So this is a unique set of circumstances…. we saw Ashleigh unfortunately get sent home for her lackluster brisket dish BUT she also won last chance kitchen… so the top 10 remains the same, so let’s rank them once more!
10. Jo Chan- Even when I thought Jo may have been at her lowest, she gives yet another reason to put her lower and lower, serving up a pretty terrible brisket dish that I honestly thought would’ve sent her home. She showed a glimpse of brilliance with her toast, but it wasn’t enough to keep her higher than the bottom after yet another disappointing elimination dish.
9. Monique Feybesse- Poor Monique keeps showing some potential here or there, but finally seemed to run out of stem this week, serving a pretty underwhelming (and untested) toast, and then failing to bake her bread well in the brisket challenge. For someone who prides herself on baking and desserts, it just seemed like two pretty huge misfires for her, and I think this may be a bit of a decline for Monique.
8. Ashleigh Shanti- It’s natural that Ashleigh ends up low on the list because well…she was sent home. But at the same time, the Last Chance Kitchen RARELY goes home right after their return, so I’m gonna bet on Ashleigh squeaking out another week or two.
7. Luke Kolpin- Luke continues to do… pretty well! He delivered a pretty terrible toast dish, but rebounded with a good brisket dish. He’s improving, which is something that can’t necessarily be said for everyone. Well done!
6. Jae Jung- It’s weird because Jae’s ability and her edit seem super contradictory. She doesn’t seem to be a huge presence in the season despite delivering solid food, this week being no exception. She continues to be a sleeper contender, even if she’s not yet in that upper echelon.
5. Nick Wallace- Nick continues to be consistent, but has yet to get his first win…until now! Nick won the toast challenge and I’m glad it finally allowed him to call himself a winner in something. That being said, he has still never placed in the top of an elimination challenge, and I’m WAITING for that to happen because I think Nick is really great. Until then, he remains slightly outside the top 4.
4. Damarr Brown- Damarr hasn’t really won in a while, but at the same time, he has been getting nothing but raves. Maybe the judges are just trying to spread the wealth and assume he’ll continue to cruise along delivering stellar dish after stellar dish. He’s been pretty much spotless this entire time, so he definitely remains one of the top contenders, just outside the top 3 because he hasn’t won in a bit.
3. Buddha Lo- Buddha once again put a spin on a classic and did an incredible job doing so. He’s been one of my favorites to watch this entire time, and this week, he really impressed once again, cementing himself as one of the top frontrunners.
2. Jackson Kalb- Just when you think Jackson is making a mistake (like, say, grinding up his brisket to put inside pasta), he ends up pulling it off. I think that’s Jackson’s thing. Taking risks and making them work. I do think being on top of both the toast challenge AND the brisket challenge only cements him as the most successful chef of the season thus far, and it’ll take a lot for him to dip too far in the rankings after this.
1. Evelyn Garcia- Evelyn finally had a breakthrough this week and delivered quite possibly the dish of the season. She made a delicious curry dish and ended up making something Tom called a signature. While she has not been on the top as much as some others, this was such a huge win for her and the confidence boost I think she needed. I’m comfortable putting her at #1 for this.
I think the top 5 becomes clearer and clearer as time goes on, especially with Evelyn getting that big win. Not to say that someone like Luke, Jae, or even Ashleigh can surprise, but this is my top 5: Nick, Damarr, Evelyn, Jackson, and Buddha. Right now. As for who goes home next, I think Jo and Monique both made pretty big cases for themselves this week (as did Ashleigh, but LCK winners have good track records on their first weeks back). I’m gonna continue putting Jo lower only because I think Monique has the potential to fade back into the safe middle ground.
So this is a unique set of circumstances…. we saw Ashleigh unfortunately get sent home for her lackluster brisket dish BUT she also won last chance kitchen… so the top 10 remains the same, so let’s rank them once more!