The BEST seasons of Top Chef
Every season of Top Chef ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best seasons of Top Chef!
Top Chef is a reality show unlike any other while it searches for the world's next Top Chef. Each week this talented group of chefs, professionally trained and self-taught, will be challenged and judged by some of the best known chefs in the industry. Over the course of the season and endless challenges one chef a week is asked to "pack their knives and go" until there is only one left standing as the ultimate Top Chef.
#1 - All-Stars
First Aired 12/2/2010
Top Chef: All-Stars is the eighth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York and concluded in The Bahamas. This season consists of chefs from the previous 7 seasons who did not win the Title of Top Chef. The season premiered on December 1, 2010. On September 22, 2010, the cast was announced during Season 7's reunion special. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $200,000.
#2 - All Stars L.A.
First Aired 3/20/2020
Season 17, All Stars L.A., features the fiercest group of competitors the show has seen with 15 finalists, front runners and fan favorites from seasons past who have all returned to finish what they started and battle it out for the coveted title.
#3 - Seattle
First Aired 11/8/2012
Top Chef: Seattle was the tenth season of the American reality television series Top Chef, which aired on Bravo. The season was announced on September 19, 2012, and premiered on November 7, 2012. The competition was initially filmed in Seattle, Washington before moving to Juneau, Alaska for 3 episodes, and then concluding in Los Angeles, California. 21 new contestants and 3 Top Chef veterans were selected to compete for the title of "Top Chef" and the $125,000 grand prize.
#4 - Chicago
First Aired 3/13/2008
Top Chef: Chicago is the fourth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Chicago, Illinois, and concluded in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. The season premiered on Bravo on March 12, 2008 and ended on June 11, 2008.
#5 - World All-Stars
First Aired 3/10/2023
#6 - Season 18
First Aired 4/2/2021
Season 18 mixes the standard location-inspired challenges — like a nod to the Oregon Trail — with acknowledgments of the current state of the world, with cheftestants making meals for hundreds of frontline workers.
#7 - Charleston
First Aired 12/2/2016
#8 - Las Vegas
First Aired 8/20/2009
Top Chef: Las Vegas is the sixth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Las Vegas, Nevada, and concluded in Napa, California. The season premiered on Bravo on August 19, 2009 and ended on December 16, 2009. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $125,000.
#9 - Season 15
First Aired 12/8/2017
In season 15, the competition reaches new heights as the chefs battle it out on an epicurean road trip through Colorado, traveling to Denver, Boulder, Telluride and Aspen. From deconstructing the Denver Omelet and preparing Rocky Mountain Oysters to tailgating with the Broncos, the level of competition for these 15 chefs is going to be a mile high.
#10 - Season 16
First Aired 12/7/2018
Top Chef heads to the state of Kentucky for season 16. This season, 15 new talented chefs from cities big and small across the U.S. will compete for the sought-after title amid the unique culinary scenes in Louisville, Lexington and Lake Cumberland, before heading abroad for an epic finale showdown in Macau, China.
#11 - Houston
First Aired 3/4/2022
#12 - Boston
First Aired 10/16/2014
#13 - New Orleans
First Aired 10/3/2013
Top Chef: New Orleans is the eleventh season of the American reality television series Top Chef.
#14 - Wisconsin
First Aired 3/21/2024
Bravo's Top Chef serves up new flavors this season when host Kristen Kish joins head judge Tom Colicchio and perennial judge Gail Simmons at the judges' table as they head to the Midwest to call Wisconsin home.
#15 - Miami
First Aired 6/14/2007
Top Chef: Miami is the third season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Miami, Florida, and concluded in Aspen, Colorado. The season premiered on Bravo on June 13, 2007 and ended on October 10, 2007. Padma Lakshmi returned with Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and new judge Ted Allen, who will switch off with Simmons throughout the season. First season contestant Lee Anne Wong was brought in as a food consultant and assisted in planning the challenges. Production took place in April and May 2007 in Miami Beach, Florida, with 15 contestants living, and the production activity centered, at the historic Fontainebleau Hotel. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. As with Season 2, the winning recipe from each week's episode of Season 3 is featured on Bravo's Top Chef website and prepared by Season 1 contestant Lee Anne Wong in a web video called The Wong Way to Cook.
#16 - New York
First Aired 11/13/2008
Top Chef: New York is the fifth season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in New York City, New York, and concluded in New Orleans, Louisiana. The season premiered on Bravo on November 12, 2008 and ended on March 4, 2009. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000.
#17 - Los Angeles
First Aired 10/19/2006
Top Chef: Los Angeles is the second season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Los Angeles, California, and concluded in Waikoloa Village, Hawaii. The season premiered on Bravo on October 18, 2006 and ended on January 31, 2007. Padma Lakshmi took over as host, with Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons returning as judges. Filming began in Westwood, near UCLA in Los Angeles, on August 10, 2006. The number of contestants expanded from 12 to 15. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. The winning recipe from each week's episode is featured on Bravo's Top Chef website and prepared by Season 1 contestant Lee Anne Wong in a web video called The Wong Way to Cook. Bravo cited negative viewer reaction to the reunion episode of season one as the reason why no reunion episode was filmed for season two.
#18 - San Francisco
First Aired 3/9/2006
Top Chef: San Francisco is the first season of American reality television series Top Chef and was based first in San Francisco, California, filmed at Paulding & Company, A Creative Kitchen, in Emeryville, and concluded in Las Vegas, Nevada. The season premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006 and ended on May 24, 2006. Season 1 of Top Chef was taped in October and November 2005 in San Francisco, California. Twelve contestants from around the United States lived together in a house for approximately 21 days competing in a series of challenges. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $100,000. The weekly series was hosted by Katie Lee Joel with regular judges chef Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons of Food & Wine Magazine. The winning recipe from each week's episode is featured on Bravo's Top Chef website.
#19 - D.C.
First Aired 6/17/2010
Top Chef: D.C. is the seventh season of American reality television series Top Chef and was filmed first in Washington, D.C. and concluded in Singapore. The season premiered on Bravo on June 16, 2010 and ended on September 15, 2010. The prize money awarded to the Top Chef was $125,000.
#20 - California
First Aired 12/3/2015
#21 - Texas
First Aired 11/3/2011
This season introduces a new competition to the series; in addition to the Quickfire and Elimination Challenges featured in televised episodes, the "Last Chance Kitchen" competition allowed eliminated contestants to compete head-to-head in a series of webisodes, with the winner eventually returning to the main competition. The webisodes are available on Bravo's website.