The First-Ever In-Person PYK Blind Draft episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 23, 2026 · 1H 35M

The First-Ever In-Person PYK Blind Draft

from Pack Your Knives · host Count The Dings

That's right, a blind draft. In person! Top Chef has taken their talents to Tom's home city of Charlotte, which presents a new draft twist. With the possibility that Tom (and Sara) might be attending some challenge tapings in the fall, they got their hands on the contestant list early and drafted immediately to maintain integrity of the show. Yes, for the first time ever, the PYK draft was held before watching the first episode. In the comforts of Tom's home, Tom and Sara break down the wild contestant list (twins! a married couple!), share how they created their rankings and debate their most controversial picks. As a two-time Top Chef finalist, Sara reveals the qualities she looks for in a contestant. Tom explains his bold first pick with research that even Sara didn't uncover and asks the pros and cons of being the hometown chef. Subscribe to the PYK Substack!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://www.packyourknives.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rate PYK 5 Stars on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or watch PYK on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow PYK on Twitter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @packknives⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @packyourknives⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠COUNT THE DINGS MERCH STORE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Check it out here:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://bit.ly/CTDMERCH Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Feb 23, 2026

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The First-Ever In-Person PYK Blind Draft

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