No. of episodes 17 Winner Nicholas Elmi Air date October 2, 2013 Number of episodes 17 | Original network Bravo No. of contestants 19 Host Padma Lakshmi Country of origin United States of America | |
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Original release October 2, 2013 (2013-10-02) – February 5, 2014 (2014-02-05) Judges Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons, Emeril Lagasse, Hugh Acheson | ||
Top chef season 11
Top Chef: New Orleans is the eleventh season of the American reality television series Top Chef. The season was announced on May 10, 2013. Filming took place from early May through late July, beginning in New Orleans, Louisiana and concluding in Maui. The season premiered on October 2, 2013. State and local tourism offices in Louisiana sponsored the season, paying a total of $375,000. The state contribution came from a recovery fund established by BP after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In addition to the return of the Last Chance Kitchen, Bravo launched a new web series called Padma's Picks. Debuting on August 14, 2013, the competition, presided over by host Padma Lakshmi, featured ten New Orleans chefs competing for the chance to join the official lineup of contestants and represent the city.
Contents
The final episode of the season generated controversy after head judge Tom Colicchio appeared to successfully sway the other judges into awarding the title of Top Chef to Nicholas Elmi, a contestant who had been nearly eliminated in several episodes and had temper control issues. Fan outrage led Colicchio to release the judges' scores on Twitter to try to justify their decision to give Elmi the victory over eventual runner-up Nina Compton, who was considered a front runner in the competition. Compton later received the Fan Favorite Award.
Contestants
The cast of Top Chef: New Orleans originally consisted of 17 chefs. At the conclusion of Padma's Picks, Lakshmi selected Justin Devillier and Michael Sichel to join the regular lineup of contestants. Benedetto Bartolotta had previously competed in the fifth season of Top Chef Masters as the sous-chef of Odette Fada. Stephanie Cmar was also a previous contestant, briefly appearing in Top Chef: Seattle during the qualifying rounds. Shirley Chung later returned to compete in Top Chef: Charleston.
Contestant progress
^Note 1 : The chef(s) did not receive immunity.
^Note 2 : As the winners of Padma's Picks, Justin and Michael were given immunity for the first Elimination Challenge.
^Note 3 : Aaron was eliminated by placing last in the Quickfire Challenge.
^Note 4 : Team Lakshmi consisted of Bene, Brian, Carlos, Nicholas, Nina, Patty, and Travis.
^Note 5 : Louis won Last Chance Kitchen and returned to the competition.
Last Chance Kitchen
The Last Chance Kitchen is a web series featuring challenges in which the ousted chefs compete for a chance to re-enter the main competition. Each week, two or more chefs compete against each other in the Top Chef kitchen, with the results judged solely by Tom Colicchio. The winner of each week moves on to face the next eliminated Top Chef contestant(s), while the loser is eliminated from the competition for good. The champion of the Last Chance Kitchen returns to compete in the season finale.