When did Brooke Williamson win Tournament of Champions? Life after the show explored

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Brooke Williamson made a big impression on the culinary industry at a young age by being the youngest female chef to work at the James Beard House. She went above and beyond in 2020 when she won the inaugural season of Food Network's Tournament of Champions.

In a bracket-style battle, the show pits elite chefs against one another in intense cook-offs that test their mettle. A randomizer chooses each face-off's difficult parameters.

Brooke Williamson's victory signaled the start of one of Food Network's most prestigious culinary contests, which is renowned for its high standards and technical requirements.

Since her victory, Williamson has transitioned from competitor to judge on the show while expanding her restaurant portfolio.

Brooke Williamson’s journey from competitor to judge

Brooke Williamson's victory in the inaugural season of Tournament of Champions enhanced her already great resume with yet another noteworthy accomplishment. The competition format requires chefs to prepare meals within tight time limits while including arbitrary factors, such as odd ingredient combinations or limitations on the use of certain culinary tools.

Reflecting on her time as a contestant, Brooke Williamson admitted that dealing with the notorious randomizer on the show was challenging.

"I think that you are often placed in a scenario where you're pairing ingredients that really kind of don't belong together," she explained.

Elaborating:

"Sometimes you get lucky and you get ingredients that immediately trigger a dish in your head... Sometimes you're spending an extra few minutes just trying to figure out how to work two ingredients together in a way that nobody ever would."

Williamson had previously seen success in competition cookery before this victory. She previously won season 14 of Top Chef in 2017 after returning from the show's Last Chance Kitchen redemption phase. In season 10, she had finished as runner-up to Kristen Kish, just missing out on the title.

Williamson returned to the Tournament of Champions after her victory, although this time, she served as a judge. She contributed a distinct viewpoint to the evaluation process by joining fellow winners Maneet Chauhan and Mei Lin on the judging panel. She was quoted by Amny as follows:

"I think that I understand the position of the competitors maybe more than a lot of the other judges who haven't competed," Williamson said.

Elaborating:

"Me and three other winners are put into a position to not only commentate but also judge; I think we have a certain amount of understanding as to what these chefs are going through and the high level of intense stress that they experience while they're cooking phenomenal food."

Her approach to judging focuses on execution and understanding the competitors' decision-making process.

"If you're doing something, I want to understand why you did it. I want to understand why an ingredient is on the plate," she explained.

She added:

"At the end of the day, I really just want to eat a delicious dish, and I think I put a lot more emphasis on execution and craveability of a dish than some others do."

Outside of competition, Brooke Williamson has built a successful restaurant business. She currently co-owns the four-in-one beachside restaurant Playa Provisions and Hudson House.

Previously, she operated several other establishments, including Amuse Café, the Tripel, and Da Kikokiko under the hospitality group Company for Dinner, which she co-founded with her former husband and business partner Nick Roberts.

Her television appearances have expanded beyond Tournament of Champions. Brooke Williamson has become a Food Network regular, appearing on "Beachside Brawl," "Chopped," "Guy's Grocery Games," "Beat Bobby Flay," "Supermarket Stakeout," "Alex vs. America," and "BBQ Brawl."

Since 2022, she has starred alongside Bobby Flay, Michael Voltaggio, and Tiffany Derry on "Bobby's Triple Threat," further cementing her status as one of the network's valued personalities.

Brooke Williamson’s personal life and legacy

While her professional life continued to flourish, Brooke Williamson experienced significant changes in her personal life. In 2024, she finalized her divorce from long-time husband and business partner Nick Roberts, with whom she shares a son, Hudson.

By March 2025, news broke that Williamson had begun a romantic relationship with fellow celebrity chef Bobby Flay, whom she had worked with on several Food Network shows. According to sources, their professional friendship evolved into something more:

"They have been friends for a while and recently decided to jump in," an insider revealed to People.com.

They elaborated:

"Her divorce last year probably gave them some additional shared experiences and over the last few weeks, love bloomed."

Flay reportedly flew to surprise Williamson at a No Kid Hungry Dinner in Los Angeles where she was being honored—an organization she has long supported along with World Central Kitchen.

From her early days as a 19-year-old sous chef at Michael's in Santa Monica to becoming an executive chef at 21 and a restaurant owner by 24, Williamson's career trajectory shows no signs of slowing down.

Her competitive spirit remains strong, as she once told Mashed:

"I'm a naturally competitive person. I enjoy the thrill of putting yourself in that unpredictable place. I also feel like I'm pretty good at it."

As Tournament of Champions enters its sixth season, Brooke Williamson noted how the competition continues to evolve (as quoted by Amny):

"The level of talent on 'Tournament of Champions' has become so high, and the expectations of performing at a really high level have only gotten greater through the 6 seasons," she observed.

Declaring:

"I, for one, get excited about the show every season because I learn how to compete a little bit better even just by watching my competitors."

Whether in the kitchen, on television, or in her personal life, Brooke Williamson continues to prove that adaptability and passion are the key ingredients to a recipe for success in the culinary world and beyond.

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Tournament of Champions airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Food Network, with episodes available for streaming the next day on Max.