After a rigorous thought process and analyzing all the available data (in other words, we guessed), we came up with our version of what the East Coast bracket will look like on the highly anticipated Tournament of Champions 2.
So of course we just had to do the same thing for the chefs who will be competing in the West Coast side of the bracket.
Just like with the East, we’ll be looking at each West Coast chef and take into account if they are a new addition or a returning competitor from Season 1. From there we’ll take a look at how the returning chefs did last season, what seed they went into the first tournament at and who they defeated. Again, for the new additions it will be all about talent and reputation.
As with the East Coast, the No. 8 seed will be decided by a play-in tournament in Episode 1, so that is to-be-determined. In addition, both Brooke Williamson and Antonia Lofaso got automatic invitations since they came in first and second last season in the West with Williamson going on to win the whole thing.
However, unlike the East, the West has three new faces competing instead of just two. Brian Malarkey everyone will know from Food Network but he is also a very well respected cook in the industry who was a finalist on Top Chef. Cat Cora of course was the first female Iron Chef and Aaron May came in second in the Guy’s Grocery Games Last Judge Standing Tournament.
How the West Coast Tournament of Champions bracket might break down.
The biggest names in food are ready to battle. Which of the mighty will fall? Tournament of Champions premieres Sunday at 8/7c on Food Network. pic.twitter.com/RFgp0bpHZA
— Mayor Guy Fieri (@GuyFieri) March 5, 2021
It is a given that Williamson will be going into Tournament of Champions 2 as the No. 1 overall seed since she won Season 1. Lofaso is a lock for the No. 2 seed even though some may argue her path to the semifinals was a bit easier then the one Williamson had to take.
Jet Tila is a safe bet for the No. 3 seed since he made it to the quarterfinals and lost to eventual champion Williamson. The No. 4 and 5 seeds are pretty much a coin flip between Michael Voltaggio and Cat Cora with Cora getting a razor thin edge thanks to her impressive 21-12-1 record on Iron Chef America.
There is no doubt that Malarkey is a sensational chef, but his unfamiliarity with the format may prove to be an issue for him so that puts him at the No. 6 seed. And while May has competed on various Food Network shows it has never been against the caliber of chef like what he’s going to see on Tournament of Champions.
Taking all that into consideration, we see the West Coast bracket and the first round breaking down as follows:
No. 1 seed Brooke Williamson vs No. 8 seed TBA
No. 2 seed Antonia Lofaso vs No. 7 seed Aaron May
No. 3 seed Jet Tila vs No. 6 seed Brian Malarkey
No. 4 seed Michael Voltaggio vs No. 5 seed Cat Cora
I don’t know about you, but some of those battles sound like they could be epic.
Can Williamson repeat as Tournament of Champions winner? Will Lofaso redeem herself and take the crown from her? Will Aaron May shock the foodie world and beat Voltaggio? Did we get any of these right? We’ll start to get answers on March 7 when Tournament of Champions 2 makes its debut.
What do you think Guilty Eats Nation? Do you agree with where we seeded the West Coast chefs? Disagree? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think or join the conversation on our Twitter page.