The final four chefs on “Top Chef” season 23 on Bravo will be fighting for a spot in next week’s “Top Chef” finale. The journey through the Carolinas brings the chefs back to Charlotte, North Carolina, tonight. They will face their final Quickfire Challenge of the season before another chef is sent home. Watch it all go down with us during our “Top Chef” 2026 live recap and see who got eliminated on “Top Chef” tonight with us.
Plate Expectations on ‘Top Chef’
For tonight’s episode, the chefs head back to Charlotte after making a stop in Asheville last week, and will be taking on the final Quickfire Challenge of the season. This challenge will have them taking on a game of 20 questions to help them identify and recreate a dish made by Tom Colicchio. From there, they’ll be tasked with creating dishes that will be plated in unexpected ways, using unconventional vessels.
The pressure is on, as no one wants to be eliminated right before the finale. We have $250,000 on the line for the winner of “Top Chef” season 23. Who stays and who goes home on “Top Chef” tonight? Follow along 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.
June 1 Live Recap – Week 13
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Final Quickfire Challenge
The Top 4 chefs head to the kitchen, where they meet Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons. For this last Quickfire Challenge, the chefs will be playing Tom’s 20 Questions. Earlier, he made a dish for Gail and Kristen, which they gobbled up. Now, the chefs will get 20 questions total (five each) to determine what dish he made. The questions can be anything they want, but they can only be yes or no questions. They will be judged on presentation and flavor. They will have 30 minutes to figure out what the dish is and to cook it. The winner of this challenge gets $20,000.
Before the clock starts, they each get one question. The clock starts, and they can ask their four other questions at any time. Right now, they know it was a fish dish made classic.
The chefs finish all their questions. They determined it is cod and has shellfish in it. They did ask for spinach and lemon in the dish, but he said no. However, Sherry is putting both of them in. The time runs out, and time to taste what these chefs came up with!
Tasting & Results on ‘Top Chef’ Season 23
Tom explains the dish he made before the judges, then tastes what these chefs made for them. After tasting them all, Tom said they came close. They had a lot of the ingredients in there. Kristen said they all tasted good, but the results:
- Least Favorite Dishes – Laurence and Jonathan. They both missed the mark on some of the ingredients and flavors.
- Favorite Dishes – Sherry and Rhoda. Besides adding the lemon and spinach, Tom said Sherry was very close. Kristen said everything was cooked beautifully. For Rhoda, they said excellent job. Based on these dishes, the winner of this challenge is Rhoda.
Elimination Challenge
For this challenge, it’s all about plating. They have to think outside the plate. They have to create a dish that is plated on a unique vessel. The judges bring out a display of vessels to choose from, and each chef has to choose one. They will then head to Whole Foods, where they will have 30 minutes and $200 to shop. They will then head back to the kitchen for two hours of prep. The next day, they’ll have two hours to prep before service begins for the judges.
For winning last week, Rhoda gets to choose her vessel first. Then the other chefs get their pick of a vessel before heading out to shop on “Top Chef” Season 23. While shopping, Jonathan is thinking of serving his dish in pumpkins. Laurence chose a vessel that has to be served family style.
Prep Time
The chefs wrap up their shopping and head back to the kitchen. Jonathan gets back and decides to switch up his vessel. Laurence and Sherry are both making short ribs for their dishes, so that could be added pressure. Laurence is making different rice rolls, so he has a lot of elements to his dish and a lot to complete.
We then see guest judge Liza Koshy and Tom Colicchio arrive in the kitchen. They go around to see what the chefs are up to for this Elimination Challenge on “Top Chef” 2026. Liza and Tom then drink a beer out of a shoe! They are done, as the chefs have 30 more minutes of prep time for the night.
The chefs wrap up their prep for the night before. The time runs out, and the pressure is on for the next day.
Final Prep
The chefs are back in the kitchen the next day. They have two hours of prep before service begins for the judges. Jonathan seems to be making a pretty basic dish, including bread and butter. It’s a risk, but will it pay off? Laurence is happy with his Carolina gold rice.
The judges have arrived, as the chefs have 30 minutes left to get their dishes in place. Laurence is having issues with the oven and is not steaming his rice. He decides to pivot and use steam racks on the oven. The time runs out on prep, as it’s time to eat!
Tasting & Results on ‘Top Chef’ 2026
The time is up, and the chefs are now serving their dishes to the judges:
- Jonathan – Kristen said what a dramatic presentation. Kristen said there is something about taking the pumpkin apart that was clever. Liza said it’s gorgeous. They said none of this works if the bread isn’t good, but it’s tasty and fragrant. Tom said he could have taken the concept further.
- Rhoda – Tom said it’s fantastic. The earthy flavors match the vessels. The pickled seaweed brought it all together.
- Laurence – They said this is fun. Gail said he did so many different things. Tom said he made a four-course meal. Kristen said the rice rolls are thicker than what she’s used to having. They thought it was too thick. Gail said he saw a vision and executed it well.
- Sherry – Gail said the kimchi doesn’t taste like it was made yesterday. Liza said really freakin’ good. Tom said it has a little of everything. She nailed this.
Judges’ Table
Time for the judges to discuss the dishes tonight. Tom said the chefs crushed it tonight. They all got some really good feedback from the judges. The chefs share some touching words. Kristen said, regardless of what happens, they all did really well.
The judges discuss the dishes a little more. The chefs return, and the winning dish tonight came from Sherry. For winning, she will get an advantage for next week’s finale. The other chefs joining her in the finale are Rhoda and Laurence, which means Jonathan has been eliminated tonight.
BravoWhat do you think of the results tonight?
