GQ: Where were you when you got the call to be on the show?

Rhoda Magbitang: The first one? I was in Costa Rica. Not on vacation—I was there for work, two years ago. Senna Rich from casting called me to see if I wanted to be on the show, but I thought I was going to be moving to Costa Rica later that year and didn’t think it would work out. So I said no. But then I ended up moving to Big Island and eventually she called me again. She didn’t know what had been going on in my life and was just calling to make sure I was still out. And she basically said, “Hey, it could be really cool if you do it. So if you’re down, you can do it.” There was a lot of hesitation on my part, having just moved here when she called me. But then it happened. I got the Top Chef bug.

Because of the nature of the show, with challenges being sprung on you day to day, it must be hard to come in with a game plan the way you could on another competition show. But was there anything you worked on ahead of the season? Tricks you wanted to have in your back pocket, techniques you refined?

You’re gonna laugh at this, considering what I went through [with elimination], but the only person that I spoke to is a pastry chef. His name is Harry and I have so much respect for him. He gave me so many recipes and I memorized every single one. And not even just recipes—moreso ratios for certain things. A cake, a Madeline, a meringue, cookie dough, ice cream. So that was the extent of the preparation.

How familiar were you with the Carolinas ahead of your season, in terms of the region’s culinary scene, tradition, agriculture and produce? Did you study up on it at all?

I didn’t. In hindsight I probably should have.

I think things worked out fine without it.

Fair enough. I just think I could have had a little bit more knowledge on the different kinds of barbecue in the region—although, hey, I didn’t end up doing that challenge! Maybe I should have researched the 17 different varieties of sweet potatoes. Did you know there were 17 types of sweet potatoes?

No. I learned that on Top Chef.

I also learned that on Top Chef. And then there are certain dishes or traditions native to the region that I wish I’d learned more about. Like, there’s liver mush. We actually have something really similar in the Philippines, so there are parallels there. It’s called liver spread and it comes out of an unrefrigerated can. It’s very questionable. It’s like, almost separating in the can. But on toasted white bread? It’s delicious.

Top Chef isn’t just about being a talented chef. It’s a game—a pretty structured competition that requires a specific skill set outside of what makes you successful in a restaurant kitchen. Do you consider yourself a competitive person? And if so, how did you go about folding that drive into a craft that doesn’t necessarily have a built-in structure in its day-to-day routine that leans into it?

Top Chef is a great equalizer. You could be the most seasoned chef on there and fall flat on your face because a challenge doesn’t fit your skillset. It’s so specific. So I don’t really consider myself a competitive person. I look at people that are way more successful than me and don’t really feel envious. I’m not naturally like that. I never felt like I had a chip on my shoulder or anything to prove. So in a sense maybe the show’s platform wasn’t the best fit. But at the end of the day—and maybe it’s corny to say—your only competition is yourself.