Season 7 of Tournament of Champions premieres March 1, and fans are all cheering at the news. With its ruthless bracket eliminations, ridiculous randomizer, and literal Iron Chefs sometimes getting knocked out in the very first round, it has quickly become a must-watch for cooking competition show addicts.
As Delish reports, this year, 32 chefs are entering the culinary Thunderdome, including familiar heavy-hitters like Bryan Voltaggio, Jet Tila, Claudette Zepeda, Joe Sasto, Karen Akunowicz, Shirley Chung, and more. But the biggest twist? The top seeds in each division will be mystery culinary icons whose identities won’t be revealed until they step into the arena. Consider targets officially painted.
And if that wasn’t enough to get you to set your DVR, the pre-competition Tournament of Champions: The Qualifiers returns February 15, where 16 chefs will fight for the final eight bracket spots. Then, the Bracket Reveal special drops February 22, right before the Food Network culinary playoffs begin.
“Year after year, chefs up their gameplay and strategy, so we need to constantly raise the stakes to keep the competition next level,” says creator and host Guy Fieri. “This year, we put four industry icons in the top seed, immediately putting targets on their backs for the win-hungry competitors. And that alone is the secret ingredient for the most epic season yet.”
The judging panel is also chock full of culinary legends— everyone from Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, Dominique Crenn, and Marcus Samuelsson to Scott Conant, Nancy Silverton, and Curtis Stone—plus TOC champs Brooke Williamson, Maneet Chauhan, Mei Lin, and Antonia Lofaso. Former winner Tiffani Faison and Justin Warner return as commentators on the sidelines, Hunter Fieri is back with backstage reactions, and Simon Majumdar continues breaking down why someone’s dish absolutely bodied someone else’s.
After eight weeks and 31 battles, one chef walks away with the belt and a whopping $150,000—and a permanent spot in my TV watchlist rotation. Consider me already seated.
—
Photo Credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com