Why Antonia Lofaso is the favorite to win Tournament of Champions 2

It is safe to say that Antonia Lofaso has a serious score to settle with the Randomizer as she returns for the second highly anticipated season of Tournament of Champions. And there is little reason to think she won’t get her revenge and win the whole thing this year.

For those late to the party, Lofaso went into Season 1 of Tournament of Champions as the No. 1 seed in the West Coast bracket. Many, myself included, just assumed she would be in the finals, likely against the No. 1 seed in the East, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli.

But as we all know, things didn’t exactly work out that way. Guarnaschelli went out in the first round, losing to Darnell Ferguson and Lofaso ended up losing in the semifinals to Brooke Williamson. Williamson would go on to win Season 1, beating Amanda Freitag who emerged as the victor of the East Coast bracket.

So what makes me think Lofaso will go on to win Season 2? Two reasons that have one big thing in common: familiarity.

Antonia Lofaso knows what to expect in Tournament of Champions Season 2

First, as foodies everywhere saw last year, the judging format played havoc with everyone’s expectations up and down the bracket. The judging for Tournament of Champions is done completely blind with the judges not even knowing who is competing. This means that reputation, style and how good a cook people think you are went right out the window. It all came down to the food.

In other words, anyone could have walked in and if they perfectly made the right meal for the right judge, they would have a serious chance to beat any chef in the bracket.

Lofaso is ready for that now. She knows that everything will come down to her food and how she prepares it. You can be sure she will be ready this time and won’t leave anything to chance.

The other thing that Lofaso is familiar with now is Brooke Williamson, which means everything.

Williamson went into Season 1 as the No. 7 seed and was generally an unknown to most Food Network viewers. She was well regarded in food competition circles thanks to her win in Season 14 of Top Chef, but how would she react to being in a tournament such the one Guy Fieri had created?

Turns out pretty well. She mowed down the competition and then took out Lofaso in an epic battle that featured the ice cream machine and squab.

Did Lofaso underestimate Williamson? Maybe. She was the No. 1 seed taking on a No.7 and as anyone placing a bet will tell you, the No. 1 seed wins the majority of the time. If Lofaso did take Williamson lightly it is a mistake she won’t make again.

With her win last season, Williamson will likely be entering the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, which means Lofaso will probably be the No. 2 in the West bracket. She will be competing with a huge chip on her shoulder which, if you’ve seen Lofaso compete, makes her incredibly dangerous.

If I was a betting man, I would put everything on Antonia Lofaso to win. I can’t see how it will end any other way.

What do you think Guilty Eats Nation? Do you think Antonia Lofaso will get the win or will Brooke Williamson repeat? Or maybe someone out of the East Coast bracket? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter page.