| Genre: |
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| Presenter: | Gail Simmons |
| Judges: | |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 12 |
| Executive Producer: |
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| Company: |
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| Channel: | Bravo |
Top Chef Amateurs is an American reality competition series that premiered on July 1, 2021, on Bravo.[1] It is a spin-off of the Top Chef television series, featuring home cooks instead of professional chefs.[2] In each episode, two home cooks compete head-to-head in challenges drawn from previous seasons of Top Chef.[2] Each amateur is paired with a past Top Chef contestant, who acts as an advisor and sous chef.[3] The series is hosted by Gail Simmons, who also serves as head judge.[3] The winner of each episode receives .[3]
Production of Top Chef Amateurs began in October 2020 in Portland, Oregon, following filming for .[2] The show was filmed under the same COVID-19 guidelines, utilizing the same kitchen set established at the Portland Expo Center.[3] [4] The competitors were flown to Portland from across the United States, quarantined in their hotel rooms for several days, and tested several times for the coronavirus.[4] Similar to Portland, Amateurs features Top Chef alumni as guest judges, who rotate between cooking with the contestants and judging alongside Simmons.[3]
| Name | Hometown | Occupation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bettina Applewhite | Owings Mills, Maryland | School nutrition specialist | |
| Danie Baker | Seattle, Washington | Tax accountant | |
| Brett Bankson | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Neuroscience student | |
| Lorenzo Beronilla | Saugerties, New York | Actor | |
| Karine Ceyhan | Altadena, California | Pharmaceutical sales | |
| Kolby Chandler | Houston, Texas | Software consultant | |
| Steven DeCarlo | New York City, New York | Hairstylist | |
| Ryan Dishman | Denver, Colorado | Software sales | |
| Rodney Faraon | Arlington, Virginia | International business consultant | |
| Derek Finocchiaro | Edgewater, New Jersey | Fragrance laboratory manager | |
| Kayla Hardin | Montgomery, Alabama | High school biology teacher | |
| Amirah Islam | Austin, Texas | User experience designer | |
| David Johnson | Carmel, Indiana | Home sales consultant | |
| Tamara Johnson | Pembroke Pines, Florida | Dental hygienist | |
| Antwan Jones | Los Angeles, California | Insurance adjuster | |
| Zuliya Khawaja | San Diego, California | Real estate broker | |
| Basil Maqbool | Murrieta, California | Pharmacist | |
| Bree Medley | Bremerton, Washington | Architect | |
| Farah Momen | Medford, Massachusetts | Start-up company advisor | |
| Gina Mustoe | Westford, Massachusetts | High school teacher | |
| Marvin Solomon | Los Angeles, California | Writer | |
| Nick Souksavat | Romeoville, Illinois | Visual merchandiser | |
| Sharila Stewart | Jersey City, New Jersey | Law student | |
| Simon Suh | North Bergen, New Jersey | Hairstylist |