The 20 Most Brutal Sabotages From 'Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out'

Cutthroat Kitchen: Knives Out is only for the toughest chefs. In this two-round cooking competition, chefs are given $25,000 to bid however they choose: whether to improve their own odds with superior ingredients and appliances or force the competition to live a chef’s nightmare. Each round begins with a timed trip to the pantry before the bidding opens for surprise advantages and sabotages. With nonstop backstabs and betrayals, no one is safe in host Brian Malarkey’s kitchen.

When an unidentified competitor claimed the fourth convection oven spot as their own, Leslie had to find her own heat. Thanks to Quentin’s strategic bidding, Leslie ended up dropping $5,200 on an electric burner. The only thing tougher than eating airplane food is cooking it.

Quentin mercilessly sabotaged Arnold by replacing his metal skewers with a cornucopia of uncarved root vegetables. But carrot skewers didn’t stop Arnold from taking home the victory with his lemongrass chicken.

Leslie gave Quentin a taste of his own medicine when she stripped him of all heat sources — other than a large blowtorch. What she didn’t see coming was the makeshift oven he’d rig up by placing a pan over a baking sheet to make sure his lamb didn’t come out bleeding and bleating.

When a cooler full of protein, fresh vegetables and buns became available, Mika and Binotto went 50/50 on the culinary care package to ensure their sliders weren’t limited to traditional camping ingredients. Without an allied investor, Stephen never stood a chance in the bidding war.

After acquiring the ability to swap out a competitor’s seasoning with hardtack crackers and coffee grounds, Mika stayed loyal to her Round 1 teammate in Binotto. Stephen was salty, but his venison was not.

Stephen got his revenge by sending Mika to Exile Kitchen. For some chefs, cooking over a raging open flame would be an advantage. But not for Mika, who planned to pair her chipotle Southwestern pork chops with a side of rice. Have you ever forgotten to lower the heat when cooking rice? Exactly — it isn’t pretty.

When tasked with making chicken and rice, the chefs were given the chance to either sabotage someone’s rice, chicken or seasoning. After Max won the auction, OB became overcome with dread as the fear of unknown spices took over his kitchen.

Max continued his reign of terror as he replaced Ariane’s pots and pans with Aunt Ibby’s vintage appliances. Her bake-and-serve pot and omelet pan may be cherished by the right collector, but in the Cutthroat Kitchen, they’re nothing but a brutal means of sabotage.

When the chefs were left to cook with entirely frozen ingredients, a defrosted saving grace came in the form of the Golden Toboggan. But despite failing to outbid Tiana for the treasure trove of fresh meat and produce, Maria felt entitled to request some of her recently acquired herbs. Although Maria was the one who’d driven up the price to $8,500, she played the victim and made Tiana her next target. In Round 2, Maria banished Tiana to Exile Kitchen, rendering her unable to taste her food.

The best way to sabotage Mexican food? Go straight for the spices. When Cris sent Maria and Tiana to the Board of Impossible Ingredients to let fate decide their seasoning, Maria walked out with horseradish and Tiana with hot cheese puffs.

Aerin banished Zev to the Gastropub Exile Kitchen, where his knives and appliances were replaced with an induction burner, blender and blades designed for prepping garnishes. Zev started picking up momentum after rigging up a deep fryer, only to have Alejandro force him to swap kitchens with Aerin. Last call came early for Zev.

The surf and turf challenge got off to a heated start when Phuoc swapped Saba’s lamb rack with a mountain of ground beef. He made another enemy when he sent Leilani to Exile Kitchen, where she was forced to prepare duck breasts with nothing more than a hot dog roller and a popcorn maker.

Upon winning the ability to swap two stations, Saba took a unique approach. Rather than ditching her spite-ground beef in exchange for Phuoc’s steak and scallops, she sent him to Exile Kitchen, freeing Leilani in the process and setting her up to take home the victory with Phuoc’s dish.

Shibumi’s sabotage sent Chris back to his least favorite restaurant — the school cafeteria. Rather than using all the ingredients he’d fought to secure, Chris had no choice but to replace everything except his protein with a basket of school cafeteria staples. At least he didn’t have to eat the mystery meat.

When the bidding war for Exile Kitchen started heating up, Shibumi realized her two competitors had spending cash that she couldn’t sacrifice. When Star dropped $7,000, she decided to share the love and send Shibumi to prepare her dish in a high school chemistry class. But deep down, every chef has wanted to cook over a Bunsen burner at some point.

Star was out there on a mission to win, which in the Cutthroat Kitchen means spending money. Since Shibumi’s blade had already been replaced with an X-Acto knife, the opportunity to take another chef’s knives made Chris the obvious target. But with $23,900 in the bank at the final buzzer, Chris took home the win along with a suitcase full of cash.

When the challenge called for a fruit-based dessert, Adam knew to hit the competition where it hurt most. Thanks to his cutthroat bidding, Demetrius had to swap out his fresh fruit for a tree of fruit leather, raisins, dried apricots and other dried fruit. He welcomed this challenge, but his pound cake ultimately fell short.

Demetrius wasn’t feeling so sweet after being sabotaged by Adam. When Demetrius got the right to swap out someone's dairy with cottage cheese, flour with instant mashed potatoes or sugar with instant tea syrups, he decided to inspect the competition rather than go straight for revenge. After some assessment, Tracey found herself stuffing French toast with a banana and cottage cheese filling.

After barely surviving Round 1, Kelvin showed up ready to spend. He replaced Julia’s protein with smoked salmon, then outbid her, paying $11,000 to send Lana to the Exile Kitchen Lifeboat. Forced to cook on a camping stove in a cramped lifeboat, Lana knew embracing the open sea was her only chance of survival.