Tom Colicchio Reveals the Special Guest He Brought to Portland for Season 18 of Top Chef

When Tom Colicchio headed to Portland, Oregon to film Season 18 of Bravo's Top Chef several months back, he knew exactly the creature he wanted by his side for the adventure: his beloved pet dog, Tiki. But the story to how Tom and Tiki ended up in each others' lives is a bit sad and ties back to the previous season of Top Chef.

"My first dog, our family dog, was Piper. And she’s a flat-coated retriever just like Tiki is. And Piper, so when we were shooting [Top Chef Season 17] in Italy — going into the spring [earlier that year], the dog was having a hard time. But then we took her for therapy and she started doing better, and [that] summer she was great. We spent most of the time out in Long Island. She loves to swim, so she was in the pool swimming and she was getting strong and healthy. And when I was in Italy shooting, she was diagnosed with, with liver cancer," the Top Chef judge shared in an exclusive interview with Bravo Insider, which took place before Season 18 filmed.

He continued, "My wife took her [to the vet] on a Tuesday. Friday, we got the diagnosis. Saturday, when we’re shooting the finale, I get a call in the morning saying that she can’t walk and she can’t urinate. And I said, 'Get her to the emergency room right away.' They put a catheter in, and they said, 'You know, we can try to hold up, get her through. We’ll see what happens.' And we brought her home. And, for me, it was like I was coming home on Tuesday. And I think our last episode we were shooting was a Monday, I was getting on a plane Tuesday morning to come home. And I got home, and then we put her down on Wednesday."

For Tom, it made wrapping up that season especially emotional, as you might imagine. "That was hard. I was shooting a finale just [and] my heart was breaking because she was with us 11 years, and we’re really attached to our dog and I wasn’t there with her and it crushed me," he said. "And, so that’s what was going on while I was shooting."

The Chefs Head to Italy!

Then came Tiki, who, by the way, has a really adorable Instagram account where fans can follow her adventures with her "hoomans," as she calls them. She also happens to celebrate her birthday this week.

"Then it took us a bunch of months, and we finally got another puppy. So Tiki, she’s our new puppy," Tom said, noting that, at the time, she was "going through a little training [laughs], and when we shoot she may be with me. I think she’s coming with me on the set 'cause my wife’s gonna be home with the kids and dealing with school and everything. So, I think I’m taking the pup with me."

It certainly appears that she did end up heading to Oregon with Tom, based on some Instagrams he shared at the time.

Check out the trailer for the new season of Top Chef, which premieres on April 1 at 8/7c, below.

Your First Look at Top Chef Portland!

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