The 20th season of Bravo’s Emmy-winning “Top Chef,” which will begin filming in London later this month, will mark the first time the show has shot entirely abroad.
Bravo said on Monday that the 20th season of the programme will be a “World All-Stars” season and will include 16 competitors from the 29 other “Top Chef” variants throughout the world.
The group of cheftestants, which will be revealed in January, will be made up of previous season champions and finalists. In 2023, Season 20 will make its debut.
The statement stated that “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi, judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, and respected worldwide culinary experts “would be joined by distinguished judges from the international versions” of the show. The Magical Elves-produced programme got six Emmy nominations this month, including ones for competition programme and presenter. The series previously won an Emmy in 2010 for outstanding reality competition.
Ryan Flynn, senior vice president, current production, NBC Universal Television and Streaming, said, “We’ve always wanted to do a season of ‘Top Chef’ with winners, finalists, and frontrunners, but to take that concept for the 20th season one step further with cheftestants from localised versions across the world has been a dream come true. And where better to hold the World All-Stars than in London, a city known for its culinary prowess and where our cheftestants will have access to the finest products and flavours from around the world?
The UK government’s food minister, Victoria Prentis, made the following comment as part of the announcement: “I’m happy that ‘Top Chef’ has picked London for its first ever season outside of the United States. We have every right to be proud of the outstanding food and beverage produced in the UK. Our food and drink is renowned for its excellent flavour and high quality both at home and abroad, from Scottish salmon and Welsh lamb to Northern Irish meat and English sparkling wine. The passion, traditions, and knowledge of our food and drink industry, which makes up the majority of the U.K.’s manufacturing sector, make the country an excellent candidate for the culinary competition series.
Executive producers Casey Kriley, Jo Sharon, Doneen Arquines, and Hillary Olsen work with Magical Elves to produce “Top Chef.”