Bravo’s Top Chef Heads to Charlotte for Season 23
Photo: Bravo
The Queen City is officially having a moment. Bravo’s award-winning culinary competition series Top Chef is heading south for Season 23, and Charlotte is front and center. The Emmy, James Beard, and Critics’ Choice Award-winning series has announced that its next season will be filmed right here in the Queen City, with additional episodes taking place in Greenville, South Carolina.
Titled Top Chef: Carolinas, the new season will feature returning host and former winner Kristen Kish, alongside beloved judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons. This chapter will celebrate Southern hospitality, the region’s deep agricultural roots, and the bold, dynamic flavors that define our local food scene. Filming begins this summer, with the season slated to premiere in 2026.
For Charlotte, this is more than just a television milestone. It’s a chance to share the city’s evolution with a national audience. Often critiqued in the past for lacking culture, the Queen City finally has a stage to showcase the creativity, diversity, and community spirit that’s been simmering for years.
“Charlotte looks forward to serving as the host city for Season 23 of Bravo’s Top Chef,” said Steve Bagwell, Chief Executive Officer of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA). “Our city’s rapidly evolving culinary landscape blends global influences, Southern heritage, and a rich agricultural legacy to craft something truly worth experiencing. Hosting Top Chef presents an inspiring stage to spotlight the talent, authenticity, and creativity that has made the Queen City one of the nation’s fastest-growing destinations.”
With Top Chef filming in Charlotte just a year after Love is Blind, it’s hard not to wonder what this could mean for the future of reality television in the Queen City. If all goes well, it might signal the start of a new chapter — one where Charlotte becomes a go-to backdrop for fresh, exciting stories on screen. Could a Real Housewives of Charlotte or a Southern Charm spinoff be in our future? We wouldn’t be mad about it.
So while the competition heats up in the kitchen, Charlotte will be showing viewers what locals have known all along. This city is not just on the rise. It has arrived.
