Twenty-three seasons in, Top Chef has succeeded largely by staying the same. It has remained a cooking competition that takes the food seriously — without ever getting too caught up on the “reality TV” parts of the equation.
What has changed over the last few years is former winner Kristen Kish taking over as host from Padma Lakshmi in Season 21 and the introduction of a sponsored cash prize replacing award immunity for the episode-opening Quick Fire challenges.
With that first shift, Kish easily slipped into the role, earning two Emmy nominations in the process. And as for the second, Kish and her fellow judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons have strong feelings about QuickCash.
Gold Derby sat down with all three before Top Chef‘s FYC event at Universal Studios to reflect on what’s changed, but more importantly, what’s stayed the same.
Gold Derby: Apart from the location, was there anything that felt different this season?
Kristen Kish: From my perspective, in the best way, nothing felt different. The core of Top Chef is always about the celebration of chefs in the industry, great food, and great conversations. Because that foundation remains since season one all the way to Season 23 — which is why I think it’s the test of time — in that way nothing felt different.
How has Kristen evolved as a host over the course of three seasons?
Colicchio: She was ready to go from day one. Maybe a little pep talk going into it, she was a little nervous. But I think she was just really ready from the very beginning. We knew her, and she was able to just slip right in. And I think also, she just was herself. She wasn’t out to prove anything. She wasn’t out to show the world that she was ready. She just was herself, and and I think that served her well.
Gail Simmons: In a way, I think she’s the butterfly. On one hand, she hasn’t changed at all. I think she’s really stayed true to who she is, as a cook, as a friend, as a person, as an empath, but she has grown confidence. It’s hard to actually imagine when she wasn’t in this role. In a way, it always felt very natural for us, but I know from speaking to her, it has been a work in progress. It’s been stepping into a role that was established for so long. I’m a fan.
Kish: I relied very heavily on the two of them, especially in that first half of the first season, where they were the grounding force of comfort and voice of reason. Sometimes when I would start to spiral in my head — and I shared a lot of stuff with them, so they know how I was feeling all through the process — even on television, it never came across. But I was certainly finding my own self worth within the space.
Colicchio: Not to speak for you, but you walk into a franchise that’s been successful, and your whole things like, “I can’t f–k this up.”
Kish: One hundred percent.
Kristen, are you getting more used to sending people home? I appreciate that you seem genuinely affected when you do so.
Kish: Do you ever get used to it? No, the words become more familiar, but I think every single time you say it — because there’s different stages in the competition — there’s different reasons why people are getting eliminated. That brings up a different kind of emotional response. It gets harder and harder as people start to go home for cooking good food, and you’re just like, “Damn.” You wish you didn’t have to say it, but it’s the name of the game. Only one person can win.
Colicchio: I think it gets harder, because emotionally, there’s more at stake. Once you get to the middle of a season, there’s much more at stake because they’ve gotten so far, and you feel the pressure they’re going through. When we’re up there, I get nervous when [Kish] is getting ready to say it, but you realize that you’re going to crush someone’s dreams right now. It kind of sucks, but the nature of the game.
It’s been a few years since Quick Fires changed from awarding immunity to cash prizes. What is the internal polling like on Quick Fire QuickCash now?
Colicchio: I like the cash.
Simmons: I like it too. It works for the gameplay on both ends, right? It incentivizes the Quick Fire. Otherwise, you know you’re not going home. People can check out a little bit and not try as hard. But now there’s more incentive, and it incentivizes the win of the elimination, which otherwise just had bragging rights.
Colicchio: Personally, I think there should be more emphasis on who wins the challenge, not who loses.
Kish: When you leave your job and you’re making the salary that you’re making, if you get $200, you’re just like, “Thank God, I won something.” You are so happy.
Simmons: You’re working so hard, and now almost everyone walks away with something.
Kish: For context, when I left to go compete, I left a very, very small salary — under $40,000 as a sous chef. Take away the main prize, but in Quick Fire cash, I walked away with $45,000 in less than two months.
Simmons: You did? How did you win that?
Kish: You won it for elimination challenges. It changes your life in a really good way.
Finally, Kristen, you were on this past season of The Traitors. You’ve gotten an up-close look at your Emmys competition for Reality Host, Alan Cumming. Did you take away any strategy that you’ll bring to this Emmys season?
Kish: No! We have very different roles in our hosting. They’re two very different television shows. It’s like comparing apples and oranges. So I have a deep appreciation for what he’s doing over there. But no. I mean, maybe some of his style, which is amazing.
