Top Chef Recap: Michelin Mysteries

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This episode of Top Chef was disappointing. I almost gave it a one-star rating because it highlighted all my frustrations with this season. The challenge relied too much on fan involvement, which ultimately didn’t work well. The judges didn’t have the final say in one key decision, and the reasoning behind the winner was unclear. One chef clearly underperformed, but the judges didn’t really address that. Plus, one contestant was overly focused on being the center of attention. Overall, it was a frustrating episode.

I gave this episode two stars because I want to reserve a one-star rating for something truly awful – maybe if Tom Sandoval appeared as a judge in a bizarre crossover event. But honestly, this was a pretty disappointing episode of Top Chef. I’m not saying America’s Culinary Cup is a better show overall – its first season was a bit messy. (You can stream it all on Paramount+ now, as the finale aired May 13th.) However, I really missed the clear feedback the judges on ACC gave to the chefs, explaining exactly how they scored each dish. I also wish Top Chef had guest judges as respected as Eric Ripert, who was on the ACC finale but hasn’t been on Top Chef since 2022. And honestly, I’m frustrated by having to learn who the Try Guys are and what they have to do with the Carolinas – apparently nothing.

Things are really heating up in the competition now – you can tell the contestants are starting to think, ‘Wait, I actually have a shot at the finale… what do I need to do?’ And Sherry… well, after spending the whole season talking about her fancy Michelin background and getting increasingly upset that the judges weren’t blown away, she kind of lost it. It was a really wild emotional ride for her in this episode, and honestly, I found it strange how the other chefs didn’t seem bothered by her trash-talking their food, but then got mad when Jonathan actually defended his dish to the judges. We’ll get to that. I will say, I didn’t like Sherry quite as much by the end of “Down the Rabbit Hole,” though I have to admit she was totally right about being robbed in the Quickfire. It was a total sham. Here’s what went down: everyone headed to Unity Park for their last Quickfire challenge in the Carolinas. Kristen delivered some really clunky lines about how this season has been about pushing boundaries, which led to the introduction of YouTube personalities Keith Habersberger and Rachel Cole. I honestly have zero interest in who these people are and I’m sticking to my rule of avoiding YouTube personalities, period.

This week on Top Chef, Keith and Rachel are joining as guest judges. The challenge itself was decided by fan votes on social media, broken into three parts. The chefs quickly learned they’d be working with peaches – a choice made by the fans over boiled nuts and pawpaw. They then shopped at Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery, where almost everyone took advantage of the free stecca bread. Because they didn’t know what other surprises were in store, the chefs mostly played it safe, all choosing similar ingredients like heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and soft cheeses. I think this shows a flaw in the challenge design. When you give chefs one ingredient and then hint at two more twists, they naturally focus on doing something simple and reliable. And that’s what happened – the challenge became predictable and boring, instead of the exciting competition the Top Chef producers were aiming for.

Okay, so things are getting wild in the kitchen. Sherry, who was just trash-talking everyone else for even thinking about bread, is basically making a fancy tostada – burrata, peaches, corn salsa, the whole deal. Honestly, I don’t see how she’s going to finish it in just half an hour, especially since the fans decided to make the time limit 30 minutes instead of 15 or 20. But the real kicker? With only 15 minutes left, they’re making everyone swap stations! The fans voted for that over turning everything into a sandwich or adding foam. It’s total chaos! Now, Sieger gets Laurence’s stuff, Laurence gets Anthony’s, Anthony gets Rhoda’s, Rhoda gets Sherry’s ingredients, Sherry’s stuck with Jonathan’s, and Jonathan has to work with what Sieger started. It’s a disaster, and Sherry is not happy about it, believe me.

Kristen explained the chefs could either finish the dish they started at their new station or create something entirely new with the available ingredients, but no one ever chooses the latter, which I find puzzling. Sherry criticized Jonathan’s pesto, calling it too bitter, but still put it on the plates. Sieger complained about being assigned crostini when he didn’t want to make it, but he served it anyway. Frankly, none of this is compelling to watch. We’ve seen similar situations on Top Chef before – like when chefs have to cook a dish together in stages without being able to communicate their ideas – and it always feels unfair. It’s essentially taking credit for someone else’s work, and that’s not what I tune in to see. Here’s what the chefs are making:

  • Laurence: Crostini with peach and raisin relish, pickled peaches, arugula, and yogurt sauce.
  • Rhoda: Peach and burrata tostada, chipotle aioli, and corn relish.
  • Sherry: Crostini with gochujang peaches, heirloom tomatoes, and fresh basil pesto.
  • Jonathan: Peaches with heirloom tomatoes, sardines, and green harissa.
  • Sieger: Crostini with roasted peaches, feta, aillade (a French garlic, herb, and nut sauce), sunflower seeds, and dill.
  • Anthony: Crostini with arugula, roasted and pickled peaches, whipped feta.

Everyone had opinions on the dishes! Jonathan didn’t like the sardines – they were too strong. Anthony’s bread and peaches were cut too thickly, and Sherry thought the ingredients in her dish were too large and the sauce too bitter. The hits of the night were Laurence’s vinegar mostarda (Anthony was particularly proud of it), Sieger’s dish, which Laurence hadn’t originally envisioned with dill (but everyone loved it), and Rhoda’s – which was actually Sherry’s original plan, unchanged. Sherry even walked Rhoda through the final details when they switched stations. Ultimately, Rhoda won, and Sherry was understandably upset, sarcastically congratulating Rhoda on her presentation. I hope Rhoda shared some of the $10,000 prize with Sherry, since it really felt like Rhoda used Sherry’s own ideas to win.

If you found the Quickfire challenge confusing, the Elimination challenge is even more complex. Here’s what’s happening: the chefs are cooking rabbit on a trail near Michelin North America’s headquarters, and they’re expected to create dishes that meet Michelin’s high standards. They have to serve not only the judges, but also 24 other diners, including five secret diners who will help decide the winner. The regular judges – including chefs Niki Nakayama and Adam Cooke, and cyclist Brent Bookwalter – will still decide who gets eliminated. This format is the same as a previous challenge, and I found it frustrating then and now. It’s unclear if the secret diners are actually Michelin employees, or what their votes mean. It’s also unclear whether the chefs are being judged on their ability to create Michelin-star-worthy dishes, or simply on the quality of the rabbit itself. There are too many unclear rules, and I think giving so much power to the secret diners, instead of the actual judges, is a mistake.

Okay, so this week’s challenge was all about rabbit – butchering it, and then serving a consistently good dish to 24 people. Rabbit’s a tricky protein, so things were immediately tense. Sherry was instantly playing for the cameras, declaring she was ‘coming out for blood,’ and poor Laurence was way behind, having never butchered one before – or even gone to culinary school! Most of the chefs hadn’t worked with rabbit since their training days, adding to the pressure.

We saw some interesting approaches. Rhoda and Sherry both went for comfort food – a stew and mofongo, respectively – while Anthony and Jonathan decided to do two rabbit preparations each, which is always a risky move with the judges. Sieger was the smartest, wrapping the lean rabbit in bacon to keep it moist. Laurence, meanwhile, was attempting a rabbit siu mai, meticulously chopping and tenderizing the meat.

What really struck me was how differently everyone interpreted ‘Michelin.’ Anthony was doing a Bugs Bunny-inspired pairing of rabbit and carrot, focusing on technique and presentation. Sherry, still smarting from the Quickfire, was making a point about the lack of recognition for Brazilian and Latin flavors – even though plenty of those restaurants have earned Michelin stars! Honestly, I think the challenge itself was poorly defined. Were they judging the best rabbit dish, or the best dish inspired by Michelin-level cuisine? Either way, here’s a rundown of what everyone came up with…

  • Sieger: Rabbit roulade with rabbit and offal farce, braised endive, hazelnut, and cauliflower puree.
  • Sherry: Jerk-braised rabbit with mofongo made with yucca and plantains, avocado crema.
  • Laurence: Rabbit siu mai with velveted loin and pork fat.
  • Jonathan: Rabbit croquette, and rabbit tenderloin with roasted mushroom and leek saute.
  • Rhoda: Roasted rabbit loin with rabbit sausage and pea stew (she leaves off the gigante beans that she had originally proposed because they weren’t cooked in time).
  • Anthony: Braised rabbit hind legs in a cigar, rabbit loin, carrot top salsa verde, rabbit jus, and carrot.

The anonymous diner segments on Top Chef always struck me as silly. The show would cut to obscured faces or show random hands preparing food while someone offered a critique, and it felt overly dramatic and cheesy, especially when the feedback seemed really basic. Sieger and Sherry went first and received the best reviews, so when Tom praised Sieger’s cooking as ‘Michelin-style’ but a mystery diner dismissed it as unoriginal, I definitely sided with Tom. Everyone else’s dishes were rated somewhere between ‘okay’ and ‘disappointing.’ Rhoda’s stew was tasty, but Tom found it simple, and Kristen, like she did with Sherry’s curry, criticized it for having too much going on. Laurence’s siu mai wrappers fell apart, and the mystery diners noticed, but Jonathan and Anthony really struggled and were the main focus of discussion. Honestly, I think the judges were being overly critical. Jonathan’s braising liquid was a bit salty, yes, but Gail fixated on the size of his croquette – she mentioned it constantly! It was cooked well, so what did the size matter? And the judges were unfairly harsh on Anthony’s dish. If the meat was dry, it was dry, but Gail’s descriptions of it as ‘precious’ and ‘disjointed,’ and Tom comparing it to rabbit food, felt unnecessarily condescending. They should have just tasted the food! It’s not that complicated.

Okay, so the judging was wild! Jonathan pointed out his croquette was a proper size, not just a tiny bite, and everyone acted like he’d committed a crime! Honestly, he was probably poking at Anthony, but Anthony did serve half an eggroll! You have to defend yourself at the Judges’ Table, right? I thought Laurence should have been getting the heat, though. One dry siu mai doesn’t equal a meal, and they weren’t consistent with serving it. Gail kept harping on Jonathan’s seasoning as a mistake, but Laurence’s poorly made siu mai was just as flawed! And honestly, Sherry was way worse all episode with her constant criticism – I loved the look Anthony gave her when she was being particularly snobby. I don’t know if I could have been that restrained! Sherry won because the diners liked her dish, but I was gutted when they sent Anthony home. His sauces were more complex than Jonathan’s, but apparently the eggroll didn’t taste enough like rabbit and the other piece was dry. Tom and Kristen clearly preferred Jonathan’s croquette, and I’m really sad to see Anthony go. I’m definitely Team Jonathan, but I didn’t want to see Anthony eliminated so soon. It feels like his time on the show just ended abruptly.

Leftovers

I wasn’t interested in any of the Quickfire Challenge dishes – I don’t even want to consider eating them! I also cringed when the Try Guys seemed so impressed with Sherry’s chipotle and peach combination; it’s a pretty common flavor pairing. While I’m not a fan of rabbit, I’d likely try Sherry’s braised jerk rabbit and Jonathan’s croquette.

The Try Guys are known for trying new things, but I already watch their earlier series, Review, which did the same thing, so I’m familiar with that concept!

I understand Sherry was upset about losing $10,000, but her behavior this week was really strange. She angrily accused Tom of trying to manipulate her, and while she was correct about the braise, it didn’t seem like he was intentionally trying to hurt her chances. After her outburst while preparing the elimination dish, she suddenly told Rhoda and Laurence she didn’t mean anything she said, claiming she was just hungry. It felt like she realized she was looking bad on camera and tried to calm down. And her speech about wanting to challenge traditional food ideas with her mofongo was ironic, considering she frequently mentions working at high-end Michelin-starred restaurants – she’s actually part of the system that creates those very standards!

It was sad to see Anthony share his story with Tom about failing his cooking school final due to an overcooked rabbit – it was a clear hint of what was to come.

When Sieger asked if the cameras all recorded Tom complimenting his food, it made me laugh. I’ve changed my mind about Sieger a lot, but I’m starting to think I’d really enjoy him as a witty commentator on reality TV shows.

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2026-05-19 06:57