Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen brings back Jennifer Carroll, Kwame Onwuachi, Marcel Vigneron, Lee Anne Wong
However, they’re going to have to go through each other — and possibly some other eliminated chefs in the process. The video below gives you a proper introduction to some of these chefs, and also a chance to watch them cook a dish that represents where they are in their career now.
Let’s start with looking at the chefs themselves. As someone who didn’t watch Top Chef from the beginning (we joined around season 6) Lee Anne is someone we’re still getting to know — she is likable and interesting, so we’re glad to see her advance forward. Meanwhile, Kwame is someone who was our personal favorite the last time he was on and we’re immediately rooting fro him to go far. Marcel is someone we remember for a number of different reasons — he’s been a part of some of the biggest moments in show history, and at one point he even had his own cooking show on Syfy. (Remember when Syfy was trying to expand?)
Marcel’s evolution was probably the most surprising of the group given that he doesn’t seem to be the molecular guy so much anymore — his food was, dare we say, almost rustic! We’re curious to see if that lasts. He and Kwame both advance, and that means that Jennifer is leaving the show despite being a worthy competitor in this franchise.
What’s most notable about Jennifer’s exit is that despite being known for her differences with Tom Colicchio in the past — they’re in part what makes her memorable with this franchise — she was accepting of her fate this time around. She knew that she forgot the seasoning on one part of her dish and that caused her to pay the price. Still, it’s a shame to lose a big personality and strong chef so early.
With that said…
We like this format for returning chefs so much more than just handing them the keys to the competition like Bravo did last season. We’re a little surprised that these four wanted to come back like this, but good on them for saying yes. (Side note: We almost think that Marcel and Jennifer are more suited now for Top Chef: Masters and we wish that show was still a thing.)
What did you think about Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen starting early? Share now in the comments below!
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