Tournament of Champions Season 6: Guy Fieri and the Okra Mayo Surprise

The highly-anticipated sixth season of Tournament of Champions premiered on March 2, 2025, on the Food Network, retaining the exciting bracket-style culinary challenge format. Chefs engage in direct cook-offs, advancing one step closer to victory with each round until a single champion emerges.

Episode Highlights: Creative Use of Okra

In the latest episode, which aired on March 16, host Guy Fieri recounts an unexpected culinary twist. During a cook-off, the culinary randomizer—a unique lottery-style device that selects various ingredients and cooking methods—assigned chef Fabio Viviani okra as a key ingredient. Known for its notoriously slimy texture, okra presented a significant challenge.

Despite his initial displeasure with okra’s texture, Viviani took a bold approach, transforming it into okra mayonnaise for a ceviche dish. Fieri’s astonishment was palpable when he remarked:

“I’ve never seen anything like that. I’ve never seen that move in my life.”

Innovation in the Kitchen

Diving deeper into the challenge, Viviani explained his predicament with humor, stating:

“I [started] to cut it and my hands… they [felt] like I just had an entire kindergarten snot in my hands. Who invented okra?”

Instead of avoiding the challenge, he embraced okra as the star of his dish. He chopped the vegetable and combined it with hard-boiled eggs and oil, creating an innovative version of mayonnaise. This unique okra mayo served as the base for his ceviche, illustrating Viviani’s imagination and culinary skill.

Guy Fieri’s Perspective on Season 6

Fieri attributes the ongoing allure of Tournament of Champions to its unpredictable format. He emphasizes that the randomizer’s selections compel chefs to adapt quickly, often resulting in surprising and creative dishes, such as Viviani’s okra mayonnaise:

“You never know what’s going to happen in that kitchen. That’s what keeps it interesting,” Fieri noted.

Season 6 showcases an impressive lineup of chefs, including notable names like Karen Akunowicz, Amanda Freitag, and Stephanie Izard, among others. Judging the competition are previous winners such as Tiffani Faison, Maneet Chauhan, and Mei Lin. Additionally, Fieri’s son Hunter Fieri returns to provide behind-the-scenes insights into the competition.

The competitive cooking series features 32 chefs battling head-to-head, testing their culinary abilities in various categories including protein selection and cooking techniques. Ultimately, the top chef will win a cash prize of $150,000 and the coveted Tournament of Champions belt.

Overview of Episode 3 Battles

In episode 3, viewers witnessed four thrilling first-round battles. In the opening match, Chef Joe Sasto triumphed over Chef Viviani, with the randomizer selecting shrimp and okra as key ingredients. Joe’s chili-glazed shrimp impressed the judges whereas Fabio’s dish, featuring okra mayonnaise, was seen as less cohesive.

Chef Lee Anne Wong secured victory against Chef Chris Scott, earning acclaim for her lamb dish paired with Romanesco purée and orange marmalade. Meanwhile, Chris’s tostadas lacked the necessary balance, particularly in the tartare.

In a closely-contested third bout, Chef Jonathon Sawyer defeated Chef Karen Akunowicz, as judges favored his beef ragu over Karen’s kefta, which was criticized for being overly salty. The episode culminated with Chef Jet Tila, who impressed with a venison rack dish, while Chef Pyet DeSpain‘s creation fell short in seasoning.