Just like American Idol, sometimes runners-up get a really sweet deal. And they’re not all bound up in contracts (well they probably are, but we like to hope not) like their more decorated competitors. Here’s a little blurb on some of those Top Chef fan-faves that may have been beaten out by a pretentious sous-vide chicken, but have made fame on their own accord. And then there’s Marcel …
Fabio Viviani (season 5)
Besides having the best quote in all of Top Chef history (hopefully you remember “This is Top Chef, not Top Scallop”), Fabio has done pretty well for himself lately. Amidst restaurant and catering success in LA, Fabio is getting his own reality show on Bravo called Fabio: A Catered Affair. His Twitter bio pretty much sums up why he’s so loved: “I am Italian 100%, I am a Chef and I am planning to take over this country, one steak at the time.”
Richard Blais (season 4)
Maker of the coolest and tastiests dishes on the show. Blais has since settled and had a baby, but his cooking career is still getting hot. He’s made several more appearances on recent Top Chef episodes, and was also a challenger on Iron Chef: America where he dueled Mario Batali in a chickpea battle. Blais is opening restaurants, popping up everywhere on TV, blogging and planning on writing a book. Sounds pretty good.
Sam Talbot (season 2)
You may not remember the specifics of what he cooked, but he definitely looked good doing it. Tall, dark and handsome, Sam Talbot has since opened a restaurant of his own in Montauk, NY, the Surf Shack, after serving as Exec Chef at several NYC hotspots.
Lee Anne Wong (season 1)
Season 1 was a long time ago, but we have to make a shout-out to the show’s roots. Although Wong didn’t take home the title “Top Chef” (and the 100 grand from Glad), Bravo picked her up after the show to serve as supervising culinary producer. Not bad, eh? She also coached Catherine Zeta Jones in her cooking role in No Reservations.
Ron Duprat (season 6)
Top Chef Las Vegas contenstant Ron Duprat recently collaborated with fellow competitors Mattin, Hector, and Michael Voltaggio to help alleviate suffering in Haiti. A Haitian himself, the current humanitarian crisis is one close to his heart. He and the other chef participants plan to donate up to 10% of their restaurants’ earnings on Valentine’s Day to Hollywood United for Haiti and Kinship Circle Disaster Relief.
Marcel Vigneron (season 2)
Known for his Jimmy Neutron-like hairstyle and mastery of molecular gastronomy (maybe he used a few too many foams), Marcel finished behind Ilan in season two. Often butting heads with other cheftestants, Marcel has fallen the furthest. Recently, he was accused of stealing an egg recipe from one of his culinary heroes, Wylie Dufresne. Bummer.
