After 20 seasons, 'Top Chef' has produced a number of food personalities that are all over TV.
Ever since Top Chef first debuted in 2006, the Bravo competition series has not only become a reality TV mainstay, but it has also become one of the most prestigious culinary showcases for rising chefs from all over America. Now in its 20th season, which sees both U.S. and international all-stars coming together in the U.K. for a global edition, the franchise has produced dozens and dozens of award-winning industry titans that now dominate all things food TV.
Members of the "Top Chef Industrial Complex," as it's been dubbed by the New York Times, not only populate the franchise's many spinoffs -- with the latest being Top Chef Amateurs and Top Chef Family Style -- but they can be found everywhere, from battling it out on one of Food Network's many competitions to hosting various streaming food travel series and everything in between.
As Top Chef continues to reign supreme -- and produce many notable alumni -- here's where to watch some of your fan-favorites, including Antonia Lofaso, Brooke Williamson, Kristen Kish, Richard Blais and others.
Tournament of Champions, Next Level Chef and Other Competitions
After Top Chef, Tournament of Champions is probably the biggest reality food competition on TV. Hosted by Guy Fieri, the primetime culinary battle sees some of the best chefs (many of whom are Top Chef alum) participating in one-on-one cook-offs as they try to beat out their competitors. Two of the first three season winners have been Top Chef contestants, including Brooke Williamson and Tiffani Faison, while Mei Lin is competing in season 4.
Those two winners have also faced off in Beachside Brawl, which was hosted by Antonia Lofaso, who has also appeared on a number of Food Network (and discovery+) competitions. Among the many series the Top Chef alums have hosted, competed or guest judged on include Battle of the Brothers starring Brian and Michael Voltaggio, BBQ Brawl, Beat Bobby Flay, Bobby's Triple Threat, Chopped, Guy's Grocery Games, Iron Chef America, The Julia Child Challenge, Outchef'd and SuperChef Grudge Match.
In addition to hosting Alex vs America, Eric Adjepong also is a judge on OWN's The Great Soul Food Cook-Off.
Beyond Food Network, Richard Blais and Nyesha Arrington can be seen co-hosting and mentoring amateur chefs on the Fox competition, Next Level Chef, which is currently in its second season. Blais, meanwhile, has also appeared as a judge on Gordon Ramsay's other series, Hell's Kitchen, which just completed its 23rd season in February.
Elsewhere, Kristen Kish can be seen hosting Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend, Netflix's newest installment in Mark Dacascos's long-running franchise with Top Chef Masters alum Curtis Stone appearing as one of new Iron Chefs while Jeremy Ford, Gregory Gourdet and Lin attempt to out cook one of the Iron Chefs.
Restaurants at the End of the World and Other Food Travel Series
Aside from hosting TruTV's Fast Foodies and Netflix's Iron Chef, Kish is also the star of National Geographic's Restaurants at the End of the World. The four-part series, which is also streaming on Disney+, sees her exploring the planet's most remote culinary destinations and exploring the culture and traditions behind each location.
All three series, meanwhile, marks Kish's move from contestant to culinary connoisseur. “I’m not cooking because I can’t. My anxiety can’t handle that anymore,” she told ET of no longer wanting participate in competitions.
The other notable food travel series is Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, which returns to Hulu with a second season on May 5 following 2020's acclaimed first season and a celebrated holiday edition. On the series, the Emmy-nominated Top Chef host travels around the U.S. as she digs into the food culture and history of specific communities around the country.
According to Lakshmi, the series was inspired by her desire to learn first hand, "What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide that? What is American food actually?"
Stone, meanwhile, can be seen hosting Tastemade's Field Trip With Curtis Stone as the Aussie food personality goes on a global journey to the destinations that have inspired and informed the menu of his Michelin-starred restaurant, Maude.
The Curious Chef and Other Cooking Shows
In addition to her season 4 turn on Tournament of Champions, Stephanie Izard, another former Top Chef winner and Iron Chef, can be seen learning delicious dinner recipes from some of the best home cooks on The Curious Chef, which returns with season 2 this summer.
She's one of two alums with their own Tastemade series, with Dale Talde's All Up in My Grill being the other. On the series, which returns with season 3 on May 24, Talde turns ordinary cookouts into backyard feasts by teaching viewers innovative grilling recipes and helpful new techniques.
Additionally, on the first four seasons of HBO Max's Selena + Chef, Arrington, Blais, Kish, Lakshmi, Lofaso, who bravely tried to teach Selena Gomez how to cook octopus, as well as Angelo Sosa, Fabio Viviani, Kwame Onwuachi and Tonya Holland can all be seen mentoring the singer through various recipes as she learns her away around the kitchen.
Where to Stream:
RELATED CONTENT:
TV
