[2] In addition, Lesley Suter, the food and dining editor for Los Angeles Magazine, joined the judging panel alongside James Oseland, Ruth Reichl, and Francis Lam.
[4] Hosted by regular Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson, the results of each webisode directly impacted the competitors of the main competition.
[4] The winner of each round rewarded their respective head chef with immunity from elimination, while the sous-chefs with the lowest performances earned them a disadvantage, such as less time to prep or shop for ingredients.
^Note 2 : Jennifer beat Sue in the subsequent Battle of the Sous Chefs to return to the competition.
^Note 3 : Jorel and Jennifer beat Nick and Sue to stay in the competition.