Overview - Top Chef

Overview

An American reality competition show in which chefs compete against each other in culinary challenges and are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated in each episode.

Seasons

• Name: Specials

  Episode: 18

  Date first aired: 2007-06-06

• Name: San Francisco

  Episode: 12

  Top Chef: San Francisco is the first season of American reality television series Top Chef and was based first in San Francisco, California, filmed at Paulding & Company, A Creative Kitchen, in Emeryville, and concluded in Las Vegas, Nevada. The season premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006 and ended on May 24, 2006. Season 1 of Top Chef was taped in October and November 2005 in San Francisco, California. Twelve contestants from around the United States lived together in a house for approximately 21 days competing in a series of challenges. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. The weekly series was hosted by Katie Lee Joel with regular judges chef Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons of Food & Wine Magazine. The winning recipe from each week's episode is featured on Bravo's Top Chef website.

  Date first aired: 2006-03-08

• Name: Los Angeles

  Episode: 13

  Top Chef: Los Angeles is the second season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Los Angeles, California, and concluded in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. The season premiered on Bravo on October 18, 2006 and ended on January 31, 2007. Padma Lakshmi took over as host, with Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons returning as judges. Filming began in Westwood, near UCLA in Los Angeles, on August 10, 2006. The number of contestants expanded from 12 to 15. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. The winning recipe from each week's episode is featured on Bravo's Top Chef website and prepared by Season 1 contestant Lee Anne Wong in a web video called The Wong Way to Cook. Bravo cited negative viewer reaction to the reunion episode of season one as the reason why no reunion episode was filmed for season two.

  Date first aired: 2006-10-17

• Name: Miami

  Episode: 16

  Top Chef: Miami is the third season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Miami, Florida, and concluded in Aspen, Colorado. The season premiered on Bravo on June 13, 2007 and ended on October 10, 2007. Padma Lakshmi returned with Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and new judge Ted Allen, who will switch off with Simmons throughout the season. First season contestant Lee Anne Wong was brought in as a food consultant and assisted in planning the challenges. Production took place in April and May 2007 in Miami Beach, Florida, with 15 contestants living, and the production activity centered, at the historic Fontainebleau Hotel. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. As with Season 2, the winning recipe from each week's episode of Season 3 is featured on Bravo's Top Chef website and prepared by Season 1 contestant Lee Anne Wong in a web video called The Wong Way to Cook.

  Date first aired: 2007-06-12

• Name: Chicago

  Episode: 15

  Top Chef: Chicago is the fourth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Chicago, Illinois, and concluded in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. The season premiered on Bravo on March 12, 2008 and ended on June 11, 2008.

  Date first aired: 2008-03-11

• Name: New York

  Episode: 15

  Top Chef: New York is the fifth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York, and concluded in New Orleans, Louisiana. The season premiered on Bravo on November 12, 2008 and ended on March 4, 2009. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000.

  Date first aired: 2008-11-11

• Name: Las Vegas

  Episode: 16

  Top Chef: Las Vegas is the sixth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Las Vegas, Nevada, and concluded in Napa, California. The season premiered on Bravo on August 19, 2009 and ended on December 16, 2009. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $125,000.

  Date first aired: 2009-08-18

• Name: D.C.

  Episode: 15

  Top Chef: D.C. is the seventh season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Washington, D.C. and concluded in Singapore. The season premiered on Bravo on June 16, 2010 and ended on September 15, 2010. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $125,000.

  Date first aired: 2010-06-15

• Name: All-Stars

  Episode: 17

  Top Chef: All-Stars is the eighth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York and concluded in The Bahamas. This season consists of chefs from the previous 7 seasons who did not win the Title of Top Chef. The season premiered on December 1, 2010. On September 22, 2010, the cast was announced during Season 7's reunion special. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $200,000.

  Date first aired: 2010-11-30