The 13th season of the popular cooking show “Top Chef” is coming up. For those who don’t know, this is a reality TV show in which contestants compete with each other for the title of best chef. The 13th season will be split into two parts – one featuring all-star chefs (those who have competed in previous seasons) and one with new contestants. In this blog post, we discuss some facts about Season 13 and give you insider info that only a true fan would know!
All-star chefs are competing in the first half of Season 13. In this part, contestants will all be cooking dishes from their home country and compete for individual immunity (which means they can’t cook again that week). They’ll also be eliminated one by one until there is a winner – with suspense as to who will take the title!
In the second half of Season 13, contestants will be cooking dishes from a new location and without immunity. They’ll also have to prepare their dishes in less time than they’re used to – meaning that whoever is last might not make it into the top four!
The winner (or winners) of this season gets 100K dollars… as well as the title of Top Chef!
Contestants are:
Eliza Gavin, a naturalist and English chef from London
Thi Le, the owner of A Real Good Kitchen in Virginia Beach (Thi is an immigrant originally from Vietnam)
Tiffani Faison, who was on Season 12 – owns Houston’s Restaurant & Bar in Charleston with her husband, Mikel
Antonia Lofaso, owner of West Hollywood hotspot Gjelina with her husband and business partner, James DiSabatino
Hung Huynh, the DIY expert from Houston
Who are the judges?
Padma Lakshmi, one of the show’s most visible judges and host
Gail Simmons, Top Chef judge who is also a chief creative officer at Bravo Media (mother to a toddler)
Tom Colicchio: Head Judge and Executive Producer. He has won multiple Emmy Awards for his work on the series as a judge and producer
Graham Elliot, a Chicago food critic/restaurateur who has won three Emmy Awards for his work on the show
Emeril Lagasse: a famed chef from New Orleans (isn’t in every episode)
What is this season about?
Season 13 includes contestants from both coasts – along with those in Florida and Texas and a mix of veterans, newcomers, chefs with kids or without them.
This season is being filmed in California’s Napa Valley where the contestants have to say goodbye to their families for six weeks. The first episode airs on Jan 13th at 11 pm EST
Season 13 lasts for seven episodes – instead of nine this time around.
Where to watch?
Viewers can catch the new season of Top Chef on Bravo TV, which is available in both live and video-on-demand formats on any device with a high-speed internet connection. In addition, viewers will be able to stream episodes across three platforms: YouTube, Facebook Watch as well as Instagram’s IGTV.
Viewership: The show will be on Bravo TV, live and in video-on-demand format for any device with a high speed internet connection – YouTube, Facebook Watch as well as Instagram’s IGTV
Audience size: Top Chef viewers are loyal to the program but there is no data available from other sources about how many people are watching
Pre-show contestants:
The contestants of this season are: Jiyeon Lee, Charles Olalia, Vartan Abgaryan, Aarón Sánchez, Ayah Bdeir and Jeremiah Stone. There will be 16 episodes in total with one contestant being eliminated each week until the finale on December 12th.
The contestants will be cooking meals and dishes in locations all over the world, from Thailand to Dubai
Aarón Sánchez: a Mexican who had worked under celebrity chef Thomas Keller at The French Laundry for six years. He has been nominated four times as best chef of the Southwest by the James Beard Foundation (2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015).
Jeremiah Stone: is a self-taught chef who was born in Paris to an American father and French mother. He has been on the show before as a contestant for season 11.
Ayah Bdeir: Is Lebanese/American designer of interactive electronic devices that focus mainly on children’s learning and creativity.
Joe Flamm: is a chef from Philadelphia who has worked at Le Bec-Fin, Alma de Cuba and Restaurant Marc Forgione. He was nominated for the James Beard Award in 2008 as Best Chef Northeast Region
Nina Compton: Is an American born Caribbean native of Jamaican descent with a French father, Swiss mother and French grandmother. She was nominated for the James Beard Award in 2015 as Best Chef of America.
The contestants are given two challenges per episode. The first challenge always takes place in a predetermined location. For example, the episode “Houston” took place at Hughie’s restaurant in Houston, TX and the second is usually themed and based on where they’re visiting that week.