Kish’s kitchen: ‘Top Chef’ returns with a new twists and all-star host
Things are shaking up in “Top Chef” with new rules and a new host when it returns Wednesday, March 20, on Bravo.
Following Padma Lakshmi’s (“Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi”) departure from the series last summer, this beloved cooking competition will now be led by “Top Chef” Season 10 winner Kristen Kish (“Fast Foodies”), who is no stranger to the highs, lows and boiling tempers that can erupt when chefs are faced with non-stop, increasingly difficult challenges.
As per previous seasons, Kish will be joined by returning judges Gail Simmons (“Star Plates”) and Tom Colicchio (“Best New Restaurant”) — and see some exciting celebrity guests, such as Carla Hall (“Girls Trip,” 2017), Brittany Snow (“Pitch Perfect,” 2012) and Matty Matheson (“The Bear”) — as the group heads to the midwest to America’s Dairyland: Wisconsin.
In an exclusive sneak peek for the upcoming season, shared jointly by People, Entertainment Weekly and Food & Wine, Kirsh reveals that this time around, they’ve “gathered rising star chefs from across the country here to Wisconsin,” allowing viewers a glimpse at the competing cooks and a taste of what’s to come.
Judge Tom Colicchio takes over from there, explaining the newly changed rules of the game, as this time around there will be no immunity given for Quickfire wins. Following the Quickfire, the winning chef in question was previously awarded a prize, an advantage or immunity going into the elimination challenge. Now, however, the only surefire way to stay safe and remain another week is to make it through the elimination challenge unscathed.
Even when eliminated, however, the game doesn’t stop there. Popular tie-in web series “Last Chance Kitchen” returns alongside the season premiere, offering eliminated chefs an opportunity to prove their worth and potentially make their way back into the competition through skills-oriented challenges.
“This isn’t going to be easy,” Colicchio explains, closing out the sneak peek. “At the end of this, there’s only one person left. You got to make sure it’s you.”
With 15 contestants — ranging from James Beard Award finalists to chefs running Michelin-starred restaurants — the competition is sure to be fierce, with each chef determined to win the life-changing title and a prize of $250,000. Sharpen your knives: the cutthroat competition kicks off when Season 21 of “Top Chef” premieres Wednesday, March 20, on Bravo.