Top Chef season 23 on Hayu this March
February 5, 2026
The Emmy, James Beard and Critics Choice Award-winning series, Top Chef returns to Hayu on March 10th with host Kristen Kish, head judge Tom Colicchio and perennial judge Gail Simmons as they venture south to the Carolinas. Season 23 will be centred in the emerging and eclectic culinary hub of Charlotte, N.C., with several episodes in Greenville, S.C.
Produced by Magical Elves, the highly lauded cooking competition series highlights 15 rising star chefs as they put their skills to the ultimate test, competing for the coveted title of Top Chef. The chefs must showcase their culinary expertise, originality, and endurance as they face off in pressure-filled challenges showcasing the regional history, diverse cultural flavours, and rich agricultural bounty across the Carolinas. For the first time in the show’s history, the cheftestants include life partners who co-own and operate a restaurant and a pair of highly competitive identical twin brothers vying for the ultimate title.
The winner will take home the grand prize of $250,000 provided by Graza Oil, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, an appearance at the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, headline their own exclusive dinner at the historic James Beard House in New York and have the opportunity to present at The James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago, IL. Along the way, the chefs will have the chance to win immunity, advantages in the competition or cash prizes with more than $150,000 in total up for grabs.
The cheftestants:
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Sieger Bayer – Chicago, IL
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Jassi Bindra – Houston, TX
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Sherry Cardoso – Brooklyn, NY
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Brittany Cochran – Charlotte, NC
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Oscar Diaz – Durham, NC
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Brandon Dearden – Hamilton, MT
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Jonathan Dearden – Alexandria, VA
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Duyen Ha – Los Angeles, CA
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Jennifer Lee Jackson – Suttons Bay, MI/Detroit, MI
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Anthony Jones – Alexandria, VA
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Day Anaїs Joseph – Atlanta, GA
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Laurence Louie – Quincy, MA
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Rhoda Magbitang – Kailua-Kona, HI
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Justin Tootla – Suttons Bay, MI/Detroit, MI
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Nana Araba Wilmot – Cherry Hill, NJ
The season kicks off at full throttle with the first Quickfire at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, featuring NASCAR legends Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch, setting the pace for a high-octane race toward the finish. With challenges crafted to honour all the Carolinas have to offer, the chefs will draw on their own culinary roots with North Carolina’s state vegetable, sweet potatoes, craft a progressively spicier menu featuring some of the world’s hottest peppers, go head-to-head in a whole hog BBQ cookout, and test their ingenuity by creating a dish featuring dehydrated components.
Charlotte-raised comedian Fortune Feimster brings some Comic Relief by putting the chefs’ improv skills to the test, while Southern Charmers Madison LeCroy and Craig Conover challenge the chefs to put their own spin on new southern comfort dishes. Actress Melissa Benoist joins a regal celebration in honour of Queen Charlotte’s birthday and the 20th anniversary of Top Chef, and Liza Koshy tasks the chefs to think outside the box with their presentation, pushing creativity and competition to new heights.
In Greenville, the chefs are joined by actress Danielle Brooks as they cast their lines in the inaugural Top Chef Fishing Derby, before hopping on the Swamp Rabbit Trail for a Quickfire Challenge crafted by fans through social media with special guest judge Try Guys Keith Habersberger and Rachel Ann Cole. Before heading back to Charlotte for the finale, the cheftestants visit Asheville to witness the community’s resilience and rebuilding efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene and return to Charlotte to host a fundraiser spotlighting Appalachian ingredients.
Throughout the competition, Top Chef winners, finalists and fan favourites return to inspire and share their expertise, including Sara Bradley, Tristen Epps-Long, Joe Flamm, Stephanie Izard, Jamie Lynch, Mei Lin, Savannah Miller, Ashleigh Shanti, Michelle Wallace, and Shuai Wang.
The esteemed culinary panel of guest judges and notable diners includes Brent Bookwalter, Sean Brock, Jamie Brown, Val Cantú, Noah Chaimberg, Adam Cooke, Greg & Sabrina Collier, Ed Currie, William Dissen, Eric Ferguson, Meherwan Irani, Brandon Jew, Chayil Johnson, Amirah Kassem, Joe & Katy Kindred, Cheetie Kumar, Emeril Lagasse, Hunter Lewis, James London, Camari Mick, Michael Mina, Niki Nakayama, Clare Reichenbach, Carl Sobocinski, Nok Suntaranon, Jeff Tonidandel and Jon Yao. For the BBQ challenge, Sam Jones, Lewis Donald and the Monk family lend a hand to the cheftestants along with a crew of additional pitmasters.
Top Chef is produced by the Emmy Award-winning production company Magical Elves. Casey Kriley, Jo Sharon, Doneen Arquines, and Tracy Tong executive produce.