The season 17 premiere of Top Chef All Stars L.A. is tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo, and fans are sure to recognize some—if not all—of the contestants competing at another chance to win the title of Top Chef.
Also returning are fan-favorite judges Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. Throughout the season, they’ll be joined by celeb guest judges Kelly Clarkson, Ali Wong, Randall Park, Jon Favreau, Danny Trejo and more.
Before you tune in to the new season of the award-winning cooking competition, get a sneak peek of everything to come in the preview clip below. Even better, you can also get a tour of the house and kitchen, watch the very first quickfire challenge of the season and reacquaint yourself with all of the chefs set to compete!
“So, which one of you said you would never do this again?” Colicchio asks the season 17 contestants, nearly all of whom raise their hands while laughing.
The clip goes on to show the hardships they’ll face over the course of the season, but they also receive some reassuring news: the winner will receive $250,000 the largest cash prize in Top Chef history.
In another first for the show, the chefs will travel to Europe for the finale. However, as the trailer proves, getting there will be difficult!
Lucky for the chefs, they’ll be living in luxury (well, aside from the bunk beds) for the time being. Located in the Hollywood Hills, the Top Chef mansion has views of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign, a pool, gym and much more.
“I know nothing about L.A., but I do know that that Hollywood Hills is sort of the place you want to be,” says Kevin Gillespie, a veteran of season six in Las Vegas, in a below clip of the contestants exploring the home for the first time.
After everyone claims a bed and gets a feel for the house, the group heads outside where there’s champagne awaiting them by the pool.
“This is an incredible group of people, and I’ve watched all of you on your seasons,” says another season six vet, Bryan Voltaggio. “I think we all probably share this common bond—”
“Madness?” season 12’s Melissa King chimes in before he can finish his sentence.
“And madness, yeah!” he responds. “It’s gonna be great to cook with all of you.”
Bravo’s cameras also captured the season 17 kitchen with the help of production designer James Connelly, who “creates the world of Top Chef.”
Connelly first takes a look at the “hot line”—made up of burners, a grill and deep fryers—which is positioned to enable the chefs to run back and forth from the prep area.
“Actually, when you’re designing Top Chef kitchen, running is a big deal,” he says. “Because that’s the spirit of the competition.”
Since this season is in L.A., Connelly wanted to incorporate the city’s “appreciation for greenery.”
“So, of course we needed one giant living wall,” he says while the cameras explore a large, greenery-filled display, complete with the signature Top Chef knife.
The pantry’s design also takes a nod from the city of Los Angeles and its icons, like palm trees and the Capitol Records building.
Check out the complete tour below!
To get a real feel for the new season of Top Chef, you can watch a special preview of the very first Quickfire Challenge.
This one in particular is a competition favorite: the mise en place race. Chefs have to prepare different ingredients for cooking as quick (and skillfully!) as possible. The premiere’s challenge involves everything from turning artichokes to cracking California almonds.
“I don’t have a nutcracker in my bag!” season 13 veteran Karen Akunowicz tells the cameras during a confessional.
Get a better idea of what to expect in the below clip.
To see which teams and contestants win, you’ll have to tune in to Top Chef All Stars L.A. tonight at 10 p.m. on Bravo! Until then, get to know all of the season 17 chefs in the gallery below.
Don’t miss Top Chef tonight at 10 p.m.!
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