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The two-part finale of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing was released on May 25, 2025, and saw Jonathan Sawyer be named the season winner. In the finale, co-hosts Michael Symon and Esther Choi announced that the contestants would have to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the judges. The judges for this episode were Antonia Lofaso, Graham Elliot, and Jet Tila.
For the first part of the finale, the contestants were tested on their speed of delivery. The chef who finished first would receive the coveted Golden Knife. Kevin finished first, and as a reward, he got to assign proteins to everyone.
However, Kevin hit the bottom in the second challenge and was eliminated from the season. Nini and Stephanie went home in the second elimination. Bryan and Sawyer were the last two contestants and Sawyer won the season.
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However, fans of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing didn't agree with the judgment and took to X, asking the judges to make their decision after blind-tasting the dishes. Some fans also believed that the judges were biased and stated that the competition was "rigged."
"I agree!! Must do BLIND tasting! This way is sooooo rigged! Shame on you Food Network!" a fan said.
"This is soooo rigged without BLIND TASTING! The outcome would have been much different! Not fair to contestants!" said another fan.
"My God this 24 in 24 is crooked as F!!!! It should be blind judging! Like seriously blind judging! Too many keep saying they’ve known him for so long, we’re best buddies etc etc….this is BS! #24in24 #MichaelSimon this is so wrong!" added a third.
"Food Network is way too incestuous not to do blind tasting," wrote another.
Some fans of 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing believed that the judges were trying to get Kevin out of the show from the beginning. Others said that the fans "really wanted Kevin to win," as some said that the competition was "crooked."
"AGREE. It consumed to me that they were TRYING to get Kevin out of this competition from the start," an X user wrote.
"I really wanted Kevin to win. Definitely need blind taste testing in the finale. It’s the only way judges can be completely unbiased," another user wrote.
"Blind tasting!!!!" commented one.
"You guys should only do blind tasting for any competition. You have too many judges that always know the competitors. You don't need to have chefs explain their dishes. If so let the show host read their dish descriptions," wrote another.
What happened on 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing finale?
The first challenge in 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing was a speed challenge that Kevin won. He was awarded the Golden Knife and could assign a protein to each of the chefs.
Kevin chose shellfish for himself and gave beef to Sawyer, lamb to Nini, pork to Stephanie, and chicken to Bryan. As the winner of the challenge, the contestant also got to pick a style for breakfast and chose classic breakfast.
However, after this challenge, Kevin went to the bottom, along with Nini, who was declared safe after the judges chose to send Kevin home. He made lobster eggs benedict with herb bernaise sauce and avocado. The judges didn't like that he added lettuce to it because the heat from the food wilted it.
Bryan won the second challenge and got the Golden Knife. His reward was to reassign the proteins everybody got, and chose to keep the proteins the same as those assigned by Kevin.
Sawyer earned the next Golden Knife as he had chosen to cook Wagyu beef instead of ground beef.
In this 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing round, the judges eliminated Nini and Stephanie.
As the Golden Knife holder, Sawyer chose the beef and let Bryan cook the chicken. After a neck-and-neck competition between the two, Sawyer took home the win.
However, fans of the show weren't too happy with the decision and took to social media to to express their displeasure, with many stating that the competition was "rigged."
For more updates on 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, fans can follow the Food Network's official Instagram account, @foodnetwork.
