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During the Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen finale, Chef Katianna Hong was sent home, and Chef Cesar Murillo regained his spot in the competition. The two-part finale aired on May 8 and featured a best-of-three format, with both chefs facing a series of increasingly challenging tests.
Cesar, recently eliminated from the main show's last episode, competed against Katianna, who had already defeated three chefs in Last Chance Kitchen. Ultimately, Cesar won two of the three rounds, securing his spot back on Top Chef: Destination Canada. Katianna left the competition after the final challenge.
Chef Katianna Hong exits Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen finale
Who is Katianna Hong?
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According to her Bravo bio, Katianna Hong is a chef from Clifton Park, New York, currently residing in Los Angeles. She attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Katianna began working at Melisse, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Santa Monica, where she met her husband and future restaurant partner, John.
In 2014, she became the first woman in the United States to hold the title of chef de cuisine at a three-star Michelin restaurant, The Restaurant at Meadowood. Her efforts garnered wide acclaim, such as being named a Rising Star Chef by San Francisco magazine and receiving a James Beard Award nomination.
Katianna and her spouse opened Yangban in Los Angeles in 2019. The restaurant gained national recognition, appearing on multiple best-new-restaurant lists and as a 2023 James Beard Award semi-finalist.
Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen finale overview
Episode 9 saw Cesar arrive at Last Chance Kitchen right after his Top Chef elimination. He faced Katianna, who had achieved three consecutive wins in the spin-off show after defeating chefs Kat Turner, Henry Lu, and Paula Endara.
The initial challenge, inspired by Mission: Impossible, required Cesar and Katianna to take on the role of "directors," instructing a fellow eliminated chef to prepare their own dish without physically touching the food themselves.
Katianna selected Chef Kat Turner, while Cesar chose Chef Corwin Hemming. After 30 minutes of remote guidance, Tom Colicchio declared Cesar the winner. Katianna's dish, though praised for its texture, was described as "eating a little flat." But the competition didn't stop there. Tom announced a twist: the finale would be structured as a best two-out-of-three format.
In the second challenge, both chefs had 30 minutes to create a one-bite dish, judged blind by Colicchio. Katianna won with a seared tuna bite, earning her a tie and forcing a final round. “I’m still alive,” she said in the confessional. The score was now 1–1.
The third and last round asked the chefs to prepare any fully constituted dish within 20 minutes. Katianna prepared a cauliflower and potato soup with raisins, while Cesar served up zucchini spirals with blueberries and tomatillo salsa. Colicchio said Katianna's soup was "a little on the thick side" and identified her dish "needs a little more seasoning."
For Cesar's plate, Colicchio noted that he didn't expect as much spiciness from the salsa, but that "it's seasoned well" and that the blueberries provided contrast. Ultimately, Colicchio declared, "Cesar's is better. Cesar's going through." That choice saw Cesar return to the main competition and Katianna leave Last Chance Kitchen.
Watch new episodes of Top Chef on Thursdays at 9 pm ET and stream anytime on Peacock.
