Over the past 17 seasons, Bravo's flagship reality competition series, Top Chef, has garnered not only popular endurance but has managed to accrue more critical acclaim and Emmy wins than most culinary competition shows dare to dream of.
Top Chef has launched the careers of numerous prestigious chefs. Even though the winner of each season is the one entitled to the spoils, it is more often the non-winners who end up sticking around longer in the memory of the audiences. They may not have won but these Top Chef contestants were just as memorable and made the series just as iconic as the winner.
Angelo Sosa
After originally getting all the way to the finale of the seventh season of the show, Angelo Sosa, unfortunately, did not come away with the title. Instead, he was sent to the bench of losing chefs, who are enlisted to return for all-star seasons.
Sosa has appeared in both all-star seasons, where he has continued to showcase his unique brand of elevated cooking, with Asian flavors often appearing in his dishes. Sosa's calm demeanor and perceived pretentiousness may have rubbed some people the wrong way, but his skill in the kitchen cannot be denied.
Fatima Ali
In her 2017 run on the fifteenth season of the show, young chef, Fatima Ali, was a truly delightful presence due to her humorous and sardonic interview segments and raw talent in the kitchen. During her time on the show, Ali was seen to reimage several classic Pakistani dishes by adding a few modern techniques to them. Week after week, her skills continued to impress, which ultimately saw her win the judge's favor along with the "fan-favorite" award at the end of the season.
Sadly, Ali passed away in 2019. Fans will forever remember her as one of the best and brightest contestants the show has ever had.
Marcel Vigneron
Every good reality series needs at least one iconic villain. With the second season of Top Chef, the producers managed to find their villain in Marcel Vigneron. Marcel became one of the early celebrities of the show after his performance minced together obnoxious hubris and actually innovative culinary techniques.
A pioneer in the field of "molecular gastronomy," Marcel's prickly disposition and creative dishes helped solidify him as the show's best antagonistic figure, and one of its most imaginative forces.
Antonia Lofaso
Antonia was truly memorable with her two runs on Top Chef. While her season four run was formidable and lined with exceptional glimpses of potential, it was her all-stars showing that showed her for the master chef that she is. In the all-stars season, Antonia came in third place behind her rival and possible relative, Mike Isabella, and the winner, Richard Blais.
Her savvy in the kitchen was matched by her fiery wit and willingness to stand up for herself throughout the season. She is another great contestant that had quite an impact on the fans
Kevin Gillespie
When he first appeared in season six of the show, Kevin Gillespie seemed like a bit of a dark horse. His southern fried cooking skills and homey aesthetic made him an easy fan favorite, and his prowess in the kitchen slowly but surely revealed itself throughout his tenure.
In the finale, Chef Kevin lost to Michael Voltaggio, alongside Michael's own brother, Bryan. While Kevin never formally returned to a full season of the show, only competing in Top Chef: Duels, he remains an all-time fan favorite and one of the nicest runners-up.
Jennifer Carroll
By this point, Jen Carroll is a Top Chef mainstay. In her four separate runs on the show, Carroll has proven to be a formidable chef with a temper that can rear its head in highly entertaining ways.
Jen's willingness to argue with the judges, particularly head judge Tom Colicchio, was a rarity and showed her passion for her food and the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Carroll's disposition has led to her many returns to the show, though she has yet to win. Her latest appearance is the all-star 17th season.
Gregory Gourdet
Gregory, who first competed in the 12th season in Boston, was one of the most purely skilled, reserved, and mysterious chefs to grace the show's kitchen in its entire history. Gourdet, who sported a professional aesthetic the entire way, was able to get all the way to the finale, where he finished as a runner-up against Mei Lin's victory.
Gourdet once again returned to showcase his bold fusion dishes in the show's most recent all-star season in 2020, where he once again got very far in the competition but failed to take home the title.
Fabio Viviani
Perhaps one of the most lovable and downright charming contestants on any cooking show ever, Fabio Viviani was one of several season 5 contestants to maintain constant popularity throughout the entire series.
His return to the first all-star season (quite possibly the best season in the show's history) further cemented his reputation as a classy chef with enough personality to compensate for any weaknesses in his dishes. Brilliant, memorable, and just fun to watch, Fabio is one of Top Chef's best finds.
Stefan Richter
Functioning as essentially the meaner and more abrasive counterpart to Fabio's constant happiness, Stefan Richter made a name for himself as one of the most prickly, yet fiercely and undeniably talented, contestants on the show's beloved fifth season.
Forming a brotherly bond with Fabio, the two European chefs were constantly cracking the audience and fellow contestants up. Richter made it to the finale, one of the show's more controversial choices, and lost the title to Hosea Rosenberg. Still, Stefan managed to return in the show's tenth season, where he once again displayed his brand of dark humor and merciless competition.
Carla Hall
Without a doubt, the most lovable and purely built for television personality the show ever introduced to the world is Carla Hall. Carla was an immediate fan favorite with her blend of sassy quips and delicious food, which always managed to be both simple and unique to her.
Hall made it to the finale, where she lost. However, she has returned for all-stars and has also gone on to find success as a tv presenter on the hit show The Chew.