Top Chef
Top Chef | |
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Genre |
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Presented by | |
Starring | Top Chef contestants |
Judges | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 21 |
No. of episodes | 316 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Running time | 42 minutes |
Production company | Magical Elves Productions |
Original release | |
Network | Bravo |
Release | March 8, 2006 present | –
Top Chef is an American
The success of the show has resulted in multiple spin-offs, such as
The twenty-first season, Top Chef: Wisconsin, aired March – June 2024.[2] The series has been renewed for a twenty-second season.[3]
Show format
Basic format
Top Chef is a cooking show that uses a progressive elimination format. The beginning of each season starts with twelve to nineteen professional chefs selected through auditions. The chefs are brought to the season's host city or state, which typically inspires themes throughout the season. The chefs live in a provided apartment, house, or hotel during the season, with limited access to outside communication. In each episode, the chefs participate in a Quickfire Challenge and an Elimination Challenge (described below). The winner of the Quickfire Challenge is typically granted immunity from elimination, a prize, or another benefit for the following Elimination Challenge. As the name suggests, the loser of the Elimination Challenge is eliminated from the competition. This format continues until two or three chefs remain. Each finalist is then challenged to create a full-course meal; the chef with the best meal, as determined by the judges, is declared the "Top Chef" of the season. Towards the end of the season, when only four or five chefs remain, the show moves to another location to finish out the competition.
In the Quickfire Challenge, chefs must cook a
In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs prepare one or more dishes to meet the challenge requirements, which often include a specific theme and are usually more complex and require more time to execute than a Quickfire Challenge. Elimination Challenges may be individual challenges or require chefs to work in teams; some may require the contestants to produce several
After the Elimination Challenge, the chefs report to the Judges' Table, where the judges will deliberate on their choices for the best and worst dishes. The judges may also consider guests' comments, if available. The top individuals or teams are called in and may be asked questions about their dishes or preparation before they are notified of their placement. One or more chefs are named the winner of the challenge and may be awarded an additional prize by the guest judge. The same procedure is repeated with the poorest performing chefs or teams, after which a similar discussion occurs. From this group, one or more chefs are chosen for elimination, with the host asking the chef(s) to leave by saying, "Please pack your knives and go." This is usually followed by a knife-packing sequence for the eliminated chef(s), with a voice-over of their final thoughts about their performance, at the close of the episode. According to the credits, some elimination decisions are made in consultation with the show's producers.
The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000 for Seasons 1-5. It was increased to $125,000 for Seasons 6-7 and 9-16, with a temporary $200,000 prize for Season 8. It was then increased again to $250,000, beginning with Season 17.[5] Furthermore, a fan vote is held each season to determine the Fan Favorite, which features an additional $10,000 reward.
Special formats
Midway through each season, the contestants participate in a "Restaurant Wars" (or similarly named) Elimination Challenge. They are split into two teams, created by the previous Quickfire Challenge winner or by drawing knives. In these teams, the chefs must transform an empty space into a functioning
In the final Elimination Challenge, the two or three remaining chefs must prepare a multiple-course dinner with the assistance of
Last Chance Kitchen
The Last Chance Kitchen is a
Seasons
Season | Subtitle | Winner | Runner(s)-up | Fan Favorite | Original air dates | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | San Francisco | Harold Dieterle | Tiffani Faison | — | March 8 – May 24, 2006 | |
2 | Los Angeles | Ilan Hall | Marcel Vigneron | Sam Talbot | October 18, 2006 – January 31, 2007 | |
3 | Miami | Hung Huynh | Dale Levitski | Casey Thompson | Casey Thompson | June 6 – October 13, 2007 |
4 | Chicago | Stephanie Izard | Lisa Fernandes | Richard Blais | Stephanie Izard | March 12 – June 11, 2008 |
5 | New York | Hosea Rosenberg | Stefan Richter | Carla Hall | Fabio Viviani | November 12, 2008 – March 4, 2009 |
6 | Las Vegas | Michael Voltaggio | Bryan Voltaggio | Kevin Gillespie | Kevin Gillespie | August 19 – December 16, 2009 |
7 | D.C. | Kevin Sbraga | Ed Cotton | Angelo Sosa | Tiffany Derry | June 16 – September 15, 2010 |
8 | All-Stars | Richard Blais | Mike Isabella | Carla Hall | December 1, 2010 – April 6, 2011 | |
9 | Texas | Paul Qui | Sarah Grueneberg | Chris Crary | November 2, 2011 – March 7, 2012 | |
10 | Seattle | Kristen Kish | Brooke Williamson | Sheldon Simeon | November 7, 2012 – February 27, 2013 | |
11 | New Orleans | Nicholas Elmi | Nina Compton | Nina Compton | October 2, 2013 – February 5, 2014 | |
12 | Boston | Mei Lin | Gregory Gourdet | — | October 15, 2014 – February 11, 2015 | |
13 | California | Jeremy Ford | Amar Santana | Isaac Toups | December 2, 2015 – March 17, 2016 | |
14 | Charleston | Brooke Williamson | Shirley Chung | Sheldon Simeon | December 1, 2016 – March 2, 2017 | |
15 | Colorado | Joe Flamm | Adrienne Cheatham | Fatima Ali | December 7, 2017 – March 8, 2018 | |
16 | Kentucky | Kelsey Barnard Clark | Sara Bradley | Kelsey Barnard Clark | December 6, 2018 – March 14, 2019 | |
17 | All-Stars L.A. | Melissa King
|
Bryan Voltaggio | Stephanie Cmar | Melissa King | March 19 – June 18, 2020 |
18 | Portland | Gabe Erales | Shota Nakajima | Dawn Burrell | Shota Nakajima | April 1 – July 1, 2021 |
19 | Houston | Buddha Lo | Evelyn Garcia | Sarah Welch | Damarr Brown | March 3 – June 2, 2022 |
20 | World All-Stars | Buddha Lo | Sara Bradley | Gabri Rodriguez | Amar Santana | March 9 – June 8, 2023 |
21 | Wisconsin | Danny Garcia | Dan Jacobs | Savannah Miller | Michelle Wallace | March 20 – June 19, 2024 |
Spin-offs
Top Chef Masters (2009–13)
Top Chef Masters features established, award-winning chefs, in contrast to Top Chef, which typically features younger, up-and-coming chefs. The series debuted on June 10, 2009, with contestants including
Top Chef: Just Desserts (2010–11)
Top Chef: Just Desserts is a spin-off of the Top Chef format featuring pastry chefs. Bravo announced the series on October 25, 2009.
Top Chef Healthy Showdown (2011)
Top Chef Healthy Showdown is a special webisode series aired in 2011 sponsored by Healthy Choice. It featured former Top Chef contestants Sara Nguyen (Season 3), Ryan Scott (Season 4), Casey Thompson (Season 3, Season 8), and Tre Wilcox (Season 3, Season 8) competing in a series of Quickfire Challenges to win $25,000 and inspire a Top Chef line of Healthy Choice entrées.[12] The series was hosted by Curtis Stone; Ryan was declared the winner of the competition.
Life After Top Chef (2012)
Life After Top Chef is a spin-off featuring former Top Chef contestants Richard Blais, Jennifer Carroll, Spike Mendelsohn, and Fabio Viviani, which focuses on various aspects of their lives, from managing and opening a restaurant to dealing with family dynamics and personal issues. The series premiered on October 3, 2012.[13]
Top Chef Estrellas (2014)
Top Chef Estrellas is a Spanish-language spin-off featuring Hispanic celebrities competing to win $100,000 for their charity of choice.[14] It was hosted by actress Aylín Mújica and judged by chefs Lorena Garcia, Jaime Martín Del Campo, and Ramiro Arvizu.[14] As part of the adaptation, eliminated celebrities were not sent home, but rather became sous-chefs for the remaining contestants.[14] The series premiered on Telemundo on February 16, 2014.[14]
Top Chef Duels (2014)
Top Chef Duels brings back contestants from past seasons of Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, pitting them against each other in head-to-head challenges.[15] The winner of each match-up advanced to the season finale, where one chef received $100,000.[15] The series premiered on August 6, 2014.[16]
Top Chef Junior (2017–18)
Top Chef Junior is a spin-off series originally ordered in 2008 for an eight-episode run on Bravo.[17][18] The show had never aired, nor is it known if any episodes were produced at that time. However, nine years later, Top Chef Junior was mentioned as part of the initial lineup for Universal Kids, an NBCUniversal-owned children's channel launched on September 9, 2017.[19] The series features young chefs between the ages of 9–14.[20] It was hosted by actress Vanessa Lachey, with Top Chef Masters and Top Chef Duels host Curtis Stone serving as its head judge.[20] The first season of Top Chef Junior premiered on October 13, 2017, and its second season premiered on September 8, 2018.[21][22]
Top Chef Amateurs (2021)
Top Chef Amateurs is a spin-off featuring home cooks competing in head-to-head challenges drawn from past seasons of Top Chef.[23] Production of the show began in October 2020 in Portland, Oregon, following the filming of Top Chef: Portland.[23] The series was hosted by Gail Simmons and premiered on July 1, 2021.[23][24]
Top Chef Family Style (2021)
Top Chef Family Style is a spin-off featuring young chefs teaming up with adult family members to compete for $100,000.
Top Chef VIP (2022–present)
Similar to Top Chef Estrellas, Top Chef VIP is a Spanish-language spin-off featuring Hispanic celebrities competing for $100,000.[27] It is hosted by actress Carmen Villalobos and judged by chefs Antonio de Livier, Adria Marina Montaño and Juan Manuel Barrientos.[27] The series premiered on Telemundo on August 9, 2022.[27]
International adaptations
Other media
Top Chef University
Top Chef University is a comprehensive online culinary school involving 12 courses and over 200 in-depth video lessons. The program takes participants through a structured program of the basics (knife skills, kitchen set-up, ingredients) to advanced culinary techniques (
Top Chef: The Game
Top Chef: The Game is a computer game released by Brighter Minds for
TV dinners
To make certain dishes available to viewers who watch Top Chef but do not have time to prepare them,
Cookbooks
On March 20, 2008, Chronicle Books released Top Chef: The Cookbook, with a foreword by Tom Colicchio.[31] On September 30, 2009, Chronicle Books released Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook, with a foreword by Padma Lakshmi.[32] On July 14, 2010, Chronicle Books released How to Cook Like a Top Chef, with a foreword by Rick Bayless.[33]
Reception and awards
Awards
Top Chef was nominated at the
Time magazine's James Poniewozik named Top Chef one of the Top 10 Returning Series of 2007, ranking it at #10.[37]
In December 2023, Variety ranked Top Chef #97 on its list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.[38]
Ratings
Season | Season premiere | Season finale | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Date | US viewers (in millions) |
Date | US viewers (in millions) | |
1 | March 8, 2006 | 1.30[39] | May 24, 2006 | 1.50[40] |
2 | October 18, 2006 | 1.87[41] | January 31, 2007 | 3.89[42] |
3 | June 13, 2007 | 2.02[41] | October 3, 2007 | 3.08[43] |
4 | March 12, 2008 | 2.26[44] | June 11, 2008 | 3.51[45] |
5 | November 12, 2008 | 2.70[46] | February 25, 2009 | 3.74[47] |
6 | August 19, 2009 | 2.60[48] | December 9, 2009 | 3.40[49] |
7 | June 16, 2010 | 1.80[50] | September 15, 2010 | 2.70[51] |
8 | December 1, 2010 | 1.70[52] | March 30, 2011 | 2.77[51] |
9 | November 2, 2011 | 1.59[53] | February 29, 2012 | 1.85[54] |
10 | November 7, 2012 | — | February 27, 2013 | 1.85[55] |
11 | October 2, 2013 | — | February 5, 2014 | 1.70[56] |
12 | October 15, 2014 | 1.09[57] | February 11, 2015 | 0.96[58] |
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (February 3, 2014). "Tinopolis Group Acquires 'Top Chef' Producer Magical Elves". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ DeBianchi, Antonia (February 7, 2024). "Top Chef Gets 'Shaken Up' with New Rules and Kristen Kish as Host — See the Trailer and Meet the Chefs (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ "Top Chef Renewed for Season 22 (Along with Other Bravo Favorites)". The Daily Dish. May 9, 2024. Archived from the original on May 10, 2024. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Perkins 2011, p. 2.
- ^ Perkins 2011, p. 3.
- ^ Carpentier, Megan (March 9, 2023). "Everything to Know About Last Chance Kitchen". Bravo. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
- ^ Reyhani, Monica A. (February 10, 2009). "Top Chef Masters News!". Bravo. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ Stanhope, Kate (January 13, 2011). "Bravo Renews Top Chef, Bethenny and Five More". TV Guide. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ Schneider, Michael (October 25, 2009). "'Desserts' on 'Top Chef' menu". Variety. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ Forbes, Paula (July 1, 2010). "Top Chef: Just Desserts Judges Announced! Johnny Iuzzini, Hubert Keller, Dannielle Kyrillos". Eater. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ Graser, Marc (November 6, 2012). "Fresh ingredients infuse 'Top Chef'". Variety. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ "Top Chef Vets Square Off in 'Healthy Showdown'". Bravo. September 14, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ "Bravo Media Ventures Outside the Kitchen in "Life After Top Chef" Premiering Wednesday, October 3 at 10 PM ET/PT". The Futon Critic. August 27, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ Latin Times. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Prudom, Laura (June 4, 2014). "'Top Chef Duels' Sets Premiere Date, Celebrity Judges To Include Shailene Woodley, Pink". Variety. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ "'Top Chef Duels' Premieres in August: All the Details!". Bravo. June 4, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ Rocchio, Christopher; Rogers, Steve (June 11, 2008). "Bravo developing 'Top Chef Junior' spinoff for young teenage chefs". Reality TV World. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ Levine, Stuart (June 11, 2008). "Bravo order chef shows". Variety. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ Barnes, Brooke (April 30, 2017). "NBCUniversal Is Building Its Own Children's Channel". The New York Times. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
- ^ a b Mizoguchi, Karen (May 12, 2017). "Vanessa Lachey and Curtis Stone Join Top Chef Junior as Host and Head Judge". People. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
- ^ Kinane, Ruth (September 14, 2017). "Top Chef Jr. competition heats up in kitchen boot camp sneak peek". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ^ Hall, Gerrad (August 2, 2018). "See which young chefs make the cut in Top Chef Junior season 2 special". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c Aurthur, Kate (October 20, 2020). "'Top Chef Amateurs' Set at Bravo for 2021 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo's Newest Culinary Competition "Top Chef Amateurs" Premieres Thursday, July 1 at 9 PM ET/PT" (Press release). Bravo. May 20, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
- ^ a b c Shanfeld, Ethan (May 13, 2021). "Peacock Orders 'Top Chef,' 'Below Deck' Spinoffs". Variety. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (August 19, 2021). "Peacock Sets Premiere Dates For 'American Ninja Warrior Junior' Season 3, New 'Frogger' & 'Top Chef Family Style' – Watch The Trailers". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ a b c "'Top Chef VIP' is Coming: When and How to Watch". Telemundo. August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ Kludt, Amanda (May 17, 2010). "Top Chef University Gets You 'Top Chef Certified' for Just $200". Eater. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- Games Magazine: 65–67.
- ^ Stein, Joel (November 30, 2009). "Can Top Chef TV Dinners Live Up to Billing?". Time. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
- ^ "Bravo Media Announces "Top Chef: The Cookbook" Published by Chronicle Books". The Futon Critic. January 9, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
- ^ "Bravo Media Announces Brand Extensions with Multiple Licensing Partnerships". The Futon Critic. April 13, 2009. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0811874861.
- ^ "Primetime Emmy Award Nominations, 2007". Emmys.org. September 8, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- Emmys. September 21, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Reyhani, Monica A. (August 29, 2010). "'Top Chef' Wins the Emmy!". Bravo. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ Poniewozik, James (December 9, 2007). "Top 10 Returning TV Series". Time. Retrieved September 20, 2010.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time". Variety. December 20, 2023.
- ^ "Season Finale of Bravo's 'Project Runway' Smashes Record to Become Most Viewed Telecast in Network History". The Futon Critic. March 9, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Top Chef Finishes as the #1 Food Show on Cable". The Futon Critic. May 25, 2006. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "Bravo's "Top Chef 3 Miami" Returns as No. 1 Food Show on Cable". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Nearly 3.9 Million Total Viewers Feasted on Second Season Finale of 'Top Chef,' Propelling Finale to #1 Telecast on Cable for the Night and Besting ABC's "Primetime" in Head-To-Head Competition". The Futon Critic. February 1, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo's 'Top Chef 3: Miami' Finale No. 1 Cable EnT. Program Attracting More Than Three Million Total Viewers". The Futon Critic. October 4, 2007. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo's "Top Chef: Chicago" Fourth Season Premiere Up 11%, Firing Up More Than Two Million Total Viewers". The Futon Critic. March 13, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo's "Top Chef" Finale Is Most Watched Cable Telecast of the Day in A18-49". The Futon Critic. June 12, 2008. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo's "Top Chef: New York" Sizzles with Highest Rated Premiere Ever, Up Double Digits Across All Demographics". The Futon Critic. November 13, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo's "Top Chef: New York" Stirs Up Highest Rated Season Ever". The Futon Critic. February 26, 2009. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo's "Top Chef: Las Vegas" Hit the Jackpot as the No. 1 Cable Telecast of the Day". The Futon Critic. August 20, 2009. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Top Chef Finale Cooks Up 3.4 Million Viewers". TV by the Numbers. December 10, 2009. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ De Moraes, Lisa (June 18, 2010). "'Top Chef: D.C.' debuts to low ratings on Bravo". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ a b "Bravo's "Top Chef All-Stars" Finale Cooks Up Highest Rated Episode of the Season, Up from Previous Season Finale". The Futon Critic. March 31, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Terriers' Finale Up; 'Top Chef All-Stars' Down; 'Psych' Ratings "Peak" & More". TV by the Numbers. December 2, 2010. Archived from the original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'South Park,' 'American Horror Story' Lead + 'Psych,' 'Real World,' 'Mythbusters' & More". TV by the Numbers. November 3, 2011. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Sons of Guns' and 'Psych' Return, 'Battle of the Exes' Still on Top". TV by the Numbers. March 1, 2012. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo Media's "Top Chef" Finale Hits Season High in All Key Demos, Earning Over 1.85 Million Live Same Day Viewers". The Futon Critic. February 28, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ "Bravo Media's "Top Chef" Finale Sizzled Last Night Earning Season High Ratings in All Key Demos with 1.7 Million Total Viewers". The Futon Critic. February 6, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (October 16, 2014). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'American Horror Story' Wins Night, 'South Park', 'Teen Mom 2', Baseball, 'Impact Wrestling' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (February 22, 2020). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'Duck Dynasty' Tops Night + 'The Game', 'Wahlburgers' NBA Basketball & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
Bibliography
- Perkins, Arthur (2011). Chef Wars: Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Top Chef-Just Desserts. Charleston, South Carolina: Author House. ISBN 978-1451521818.
External links
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