Top Chef

10 Best Episodes of Top Chef - Season 9

An American reality competition show in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges and are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode.

Written by Sophie and last updated on feb 06, 2023.

PS: The following content contains spoilers!

PPS: I will admit that parts of this page was written with the help of AI - it makes my work so much easier to not start from a blank page!

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Top Chef - S9E18

#15 - Reunion (Season 9 - Episode 18)

The episode was rated 7.39 from 18 votes.

Top Chef - S9E5

#14 - Don't Be Tardy for the Dinner Party (Season 9 - Episode 5)

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The chefs must create a dish using what they can find in a standard survival kit, then they have to shift gears and cater dinner to high society.

The episode was rated 7.40 from 55 votes.

Top Chef - S9E2

#13 - The Heat Is On (Season 9 - Episode 2)

Night two of heats for the coveted contestant spots starts with 10 competitors, 10 ingredients, and only five chef coats left. Once again, those who excel in the challenge get a coat immediately, and those who bomb are sent home. The remaining hopefuls on the "bubble" participate in a cook-off for the last coats against last week's four still waiting for their second chance. Also, tonight the first chefs are awarded an opportunity to get back into the race when they are sent to the sister series Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen.

The episode was rated 7.40 from 55 votes.

Top Chef - S9E4

#12 - Red Hot Chili Cook Off (Season 9 - Episode 4)

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The contestants provide food for the local rodeo and its audience.

The episode was rated 7.43 from 61 votes.

Top Chef - S9E12

#11 - Block Party (Season 9 - Episode 12)

The chefs race against time to finish prep work for a meal. Later, they serve up cuisine at a food-drive block party. Guest judge: Cat Cora.

The episode was rated 7.43 from 42 votes.

Top Chef - S9E8

#10 - Tribute Dinner (Season 9 - Episode 8)

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The chefs must adapt quickly when their cooking mashes up with social networking and they begin receiving dish notes via Twitter. Later, they will each be able to pay homage to an influential teacher when they are asked to create dishes in the teachers' honor.

The episode was rated 7.47 from 45 votes.

Top Chef - S9E13

#9 - Bike, Borrow & Steal (Season 9 - Episode 13)

In this week’s Quickfire, Pee-wee Herman stops by and the chefs are tasked to create his favorite breakfast dish – pancakes! But this isn’t any old pancake. The Chefs are challenged to be as creative as possible when making their batter, toppings and presentation. In "Pee-wee’s Big Adventure,” Pee-wee learned a lot about searching the streets and asking for help. For the elimination challenge, the chefs are set loose in downtown San Antonio with a bike and $100, where they must find their ingredients and create a dish for Pee-wee’s dinner party. Pee-wee Herman joins Gail Simmons, head judge Tom Colicchio, and host Padma Lakshmi at judges’ table.

The episode was rated 7.47 from 47 votes.

Top Chef - S9E1

#8 - Everything's Bigger in Texas (Season 9 - Episode 1)

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29 chefs gather at the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, to compete for 16 slots in the 9th season of Top Chef. Tonight they are divided into three groups and must master their challenge to move forward. Some will know their fate immediately and receive a chef coat or be sent home. Others will be on the "bubble" and must compete and be judged again before they know their fates. Yes, it's bigger in Texas, but it's also hotter and harder, too. Group 1 Qualifying Challenge: Prepare a Dish Using One Cut of a Pig Group 2 Qualifying Challenge: Prepare a Dish Using the Same Ingredient

The episode was rated 7.52 from 60 votes.

Top Chef - S9E16

#7 - Fire and Ice (Season 9 - Episode 16)

Asian Masters lend a hand in a tag-team-style Quickfire. The final 3 chefs must create a dish and cocktail that fuses the concept of fire and ice into one cohesive dish, a culinary testament of their journey from blazing Texas heat to blistering Vancouver cold.

The episode was rated 7.62 from 39 votes.

Top Chef - S9E9

#6 - BBQ Pit Wars (Season 9 - Episode 9)

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The chefs combine learning with cooking tonight when they use Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine to influence their Quickfire dishes. Next, they team up for a barbecue cook-off where the diners determine the winning team.

The episode was rated 7.62 from 39 votes.

Top Chef - S9E15

#5 - Culinary Games (Season 9 - Episode 15)

The final 4 chefs arrive in Whistler, British Columbia, for a Top Chef twist on the Olympic games. From cooking on the world’s fastest gondola to a biathlon that requires marksman like precision to get the best ingredients, the chefs will need to have the concentration of a true culinary Olympian to advance to the next round in Vancouver.

The episode was rated 7.62 from 42 votes.

Top Chef - S9E14

#4 - Mentors (Season 9 - Episode 14)

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In this week’s Quickfire, the chefs must use their sense of touch, smell and taste to navigate through the pantry to gather ingredients for a dish while blindfolded. In a twist, the winning chef from Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen will re-enter the competition and join the remaining four chefs in the elimination challenge, where the chefs must create a delicious dish that will impress their mentors. Host Padma Lakshmi, along with Hugh Acheson, Gail Simmons and head judge Tom Colicchio will determine which final four chefs will advance to the finale.

The episode was rated 7.74 from 43 votes.

Top Chef - S9E7

#3 - Game On (Season 9 - Episode 7)

The contestants must cook for an all-star table of chefs whose avocation is hunting.

The episode was rated 7.77 from 47 votes.

Top Chef - S9E11

#2 - Fit For an Evil Queen (Season 9 - Episode 11)

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The Quickfire is on the move, except it's the ingredients that are moving—by train. Next, the chefs must access the darkness inside of them when they are asked to create "evil" on a plate.

The episode was rated 7.79 from 53 votes.

Top Chef - S9E17

#1 - Finale (Season 9 - Episode 17)

For the final challenge, each chef will take over a restaurant in Vancouver where they will have the chance to design a four-course meal for the judges and unbeknownst to them, friends and family.

The episode was rated 7.89 from 46 votes.

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