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24 in 24: Last Chef Standing season 2 wrapped up its finale on May 25, 2025. It saw the five finalists— Bryan Voltaggio, Stephanie Izard, Nini Nguyen, Jonathon Sawyer, and Kevin Lee— compete for the victor's title and the $75,000 cash prize. Although each tried to outperform the other, not all could survive the intensity of the competition. One among them was Kevin, who got eliminated in the finale.
Despite winning the first challenge and the Golden Knife in the final four hours of the show, Kevin failed to impress the judges with his food. He had prepared a lobster egg benedict with herb bernaise sauce and avocado, which the panelists— Antonia Lofaso, Jet Tila, and Graham Elliot— were not quite pleased with. Consequently, they sent him packing.
24 in 24: Last Chef Standing fans on X were disappointed with his defeat. While many said he deserved to win the contest, others felt he lost due to the lack of a blind tasting judgment. They posted their opinions on the chef's elimination.
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"I really wanted Kevin to win. Definitely need blind taste testing in the finale. It’s the only way judges can be completely unbiased," a fan wrote.
"Send Nene home! I want Kevin to win!" another fan commented.
"No! I didn't want Kevin to go home!" a netizen tweeted.
Many 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing fans were upset with the outcome and blamed the judging criteria for Kevin's eviction.
"Kevin!!! I was pulling for you! You were awesome! They put you through hell! You had to not only cook but go against the judges best friend Brian. This was the BIGGEST full of s**t judging!" a user reacted.
"Watching the finale of #24in24 on @FoodNetwork both @chefsawyer and @BryanVoltaggio (actually all the contestants) have been amazing. I’m only sad Kevin isn’t here, was really rooting for him," a person commented.
"Awww that sucks Kevin finished now good luck to Bryan voltaggio," another fan wrote.
"@FoodNetwork 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!" one user posted.
Many 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing fans demanded a blind taste testing, saying it would have been fairer for the contestants.
"This is soooo rigged without BLIND TASTING! The outcome would have been much different! Not fair to contestants!" a person reacted.
"I agree!! Must do BLIND tasting! This way is sooooo rigged! Shame on you Food Network!" another netizen commented.
What led to Kevin Lee's elimination from 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing?
At the start of the 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing finale, three chefs were left — Kelsey Murphy, Kathleen O'Brien Price, and Kevin Lee. While each wished to advance, Kevin was allowed to proceed and secure his spot in the final five. Kelsey and Kathleen, who had competed for 20 hours, were disappointed with their exits so close to the finish line.
For the final five contestants, the theme of the first challenge was 'Elevation.' To win the Golden Knife, they had to outperform each other in a speed test. Kevin won the round and, as his prize, was allowed to pick the protein for each chef and the cooking style. Kevin chose shellfish for himself, and then picked beef for Jonathon, lamb for Nini, pork for Stephanie, and chicken for Bryan.
He then selected classic breakfast as the style. Despite winning the speed test, Kevin failed to impress the judges with his food. They disliked how he added fresh lettuce to his dish, which, by the time the judges tasted it, had wilted due to the heat. The 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing panelists also criticized Kevin for not splitting his English muffins, stating that the dish was bread-heavy.
Nini, who was in the bottom two, alongside Kevin, survived, resulting in Kevin's elimination. Bryan, on the other hand, was declared the winner of the round.
Stream 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing only on Max.
