Top Chef: World All-Stars is the twentieth season of the American reality television series Top Chef. Initial details about the season were released by Bravo and NBCUniversal on August 1, 2022, with filming beginning the same month. The majority of the competition was shot in London, with the season finale set in Paris, marking the first time the show had been filmed entirely abroad. The cast included past contestants from several international editions of Top Chef. Throughout the season, Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio, and Gail Simmons were joined by judges from the international editions, in addition to global culinary experts. This is the last season to feature Lakshmi as host. The winner received .
World All-Stars premiered on March 9, 2023, and concluded on June 8, 2023. In the season finale, Top Chef: Houston winner Buddha Lo was declared the victor over Top Chef: Kentucky runner-up Sara Bradley and Top Chef México Season 2 winner Gabri Rodriguez, becoming the series' first two-time champion. Top Chef: California runner-up Amar Santana was voted Fan Favorite.
Production
According to Gail Simmons, the concept for Top Chef: World All-Stars had been in the works for over two years. After filming had wrapped up for the finale of Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. in Tuscany, Magical Elves Productions' executive producers and showrunner flew to Paris to meet with Bravo executives and representatives from the twenty-nine global adaptations of Top Chef. Over a two to three-day conference, the producers shared their experiences, best practices, and challenges with shooting their respective versions of the show. As a result of the meeting, Magical Elves Productions formed the idea of drawing talent from the international editions for the American series' milestone twentieth season.
Once World All-Stars was greenlit, the decision was made to move production outside of the United States to match the international theme. Several destinations were considered, including Italy, Spain, and France. Padma Lakshmi stated that London was ultimately chosen due to its abundance of different produce, meat, and ingredients, as well as its high population of immigrant cultures and ethnicities. The city also acted as neutral territory, as producers felt that filming in the US would give the American chefs an advantage against their foreign competitors. The casting team sought for diversity in the shows, countries, and cuisines the contestants would represent. They also attempted to recruit as many previous winners and runners-up as possible.
The Top Chef kitchen was built in a studio located just outside of Richmond, London. The set was designed by production designer James Pearse Connelly, who took inspiration from British pubs, Harrods Food Hall, and Big Ben. Grocery shopping took place at a Whole Foods Market in Kensington. The production crew arrived in July 2022, staying at the Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel, and began shooting in August. Challenge locations included Kew Gardens, Alexandra Palace, Highclere Castle, and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Filming for Episode 10 ("Thali Time") was notably affected by the death and state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. According to co-executive producer Thi Nguyen, the Elimination Challenge was scheduled to take place at the Taj Hotel. However, the funeral proceedings and the hotel's close proximity to Buckingham Palace forced production to switch the challenge location back to the Top Chef kitchen on the fly. Filming for the season concluded with a two-episode finale in Paris.
Contestants
World All-Stars featured 16 contestants, consisting of former winners and finalists from the American series and various other localized versions of Top Chef from around the globe. The competing chefs represented a total of 11 different iterations of the show. NameHometownCurrent ResidenceOriginal Appearance(s)Original Placement(s)Samuel AlbertSoucelles, FranceAngers, France Top Chef (France): Season 10WinnerLuciana BerrySalvador, Bahia, BrazilLondon, England Top Chef Brasil: Season 2WinnerSara BradleyPaducah, Kentucky Top Chef (USA): Season 16Runner-upDawn BurrellPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaHouston, Texas Top Chef (USA): Season 18Runner-upAli GhzawiIrbid, JordanAmman, Jordan Top Chef (MENA): Season 3WinnerTom GoetterMainz, GermanyWorldwide aboard Scenic ocean vessels Top Chef Germany: Season 13rdNicole GomesRichmond, British ColumbiaVancouver, British Columbia Top Chef Canada: Season 3, Season 55th, WinnerVictoire GouloubiBrazzaville, Republic of the Congo Milan, Italy Top Chef Italia: Season 2Runner-upCharbel HayekBeirut, LebanonLake Worth, Florida Top Chef (MENA): Season 5WinnerBuddha LoPort Douglas, AustraliaBrooklyn, New York Top Chef (USA): Season 19WinnerDale MacKaySaskatoon, Saskatchewan Top Chef Canada: Season 1WinnerPhattanant "May" ThongthongChiang Mai, ThailandBangkok, Thailand Top Chef Thailand: Season 1Runner-upBegoña RodrigoValencia, Spain Top Chef (Spain): Season 1WinnerGabriel "Gabri" RodriguezIztapalapa, Mexico CityMadrid, Spain Top Chef México: Season 2WinnerAmar SantanaDominican Republic/Queens, New YorkSanta Ana, California Top Chef (USA): Season 13Runner-upSylwia StachyraLublin, Poland Top Chef (Poland): Season 7Winner
Contestant progress Episode #1234567891011121314Quickfire ChallengeWinner(s) DaleSara May Ali Tom Dale Buddha Buddha Amar Buddha Buddha Ali ContestantElimination Challenge Results 1 Buddha IN INWIN INLOWHIGH IN INWINLOWWINWINHIGHWINNER2 Sara IN IN INHIGH INHIGH INLOWHIGHHIGHOUTLOWWIN GabriLOWHIGHHIGHLOWLOW IN INHIGHLOWLOWWINHIGHLOWRUNNER-UP 4 Ali INWINLOW INHIGH INWINHIGHHIGHHIGHLOWLOWOUT 5 TomHIGH IN IN IN INLOWLOWWINLOW INLOWOUT 6 Amar IN INLOWHIGHWIN INHIGHLOWHIGHWINOUT 7 Victoire IN IN INHIGHHIGHHIGHLOW INLOWOUT 8 Nicole IN IN INHIGH INWIN IN INOUT 9 CharbelWIN IN INHIGH INHIGHHIGHOUT 10 Dale IN INOUTHIGHOUT 11 Sylwia INLOW INHIGH INOUT 12 BegoñaHIGH INHIGHLOWOUT 13 Luciana INLOWWINOUT 14 May INHIGHOUT 15 DawnLOWOUT 16 SamuelOUT : The chef(s) did not receive immunity for winning the Quickfire Challenge. : Due to the tournament-style format of the Elimination Challenge in Episode 4, no formal challenge winner was determined. The winners of each round were declared safe, while the loser of the final round was eliminated. : Dale won the first Last Chance Kitchen re-entry challenge and returned to the competition. : Sara won the second Last Chance Kitchen re-entry challenge and returned to the competition. (WINNER) The chef won the season and was crowned "Top Chef World All-Star". (RUNNER-UP) The chef was a runner-up for the season. (WIN) The chef won the Elimination Challenge. (HIGH) The chef was selected as one of the top entries in the Elimination Challenge, but did not win. (IN) The chef was not selected as one of the top or bottom entries in the Elimination Challenge and was safe. (LOW) The chef was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Elimination Challenge, but was not eliminated. (OUT) The chef lost the Elimination Challenge.
Episodes
Last Chance Kitchen
No. Title Original air date
References
External links
Official website