Which Yes, Chef! star was eliminated this week? Details explored

Yes, Chef! returned with a new episode on June 9, 2025. The NBC show has now entered a tense phase of the competition, as only a handful of chefs remain. While everyone wants to win and leave with the cash prize, not all can cope with the pressure of the challenges. The latest episode saw Chef Julia Chebotar get eliminated after presenting an underwhelming dish to the judges.

Julia had rejoined Yes, Chef! in the previous episode after defeating and eventually replacing Chef Ronny Miranda, an existing member of the contest. However, she failed to retain her spot when put in the elimination cook-off against Chef Jake Lawler.

Both contestants were challenged to create a tartare, which is typically made up of finely diced raw meat or fish. However, for the Yes, Chef! elimination round, they were only allowed to use scissors for chopping the ingredients.

Moreover, the Most Valuable Chef, the MVC, of the episode chose the kind of tartare they would prepare. Jake was asked to create a fruit tartare, whereas Julia was tasked with preparing a beef tartare. While both strived to put their best foot forward, it was Jake who outperformed Julia and sent her packing.

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What did the Yes, Chef! judges say about Chef Jake and Chef Julia's dishes?

At the start of the Yes, Chef! episode, the contestants were divided into two teams, and they had to prepare a three-course luncheon for 16 guests. The Green Team was led by Chef Petrina Peart, whereas the Blue Team was led by Julia. Petrina's team outperformed Julia's crew, winning two rounds out of three, making them the overall winner of the luncheon challenge.

Emily, a member of the Green Team, was awarded the title of Most Valuable Chef for the second time in the show. She was then asked to nominate two contestants from the Blue Team to compete in he elimination cook-off. She picked Julia and Jake for the battle.

While speaking to the cameras, Jake, who had once worked at a Michelin-starred restaurant, expressed his confidence, saying he could defeat Julia.

"You're a personal chef, I mean, c'mon," he remarked.

However, Julia was equally determined to retain her spot in the contest. They were given 20 minutes each to prepare a tartare selected by the MVC. Emily made the cook-off more challenging by giving meat-loving Jake a fruit tartare and vegetable-loving Julia a beef tartare.

At the end of the battle, Jake presented Yes, Chef! judges Martha Stewart and José Andrés with a strawberry and cream tartare with blackberry sauce balsamic, and graham cracker crumb. José was displeased with the overall taste of the dish and refused to recognize it as a tartare.

"I know you’re going to say ‘are you crazy?’… You should’ve put in tiny pieces of anchovy. Because these strawberries, they lack salt," he opined.

Martha was equally unimpressed, saying Jake played it safe.

Julia, on the other hand, presented the hosts with a beef tartare with olive tapenade, egg yolk, mustard, and fried crostini. While reviewing her dish, Matha pointed out that putting tartare on "salty" pre-made tapenade was a big "misstep." However, José applauded the unconventional addition of black olives in such a classic dish.

Before announcing their verdict, the judges criticized both contestants for playing it safe and noted that the winner won by a small margin. Jake was declared the winner, and Julia was sent packing a second time.

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Yes, Chef! episodes can be streamed on Peacock.