Bravo has revealed the identities of the 17 culinary contestants competing on Top Chef: Washington, D.C., which will premiere Wednesday, June 16 at 9PM ET/PT.
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In addition, the network announced that Eric Ripert -- the chef and owner of New York City's Le Bernardin restaurant -- is replacing Toby Young on Top Chef's judging panel for the seventh season.
Young first appeared as a Top Chef judge during the show's Fall 2008 fifth season when he replaced former Queer Eye expert Ted Allen.
Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and host Padma Lakshmi will all reprise their roles on the judging panel for the seventh season.
The season will also include guest appearances by former Dancing with the Stars celebrity participant Buzz Aldrin, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, White House chef Sam Kass, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough, Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock, Virginia Senator Mark Warner, CIA Director Leon Panetta and NBC White House Correspondent Savannah Guthrie.
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Top Chef: Washington, D.C.'s contestants will be competing for a grand-prize package similar to the reality culinary competition's previous seasons: $125,000 in seed money to help open a restaurant; a feature in Food & Wine magazine; a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen; and the title of "Top Chef."
Bravo renewed Top Chef for a seventh season last fall and reports that it would take place in Washington, D.C. surfaced earlier this year. The season was filmed at The Washington Hilton.
Top Chef: Washington, D.C.'s 17 contestants are:
- Alex Reznik, a 33-year-old from Brooklyn, NY who currently resides in Hollywood, CA
- Amanda Baumgarten, a 27-year-old from Los Angeles, CA
- Andrea Curto-Randazzo, a 39-year-old from Vero Beach, FL who currently resides in Miami Beach, FL
- Angelo Sosa, a 34-year-old from Connecticut who currently resides in New York, NY
- Arnold Myint, a 32-year-old from Nashville, TN
- Ed Cotton, a 32-year-old from Boston, MA who currently resides in New York, NY
- Jacqueline Lombard, a 33-year-old from Boston, MA who currently resides in Brooklyn, NY
- John Somerville, a 42-year-old from West Bloomfield, MI
- Kelly Liken, a 33-year-old from Pittsburgh, PA who currently resides in Vail, CO
- Kenny Gilbert, a 36-year-old from Cleveland, OH who currently resides in Telluride, CO
- Kevin Sbraga, a 30-year-old from Willingboro, NJ
- Lynne Gigliotti, a 51-year-old from Philadelphia, PA who currently resides in Hyde Park, NY
- Stephen Hopcraft, a 40-year-old from Cleveland, OH who currently resides in Las Vegas, NV
- Tamesha Warren, a 24-year-old from Barbados who currently resides in Washington, D.C.
- Tiffany Derry, a 26-year-old from Beaumont, TX who currently resides in Dallas, TX
- Timothy Dean, a 39-year-old from Washington, D.C.who currently resides in Baltimore, MD
- Tracey Bloom, a 33-year-old from Rochester, NY who currently resides in Atlanta, GA
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio