Top Chef: Wisconsin
Top Chef: Wisconsin is the twenty-first season of the American reality television series Top Chef. The season was filmed in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, marking the series' first return to the Midwestern United States since Top Chef: Chicago. The season finale was filmed aboard the MS Eurodam in the Caribbean, with stops in Curaçao and Aruba. Top Chef: Seattle winner Kristen Kish replaces Padma Lakshmi as host, following Lakshmi's departure from the show after the previous season. A new digital aftershow, titled The Dish with Kish, debuted alongside the returning Last Chance Kitchen web series.
This season introduced new rules to the competition. Immunity from elimination was no longer awarded for winning Quickfire Challenges. Instead, immunity could only be won through Elimination Challenges, making the winning chef safe in the next episode. The contestants were given the opportunity to earn cash prizes at every Quickfire. In addition, Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons joined Kish to judge the Quickfire Challenges during the latter half of the season, at which point, the chefs' Quickfire performances were factored into elimination decisions.
Top Chef: Wisconsin premiered on March 20, 2024, and concluded on June 19, 2024. In the season finale, Danny Garcia was declared the winner over runners-up Dan Jacobs and Savannah Miller. Michelle Wallace was voted Fan Favorite.
Production
Top Chef: Wisconsin was produced in partnership with the Wisconsin [Economic Development Corporation] and in collaboration with Travel Wisconsin, Visit Milwaukee, Destination Madison, Destination Door County, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. Travel Wisconsin coordinated a total of $1.3 million in production incentives from the WEDC, tourism partners, and agricultural marketing organizations.The show's scouting team was brought out to Wisconsin in November 2022 and visited 56 locations in total. Filming took place over six weeks from August through September 2023. The Top Chef kitchen was set up inside a former ink printing warehouse located in Oak Creek.
Discussions for a Wisconsin-themed season date back to 2019. Chef and restaurateur Paul Bartolotta, who appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef: Las Vegas in 2009, has been credited for continuously advocating for Milwaukee as a potential host city. Series showrunner Doneen Arquines stated regional diversity was an important factor in choosing Wisconsin as the next Top Chef location, as the show had not filmed in the Midwest since Season 4. Detroit, Michigan and Minneapolis, Minnesota were also considered. Wisconsin had previously been on the short list for Season 19. Houston, Texas was eventually chosen after the 2021 Ryder Cup golf tournament moved to Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin and hotels booked up.
When Padma Lakshmi announced her departure from Top Chef to focus on Taste [the Nation with Padma Lakshmi|Taste the Nation], her books, and other creative pursuits, Magical Elves Productions' chief executive Casey Kriley stated Kristen Kish was their clear choice for Lakshmi's replacement. The executives at NBCUniversal, which owns Bravo, claimed they never interviewed anyone else for the position.
Contestants
The cast of Top Chef: Wisconsin initially consisted of 15 chefs. A sixteenth contestant, Soo Ahn, started in the Last Chance Kitchen and eventually joined the main competition following its fifth episode. Kévin D'Andrea previously competed on the sixth season of the French version of Top Chef.Contestant progress
; Quickfire Challenge
; Elimination Challenge
Episodes
''Last Chance Kitchen''
| No. | Title | Original air date |