Life After Top Chef is an American docu-reality television series produced by Magical Elves Productions which follows former Top Chef contestants Richard Blais, Jen Carroll, Spike Mendelsohn and Fabio Viviani as they pursue their post-Top Chef professional endeavours and provides insight into the chefs' private lives.
The series premiered in the USA on Bravo on 3 October, 2012.
Life After Top Chef premiered in South Africa on M-Net Series Reality on Tuesday 9 July 2013, at 21h30. it later aired on M-Net Series Zone. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 1 originally aired on M-Net Series Reality from 9 July to 27 August, 2013, on Tuesdays at 21h30. New episodes broadcast weekly.
Season 1 premiered on M-Net Series Zone on Saturday 16 November 2013, at 18h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are eight episodes in the first season.
Synopsis
For the first time, cameras are taken outside of the Top Chef kitchen and into the lives of Bravo Media's most beloved former cheftestants in Life After Top Chef.
The show follows Richard Blais in Atlanta, Jen Carroll in Philadelphia, Spike Mendelsohn in D.C., and Fabio Viviani in Los Angeles as they reach milestones in both their personal lives and culinary careers, from opening their own restaurants to expanding franchises and establishing themselves as culinary leaders in the food world.
Richard Blais is a perfectionist with a relentless mind, and after losing Top Chef: Chicago Season 4, he came back with a vengeance and ultimately won Top Chef All-Stars.
Richard owns a successful four-star burger eatery with multiple locations and runs a creative culinary company that works with three and four-star restaurants.
Following a failed attempt at his culinary dream, Richard wants to invest his winnings to finally succeed in opening a fine dining restaurant in Atlanta. Unfortunately, he struggles between his ambitions in the kitchen and being there for his family at home.
If there's one female chef who can intimidate the guys, it's badass Jen Carroll. As the bright and shining star of Chef Eric Ripert's restaurant empire, she left her most recent post as Executive Chef at 10 Arts in Philadelphia to head out on her own.
She sets out to open Concrete Blonde, her dream restaurant, with an equal dose of ambition and tenacity. She must overcome some hurdles before realizing that it takes more than raw talent to achieve your goals.
In her personal life, Jen helps care for her sick mother and is coming to terms with being 37 years old and newly single.
Spike Mendelsohn competed on Top Chef to gain notoriety and quickly became a household name. Being the baby of a food industry family, he was encouraged to associate his name with the family business to drive its success.
While Spike wants to please his family, he also wants to succeed in opening a restaurant of his own. This carefree and brilliant chef struggles with his strong desire to venture on his own while avoiding ruffling feathers with the Mendelsohn clan.
Fan favourite Fabio Viviani won over America in Top Chef: New York Season 5 with his thick Italian accent and suave yet gregarious nature.
He has never met a hand he did not want to kiss and with use of the sheer radiance of his dazzling personality, he hopes to build his empire and become the "male Martha Stewart."
The chef and owner of two successful Los Angeles restaurants, Fabio is going non-stop with global food festivals, charity events, a web show and multiple partnerships, and this unwavering ambition starts to take a toll on him, both physically and emotionally.
Life After Top Chef is produced by Magical Elves for Bravo with Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Casey Criley and Nan Strait serving as Executive Producers.
Seasons
Season 1 (8 episodes)
Channel: M-Net Series Reality | Premiere: 9 Jul 2013 | Finale: 27 Aug 2013 | Tue, 21h30
Channel: M-Net Series Zone | Premiere: 16 Nov 2013 | Finale: 4 Jan 2014 | Sat, 18h30