Results tagged “contestants”

The fifth season of Top Chef has wrapped up its not-so-secret production in New York City and is set to premiere with a "super-sized" episode on November 12th, Bravo announced today. Padma Lakshmi will once again join head judge Tom Colicchio (who made news yesterday with his forthcoming Tuesday night supper "club"). Gail Simmons from Food & Wine Magazine is also a judge, but perhaps the biggest surprise here is the addition of Toby Young, author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, which was recently given the Hollywood treatment.

Further evidence that Top Chef contestants are staying at one of the fabulous new Williamsburg condos at McCarren Park was obtained this weekend when production assistants were seen loading cameras and equipment into 20 Bayard. A laminated sign on the dashboard of one of their vans read "Magical Elves," which is a production company that often works for Bravo. The fifth season of the popular reality show is being filmed in New York, but Bravo is understandably tight-lipped about details. Nevertheless, contestants were spotted at Whole Foods yesterday and Craft this morning.

While current Top Chef contestants battle it out in Chicago, the series prepares for its next round of the culinary contest/reality show. Bravo has announced its casting call for the 5th season (New York's open call is May 11th at the Culinary Institute of America in Astor Center):

Chefs with a passion for food, creativity, a thorough knowledge of cooking techniques and trends and oodles of charisma are what we're looking for. We want both self-taught cooks and those who have trained at top culinary schools.

An application and video must be submitted, so check the site for more details. No word yet on where the new season will take place -- but perhaps Top Chef Brooklyn is in order. We can already envision a challenge at Whisk & Ladle or a crossover episode with Williamsburg's Feed Me Show.