BRAVO’S ‘TOP CHEF’ CELEBRATES MILESTONE 20th SEASON WITH WORLD ALL-STARS EDITION PREMIERING THURSDAY, MARCH 9 AT 9 P.M. ET/PT
Epic International Showdown Features 16 of the Best
“Top Chef” Cheftestants from Around the World Competing for the Ultimate Title
Bravo’s “Top Chef” returns for a milestone 20th season with World All-Stars in London featuring 16 of the greatest competitors from “Top Chef” iterations around the globe facing off in the fiercest showdown the culinary series has seen.
The Emmy, James Beard and Critics’ Choice Award-winning series, produced by Magical Elves, returns with host Padma Lakshmi, head judge Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. “Top Chef” season 20 premieres Thursday, March 9 on Bravo with an entire season of supersized episodes airing Thursdays from 9-10:15 p.m. Episodes will be available the next day on Peacock.
This special All-Stars installment features winners and finalists, representing 11 different “Top Chef” versions around the world, as they vie for the ultimate World All-Stars title. This time the chefs return to the kitchen to battle it out throughout London before moving onto the grand finale in Paris, France. This epic showdown marks the first time that the flagship edition of “Top Chef” has gone abroad for an entire season.
For a sneak peek, click here
MEET THE CHEFTESTANTS
· Samuel Albert (winner, Top Chef France, Season 10)
· Luciana Berry (winner, Top Chef Brazil, Season 2)
· Sara Bradley (finalist, Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 16: Kentucky)
· Dawn Burrell (finalist, Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 18: Portland)
· Ali Ghzawi (winner, Top Chef Middle East & North Africa, Season 3: Lebanon)
· Tom Goetter (finalist, Top Chef Germany, Season 1)
· Nicole Gomes (winner, Top Chef Canada, Season 5: All-Stars)
· Victoire Gouloubi (finalist, Top Chef Italy, Season 2)
· Charbel Hayek (winner, Top Chef Middle East & North Africa, Season 5: Saudi Arabia)
· Buddha Lo (winner, Bravo’s Top Chef, Season 19: Houston)
· Dale MacKay (winner, Top Chef Canada, Season 1)
· May Phattanant Thongthong (Finalist, Top Chef Thailand, Season 1)
· Begoña Rodrigo (winner, Top Chef Spain, Season 1)
· Gabriel Rodriguez (winner, Top Chef Mexico, Season 2)
· Amar Santana (finalist, Bravo’s Top Chef – Season 13: California)
· Sylvia Stachyra (winner, Top Chef Poland, Season 7)
For more information on the cheftestants, please visit Bravotv.com/top-chef.
With national pride and the title of World All-Stars on the line, the chefs are at the top of their game as they compete on a global stage. They have access to the finest UK ingredients as they showcase their culinary skills, diverse roots and international influences in a series of high-pressure challenges. From prepping a picnic at Highclere Castle to going head-to-head at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the chefs will compete in iconic locations throughout London and the surrounding areas. These highly decorated chefs will put their spin on iconic British staples from Beef Wellington and biscuits to pub food and afternoon tea.
This season’s Restaurant Wars also continues to up the ante when Michelin-starred Chef Clare Smyth hands over her restaurant and staff so that each team can deliver a meal worthy of a star. The teams are in for a surprise, however, when they find out a secret critic will be joining the judging panel. To rise above the pack, the cheftestants will have to bring their A-game for the fastest Elimination Challenge in “Top Chef” history and hit all the right notes cooking Indian food for Padma and the judges. With the best of the best competing, the stakes are higher than ever before as they fight to cook in the finale in Paris to claim the ultimate title of Top Chef World All-Star.
Throughout the competition, Padma, Tom and Gail will be joined by distinguished judges from the international versions, including Aquiles Chavez (Judge, Top Chef Mexico), Hélène Darroze (Judge, Top Chef France), Lorna Maseko (Host, Top Chef South Africa), Martha Ortiz (Judge, Top Chef Mexico) and Dave Zilber (Judge, Top Chef Canada). The chefs must also strive to impress a rotation of esteemed global culinary experts, including Gaggan Anand, Sam Bompas, Tom Brown, Jeremy Chan, Brett Graham, Max Halley, Adam Handling, Angela Hartnett, Graham Hornigold, Judy Joo, Asma Khan, Santiago Lastra, Greg Marchand, Clare Smyth, Kirk Westaway, Andrew Wong and Paul A. Young. Tottenham legend Ledley King and Evening Standard restaurant critic Jimi Famurewa contribute to the table. Alain Ducasse also makes a rare appearance with the finalists in Paris.
In the finale meal in Paris, the chefs must cook for guest judge Hélène Darroze, who has six Michelin stars across three restaurants, as well as a daunting table of international juggernauts, including May Chow, Angel Leon, Hunter Lewis, Gwendal Poullennec, Simon Rogan, Marcus Samuelson, Clare Smyth and Daniela Soto-Innes.
The winning chef will be crowned “Top Chef” World All-Star, taking home the Grand Prize of $250,000 provided by the Saratoga® Brand, a feature in Food & Wine and an appearance at the 40th annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.
Beginning Thursday, March 16, Bravo’s Emmy-winning digital companion series “Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen,” hosted by Tom Colicchio, returns for season 12 as the eliminated chefs go head-to-head to try to cook their way back into the competition. Presented by BMW of North America, each week’s episode will be available on Bravotv.com, on demand or wherever you stream Bravo’s “Top Chef” at the conclusion of each week’s episode.
For a complete list of partners this season, click here.
“Top Chef” is a global phenomenon with over 100 winners across 29 international versions. Licensed by NBCUniversal Formats globally, locations include France (14 seasons), Canada (10 seasons), Middle East & North Africa (seven seasons) and Brazil (three seasons) to name a few. The original U.S. series launched in 2006 and has been sold to over 175 territories worldwide. Last year, “Top Chef” Middle East was nominated for an International Emmy Award, marking the first Middle Eastern unscripted series to be recognized.
“Top Chef” is produced by the Emmy Award-winning production company Magical Elves with Casey Kriley, Jo Sharon, Doneen Arquines, Hillary Olsen and Tracy Tong serving as executive producers. The “Top Chef” format is licensed by NBCUniversal Formats, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.
ABOUT MAGICAL ELVES
Magical Elves is a leading producer of award-winning, non-fiction content for domestic and international television markets. Known for hits like “Top Chef” (Bravo), “Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen” (Bravo), “Top Chef Family Style” (Peacock), “Nailed It!” (Netflix), “Cold Justice” (Oxygen) and “Brain Games On The Road” (Nat Geo), Magical Elves is a veteran production company with a long track record of consistently delivering the highest quality programming. Magical Elves is a part of The Tinopolis Group’s portfolio of production companies. For more information, visit www.magicalelves.com.
ABOUT BRAVO MEDIA
Bravo is the premier lifestyle and entertainment brand that drives cultural conversation around its high-quality, interactive original content across all platforms. The network features a diverse slate of original programming, including Emmy® Award-winning “Top Chef” and “Project Runway,” fan-favorites “Vanderpump Rules,” “Below Deck,” “Southern Charm,” and the highly popular “Million Dollar Listing” and “The Real Housewives” franchises. Bravo also boasts the only live late-night talk show on television with the critically acclaimed “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” which has become a nightly destination for A-list celebrities. Bravo is part of the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming portfolio, which includes NBCU’s broadcast, cable and streaming platforms: NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, Universal Kids, USA Network and Peacock. For more information, visit BravoTV.com.
