“Always have this sense of anxiety:” Tournament of Champions winner Antonia Lofaso recalls the finale

The Tournament of Champions finale revealed Antonia Lofaso as the winner of Season 6. During the final episode, Antonia gave her best while managing time and focusing on showcasing her creativity after the randomizer challenged her with a limited set of ingredients. Antonia managed to impress the judges with her final dish, proving her skills as an all-rounder and a multitasker, all while working under a time constraint.

In a recent conversation with Reality Blurred on April 23, 2025, Antonia discussed the competitive nature of the competition and feeling nervous leading up to the last moment of the show. She said:

"Every time I walk into competition—whether it’s Tournament of Champions or Wild Card Kitchen or Beat Bobby Flay or Guy’s Grocery Games, I always have this intense level of anxiety because I just want to do well. Does it ever get easier? Not really. It really doesn’t get easier."

Tournament of Champions winner Antonia Lofaso reflects on her journey on the show

In her interview, the Tournament of Champions winner shared that watching the show after the filming had already wrapped up felt like she was reliving the entire experience again. However, this time, the result of her journey was different from last year. As fans already know, Antonia was heartbroken at her journey during Season 5. Therefore, looking back on her time on the show now that she had won was a distinct feeling. She said:

"I’m just happy that I’m able to talk about it openly now. But I have to say, last night I was watching, and I started tearing up again. It’s like you just relive it, you know, as soon as it airs again. The same thing happened last year for TOC 5 when I lost. I was heartbroken—really, really, really heartbroken."

Talking about how she prepared for being part of the competition, the Tournament of Champions winner stated that each contestant's fate lay in the hands of the randomizer. Antonia mentioned that she didn't have a "predetermined plan" because the randomizer would end up throwing her off. She continued:

"You relive it when it’s bad. You relive it when it’s good. It’s very interesting. Tournament of Champions is all about the randomizer and cooking what the randomizer gives you. That was the mindset that I went in with, where I don’t want to have a predetermined plan because that always ended up throwing me off."

She also addressed the competitive nature of the cooking series and the chefs serving their dishes within a small time frame. When the interviewer asked Antonia if she had any plans to return to the Tournament of Champions' upcoming season, she responded:

"Listen, let me just enjoy the win right now. I can’t even think about TOC 7 yet. I just want to bask in the fact that I finally won after six seasons and that I don’t have to think about TOC 7 just yet."

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All episodes of Tournament of Champions are available to stream on The Food Network. Fans can follow Antonia Lofaso on her official Instagram account.

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