With just one episode remaining before the crowning of a champion, Top Chef Season 23 delivered what many fans are already calling one of the strongest episodes in recent memory. Episode 13, titled “Plate Expectations,” featured a Quickfire worth $20,000, one of the season’s most demanding Elimination Challenges, and the emotional departure of a fan-favorite chef.
More importantly, it officially set the stage for next week’s finale.
The Final Three are now confirmed:
- Sherry Cardoso
- Laurence Louie
- Rhoda Magbitang
It is a trio that very few viewers would have predicted at the beginning of the season, particularly considering Rhoda’s turbulent journey through the competition.
One of the biggest moments of the episode came during the Quickfire Challenge. Chef Tom Colicchio prepared a version of the classic French dish Billi Bi, and contestants were tasked with identifying it using only visual clues, aromas, and twenty yes-or-no questions.
The prize was enormous: $20,000, the largest individual Quickfire cash reward of the season.
The winner was Rhoda Magbitang.
The victory further fueled what many fans have described as the season’s most dramatic turnaround story. Early in the competition, Rhoda frequently appeared near the bottom and was often predicted to be an early elimination. Now she enters the finale with multiple late-game successes and significant momentum.
While Rhoda claimed the Quickfire, the Elimination Challenge belonged to Sherry Cardoso.
Her winning dish featured Korean BBQ short ribs served alongside pear kimchi, rice, and banchan. The judges praised both the execution and the overall concept, awarding her the challenge victory at perhaps the most important moment of the season.
The result strengthened Sherry’s case as a legitimate championship favorite.
Over the last three episodes, her résumé has become one of the strongest in the competition:
- Elimination win in Episode 11
- Top placement in Episode 12
- Elimination win in Episode 13
Few chefs have entered a finale with this level of momentum.
Meanwhile, one of the episode’s biggest surprises involved Laurence Louie.
For weeks, Laurence has been widely viewed as the frontrunner to win the season. Her consistency, technical precision, and calm demeanor have made her one of the most respected competitors in the field.
However, Episode 13 represented her most vulnerable moment yet.
Laurence found herself in the bottom discussion alongside Jonathan Dearden. Although she ultimately survived, it marked the first time in several weeks that viewers saw genuine uncertainty surrounding her position.
Even so, most fans continue to view her as the favorite heading into the finale.
Jonathan’s elimination proved especially emotional because it did not result from poor cooking.
Judges emphasized that his dish was well executed and free from major technical mistakes. Instead, the deciding factor came down to the challenge’s core concept: creating a meaningful connection between the food and the vessel used to present it.
According to the judges, Jonathan’s concept was slightly less cohesive than those of the remaining chefs. In a challenge where nearly everyone performed exceptionally well, that tiny difference ultimately determined who would go home.
Many viewers described it as “the nicest elimination possible,” since Jonathan left after producing strong food rather than suffering a culinary disaster.
Now all attention turns to the finale.
The final episode, titled “The Final Toast,” will require the remaining chefs to create a progressive four-course meal described as the most important and beautiful meal of their careers.
The guest table will include acclaimed chefs and former Top Chef stars such as Stephanie Izard, Joe Flamm, and Sara Bradley.
Additional judges will include Brandon Jew and Val Cantu.
As finale week approaches, the fandom appears divided into three distinct camps.
Laurence supporters believe her season-long consistency makes her the rightful favorite. Sherry fans point to her dominant late-season surge. Rhoda supporters see an extraordinary comeback story that has carried her from the bottom of the competition all the way to the final three.
For the first time in weeks, there is no overwhelming consensus favorite.
And that uncertainty may be what makes the Top Chef Season 23 finale one of the most unpredictable—and exciting—in recent years.
