Top Chef Masters is an American reality competition series that airs on the cable television network Bravo, and premiered June 10, 2009. It is a spinoff of Bravo's hit show Top Chef. In the series, world-renowned chefs compete against each other in weekly challenges. This show is a contrast from Top Chef, which typically features younger professional cooks who are still rising in the food service industry.
The fourth season of Top Chef Masters was announced on May 24, 2012. Food and travel journalist, Krista Simmons, and features editor of Gilt Taste, Francis Lam, join James Oseland and Ruth Reichl as new additions to the judges' table. The season premiered on July 25, 2012 with 12 award-winning chefs competing in weekly challenges to win $100,000 for their charity and the title of Top Chef Master.
Twelve renowned chefs battle in culinary challenges in Las Vegas in the Season 4 opener. Here, the masters play a card game to score ingredients, then they create an extravagant buffet for some of Sin City's hottest performers.
The meal mavens prepare cuisine for a wedding.
They can cook, but can they put on a show? The Chefs will be split into teams of 3 and have their skills put on full view as they cook up a 3-course meal to serve VIP guests at the most challenging of chef’s tables, a Teppanyaki. With only 30 minutes to put on a delicious and dazzling show, they’ll be serving some of our favorite Top Chef Masters along with our critics. Special guest judges include: Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano and acclaimed chefs May Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Rick Moonen, Jonathan Waxman.
This week, the Chefs are tasked with taking ordinary salad bar ingredients and making them “pop” for music legends, the B-52’s. Then the Chefs will take a trip to the Grand Canyon for a cookout like never before. The Chefs will be paired up to cook for the Hualapai tribe, using ingredients from the tribe’s sacred land.
In this week’s Quickfire challenge the Chefs must make a dynamic duo dish for a couple of dynamic musicians – The Indigo Girls. For the elimination challenge, the Chefs are tasked with making a whimsical all-you-can-eat - bottomless bloodys & mimosas brunch at an upscale sexy pool party, hosted by Ms. Vegas, Holly Madison. Bikini-clad servers will serve the chefs’ creations to Holly’s friends lounging poolside. Special guest judges include The Indigo Girls and Holly Madison.
On this week’s episode, the chefs will be creating an aphrodisiac dish using known aphrodisiac ingredients. The chef whose dish really turns them on will be the winner for this challenge. Lotus of Siam is a legendary Nevada Culinary landmark that has amassed award after award. For this Elimination Challenge, our chefs will be faced with the task of creating their own Thai restaurant in the Top Chef Masters kitchen and attempting to create their own versions of classic Thai dishes. Special guest judge is Dita Von Teese.
This week the chefs will battle it out -- facing off in a boxing ring to serve our critics and boxing champ, Sugar Ray Leonard. The winner of the first match will compete against the winner from the second match in a third match for the win and $10,000. The losers from the first and second match will face off one last time to determine who will be sent packing. Special guest judge is Sugar Ray Leonard.
It's getting down to the wire -- this week, the chefs will participate in one of the world's greatest underground dining events: a Diner en Blanc. For our Masters to take on this Diner en Blanc, each chef will create a picnic style meal with abundant ingredients to create an epic feast and pack it up for the first ever Diner en Blanc picnic in Vegas.
The ace chefs instruct a mystery guest to make a dish in the penultimate Season 4 episode. Later, they mentor culinary students.
The winning chef is named in the Season 4 finale. Before that, the final two culinarians battle it out by creating a dish with the help of staffers from their own restaurants back home.