"I don't want to go against them right now" — Kevin Lee survives two intense shifts on 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing continued on May 4, 2025, with back-to-back episodes covering shifts two and three. Among the competitors, Oklahoma City’s Kevin Lee found himself in high-stakes situations in both rounds, narrowly avoiding elimination each time. The second shift tested chefs on simplicity, while the third focused on resourcefulness.

At the start of shift two, Lee was given the option to retain his golden knife by going against Stephanie Izard and LT Smith in a focused challenge using peanut butter, jelly, and bread. Opting out of the risk, Lee gave up his advantage and said,

“I don’t want to go against them right now.”

The shift progressed with ingredient identification and a limited pantry noodle challenge. Shift three began immediately after, challenging chefs to use six unusual ingredients—carrot tops, strawberry milk, dried scallops, Carolina Reapers, pistachios, and pimento cheese—in a three-course black-tie dinner.

The round included phased judging after each course, with the bottom three facing off in the dessert round. Although Lee did not win either shift, he was praised for coaxing flavor out of limited ingredients and advancing through both rounds.

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Second shift recap of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing: Simplicity challenge and limited ingredients

As shift two began in 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, Kevin Lee had a choice to defend his golden knife or give it up and compete with the rest. Lee opted out of the knife battle, saying,

“To go against LT and Stephanie Izard — one’s an Iron Chef and one’s a chef I’ve never met before."

This left Izard and Smith to battle using peanut butter, jelly, and bread with three other ingredients. Izard’s grilled sandwich and soup won her the knife and station, while Smith was eliminated. In the next challenge, all chefs were blindfolded and asked to identify ingredients in a pasta dish.

The number of correct guesses by the chefs determined how many ingredients they could use for their own noodle dish. Lee correctly guessed four, but Izard took one of his ingredients due to her earlier win, dropping him to three. Then, Lee used chicken wings, Fresno chilies, and garlic to make a spicy chicken noodle soup.

Guest judge Graham Elliot said it was “flavorful” and noted that Lee did well with limited ingredients in 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing. Jonathan Sawyer won the challenge, while Damaris Phillips, Brittanny Anderson, and Laurence Louie were at the bottom. Louie was then eliminated, and the rest moved into shift three.

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Third shift recap: Resourcefulness and dessert round elimination

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing's shift three required chefs to use six unique ingredients—carrot tops, pistachios, dried scallops, strawberry milk, Carolina Reapers, and pimento cheese—in a three-course black-tie dinner. Sawyer, as the golden knife holder, selected these ingredients. Meanwhile, Jet Tila judged the dishes, eliminating chefs at each phase.

After the appetizer round, four chefs were sent to the break room. Further, in the entrée round, another four advanced. The last three—Kevin Lee, Damaris Phillips, and Brittanny Anderson—were left to compete in the dessert round.

Lee chose to make a strawberry-blackberry bread pudding featuring strawberry milk, his final required ingredient. He also added macerated blueberries and vanilla bean whipped cream.

“Strawberry milk was a smart play here… I’m just struggling with the black tie part,” judge Jet Tila said.

Ultimately, Anderson was eliminated, and Lee continued to the next round. Chef Elia Aboumrad’s entrée was named the best dish of the day, earning her the golden knife for the upcoming shift. Meanwhile, Lee survived both shifts without winning, but continued to receive positive feedback from judges for his strategic ingredient use.

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The next episode of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing airs May 11 at 7 pm on Food Network and streams the following day on Max and Discovery+.