Bryce Stubbs, the Oil Field Worker From Montana, Wins '100 Cooks'

Bryce Stubbs is officially the first-ever winner of 100 Cooks.

With just six months of professional kitchen experience under his belt, the 24-year-old oil field worker from Bozeman, Montana, beat 99 of America's best home cooks to take home the $215,000 grand prize after an unforgettable finale.

The victory didn't come as a complete surprise, either. Bryce entered the finale as the man to beat after winning four Best Dishes throughout the competition and becoming the first cook to stamp his ticket into the final eight.

But Bryce's journey to becoming champion started long before he ever stepped into the 100 Cooks kitchen.

A Dream Inspired by His Dad

Bryce's love of cooking was inspired by his late father, an astounding home cook in his own right "who would have done numbers on this show," according to Bryce. He unexpectedly passed when Bryce was just 13 years old.

"I'm 24 years old, and I aspire to be a professional chef one day. Right now, I'm working in the oil fields to save up for the dream I'm chasing," Bryce said. "Being in the finale, I'm just trying to live in the moment and enjoy it."

Growing up raising cattle in Montana, he specializes in cooking wild game and seafood while incorporating traditional Mexican ingredients and cooking techniques inspired by his mother's roots in Chihuahua, Mexico.

With the prize money, Bryce hoped to leave the oil fields behind, move to Europe and pursue his dream of becoming a professional chef.

"I just feel like my dad has been with me along the whole journey of this competition," he said. "So many things have happened that have just worked out for me, and I feel like that was just him giving me a helping hand."

The Man to Beat

When this incredible cooking journey began, all 100 seats were filled with some of the best home cooks in America.

With 92 contestants eliminated heading into the finale, the remaining eight contestants included #33, finance manager Chris Joe; #34, engagement strategist Maxine Chikumbo; #39, oil field worker Bryce Stubbs; #44, former pro basketball player Johnnie Vassar; #66, software engineer Doug Chau; #75, medical device sales rep Jeezil Givens Jr.; #84, content creator Kim Alexander; and #95, sales advisor Holley Francis.

With $215,000 and bragging rights on the line, these eight cooks had already proven they deserved to be there. But to be crowned champion, they still had to survive three epic challenges: preparing a full day's worth of meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A Sweet Start

For the first challenge, the cooks were given the task of putting together a breakfast that was either stuffed or stacked.

Given the choice, Bryce stepped outside his comfort zone a little and decided to put together a tiramisu-inspired stuffed crepe.

"I love tiramisu. It's one of my favorite desserts," he said. "I understand how tiramisu works with the coffee and everything, so I figured I could turn that into a crepe. Taking a risk at this point in the competition is necessary. There's $215,000 on the line, and you're not going to win it by not doing something that's outside your wheelhouse."

To complement his tiramisu-inspired stuffed crepe, he whipped up a cherry compote with fresh cherries, red wine vinegar, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice, hoping it would "balance out the richness of that mascarpone cream."

"What's great about this is the texture, because tiramisu, it gels, and this is so light and airy and kind of floofy." — Judge Alex Guarnaschelli

While judge Nick DiGiovanni didn't love the cherry compote, he still gave Bryce a 9.5 out of 10, which was enough to advance him to the second of the three final challenges.

And Then There Were Five

While the second round was only supposed to consist of four cooks, the judges felt like five contestants deserved to make it through, so for the lunch challenge, Bryce was joined by Chris, Maxine, Doug and Holley.

The second challenge was unlike any they'd come across before. The lunch dish had to highlight either the sweet and tart flavors of an apple or the bright, earthy and spicy flavors of a jalapeño.

A Dish Close to Home

With 40 minutes on the clock, Bryce paid tribute to his Mexican roots by re-creating one of his favorite childhood meals. Inspired by the shrimp tostadas his mom used to make growing up, he prepared a shrimp ceviche tostada while incorporating jalapeño in at least four different ways.

"This is by far the most important lunch I've ever made in my life," he said. "It either gets me to the final two or I'm heading home. I had this gut-wrenching feeling that my shrimp wasn't all the way done. All I could hope was that it would keep cooking in the acid before the judges tasted it. This was by far the most nervous I've ever been to serve something to the judges, knowing it might not be what I wanted."

"It looks beautiful. I love the crispy jalapeño rings on top. I don't think you would've done that before you came on this show." — Judge Alex Guarnaschelli

"I think you packed the most flavor into the smallest amount of food than anyone in this competition so far. Nice job." — Judge Nick DiGiovanni

Although Bryce feared his shrimp dish wouldn't be enough, both Alex and Nick reassured him that it was, sending him to the final challenge against Doug.

A Final Showdown

"I told myself before coming here that if I made it past the first challenge, I'd be happy. Making it this far, I never expected this," Bryce said.

"This feels unreal," Doug added. "I feel like I might be dreaming right now."

As Bryce prepared for the final challenge, he reflected on everything it had taken to reach that moment.

"I grinded every challenge I had, and I fought to get to where I am. But now that I'm actually here, it's a weird place to be. Looking back, I never imagined getting to this point," he said.

'The Story of My Life'

With the mixer officially retired, the final challenge was handed down by host Terry Crews himself. It's simple: Cook the best dinner of your entire life. A dish worth $215,000.

With free rein to use whatever ingredients and style they wanted, Bryce decided to "put his life on a plate."

For his final dish, Bryce made an awe-inspiring elk tenderloin with taro root frites, huckleberry sauce and corn puree.

"I grew up hunting, and I still hunt to this day. Eating elk is a big part of my diet," he said. "I want to show the chefs who I am and where I come from."

Using a butter-basting technique similar to cooking a steak in a steel pan, Bryce's goal was simple, at least on paper: Give the naturally lean elk a rich, fatty flavor without drying it out.

"Growing up, my dad was a great home cook, and it's always been a huge passion of mine. Now I have bigger plans to become a professional chef," he said. "To get there, I've been grinding it out in the oil fields. But I know what the end goal is, and if I'm able to pull this off and win, this is such a great kick-start to the dream I've been chasing."

Reflecting on what a victory would mean, Bryce added: "I want to win this competition really badly. The money is going to be great, and the accomplishment will feel really good. It's for my family, the people I love and care about, my friends and my future. I really want to win this."

And while Alex was hesitant, thinking elk would be a risky choice, Nick felt confident that if anyone in the competition could do it, it was Bryce. And boy were they right!

One Last Challenge Won

When the final judgment was passed down, only one cook could be crowned the best of the best. With Nick calling it Bryce's best dish of the competition and Alex declaring it "hard to beat," Bryce, the oil field worker from Montana, was crowned the first-ever winner of 100 Cooks.

"I think your dad would be so proud of this dish you just served. It's such a confident, flavor-driven dish. I love the way the huckleberry is nice and tart. I love that corn puree. It's nice and smoky. Funny enough, my favorite part is those taro fries on the side. They're shatteringly crispy. To me, this is the best plate you've cooked in this entire competition, and that's very, very important here." — Judge Nick DiGiovanni

"This is your most textured dish: crunchy, fried, crispy, smooth and silky. The one thing I'll say is that there's a little range of temperatures on the meat. I think that got away from you a hair. But everything else is flawless. I'll tell you, I think this is going to be a dish that's hard to beat." — Judge Alex Guarnaschelli

Taking a Big Step Forward

Bryce's dream of becoming a professional chef officially took its biggest step forward as he celebrated the life-changing victory.

"I won the show. I won. I'm at a loss for words," he said. "This competition has been nothing but validation for me. I belong. I felt like cooking is my thing, and winning the show obviously is just the cherry on top."

"It doesn't feel real. It still doesn't feel real. Nothing's set in. It's the best day of my life," he added.

Interview: Catching Up With Bryce

Following his win, we caught up with Bryce to talk about life after 100 Cooks, what's next in his culinary journey and the advice he'd share with aspiring chefs.

FN: What was your reaction to winning the first season of 100 Cooks?

The reality of winning 100 Cooks didn’t settle in until about a week after. It was initially pure shock. One moment I’m hugging Terry Crews and the next I’m on a flight out of LA with the biggest secret to keep. I was obviously very excited to win, but I realized halfway through the competition that meeting the other competitors and becoming close with them was a victory in itself. Winning is still a very surreal experience and is something that may never fully register with me, in the best way.

FN: What has your life been like since winning the competition?

After I won, I actually went back to work in the oil fields. They were gracious enough to give me a job and also let me leave for the show, so I felt it was only right to give them another month of my time. I then quit at the end of March and moved to France for three months to attend pastry school. While I always planned on going to pastry school, winning 100 Cooks gave me the confidence and validation to chase these culinary dreams. Not to mention, I had a cushion of cash coming that allowed me to not stress on finances and focus more on school. Also, being from a small town, it has gained me some notoriety, and I’ve gotten to hear from people I haven’t talked to in a long time, which has been really fun. It’s also opened up some cool doors in the food industry world.

FN: Have you made any plans like travel and what are you looking forward to that’s coming up?

Now that I am finished with pastry school, I’ve returned home to enjoy the release of the final two episodes with friends and family. Once the show concludes, I’m hoping to take any good opportunities that come from it, but I still plan on staging in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Spain at the start of the new year. The pursuit of culinary excellence is still very much my priority. In the meantime, I plan to spend as much time in the kitchen as possible, enjoy the Montana summer and do some private chef work.

FN: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Food Network audience?

As someone who has always loved cooking and watching cooking shows, the opportunity to be on the big screen seems more attainable than ever right now. In the world of social media and online cooking videos, it's important to put yourself out there. Whether you bake sourdough as a hobby or you have worked in three-Michelin-starred restaurants for the last 20 years of your life — post about it. People want to hear your story and see your process. If you’re on the fence about getting your face out there, remember, I’m just a small-town kid from Montana who barely had a couple thousand followers from posting some meal prep videos in college. Now, I’m the No. 1 home cook in America, all because I clicked that upload button.

Bryce's responses have been edited for clarity and grammar.

Where to Watch 100 Cooks

You can rewatch the entire first season on HBO Max or discovery+ now.