The remaining chefs on “Top Chef” season 23 are taking on a new challenge “Top Chef” tonight. It’s all about adding color to their dishes, but could an injury derail one of the contestants? They will also be working with livermush, so it’s an appealing night for food. 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.
True Colors on ‘Top Chef’
For tonight’s episode, we start with the chefs getting a surprise in the kitchen, as Emeril Lagasse will be serving as guest judge tonight. Then it’s time to take on livermush, a staple in the Carolinas. They will have to elevate it for the Quickfire Challenge.
From there, the Elimination Challenge has them using color to add two naturally-dyed elements to their dishes. 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 23 Live Recap – Week 3
KEEP REFRESHING THE PAGE FOR THE LATEST “TOP CHEF” LIVE RECAP UPDATES.
Shoulder Pain
Before heading to this week’s challenge, we see Justin and Jennifer. She is experiencing some intense shoulder pains, as she went diving with her nephew a couple of weeks before the show and hurt herself. The shoulder is acting up today, and Justin is massaging it. She is trying to push through it.
Quickfire Challenge on ‘Top Chef’
Before starting the challenge, we find out that Rhoda is the only chef in “Top Chef” history to win the first two challenges and win immunity in back-to-back weeks to start a season.
For this Quickfire Challenge, Kristen is joined by Emeril Lagasse. There is a pedestal in the middle of the room, which is supposed to have some amazing thing underneath the lid. It turns out it’s livermush! The chefs will have 30 minutes to create an elevated livermush dish. The winning chef will get $10,000.
Jennifer is experiencing even more pain than before. She decides to leave and get it x-rayed, so she can see if anything is going on, and she can hopefully stay in the competition.
Laurence has won the first two Quickfire Challenges, so he is feeling a target on his back. The chefs are struggling with cooking for Emeril, but then having to cook livermush. We have chefs making breakfast dishes, meatballs, and more. The time runs out, and tasting is coming soon!
Tasting & Results
The chefs all have their plates in place. Time for the judges to taste them all. Here are the results on “Top Chef” season 23:
- Least Favorite Dishes – Nana, whose French toast was tasty, but Emeril said he didn’t get enough livermush. Laurence, whose steamed egg was way too wet, and the crispy croutons got too soggy. Brittany, whose dish was dry and off the mark — something they have had before.
- Favorite Dishes – Duyen, whose Bahn Mi was on point. Anthony, as they loved what he did with the livermush croutons. The tomatoes were a perfect pairing, it was colorful and vibrant. Rhoda, as the livermush acted like a cornmeal in the meatballs, and the sauce at the bottom was very tasty.
The winning dish tonight came from Anthony, who is a local from North Carolina, so he knows livermush. He wins $10,000!
Elimination Challenge on ‘Top Chef Carolinas’
For this challenge, the judges want the chefs to make their dishes colorful. This is to pay homage to North Carolina’s textile industry. They must create a dish that features at least two naturally dyed elements.
They will have 30 minutes and $200 to shop at Whole Foods. The chefs will also have two hours to prep and cook tonight in the kitchen, as well as an hour of prep before service begins.
While the chefs are headed to Whole Foods, Jennifer calls Justin. It looks like nothing is dislocated. Maybe a pinched nerve, so she got some meds and will meet the chefs at Whole Foods.
The chefs do their shopping at Whole Foods. Oscar has a running competition with himself to see how close he can get to the budget each week without going over. $199.01 tonight.
Now the chefs are back in the kitchen getting their dishes started for the next day. It’s all about getting them prepped and adding that color tonight. Emeril and Tom Colicchio come in to see what the chefs are up to. Laurence is struggling with his colors and not feeling confident.
Finishing Touches
The chefs have 30 minutes more of cook/prep time the night before. Nana wanted to get all of her galantines rolled, so she was ready the next day. They aren’t rolling well, so she will fix it in the morning.
Jennifer is not pushing herself to make the dough tonight for her bread because of the shoulder pain. The time runs out for the night, and most of the chefs are stressed right now.
Service Day
A new day has arrived on “Top Chef” season 23. The chefs are back in the kitchen with one hour to service. Nana is working on re-rolling her galantines. Jennifer needs to get her bread going.
Nana is still struggling with her chicken, and it is raw. The judges have arrived, so tasting is coming soon. Yup, Nana does it again. She only has the yassa on the plate, as she doesn’t get the chicken cooked and cut in time.
Tasting
Time for the judges to taste these dishes on “Top Chef” 2026:
- Brandon & Nana – For Brandon, they loved how he layered the experience. Colors were striking. For Nana, they said this isn’t the first time she messed up on time. She isn’t locking in on where she needs to be.
- Anthony & Jennifer – For Anthony, they said it looks great. Very tasty, flavors are great. For Jennifer, they liked the shrimp, but the bun fell short. Not enough colors.
- Brittany & Laurence – For Brittany, they said, if you got this dish at a restaurant, you would be fine. You wouldn’t know it’s a color challenge, though. She isn’t thinking outside of the box. For Laurence, he did what you expect. They were tasty, and this isn’t an easy task.
- Justin & Sherry – For Sherry, they said the pork was hard to chew. They don’t like the texture. A lot of flavors are going on, and it doesn’t feel cohesive. For Justin, they said lamb and clams rhyme, but they don’t go together. They had a hard time finding the clams.
- Jonathan & Sieger – For Jonathan, aesthetically, it is pretty. The ingredients are colorful, but it’s not taken in a different direction. For Sieger, the dish came to the table and felt dramatic, but as soon as you dug into it to take a spoonful, everything became murky again.
- Duyen, Oscar, & Rhoda – For Rhoda, they said the flavors didn’t come together. The mussels are overcooked. For Oscar, the least colorful. The cuts are terrible. For Duyen, the sauce is fine, but the color isn’t something you want to dive into.
Judge’s Table on ‘Top Chef’ Season 23
Tom said this is the challenge that threw everyone off. The standout dishes for tonight came from Anthony, Brandon, and Laurence.
While the judges liked them all, the winning dish tonight came from Laurence. He was questioning himself, but he pulled it out and won immunity for next week.
The judges had all of the other chefs step forward, as they were not happy with any of the remaining chefs. They ask for explanations on why this was such a hard challenge.
In the end, Nana didn’t complete her dish, and she only gave them one of the two elements required for the dish. Because of that, she has been eliminated tonight! However, she will head to “Last Chance Kitchen” for a chance to remain in the competition.
BravoWhat do you think of the results on “Top Chef” season 23 tonight?
