If there’s one thing Kristen Kish has brought to “Top Chef,” it’s her face card: tears and laughter.
Since Kish returned to the Bravo show – she won season 10 – as host in 2024, watching Kish’s emotional responses has become as rewarding and heartwarming as seeing the chefs rise to their cooking challenges.
Speaking with Variety, Kish explains her response is instinctive. “I’m responding as a chef and a former contestant who has heard, ‘Pack your knives,’ and I’ve gone through these things,” she says.
As season 23 comes to an end, Kish reflected on her hosting highlights and picked out her top emotional moments of hosting so far.
Kish recalls her first season hosting, Day One, Episode 1, when the new batch of 15 chefs in Wisconsin walked through the “Top Chef” kitchen doors. She admits, “I think I said it in the moment, but I got goosebumps. It was a full-body response.” She goes on to say, “There was a part of me very firmly planted, and thinking, ‘Oh my God, here I go on my first day of hosting the show.” What gets her out of her head? “Living the experience through the chefs.”
If anyone knows, it’s Kish. From being lined up outside the kitchen to walking through the double glass doors, she understands the emotional weight. “There’s something in your body, in your mind that says, ’Okay, we have started now, there is no going back, but buckle up.’ I get so excited for those very first moments, because I remember what that felt like, and it’s very exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time.”
Every reality competition show has its elimination phase, and when it comes to “Top Chef,” Kish admits that saying “Please pack your knives and go” to the very first chef is always hard.
“Every chef who comes to compete is saying, ‘As long as I’m not the first one to go.’ You don’t want to be the first, yet there always has to be a first. You have a one in 15 chance, like the odds are in your favor, yet every new season, there’s always got to be that first one, and for me, I think it’s one of the more heart-wrenching elimination challenges.” She continues, “There is something about that first one that breaks my heart.”
While the first elimination is tough, Kish says the final three prove to be just as emotional. “I cry every single time, because I’m excited, nervous, and I can feel their excitement and nervousness. I think without fail, that’s when tears start to fall from my eyes.” Adding to the nerves is when a family member comes in and surprises the finalists. “Cue the waterworks,” Kish says. “You’re seeing how proud the family members are that they’ve made it this far, but the chefs, at this point, are exhausted; they miss their family and friends. It’s hard to be apart from the people you love the most during this process, and to have been a fly on the wall and be present during that reunion? Oh my god, I love it so much. It brings me so much joy.”
During Episode 1 of season 23, chef Nana Araba Wilmot was running out of time while plating her dish and had a panic attack. Kish stepped in to offer words of comfort. “I felt for her so deeply, because I have had a panic attack. I know what that feels like.”
Kish was proud that production kept that scene in. “So much of my role on ‘Top Chef’ is responding to what’s happening in front of me.” She says, “I am dealing with real-life chefs who have their careers on the line. I feel like there’s so much extra weight when you are dealing with real people, real careers, real passionate skillsets.”
Relatability is something that Kish says makes the show stand out – and her experience helps. “I feel like there’s so much value in having a former contestant and also a chef who’s gone through this process, who knows what it feels like. I’m glad it was me, and I feel like I do do the position justice, and I am suited for the job, but I think it was a very smart move when you’re talking about the landscape of reality television and competition.”
Jackson was someone who stood out early in the series, but health issues forced her to drop out of the show. “We’re dealing with a real industry and real people that have powered through, and fucking give it all they’ve got,” Kish says.
Last year, during production, Tristan Epps’ father died, and he had to decide if he wanted to stay or go. “These are moments that I feel like are universal. We all have responsibilities, we all have a job to do, and life just keeps happening around us, and we’ve got to decide in moments of challenge what we’re going to do.” Epps chose to stay on. With both, Kish and fellow judges couldn’t tell them what to do. But she admits, “I had hoped that Jennifer would have taken us up, maybe you can come back.”
Epps’ decision and skills led to his ultimate win that season. He stayed on to honor his late father. “I am so glad he stayed, not just because of the outcome. But because of the reason why he stayed, and it was just for his dad, but it was also to continue the journey of showcasing his food to the country, and I think there are so many important factors in why he stayed, and yeah, I’m super proud of him for making that choice.”
Kish points out that “Top Chef” is not about creating divisive moments, and no one is seeking an “Oh my God!” response. “’Top Chef’ is special in that it continues to highlight real people in their real careers. When all these chefs go home, they’re going back to the kitchen that they left in the first place.”