Over the course of 20 seasons, Top Chef has become well known for a number of things. Grueling competition, over the top dishes and some of the best cooking you’ll ever see on television. It has also become known as one of the most pretentious shows in the history of forever.
Top Chef is ridiculously haughty and full of itself, and the series has always worn it as a badge of honor. Host Padma Lakshmi and head judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons have always been unapologetic about the fact the series oozes with pretension.
It’s a fact that has turned away some viewers in the past, especially during and after the pandemic that saw families struggling to make ends meet. Watching a chef use hundreds of dollars worth of groceries to make a single meal seemed a bit out of touch to some.
So when it was announced that Lakshmi would be leaving Top Chef after Season 20, there was a thought that maybe this was a chance to remake the show. Maybe tone down the pretentiousness and instead go in a different direction.
Kristen Kish will begin hosting Top Chef with the upcoming Season 21.
It’s official - Kristen Kish has been named host of #TopChef. Get your knives ready as Season 21 heads to Wisconsin! 🔪 pic.twitter.com/FST1J2RPQk
— Bravo Top Chef (@BravoTopChef) July 11, 2023
Well, if you were one of the fans hoping to see that, sorry to disappoint you.
It’s being reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Top Chef and Bravo have announced that Kristen Kish will take over the hosting duties with the upcoming Season 21. Longtime viewers will remember that Kish won the culinary competition on Season 10 and has been a regular guest judge over the years.
According to Kish, being named the new host is like coming home.
"“Top Chef is where I started my journey — first as a competing chef, then a guest judge. Now as host, I have the honor of helping to continue to build this brand. I’m thrilled to sit alongside Gail and Tom as we get to know new incredible chefs and see what they cook up. It feels like coming home.”"
Of course, when it comes to keeping the pretension of Top Chef going, few can fill that role as well as Kish. Whenever she appeared as a judge her comments were usually some of the most biting and critical, with definite opinions about how something should be done.
In other words, she’s perfect for this job.
The upcoming Season 21 of Top Chef will be taking place in Wisconsin of all places, with the focus largely on Milwaukee and Madison.
What do you think Guilty Eaters? Do you think Kristen Kish is the right choice? Leave a comment below and let us know or join the conversation on our Twitter and Facebook pages.