Things are getting spicy tonight on “Top Chef” 2026, as these new chefs are taking on a new challenge on “Top Chef” season 23. They will be working with peppers and having to serve a progressively hotter menu in tonight’s team challenge. 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.
PuckerButt Farms
For tonight’s episode, we start with the chefs having to create a savory dish inspired by a sweet treat. Then the teams will be working with the world’s hottest peppers to create a seven-course meal that just keeps getting hotter and hotter with every dish.
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.
March 16 Live Recap – Week 2
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Week 2 Begins on ‘Top Chef’ Season 23
We start back after last week’s elimination. Nana is still upset over last week’s dish and how she did in the challenge, as she feels she is better than what she showed.
Rhoda won last week’s challenge, so she has immunity tonight. However, she said she isn’t taking it easy.
Quickfire Challenge on ‘Top Chef’
The chefs arrive in the ‘Top Chef’ Kitchen to meet Kristen Kish. This is their first time here! They say now it all seems real. Kristen is joined by Mei Lin, “Top Chef Boston” winner, who will be a guest judge for this challenge.
Mei brought Talenti Gelato and Sorbetto with her. They each got to pick a flavor, which they didn’t know at the time was dictating what dish they would make for this challenge.
For the Quickfire Challenge, they will be creating a savory dish featuring a regional pantry to pair with the chosen gelato or sorbetto. Their dish will be served with a scoop of gelato afterward, so make sure it pairs well together. There are two chefs per flavor, so they will be serving the dishes side-by-side. They have 30 minutes to create their dish, and the winning dish gets $10,000.
The chefs are stressed about this one, and pairing the sweet with the savory. They are all working on their dishes. Jennifer and Justin both chose the same flavor, so they’ll be battling it out tonight.
Brittany is cooking meat, and it’s on fire on the grill, as another chef lets her know. Duyen is cooking pork, but as time is running down, she notices it’s raw in the middle. She knows she can’t serve this. She fries it up some more and gets it plated before the time runs out. Nana got her dish plated early, so she was excited.
Tasting & Results
Time for Kristen and Mei to taste the dishes these chefs have created. After tasting them all, Mei said there were some hits and some misses:
- The Misses – Brittany, whose coffee flavor didn’t come through in the dish. Sieger, the fish was overcooked and the sauce work tasted muddy. Duyen, whose pork was cooked okay, but missing a lot of seasoning.
- The Hits – Oscar, as Mei thought it would be really sweet, but it was well-balanced. With the cheese, it was like a late-night snack. Laurence, whose dish had all the aspects of salty, sweet, tangy. Nana, whose spice paired very well with the sorbetto.
Results – The winner of this Quickfire Challenge is Laurence, who wins $10,000 for his dish on “Top Chef” 2026.
Elimination Challenge on ‘Top Chef Carolinas’
For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs are split into two teams of seven and must create a seven-course meal with a progressively hotter menu. Each team member is responsible for one dish. The chefs draw knives to determine teams, which are:
- Green Team – Sieger, Rhoda, Brittany, Oscar, Jennifer, Anthony, and Jonathan
- Red Team – Brandon, Nana, Laurence, Sherry, Duyen, Justin, and Jassi
Then the chefs head to PuckerButt Farms with Mei for a pepper tasting with Ed Currie, the inventor of the world’s hottest pepper. The next day they will have 90 minutes to prep their dishes before service begins.
The chefs meet with Ed, and they are struggling with these peppers. Justin looks ready to pass out, and Jassi said his blood has turned to lava. They get some tips from Mei to help with a progressive menu, and info on the peppers from Ed.
Planning & Prepping
The teams head to the store, as they call to discuss their dishes and what they can do. For the Red Team, Jassi wants to go last, even though he doesn’t like spice. For the Green Team, Rhoda will get hottest dish and Oscar the next hottest.
The teams are at the store now, doing some shopping and trying to make it work for their budget. The Green Team is working well with their budget, but the Red Team is all over the place.
Next day has arrived, and the chefs are in the kitchen, ready to cook. They have 90 minutes before the first course is served. The Green Team seems to be blending well together. They are having fun, so maybe that will shine through in their dishes?
Jassi said they need to taste each other’s dishes when done to make sure the progression is there for the Red Team. Rhoda said it’s important for her to sign off on the dishes for the progression for the Green Team.
For the Red Team, Brandon was to go first, but now his dish is spicier than Sherry’s, who was to go second. Now she has to go first or switch her dish and she doesn’t have time.
Tasting the Hotness
The judges have arrived, as the teams are finishing up the first course. Time to start tasting soon:
- First Course – They said they were great dishes to start. Sieger put some repear salsa in his dish, so the judges said he did come in hot and aggressive. They said Sieger’s dish is mid-point compared to Brandon’s, so they need to make sure they keep going up.
- Second Course – For Brittany, they say the pickled cayenne is amazing and delicious. Mei said it was boring, but it tasted good. They said Sherry’s dish was elegant and beautifully plated. The right amount of heat after Brandon’s dish.
- Third Course – For Jennifer, they said the sauce was great, and it packed a punch. For Duyen, they said her spice built up, and both dishes were good.
- Fourth Course – Kristen said Laurence’s dish was good. Tom said the dish was fantastic. Mei said the Red Team’s menu is great, and they are doing an incredible job with the progression. Jonathan’s fish was good, but it was next to Laurence’s.
- Fifth Course – For Anthony, they said the flavor and the heat were in view the entire dish. For Nana, Mei said she loved the texture of the soup, and she thinks it’s a stunner. However, Tom and Ed said they had undercooked fish.
- Sixth Course – For Oscar, they said he did a good job at layering the different chiles and the heat. There is so much great stuff here. For Justin, they wanted more punch.
- Final Course – Jassi is cooking, but his team said his dish needs way more spice. He gets the spice level there, so time to serve it. For Rhoda, they said the sauce did it. It’s delicious. For Jassi, they said the heat was in the mash, but the lamb was a miss.
Judge’s Table on ‘Top Chef’ Season 23
The judges have discussed all of the dishes, and now is the time to pick a winner. They decided that the Green Team had their favorite meal of the day.
While they were impressed with all of the dishes, the winner of this challenge is Rhoda (two wins in a row)! She wins immunity for the next Elimination Challenge. That means the Red Team had their least favorite menu, and one of them will be going home.
It looks like Justin, Jassi, and Nana had their least favorite dishes for this challenge.
The judges discuss the three dishes, and it looks like the lamb was too dry and not spicy enough for the last course. That means Jassi has been eliminated tonight.
BravoWhat do you think of the results on “Top Chef” tonight?
