“Top Chef” Winner Rhoda Magbitang Reacts to Kristen Kish Crying During the Finale, Says the Host Has an 'Enormous Heart' (Exclusive)

Stacy LambeWed, June 10, 2026 at 7:25 PM UTC

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Kristen Kish; and Rhoda Magbitang on 'Top Chef' season 23Credit: Sasha Israel/Bravo (2) -

Chef Rhoda Magbitang won Top Chef season 23 and became the first female winner since season 17 and won after competing in Last Chance Kitchen

Her finale meal honored her Filipino heritage with dishes inspired by her parents and early food memories

Host Kristen Kish's emotional reaction during the final dinner highlighted her empathy as a former contestant and her support for the chefs this season

After a roller coaster of a season through the Carolinas, Top Chef season 23 crowned a winner, with Rhoda Magbitang taking home the title during an emotional finale.

Not only did Magbitang set a new record with back-to-back challenge wins at the beginning of the season, but she closed out the competition by making the rare decision to not include a dessert in her final meal. With her win, Magbitang also became the first female winner since Melissa King in season 17 and the latest Last Chance Kitchen winner following Joe Flamm in season 15.

"It's weird looking back because when you're in the process, you don't really think about these things. And then, when the show is airing, all these things get pointed out and, you know, it puts a lot of things in perspective. So I thought that was kinda fun," Magbitang tells PEOPLE about the historical elements that came with her win.

Tasked with serving a four-course progressive meal to judges Kristen Kish, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons as well as guest judges Val Cantú and Brandon Jew, fellow finalists Laurence Louie and Sherry Cardoso each paid tribute to their culinary past while Magbitang specifically honored her family.

Rhoda Magbitang, Sherry Cardoso and Laurence Louie on the 'Top Chef' season 23 finaleCredit: Paul Cheney/Bravo

In addition to drawing inspiration from her time as a chef in California, she served a version of her mother's Filipino-style porridge, paying homage to an early food memory and her interpretation of kaldereta, a hearty Filipino stew honoring her father.

After the three chefs presented their final courses, Kish — who was noticeably more hands-on with the contestants behind the scenes this season — became visibly emotional. "There are a few people at this table that certainly know what it feels like to be where you're at right now," she said as she started crying. "It was a pleasure eating your food. Thank you for all the hard work and the dedication and the passion in creating this meal for us. I truly hope that you guys feel so proud of yourselves."

Looking back on that moment, Magbitang was not surprised to see Kish get emotional. "Kristen being a host that was in our shoes years ago just gives her a lot more empathy — just knowing the emotions and the weight in general of what this could mean for our lives. I'm sure she can agree, like, it tremendously changes hers," the chef says.

Kristen Kish, Rhoda Magbitang, Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio on 'Top Chef' season 23Credit: Paul Cheney/Bravo

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"So none of this should ever be taken lightly," she continues, commending the judges for taking "their jobs really seriously" during filming.

"But, on the other side of that there's Kristen with her enormous heart and soul," Magbitang says, adding, "What she puts into the show I think is something that needs to be studied. I think it's something that is very indicative of our industry nowadays. It used to be just extremely cutthroat… And I think she understands that fully."

Not only that, but Kish was seen multiple times throughout the season reaching out to the chefs behind the scenes, especially as Jennifer Jackson faced some unexpected medical issues that ultimately forced her to leave the competition while her husband, Justin Tootla, had to decide whether or not to continue cooking on the show.

Rhoda Magbitang on 'Top Chef' season 23Credit: Paul Cheney/Bravo

It's something, Magbitang says, "we all appreciated." She adds, "She's a joy to be around."

In addition to being named "Top Chef" by Kish in the finale, the executive chef of CanoeHouse at Mauna Lani in Waimea, Hawaii, won $250,000 cash along with a prize package that includes a Food & Wine feature, an appearance at the Food & Wine Classic event, a headlining dinner at the James Beard House and the opportunity to present at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. She also won $40,000 during QuickFire challenges in the episodes leading up to the finale.

When asked if she's thought at all about the meal she wants to present at the fine-dining eatery in James Beard's former New York City home in August, Magbitang — who was raised in the Philippines before moving to California with her sister — wants to highlight her heritage. "I want to continue on this streak of Filipino dishes," she says, noting that "my grandma owned a stall at a canteen in the Philippines at a high school of like 2,000 students and she would make these very homey dishes."

While she's "still kind of ideating," she teases that she wants to "do something along the lines of a carinderia," a casual type of eatery rooted in authentic, local, home-cooked dishes, which speaks to the type of cooking that made her a formidable contestant and winning chef from the beginning.

Top Chef season 23 is now streaming on Peacock.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”