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Top Chef Season 22 fans have taken to social media following the elimination of Montreal-based chef Massimo Piedimonte in episode 12, aired Thursday, May 29, 2025, on Bravo. With just one episode to go before the Milan, Italy finale, many viewers were surprised by the judges' decision to send Massimo home instead of Bailey Sullivan, especially after praise for his cooking.
The reaction was swift and intense across X, with many questioning the judges’ logic. One viewer wrote:
“Should have kept all five chefs or, at worst, sent Bailey home. Massimo had no errors in his dish.”
Many others expressed disappointment with the outcome, stating:
“Bailey should have been sent home, not Massimo.”
“Undercooked peas are not a valid reason to be eliminated???” another fan stated.
There was also criticism of the judging panel. One user wrote:
“I thought Gail Simmons whining about Massimo’s cracker was ridiculous…cooking trout perfectly is harder than anything else anyone else did…he got SCREWED!!!!!”
“Be real the judges just didn’t like Massimo, optically seems to be one of the most egregious decisions I’ve seen on this show,” a fan noted.
“Bulls**t decision. Will never watch Top Chef again. Being politically correct choosing gender over talent disgusting,” another viewer posted.
“Massimo got robbed!!! That’s why you’re crying. Don’t care about finale. Just like Milwaukee. It’s rigged,” one user added.
One user succinctly put it:
“We’re down to the final four chefs!”
Another fan questioned the show's structure itself:
“I still don't understand why, if it's Top Chef Canada, the finale is in Italy???”
Massimo Piedimonte's elimination from Top Chef
On May 23, 2025, Top Chef aired episode 12 of its 22nd season, titled 'Foraged in Fire,' on Bravo. The episode marked the final competition held in Canada before the remaining chefs advance to the finale in Milan, Italy.
There was no Quickfire Challenge this week. The chefs were joined in the wilderness by guest judges Brenda Holder, Cree Knowledge Keeper of Traditional Medicine and owner of Mahikan Trails, and Master Forager Chef Tracy Little. They helped the contestants identify ingredients such as juniper, yarrow, mustard roots, clover, rosehips, thistle, and even lemon-tasting thatching ants.
After the foraging session, the chefs returned to Calgary, where they were allowed to supplement their ingredients. The next day, they cooked their final Canadian dishes outdoors over an open flame. Each chef had 2.5 hours to prepare their dish, except for Massimo Piedimonte, who had won the previous Elimination Challenge and received an extra 30 minutes of cook time.
The winner of the $10,000 Elimination Challenge was Shuai Wang, who impressed the judges with his roasted cabbage with rosehip-glazed pork belly, sour cabbage broth, poplar and black spruce oil, and a lovage and thatching ant togarashi. Brenda Holder praised his dish, stating:
“I was really caught up in all of the different flavors that played so nicely with each other…I found this a really exquisite dish.”
The bottom two chefs were Massimo Piedimonte and Bailey Sullivan. While Tristen Epps and Cesar Murillo were safe, it was between Massimo and Bailey for elimination. Ultimately, the judges decided to eliminate Massimo.
The decision sparked visible emotion among the contestants and judges alike. Kristen Kish, the host, appeared to hold back tears when she said:
“It hurt for me to say it.”
Massimo’s dish featured trout and mustard as its focal ingredients. Tom Colicchio said:
“I like what Massimo did here because he took one ingredient, mustard, and really focused on that, and I think he did it really well.”
However, the bannock bread he served alongside it received criticism. Gail Simmons commented that the dish was too intense on herbal, floral, and bitter notes and that it “felt disconnected from the trout.”
Bailey Sullivan's dish, which involved undercooked peas, was also critiqued. However, the judges decided that Massimo’s bannock was more of a distraction than Bailey's execution flaws. As a result, Massimo became the last Canadian chef eliminated from Top Chef: Destination Canada just before the finale.
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Top Chef continues to air Thursday nights at 9 pm ET/PT on Bravo.
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