The BEST episodes of Top Chef (FR) season 17
Every episode of Top Chef (FR) season 17, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Top Chef (FR) season 17!
Twelve young hopeful French chefs compete to win the title of "Top Chef," 100,000 euros. and be judged by the best in the business.
#1 - The Final
Season 17 - Episode 15 - Aired 6/10/2026
It is within the prestigious setting of the Four Seasons Hotel George V, an iconic palace awarded six Michelin stars and one Green Star, that the two finalists meet for the final challenge of the competition. Their challenge: to design and create an exceptional gastronomic menu composed of a starter, a main course, and a dessert, capable of captivating the palates of 100 Red Cross volunteers as well as those of the five chefs on the jury. For this exceptional final, Adriana Karembeu, ambassador for the Red Cross, will be present throughout the evening alongside the invited volunteers.
#2 - Comfort food in the mountains - Tignes
Season 17 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/4/2026
Melted cheese, gratins, traditional home-style dishes, hot chocolate, waffles... 8 out of 10 French people say they find comfort in these "comfort foods." Today, top chefs are embracing these hearty, seemingly simple preparations and using all their talent to elevate them to the level of gourmet dishes while preserving their delicious character.
#3 - Street food - Communale Saint-Ouen
Season 17 - Episode 11 - Aired 5/13/2026
Welcome to 24 hours dedicated to street food – gourmet, creative and accessible cuisine to enjoy on the go. It is within the culinary and cultural hall at the Saint-Ouen docks that the contestants will have to rise to the challenge: to reinvent street food and win over both the judges and the public. On this occasion, the two winners of the parallel competition will return and rejoin the competition alongside the remaining contestants. To support them, Fabien Ferré and Yoann Conte, the chefs from the parallel competition, as well as François-Régis Gaudry, Mina Soundiram and several leading food influencers, will be on hand to offer their insights and expertise. Food influencers guest for this episode: Monsieur Thomas, El Piex, Le guide ultime, Le Paris food Alex, Poopiblh, Le Paris d'Alexis, Le street foodist, Imperatrice Wu, Alix Grousset & Saskinax.
#4 - The MOFs - Jules Verne Circus in Amiens
Season 17 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/1/2026
Technique, precision, and meticulous execution… this week is all about excellence with the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France. As true guardians of French culinary expertise, they embody an ideal to which many chefs aspire: one day earning the prestigious blue-white-red collar. For this fifth week of the competition, the contestants will experience a true immersion in the world of the MOF competition. They’re headed to the Cirque Jules Verne in Amiens, transformed for the occasion into a culinary arena where they’ll face a marathon of technical challenges.
#5 - Sweet treats are all the rage! - At the Château de Fontainebleau
Season 17 - Episode 7 - Aired 4/15/2026
Who can beat France’s top pastry chefs? In France, people eat twice as many desserts as their European neighbors, and the big names in the culinary world are well aware of this: more and more of them are venturing into the world of sweets. At the Château de Fontainebleau, the contestants will have to reinvent the île flottante against Jeffrey Cagnes, and rice pudding against Sébastien Vauxion. To judge their creations, guide them, and challenge them, four renowned chefs will be on hand: Nicolas Paciello, Marie Simon, Christophe Michalak, and Jessica Préalpato.
#6 - 24 hours in a luxury hotel - The Peninsula Paris
Season 17 - Episode 10 - Aired 5/7/2026
This week, the contestants are immersed in the demanding daily life of a Parisian luxury hotel, spending 24 hours in the shoes of a chef. It is at the heart of the Parisian palace "The Peninsula" that they will take on this extraordinary challenge, in a world where every detail counts and where service never stops. From room service breakfast to exceptional gastronomic experiences, they will have to adapt to the intense pace of a place where excellence is the absolute rule.
#7 - Special Surprises! - Jardin d'Acclimatation
Season 17 - Episode 8 - Aired 4/22/2026
Everyone knows it: great chefs love to surprise their guests! Behind every exceptional dish lies a story, an emotion, sometimes even a genuine surprise. But the surprise doesn't stop at unexpected combinations. Chefs also seek to evoke a powerful emotion during the tasting: that of a resurfacing memory, a Proustian madeleine that sends shivers down the spine. The contestants meet at the Jardin d’Acclimatation for a day dedicated to surprises. Surrounded by their loved ones and joined by Chef Adrien Cachot, they begin by creating an emotionally charged dish, a kind of "Proustian madeleine," and then must work with unexpected combinations of cauliflower, which they must pair with either chocolate or blueberry.
#8 - Revolutionizing tasting and the black box
Season 17 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/20/2026
It’s time to qualify for the quarter-finals! The final five contestants were each chosen by one of the judges. In the first challenge, the contestants will have to shake up the conventions of tasting to try and impress chef Jordi Roca. They will then face the black box challenge with a dish devised by Alexandre Mazzia and David Toutain. By the end of the evening, only four will remain.
#9 - Quarter-finals - L'Orfèvrerie
Season 17 - Episode 13 - Aired 5/27/2026
There are now just four of them left, and to secure a place in the semi-finals, two daunting challenges await them. First up is a challenge that is as demanding as it is creative: elevating an everyday product that is all too often overlooked: stale bread. This task will require both inventiveness and technical skill to transform this symbol of anti-waste cooking into a true gourmet dish. Then comes a dizzying challenge: to create a dish built around a single texture. Judging these creations will be four exceptional chefs: Marcel Ravin, Dimitri Droisneau, Alan Taudon and pastry chef Michael Bartocetti. At the end of the evening, one contestant will leave the competition and only three of them will continue their journey towards the title of Top Chef!
#10 - The Semi-final
Season 17 - Episode 14 - Aired 6/3/2026
For this semi-final, the three remaining candidates face off in a brand-new format: each challenges their opponents by imposing a culinary challenge of their choice. The three challenges are: First challenge: create a tricolor ravioli without artificial coloring. Second challenge: cook snails without cargolade (a type of seafood stew) or maître d'hôtel butter. Third challenge: prepare a stuffed poultry, deboned from the inside, without sauce. Following these three technical challenges, the five judges, along with guest chefs Pascal Barbot, Pierre Gagnaire, and Guy Krenzer, will decide between the candidates to determine the two finalists who will compete in the grand finale of Top Chef.
#11 - Beach Cuisine - Le Touquet
Season 17 - Episode 2 - Aired 3/11/2026
Freshly caught fish simply grilled, light salads, ice cream cones, and indulgent fritters—these are all the delights to be savored at the beach. It’s a playground that today’s top chefs are increasingly taking over! They’re setting up shop by the sea, keeping the dishes simple while infusing them with their bold creativity and culinary expertise. Take Alexandre Gauthier, for example, with his gourmet beach hut right on the water, where you’ll find seafood platters, fish and chips, and sweet fritters... But also Christopher Coutanceau in La Rochelle, Éric Frechon in Biarritz, and Pierre Gagnaire in Châtelaillon-Plage
#12 - Low prices, great food! - Puteaux Market
Season 17 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/25/2026
Today, more and more Michelin-starred chefs are offering menus for under 50 euros that are still gourmet! This week, Philippe Hardy, France’s most affordable Michelin-starred chef, and Cédric Burtin take the contestants to the heart of the Puteaux market. They’ll have to create a starter and a protein-based main course on a tight budget, to prove that great dishes can be made on a budget.
#13 - Tribute to Paul Bocuse - Collonges Abbey
Season 17 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/18/2026
Nicknamed the “Pope of Gastronomy,” Paul Bocuse reinvented French cuisine with a revolutionary idea: bringing chefs out of their kitchens to interact directly with customers. Carving at the table, flambéing, culinary sleight of hand: the chef thus becomes the star of a true show, much to the delight of the guests! Today, the greatest chefs of the new generation are following suit: Jérôme Banctel, in his Parisian palace, and Jordi Roca. Chefs are “breaking down the wall” of their kitchens!
#14 - The Restaurants Wars - Kids' Menus
Season 17 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/8/2026
Top chefs know what they’re talking about: children are the customers of tomorrow. To cultivate their palates from an early age, more and more fine-dining restaurants are now offering dedicated children’s menus. Gone are the days of endless nuggets and fries and simple half-portions of adult dishes: today, children are treated to creative, flavorful, and balanced meals designed especially for them. With François-Régis Gaudry and Charles Patin O'Coohoon.
#15 - Ordinary products, extraordinary dishes - Marriage Scenes
Season 17 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/29/2026
Great chefs express themselves by working with exceptional ingredients, but they also use all their talent and ingenuity to elevate simple, everyday products—things we all have in our fridges or cupboards at home! And that's the challenge of the day for the contestants, who will have to transform these ordinary ingredients into extraordinary dishes! And for this special day, the most iconic fridges from television will serve as their pantries. The couples from "Scènes de ménages," played by Gérard Hernandez, Anne-Elisabeth Blateau, David Mora, Grégoire Bonnet, Claire Chust, and Vinnie Dargaud, among others, are opening their kitchen doors to them to take on the challenge.