Top Chef season 22, episode 4 sneak peek came out on April 3, 2025, showing us a taste of a thrilling turn of events in the show. The challenge of the chefs this time involves a Quickfire Challenge based on a trivia show where their gameplay when answering questions affects the time they have for cooking.
The three key takeaways from this sneak peek are the guest judges Michael Cera, Mattea Roach, and Amy Schneider; the format of the trivia-themed Quickfire Challenge; and how the performance of the chefs in trivia impacts their cooking time. These aspects pave the way for a thrilling and high-stakes challenge.
Key highlights on Top Chef season 22, episode 4 Sneak Peek
Guest Judges Michael Cera, Mattea Roach, and Amy Schneider
This episode has guest judge Michael Cera, with Jeopardy! champions Mattea Roach and Amy Schneider. Michael Cera is most recognized for being in Superbad and playing on Celebrity Jeopardy! He says,
"Yeah, I was on Celebrity Jeopardy. My only goal, really, was to not lose the first episode, and I did that. And then I lost."
Both Mattea and Amy bring their trivia expertise from Jeopardy! to the Top Chef set. Mattea shares,
"I’ve been watching Top Chef ever since it was top scallops," referencing a past season’s iconic moment.
The presence of these guest judges introduces an element of familiarity and expertise, with their background in competitive trivia influencing the tone and pace of the episode.
Trivia-based Quickfire Challenge
The focus event of episode 4 is the trivia-based Quickfire Challenge. The number of trivia questions that the chefs answer correctly determines how much cooking time they will get. The winning team for most correct trivia answers will have 30 minutes of cooking time, the runner-up team will get 20 minutes, and the third team will have a meager 15 minutes. Kristen describes the challenge:
"If you get it right, your team gets a point. If you don’t, the other two teams have a chance to buzz in. The team with the most correct answers will get 30 minutes to cook. The team that comes in second will get 20 minutes to cook. And third place will get 15 minutes to cook."
This Quickfire Challenge introduces a unique twist to the traditional Top Chef format, making the chefs' performance in the trivia portion directly impactful on their cooking time.
It also brings an added element of unpredictability, as the chefs’ knowledge of various topics can influence their ability to manage their cooking time effectively.
Teams and trivia questions
The chefs are divided into three teams: Yellow Team (Henry, Kat, Katiana, Tristen), Purple Team (Lana, Massimo, Paula, Zubair), and Green Team (Cesar, Corwin, Shuai, Vinny). The teams will compete by answering trivia questions posed by the guest judges, and each team’s performance will directly influence their cooking time.
In the sneak peek, Kat from the Yellow Team highlights one of her teammates’ strengths, saying,
"Tristen is like an encyclopedia of crazy facts," which could give their team an advantage in answering questions.
Each group will have to work efficiently together to respond to the trivia questions, as the quicker they answer, the more time they'll have to prepare their meals. The trivia questions are varied, such as questions such as Michael asked them:
"What is one of the most suggestive vegetable emojis?"
Michael Cera poses this question, and Corwin from the Green Team quickly answers, "Eggplant," securing a point for his team.
Catch new episodes of Top Chef every Thursday at 9 PM ET on Bravo.