Top Chef VIP
Top Chef VIP is an American reality competition television series that premiered on Telemundo on August 9, 2022. The show is produced by RCN Televisión for Telemundo. It is the second Spanish-language adaptation of the Top Chef format in the United States after Top Chef Estrellas, which was also broadcast on Telemundo between 2014 and 2015. In May 2025, the series was renewed for a fourth season that premiered on July 22, 2025. In October 2025, the series was renewed for a fifth season.
| Top Chef VIP | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Top Chef |
| Presented by | Carmen Villalobos |
| Judges |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | Spanish |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 221 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Running time | 82-128 minutes |
| Production company | RCN Televisión |
| Original release | |
| Network | Telemundo |
| Release | August 9, 2022 – present |
Top Chef VIP is an American reality competition television series that premiered on Telemundo on August 9, 2022.[1] The show is produced by RCN Televisión for Telemundo. It is the second Spanish-language adaptation of the Top Chef format in the United States after Top Chef Estrellas, which was also broadcast on Telemundo between 2014 and 2015.[2][3]
In May 2025, the series was renewed for a fourth season that premiered on July 22, 2025.[4][5] In October 2025, the series was renewed for a fifth season.[6]
Format
[edit]A group of celebrities put their cooking skills to the test and are judged by a panel of professional chefs with two contestants eliminated each week. The winner receives the grand cash prize.
In the Quickfire Challenge, celebrities compete individually or in teams and must cook a dish that meets certain guidelines. They are usually given an hour or less to complete the challenge. The judges select one or more celebrities as the winners of the challenge. Early in the season, the winning celebrities qualify for the episode's immunity challenge. As the number of contestants dwindles, immunity is withdrawn, and instead, the winner advances to the Semifinal Qualification Challenge for a place in the semifinal of the season.
In the Immunity Challenge, celebrities compete individually and prepare cook a dish using specific ingredients. The winning celebrity receives immunity from that week's elimination.
In the Express Challenge, celebrities are given 20 minutes or less to prepare a quick dish (for example, a sandwich, quesadilla, omelet) or sauce. This challenge is used to assign teams for the Team Challenge.
In the Skills Challenge, celebrities perform a list of common cooking techniques or styles (for example, peeling/chopping vegetables, whip/whisk eggs). Like the Express Challenge, this challenge is done to assign team members for the team challenge.
In the Team Challenge, celebrities are split into teams by a knife draw, team captains, or an express/skills challenge. The challenge usually consists of preparing a meal for a large group of guests or a "Restaurant Wars" challenge, where the celebrities must transform an empty space into a functioning pop-up restaurant. The winning team is safe from elimination, while the losing team participates in the Safety Challenge to avoid elimination.
In the Safety Challenge, the celebrities, competing individually or in pairs, have one last chance to save themselves from elimination.
In the Elimination Challenge, the celebrities must cook a dish using a certain ingredient. On some occasions, they can cook any dish of their choice.
Seasons
[edit]| Season | Winner | Runners-up | Original air dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lambda García | Cristina Eustace | Mauricio Islas | Zuleyka Rivera | August 9 – September 26, 2022 |
| 2 | Alana Lliteras | Germán Montero | Laura Zapata | Sebastián Villalobos | April 25 – July 17, 2023 |
| 3 | Patricia Navidad | David Salomón | José María Galeano | Víctor Florencio "Niño Prodigio" | May 21 – July 29, 2024 |
| 4 | Cristina Porta | Lorena Herrera | Paco Pizaña | Salvador Zerboni | July 22 – October 6, 2025 |
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]On May 12, 2022, it was announced that Telemundo had ordered Top Chef VIP.[7] On September 24, 2022, host Carmen Villalobos announced that the series was renewed for a second season.[8] The second season premiered on April 25, 2023.[9] On July 18, 2023, Telemundo renewed the series for a third season.[10] The third season premiered on May 21, 2024.[11] On May 8, 2025, Telemundo renewed the series for a fourth season.[4] The fourth season premiered on July 22, 2025.[5] On October 6, 2025, Telemundo renewed the series for a fifth season.[6]
Casting
[edit]On July 20, 2022, Carmen Villalobos was announced as host of the show. That same day, Antonio de Livier, Adria Marina Montaño and Juan Manuel Barrientos were announced as judges.[12] On April 15, 2024, it was announced that Montaño and Barrientos would not be returning for the third season. They were replaced by Belén Alonso and Inés Páez Nin.[11] On July 15, 2025, it was announced that Alonso would not return for the fourth season and was replaced by Betty Vázquez.[13]
Reception
[edit]Ratings
[edit]| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (millions) |
Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||
| 1 | Mon–Fri 7:00 p.m. | 35 | August 9, 2022 | 1.11[14] | September 26, 2022 | 1.26[15] | 1.02 |
| 2 | 60 | April 25, 2023 | 0.97[16] | July 17, 2023 | 1.09[17] | 0.87 | |
| 3 | Sun–Fri 7:00 p.m. | 60 | May 21, 2024 | 0.91[18] | July 29, 2024 | 1.30[19] | 0.86 |
| 4 | 66 | July 22, 2025 | 0.92[20] | October 6, 2025 | 1.80[21] | 1.20[21] | |
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Nominated | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Produ Awards | Best Adapted Cooking Competition Series | Top Chef VIP | Nominated | [22] |
| 2025 | Rose d'Or Latinos Awards | Best Reality Competition | Top Chef VIP | Nominated | [23] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Telemundo ya promociona su nuevo reality Top Chef VIP". tvboricuausa.com (in Spanish). June 23, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ "Telemundo prepara ambiciosa cobertura de Copa Mundial de FIFA 2022 y en realities lanza Top Chef VIP". produ.com (in Spanish). May 12, 2022. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ Ettegui, Carola (July 2, 2022). "Top Chef VIP: qué se sabe del nuevo reality show". publimetro.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved July 12, 2022.
- ^ a b Tinoco, Armando (May 8, 2025). "Telemundo 2025-26 Programming Slate: 'El Señor De Los Cielos' Spinoff 'Dinastía Casillas' Gets Cast, 'La Casa De Los Famosos' Returns, World Cup & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
- ^ a b Castro, Clary (July 17, 2025). "Telemundo adelanta la fecha de estreno de Top Chef VIP 4 para el 22 de julio, a las 7PM/6C". La Opinión (in Spanish). Retrieved July 18, 2025.
- ^ a b "Telemundo ya alista la quinta temporada de Top Chef VIP para 2026 con sorpresas culinarias". Telemundo.com (in Spanish). October 6, 2025. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ^ Weprin, Alex (May 12, 2022). "Telemundo Bets on World Cup to Kick Off Streaming Push". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
- ^ Aranguez, Teresa (September 24, 2022). "¡Carmen Villalobos sorprende con nuevo anuncio! "Estoy demasiado emocionada"". People en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Castro, Clary (March 21, 2023). "Cuánto dinero se llevará el ganador de Top Chef VIP en su nueva temporada, que inicia el 25 de abril a las 7PM/6C por Telemundo". El Diario La Prensa (in Spanish). Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Salazar, Soreny (July 18, 2023). "Todo lo que se sabe sobre Top Chef VIP 3: ¿Repetirá Carmen Villalobos?". Vida Moderna (in Spanish). Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ a b González, Moisés (April 15, 2024). "Top Chef VIP 3 anuncia su fecha de estreno y destapa a sus dos nuevas juezas". People en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ González, Moisés (July 20, 2022). "Carmen Villalobos será la conductora de Top Chef VIP, la nueva competencia tipo reality de Telemundo". People en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved May 18, 2024.
- ^ Castro, Clary (July 15, 2025). "Conoce al jurado de Top Chef VIP 4: Betty Vázquez, Antonio De Livier e Inés Páez". La Opinión (in Spanish). Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- ^ Salem, Mitch (August 10, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Tuesday 8.9.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2022.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (September 27, 2022). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Monday 9.26.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
- ^ Salem, Mitch (April 26, 2023). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Tuesday 4.25.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (July 18, 2023). "Monday Ratings: USA Network to Lead in Key Demos with 'WWE Raw', All-Rerun CBS Tops in Total Viewers". Programming Insider. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (May 22, 2024). "Tuesday Ratings: 'FBI' Block Season Finales Make CBS Tops Among Broadcast Networks". Programming Insider. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Giacoma, Erika Della (July 30, 2024). "Final de Top chef VIP posiciona a Telemundo como la cadena número uno en español en horario estelar". Produ.com (in Spanish). Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ^ González, Moisés (July 24, 2025). "Así le fue en rating al estreno de la cuarta temporada de 'Top Chef VIP', ¿ganó?". People en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved July 24, 2025.
- ^ a b "Telemundo's Top Chef Vip Four-Hour Finale Ranks As #1 Non-Sports Program, Regardless Of Language, Among Adults 18-49 In Monday Night Primetime". nbcuniversalnewsgroup.com. October 9, 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ "Finalistas | Premios PRODU 2023". premiosprodu.com (in Spanish). Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Hopewell, John; Lang, Jamie (January 20, 2025). "Rose d'Or Latinos Awards: Eugenio Derbez, Daniel Burman, Natalia Beristáín Among 2025 Nominees". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2026.