01The take
Texas.
Top Chef went on the road for the first time, splitting the season across Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston before settling into a finale run. The cast doubled in the qualifying rounds, Last Chance Kitchen debuted as a parallel mechanic, and the challenges leaned into regional staples without flattening them into cliche. Padma Lakshmi hosted alongside Tom Colicchio, Hugh Acheson, Emeril Lagasse and Gail Simmons across a longer runway than the format usually permits.
03Where it sits in the canon
The #02 slot.
Slot #02 of 3 in the Top Chef Editor's Canon. The neighbors below frame what we ranked above and below it.
No spoilers. Every page is reviewed before it goes live.
06Also appears in
Cross-references.
Also appears in