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Rhoda Magbitang is the winner of Top Chef: Carolinas. I’m just going to go ahead and blurt this out, as it’s been quite a while since the finale aired on the 2026 TV schedule and I assume most of y’all would not have clicked on this article if you were in the dark. All things considered, all three cheftestants at the end – Sherry, Laurence and Rhoda – all had wins and minor errors in the finale, but Rhoda came up with the win. And she had eliminated contestant Sieger in her corner to help her get there.
Were viewers surprised Sieger was in the finale? Yes. Was Rhoda happy to have him there as her sous chef? Also yes. Let me explain.
Sieger had been eliminated once earlier in the season in a decision that I thought was pretty unfair. Still, the only reason he was even back on the show to begin with was because another Season 23 contestant had to drop out, and then he’d performed pretty well for a few weeks before being eliminated a second time. I don’t know how much of an emotional mess Sieger normally is, but he had a moment on TV in which he freaked out for much longer than the edit showed, asking for copies of the rules. It was clear he felt he was eliminated earlier than he expected, and he expressed he felt his dish fit the challenge much better than some of the other chefs.
Listen, it was not a fine moment for the Chicago Chef, but I’d kind of wondered if he freaked out the second time after feeling the first elimination hadn’t been fair. I’m not saying it was the right reaction, but I can kind of see what path of thinking may have led to him getting eliminated in a very hectic fashion. Because of the over-the-top outburst, I was also a little surprised to see him back for the finale.
Why Rhoda Picked Sieger In The Top Chef Carolinas Finale
Rhoda was asked about picking Sieger to help her during her final Top Chef cook, and she said there was never a doubt that she would pick him. Here’s her full take (via USA Today):
Sieger was always going to be my first choice as a sous chef. Notwithstanding like what happened, and I know it got very heated. I wasn’t there so I can’t speak to it. That doesn’t take away from the fact he is one of the most technically sounds chefs that I’ve ever met. And also really responsible, and he’s a good, you know, aside from that exit, he is very responsible, and mature and he can put his head down and I know he’ll pull through.
She noted Top Chef is a really difficult place to cook and that everyone in Season 23 was “passionate,” but seems very confident in her choice. It paid off, too, as Sieger quietly helped her to get everything done in the background. Laurence, on the other hand, had a different situation working with his sous chef Jonathan, and Jonathan gave him suggestions about how to cook the duck, etc, that may or may not have had an impact on that final cook.
Judge Gail Simmons Also Spoke About Bringing Sieger Back
In a long and varied conversation with The Ringer, Judge Gail Simmons also spoke about the weird circumstances leading to Jennifer’s exit on the great reality show, as well as Sieger getting the chance to come back and compete a second time. It’s not uncommon for this to happen thanks to “Last Chance Kitchen,” but it was definitely odd how it all went down. Anyway, from what Gail said, the Sieger break down was tough.
Yes, the chicken liver mousse was unappealing. We're living and judging on a bell curve: What was the best thing we ate that day? What was the worst thing we ate that day under the circumstances of the challenge that we're given. It was very obvious to us that, although he had good intentions and good flavor, it was not a successful dish for a few reasons. We know the chefs so peripherally in terms of their personal relationship to us. We had been heard a little bit of grumblings, small whiffs of perhaps overconfidence, but also he had done some amazing things during the course of his trajectory on the show.
This context is helpful in regards to what came next, from Gail's perspective, and there was a "lot more" we didn't see. She said she's still trying "to process" what happened on set. He really felt like he'd "followed the challenge," but she feels like he missed the fact the other cheftestants did, too. Still, she said:
Yes. he got eliminated and there were a few clunkers, but also he'd done some amazing things food-wise. It was a surprise to us. I always say I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often, because it is very hard to take criticism, even if we are trying to be constructive. You are on camera being told what you failed at. That is an incredibly hard pill to swallow.
She did mention the chefs are already "tired" by the time they hit Restaurant Wars. Amidst this, she was a little concerned about him coming back and managing in the finale, but she said Rhoda’s confidence led her to relax a little.
I was wondering the same thing. He did calm down. In everything I've heard from Rhoda and seen in the final cut, I did this morning was reading an interview with Rhoda about that exact question... she was like so thrilled to have him and she knew he would show up for her... so I think he was able to get over it. I wish I understood what his point was more?
So, if you were wondering why they had Sieger back after his outburst on the series, it doesn’t sound like there was ever any concern, at least from Rhoda herself. Interestingly, Gail Simmons also called Rhoda and Sieger “particularly close” on “The Watch." She made her point more than once, and that has a lot of tongues on the Internet wagging for a completely separate – and absolutely unconfirmed – reason.
But I am happy Sieger was able to get over his elimination and do the work for Rhoda, and that Rhoda pulled through with the win. It was probably meant to be.
