Fall TV Blog

This season, Top Chef’s producers are promising a fiercer competition than ever–and Wednesday’s show made good with a double elimination. While chef Lauren Hope was ousted immediately, the remaining 16 competitors got to experience New York–venturing out into the city’s diverse neighborhoods and cooking up ethnic food in a head-to-head challenge. Unfortunately another chef had to leave. After failing to inspire the judges with his Chinese cuisine, culinary student Patrick Dunlea, 21, was sent packing. Calling from New York, the chef talked about being big man on campus (for a day!), why being a student caused some people to doubt him–and answered our five burning Top Chef questions. –Brian Orloff

Can you describe the feeling of almost being cut right away. And what it was like to see your friend Lauren go?
It’s such a surreal moment. You can barely hear anything, and then all of a sudden once [Tom Colicchio] said my name, I was just so happy to be staying. But I could just feel Lauren squeeze my hand and knew she was going home. It was a very emotional 10 seconds.

Looking back on the challenge, were you happy with what you presented? (more…)

“Welcome to New York,” Padma Lakshmi intoned as this year’s crop of “cheftestants” filed on to Governor’s Island in the opening moments of Top Chef’s fifth season. “This is the most competitive culinary environment in America.”

Turns out, it’s also the most competitive Top Chef season, too.

For the first time, one cast member was ousted in the show’s opening moments during a surprise Quickfire challenge. Their task? Peel 15 apples with a knife. (Insert Big Apple pun here!) The nine speediest chefs were safe, while the remaining eight competitors had to “brunoise” — translation:
finely dice — their fruit. Four were spared from elimination, while the final four had to prepare a dish with their product.
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The chefs are packing up their knives and heading into the kitchen as Top Chef’s season 5 premieres tonight (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET). For the first time, New York will be the backdrop to all the cooking action –a prospect that makes the contestants and the judges excited. Both head judge Tom Colicchio and host Padma Lakshmi call New York home – and are actively involved in the city’s food landscape as food industry professionals, diners and yes, even volunteers. With Thanksgiving approaching, Colicchio is involved in the Cascade Feeding America program, dedicated to providing needy children with meals for the holiday. “Just the act of feeding people is . . . why I got into the business,” he explains. But back to the business at hand–the food competition–Colicchio and Lakshmi spoke to PEOPLE about what to expect now that the show has arrived in the Big Apple – and why they love eating in New York. –Brian Orloff

Everybody says this season is much harder than past seasons. Are the chefs just more accomplished or are the challenges harder or both? (more…)

The competition is just about to heat up as Top Chef season 5 premieres next Thursday, Nov. 12, on Bravo. This season, the cheftestants are competing in New York and the network promises intense challenges and some of the most accomplished chefs yet. The Big Apple location also means the competitors will be forced to take advantage of the city’s diverse food offerings and really investigate New York’s eclectic food scene.

As the season revs up PEOPLE.com sat down with head judge Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi to find out what we can look forward to this season. The two also open up about the season’s other new surprise: guest judge Toby Young. Watch it here! –Brian Orloff

Kelsey McNeal/ABC (2)

The competition is heating up again as Top Chef begins its fifth season with a brand new set of challenges, some new faces on the judges panel and, yes, a new location: New York City.

Top Chef: New York kicks off Nov. 12 on Bravo, bringing 17 hopeful “cheftestants” into the kitchen to face-off for the title of Top Chef – and $100,000 in seed money to start their own restaurants. Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and host Padma Lakshmi will return this season, and they will be joined on the judges panel by Toby Young (pictured below), a food critic and author of the book How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.

“Being in New York this season, we’ve upped the ante – because this is our home turf – so the pressure’s on for the chefs to impress us,” Colicchio said in a statement.
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Though he didn’t win Top Chef, season 2 finalist Sam Talbot has used his notoriety from being on the Bravo show to make his new restaurant Surf Lodge in Montauk, N.Y., a must-visit destination for beach-loving celebs. Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Watts and beau Liev Schreiber, mom-to-be Rebecca Romijn and husband Jerry O’Connell and Jerry Seinfeld are among the stars chowing down at the hunky chef’s haute sea shack.

Even if you can’t make a pilgrimage to the newly engaged 30-year-old’s restaurant, you can try one of his house specialities — the lobster roll. Click here for the mouth-watering recipe!

Jemal Countess/WireImage

She’s already taken the Top Chef title – but now Stephanie Izard gets bragging rights once again: She was named Fan Favorite during Wednesday’s Top Chef Reunion Special.

Izard earned $10,000 for the award, probably inspiring more jealously from her fellow cheftestants. (But really, who can dislike the good-natured Chicago resident?) (Hear more from Stephanie – including why she thinks Tom Colicchio is sexy! — in our exclusive video interview.)
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She kept her win secret from family and friends for three weeks. So after watching the Top Chef finale last night, Stephanie Izard says she’s finally able to express her pride – and not just because she won Top honors. “I was so proud that I actually kept it from [my family] this whole time,” she says, laughing during a call-in from Chicago. So how did the first female Top Chef celebrate her win? In typical Stephanie fashion — at a local bar in Chicago, where she resides. “Everybody’s cheering like I just won the Super Bowl,” the 31-year-old says. “It was really exciting.” With plans to open a restaurant in Chicago in the next year, Izard spoke to PEOPLE, answering your questions about her win, working with Lisa and why Anthony Bourdain terrifies her. – Brian Orloff

How does it feel to be the first female Top Chef winner?
It definitely makes me feel great to be the first female [winner]. Women are always struggling a little bit in this industry. I never look at myself as either a male or a female chef. I just think it’s about who the best chef is. But at the end of the day, I know women have a tough time in the industry. There’s just a lot of guys we have to push around. [Laughs.]

A lot of viewers were disgruntled that Lisa was in the final three. What was it like working with her in the finale? (more…)

As season 4 of Top Chef wrapped up Wednesday, Stephanie Izard rose to the final cooking challenge–and walked away as the first female to win the title of Top Chef in a nail-biter of a finale.

Izard, 31, beat out the remaining competitors — Richard Blais, 35, and Lisa Fernandes, 27 –- nabbing the $100,000 grand prize and the unique honor of being named the first female winner of the popular Bravo cooking competition.

In all three past seasons, female contestants placed in the final three, but have never taken the Top Chef title–a distinction not lost on the Chicago resident.

“This is the biggest thing that’s happened in my life,” Izard said, reacting to her win. (Her initial response when host Padma Lakshmi named her the winner was a demure, “Oh my god. Thank you. Thank you so much.”)

Considered a fan favorite throughout the season, Izard consistently placed in the top week after week, winning four elimination challenges in the 13 episodes leading up to the finale.
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It’s down to three! Lisa, Stephanie and Richard are battling it out for the title of Top Chef. But before the winner is crowned on tonight’s finale (Bravo, 10 p.m. ET), we want to hear from you. PEOPLE.com will be interviewing the victor Thursday morning — so here is your chance to get your burning questions answered. Check back tomorrow to see if your questions are featured in our Top Chef Q&A.

Tell us: What do you want to know from the remaining contestants?

Chuck Hodes/Bravo (3)