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The Yes, Chef! kitchen isn’t known for being gentle, but in Episode 6, it got a little wild even by its own spicy standards. With only six chefs left from the original twelve, hosts Martha Stewart and José Andrés decided it was time to shake things up. Or as Martha put it, the kitchen was feeling a little too diminished. Their solution? Bring back all five eliminated chefs and let them have a second shot at the $250,000 prize.
This twist wasn’t just for drama, it came with real stakes. Two spots on Yes, Chef! were officially up for grabs, meaning two current contestants could be sent packing. The returning chefs, still carrying the baggage of past meltdowns, mistakes, and tension, re-entered the kitchen ready to battle. But only two would earn redemption: Petrina Peart and Julia Chebotar.
Eliminated chefs return to compete in Yes, Chef! comeback challenge
The returning group was Petrina Peart, Torrece “Chef T” Gregoire, Michelle Francis, Julia Chebotar, and Peter Richardson. They walked back into the kitchen like a crew with something to prove. Well, everyone except Peter, who had to sit this one out after injuring his hand in a rage-filled moment during Episode 5 of Yes, Chef!
Before the Yes, Chef! challenge kicked off, Chef José pulled the 23-year-old Peter aside for a mentor-style chat.
“When I began as a chef, I was your age. You have so much more to learn and to give… control your fire, my friend. Don’t let that fire burn you from within,” he told him.
The Yes, Chef! challenge, appropriately named “Sweet Revenge,” gave the returning chefs a chance to show off their skills by creating a dish with sweet elements. For the first time, the judges did a blind tasting. They ranked the eliminated chefs separately from those still in the game. Two winners would face off against current contestants, and if victorious, take their spots in the competition.
Petrina and Julia impress the judges with bold sweet dishes
In a high-pressure bake-off that felt more like a second chance at life, Petrina and Julia managed to stand out.
Petrina, who was the first to leave Yes, Chef! this season, made a whimsical pastry tart with tonka bean crème anglaise and berries. Even though her delicate tuile cracked, she turned it into an opportunity.
“It’s like day one all over again,” she admitted.
But José was won over, saying, “The presentation is very beautiful… this to me is whimsy. This is a pastry tart that you’re eating like a soup.”
Martha agreed, saying, “Deconstructed.”
Julia, meanwhile, created a stuffed berry crepe with ricotta cream and dry strawberry powder. Her crepe was slightly thick for José’s taste, but Martha appreciated the texture:
“You don’t feel like you’re chewing through a big, thick pancake.”
Julia’s use of dehydrated fruit also earned her points.
These two chefs emerged as the top scorers among the returning group, earning the right to choose who they would challenge in the next round.
The cookoff heats up as Petrina and Julia face Chris and Ronny
With their second shot secured, Petrina and Julia surveyed the bottom three from the current group: Emily Brubaker, Ronny Miranda, and Christopher Morales.
Petrina picked Chris. Julia chose Ronny. For Ronny, this marked his third cookoff, and even he joked,
“It almost feels like this is where I live now, competing in every cookoff to save my own hide.”
The theme? Fire. Chefs had 30 minutes to use one of three techniques: grill, flambé, or torch. Petrina and Chris both chose to grill, while Julia and Ronny went the flambé route. Tension sizzled on Yes, Chef!, and so did the food.
Two out, two in as Yes, Chef! gets a major shakeup
By the end of the episode, it was official: Petrina and Julia reclaimed their aprons and re-entered the Yes, Chef! competition. Ronny and Chris were eliminated, both undone by dishes that had too many competing elements.
As José summed it up,
“The different components were not one.”
With this surprise return, the playing field is changed once again. The remaining chefs now know that nobody’s spot is safe, not even if they’ve already survived elimination once.
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Catch new episodes of Yes, Chef! on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, with streaming available on Peacock the next day.
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