"Showing up and showin out" — Top Chef fans react to Tristen's head-turning performance in latest episode

Top Chef season 22 released episode 6, titled Pickle Me This, on April 17, 2025. It showcased the remaining chefs participating in a quickfire challenge, followed by an elimination challenge. Tristen Epps left a lasting impression on the judges and the guest panelists by presenting noteworthy dishes in both rounds. He not only won the quickfire round but also emerged victorious in the battle against Vinny.

For the quickfire challenge, the contestants were challenged to create a remixed and upgraded version of their Chipotle orders with the same ingredients used in their meals. While most participants created another Mexican dish, Tristen went out of the box and presented the judges with an African-inspired dish.

He served steak tartare, obe ata sofrito, green harissa, crema, and lime-cured corn, earning praise from the panelists. Consequently, he was declared the winner of the round, as it marked Tristen's third consecutive win in the kitchen.

Later in the Top Chef episode, when Tristen went head-to-head against Vinny in a team challenge centered around pickles, all panelists voted in favor of Tristen's dish, giving him a "clean sweep" victory over Vinny.

Top Chef fans on X commented on Tristen's performance in the episode. While many were impressed by his winning streak, others appreciated his work ethic.

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"Chef Tristan showing up and showin out for Houston!" a fan wrote.

"Tristan doesn’t like pickles AND WON!" another fan commented.

"This was DEFINITELY the best episode of the season. Every episode should just be them going head to head because that's when this show is really interesting!!!" a netizen tweeted.

Many Top Chef fans applauded Tristen's performance and praised his culinary skills.

"Man Tristan’s menu ideas and execution are so impressive every time!" a X user reacted.

"Tristen is the only one who made a dish that wasn't remixing their Mexican meal," another fan wrote.

"Tristen’s dish getting major props from Tom!" one X user posted.

Other Top Chef fans expressed a similar sentiment.

"Tristen is on a freaking streak," a person reacted.

"Good for Tristan... but once AGAIN, these quickfires do not matter AT ALL so why do they keep showing them?" another netizen commented.

"I want Tristen to win it all making amazing dishes using all ingredients he hates," a person commented.

"It felt like the most remixed dish" — Top Chef panelist Kristen Kish compliments Tristen's Chipotle preparation

While explaining his dish to the panelists — Kristen, Top Chef master Susur Lee, and his son, Jet Bent-Lee — Tristen said there was a large African population in South America. Consequently, he wanted to infuse the elements of African cuisine into his dish, which was made with Mexican ingredients to give it a unique spin.

The judges appreciated his concept, as Jet commended him for risking using Mexican ingredients but "straying away" from preparing a Mexican dish.

"It felt like the most remixed dish, and not another version of the dish that you already had," Kristen added.

Tristen was declared the winner of the round and given $10,000, which he wanted to use for a new restaurant for Afro-Caribbean cuisine.

For the elimination challenge, the Top Chef contestants were divided into two teams of five and challenged to prepare a five-course progressive pickle menu. The first course had to include cornichons, the second, a full sour pickle, the third, dill pickles, the fourth, spicy pickles, and the fifth, bread and butter pickles.

The chefs went head-to-head against the other team on the same course. So, Tristen was pitted against Vinny, as both worked on the second course. Tristen presented the judges with charred mackerel, celery root vichyssoise, cucumber and celeriac pickle jus lie, and burnt pickles.

Despite admitting that he despised pickles, Tristen's dish earned victory over Vinny's. Guest judge Clare, the CEO of the James Beard Foundation, praised Tristen for preparing an "inventive" and well-integrated dish.

"Tristen's got these wild ideas, and he technically pulled it off... This is one of the best things I've ever had," Judge Tom remarked.

Although Tristen won his round, his team lost the overall challenge, resulting in Katianna's elimination.

Top Chef season 22 will return with a new episode on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at 8 pm ET, exclusively on Bravo.

About the author

Raina Saha is a pop culture writer who covers reality TV at Sportskeeda. While pursuing her master's degree in Comparative Literature, Raina explored various genres of media and later joined the field professionally, after being drawn to all things pop-culture.

Raina has previously worked on several research projects for Zee Entertainment Enterprises, analyzing TRP trends for daily soaps and has presented her research at international conferences. Although an avid follower of the entertainment world, it is the unscripted nature of reality TV that excites Raina the most, owing to its relatability, unexpected twists, and the suspense and drama the shows offer.

For Raina, diligent research and providing accurate information from authentic sources are key to her reporting process. She relies on thorough fact-checking for her stories and continuously updates data post-publication to ensure the content is relevant and accurate at all times.

Raina's favorite artist is Miley Cyrus, whose personality and career-driven attitude she admires. Growing up watching Hannah Montana and listening to Miley’s songs, Raina is thrilled by the artist’s achievements, including her first Grammy win in 2024.

Outside of work, Raina enjoys traveling, especially to the hills, and exploring different restaurants to try new dishes.

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Edited by Raina Saha