Tournament of Champions season 5: next episode, trailer, cast, plot and everything we know about the Guy Fieri cooking competition

Key art for Tournament of Champions season 5
(Image credit: Warner Media/Food Network)

Get ready for one of the wildest cooking competitions of all as Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions returns for season 5. This season 32 chefs compete for a $150,000 cash prize. 

Guy Fieri once again serves as the host and master of ceremonies for the big competition. Like Next Level Chef season 3 star Gordon Ramsay, Fieri has built a culinary empire and Fieri calls the Food Network his home. 

"As the wildest, most anticipated culinary competition year-after-year, you know that we had to go big for season five," Fieri told Food Network. "So here’s the deal, in order to win, you’ve gotta either be a past champ or take down a champ, as all the winners from previous seasons are back to defend their titles. We're crankin’ up the already fierce competition with heated culinary rivalries, wild cards and of course, off-the-charts flavor on Tournament of Champions V!"

Here's everything we know about Tournament of Champions season 5.

Next episode of Tournament of Champions season 5 

The next new episode of Tournament of Champions season 5 airs Sunday, April 7, at 8 pm ET/PT on Food Network, with new episodes available to stream the following day on Max

Here's what we know about the April 7 episode:

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 8: "And the Winner Is"
"Guy Fieri gathers some of the world's greatest chefs for an intense, single-elimination culinary tournament. Emotions run high as the chefs battle to stay in the competition, and surprises unfold both inside and outside the arena."

Food Network is widely available as part of cable packages. If you've cut the cord, you can find the channel through several streaming platforms including Sling, Hulu with Live TV, Fubo TV, Philo and YouTube TV.

We don't have any information about a premiere date for Tournament of Champions season 5 in the UK, but previous seasons are available to stream now on Discovery Plus. 

Tournament of Champions season 5 premiered February 18.

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode guide

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 1: "Time for Battle"
"Guy Fieri kicks off year five of the biggest and toughest competition in the culinary world with four must-see first-round culinary battles! Thirty-two of the biggest names in the food world enter the kitchen arena, from seasoned competitors to TOC rookies who could go all the way. Plus, all four TOC Champions return to attempt what no one has done before -- repeat as champs. They'll have to navigate the five-wheeled beast known as The Randomizer and this field of elite chefs to win the belt, the coveted title and the biggest prize in TOC history, $150,000! "

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 2: "First Round Battles Heat Up"
"Guy Fieri continues the Tournament of Champions V first-round battles with heated rematches, as well as battles featuring newcomers determined to shake things up. In a must-see showdown of the night, it's TOC I champion Chef Brooke Williamson vs. the West A qualifier in a fight to dominate The Randomizer for a chance to win the belt, the coveted title and $150,000!"

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 3: "The Stakes Have Never Been Higher"
"Guy Fieri continues the Tournament of Champions V first-round battles with four more intense one-on-one sudden death matches. Iron Chef Stephanie Izard faces off against Chef Eric Adjepong, while superstar competitor Chef Antonia Lofaso takes on TOC newcomer Chef Casey Thompson. Then, Michelin-star Chef Adam Sobel goes toe-to-toe with Top Chef all-star Lee-Anne Wong. In the final battle of the night, TOC champion Chef Maneet Chauhan takes on the East A qualifier winner."

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 4: "The Good, The Bad and The Randomizer"
"It's the final four first-round battles as Guy Fieri welcomes culinary rockstar Chef Michael Voltaggio to face off against Chef Crista Luedtke, while New York newcomer Chef Dale Talde takes on battle-tested TOC all-star Karen Akunowicz. Then, Chef Carlos Anthony tries to continue his recent winning streak as he takes on three-time James Beard nominee Chef Shota Nakajima. In the final first round battle of the tournament, the East B qualifier winner will attempt to take down TOC Champion Chef Tiffani Faison."

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 5: "The Super 16 Step Up"
"Guy Fieri welcomes the victorious Super 16 back into the arena to kick off the second round with four must-see matchups. Four chefs will move one step closer to winning the championship belt, while their adversaries head home to train for next season."

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 6: "Wild Card High Jinks"
"The second round action continues as the last of the Super 16 fight for a chance at the quarterfinals. Guy Fieri has four final spots in the Great 8 that will put each winning chef one step closer to winning the belt, the coveted title and $150,000."

Tournament of Champions season 5 episode 7: "The Great 8 Face Off"
"Guy Fieri welcomes the victorious Great 8 back into the arena to compete in the toughest quarterfinals in Tournament of Champions history, where they'll have to face each other along with the dreaded randomizer in sudden death showdowns."

Tournament of Champions season 5 premise

Here's the premise for Tournament of Champions season 5 from Food Network: "The skills and abilities of 32 of the most talented chefs from the East and West Coast, including all four previous champions, will be pushed to the limit in the most difficult sudden-death, bracket-style culinary competition. The pressure is intense, and emotions are high as the elite chefs do not know who their opponents will be and what challenges the randomizer will dish out, getting progressively harder and harder in each round. Each battle will feature blind judging by some of the biggest names in the food world as the competitors watch their critiques from backstage. After 8 weeks and 31 grueling head-to-head battles, one talented chef will win it all and be crowned champion, taking home the coveted Tournament of Champions belt and the largest cash prize in the history of the tournament of $150,000."

Tournament of Champions season 5 cast

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri serves as the host and MC for Tournament of Champions season 5. Fieri is known for his Food Network series including Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and Guy's Grocery Games.

Fieri will be joined by Simon Majumdar and Justin Warner, who will provide play-by-play on all the action, along with Guy's son Hunter Fieri, who will provide interviews and insight from backstage and behind the scenes. 

Guest judges this season will include some of the biggest names in food, including Donatella Arpaia, Scott Conant, Cat Cora, Rocco DiSpirito, Susan Feniger, Lorena Garcia, Carla Hall, Michael Mina, Eric Ripert, Marcus Samuelsson, Nancy Silverton, Ming Tsai, Michael White, Jonathan Waxman, Geoffrey Zakarian and Andrew Zimmern.

Here are the 32 chefs competing in Tournament of Champions season 5:

East Coast: Eric Adjepong, Karen Akunowicz, Kelsey Barnard Clark, season 2 champion Maneet Chauhan, Tobias Dorzon, season 3 champion Tiffani Faison, Amanda Freitag, Jose Garces, Stephanie Izard, Marc Murphy, Britt Rescigno, Jonathon Sawyer and Dale Talde.

West Coast: Carlos Anthony, Shirley Chung, season 4 champion Mei Lin, Antonia Lofaso, Crista Luedtke, Brian Malarkey, Shota Nakajima, Joe Sasto, Adam Sobel, Casey Thompson, Jet Tila, Michael Voltaggio, season 1 champion Brooke Williamson and Lee Anne Wong. 

Tournament of Champions season 5 trailer

Take a look at an extended sneak peek from the premiere of Tournament of Champions season 5 below. 

Sarabeth Pollock
Editorial Content Producer

 

Sarabeth joined the What to Watch team in May 2022. An avid TV and movie fan, her perennial favorites are The Walking Dead, American Horror Story, true crime documentaries on Netflix and anything from Passionflix. You’ve Got Mail, Ocean's Eleven and Signs are movies that she can watch all day long. She's also a huge baseball fan, and hockey is a new favorite.  

When she's not working, Sarabeth hosts the My Nights Are Booked Podcast and a blog dedicated to books and interviews with authors and actors. She also published her first novel, Once Upon an Interview, in 2022.