Since its first season in 2006, Top Chef has evolved into one of the most iconic food reality shows on television. The show’s quickfire and elimination challenges make the most experienced chefs fear the words, “utensils down, hands up.” The creativity and innovation of dishes isn’t the only reason why Top Chef is a masterpiece in reality TV. Fans love to follow their favorite chefs on their Top Chef journey, and watch the reactions of the judges and guest judges as they take their first bites.
We searched Reddit to find out which Top Chef episodes are the most rewatchable. From a post-pandemic Restaurant Wars to celebrity cameos, these episodes are Reddit’s favorites to rewatch.
10 Season 8: Dim Sum Lose Some
This Top Chef episode opened with a big twist on a Quickfire Challenge. The chefs raced to out cook head judge Tom Colicchio, who roasts a sea bass in under 8 minutes. Afterward competing against Tom, the chefs head to Chinatown to create dim sum for guest judge Top Chef Master Susur Lee and diners at a Chinese restaurant.
Reddit loves this episode because it is Top Chef gone wrong. u/krisval0617 mentioned that this episode was “definitely awesome and a train wreck at the same time.” This team challenge goes horribly wrong as the chefs try and fail to churn out dim sum to hungry guests. The chaos prompts a rare mid-dining kitchen visit from Tom, perhaps a first in Top Chef history.
9 Season 16: Whatever Floats Your Boat
The Top Chef judges tell the chefs pack their knives and head to Lake Cumberland. At the lake, the chefs are split into the blue and green team. Each team hustled to create tasty small bites for over 100 party guests on houseboats. Chef Emeril Lagasse makes an appearance as a guest judge, along with captains from Below Deck.
It’s fun to watch the judges and guests having a good time out on the water. u/just_another_classic noted that this episode was fun to watch because “people were having a blast.” Despite a blip in the power on the blue team’s boat, the contestants tried to have fun as well in the summer heat.
8 Season 8: Jimmy Fallon’s 36th Birthday
The contestants first make fondue in Quickfire challenge. After they finish judging each other’s cheesy (or not so cheesy) creations, it is off to Rockefeller Center to meet Jimmy Fallon. For Jimmy’s 36th birthday, he wants the chefs to create his favorite dishes. In true Jimmy Fallon fashion, they play a game to determine which of his dinner favorites they will create in the kitchen.
Redditors loved the little moments from this episode, especially the beef tongue song and Carla’s chicken pot pie dance. u/Grisgol commented: “This is my favorite episode I think of the entire show, just for Carla being the most Carla of either of her seasons.” On that same thread, ct06040 wrote that they “spend the next week randomly breaking out in the beef tongue song” after they rewatch this episode.
7 Season 13: California Restaurant Wars
This episode is part two of the California Restaurant Wars. District LA’s lunch doesn’t go as planned. After a tense lunch service, it’s District LA vs. Palate once again, and this time, the chefs are serving up dinner.
For Redditors, this episode stands out due to its twists and turns with a lunch and dinner service, Philip’s memorable strawberry salad, and Issac’s win. “I really like the twist with the lunch and dinner and the catastrophe that was lunch under Jeremy, also Phillip’s strawberry salad sounded both incredible and terrible at the same time lol,” wrote u/milanolich.
6 Season 4: Tailgating
Chicago isn’t just known for its food scene; the Windy City is known for its tailgating scene. But, before the chefs start up their grills, they first make dishes out of beer in a boozy Quickfire challenge. At Solider Field, the cheftestants are tasked with cooking for tailgating classics for Bear fans and former NFL players. Guest judge Paul Kahan joins the judges as they determine who will win over the stomachs of hungry football fans.
Reddit is a big fan of this episode because it reflected the spirit of Chi-town. u/JudithButlr commented that it was a “fun season, good challenge that is true to the locale, and a fair, but quirky elimination.”
5 Season 10: Chefs at Sea
The Top Chef judges and cheftestants board a cruise ship bound for Alaska. A Quickfire challenge centering on iceberg lettuce as appetizers proves to be more than some chefs could handle. For the Elimination challenge, the chefs get creative and put their own spins on the traditional surf and turf.
The concept of chefs at sea is a fun one for viewers and dinners alike. u/RoostasTowel (who was also in the episode) loves this Top Chef energy on the cruise ship. They summarized the episode as “very fun overall and I was lucky where I sat gave me extra to watch and be part of things a bit.”
4 Top Chef Texas: Episode 11
This episode opened with a challenging Quickfire. Each chef chose three ingredients from a conveyor belt under pressure from the clock. Once this challenge was over, actress Charlize Theron asked the cheftestants to create dishes inspired by her role as the Evil Queen from Snow White.
Once again, Reddit is big on celebrity guest appearances, and Redditors were excited to see Charlize on Top Chef. u/PolarBearClaire19 exclaimed: “She is a delight and the food is really fun!”
3 Season 8: Night at the Museum and Sesame Street
Elmo and his friends from Sesame Street visit the Top Chef kitchen for a cookie-themed elimination challenge. The chefs work hard to try and impress Cookie Monster. After a cookie cook-off, they head to the American Museum of Natural History for the Elimination challenge to make midnight snacks for kids. But, after the midnight snack, it’s not over as the cheftestants are split into two teams: Team R-Tex and Team Brontosaurus. Each team worked hard to create either a meat or veggie breakfast buffet based on dinosaur diets.
This episode’s Quickfire challenge is a Reddit favorite. u/narlymaroo wrote: “When ever I’m having a crummy day I rewatch the Sesame Street cookie quick fire from Season 8. It makes me laugh every time!”
2 Season 8: Ellis Island
The chefs board a ferry set for Ellis Island, and they are faced with a big challenge: creating a dish out of food from the ferry’s concession stand. It’s a race to transform junk food and hotdogs into something edible before the ferry docks. Once on shore, the contestants are told to cook a recipe based on where their ancestors are from. Each contestant is reunited with a family member, and they go over a family tree. Inspired by their family stories, the chefs go into the kitchen and unleash their creativity.
The family-themed episode struck a chord with people on the forum. Many mentioned that it was one of the best episodes of Top Chef. “It’s so funny you should mention this….”, u/saturnchick said, “but I always remembered the Ellis Island episode fondly, and being in the middle of All Stars, NY, I just rewatched the episode last night.”
1 Season 18: Restaurant Wars
Portland’s Restaurant Wars wasn’t quite like past ones, and that is what makes this one worthy of a rewatch. As usual, the chefs are split into two different teams, and worked together to create restaurant concepts. Shota, Maria, Bryon, and Maria envisioned Kokoson, a restaurant focusing on a blend of different cuisines from around the world. Sarah, Chris, Gabe, and Dawn focused on a seafood restaurant, Penny. Due to coronavirus restrictions, the only guests were the judges along with a few notable Top Chef All Stars, who all had front row seats to watch the chefs cook in an open kitchen.
While there are many popular Restaurant Wars, this non-traditional Restaurant War stood out to Reddit. “Kokoson made me emotional. The unity of the chefs and the earnest enthusiasm from the judges was really something special to watch,”u/teddy_vedder said. “I wish I could eat that hot pot.”
