Series contestant Chef Katsuji Tanabe abruptly left Yes, Chef! on NBC, turning heads among fans of the show. Tanabe is one of 12 professional chefs in the debut cast of the new reality series. He arrived on the series as a restauranteur from Raleigh, North Carolina, known for his unique expertise in fuzing the culinary palettes of Mexico and Japan.
Chef Katsuji Tanabe abruptly left Yes, Chef! during its recently released Episode 5 (which aired on Monday, May 26). Tanabe had made it to the top seven in the series, with the show's $250,000 grand prize looming on the horizon, before he mysteriously disappeared, leaving fans wondering what happened.
Yes, Chef! is a new reality series on NBC, pitting several professional chefs (some of which have appeared on series like MasterChef and Top Chef) against one another in a heated culinary competition where they would participate in various cooking challenges in hopes of walking away with the grand prize of a quarter of a million dollars.
The series kicked off its first seasons on NBC on April 28 and is now almost finished with its first batch of episodes. After Episode 5, all that is left is the show's upcoming Season 1 finale, which will air on the network on Monday, June 2.
What Happened to Chef Katsuji Tanabe on Yes, Chef?
Fans were left scratching their heads in Yes, Chef! Episode 5, as Chef Katsuji Tanabe mysteriously left the cooking competition despite still being in contention for the show's grand prize.
What made matters even more confounding is the fact that it is not as though Chef Katsuji was entirely absent from the episode. In fact, he could be seen early on in the latest installment of the new reality series before inexplicably disappearing later in the show.
And it is not as though audiences got any explanation for his departure in the series. After his leaving, Chef Katsuji is narily mentioned in the rest of the episodes, with the only acknowledgment of something happening coming around the 4:40 mark of Episode 5.
In that moment, host José Andrés addressed Chef Katsuji's disappearance ever so briefly, positing that "we are starting with one less chef than expected," only offering that "Chef Katsuji had to leave the competition:"
"As you can see this week, we are starting with one less chef than expected. Chef Katsuji had to leave the competition. So now, Martha, it’s time to move on."
That is the last mention of the contestant fans got on the series (at least so far), leaving audiences to look elsewhere for a more fleshed-out explanation.
Why Did Chef Katsuji Tanabe Leave Yes, Chef Show?
Outside of the series, information on Chef Katsuji Tanabe leaving Yes, Chef! has been scarce. The network has yet to provide a proper explanation, and Tanabe himself has also remained tight-lipped on the subject.
All that fans know is that the reality show contestant "withdrew" from the series rather than being eliminated like the rest of his castmates who had left the series to that point.
This is nowhere near the first time a fan-favorite contestant has left a big-name cooking competition series, but it is one of the most confusing. Mere months ago, Spring Baking Championship's 2025 contestant Lauren Klein opted to step away from the series mid-run, but she cited health issues when she did.
Fans have prodded Chef Katsuji online about his Yes, Chef! departure, with viewers flooding his Instagram comments section to ask why he left. However, he has not responded to these queries despite replying to other unrelated comments.
Some have speculated that Chef Katsuji may be under an NDA until the show ends, which is why he has not addressed why he ultimately left the series, but that has not been confirmed by either him or NBC.
