What happened between Kevin Lee and Antonia Lofaso in Tournament of Champions quarterfinals? Details explored

Tournament of Champions season 6 aired episode 7 on April 13, 2025, featuring a quarterfinal match between Kevin Lee and Antonia Lofaso. The episode marked a rematch from season 5, where the same two chefs competed at the same stage of the competition.

Ahead of the battle, Lee said:

“I love Antonia, I respect her as a chef, human being. She has been a great like big sister to me, but today the Princess Warrior is just another dragon that I'll have to slay.”

The round's requirements were determined by the show's randomizer, which called for a smooth and crunchy dish featuring pork cheeks, flat beans, mamba peanut butter, and the use of a pizza oven. Each chef prepared a dish using the required elements.

The judges for the episode were Iron Chefs Ming Tsai, Cat Cora, and Michael Symon. They evaluated both dishes based on taste, use of the randomizer, and plating. Lofaso was awarded a total of 88 points, while Lee received 85.

With this result, Lee was eliminated from the competition, and Lofaso advanced to the semifinals. Lee is set to return to Food Network later this month in the second season of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing.

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Kevin Lee's dish and feedback from the judges of Tournament of Champions

Kevin Lee prepared a pork cheek ragu with flat bean polenta, accompanied by a pork cheek and cabbage egg roll in Tournament of Champions. The dish aimed to highlight all four required elements from the randomizer. Judge Ming Tsai praised the plating and tenderness of the pork cheeks, saying that the pork cheeks were "tender and luscious.”

However, Michael Symon pointed out that he couldn't detect the taste of peanut butter in the dish. Cat Cora added more insight based on her personal experience, saying:

“I have been to Haiti and I've had mamba peanut butter. It is super spicy because of the scotch bonnets in it,” she said.

Cora added:

"I love that it brought richness to this dish and going into the flat bean, I think it was a really good use of that. The only part of this dish that I wasn't as fond of — I didn't really love the cheese."

Symon admitted he had doubts about the combination of egg roll and polenta but ended up liking the overall concept. Lee's final score was 85 out of 100, 43 for taste, 34 for use of the randomizer, and 8 for plating. While the effort was appreciated, it fell slightly short compared to Lofaso's dish in the Tournament of Champions.

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Antonia Lofaso wins by three points and moves to the semifinals

Antonia Lofaso prepared braised pork cheeks with a coconut corn puree. The judges noted that the dish matched the randomizer's smooth texture well. Cat Cora placed her napkin on the table and called Lofaso "phenomenal." Michael Symon said the corn puree was "brilliant." Ming Tsai mentioned that the only issue was the crunch not being strong enough, saying:

“My nitpick is the crunch isn’t crunchy like the previous dish.”

Lofaso received a total score of 88 out of 100. This included 44 points for taste, 35 for using the randomizer ingredients and themes, and 9 for plating. Kevin Lee scored 85 in total. After the result, Lee jokingly asked Lofaso to win the whole competition so he wouldn't have to face her again.

“As long as she’s not here, I’ll be back,” Lee said.

Host Guy Fieri confirmed that Lee would return for Tournament of Champions season 7.

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Watch the finale episode of Tournament of Champions airing exclusively on Food Network on April 20, 2025.