This story about “Top Chef” first appeared in the Limited series/movies issue from TheWrap Awards Magazine.
For its historic 20th season, the “Top Chef” team decided it was time for a change. So they packed up and headed to the other side of the pond. “London is a city I’ve lived in for a long time, so I love it,” said presenter Padma Lakshmi. “It’s also the center of the world in a way, and the food is extraordinary.”
Filming the entire season abroad (a first for “Top Chef”) wasn’t the only international ingredient. Of the 16 cheftestants, 12 were former winners or finalists of localized versions of “Top Chef” around the world, including the Americas, Asia, Europe, and MENA (Middle East, North Africa). From that recipe came “Top Chef: World All-Stars”.
Changing the format infused new energy into Bravo’s long-running series. The cooking competition hosted by celebrity chef Tom Colicchio since its inception in 2006 (Lakshmi joined as a host in season 2) has been nominated for 42 Emmy Awards and won two, including Outstanding Reality Competition in 2010. Throughout Over the years, he’s bounced around the country, soaking up local flavor in various American cities with distinct culinary traditions. Now with “World All-Stars,” the show showcased a truly international palette.
“We’ve worked hard on ‘Top Chef’ to make the show more diverse, but it will still be African-American or Chinese-American,” Lakshmi said. “But here, they are only Jordanian or they are only French. They don’t have the same common food traditions that we have in America. So it was interesting to see how they brought their heritage and eating habits into this competition.” Plus, she added, the stakes were high among a group made up entirely of finalists: “Everyone has something to prove,” Lakshmi said. “They want to protect their legacy from the last time they were on ‘Top Chef.'”
Taking inspiration from London, this season’s challenges included revamping traditional British pub food and creating a gourmet picnic at Highclere Castle, the filming location for “Downton Abbey.” For the picnic challenge, the chefs shopped at luxury department store Fortnum & Mason, which supplies food for the royal family.
“We had some places that were just spectacular,” Colicchio said. “You know, our country is not that old. So [visiting historical sites] was nice. Speaking of history, we were there when the Queen died. We stop production. We were all in the studio that day and we took a break to watch it.
pass the caravan
For Colicchio, innovation has always been an integral part of “Top Chef”. “Part of the reason it’s successful is that we’ve changed our program over the years,” he said. “Our producers and Bravo are open to change. And that’s kind of scary, because whatever’s successful, people don’t want to mess with it. But over the years, we continue to play with it, sometimes out of necessity. During the pandemic, when we did restaurant wars in one place, it was just the judges and an accountant. That was fantastic. it is a testament
to be open to going in different directions. And I think that’s what keeps it fresh.”
Colicchio has always been proud of “Top Chef’s” sophisticated look (“We didn’t shoot in a studio. We’re on location. It always looks better”), and he’s particularly interested in the technical enhancement that the film’s cinematography underwent. program. for season 20, which allowed for more dramatic aerial shots. “A couple of years ago, we didn’t have drones. And now we are using them in every episode,” he said. “The overhead shot we got during the big family-style Vrbo challenge on Episode 5 was great. That’s the kind of material that makes the show what it is and adds to the production value.”
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