Who went home on Top Chef season 22 Finale Part 1? Details explored

In the first part of the Top Chef season 22 finale, which aired on June 5, 2025, the final four chefs traveled to Milan, Italy, for the last elimination before the final round. The episode’s Quickfire Challenge focused on preparing risotto, a staple of Milanese cuisine, followed by a three-round head-to-head tournament featuring dishes with polenta, beets, and gorgonzola.

After being judged by a panel, including guest Michelin-star chef Andrea Aprea and Top Chef alumnus Ali Ghzawi, Cesar Murillo was eliminated on Top Chef season 22.

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Finale Part 1 overview of Top Chef season 22

Quickfire Challenge

The episode opened with the Quickfire Challenge, in which the chefs had to prepare risotto, an Italian rice dish. The challenge had a $15,000 reward but did not influence elimination. Tristen Epps won the Quickfire with a West African-style risotto with heirloom tomatoes and charred buttered greens.

The judges praised the innovativeness and taste of the dish.

Some of the chefs found it difficult to tackle the challenge. One of them was Cesar Murillo, who made a celery-root dish presented as "risotto," which judge Tom Colicchio noted was technically wrong because "risotto literally means 'of rice'." Another chef, Shuai Wang, also opted for a risotto version with no traditional rice.

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Elimination challenge and results

After the Quickfire, the chefs were presented with an elimination challenge in the form of a three-round head-to-head tournament. Each round centered around a unique ingredient prevalent in Northern Italian cooking: polenta, beets, and gorgonzola cheese.

The format of the challenge had chefs directly competing with each other, and judges as well as guest Olympic contestants voting to send a chef home.

In round one, Shuai Wang won by preparing a five-spice roast duck on creamy polenta. The judges gave Shuai five votes out of nine, while the athletes each voted for the chef they were paired with during the preceding grocery shopping. Bailey Sullivan received two votes, and both Cesar and Tristen Epps received one each.

The second round focused on beet dishes. Tristen Epps won this round with glazed beets, smoked beet puree, pikliz (a Haitian condiment), and pork belly. Tristen received six votes, including four from the professional judges and two from the athletes. Cesar Murillo also received some votes, but Bailey Sullivan did not receive any.

The final round centered on gorgonzola cheese. Cesar Murillo prepared a butternut squash casserole with gorgonzola and sage pesto, while Bailey Sullivan presented a crispy polenta gratinata with bruleed gorgonzola, a dish she had previously struggled with earlier in the season.

This time, Bailey’s dish was received positively by the judges. The final vote was conducted solely by the five professional judges, who chose Bailey to advance to the finale. As a result, Cesar Murillo was eliminated from the competition.

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Remaining competitors moving to the finale

With the elimination of Cesar Murillo, the remaining three chefs to advance to the Top Chef season 22 finale are Tristen Epps, Bailey Sullivan, and Shuai Wang. All three have won the tournament rounds that brought them to this stage, showcasing various strengths in the culinary arts.

Tristen’s innovative risotto and beet dishes, Shuai’s success with the polenta round and his overall strong performance, and Bailey’s comeback with the gorgonzola dish set the stage for the final competition. The finale will determine which of these three chefs will earn the title of Top Chef for this season.

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Stream Top Chef season 22 anytime on Peacock.