'Top Chef Houston' Season 19: NJ chef Leia Gaccione eliminated on the first day
'Top Chef' Season 18 was filmed amid the Covid-19 pandemic and crowned a victor whose win was shrouded in a harassment controversy. Now 'Top Chef' is back with Season 19 and the fans are hoping that the new season will be serving as a fresh start for the viewers.
Bravo's 'Top Chef Houston' Season 19 will be covering the food scene in Houston, Texas. The show will feature Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons, who are back on the stage to taste and judge the talented chefs having extraordinary culinary skills. Like in 'Top Chef Portland', the group of the judges will be joined by a 'Top Chef' alum each week on the panel. The show had a mind-blowing start with its first challenge when the 15 contestants were divided into groups of three to make a sweet dish for the judges.
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Leia Gaccione, the New Jersey-based chef, was the first to be sent home on the Houston season. Leia, Jae Jung, and Stephanie Miller were in the red team working together, and they were one of the two bottom teams in the pre-elimination test. After the first challenge, the chefs had to work together again for the elimination challenge, which was dealt with utilizing primal cuts of beef. The red team chose last and they had to work with the round cut. While the competitors went to spend their $600 at Whole Foods, Leia went on about her bladder infection. Leia spent her first night resting instead of meeting with the other chefs.
During the elimination round, Leia made a top round steak summer roll with peaches and a Tahini lime sauce with some splash of Basil oil but that in no way was impressive for the judges. With this, the red team ended up at the bottom once again and Leia was sent back home.
New episodes of 'Top Chef Houston' air on Thursday at 8 pm ET on Bravo.