Pack your knives — and get ready, home cooks!
Bravo, the network that produces the popular culinary reality series "Top Chef," announced Tuesday that it's creating a new spinoff called "Top Chef Amateurs." It will feature some of the best at-home chefs out there with host Gail Simmons, a food writer, cookbook author and longtime "Top Chef" judge.
In each episode, two amateur chefs will compete head-to-head in a well-known challenge from previous seasons of the professional version of the reality show, according to Bravo. The series will be released some time in 2021, and it will start filming at the end of this month, in Portland, Oregon, where the upcoming season of "Top Chef" has been filming, the network told TODAY Food in a statement.
"It will be shot with the same health & safety plan as the regular season of 'Top Chef,'" a rep for Bravo added.
In addition to having new competitors every episode, "Amateurs" will introduce another fun twist on the original: Fans will have the chance to influence which challenge they want to competitors to perform by voting online. The vote is ongoing, and fans can choose between the Seven Deadly Sins challenge, where chefs must create a dish inspired by one of the seven deadly sins, or the Aphrodisiac Challenge, where chefs must create a dish with foods said to be aphrodisiacs.
To vote, viewers will send a tweet with either #TopChefSeven or #TopChefAphrodisiac and tag @BravoTopChef by Friday. The winner will be announced on Monday.
If you're worried you'll miss out on some of your favorite pros when watching "Amateurs," never fear. The show will also feature appearances from chefs from previous seasons of the original, including Richard Blais, Jennifer Carroll, Shirley Chung, Joe Flamm, Gregory Gourdet, Melissa King, Kwame Onwuachi, Dale Talde, and Isaac Toups.
Simmons previously hosted both seasons of one of Bravo's previous "Top Chef" spinoffs, "Top Chef: Just Desserts," which aired from 2010 to 2011.
“Being at home these last several months has shown us just how good and how serious home cooks really are, and it’s time to show off all they can do," Simmons said in a statement to TODAY. "I’m super excited to give some of these talented 'Amateurs' a glimpse into the Top Chef kitchen and a chance to strut their stuff on a national stage. Being able to do it alongside some of my fave Top Chef alumni will make it even more fun for us all!"