Season 22: Last Chance Kitchen

[marke34]

5 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Anya was an early favorite, so it was hard to see her flame out so horribly again.

Yeah, Anya was just like Rasika from last season, an early frontrunner who suddenly tanked out of nowhere.

Edited Friday at 04:10 AM by marke34

[Fukui San]

2 hours ago, Bastet said:

This is the second time a cheftestant has bowed out for mental health preservation; it's nice to see them feel comfortable doing that.

Anya was an early favorite, so it was hard to see her flame out so horribly again.

There was also the first chef eliminated last season, who seemed like a tool, who never appeared on Last Chance Kitchen at all with no explanation as to why.

[tv echo]

A "Hat Trick" of a Challenge ... With an Unexpected Twist | Last Chance Kitchen (S22 E3) | Bravo
Bravo   Mar 27, 2025

[CrazyInAlabama]

14 hours ago, Fukui San said:

There was also the first chef eliminated last season, who seemed like a tool, who never appeared on Last Chance Kitchen at all with no explanation as to why.

Yes, and since this season's LCK started with the two outside cheftestants, then last season's eliminated first contestant's story not having LCK that early was bogus.    And I always though last year that first out guy just started to leave, so they didn't start LCK on time.   I think Tom's hat magnets were a response to claims that he told first guy last season to leave because he was mad about the hat jokes, and to show he has a sense of humor about the hat.   Except last season the one chef who was first out made several not funny personal jabs at Tom, and I bet there were others we didn't see.  

I was stunned Sam left.   How does someone apply for TC, but not realize the timed rounds, with themes are stressful? All of the baking championships have had contestants pull out over the seasons too.          

I was tired of Anya, and her constant relating every dish to Russia, and her flaming out didn't surprise me.    I was just surprised that Bailey did so well.   I think she really wants to do well, and gets anxious about it.   Maybe she's worked her nerves out now.  

Edited Friday at 09:23 PM by CrazyInAlabama

[Thumper]

I hate watching videos, but caught just the end of this LCK.  So Sam (an unknown) quit?  And Anya didn’t get her dish plated, so lost?   🤨😤

[mlp]

Anya was a favorite right from the first episode so I was sorry to see her go, especially since I don't care for Bailey.  I liked Sam so I was sorry to see him go too.  

I wonder if the producers had to reshuffle the episode where they planned to bring back an unknown from LCK again.

[caitmcg]

42 minutes ago, Thumper said:

And Anya didn’t get her dish plated, so lost?

Anya served three dishes, but two were bad, so didn't "score" for them, and she didn't get it on the plate, and Bailey's three were all good. 

Bailey certainly didn't distinguish herself in the main competition, but so far she seems to be in her element in LCK.
 

 

[dleighg]

So even if Anya had gotten her crudo up, (and if it was good) it wouldn't have mattered. Tom was nice enough to not yell out "this is terrible" on the final thing she got up. 

Bailey's voice drives me nuts. But I guess she can cook. I though the lamb looked a bit undercooked for my taste. 

And her "house made crackers"? Meaning something I brought from home. 

[7-Zark-7]

11 hours ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I was stunned Sam left.   How does someone apply for TC, but not realize the timed rounds, with themes are stressful?

Why did he apply to the show? How did he ever think he could handle Restaurant Wars? In his talking head he says "I'm not questioning my skills or ability to keep on going". No? Because pulling the plug on the show before even getting out of LCK suggests otherwise. What else could he be questioning? Is it Soylent Green and he suspects they're serving people instead of beef? Is he being held in a dungeon off camera? Are they charging him to appear? What else about the show could be bothering him other than the competition part. Sir, pack your diffident cheekbones and go.

Edited Saturday at 12:56 AM by 7-Zark-7

[caitmcg]

I believe they film several LCK episodes in a row, so if you get through, it's like a few quickfires with not a lot of downtime. Better he recognizes it's burning him out earlier rather than later.

 

[Red Bridey]

Well, y'all, I was able to watch the latest episode on the website! Boy, Anya really collapsed, burning onions?? Bye, gurl, nice knowing you. It makes my head hurt to look at Bailey, her posture is so bad and she looks like she sleeps in her clothes. I guess her food is good, but maybe only in comparison to the worse cooks she's competing against. See, Sam would have made watching LCK a pleasant experience because He.Is.Fine. Bye, Sam, you will be missed.

Edited Saturday at 02:05 AM by Red Bridey

[Ancaster]

3 hours ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

Why did he apply to the show? How did he ever think he could handle Restaurant Wars? In his talking head he says "I'm not questioning my skills or ability to keep on going". No? Because pulling the plug on the show before even getting out of LCK suggests otherwise. What else could he be questioning? Is it Soylent Green and he suspects they're serving people instead of beef? Is he being held in a dungeon off camera? Are they charging him to appear? What else about the show could be bothering him other than the competition part. Sir, pack your diffident cheekbones and go.

Sam obviously thought he would be able keep his demons under control, and was almost certainly encouraged by family/friends/mental health professional to apply.  I don't fault him at all for trying; indeed I applaud him for challenging himself.  And we have certainly seen plenty of people collapse under the pressure, whether it's because they are incapable of cooking in the time limit, or because of the mental pressure.

And I applaud his gracious departure compared to that of the guy in the hat last season who just walked off never to be heard from again.

Edited Saturday at 04:15 AM by Ancaster

[Rai]

I laughed really hard at the hats thing. Tom looked not entirely thrilled about the joke, but he did his best to move past it. He also looked genuinely surprised when Sam stepped out. The chefs say it every season -- it really is different when you're competing for real, and I can totally believe he underestimated how well he could cope with the pressure.

Bummed Anya tanked. Miffed Tom seemed really dismissive of her when he told her to get lost, more or less. That must have been one bad halibut.

[Bastet]

No matter how much you think you're prepared for the mental challenge of something - from watching previous versions, reading about them, even talking one-on-one with those who've done it - you can't truly know what it's like until you're doing it.  I have no problem believing someone signed up for TC thinking one thing and then found out differently once they got into it.

[MerBearHou]

I also wonder if there is a little bit (or a lot) of frustration or feeling slighted that you have to cook in LCK from the get-go (Sam) rather than being asked to compete with the whole group from the beginning.  At first, maybe you think it’s something to just be included (it’s great to just have the nomination kind of thing) and then it wears on you as you have to earn your way to the main stage of TC.  Plus he’s missing out on the many other cool aspects of being with the TC group. I agree — zero shame on Sam bowing out.  

Edited Saturday at 04:19 PM by MerBearHou

[Duke Silver]

I was second-screening (sound off) LCK last night.  Baily on mute is the best Baily.  I said what I said.

[jackjill89]

I was surprised to see Sam go, but I get it. I've been watching a lot of cooking competitions lately, and been wondering what makes a chef a good competitive chef. Not all of them are cut out for the quick thinking on your feet, time/ingredient constraints, etc required to succeed in a competition. It's so easy to sit on the sidelines and think what you'd do, but I bet it's a different story once you're in the thick of it. 

Bailey is doing really well in this environment. I wonder if that will transfer if she gets back in the main competition.

[caitmcg]

19 minutes ago, jackjill89 said:

Bailey is doing really well in this environment. I wonder if that will transfer if she gets back in the main competition.

We've seen this before: Someone does really well in LCK, and proves they're good at QF-type challenges, but falls apart on the ECs (just as Bailey did when she was PYAG'd). And on the flip side, some contestants tend to tank in the QF but do much better in ECs with more time to prep, cook, and consider.

[The Solution]

I've been able to watch on Peacock without incident other than the 5 million commercials, but you basically have that with most apps.

Not a great episode of LCK, what with Sam's resignation, Anya's flameout, and Bailey's existence.

Edited Saturday at 07:20 PM by The Solution
Learn to spell, douchnozzle

[Red Bridey]

1 hour ago, jackjill89 said:

I was surprised to see Sam go, but I get it. I've been watching a lot of cooking competitions lately, and been wondering what makes a chef a good competitive chef. Not all of them are cut out for the quick thinking on your feet, time/ingredient constraints, etc required to succeed in a competition. It's so easy to sit on the sidelines and think what you'd do, but I bet it's a different story once you're in the thick of it. 

Bailey is doing really well in this environment. I wonder if that will transfer if she gets back in the main competition.

I compare it to Project Runway. Some designers are cut out (snerk) to design on the fly, creativity dripping from their pores, while others are slow and methodical and it takes time for the juices to flow. It doesn't make them bad people, it just makes them bad competitors at a particular kind of contest. Their skills are best used elsewhere. I will miss looking at Sam.

[ProudMary]

I do wonder how Sam's departure affects the way the producers ultimately structured LCK for the remainder of the season. We know that in some seasons there has been more than one contestant who entered (or re-entered) the main competition through LCK.

I think that the producers were hoping to bring in another Canadian chef, either Sam or Ying, through LCK early in the competition, perhaps even as early as next week. Ying, who seemed to be a strong, creative chef, but had time management issues went out quickly, but Sam seemed to be a definite contender. With Sam dropping out of his own accord, he spoiled the Canadian chef entry plot line (if it existed outside of my head, of course. 😉) 

Also changed by Sam's unexpected departure, was the three chefs competing at once scenario, which we've also seen before on LCK.

I wonder if they'll bring one chef back early, if that was the original plan, or just let LCK progress normally and have a PYKAGd chef re-enter close to the end of the main competition. 🤔

I also wonder if they'll ever tell us what the original plan was. Maybe on WWHL at the end of the season?

[caitmcg]

58 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

I wonder if they'll bring one chef back early, if that was the original plan, or just let LCK progress normally and have a PYKAGd chef re-enter close to the end of the main competition. 🤔

Early seasons of LCK just had one chef reenter fairly close to pre-finale eliminations, but the more recent ones prior to last season's intro of an extra contender did it both ways, having someone come back around episode 6, and then restarting LCK to bring someone back again nearer the end. Obviously, the producers (unlike most viewers here) liked the aspect of throwing a wrench in things, and probably couldn't resist the "add another Canadian" aspect, but if they planned to repeat the two-stage approach there's no net negative in numbers so far; two original and two added contestants are out, but without the additions, they don't usually begin LCK so early.

[Salacious Kitty]

They usually start in Week 2 when there are two cheftestants to compete. This season was different when they brought in the two chefs after the first episode. 

Three chefs have cooked before in LCK after double eliminations. 

[ProudMary]

Just for clarity, I have watched Top Chef live right from S01.Ep.01 in 2006 through Thursday night's episode and have always watched Last Chance Kitchen since its inception. In fact,Top Chef is the show that originally led me to the Television Without Pity forums, so I wouldn't be here on Primetimer if it weren't for Top Chef!

I thought it was pretty clear that I'm well aware of everything that occurred in seasons past on both LCK and in the main competition by my referencing of how things had been done in prior seasons. I'm a Top Chef lifer! 

What I'm trying to figure out is how the producers are going to handle the twist that Sam handed to them, by actually showing up for the episode and telling Tom on camera that he wasn't going to continue. That had never happened before! Even David (obnoxious hat guy) from last season evidently alerted them that he wouldn't be participating in LCK prior to filming, so they had the ability to decide how they'd adapt to that in advance. Tom had to think on the run, without immediate input from the other producers, how he was going to proceed. 

Edited Yest. at 04:28 PM by ProudMary

[Salacious Kitty]

I wonder how much time it took for Tom to "think" of the solution they ultimately came up with? (ie production input time). 

Playing the hat trick game with the two remaining chefs seemed fair. 

[ProudMary]

5 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I wonder how much time it took for Tom to "think" of the solution they ultimately came up with? (ie production input time). 

Playing the hat trick game with the two remaining chefs seemed fair. 

Yes, I wonder about that also.

The solution definitely seemed fair, plus they added the clock. (45 minutes) When it was going to be three chefs, there was no clock. I guess the assumption with three chefs would be that trying to keep up with whomever got the first plate to Tom would be enough of an impetus to keep all the chefs moving quickly. Truly, that might have had them moving even faster than the clock did. It was a long time before either Bailey or Anya got anything to Tom! IIRC, it was at least 30 minutes before either of them plated anything.

I also wonder why Sam waited until the parameters of the challenge were announced before dropping out. Was he still waffling on his decision to leave when he walked into the kitchen?

[MerBearHou]

36 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

I also wonder why Sam waited until the parameters of the challenge were announced before dropping out. Was he still waffling on his decision to leave when he walked into the kitchen?

Knowing from this board about LCK and how it played out, I just watched a few minutes ago and kept an eye on Sam’s body language and his engagement with what Tom was explaining prior to the challenges.  Sam was definitely checked out which makes me think he’d decided ahead of time what he was going to do and say.  

[Yeah No]

On 3/29/2025 at 3:41 PM, Red Bridey said:

I compare it to Project Runway. Some designers are cut out (snerk) to design on the fly, creativity dripping from their pores, while others are slow and methodical and it takes time for the juices to flow. It doesn't make them bad people, it just makes them bad competitors at a particular kind of contest. Their skills are best used elsewhere. I will miss looking at Sam.

Yes, it's just like how some musicians and actors are great at last-minute, in-the-moment, situational improvisations and others are more systematic and methodical in their approach, and need more time to conceive and prepare. Improv. is a talent that comes out of temperament and not everyone has it. 

That said, I don't think Anya excels at it. She seemed even more thrown by the fact that the rules were changing yet again due to Sam's unexpected departure. She was loving the idea of not having any time limit when suddenly that was out the window. I think that put a psychological pressure on her she wouldn't have had with no time limit even if she would have had to work just as quickly anyway.

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

Knowing from this board about LCK and how it played out, I just watched a few minutes ago and kept an eye on Sam’s body language and his engagement with what Tom was explaining prior to the challenges.  Sam was definitely checked out which makes me think he’d decided ahead of time what he was going to do and say.  

Yes, I thought that too and noticed his body language on first viewing, but didn't know how to interpret it yet. What struck me is the way he said he wasn't a hockey fan. Not that he said it but the way he said it. It was almost like he didn't even want to answer the question. It struck me as almost dismissive but I didn't realize why until he dropped out. I realized then that he was already checked out.

[Fukui San]

It's entirely possible that Sam told the producers beforehand offcamera that he wanted to leave and the producers told Sam to reveal it to Tom on camera so that we could see this happen with a genuine reaction.

I seem to remember in a past season Tom had to rejigger an LCK challenge on the fly for a similar reason, but I can't remember details. It wasn't too far in the past.

[Bastet]

3 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I seem to remember in a past season Tom had to rejigger an LCK challenge on the fly for a similar reason, but I can't remember details. It wasn't too far in the past.

You're probably thinking of Kaleena.