Help me be a guest on Restaurant Wars

May 6, 2010 4:17 PM

How do you get to be a diner on Top Chef's restaurant wars?

I'm living in DC now where they are filming next season's Top Chef and I'd love to be a guest on the restaurant wars episode. How can I make this happen? Who determines the guests?

(I tried googling, but only got episode recaps.)

posted by Flamingo to Food & Drink (7 answers total)

No idea.

But maybe put the word out with your friends or anyone you know that you want to go. At some point someone has to be connected to the production in some way and can help hook you up. That's how I got the hard-to-get tickets to the Oprah Show (a friend had an acquaintance in some marketing company that had connections to the production).
posted by CrazyLemonade at 4:49 PM on May 6, 2010

They are almost done filming, I think -- here's a piece from the Reliable Source in April on them not going in due to the 5 page confidentiality agreement.

Magical Elves is the production company, but they typically subcontract to a local company that does extras-type work if they don't have a pre-set audience.
posted by julen at 5:05 PM on May 6, 2010

I have friends who are in reality television production. They pitch a concept to networks/cable stations. When the idea gets "green lighted" they go forward with the production of the show. They are always interested in fans who want to be part of the show, as in being a diner in 'Hell's Kitchen,' etc.

While Top Chef airs on Bravo, it is produced by Magical Elves Productions, the same company behind Project Runway. I suggest you contact them directly, as they are the ones casting, creating, filming, producing and editing the show.
posted by ericb at 5:09 PM on May 6, 2010

Or what julen said.
posted by ericb at 5:10 PM on May 6, 2010

Best answer: I was a guest diner on a previous season of Top Chef (And I'm probably breaking my 5-page confidentiality agreement posting this, but they can suck it). The vast majority if the guests were movers and shakers in the local restaurant business (owners, managers and suppliers of the top restaurants in the area). The remaining few were friends of the crew. (Which is how I got in.) If you're not in one of these two categories there is zero chance of getting in. It's a highly sought after event, its invitation only, and the show very much wants to ingratiate its self with the restaurant community.

Filming seems to run about 2 months or more ahead of broadcast.
posted by Ookseer at 8:03 PM on May 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I'm disappointed to hear that, but great answer. Thanks.
posted by Flamingo at 7:31 AM on May 7, 2010

I favorited Ookseer because this confirms what I have heard about Iron Chef. I work near where they film, so I often see the audiences from Kitchen Stadium taking a tour. Once I saw one of Morimoto's sous chefs + he told me I would have to know someone in order to be an audience member. Which sucked because earlier in the day, my dreams of ever being in the Cash Cab were shattered as well.
posted by alice ayres at 8:35 AM on May 7, 2010