The Tournament of Champions has made history. It’s 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.
Brooke Williamson was the first Tournament of Champions winner in 2020, and she was the runner-up in Seasons 2 and 3.
She was precisely the type of chef Guy Fieri wanted for this competition initially because, outside of Top Chef, she wasn’t well-known. This competition took her places.
For those who don’t know, the show matches up all kinds of culinary chefs, who cook with ingredients and equipment from the “randomizer.”
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.
We recently chatted with Williamson about all things TOC, including cooking with the randomizer, why so many women win, and the transition to judging.
Hi Brooke. I’m a massive fan. You were the first winner of the Tournament of Champions and weren’t very well known yet. Were you surprised by your victory, and how has it changed your career?
I wasn’t precisely well-known on Food Network yet, but I had competed in several competitions, including a few seasons on Top Chef. This opened things up to new audiences because many viewers weren’t aware of me yet, but I kept winning battles.
It changed my career by opening several new avenues on the Food Network. I’ve had to prove to myself and others that I was worthy of that win, and I think I succeeded.
How do you balance cooking for the randomizer versus an unknown, blind judging?
I never cook for the judges and always focus on the ingredients and what I can make with them. It’s how I’ve 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.
Let’s discuss the randomizer. How do you plan your thought process with such weird ingredients, and do you feel like you’re competing against the randomizer or your competitor?
Again, I always focus on the ingredients versus my competitors. It keeps me in a better headspace and focused on my dish. I’ve been cooking for a long time, so I’ve used a variety of ingredients and equipment, but that doesn’t mean they play well together.
What were some of the weirdest randomizer ingredients?
Oh, that’s 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’ve cooked with Natto before, but Morimoto was judging, and he loves Natto, so I became nervous.
You’ve 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’s Triple Threat helped in the subsequent seasons?
Any experience I’ve gained has helped me in other competitions. I’ve learned how to cook under pressure with many ingredients.
Judging other competitions has taught me that you are your own competition and can only control how you cook the ingredients.
It’s impressive that a female has won every season. Do you think the blind judging has impacted the results?
I can’t speak to why that is the case. There’s 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.
As a grand generalization, women are put into positions to multitask, potentially more than men. But, again, that’s just an opinion.
The panel has always been a mix of men and women in the judges.
It’s always been very fair. I don’t think there’s favoritism. It’s literally blind judging. So, the judges never know who they’re judging or what gender they are. I don’t know if it’s something more than that, but I can’t speak to that.
I think it’s a lovely display of women at a high level of cooking that you don’t see very often, so everyone takes note when they do.
Was there a reason you decided not to come back to compete this year but to judge, or did all the winners decide together?
We were all given the option to compete or judge. I feel like I’ve done that grueling process several times. I have proven that I’m capable, and I don’t feel like I need to demonstrate the same thing over and over again.
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.
In Tournament of Champions Season 6, you’ve joined the judges’ panel. What have you learned from previous seasons to employ at the judging table?
I have a bit of grace when judging other people. I know how difficult it is.
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.
When is your first episode as a judge?
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.
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?
Well, having judged the finale, I do know the results.
I know, and I know you can’t say that. I’m just curious.
It’s always anyone’s game. You have to have a certain amount of talent and grit to get through this competition. It’s a grueling competition. But that randomizer and blind judging takes any level of prediction out of any round. And we’ve seen some crazy things happen.
Is there anything you’d like to say to the competitors?
So much, but remember to have fun because it’s a stressful competition.
You’re on the Barbecue Brawl. Are you running a team or judging again?
I’m a judge, just like in the past. I get to eat lots of barbecue.
I heard you have a cookbook out now.
Yes, it’s called Sunkissed Cooking. It’s a vegetable-forward cookbook that came out in November.
What is your favorite dish from the book that you want people to try?
I want people to try all of them. It’s 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’t highlight enough.
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’s a fun book to navigate.
Tournament of Champions airs 8/7c on Sundays on the Food Network and Max the following day.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tournament of Champions Online
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