"You've got to be kidding me": 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing's Michele reacts to getting selected to compete against Kevin

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing Season 2 premiered on April 27, 2025. The culinary competition features 24 participating chefs. After a series of challenges, which Kevin Lee finished first, he won The Golden Knife.

Show host Michael Symon revealed Kevin Lee had to choose one of the remaining 23 chefs for a head-to-head battle. They would be preparing a one-bite beef dish. After blind tasting, the losing chef would become the first participant to go home from 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing Season 2.

After Kevin Lee chose Michele Ragussis, she confessed to the cameras:

"Kevin picks me, and I'm like, You've got to be kidding me. You want to go? I'm ready to go. Let's go," she confessed.

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing Season 2: Kevin Lee chooses Michele for the head-to-head elimination challenge

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing Season 2 premiered with a series of tasks which included beating the eggs, cutting potatoes in a tornado, squeezing lemons and more. Among all the 24 chefs, Kevin Lee won the task.

"All right, Kevin, you are the very first chef to win possession of the most powerful item in this competition. The Golden Knife," announced the host, Michael Symon.

He added that The Golden Knife would be given throughout various challenges to the best-performing chefs. He told Kevin Lee he won among the 24 participating chefs.

"There are 23 chefs standing around you right now, your fellow competitors. You are going to get to choose who you want to face out of all of them, head-to-head in an elimination challenge, right now," shared the host.

Listening to him, Kevin Lee and the rest of the chefs are shocked. Kevin said that he didn't like that power. Seeing Kevin Lee confused, the show host, Michael, told him that the remaining 23 chefs would be, at one point, eliminated. So, he had the power to "take one out."

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing co-host Esther Choi revealed that, during the head-to-head challenge, they will have 24 minutes to prepare the best "one bite" featuring beef. For that, there would be blind judging. The winning chef will be awarded The Golden Knife. Following that, the winning participant will go to the break room and advance to the next shift.

"Whoever loses will be eliminated and will be the first chef to go home," said Michael.

Kevin Lee confessed that he didn't want to choose a weak chef. If he did that, it might seem he chose somebody weak to compete against. Hence, he thought of choosing a "fierce" chef, which was Michele Ragussis.

Kevin shared that Michele had beaten Bobby Floyd a couple of times, but:

"I knew that we would cook a very different style of cooking. So, I felt confident going against Michele."

As Kevin Lee chose Michele for the head-to-head battle, host Michael asked him the reason behind choosing her. Michael also mentioned that he had cooked beside her and that she was a "hammer."

24 in 24: Last Chef Standing star Kevin Lee responded that he wanted to get the "hard things" out of the way first. So, because Michele was one of the strong competitors, he chose her first. He added that he wanted to "take out the dragons" while he was fresh in the competition.

While Kevin Lee prepared Korean Beef Tartare with Crispy Rice, Michele's dish was Greek Meatball with Pomegranate Yogurt. The blind tasting judge was Tournament of Champions Season 6 winner Antonia Lofaso. She liked Kevin's dish more, which resulted in Michele going home.

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To witness what happened next on 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing Season 2, fans can stream the episode on Food Network.

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