Julien THEUIL / M6
In the Peninsula kitchens, the “Top Chef” jurors witnessed an unexpected turn of events before the quarter-finals.
While « Top Chef » approaching its final straight, the episode broadcast this Thursday, May 7 on M6 has a new twist in store before the quarter-finals. In the kitchens of the Peninsula palace in Paris, the five candidates still in the running first faced a series of particularly demanding tests based on palace gastronomy.
Breakfast designed for a high-level athlete, working on sauces around white fish then revisiting the croque-monsieur: the competitors took on the challenges under the watchful eye of Philippe Etchebest, Hélène Darroze, Paul Pairet, Glenn Viel and Stéphanie Le Quellec.
But for several weeks already, another competition was being played in parallel, far from the main competition. In this « brigade cachée » supervised by chefs Yoann Conte and Fabien Ferré, the eliminated candidates continued to compete with the hope of returning to the adventure. And this Thursday evening, this mechanism completely reshuffled the cards of the competition.
Warning, the rest of this article contains spoilers for the episode of “Top Chef” broadcast this Thursday, May 7, 2026 on M6.
At the end of the evening tests, the last candidates still in the running thought they had almost secured their place for the quarter-finals. Viviana qualified thanks to her palace breakfast, Alexy impressed the chefs with his work with sauces and Victor won his place after the elimination round around the croque-monsieur, which ultimately caused Louise to leave. But the evening didn’t end there.
A hidden brigade that reshuffles the cards
In the hidden brigade, two former candidates finally won their return to the main adventure after several weeks of parallel competition. And their journeys make this turnaround even more spectacular.
The first, Antoine, abruptly left the show in April for medical reasons. Victim of a major tonsil infection during filming, he then explained on his social networks that he could no longer speak or even swallow properly. His adventure then seemed definitively over.
However, subsequently reintegrated into the hidden brigade, he managed to survive ordeal after ordeal until obtaining his return ticket.
The most improbable comeback of the season
The other candidate who returned to the competition also had a completely improbable journey this season. First eliminated for the first time, Aboubakar was then recalled to the competition after this medical abandonment, in accordance with the rules of the show. “I thought it was a jokeâ€he later explained to TV-Leisure recounting the call of production.
But despite this second chance, he was ultimately eliminated again before continuing the adventure in the hidden brigade. This time, he finally validates his return to the main competition after several weeks spent defending his place in each event.
The turnaround also caused a lot of reaction from viewers on social networks during the broadcast of the show. On X, several Internet users have notably shown their support for the candidates of the hidden brigade. “The chefs love Abou too much”jokes one user, for example, while another writes: “That she doesn’t take Antoine’s or Abou’s place on the other hand… that’s a NO please!†before the final outcome of the episode.
Next week, Antoine and Aboubakar will meet competitors who thought they were already in the quarter-finals and who risk being really surprised.
