Who went home in 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing premiere? Details explored

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing returned for its highly anticipated second season on Sunday, April 27, 2025, airing on Food Network. The competition again began with 24 chefs battling it out in 24 hours of intense challenges, all aiming to win the grand prize of $75,000.

However, just like in season 1, the show started by drastically cutting the number of contestants. Out of the 24, only 11 chefs were eliminated in the premiere’s first shift. The chefs who went home during the premiere of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing were:

1. Michele Ragussis
2. Star Maye
3. Ashleigh Shanti
4. Richie Farina
5. Ilan Hall
6. Arturo Leighton
7. Dara Yu
8. Zuri Resendiz
9. Kathleen O’Brien-Price
10. Sam Cruz
11. Leslie Daniel.

The eliminations occurred after a series of head-to-head face-offs that were judged blindly by guest judge Antonia Lofaso.

---

How the eliminations unfolded in the 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing premiere

In the first shift titled 'Speed,' contestants were put through three timed challenges: separating and whisking eight egg whites stiff enough to hold upside down, tourneéing eight potatoes to a seven-sided finish, and juicing eight ounces of lemon juice. Speed was critical because the faster chefs completed these tasks, the better their choice they had of 12 proteins for the first elimination cook-off.

Kevin Lee was the fastest and won the 'Golden Knife' for shift 1. As per the rules explained by Michael Symon during the show’s broadcast on Food Network, the Golden Knife holder could choose their opponent. Lee selected Michele Ragussis, ultimately beating her with his Korean beef tartare over crispy rice, sending Ragussis home first.

Stephanie Izard and Laurence "LT" Smith selected “Breakroom” instead of a protein, granting them automatic advancement to shift 2. However, Symon warned during the episode, “rest now can equal pain later,” hinting at potential risks tied to this decision.

Other face-offs in the premiere episode of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing had varying results. Damaris Phillips triumphed over Ashleigh Shanti, impressing the judges with her fried chicken sandwich and chips.

Jonathon Sawyer secured a win against Star Maye with his seared chicken thigh dish. In the team shellfish challenge, Nini Nguyen and Gabe Bertaccini outperformed Richie Farina and Ilan Hall.

Kelsey Murphy defeated Dara Yu with her marinated pork chop over bacon jam hash. Laurence Louie bested Arturo Leighton with his pork and cabbage dumplings.

Brittanny Anderson emerged victorious against Zuri Resendiz, serving a lamb and harissa tartare. Marc Murphy took down Kathleen O’Brien-Price with a lamb burger paired with zatar fries. Lastly, Bryan Voltaggio and Elia Ambourad teamed up to beat Sam Cruz and Leslie Daniel, presenting a spicy Italian tuna crudo.

At the end of shift 1, the eliminated chefs were Michele Ragussis, Star Maye, Ashleigh Shanti, Richie Farina, Ilan Hall, Arturo Leighton, Dara Yu, Zuri Resendiz, Kathleen O’Brien-Price, Sam Cruz, and Leslie Daniel.

Guest judge Antonia Lofaso selected Brittanny Anderson’s lamb tartare dish as the best bite of the shift, awarding her a bonus prize of $2400.

The premiere also highlighted the grueling nature of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, filmed entirely in real-time over 24 hours. According to the episode's timeline, by the end of shift 1, approximately three and a half hours had passed, placing the clock around 12:30 pm, if the show started at 9 am as it did in season 1.

---

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing will continue airing new episodes every Sunday night on Food Network at 8 pm ET/PT.