Top Chef: Carolinas
| Top Chef: Carolinas | |
|---|---|
| Season 23 | |
| Hosted by | Kristen Kish |
| Judges | Tom Colicchio Gail Simmons |
| No. of contestants | 15 |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina; Greenville, South Carolina |
| Release | |
| Original network | Bravo |
| Original release | March 9, 2026 – present |
| Season chronology | |
Top Chef: Carolinas is the twenty-third season of the American reality television series Top Chef. Filming was centered around Charlotte, North Carolina, with additional episodes shot in Greenville, South Carolina.[1][2] It premiered on TV on March 9, 2026, though early access to the first episode began on March 3 on Peacock, Bravo's YouTube channel, and video on demand.[1][3][4]
Last Chance Kitchen returns with a couple of format changes.[5] The web series will begin after the third and fourth eliminations, leaving the first two eliminated chefs without second chances.[5] In addition, only one contestant will be allowed to rejoin the main competition.[5]
Production
Filming for Top Chef: Carolinas took place between August and October 2025.[6][7] The season was produced in partnership with the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA) and VisitGreenvilleSC.[8] The show was approved for a North Carolina Film and Entertainment Grant, receiving a $2.5 million grant rebate.[9] The CRVA paid $1.2 million for the "integration of Charlotte assets" into Top Chef; these included verbal mentions, challenges, and reality segments filmed throughout Charlotte; highlights of local history, culture, and ingredients; and the participation of local chefs and restaurateurs.[9] The Top Chef kitchen set was built inside a warehouse in Steele Creek, North Carolina.[10] Grocery shopping segments were filmed at the Uptown Charlotte Whole Foods Market.[11]
The season's US$250,000 grand prize was furnished by a new sponsor, Graza Olive Oil, while the Quickfire Challenge's "quick cash" prizes were once again provided by Wells Fargo.[12] Other sponsors included Bosch Home Appliances, Cracker Barrel, Duke's Mayonnaise, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives, Josh Cellars Wine, Morton Salt, and Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto.[12]
Contestants
Fifteen chefs competed in Top Chef: Carolinas.[13] The cast notably includes identical twins, Brandon and Jonathan Dearden, and a pair of life partners, Jennifer Lee Jackson and Justin Tootla, competing against each other.[13][4]
| Name[13] | Hometown | Current Residence[a] |
|---|---|---|
| Sieger Bayer | Chicago, Illinois | |
| Jaspratap "Jassi" Bindra | Kanpur, India | Houston, Texas |
| Sherry Cardoso | Belo Horizonte, Brazil | Brooklyn, New York |
| Brittany Cochran | Columbus, Ohio | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Oscar Diaz | Chicago, Illinois | Durham, North Carolina |
| Brandon Dearden | Sterling, Virginia | Hamilton, Montana |
| Jonathan Dearden | Sterling, Virginia | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Duyen Ha | Binghamton, New York | Los Angeles, California |
| Jennifer Lee Jackson | Statham, Georgia | Suttons Bay, Michigan/Detroit, Michigan |
| Anthony Jones | Sunderland, Maryland | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Day Anaїs Joseph | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Laurence Louie | Boston, Massachusetts | Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Rhoda Magbitang | Antipolo, Philippines | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii |
| Justin Tootla | Detroit, Michigan | Suttons Bay, Michigan/Detroit, Michigan |
| Nana Araba Wilmot | Cherry Hill, New Jersey | |
Contestant progress
| Episode # | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quickfire Challenge Results |
Jennifer ★ Jonathan ★ Laurence ★ Day ↑ Duyen ↑ Nana ↑ Oscar ↑ Rhoda ↑ Sherry ↑ |
Laurence ★ Nana ↑ Oscar ↑ Brittany ↓ Duyen ↓ Sieger ↓ |
Anthony ★ Duyen ↑ Rhoda ↑ Brittany ↓ Laurence ↓ Nana ↓ |
|||||||||||||
| Contestant | Elimination Challenge Results | |||||||||||||||
| Anthony | HIGH | HIGH | HIGH | |||||||||||||
| Brandon | HIGH | IN | HIGH | |||||||||||||
| Brittany | IN | HIGH | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Duyen | HIGH | IN | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Jennifer | IN | HIGH | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Jonathan | HIGH | HIGH | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Justin | IN | LOW | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Laurence | IN | IN | WIN1 | |||||||||||||
| Oscar | IN | HIGH | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Rhoda | WIN1 | WIN1 | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Sherry | IN | IN | LOW | |||||||||||||
| Sieger | IN | HIGH | LOW | |||||||||||||
| 13 | Nana | LOW | LOW | OUT | ||||||||||||
| 14 | Jassi | IN | OUT | |||||||||||||
| 15 | Day | OUT | ||||||||||||||
^Note 1 : The chef(s) won immunity for the next Elimination Challenge.
- Quickfire Challenge
- ★ The chef won the Quickfire Challenge.
- ↑ The chef was selected as one of the top entries in the Quickfire Challenge but did not win.
- ↓ The chef was selected as one of the bottom entries in the Quickfire Challenge.
- Elimination Challenge
- (WINNER) The chef won the season and was crowned "Top Chef".
- (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
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | US viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 331 | 1 | "Carolina Roots" | March 9, 2026 | 0.37[14] | |
|
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs, split into teams of three, were asked to cook any dish of their choosing. In lieu of a traditional timer, the teams had however long it took a professional driver to complete 23 laps around the Charlotte Motor Speedway. In addition, they were not allowed to plate their dishes until the final lap. The winning team received $15,000. The guest judges were professional stock car racing drivers Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs were randomly assigned one of five varieties of sweet potato — Covington, Norton, Purple Majesty, Murasaki, or Carolina Ruby — to highlight in their dishes. The contestants presented their dishes in groups of three, based on their designated sweet potato, though they competed individually. One person from each group was eligible to win the challenge, while those with the judges' least favorite dishes faced potential elimination. The dishes were served at the restaurant La Belle Helene. The winner received immunity for the next Elimination Challenge. The guest judges were Top Chef alum Jamie Lynch and chefs Sean Brock, Chayil Johnson, and Cheetie Kumar.
| |||||
| 332 | 2 | "Puckerbutt" | March 16, 2026 | 0.28[15] | |
|
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs had 30 minutes to make savory dishes using regional ingredients inspired by a gelato or sorbet flavor for a Talenti-sponsored challenge. Their dishes also had to be paired with one scoop of their chosen gelato or sorbet. The winner received $10,000. The guest judge was Top Chef: Boston winner Mei Lin.
Elimination Challenge: The chefs visited the PuckerButt Pepper Company farms, owned by chili pepper breeder and creator of the Carolina Reaper and Pepper X, Ed Currie. They were then separated into two teams and asked to create seven-course meals with increasingly spicier dishes. The winner received immunity for the next Elimination Challenge. The guest judges were Currie and Heatonist founder/CEO Noah Chaimberg.
| |||||
| 333 | 3 | "True Colors" | March 23, 2026 | TBD | |
|
Quickfire Challenge: The chefs had 30 minutes to turn livermush into an elevated dish. The winner received $10,000. The guest judge was chef Emeril Lagasse.
Elimination Challenge: In honor of North Carolina's textile industry, the chefs were required to create multi-colored dishes incorporating at least two natural food dyes, such as activated charcoal, blueberries, chlorophyll, hibiscus, matcha, saffron, turmeric, and squid ink. The dishes were served at the restaurant Supperland. The winner received immunity for the next Elimination Challenge. The guest judges were Lagasse, baker Amirah Kassem, and Supperland owners Jamie Brown and Jeff Tonidandel. | |||||
| 334 | 4 | TBA | March 30, 2026 | TBD | |
| 335 | 5 | TBA | April 6, 2026 | TBD | |
| 336 | 6 | TBA | April 13, 2026 | TBD | |
| 337 | 7 | TBA | April 20, 2026 | TBD | |
Last Chance Kitchen
| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Back to Basics" | March 30, 2026 |
| 2 | "Claws Out" | April 6, 2026 |
| 3 | "Surprise Showdown" | April 13, 2025 |
| 4 | "Let's Get Weird" | April 20, 2025 |
| 5 | "Last Bites" | April 27, 2025 |
References
- Notes
- ^ The contestants' city and state of residence during time of filming.
- Footnotes
- ^ a b Clements, Erin (July 23, 2025). "Top Chef Reveals New Southern Location for Season 23 (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Leasca, Stacey (July 23, 2025). "Exclusive: 'Top Chef' Just Revealed Its Next Filming Location — and It's a Southern Gem". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ^ Edwards, Christopher (January 29, 2026). "Top Chef Heads to the Carolinas for Season 23, with a Twist! Watch the Trailer and Meet the Chefs (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on January 29, 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ a b Crist, Allison (January 29, 2026). "Meet the Top Chef Season 23 Cheftestants, Including a Couple & Identical Twins (Bios & Photos)". Bravo. Archived from the original on January 29, 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ a b c Witter, Brad (January 29, 2026). "Top Chef Season 23 Features a Southern Charm Crossover and a Game-Changing Cast (TRAILER)". Bravo. Archived from the original on January 29, 2026. Retrieved February 26, 2026.
- ^ Mayhew, Jim (August 20, 2025). "'Top Chef' Kicks Off Production of Season 23 in Charlotte". WBAV-FM. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
- ^ Nelson, Elise (October 10, 2025). "Top Chef's Gail Simmons Reveals How She's Changed as a Judge After 20 Years, Teases New Season (Exclusive)". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
- ^ Gravalese, Stephanie (July 23, 2025). "'Top Chef' Season 23 Will Film In The Carolinas—Here's What Bravo Just Confirmed". Forbes. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ a b Ramsey, Mary (September 11, 2025). "How much North Carolina will pay reality TV show to film new season in Charlotte". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on September 13, 2025. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
- ^ Finley, Heidi (February 27, 2026). "I signed the NDAs & went behind the scenes of 'Top Chef' in Charlotte. What I saw". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 28, 2026. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ Sands, Alexandria (March 6, 2026). ""Top Chef" filmed these Charlotte hotspots". Axios Charlotte. Archived from the original on March 6, 2026. Retrieved Mar 11, 2026.
- ^ a b "NBCUniversal Spices Up 'Top Chef' Season 23 With Bold Brand Partnerships". NBCUniversal. January 29, 2026. Archived from the original on February 25, 2026. Retrieved February 25, 2026.
- ^ a b c Leasca, Stacey (January 29, 2026). "'Top Chef' Is Back for Season 23 — Here's Your First Look at the Contestants". Food & Wine. Archived from the original on January 29, 2026. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (March 11, 2026). "Monday Scorecard: 'American Idol' Tops Night on ABC". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on March 12, 2026. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
- ^ Berman, Marc (March 18, 2026). "'American Idol' Tops Monday; ABC and CBS Neck-and-Neck for Nightly Dominance". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on March 19, 2026. Retrieved March 19, 2026.