Tournament of Champions: 3 chefs we want to see on Season 3

To say that Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions was a hit for Food Network would be like saying people like the Big Mac. It was a massive hit that drew in foodies as well as non-foodies into the excitement of a culinary tournament.

Tournament of Champions II saw the ratings go up and the fervor only grow despite the fact it was filmed during the beginning of the pandemic. Social media lit up with fans filling out brackets and picking who they thought would win it all.

Well, the new year has begun and that means that unless the executives at Food Network have lost their collective minds, Tournament of Champions III will be hitting the airwaves soon. In fact, according to Rotten Tomatoes, Season 3 will be arriving on February 27, 2022.

That means a new bracket, a Randomizer with all-new tricks and a combination of returning as well as new chefs to battle for the chance to take the belt away from Season 2 winner Maneet Chauhan and become the Tournament of Champions winner.

We know some chefs will no doubt be coming back for another shot. Those include Michael Voltaggio, Antonia Lofaso and Nyesha Arrington who I would be shocked if they didn’t compete. You can also probably add Amanda Freitag and Christian Petroni to that list.

Who will be the new chefs on Tournament of Champions III?

But who will the new faces be? Chefs who didn’t compete in Season 2 or have never been on the show? Well, I have some thoughts about just that and three chefs I would love to see on Tournament of Champions III. And it all begins with a returning favorite.

Alex Guarnaschelli

As everyone knows, Alex Guarnaschelli got bounced in the first round of Season 1 of Tournament of Champions in a very unceremonious fashion by Darnell Ferguson. She sat out Season 2 altogether and some thought that it had to do with the death of mother while others think the way she lost in Season 1 may have played a role.

Regardless, it’s time for Guarnaschelli to make her comeback. She is still the ICAG and one of the most feared chefs to ever appear on Food Network. Now that she knows the way the tournament works, she could make a deep run and would be a favorite to win.

Stephanie Izard

The fact Stephanie Izard was not on one of the previous two seasons of Tournament of Champions is a crime, plain and simple. You’re talking about the first woman to ever win Top Chef and the last person to earn the title Iron Chef on Iron Chef America.

Izard has won James Beard awards, she owns multiple restaurants and released a cookbook. She is ridiculously talented and could give the entire East Coast bracket a run for their money. She belongs on the show and deserves it.

Shota Nakajima

I don’t care what anyone says, Shota Nakajima should have won Top Chef Season 18. He cooked better, more innovative food all season long and while his Final wasn’t his strongest performance, he deserved the win.

As a result of his second place finish Nakajima’s star has been on the rise. He has a growing social media following and his pop-up restaurants are always a huge success. In addition, he has appeared not only on Iron Chef Gauntlet but actually defeated Bobby Flay on Beat Bobby Flay.

Nakajima represents the next generation of great chefs and an appearance on Tournament of Champions seems like an inevitability.

Will we see any of the above chefs on Tournament of Champions III? At this point no one knows but we should find out soon. Regardless start getting your brackets ready because the battles will begin sooner then you think.

What are you thoughts on Tournament of Champions III Guilty Eats Nation? Do you have a particular chef you want to see compete? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.