Who is Begoña Rodrigo? Spanish chef was eliminated in Top Chef season 20 episode 5

Top Chef season 20 aired a new episode on Thursday, April 6, 2023, at 9 pm ET on Bravo. It documented the remaining contestants participating in a series of challenges. Throughout the episode, the chefs put their best foot forward to create incredible dishes and impress the judges. While some managed to be successful in their endeavors, others presented dishes that weren't up to the mark.

On this week's episode, Top Chef Spain winner Begoña Rodrigo made crucial mistakes throughout the elimination challenge and received harsh criticism from the judges. They were shocked to receive dry chicken in the stew and mismatched veggies. They eventually eliminated her from the competition.

The hit Bravo series has been on the air for several years and has established itself to be a very popular franchise. Season 20 of the competition brought contestants from different Top Chef franchises all over the world. These included previous winners, finalists and memorable contestants who joined the season to compete for a second chance at the coveted title.

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More about Top Chef contestant Begoña Rodrigo

Begoña Rodrigo is the winner of Top Chef Spain season 1. She is also the Executive Chef and Owner of La Salita, a one Michelin star restaurant in Valencia, Spain. Although she began her career by pursuing industrial engineering at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, the chef eventually shifted gears to pursue her culinary career.

When Begoña was 20 years old, she traveled to Amsterdam to gain significant experience to advance her culinary dream. She worked with the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel under Executive Chef Nick Reade. The chef worked in the Netherlands for over eight years before moving to London and working at the Aquarium.

After gaining sufficient experience for 10 years, she returned to her hometown of Valencia, Spain and opened her first restaurant, La Salita, in 2005. Apart from winning Top Chef Spain, she is also known for her appearances on El comidista in 2017 and The Last Supper in 2020.

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Begoña gets eliminated in Top Chef season 20 episode 5

Tonight's episode of Top Chef saw the contestants get ready for a brand new day of challenges. They spent some quality time talking to their families and headed to the kitchen only to be greeted by host Padma Lakshmi and a room filled with honey bottles. They were also introduced to the guest judge, Michelin star chef Adam Handling.

For the quickfire challenge, the chefs had to cook a celebratory dish using mead (fermented alcoholic beverage) and honey. They had 30 minutes to cook a dish inspired by a celebration that they remembered the most. While Begoña breezed through the first challenge, things turned south soon after.

In the elimination challenge, the contestants had to cook family-style dishes inspired by their favorite holidays. They had to cook for the same meal and were given a total of 1,000 pounds to share and spend on groceries. While the shopping went well, the cooking time in the kitchen was emotional and stressful.

Begoña's dish was one of the least impressive, according to the judges. While she didn't receive any comment from them, the chef landed in the bottom with fellow contestants Buddha and Gabri. The judges felt that her stew wasn't up to the mark and had dry chicken and veggies that didn't bond well with the overall dish.

She was ultimately eliminated from the competition.

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Season 20 of Top Chef is getting intense with each passing episode. In the coming weeks, the contestants will face even tougher challenges that will push them to their limits and test their culinary abilities. Viewers will have to stay tuned to witness what's more in store for them.

Don't forget to tune in to a brand new episode next Thursday, April 13, 2023, at 9 pm ET on Bravo.