Top Chef

Top Chef
File:Judgestable.jpg Eric Ripert(guest judge), Padma Lakshmi (host/judge), Tom Colicchio (judge), and Gail Simmons (judge) on Top Chef.
Starring	Katie Lee Joel (Season One) Padma Lakshmi (Season Two onward) Tom Colicchio Gail Simmons Ted Allen (Season Three onward)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	41 (as of October 10, 2007)
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Original release
Network	Bravo
Release	March 8, 2006 – present

Top Chef is an American reality competition show that airs on the cable television network Bravo, in which chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges. They are judged by a panel of professional chefs and other notables from the food and wine industry with one or more contestants eliminated each week. Season Three began airing in June 2007. In July 2007, production began on Season Four to be shot in Chicago. The show is produced by Magical Elves Productions, the same company that created Project Runway.

Show format

Each episode of Top Chef, save for the finale, has had two challenges.

In the Quickfire Challenge, each chef is asked to cook a dish with certain requirements (for example, using specific ingredients or to inspire a certain taste) or participate in a culinary-related challenge (for example, a mise-en-place relay or a taste test). They are usually given an hour or less to complete these tasks. A guest judge selects one or more chefs as the best in the challenge. In most cases, the winning chef(s) are granted immunity from the following Elimination Challenge, though they may also gain an additional reward (such as being team captains for a team challenge).

In the Elimination Challenge, the chefs have to prepare one or more dishes to meet the challenge requirements. Many of these are individual challenges and may require several courses, although some instances require teams to complete the challenge. The chefs may have from a few hours to a few days to complete this challenge. If specified by the challenge, the chefs are given a limited budget to shop at a specific food store and place setting stores to complete their task. Each of the four judges sample the food and rate the individuals or teams. At the end of the challenge, the chefs wait to be brought to the Judges' Table, where the four judges deliberate on the best and worst dishes. The top individuals or teams are called in, and may be asked questions of their meals before they are notified of their placement. One individual is named the winner of the challenge and may be awarded an additional prize by the guest judge. Then, the bottom individuals or teams are brought to the judges, and similar discussion of their courses is played out. From this group, one chef or team is determined to be the worst, and then one chef is asked to "pack your knives and go." This is followed by a knife packing sequence for the eliminated chef, and a clip of his or her exit video, to close out the episode.

Midway through each season, the contestants participate in a "Restaurant Wars" (or similarly named) Elimination Challenge. They are split into two teams, which must each transform an empty room into a restaurant within a set time limit and budget, choosing the name, theme, decor, and menu. According to Dale Levitski in the third season Restaurant Wars episode, this is one of the contestants' most anticipated challenges.

In the final challenge, the two remaining chefs prepare a multiple course dinner with the help of previously eliminated chefs . The winning chef is selected based on several factors including food quality, their ability to lead their selected chefs, and general performance during the show.

According to the credits, some elimination decisions (eg. Cliff Crook's disqualification in Season 2) are made in consultation with the show's producers.

Prizes and sponsors

• Editorial feature in Food & Wine Magazine
• Appearance at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado
• $100,000 prize money (awarded since Season One but underwritten by Glad beginning with Season Two)
• Suite of Sears Kenmore kitchen appliances (Seasons One and Two)
• Culinary tour of the French Alps (furnished by Evian beginning with Season Three)

Sears had been a series sponsor since Season One, along with Calphalon and Toyota. Top Chef began using GE appliances in Season Three. Other sponsors have included Kingsford Charcoal, Wild Oats, Bertolli, Cold Stone Creamery, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, Baileys Irish Cream, T.G.I. Friday's, Red Robin, Continental Airlines, Breville, and Bombay Sapphire.

Show summary

Season	Began airing	Judges	Winner	Runner(s)-Up	Other Contestants (in order of elimination)	Number of contestants	Series Location	Finale Location	TV Station
Season One	March 8, 2006	Katie Lee Joel, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons	Harold Dieterle	Tiffani Faison	Kenneth Lee (Ken), Cynthia Sestito, Brian Hill, Candice Kumai, Lisa Parks, Andrea Beaman, Miguel Morales, Stephen Asprinio, Lee Anne Wong, Dave Martin	12	San Francisco, California	Las Vegas, Nevada	Bravo
Season Two	October 18, 2006	Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons	Ilan Hall	Marcel Vigneron	Suyai Steinhauer, Otto Borsich, Emily Sprissler, Marisa Churchill, Josie Smith-Malave, Carlos Fernandez, Frank Terzoli, Mia Gaines-Alt, Betty Fraser, Michael Midgley (Mike), Cliff Crooks, Elia Aboumrad, Sam Talbot	15	Los Angeles, California	Waikoloa Village, Hawaii	Bravo
Season Three	June 13, 2007	Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Ted Allen	Hung Huynh	Dale Levitski, Casey Thompson	Clay Bowen, Sandee Birdsong, Micah Edelstein, Camille Becerra, Lia Bardeen, Joey Paulino, Sara Nguyen, Tre Wilcox, Howie Kleinberg, Chris Jacobsen (CJ), Sara Mair, Brian Malarkey	15	Miami Beach, Florida	Aspen, Colorado	Bravo
Season Four	March 12, 2008 (scheduled)	Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Ted Allen				16	Chicago, Illinois	TBD	Bravo

4 Star All Star (Season One vs. Season Two)

On June 6, 2007, as part of the buildup for Season 3, Bravo aired a special charity episode called "4 Star All Star," which awarded $20,000 to the charity of the winning team's choice. The show brought together Season 1 contestants Stephen, Harold, Dave, and Tiffani, and pitted them against Season 2 contestants Ilan, Elia, Marcel, and Sam. The show format was kept the same, with a Quickfire Challenge to start, followed by an Elimination Challenge. The show was filmed in Miami Beach at the kitchen and hotel used for Season 3. Padma Lakshmi hosted.

• Quickfire Challenge: Create a two-egg breakfast dish in 10 minutes, using only one hand. Prize: An extra $100 for the overall winner's team to spend on groceries for the Elimination Challenge.
  • SEASON 1 TEAM WINNER: Stephen.
  • SEASON 2 TEAM WINNER: Marcel.
  • OVERALL WINNER: Season 1
• Elimination Challenge: Prepare a four-course meal for the Season 3 contestants consisting of scallops, lobster, duck, and Kobe beef. Teams were given 30 minutes of shopping time, with Season 1 able to spend $300 and Season 2 able to spend $200. Teams were given two hours of cooking time. Courses were served head to head, with the team that wins the most courses winning the challenge.
  • SCALLOPS: Dave made cold smoked scallops & triple olive tapenade with lemon vinaigrette. Elia made a scallop duo with citrus marmalade and endive salad. Elia won.
  • LOBSTER: Stephen made lobster poached in beurre blanc with cauliflower crème anglaise. Marcel made a lobster duo with vanilla gelée and lobster foam. Stephen won.
  • DUCK: Harold made spicy duck meatballs with minted gnocchi. Ilan made almond stuffed duck breast with wild rice, white asparagus & raw egg yolk. Harold won.
  • KOBE BEEF: Tiffani made Kobe beef two ways served with creamy polenta. Sam made seared Kobe beef with mushroom confit & onion relish. Tiffani won.
  • OVERALL WINNER: Season 1, with three wins.
• Judges: Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, and Ted Allen.
• Stephen, as winner of the Season 1 team in the Quickfire, became team captain for the Elimination and got to choose his team's charity. He chose Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
• Marcel, as winner of the Season 2 team in the Quickfire, became team captain for his team. He chose Share Our Strength for his charity.
• Prior to the Quickfire Challenge, Season 1 contestant Lee Anne Wong was introduced as having been hired as a food consultant for Top Chef. This also explained Lee Anne's absence from the competition, as she was the fourth-place contestant in the first season of the show.

Top Chef Holiday Special

This December 6th, 2007 special brought selected chefs from all three seasons back with a prize of $20,000 for the winner. Padma Lakshmi presided as host, with regulars Ted Allen, Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons among the judges. The following Chefs participated: Tiffani and Stephen (Season 1); Josie, Marcel, and Betty (Season 2); CJ, Tre, and Sandee (Season 3). It was shot in Chicago, Illinois.

• Quickfire Challenge: Chefs drew knives to determine the order in which they would choose gifts -- ingredients -- from under the tree. Upon their turn, the chef could either choose to 'steal' an already opened gift of another chef, or take a new gift from under the tree.
  • Winner: CJ (Roasted walnuts sauteéd with apples & shrimp)
  • Guest Judge: Eric Ripert
  • Prize: One free pass to the next round during the Elimination Challenge. (The pass could not be used to advance to the final round.)
• Elimination Challenge: Create a three-course meal for a party of nine. After each course, two chefs will be eliminated.
  • Course 1: Stephen and Sandee eliminated.
  • Course 2: Josie and Betty eliminated.
  • Course 3: Marcel and CJ eliminated.
• Surprise Challenge: After the three courses, Tiffani and Tre were given a surprise challenge to create an additional dish, utilizing anything left in the kitchen, in 30 minutes.
  • Winner: Tiffani
  • Winning Menu: Bacon-Wrapped Apples with Brussels Sprout Salad & Apple Chicken Jus; Roasted Duck Breast on Spaetzle with Wine & Orange Jus; Salted Butterscotch Pudding with Whipped Cream; Braised Veal on Puff Pastry with Truffle Butter.
• Guest Judges: Eric Ripert, Elizabeth Falkner, Norman van Aken, Alan Wong, Alfred Portale

Reception

Top Chef has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program as well as the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming in the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards for its second season.

External links

Show-related sites

• Top Chef official web site
• Top Chef at IMDb

Reviews

• Top Chef TV Guide Community: Top Chef
• Top Chef 3 Review at Variety.com
• Nights of the long knives Another season of cutthroat cuisine heats up on Bravo, Newsday, June 12, 2007.