Can Brooke Williamson win Tournament of Champions again?

When Brooke Williamson was revealed as a participant in the first season of Tournament of Champions, many fans weren’t sure what to make of it. She was the runner-up on Season 10 of Top Chef but as far as Food Network went, she was still largely an unknown.

Which explained why she came into that first tournament as the No. 7 seed in the West Coast bracket. She took the revelation in stride that first episode but thought she should have been seeded higher given her numerous accomplishments.

Williamson went into the first round a solid underdog against fellow Top Chef contestant Michael Voltaggio, the No. 2 seed in the West. Williamson would emerge victorious and then follow that up with wins against Jet Tila and the No. 1 seed Antonia Lofaso to win the West bracket.

Williamson then defeated Amanda Freitag, the winner of the East Coast bracket, to become the first ever Tournament of Champions winner. It was a classic underdog story and made for one very entertaining tournament.

Now the question is can she do it again?

Winning Tournament of Champions again will be much harder for Brooke Williamson

There is little doubt Williamson will be going into the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. Combine that with the fact everyone knows who she is and just how good a chef she is and the road to back-to-back victories becomes much harder.

Yes, her first round battle could be easier than last season depending who wins the play-in tournament. But being the No. 1 seed is no guarantee of success. Just ask Alex Guarnaschelli how that worked out for her last season.

There is no question that the other chefs in the tournament underestimated Williamson. But that was likely more due to being unfamiliar with her style and abilities than thinking she wasn’t a good chef. It’s now a year later and there isn’t a foodie anywhere who doesn’t know the work of Brooke Williamson.

As I’ve already said, I really feel that Antonia Lofaso will come out the winner of Tournament of Champions 2. She is hungry, has a chip on her shoulder, and doesn’t like to lose. That all being said, if there is one chef that could take her down it’s Williamson. She’s done it once already after all.

Everything about Tournament of Champions has been taken to the next level for Season 2. There is no question Williamson is talented enough to win again, but it won’t be easy. Her journey to a second championship begins March 7 when Tournament of Champions premieres on the Food Network.

What do you think Guilty Eaters? Do you think Brooke Williamson can win Tournament of Champions again? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter page.