Maneet Chauhan (Image via Instagram @maneetchauhan)

"Judge us on our food, not on who we are" — Tournament of Champions judge Maneet Chauhan opens up about women dominating the competition

Modified Feb 21, 2025 05:29 GMT

The latest Tournament of Champions (Season 6) episode aired on February 16, 2025, featuring first-round battles between veteran chefs and newcomers. Hosted by Guy Fieri on Food Network, the show has seen only female winners since its first season.

One of the most significant highlights is the 'Randomizer,' whereby chefs are given some ingredients, cooking techniques, and time constraints for their recipes. ToC is also well-known for blind judging, wherein judges are unaware of the participants and their details while tasting and scoring the dishes.

Maneet Chauhan was the first two-time winner of the ToC during season five by defeating Antonia Lofaso in the finale. With the show returning for season 6, Chauhan is now seated at the judges' table. When interviewed by the Associated Press on February 14, 2025, she discussed how blind judging affected the outcome of the show.

"For the longest time, as women chefs, we’ve been trying to say, ‘Judge us on our food, not on who we are.’ And that’s exactly what’s happening on this show," she said.

The impact of blind judging in the Tournament of Champions

Unlike other cooking competitions where judges interact with contestants and hear their explanations, ToC judges evaluate dishes solely on taste, presentation, and execution. The panel remains in a separate location and does not know who prepared each dish. This format has contributed to the show’s results, where only women have won the competition so far.

Maneet Chauhan highlighted this in her interview, stating,

"Blind judging removes implicit bias. There’s no one in front of you that looks a certain way, that speaks a certain way, that wants to tell you about what this dish means to them or where it’s from. It [is] just the food."

She recalled her own experience in season five, where she faced a competitive lineup of chefs, including Antonia Lofaso in the finale. The judging panel, unaware of the chefs' identities, evaluated the dishes based on merit alone.

Tiffani Faison, a previous ToC winner, also acknowledged the significance of this format. She noted that without knowing the chefs, judges rely entirely on the dish in front of them.

Competition and performance in the Tournament of Champions

Since its debut, Tournament of Champions has provided a competitive platform for chefs of all backgrounds. Despite featuring chefs from diverse culinary fields, the final matchups have consistently been between women. Some chefs, including Chauhan and Mei Lin, have attributed this trend to the multitasking skills required in the competition.

Chauhan pointed out,

"We as women are conditioned to do this on a daily basis. You are doing 20 things at a given moment."

She believes this experience translates well into ToC’s format, which requires chefs to manage multiple elements simultaneously. She mentioned that working in a fast-paced environment while balancing different responsibilities is a key aspect of succeeding in ToC.

Brooke Williamson, the winner of season one spoke with AP News in the same interview and shared,

"I went into it with very few expectations, and I think that probably helped me in a lot of ways."

She stated that her focus was entirely on the cooking process rather than external factors. This approach, combined with her adaptability to the Randomizer’s requirements, helped her win the title in the debut season of the Tournament of Champions.

Watch episodes 3-5 of Tournament of Champions premiering on Food Network on February 23.