Summary

In an interview with Collider, Chef Lana admits she faced heart-pounding moments on Top Chef, including standing on the CN Tower.

Her bottom-three experience during an elimination challenge was intense but educational.

Despite the fear-inducing challenges, Lana embraced criticism for growth in her culinary skills.

Of all the heart-pounding moments on Top Chef Season 22, none shook Lana Lagomarsini quite like standing in front of the judges’ table. She may have stood thousands of feet above Toronto on the edge of the CN Tower, but it was the possibility of going home that truly made her heart race. In a season full of wild challenges and even wilder heights, Chef Lana compares her bottom-three moment during an elimination challenge to one of the most intense physical feats of the competition. And while the view from the CN Tower took her breath away, it was the thought of disappointing herself, her craft, and the judges that truly rattled her.
“My feet were squarely on the ground for the elimination challenges, but I will say that I have never felt my heart beat like that, when I was at judge’s table for sure,” Lana recalls in an exclusive interview with Collider. “There’s a lot on the line and there’s a lot of people who all want the same thing that you do, and the whole world is watching.”
Chef Lana Describes What It’s Like Being in the Bottom 3 on ‘Top Chef’

“I was a little bummed, to be one of the bottom three.”

The dish that sent Lana to the bottom three was her spaetzle squash dish, a nod to her German heritage. While it looked delicious, the judges felt that her well-chopped ingredients canceled out the flavors, and nothing really popped. She ended the episode in the bottom three and was up for elimination — a harrowing experience for any cheftestant.
Unbeknownst to Lana, the judges never seriously considered sending her home. They quickly agreed the dish was not elimination-worthy. Still, the stress of waiting to see if you’ve been eliminated is grueling. “Even in the moment, I definitely felt like I put my heart on the plate,” she shares. “It was a dish that I had made once or twice before during a pop-up, which had some pretty favorable reviews, and I kind of jazzed it up a bit. So I was a little bummed, to be one of the bottom three.”
She acknowledged that, as a viewer, she felt some relief seeing that they actually enjoyed the dish and their critique was helpful. “As I’m watching the season, you’re like, okay, this is how I would tweak it next time, and how I could elevate it. Even dishes that didn’t perform well, I think those are the best sources of inspiration to make the next one better. It’s not a sign to stop doing that dish. I think it’s more of a sign to rework it.”

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She adds, “Myself and a lot of my fellow contestants really, really welcomed that criticism, because not only is it criticism, which can always be constructive, but it’s coming from some of the best palates in America. These are the people you want to listen to if you want to tweak that dish down the line and make it better.”
Cheftestants appear to take the judges’ criticism in stride too, which Lana says is one of the most valuable aspects of being on the show. “Even in these moments when I’m listening to judge’s critiques, they’re not just saying, Oh, I just didn’t like it. They’re telling you that they have real thought and insight, and depth to why they feel the way they do. So if you are able to set your ego aside and truly listen to what they’re saying. There’s so much opportunity for growth there. I feel really, really grateful that I actually have the opportunity to watch some of my dishes back again and to see, even when I’m watching, how I would elevate it.”
CN Tower Edgewalk Was Still Terrifying on ‘Top Chef’

“I’m afraid of heights.”

While facing elimination was terrifying, taking a catwalk atop Toronto’s famous CN Tower ranked as seriously spine-chilling. “That one was scary one for me,” Lana admits. “I was all like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna do it. It’s gonna be awesome.’ I like roller coasters as much as the next guy, and I’ve been known to be a little bit of a daredevil in my youth. But I will tell you one thing: They got us all harnessed up. We got there, the elevator doors opened, and I said, ‘Oh, I’m afraid of heights.’ Then Vinny said something like, ‘Hey, look, there’s a plane.’ And the plane was underneath us. And I said,’ Absolutely not.’”
Top Chef viewers certainly did not see Lana sweat as she made some jokes and bravely walked out onto the open platform. The cheftestants were challenged to lean forward and backward off the platform, while fully harnessed. Those who successfully accomplished this feat won an extra $75. While Lana managed to gulp her fear and successfully perform the task, she was still pretty shaken.
“I was as close as I could be to the interior of that circle and was not even trying to put my foot over there,” she laughs, thinking back to the moment. “So I discovered something about that myself in that day. But honestly, I’m glad I discovered it up there, because if I had known I would have been that afraid, I probably wouldn’t have even gone up. And just doing that one 360 did get me, you know, an extra $75 advantage. But it was hard fought. Me and Massimo — the two Libras — we both handled our stress in very different ways. I became like super auntie and like supportive and being like, ‘Be careful out there!’ and I think he just like got very quiet.”
With the CN Tower behind her, and making it to the semifinals, Lana and the other cheftestants head to Calgary for what is being teased as some of their biggest challenges yet.
Top Chef is on Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET/ PT on Bravo.