This story about “Top Chef” first appeared in the Limited Series/Movies issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
For its milestone 20th season, the “Top Chef” team decided it was time to make a change. So they packed up and headed across the pond. “London is a city that I used to live in for a long time so I love it,” host Padma Lakshmi said. “It’s also the center of the world in a way, and the food is extraordinary.”
Filming the entire season abroad (a “Top Chef” first) wasn’t the only international ingredient. Of the 16 cheftestants, 12 were former winners or runners-up from localized versions of “Top Chef” around the globe, including the Americas, Asia, Europe and MENA (Middle East North Africa).