Top Chef Season 20 attracts multiple brand partnerships
January 25, 2023
NBCUniversal announced the most mouth-watering spread of integrated and out-of-show brand partnerships yet for the upcoming landmark 20th season of Bravo’s “Top Chef” – taking place across the pond in London, England. For this special edition season, World All-Stars, fans will be able to experience the excitement and droolworthy meals of “Top Chef” internationally with world-leading brands including Anolon Cookware, BMW of North America, Delta Air Lines, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives, Mastercard, Morton Salt, RITZ Crackers, Saratoga Spring Water, Universal Pictures’ “Fast X” and Vrbo. From grand prizes to intriguing branded Quickfire and Elimination challenges and interactive social moments, this season’s brand partners will elevate the viewing experience for foodies everywhere. The Emmy, James Beard and Critics’ Choice Award-winning series is set to premiere on March 9th..
For almost two decades, Bravo’s “Top Chef” has continued to deliver a high-stakes culinary journey for fans everywhere in the marketplace and massive impact for brand partners. The unique power of the series’ storytelling paired with NBCUniversal Advertising and Partnerships’ unparalleled creativity, and capabilities brings together premium content that drives business results across platforms with +50% lift in brand awareness, +32% lift in brand favorability, and +36% lift in product consideration. Last season alone, 71% of viewers expressed positive brand opinions of integrated partners, 74% agreed the series was a great partner to promote brands and 73% developed more of an interest in the integrated partners featured. “Top Chef” continues to demonstrate how NBCU’s One Platform is fueling fandom for audiences and marketers around the globe through content, technology and partnerships.
“Through NBCUniversal’s One Platform, we are committed to fueling fandom with the best content in the business and at the same time, connecting the modern multidimensional consumer with brands that help shape culture across the world. And Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ is a prime example of that in action,” said Ann Scheiner, Executive Vice President, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “During this milestone international 20th season, we were able to open up the aperture and elevate this fast-paced competition series with both new and returning partners – including auto, financial services, food products and more – that are truly embedded seamlessly into each challenge, each meal, and each ingredient of the show as the cheftestants compete to be crowned the winner of ‘Top Chef’ World All-Stars.”
“From foodies to athletes to travel enthusiasts, Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ has found the perfect trifecta of blending together storytelling, innovation and inspiration with a roster of world-leading brands to deliver a delicious and engaging viewing experience for decades,” said Jamie Cutburth, Executive Vice President, Creative Partnerships, Advertising and Partnerships, NBCUniversal. “And for the first-time, this flagship season shot entirely abroad in London and Paris allowed our NBCU Creative Partnerships team to think outside of the box with each and every one of our partners to bring imaginative, innovative and authentic integrations to the table that are enticing to our viewers, important to their businesses and critical for cheftestants in the kitchen themselves.”
BMW of North America is returning for the 6th year in a row as an exclusive season-long auto sponsor with a custom elimination challenge, where the cutting-edge BMW X3 and X4 will take the chefs to a famed countryside estate where they will need to impress the judges with an exquisite high-end picnic. In addition, BMW of North America is the presenting sponsor of Bravo’s Emmy-Winning digital companion series “Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen” on Bravotv.com.
As the official airline of Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 20, Delta will fly cheftestants from around the world to London to compete for the title of “Top Chef” World All-Stars with surprise and delight moments. Additionally, Delta helped travel the final four to the finale in Paris, France and sponsors a branded high-stakes Quickfire challenge where they will fly in special guests from Team USA to create a dish with the finalists.
In an eco-friendly themed Quickfire challenge, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives who is on a journey to help consumers save water with the #skiptherinse campaign, makes their “Top Chef” debut by bringing to light water conservation tactics through steaming. The chefs will be tasked to create an elevated dish that highlights a steamed ingredient with only one gallon of water shared amongst them all. The winner of the challenge will have a chance to win a cash prize of $10,000 and a $10,000 donation to the World Wildlife Fund, sponsored by Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives.
This season, Mastercard will be bringing the iconic long-standing Restaurant Wars to new heights, as the cheftestants split into two teams and are given the keys to an existing Michelin-starred restaurant to impress a room full of diners and the judges with a menu worthy of a star. The Winning team will earn $40,000, courtesy of Mastercard. In addition, chefs will be able to utilize Mastercard’s Tap & Go feature throughout the season for cooking essentials as they make their way through the competition.
As one of the most versatile pantry staples, RITZ Crackers welcome all cultures and ingredients, placing inclusive, global connections front and center this upcoming season as a first-time brand partner with the award-winning series. During a custom Quickfire challenge, cheftestants will break into teams and go head-to-head for a chance to win a prize of $10,000 by creating an amuse bouche on a RITZ cracker.
For the first time, the Saratoga Brand is partnering with “Top Chef” as the official Grand Prize sponsor and the Official Water partner. Saratoga Spring Water has been served in fine dining establishments for over 150 years. As Saratoga Spring Water is the perfect complement to any well-crafted meal, the Saratoga Brand is proud to provide the Grand Prize of $250,000 to the chef who earns the coveted title of “Top Chef” World All-Star.
Universal Pictures will be sponsoring the fastest and most furious Elimination challenge “Top Chef” has seen yet. Inspired by Universal Pictures’ Fast and Furious Saga and the upcoming May 19 release of the action-packed tenth chapter in the franchise, “Fast X,” cheftestants will find themselves in the quickest Elimination Challenge in “Top Chef” history, it all begins with a mise-en-place race where they must prep ingredients representing the locations featured in the last nine blockbuster “Fast” films. The winner of each heat will get their first pick of ingredients for the Elimination Challenge.
For the second season in a row, the vacation home site and app Vrbo spotlights the joy of friends and family coming together during the holidays in a no room for error Elimination challenge. Fans will have both their senses alert and hearts warmed as chefs make their way to a Vrbo vacation home in the English countryside where they will host a holiday feast for the judges and each other. The chefs will be tasked with creating and contributing a dish that encompasses what being together for the holidays means to them.
In addition to the droolworthy line-up of integrated partnerships, this season will feature flavorful bites thanks to a variety of in- and out-of-show sponsors including Anolon Cookware and Morton Salt.
World All-Stars will include the greatest competitors from “Top Chef” iterations around the globe, including winners and finalists that will face off in the fiercest battle the culinary competition has ever seen. With 29 international versions, “Top Chef” World All-Stars brings together 16 of the most talented, creative and decorated chefs who have competed in their respective countries’ versions of the series as they vie for the ultimate “Top Chef” World All-Stars title.