Top Chef’s
14th episode of its 22nd season was titled “Finito!” and it saw the final three chefs —
Tristen Epps, Bailey Sullivan
and
Shuai Wang
— create their four-course progressive meal with the help of their sous chefs. In recent seasons, the sous chefs have been eliminated contestants. This season, for the sous chefs, Bailey chose
Lana Lagomarsini
, Shuai chose
Paula Endara
, and Tristen chose
Zubair Mohajir
.
In addition to regular judges
Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio
and
Gail Simmons
, the finale welcomed former
Top Chef
stars
Gregory Gourdet
(seasons 12 and 17) and
Richard Blais
(seasons 4 and 8). This is the first time Blais has returned as a judge to
Top Chef
since joining
Gordon Ramsay’s
cooking competition show
Next Level Chef
on FOX.
Read on to find out who won and how everyone did in the final challenge, but
be warned of spoilers ahead
. Don’t keep reading if you don’t want to be spoiled.
Who won
Top Chef: Destination Canada
tonight?
The winning chef of Top Chef season 22 is…
Tristen Epps
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia
Current residence: Houston, Texas
Tristen had a particularly tough season
after his dad died during filming
.
“I got here through a lot of support…I didn’t do it for me, I did it for so many people,” said Epps after he won. “If I can say, I miss my dad so much. I almost quit because I was hurt and somebody believed in me enough on their deathbed for me to stay and I’m so happy I made it worth it.”
How did the progressive dinner go on
Top Chef
season 22, episode 13?
Shuai’s
four courses were as follows:
First course:
Panipuri with gazpacho verde
Second course:
Sour dumpling raviolo
Third course:
Tangcu ossobuco
Fourth course:
Ambrosia
Bailey’s
four courses were as follows:
First course:
Polpo e mozz
Second course:
Anolini alpini
Third course:
Blackened orate
Fourth course:
Torta di pizzelle
Tristen’s
four courses were as follows:
First course:
Monkfish with baccala mbongo
Second course:
Pollo “dorengo” with injera shrimp toast
Third course:
Oxtail Milanese with Carolina Gold rice grits
Fourth course:
Root vegetable cake with cassareep ice cream
The first course was so well-received that guest judge Blais said, “If this was a fight, they all came out and punched each other in the face, hard.”
The second course, however, felt like a win for Tristen. Bailey’s dish was also very well liked, while Shuai’s dish seemed to fall a little short based on the discussion around the table.
The third course also felt like a win for Tristen because Bailey’s fish was slightly overcooked, and Shuai’s grits were overtaken by the cheese. Bailey seemed to win the dessert course during the dinner, but later at judges’ table, it felt like they were all pretty evenly matched at dessert, which then made it feel like Tristen was the clear winner overall.
The renewal announcement for
Top Chef
season 23 has not yet been released by NBCUniversal, but we would expect to hear about that in the fall, with a premiere slated for spring 2026.
