang gives insight into the chefs’ and judges’ reactions to the dramatic confrontation.
There was no bad blood behind the scenes
Judges Kristen Kish, Gail Simmons, and Tom Colicchio had a frank talk about the incident with the remaining chefs before moving on to the next challenge.
“What I thought was really heartfelt and just very genuine was the infamous exit of Sieger on that episode. The Quickfire Challenge that happened right after, Tom, Gail, and Kristen were in the studio, and we were just kind of talking,” Hawaii-based Magbitang told People at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic. “I totally thought that they were going to air it, but they basically addressed it.”
The talk apparently eased remaining tensions, with the judges reminding the chefs that passion is necessary for any great chef, and it’s bound to take a few ugly turns in a pressure-cooker environment like ‘Top Chef.
“Even Gail Simmons said that she’s surprised that it doesn’t happen more often, that chefs flip out and just get their emotions be put out there for the world to see,” said Magbitang. “And she’s so right.”
Rhoda and Sieger are all good
BravoBayer’s edit on the show may have presented him as a curmudgeon, but throughout the competition, Magbitang and Bayer worked well together. During the challenge that became his downfall, which focused on incorporating traditional Appalachian ingredients, Bayer was looking out for Magbitang.
She ended up taking home the win on the challenge with a Filipino-inspired egg roll that mixed her heritage with local Carolinas ingredients, with a buckwheat chili crisp being the standout component of the dish. Magbitang gave a shoutout to Bayer at the judges’ table, crediting him for an intervention during their Whole Foods shop, saying, “He put the buckwheat in my cart.”
If only he had the foresight for his own dish, a pate served outside during the heat, which ended his run on the show for a second time. Bayer previously got a lucky break when Jennifer Lee Jackson was forced out of the competition due to injury, and her husband, fellow contestant Justin Tootla, decided to join her.
BravoWhen the finale rolled around, Magbitang selected Bayer as her sous chef, and he proved more than capable of setting his ego aside to help her deliver the winning meal of the season.
As for her prize money, she’s still figuring out what to do with it. “I don’t have any plans right now, I’m probably going to allocate some for travel, and then who knows,” the reigning Top Chef told People. “I mean, I live in Hawaii, so I’ll get four cartons of eggs with $250,000.”
