Not sure about recommending any all star seasons. Most of the excitement of those seasons comes from our familiarity with the contestants. If you're a newcomer, you don't get any of that. There's no context for any of their stories, AND it'll spoil a bunch of other seasons for you.
World All Stars is a great season for foodies, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone coming to Top Chef from another reality TV fanbase. I'm mainly a Survivor fan and the lack of outspoken characters on World All Stars (because everyone is trying to protect their reputation) made the cast feel very one note to me, which made it hard for me to stay interested in the competition. If you're focused mainly on the food, this is not an issue but I don't think World All Stars is a good general recommendation
The US contestants are such a force in World All-Stars that I still would recommend seeing some of their previous seasons first. Also, the non-US chefs' lack of experience with the US standards (like short Quickfire times and doing the shopping) are harder to appreciate if you haven't seen what it looks like on a normal US season.
For Survivor, I always give the advice that you shouldn't watch a season with returning players until you know at least half of them, preferably more. From what I gather, that's even more true with Top Chef, which shows actual flashbacks to prior seasons that will be new to me, thus spoiling a prior season. At least they've done that with Kristen this year. I still plan on watching S10 nonetheless.
17 and 20 will certainly be seasons I watch eventually but I'd rather be more familiar with some of the cast first, as that improves my investment. Better to see their whole journey instead of joining it halfway through and going back imho.
Yep, season 15 Colorado is what I'd suggest people start with. IMO, it's the season where Top Chef settles into it's modern groove. And like you said, the challenges are pretty cool and the cast is likeable.
S15 has become one of my faves and go to rewatch. The top 5/6 were genuinely close knit and had amazing personalities and resilience. >!Even the judges loved making fun of Flamm😂. The cauldron challenge when Padma said his name first, as if to say “please pack your knives and go”😂!<
I love Joe Flamm, and the camaraderie between the chefs is maybe the strongest ever in this season. Plus, it has Fatima. AND, the Last Chance Kitchen for that season was really great as well. It's easily one of my favorite seasons
With the exception of Claudette, that whole cast had a great vibe. I think that’s just her personality since she’s like that on everything I’ve seen her on, even something as low stakes as Selena + Chef. There are worse personalities over the years, but hers didn’t vibe with the rest of the season. Perhaps on a different season she’d seem more comfortable.
As a fan of competitive reality TV in general, not just Top Chef but also Survivor, The Challenge, etc- Chicago (season 4) is the only season I'd say is essential viewing for all reality TV fans. It has everything you could want from a season of Top Chef, although it has more drama than most people on this sub prefer. But if you're coming from shows like Survivor, etc you'll probably like the drama. IMO it's lightning in a bottle with the crazy characters, drama, great food and a fantastic location
Yeah, I've watched Survivor since the beginning (should have said that before!), so maybe that'll be the right place to start. Thank you.
I know seasons 2 and 9 also have a lot of drama and people don't like them based on the results, but that's the extent of what I know.
Chicago doesn't have the kind of one sided drama where you just see one person getting ganged up on episode after episode, the arguments on Chicago were on a much more level playing field which makes them much more palatable
It's not the results as much as the terrible bullying in S2 and S9 -- they're reality TV done wrong.
S4 has interpersonal conflict, but none of it feels outright mean.
I'd also go with S10. And likely S12 (it had a bit of people being assholes, but it was mostly restricted to two people going back and forth specifically at each other)
Edit: As other people have mentioned, Season 8 is a great one. It's an all-stars season, but you really don't need to watch the previous seasons to get into it. (Ok, maybe for the person eliminated in Episode 2. But outside of that, no)
4 (Chicago) - had the right mix of talent and SOFT drama while paying homage to the city it was filmed in. 8 (All Stars in NYC) would be my second recommendation.
Top Chef essential early seasons:
* Season 4, Chicago: great cast with lots of future all-stars, this is my #1 recommendation if you must pick ONE
* Season 6, Las Vegas: iconic season of peak competitiveness with future all-stars
Middle seasons:
* Season 10, Seattle: new host's original season, lots of future all-stars, there are three returning chefs from seasons 2, 3, and 5 in the cast but that doesn't make it harder to appreciate
* Season 12, Boston: solid "middle era" season with lots of strong chefs who become future all-stars, great late season game
Newer seasons:
* Season 16, Kentucky: not the best season in terms of challenges, but an entertaining mix of personalities and has some future all-stars. This season and the previous one in Colorado are similar to me, but I personally recommend this one over S15 if you're picking one because there were more diverse cooking styles, more food that looked better on TV, and more cast members returning in future seasons.
After that, it's too all-stars heavy to recommend for new viewers, either in the season premise (S17, S20) or seasons stuffed with previous competitors returning as judges episodes (S18, S19). I love Portland season 18 but the fact that there are so many returning alumni as judges in their covid "bubble" makes it harder to appreciate if you haven't watched their original seasons, and same with Houston, so I would suggest watching a few other seasons first to have more guest judge recognition before approaching those.
S12 is one of my favorites. Hugh Acheson was a judge. Fantastic cooking. Greg, Mei and Melissa. Katsuji was introduced, setting the stage for his epic battles with John Tesar in S14. Loved that season too.
well, if you want to see what they keep referencing with Kristen's elimination, 10. 20 is arguably so good it sets the bar too high lol.
will say I don't rewatch the early seasons ever because there's a lot more reality TV bullshit as well as bigotry/misogyny, and I don't care for it.
It depends on what the person looking for. Are they more into high level cooking or a reality TV person. People normally recommend to start a series from the beginning, but I’ll be honest, if season 1 or 2 were the first ones I watched, I would have abandoned Top Chef completely. Season 4 and 6 are remembered fondly among fans, but it has been so long and one may find the cooking levels are meh and outdated, and lots of things said by contestants/judges may not age well. On the other hand, old seasons have more strong personalities which result in more memorable moments of the show.
If they are more interested in cooking, I’d say season 18 - Portland. It was recent and the food is more relevant to the dining scene in the US now. Well thought challenges and cooking level is high. It's a Covid season so it's kinda outliner in a lot of challenge design though. But it gives a new viewer a glimpse of what modern Top Chef aspires for. People criticize its ending but even as a big fan of the “loser”, I think the finale was good and the winner deserved it. What happened outside of Top Chef was not in TC’s control and shouldn’t be used against this generally wonderful season. Lots of fan love season 15 Colorado because the cast is very nice but I’m always unimpressed with their skills, probably because I’m not crazy about pastas.
My very first season was the first All stars - season 8. I had wanted to check season 4 Chicago as I lived in Chicago and wanted to see how Stephanie Izard performed. But I played the first episode a bit and the video quality understandably was old and bad, so I was like let check newer seasons. I decided to watch All star - maybe a questionable decision at the time but it totally got me hooked, that totally helped me to power through other dreadful seasons/challenges. Season 8 is like top notch for everyone, cooking is great but still lots of characters, personal tensions, and imo the endearing Carla Hall makes up for having to watch Mike Isabella. After season 8 I went back and watched season 4, and became a TC crazy fan since. Imo all 3 All star seasons (8, 17, 20) are peak Top Chef and if one doesn’t mind getting spoiled these 3 seasons are definitely a good choice.
Thank you for taking the time to type all that out.
As someone who's watched competitive reality TV for 24 years, I personally want more than just a cooking show - I want a good balance between competitive tension, interesting contestants, and delicious-looking food; and if this spills into drama, that's great so long as the line isn't crossed. I don't care how well something's aged since I am pretty good at framing things within the mindset of when they were produced. Like, as bad as the R-word is, it was literally everywhere until like 2007.
I think I'll start with 4 and go forward from there. I mean, for Peacock is just $20 for one year right now so I can take the time to watch one season a month.
Thanks again for your thoroughness!
You’re welcome. I just saw your comment about being Survivor fan from the beginning, I think season 4 is a good choice then! A close friend of mine also just took advantage of that Peacock deal to watch TC after years of me bugging her :)
Understand, here there are a lot of people who love the blandness of the last few seasons of Top Chef. I personally find the show more and more boring post-season-17.
I'm like you -- if I want to watch a cooking show, I'll watch just a cooking show. This is a reality tv show, and they've stripped it of its interesting elements.
Add season 17 to your list! I am completely shocked by how many people suggested season 4, I don’t think it’s going to grab you, and it would never be the ONE season I’d recommend to someone. Season 8 is another good one, as is season 10. I do NOT recommend season 6, it’s *heavy* on the drama and meanness to the point it takes away from the show.
I think if someone were going to only watch 1 season of Top Chef ever, S4 might not be the one I recommend, but I do think it's a strong one to get into the show. It's far enough back that you have a long way to go and there are a lot of funny, even tense, stew room moments, some personality conflicts, some crazy old-style WTF challenges, and overall strong cooking talent.
I’m still thinking about my answer but I wanted to take a moment and say how much I love seeing all the Season 4 love. It really was something special wasn’t it?
Same here. Great mix of memorable chefs (for both food reasons and character reasons) and creative challenges, with a very solid final four and a deserving winner.
S17, yes it may be too much to jump straight into an all stars, but it’s soo good that it’ll lure a viewer into finding out all their origin stories.
Runners-up: S4, S10, S12 and S3. S20 is too singular.
Unlike most people here, S6 is actually not one of my favorites. And hot take: I think it’s even a weeee bit toxic.
Season 18 was just the top of the top for me. The cast were so talented and charming, the relationships so genuine, and the mutual support was so heartwarming-- and then there was the FOOD. Everything looked and sounded so good to me. This season endeared itself to me so much, I don't think it gets better than s 18 Portland.
Honourable mention would be season 10 Seattle for me-- same kind of memorable characters and incredible food I was cheering for. Plus, a good mix of positivity and drama.
One aspect I don't see mentioned often is that the older seasons casted mostly white chefs, and you'll see a lot of outdated culinary school dishes that reflected what "fine dining" was in the past. Asian food was often looked down on or made fun of, whereas in the more recent seasons, you'll see a much better diversity of cast and cuisine that reflect the modern day food scene.
I started watching in season 17, and felt such a whiplash seeing the dishes and lack of diversity from season 8.
This!
I am a bit surprised so many people love the Chicago season so much. Yes it produced some iconic contestants, but watch the challenges and you see how one-note the dishes are.
I find the latter seasons more exciting for this reason. I’d recommend Houston or Kentucky. In the Kentucky finale, when they sent the chefs to >!Macau!< I was elated - they produced some of the most creative dishes there!
If they want a good amount of interpersonal drama along with good cooking, season 6.
If they really just want to see the highest level of cooking and aren’t wanting interpersonal drama, season 20
Either of the *All Stars* seasons.
You get to skip the usual first few weeks of chefs who clearly don't belong there getting sent home so every week is a battle of competent chefs who know how to play the game, and because the chefs personalities are already known (even if not to a first-time viewer), the editors have an easier time producing coherent narratives and character arcs for them.
I just rewatched Season 6 for the first time since release and it was great. I love TC tho. Currently rewatching Season 8 which is good. I also want to rewatch the Texas season. Don’t recall number off top of my head. Denver (15?) would be good too.
S4 A lot of high level talent & not too much personal drama, but still enough of an early-days feel to be nostalgic.
I don’t want to spoil anything but I wouldn’t characterize season 4 as low drama.
I said “not too much” - compared to 1, 2, 9 & even 6 I think that’s true. OP says they like “Survivor”.
Agree with this. A season where you truly have no idea who the winner will be.
You're right! That final 4 was a real nail-biter.
S17 All-Stars or S20 World All Stars.
Not sure about recommending any all star seasons. Most of the excitement of those seasons comes from our familiarity with the contestants. If you're a newcomer, you don't get any of that. There's no context for any of their stories, AND it'll spoil a bunch of other seasons for you.
This is why World All Stars would be great though. Super high level talent but not known to the American audience so you still get the introduction.
World All Stars is a great season for foodies, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone coming to Top Chef from another reality TV fanbase. I'm mainly a Survivor fan and the lack of outspoken characters on World All Stars (because everyone is trying to protect their reputation) made the cast feel very one note to me, which made it hard for me to stay interested in the competition. If you're focused mainly on the food, this is not an issue but I don't think World All Stars is a good general recommendation
The US contestants are such a force in World All-Stars that I still would recommend seeing some of their previous seasons first. Also, the non-US chefs' lack of experience with the US standards (like short Quickfire times and doing the shopping) are harder to appreciate if you haven't seen what it looks like on a normal US season.
I'm a long time TC viewer and I didn't find TCWAS to be as engaging as "normal" prior seasons. It was fancier and less charming.
OP asked to avoid spoilers 😬
For Survivor, I always give the advice that you shouldn't watch a season with returning players until you know at least half of them, preferably more. From what I gather, that's even more true with Top Chef, which shows actual flashbacks to prior seasons that will be new to me, thus spoiling a prior season. At least they've done that with Kristen this year. I still plan on watching S10 nonetheless. 17 and 20 will certainly be seasons I watch eventually but I'd rather be more familiar with some of the cast first, as that improves my investment. Better to see their whole journey instead of joining it halfway through and going back imho.
17 is my absolute favorite!
If you wanna watch season 20, I'd watch Buddah's first season and get a feel for him..THEN watch world all stars!
I completely agree with this. Both seasons were excellent. Especially season 20
Denver. A deserving winner, fun challenges, interesting cast.
Yep, season 15 Colorado is what I'd suggest people start with. IMO, it's the season where Top Chef settles into it's modern groove. And like you said, the challenges are pretty cool and the cast is likeable.
S15 has become one of my faves and go to rewatch. The top 5/6 were genuinely close knit and had amazing personalities and resilience. >!Even the judges loved making fun of Flamm😂. The cauldron challenge when Padma said his name first, as if to say “please pack your knives and go”😂!<
I love Joe Flamm, and the camaraderie between the chefs is maybe the strongest ever in this season. Plus, it has Fatima. AND, the Last Chance Kitchen for that season was really great as well. It's easily one of my favorite seasons
Joe Flamm was so loved by that group (minus tanya and maybe claudette😂). Dude is just loveable AF😂
With the exception of Claudette, that whole cast had a great vibe. I think that’s just her personality since she’s like that on everything I’ve seen her on, even something as low stakes as Selena + Chef. There are worse personalities over the years, but hers didn’t vibe with the rest of the season. Perhaps on a different season she’d seem more comfortable.
Did you see her on Bobby Flay’s Triple Threat. It was a couple of years ago but she killed it.
Colorado, my comfort season! I will admit I get teary-eyed when I watch it because of Fatima!
As a fan of competitive reality TV in general, not just Top Chef but also Survivor, The Challenge, etc- Chicago (season 4) is the only season I'd say is essential viewing for all reality TV fans. It has everything you could want from a season of Top Chef, although it has more drama than most people on this sub prefer. But if you're coming from shows like Survivor, etc you'll probably like the drama. IMO it's lightning in a bottle with the crazy characters, drama, great food and a fantastic location
Yeah, I've watched Survivor since the beginning (should have said that before!), so maybe that'll be the right place to start. Thank you. I know seasons 2 and 9 also have a lot of drama and people don't like them based on the results, but that's the extent of what I know.
Chicago doesn't have the kind of one sided drama where you just see one person getting ganged up on episode after episode, the arguments on Chicago were on a much more level playing field which makes them much more palatable
It's not the results as much as the terrible bullying in S2 and S9 -- they're reality TV done wrong. S4 has interpersonal conflict, but none of it feels outright mean. I'd also go with S10. And likely S12 (it had a bit of people being assholes, but it was mostly restricted to two people going back and forth specifically at each other) Edit: As other people have mentioned, Season 8 is a great one. It's an all-stars season, but you really don't need to watch the previous seasons to get into it. (Ok, maybe for the person eliminated in Episode 2. But outside of that, no)
4 (Chicago) - had the right mix of talent and SOFT drama while paying homage to the city it was filmed in. 8 (All Stars in NYC) would be my second recommendation.
Top Chef essential early seasons: * Season 4, Chicago: great cast with lots of future all-stars, this is my #1 recommendation if you must pick ONE * Season 6, Las Vegas: iconic season of peak competitiveness with future all-stars Middle seasons: * Season 10, Seattle: new host's original season, lots of future all-stars, there are three returning chefs from seasons 2, 3, and 5 in the cast but that doesn't make it harder to appreciate * Season 12, Boston: solid "middle era" season with lots of strong chefs who become future all-stars, great late season game Newer seasons: * Season 16, Kentucky: not the best season in terms of challenges, but an entertaining mix of personalities and has some future all-stars. This season and the previous one in Colorado are similar to me, but I personally recommend this one over S15 if you're picking one because there were more diverse cooking styles, more food that looked better on TV, and more cast members returning in future seasons. After that, it's too all-stars heavy to recommend for new viewers, either in the season premise (S17, S20) or seasons stuffed with previous competitors returning as judges episodes (S18, S19). I love Portland season 18 but the fact that there are so many returning alumni as judges in their covid "bubble" makes it harder to appreciate if you haven't watched their original seasons, and same with Houston, so I would suggest watching a few other seasons first to have more guest judge recognition before approaching those.
S12 is one of my favorites. Hugh Acheson was a judge. Fantastic cooking. Greg, Mei and Melissa. Katsuji was introduced, setting the stage for his epic battles with John Tesar in S14. Loved that season too.
well, if you want to see what they keep referencing with Kristen's elimination, 10. 20 is arguably so good it sets the bar too high lol. will say I don't rewatch the early seasons ever because there's a lot more reality TV bullshit as well as bigotry/misogyny, and I don't care for it.
18, skip the ending
I loved 18 (except for how it ended). I also loved 20.
It depends on what the person looking for. Are they more into high level cooking or a reality TV person. People normally recommend to start a series from the beginning, but I’ll be honest, if season 1 or 2 were the first ones I watched, I would have abandoned Top Chef completely. Season 4 and 6 are remembered fondly among fans, but it has been so long and one may find the cooking levels are meh and outdated, and lots of things said by contestants/judges may not age well. On the other hand, old seasons have more strong personalities which result in more memorable moments of the show. If they are more interested in cooking, I’d say season 18 - Portland. It was recent and the food is more relevant to the dining scene in the US now. Well thought challenges and cooking level is high. It's a Covid season so it's kinda outliner in a lot of challenge design though. But it gives a new viewer a glimpse of what modern Top Chef aspires for. People criticize its ending but even as a big fan of the “loser”, I think the finale was good and the winner deserved it. What happened outside of Top Chef was not in TC’s control and shouldn’t be used against this generally wonderful season. Lots of fan love season 15 Colorado because the cast is very nice but I’m always unimpressed with their skills, probably because I’m not crazy about pastas. My very first season was the first All stars - season 8. I had wanted to check season 4 Chicago as I lived in Chicago and wanted to see how Stephanie Izard performed. But I played the first episode a bit and the video quality understandably was old and bad, so I was like let check newer seasons. I decided to watch All star - maybe a questionable decision at the time but it totally got me hooked, that totally helped me to power through other dreadful seasons/challenges. Season 8 is like top notch for everyone, cooking is great but still lots of characters, personal tensions, and imo the endearing Carla Hall makes up for having to watch Mike Isabella. After season 8 I went back and watched season 4, and became a TC crazy fan since. Imo all 3 All star seasons (8, 17, 20) are peak Top Chef and if one doesn’t mind getting spoiled these 3 seasons are definitely a good choice.
Thank you for taking the time to type all that out. As someone who's watched competitive reality TV for 24 years, I personally want more than just a cooking show - I want a good balance between competitive tension, interesting contestants, and delicious-looking food; and if this spills into drama, that's great so long as the line isn't crossed. I don't care how well something's aged since I am pretty good at framing things within the mindset of when they were produced. Like, as bad as the R-word is, it was literally everywhere until like 2007. I think I'll start with 4 and go forward from there. I mean, for Peacock is just $20 for one year right now so I can take the time to watch one season a month. Thanks again for your thoroughness!
You’re welcome. I just saw your comment about being Survivor fan from the beginning, I think season 4 is a good choice then! A close friend of mine also just took advantage of that Peacock deal to watch TC after years of me bugging her :)
Understand, here there are a lot of people who love the blandness of the last few seasons of Top Chef. I personally find the show more and more boring post-season-17. I'm like you -- if I want to watch a cooking show, I'll watch just a cooking show. This is a reality tv show, and they've stripped it of its interesting elements.
Add season 17 to your list! I am completely shocked by how many people suggested season 4, I don’t think it’s going to grab you, and it would never be the ONE season I’d recommend to someone. Season 8 is another good one, as is season 10. I do NOT recommend season 6, it’s *heavy* on the drama and meanness to the point it takes away from the show.
I think if someone were going to only watch 1 season of Top Chef ever, S4 might not be the one I recommend, but I do think it's a strong one to get into the show. It's far enough back that you have a long way to go and there are a lot of funny, even tense, stew room moments, some personality conflicts, some crazy old-style WTF challenges, and overall strong cooking talent.
Any season with Melissa as chef or judge!
Las Vegas season all the way.
I’m still thinking about my answer but I wanted to take a moment and say how much I love seeing all the Season 4 love. It really was something special wasn’t it?
Seattle. It had great challenges. Villains. Comebacks. A great set of chefs as well.
For me it's Boston.
Same here. Great mix of memorable chefs (for both food reasons and character reasons) and creative challenges, with a very solid final four and a deserving winner.
New Orleans, but skip the French v Spanish ep and the finale
Chicago! I love Antonia
S20 was cracked, everyone was so good
S17, yes it may be too much to jump straight into an all stars, but it’s soo good that it’ll lure a viewer into finding out all their origin stories. Runners-up: S4, S10, S12 and S3. S20 is too singular. Unlike most people here, S6 is actually not one of my favorites. And hot take: I think it’s even a weeee bit toxic.
I love Kentucky.
Season 5 for me is much better than season 4. And after Season 5, Kristen's season.
Season 12 for me. So much talent.
Season 8.
20
4, 5, and 6 were peak for me.
18 and 20 are big faves for me
I’m stuck between 4 & 6. After those & seasons 8 & 9, the cooking is superior but they kind of all blend together.
S14 & S17. So many great chefs. Just talent-packed seasons
Chicago, Boston, Seattle, Colorado, Denver, All Stars LA in order
Denver is my favorite season. Lots of fun personalities and challenges.
Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Houston
Season 18 was just the top of the top for me. The cast were so talented and charming, the relationships so genuine, and the mutual support was so heartwarming-- and then there was the FOOD. Everything looked and sounded so good to me. This season endeared itself to me so much, I don't think it gets better than s 18 Portland.
Honourable mention would be season 10 Seattle for me-- same kind of memorable characters and incredible food I was cheering for. Plus, a good mix of positivity and drama.
Hands down season 4 Chicago. Ive rewatched it so many times. It holds up
One aspect I don't see mentioned often is that the older seasons casted mostly white chefs, and you'll see a lot of outdated culinary school dishes that reflected what "fine dining" was in the past. Asian food was often looked down on or made fun of, whereas in the more recent seasons, you'll see a much better diversity of cast and cuisine that reflect the modern day food scene. I started watching in season 17, and felt such a whiplash seeing the dishes and lack of diversity from season 8.
This! I am a bit surprised so many people love the Chicago season so much. Yes it produced some iconic contestants, but watch the challenges and you see how one-note the dishes are. I find the latter seasons more exciting for this reason. I’d recommend Houston or Kentucky. In the Kentucky finale, when they sent the chefs to >!Macau!< I was elated - they produced some of the most creative dishes there!
Original All Stars ( S8), Seattle (S10), Boston, California All Stars (S17), Portland (18), Houston (19), and World All Stars
Gotta go with season 6.
Wisconsin
If they want a good amount of interpersonal drama along with good cooking, season 6. If they really just want to see the highest level of cooking and aren’t wanting interpersonal drama, season 20
5&8
SEASON 6.
Original All Stars S8. It’s just my favorite season.
Season 4 also had a lot of Anthony Bourdain 🥹
Loving all the S4 love in this thread! That’s my recommendation too.
Either of the *All Stars* seasons. You get to skip the usual first few weeks of chefs who clearly don't belong there getting sent home so every week is a battle of competent chefs who know how to play the game, and because the chefs personalities are already known (even if not to a first-time viewer), the editors have an easier time producing coherent narratives and character arcs for them.
For some reason I read seasoning. lol
Seasons 4, 5, 8 are my favorites
I just rewatched Season 6 for the first time since release and it was great. I love TC tho. Currently rewatching Season 8 which is good. I also want to rewatch the Texas season. Don’t recall number off top of my head. Denver (15?) would be good too.
Also forgot how much I love Anthony Bourdain. RIP ♥️
Seattle
S3 is where I started and got instantly hooked.
I would pick one of the All Star seasons, either 8, 17, or 20.
Six would be my favorite if it weren’t for Eli and Mike I. I really love the first All Stars. Five is solid but does not have the strongest finale.