“I started tearing up again”: Tournament of Champions winner Antonia Lofaso opens up about reliving her emotional win

Chef Antonia Lofaso won the Tournament of Champions season 6 title in the finale, which aired on April 20, 2025. Antonia had previously managed to reach two finals in the reality competition series, but this was the first time she won, as she won her battle against Chef Sara Bradley.

This win marked her 30th competition victory overall in the Tournament of Champions. She sat down with Reality Blurred for an interview on April 23, 2025 and revealed that she was not allowed to talk about the results until the finale aired. Antonia watched and relived the experience, and expressed that she felt emotional again.

She said that even months later, while watching reruns with her dad, she felt the emotions resurface. Her boyfriend noticed her reliving the moment, reminding her that she had already won and it was over.

"I have to say, last night I was watching, and I started tearing up again. Even this morning, I woke up, and as I was drinking coffee, I’m sitting, reliving and rehashing," Tournament of Champions winner Chef Antonia shared.

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Antonia Lofaso on overcoming competition anxiety after previous losses on Tournament of Champions

In Tournament of Champions, all the contestants were provided ingredients through the randomizer. It is a spinning wheel that is spun by host Guy Fieri, where a random assortment of ingredients is then given to the contestants to compete with. According to Antonia, the final randomizer challenge was tough for both Antonia and her final compatriot, Sara Bradley.

Antonia shared that approached the challenge without a set plan, knowing it could throw her off. She found that every randomizer has an element that surprises her. In the past, she had to work with challenging ingredients like half a goat. Ultimately, Antonia stated that she believed that both she and her competitor handled the challenge well.

"I mean, last year I had a half a goat. So whether I have a sawzall where I’m sawing a half a goat in half, or Wagyu and a sausage press, like there’s really no difference," Antonia said.

Further in the interview, Antonia opened up about the toughness of the competition she faced during season 6 of Tournament of Champions. She said that every time she walked into a competition with another chef, she felt anxious but always wanted to do well. However, as soon as she started cooking, her anxiety faded away. Antonia believed that working with food brought her back to her "comfort zone."

She also said that had been competing for so long in the competition that she knew the feeling of stress would give way to focus once she began cooking. This familiarity with stress made it more manageable for her. Antonia advised young competitors that the anxiety and uncertainty would fade away as soon as they started cooking.

"You know that feeling of stress. But it doesn’t make it easier. It just makes it more familiar, if that makes sense," Antonia shared.

The editors highlighted Antonia's strong desire to win the competition, which was a significant part of her season. Antonia confirmed that this was not just done in editing, rather her desire to win was genuine, especially after coming close to winning the previous season. Antonia appreciated Guy Fieri's production approach to storytelling, noting that it stayed true to her experiences and emotions.

The Tournament of Champions season 6 winner revealed that although she felt confident in the previous season, she wasn't able to win. In the latest season, she felt she had to set an example for her daughter to follow, and thus, gave it all to win.

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Tournament of Champions aired its season 6 finale on April 20, 2025, on Food Network.