'Top Chef' Season 18: Release date, cast, trailer and all you need to know about Bravo show hosted by Padma Lakshmi
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.
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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.
"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).
Trailer
Showrunners
'Top Chef' is produced by Magical Elves. Serving as executive producers are Casey Kriley, Jo Sharon, Doneen Arquines and Hillary Olsen.
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