“You will all be picking your jaws up” — Tournament of Champions’ Guy Fieri’s tease about the surprise judge in finale comes true

The finale of Tournament of Champions season 6 aired on Sunday, April 20, 2025, on Food Network, crowning Antonia Lofaso as the winner with a score of 88 to 82. The episode began with host Guy Fieri announcing to the final four chefs:

“Chefs, you're just two cooks away from winning it all. T.O.C. 6 will have a brand new champion. And once again, that champion will be a woman!”

He then teased a major surprise, declaring:

“This judge is so celebrated, so iconic, that I promise you, you will all be picking your jaws up off the floor.”

That surprise turned out to be none other than Martha Stewart, who joined the judges’ panel for the final round. The season 6 finale featured the semifinal matchups of 1-seed Antonia Lofaso vs. 1-seed Britt Rescigno and 3-seed Lee Anne Wong vs. 5-seed Sara Bradley.

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Tournament of Champions: Guy Fieri builds anticipation with iconic guest judge reveal

In the opening moments of the Tournament of Champions season 6 finale, Guy Fieri addressed the final four chefs — Antonia Lofaso, Britt Rescigno, Lee Anne Wong, and Sara Bradley — with an important announcement. After noting that the winner of season 6 would once again be a woman, Fieri revealed:

“Tonight’s dishes will be tasted by three culinary greats and legitimate competition legends.”

He referred to the judging panel that included Maneet Chauhan, Brooke Williamson, and Mei Lin — all past winners of the show. In the final round, he delivered on his promise of bringing in an "iconic judge."

The fourth surprise judge turned out to be lifestyle and culinary icon Martha Stewart. Her addition to the panel marked a significant moment in the finale, as contestants were left surprised.

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What else happened in the Tournament of Champions episode?

The semifinals of Tournament of Champions season 6 began with a face-off between Antonia Lofaso and Britt Rescigno. Backstage at the start of the episode, Rescigno reflected on her competition. “She’s wanted this since season one,” said Rescigno about Lofaso.

“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to take her down.”

Their randomizer elements were whole pompano (protein), figs (produce), lava rocks (equipment), escabeche (style), and the color purple (wild card). After judging, the chefs were tied at 82 points each.

The tie-breaker came down to the taste category, with Lofaso narrowly edging out Rescigno 41 to 40. Lofaso also earned 33 points for use of the randomizer and 8 for presentation, while Rescigno scored 33 for the randomizer and 9 for presentation.

In the second semifinal, Sara Bradley and Lee Anne Wong were given blue silkie chicken (protein), sorrel (produce), turmeric leaves (equipment), en papillote (style), and the color black (wild card). Bradley won the round with a score of 85 to 83, securing her first appearance in a Tournament of Champions final.

This season marked Bradley’s debut in the competition, while Wong had never reached the final four before.

In the final battle, Lofaso and Bradley faced one another with the following randomizer elements: wagyu beef (protein), huitlacoche (produce), sausage stuffer (equipment), hot & cold (style), and two wild card words — “spicy” for Lofaso and “sticky” for Bradley.

To determine how the dish would be divided, they drew at random, resulting in the hot portion needing to be spicy and the cold portion needing to be sticky.

The final dishes were judged by Maneet Chauhan (winner of seasons 2 and 5), Brooke Williamson (season 1), Mei Lin (season 4), and surprise guest Martha Stewart.

In a decisive outcome, Antonia Lofaso earned 88 points to Bradley’s 82, winning her first Tournament of Champions belt after multiple previous attempts.

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Fans can stream the Tournament of Champions on Food Network Go.