{"id":91912,"date":"2025-03-09T01:08:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-09T01:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/09\/brooke-williamson-on-her-tournament-of-champions-win-why-so-many-women-have-won-and-judging-the-competition\/"},"modified":"2025-03-09T01:08:06","modified_gmt":"2025-03-09T01:08:06","slug":"brooke-williamson-on-her-tournament-of-champions-win-why-so-many-women-have-won-and-judging-the-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neclink.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/09\/brooke-williamson-on-her-tournament-of-champions-win-why-so-many-women-have-won-and-judging-the-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooke Williamson on her Tournament of Champions Win, Why So Many Women Have Won, and Judging the Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The Tournament of Champions has made history. It\u2019s worth celebrating that, as Season 6 began on March 2, a woman has won every season previously, and the runners-up have also been women.<\/p>\n

Brooke Williamson was the first Tournament of Champions winner in 2020, and she was the runner-up in Seasons 2 and 3.<\/p>\n

She was precisely the type of chef Guy Fieri wanted for this competition initially because, outside of Top Chef, she wasn\u2019t well-known. This competition took her places.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
(Anders Krusberg\/ Food Network)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For those who don\u2019t know, the show matches up all kinds of culinary chefs, who cook with ingredients and equipment from the \u201crandomizer.\u201d<\/p>\n

They present their food in blind judging, where only a culinary expert can present their dish. This ensures there is no bias, which may have aided the female chefs in winning.<\/p>\n

We recently chatted with Williamson about all things TOC, including cooking with the randomizer, why so many women win, and the transition to judging.<\/p>\n

Hi Brooke. I\u2019m a massive fan. You were the first winner of the Tournament of Champions and weren\u2019t very well known yet. Were you surprised by your victory, and how has it changed your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t precisely well-known on Food Network yet, but I had competed in several competitions, including a few seasons on Top Chef.<\/a> This opened things up to new audiences because many viewers weren\u2019t aware of me yet, but I kept winning battles.<\/p>\n

\u00a0It changed my career by opening several new avenues on the Food Network. I\u2019ve had to prove to myself and others that I was worthy of that win, and I think I succeeded.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
(Anders Krusberg\/ Food Network)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How do you balance cooking for the randomizer versus an unknown, blind judging?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I never cook for the judges and always focus on the ingredients and what I can make with them. It\u2019s how I\u2019ve always cooked. I generally try to have a game plan of what to cook. Sometimes, you must adapt those plans when the randomizer ingredients are announced.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s discuss the randomizer. How do you plan your thought process with such weird ingredients, and do you feel like you\u2019re competing against the randomizer or your competitor?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Again, I always focus on the ingredients versus my competitors. It keeps me in a better headspace and focused on my dish. I\u2019ve been cooking for a long time, so I\u2019ve used a variety of ingredients and equipment, but that doesn\u2019t mean they play well together.<\/p>\n

What were some of the weirdest randomizer ingredients?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh, that\u2019s a hard one because they are all weird. But I think the hardest was in the Season 3 finale against Tiffani Faisan. We had to use Natto, a fermented Japanese soybean. I\u2019ve cooked with Natto before, but Morimoto<\/a> was judging, and he loves Natto, so I became nervous.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
(Anders Krusberg\/ Food Network)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0You\u2019ve competed in several other shows, especially since Tournament of Champions Season 1. Do you think your previous experience on the show and cooking on Bobby\u2019s Triple Threat helped in the subsequent seasons?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Any experience I\u2019ve gained has helped me in other competitions. I\u2019ve learned how to cook under pressure with many ingredients.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Judging other competitions has taught me that you are your own competition and can only control how you cook the ingredients.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s impressive that a female has won every season. Do you think the blind judging has impacted the results?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t speak to why that is the case. There\u2019s no proof that this happened because of blind judging. I think women are great multitaskers, as shown in this competition. Being able to multitask is an essential trait in the Tournament of Champions.<\/p>\n

As a grand generalization, women are put into positions to multitask, potentially more than men. But, again, that\u2019s just an opinion.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
(Anders Krusberg\/ Food Network)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The panel has always been a mix of men and women in the judges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always been very fair. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s favoritism. It\u2019s literally blind judging. So, the judges never know who they\u2019re judging or what gender they are. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s something more than that, but I can\u2019t speak to that.<\/p>\n

I think it\u2019s a lovely display of women at a high level of cooking that you don\u2019t see very often, so everyone takes note when they do.<\/p>\n

Was there a reason you decided not to come back to compete this year but to judge, or did all the winners decide together?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We were all given the option to compete or judge. I feel like I\u2019ve done that grueling process several times. I have proven that I\u2019m capable, and I don\u2019t feel like I need to demonstrate the same thing over and over again.<\/p>\n

I also compete regularly and enjoy it. So, I still have that outlet, and I do enjoy it, but I felt like I had done all that I needed to do in that particular arena.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
(Anders Krusberg\/ Food Network)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Tournament of Champions Season 6, you\u2019ve joined the judges\u2019 panel. What have you learned from previous seasons to employ at the judging table?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a bit of grace when judging other people. I know how difficult it is.<\/p>\n

I am also so blown away every single time since the contestants can be so creative and create well-thought-out dishes quickly using ingredients and tools that are just thrown at them. I understand. I empathize with the situation a little bit more than some.<\/p>\n

When is your first episode as a judge?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I only judged the finale this season. Some personal things came up, and I was going to judge the first couple of episodes, but I could not. So, I only did the finale.<\/p>\n

Last season, Kevin Lee beat you in the first round, showing again that the underdogs can power through without the former winners. What are your predictions?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, having judged the finale, I do know the results.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
(Anders Krusberg\/ Food Network)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I know, and I know you can\u2019t say that. I\u2019m just curious.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s always anyone\u2019s game. You have to have a certain amount of talent and grit to get through this competition. It\u2019s a grueling competition. But that randomizer and blind judging takes any level of prediction out of any round. And we\u2019ve seen some crazy things happen.<\/p>\n

Is there anything you\u2019d like to say to the competitors?<\/strong><\/p>\n

So much, but remember to have fun because it\u2019s a stressful competition.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re on the Barbecue Brawl. Are you running a team or judging again?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a judge, just like in the past. I get to eat lots of barbecue.<\/p>\n

I heard you have a cookbook out now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s called Sunkissed Cooking. It\u2019s a vegetable-forward cookbook that came out in November.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
(Anders Krusberg\/ Food Network)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What is your favorite dish from the book that you want people to try?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I want people to try all of them. It\u2019s a very seasonal cookbook, so I have a few favorites, depending on the season. I love the okra dish, which I feel is a hidden gem of an ingredient that people don\u2019t highlight enough.<\/p>\n

There are some beautiful spring and summer dishes and an entire tomato chapter. There are some enjoyable corn dishes. Within those chapters are dishes that you can make with those ingredients at any time of year. So, it\u2019s a fun book to navigate.<\/p>\n

Tournament of Champions airs 8\/7c on Sundays on the Food Network and Max the following day.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Tournament of Champions Online<\/p>\n

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TV Fanatic is searching for passionate writers to share their voices across various article types. Think you have what it takes to be a TV Fanatic?\u00a0Click here<\/a>\u00a0for more information and next steps.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n


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