In The Big Brunch, the new HBO food reality series hosted by Dan Levy, 10 chefs show their talents and try to win $300,000. Levy told People that it was a heartwarming experience making The Big Brunch: "It turns out that when you put 10 people who are doing wonderful things for their communities together in a room, it only makes everyone around them feel like everything's going to be okay. It restored my faith in people."
Sohla El-Waylly, a popular chef with an amazing YouTube channel and Will Guidara, who owns The NoMad and Eleven Madison Park with Daniel Humm, are also judges on the series. While watching season 1 of The Big Brunch, fans can check out these other reality shows that focus on food and the people who love it.
Best Leftovers Ever! (2020-)
Stream on Netflix
There has been one eight-episode season of Best Leftovers Ever! and it features contestants who are making something amazing and creative with leftovers. This is a unique concept for a series since viewers are used to seeing people using fresh ingredients or grabbing food from a grocery store on these types of shows.
Best Leftovers Ever! is a particularly fascinating show since it's so accessible. Anyone watching has had the experience of not wanting to eat the same leftovers night after night but not wanting to cook a brand new meal so these episodes are bound to give people some great ideas.
Somebody Feed Phil (2018-)
Stream on Netflix
Somebody Feed Phil is a fun food and travel series as it lets viewers make their own list of places that they would like to go to as they see host Phil Rosenthal enjoying every kind of food imaginable in amazing cities across the world. The behind-the-scenes facts about Somebody Feed Phil prove how much Phil enjoys meeting people all over.
The creator and showrunner of Everybody Loves Raymond, Phil is a natural on camera as he cracks jokes and has warm, friendly energy. Stand-out episodes of season 6 include Nashville, Santiago, and Philadelphia, along with a sweet and moving episode that is a tribute to his late parents Helen and Max who fans loved watching on the show as Phil would video chat with them from his travels.
Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy (2021-)
Stream on Discovery+
Stanley Tucci wowed foodies with his CNN Original Series Stanley Tucci: Searching For Italy. There have been two seasons so far and in season 1, Tucci traveled to Naples and the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, Tuscay, Milan, Bologna, and Rome.
Tucci, who has written several Italian cookbooks along with a memoir called Taste: My Life Through Food, is a natural fit for the series as he is personable and passionate about food. The show will make anyone watching want to go to Italy immediately so they can taste these incredible dishes. The series does a perfect job showcasing the beauty of Italy.
The Great British Bake-Off (2014-)
Stream on Netflix
The Great British Bake-Off has been a hit for years and now that it's available to stream on Netflix, it has gotten a group of new fans who love the charming hosts, passionate and talented contestants, and of course, the chance to see beautiful and delicious-looking treats each week.
Fans have learned baking tips from The Great British Bake-Off as each episode allows viewers to see a challenge come to fruition. The current season, which is number 13, has seen the contestants make cakes and bread and there was even a fun Halloween-themed week.
Selena + Chef (2020-)
Stream on HBO Max
Selena + Chef sees Selena Gomez learning to cook and getting help and advice from famous chefs in each episode. There have been four seasons so far and Selena has featured Nancy Silverton, Roy Choi, Gordon Ramsey, and Ayesha Curry.
The episodes feel relatable and easy to follow along with as Selena is honest about wanting to learn more skills and become more comfortable in the kitchen. The recipes are fun and delicious, as Selena makes "Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Tanya Holland" and "Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon Radicchio Bulgur Salad" with Marcus Samuelsson.
A Chef's Life (2013-2018)
Stream on Prime Video
Vivian Howard is the owner of several restaurants, including Handy and Hot and Lenoir in Charleston, South Carolina. Howard also runs Benny's Big Time Pizzeria in Wilmington, North Carolina and Chef & the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina. Vivian shared her family life and her restaurant experience in the PBS series A Chef's Life, which will appeal to fans of The Big Brunch since both are about chefs who are devoted to their culinary world.
A Chef's Life is a great TV show for foodies and it explores what it's like to run a restaurant, along with all of the pressures and stress that come from that. It's also fun watching Vivian travel for various food festivals.
Cutthroat Kitchen (2013-2017)
Stream on Hulu
On Cutthroat Kitchen, a beloved competition series, four chefs have $25,000 and are able to help or hurt the people who they are competing against. It's a fast-paced show that has all the drama of other reality shows but also allows the focus to be on the food.
Alton Brown is the host of this series and brings his sense of humor and friendly personality to the show, which is definitely welcome since the show can get pretty intense at times.
Restaurant Impossible (2011-)
Stream on Discovery+
The Food Network show Restaurant Impossible, hosted by funny and personable Robert Irvine, shines a light on struggling restaurant owners who are having a hard time and who aren't sure that they will be able to stay in business. It's a great pick for fans of The Big Brunch since the new HBO series focuses on the backgrounds of chefs and why they love being in this world.
Restaurant Impossible is about creating new menu items and fixing old-fashioned decor, but it's also a human interst series about the people in the food industry, which is exactly what The Big Brunch focuses on as well.
The Chef Show (2019-)
Stream on Netflix
Roy Choi and Jon Favreau teamed up for The Chef Show, which has had two seasons so far. Like other celebrity cooking TV shows, it features famous faces who have certain dishes that they love cooking, and it's meant to be both entertaining and educational.
Guests include stars like Seth Rogen and chefs like David Chang and Andrew Rea, who runs the popular YouTube series Binging With Babish. The show also has a tribute epsiode to Jonathan Gold, the food critic who tragically passed away.
Chef's Table (2015-)
Stream on Netflix
Chef's Table has been a moving, beautifully crafted TV series on Netflix since 2015 and it has allowed viewers to learn the backstory of several talented chefs worldwide. The first few seasons feature episodes focusing on each chef's technique, niche, and how they came to create their restaurants and what they are known for.
There are several fun and compelling Chef's Table seasons that focus on dessert, pizza, and barbecue, which has allowed the show to feature even more people in the food world who are at the top of their game. The pizza season is particularly heartfelt as chefs have created successful restaurants by putting unique ingredients on this popular dish.