'Top Chef' Season 18: Release date, cast, trailer and all you need to know about Bravo show hosted by Padma Lakshmi

'Top Chef' Season 18 was filmed in Portland and will see 15 chefs compete for the coveted title
Gail Simmons, Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio of 'Top Chef' (Bravo)
Gail Simmons, Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio of 'Top Chef' (Bravo)

The pandemic put the entertainment industry on hold for sometime. A handful of food shows, however, were able to keep the camera rolling while keeping the Covid-19 safety protocols in check. 'Top Chef' was one of them alongside 'Hell's Kitchen' and 'Great British Bake-Off'. The showrunners ensured that a bubble was created and everyone on the crew and cast maintained proper hygiene. 

With that in mind, Season 18 of Bravo's iconic competition series was shot. As the previous season was ending, the network announced that the show was renewed and would return in 2021. Luckily, they were able to wrap it up in time and ready to go on air soon. 

RELATED ARTICLES

'Top Chef': Bryan's fans are 'disgusted' at Melissa's win, say they'll boycott show because it's fixed

'Top Chef' Season 17 winner leaves fans teary-eyed as they hail 'one of the most dominant chefs' on the show

Release date

'Top Chef' Season 18 will premiere on April 1, 2021, on Bravo with two supersized episodes for the first two weeks starting 8/7c. 

Plot

The plot is simple. Each week, the chefs are tasked with two challenges. The first is usually the shorter test that focuses on basic cooking skills while the second one is all about elimination. The difficulty levels of these challenges obviously are amped up as the contestants inch towards the finale.

Last year, Melissa King won fair and square. She was impressive right from the start and had possibly won the most number of mini-tasks of her season. But Melissa was never overconfident. In an interview with MEAWW, she recalled how she had become a bundle of nerves competing with Bryan Voltaggio and Stephanie Cmar.

'Top Chef' Season 17 winner Melissa King (Bravo)

"But when she announced I think I just got flooded with emotions and I remember just crying and it was all kind of in shock, I don't even really remember much of what was happening," she had said. 

Cast

Padma Lakshmi will return as the show's host, while Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons will resume judging duties.

Filmed in Portland, 'Top Chef' will star 15 chefs — Brittanny Anderson (Richmond, Virginia), Avishar Barua (Columbus, Ohio), Dawn Burrell (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Gabe Erales (Austin, Texas), Nelson German (Oakland, California), Byron Gomez (Aspen, Colorado), Sasha Grumman (Houston, Texas), Roscoe Hall (Birmingham, Alabama), Sara Hauman (Portland, Oregon), Kiki Louya (Detriot, Michigan), Maria Mazon (Tuscon, Arizona), Shota Nakajima (Seattle, Washington), Gabriel Pascuzzi (Portland, Oregon), Jamie Tran (Las Vegas, Nevada) and Chris Viaud (Milford, New Hampshire). 

  Hosts Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, winners of the Reality - Competition Program Award for 'Top Chef' pose in the press room at the 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at the JW Marriott Los Angeles at LA Live on August 29, 2010, in Los Angeles, California (Getty Images)

Trailer



 

Showrunners

'Top Chef' is produced by Magical Elves. Serving as executive producers are Casey Kriley, Jo Sharon, Doneen Arquines and Hillary Olsen. 

If you like this, you'll love these:

'Hell's Kitchen'

'Master Chef'

'Crazy Delicious'

'Great British Baking Show'

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Malik has no idea Hondo knows his secret, and Adain Bradley says their story is far from over.
2026-10-17T20:45:16.000Z
Jo’s resignation raises questions about her future as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ begins a new era in Season 23
2026-10-17T18:23:30.000Z
‘Tulsa King’ Season 4, starring Sylvester Stallone, streams every Friday on Paramount+
2026-10-17T10:36:40.000Z
Pavi and her long-lost twin Nisha hunt for their origins as the Havens cheer the last Avatar’s death
2026-10-17T08:37:00.000Z
Season 2 of the HBO Stephen King prequel jumps back to 1935 and a gang of bank robbers
2026-10-17T06:52:24.000Z
‘Fire Country’ season 5 episode 2 reveals Jake’s fate after the shooting as the team uncovers the attacker’s motive
2026-10-17T06:41:28.000Z
Wes ends ‘Sheriff Country’ Season 2 Episode 2 in the hands of Stoyanovs after exposing bakery bug
2026-10-17T05:35:47.000Z
Chad Lowe is the executive producer on ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ and has also directed many episodes
2026-10-17T05:07:28.000Z
Issa López returns as showrunner for a Jamaica Bay story with ties to ’Night Country’
2026-10-17T03:12:59.000Z
Oklahoma’s governor and Dwight’s love interest board a private jet in the first episode of Season 4
2026-10-16T09:30:07.000Z