TVSquad

Bravo has announced the show Top Chef Masters will begin Wednesday June 10th. The show is basically the celebrity version of Top Chef, where "world-renowned" chefs will compete for $100,000. The money will be given to their favorite charity. The format hasn't changed: the quickfire and the elimination challenges remain, but there will be a five-star grading system implemented.

There are 24 chefs, but I will have to trust the producers with their use of the words "world-renowned" since I'm just an average guy. One of the few chefs I know is Top Chef guest judge Wylie Dufresne, who is well known for his work on molecular gastronomy. The contestants' bios are available on the Bravo website.

The show will be hosted by food journalist/model Kelly Choi. New Yorkers have probably seen her host Eat Out NY or Secrets of New York. Choi has a cookbook and has been a judge on Iron Chef America. To keep connected with the original franchise Padma, Gail, Tom, and all the winners of Top Chef will also be making appearances.

Like the normal series, Top Chef Masters will also feature guest stars and judges. They include Neil Patrick Harris, Zooey Deschanel, and Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis. I am going to flip out if I see Rocco DiSpirito show up as a guest judge.

Here's hoping that the show will stay true to the original. Watching celebrities under stress seems to garner viewers so I'm expecting the show to generate some television fireworks.