Top Chef returns for season 20 on Bravo when 16 past champs and finalists from the show’s many international versions, including Sara Bradley and Buddha Lo, meet up in London starting March 9. Padma Lakshmi hosts World All-Stars and Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons are judges.
Season 20 features “supersized episodes,” in Bravo’s words, that run for an hour and 15 minutes. Episodes stream on Peacock the day after they air.
The finale happens in Paris. It is the first time the flagship Top Chef has gone abroad for a whole season, Bravo said.
The “cheftestants” are Samuel Albert, who won Top Chef France; Luciana Berry, who won Top Chef Brazil; Sara Bradley, Dawn Burrell, Amar Santana and Buddha Lo from Top Chef; Ali Ghzawi and Charbel Hayek, who both won Top Chef Middle East & North Africa; Tom Goetter from Top Chef Germany; Nicole Gomes and Dale MacKay, who won Top Chef Canada; Victoire Gouloubi from Top Chef Italy; May Phattanant Thongthong from Top Chef Thailand; Begona Rodrigo, who won Top Chef Spain; Gabriel Rodriguez, who won Top Chef Mexico; and Sylvia Stachyra, who won Top Chef Poland.
There are 29 international versions of the show.
Chefs will compete in what Bravo calls “iconic locations” around London and will put their spin on British staples.
Judges from the international versions of Top Chef, including Aquiles Chavez of Top Chef Mexico and Helene Darroze of Top Chef France, will turn up this season to judge the new contestants. Darroze will be one of the judges for the final cook-off in Paris.
The winning chef will be crowned “Top Chef World All-Star” and will get $250,000.
Top Chef premiered in 2006. The show is produced by Magical Elves with Casey Kriley, Jo Sharon, Doneen Arquines, Hillary Olsen and Tracy Tong the executive producers. ■
