Bravo will serve up a parallel, Internet-only series of episodes with this fall's Top Chef season 9 that will give eliminated contestants a second chance to return to compete in the show's finale.
The Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen webisode series, hosted by Top Chef lead judge Tom Colicchio, will feature two eliminated contestants competing for a shot at returning to the show.
Bravo isn't letting viewers vote on which contestants get to return; that will be Colicchio's call. However, the network's Live Voting and Loyalty Rewards Program will let
fans earn points for their chosen contestants -- such as by voting during Top Chef
episodes, watching videos and sharing on
Twitter or Facebook -- and at the end of the season, the "chef'testant" who
has amassed the most points will be dubbed "Top Chef Fan Favorite" and
receive a special prize.
"This marks the first time digital elements directly affect the on-air
story," Bravo Digital Media executive vice president Lisa Hsia said in a
statement.
Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen will be available on BravoTV.com and m.BravoTV.com, on the BravoNow iPhone, iPad and Android apps, as well as Hulu, iTunes, Amazon, Zune, PlayStation, video-on-demand and via wireless carriers. The Web series will be shot on the Top Chef set by production company Magical Elves, with Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz as executive producers.
Top Chef season 9 premieres Nov. 2. Toyota, which is returning as a sponsor for a ninth season, will be the exclusive sponsor for the Web series.
