Padma Lakshmi Reveals the Kind of Top Chef Judges' Table Moment She Loves
Gail Simmons also shares that everyone involved in Top Chef "overcame so much" to film Season 18.
The only thing that could make the return of Bravo's Top Chef even better is Padma Lakshmi spilling some tea on Season 18. The host took to Twitter as the new season premiere aired on April 1 and gave some insight into the buzziest moments of the episode.
For starters, Padma couldn't contain her excitement over having Top Chef alum Gregory Gourdet back in the kitchen, this time as a guest judge for Season 18's very first Quickfire Challenge (clip above). "[Gregory] is BACK!" Padma exclaimed on Twitter as the cheftestants got ready to tackle the Quickfire, which split them into teams and tasked them with creating a single dish using all of the ingredients each of them said they couldn't live without.
But the cheftestants soon found out that Gregory wouldn't be the only Top Chef alum they would be meeting that day. After Melissa King, Richard Blais, Amar Santana, Dale Talde, and Kwame Onwuachi also entered the Top Chef kitchen behind longtime judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, Padma explained that these familiar faces would be part of a rotating all star judging panel this season.
Padma likened this illustrious group of Top Chef alums to the Avengers on Twitter.
In fact, Season 18's group of contestants is just as impressive, according to Padma, who called them "a damn good group of chefs."
Padma also revealed a kind of moment she especially enjoys seeing during the competition. "I love when chefs don't think they did well and they actually #killedit," she tweeted.
Gail also reflected on the Top Chef Season 18 premiere on Instagram on April 1, sharing that she was "overjoyed to be sitting at Judges Table with these beautiful people."
"@bravotopchef season 18 overcame so much in the making, all in an effort to shine a light on the hard-working and talented chefs of this country’s restaurant industry who have been forced to navigate seismic challenges this year," Gail added in the post. "I’m beyond proud of our cast, alumni, producers and crew for what we were able to accomplish together. Hope you feel the glow too. [Your] time starts now!"
Want more Top Chef? New episodes air every Thursday at 8/7c or catch up on the Bravo app.
