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Episode 4 of Top Chef season 22, which aired on April 3, 2025, featured a high-stakes elimination. During the judges' table, Tom Colicchio criticized Shuai and Henry, stating they
"completely ignored the challenge."
The remark came after both contestants failed to incorporate key elements of their assigned Canadian desserts into their savory dishes. The Top Chef episode included a Quickfire challenge featuring Michael Cera and Jeopardy! champions Amy Schneider and Mattea Roach, followed by an Elimination Challenge inspired by six classic Canadian desserts.
While Corwin and Tristen impressed the Top Chef judges, Zubair and Henry ended up in the bottom, with Zubair ultimately being eliminated. However, Zubair was immediately sent to Last Chance Kitchen for another opportunity to re-enter the competition.
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Top Chef: Judges call out Shuai and Henry in the elimination challenge
In the Top Chef Elimination Challenge, the chefs had to transform Canadian desserts into savory dishes. Shuai and Henry struggled with this concept, leading to Tom Colicchio’s strong criticism.
Shuai used jam in a Japanese tsukune meatball, but the strong flavors overpowered the dessert element, leaving the judges unimpressed.
Henry paired butter tarts with duck but faced issues. A sous-vide mistake led to timing problems, and he forgot to plate Gail Simmons’ dish with sauce. While his dish met the challenge, it failed to shine.
At the judges’ table, Tom Colicchio defended Zubair, stating he “tried the most” compared to Shuai and Henry. However, Kristen Kish and Gail Simmons pointed out that Zubair made the most technical mistakes, and Michael Cera noted that the judges barely wanted to take another bite of his overcooked duck. Despite Tom’s stance, the judges ultimately decided that Zubair should be eliminated.
What happened in the Top Chef episode
The Top Chef episode began with a Quickfire challenge featuring Michael Cera as a guest judge. The chefs had to compete in a food-related trivia game, with their performance determining their cooking time.
Corwin, Kat, and Shuai stood out, with Corwin winning the challenge and earning $10,000 for his chile-crisp scallops with ginger beurre blanc. Meanwhile, Tristen, Massimo, and Henry landed in the bottom three.
For the Top Chef Elimination Challenge, Zubair and Henry worked with butter tarts, while Paula and Kat were assigned Nanaimo bars. Shuai and Katianna had to incorporate elements of jams, whereas Lana and Vinny were given potato chocolate cake.
Massimo and César took on date squares, while Corwin and Tristen had to reimagine figgy duff. The challenge tested their ability to transform sweet flavors into balanced, savory dishes, with some chefs excelling while others struggled to meet the brief.
While the chefs weren’t in direct competition, many had similar ingredients. For example, Zubair and Henry both used duck, while César and Massimo both made Moroccan lamb tartare dishes.
Some chefs excelled, including Tristen and Corwin, who impressed the judges with their figgy-duff-inspired dishes. Corwin’s Jamaican jerk fried chicken and Tristen’s Guyanese pepper-pot dish with a lamb-fat madeleine were highly praised. Tristen won the challenge, marking his first victory.
Other chefs struggled. Paula’s dish lacked enough Nanaimo bar flavors, but it was still well-executed. Kat, on the other hand, was impressed with her liquid nitrogen duck crumble, landing her in the top three.
Lana and Vinny, assigned potato chocolate cake, took different approaches. Vinny roasted potatoes and paired them with caviar, while Lana created a cacao gnocchi that guest judge Stephanie Duong found unappealing.
In the end, Shuai, Henry, and Zubair faced elimination. While Shuai’s dish had too many clashing flavors, Henry’s issues with timing and plating hurt his chances. However, Zubair’s duck was so overcooked that the judges found it inedible, leading to his elimination.
Before leaving, Zubair was sent directly to Last Chance Kitchen to compete against Bailey, the reigning competitor. Top Chef will continue next week as the remaining chefs battle for survival in the competition.
