Where Tristen Epps – so far – ranks historically

And why history says he may not be a lock to win it all

We’re nearing the end game of Top Chef Season 22. We just had Restaurant Wars and soon enough, someone will come back from Last Chance Kitchen for the second and final time this season. How are our chefs doing - and how do they compare to past chefs?

Using my scoring system,* I can compare the chefs at 6 quickfires and 8 elimination challenges into a season. While it’s not perfect (I don’t distinguish between team and individual challenges, for example), it’s a good place to start.

The scores at this point range from -21 to 39 -- for winners, that range is 0 to 29. Fun fact? Tristen is at 37. The only person with a higher score is Gregory Gourdet from Season 17 All Stars LA (and Gregory is also in third place, with a score of 34 from his run on Season 12 Boston). This makes me wonder slightly if Tristen will join the Second Place Club, given the amazing company he finds himself in on this list: