TELEVISION

We got to tag along with the crew of 'Top Chef' 16. Here's what we saw

Courier Journal

Cameras rolled as six cheerleaders and a mascot rushed the court at Rupp Arena in downtown Lexington — eliciting shouts from the hundreds of fans who filled the venue's lower bowl.

Each guest had secured an exclusive ticket to the production of a "Top Chef" elimination challenge. And as the show's acclaimed judges followed the cheerleaders onto the floor, the crowd erupted into a swell of applause that made it sound as if all of the arena's 23,500 seats had been filled.

The judges waved and smiled as they approached a table near the center of the court, covered in fabric dyed University of Kentucky blue.

The room's frenzied noise began to slacken.

A producer took to the microphone: "We're going to do this entrance one more time," he told the fans. "Because we make television, not sports."

The judges left, the arena's lights dimmed, the entire process started again.

Previously:'Top Chef' announces contestants, premiere date for Kentucky season

For the dozens of crew members present, it was just another day on set.

But for a Courier Journal reporter in the audience, the event offered a rare chance to glimpse the behind-the-scenes makings of one of the country's most-watched culinary competitions.

On Thursday, viewers will finally get a first look at the show's 16th season, which was shot over 10 weeks in Kentucky earlier this year.

Between May and June, Courier Journal reporters were invited to watch the production of more than half a dozen challenges that will be featured through the season. And while we can't give away which contestants make it to episode 10, we can fill you in on how the show's process works — and why we truly think the competition is all about the food.

First, let's go back to that challenge at Rupp Arena, home of the University of Kentucky's basketball team.

The challenge comes later in the season, when just seven "cheftestants" remain. And while the judges were asked to redo their entrance, the chefs got a hard 30 minutes to put forth their first dish.

No retakes. No extra seconds.

Contestants face an elimination challenge on the first episode of "Top Chef" season 16.

It was like that at every challenge we attended, from a Kentucky Derby-themed elimination at the Henry Clay building to a Fort Knox-themed quickfire at the show's warehouse set.

"Reality television may be known for its manufactured drama," said Courier Journal food critic Lindsey McClave, "but the vast majority of what happens on 'Top Chef' is authentic and as intense — if not more so — than what is conveyed on TV."

The Bravo show has perfected its framework since launching in 2006, and viewers can again expect both a quickfire challenge and elimination challenge in each episode.

Many of the quickfires were shot at the show's temporarily staged warehouse in a Louisville industrial park — which Kentucky tourism commissioner Kristen Branscum described as a minitown.

Inside the entrance of a nondescript building, the "Top Chef" team had assembled a "video village," where production assistants watched different camera angles on a wall of televisions.

The assistants used two-way radios to communicate with crew members and judges, who stood within the competition kitchen, located deeper in the warehouse.

Walls of the kitchen were lined with bourbon barrels, and in the contestants' pantry, Kentucky products such as Ale-8 sodas and Country Boy Brewing beers were available for use.

Outside the kitchen, rows of metal shelving held additional appliances, dishes and ingredients, creating a monumental stockroom that held anything the contestants or crew could possibly need.

Deeper into the warehouse still, a group of trailers surrounded an indoor courtyard, where judges Tom Colicchio and Graham Elliot sometimes played cornhole between takes and where host Padma Lakshmi relaxed after polishing her "pickups" — the same instructions repeated in different tones.

"Five minutes, chefs," Lakshmi would say to an empty kitchen. "Five minutes."

Chefs on the set of the first episode of "Top Chef" season 16.

Quickfire challenges are generally restricted to 30 minutes, and McClave said it seemed the chefs learned their instructions only after stepping on set.

However, there's much more time between the delivery of a challenge and the start of a countdown than the show would suggest, she said.

"The chefs are pulled off-camera and given a detailed outline of the challenge itself, allowing them a chance to ask questions — something as a viewer I had always been curious about," McClave said. "In fact, each chef is then asked to sign a document indicating they are in full understanding of the challenge. There is far more time to conceptualize the dish they're tasked with making."

That doesn't mean the challenges are easier than the show makes them look.

David Danielson, the executive chef at Churchill Downs, was invited to be a guest judge on the season's first episode.

He saw the contestants cook in both a quickfire and elimination challenge, and he said the tasks put immense pressure on the 15 starting contestants.

"At the Henry Clay, the situation where they were brought in, they had limited equipment and had to cook for a lot of people," Danielson said.

That day, hundreds of guests filled the event space, where the chefs were required to serve a Kentucky Derby party appetizer.

Danielson said he was impressed by the dishes — and by how the judges critiqued them.

"They were not only looking for really good food. They were looking for something really unique and different," Danielson said. "Several times I saw really great dishes, but the comment was, 'I've seen this before.'"

A group of chefs compete on the first episode of "Top Chef" season 16.

Not once did Danielson hear the other judges make a comment about pushing a competitor forward based on personality.

"It was 100 percent about the food," he said.

Branscum said she was invited to dine at three challenges and watched behind the scenes at several others. She said she was struck by how hard the production team worked and came away with a greater respect for the show.

"I love the show even more now knowing the people put their entire lives into making it look incredible for the state," Branscum said.

"I feel confident they are going to portray Kentucky exactly the way we want Kentucky to be portrayed. ... I think as Kentuckians, we're going to be so proud of what we see. And I hope people will be surprised and intrigued to travel our own state."

After each episode airs, the tourism department plans to post information on its website about Kentucky places and products that were featured.

By the end of the season, viewers should be able to find a page dedicated to all things "Top Chef" at kentuckytourism.com.

Over the next few months, the Courier Journal also plans to provide you with more detail on the behind-the-scenes workings of the competition's production.

Keep an eye on our website, courier-journal.com, and ask us any of your biggest questions in an Instagram chat starting at 9 p.m. Thursday.

'Top Chef' Season 16 contestants

The upcoming season of Bravo's "Top Chef" premieres Thursday and will feature 15 new chefs — including one from Kentucky. Sara Bradley, the chef-owner of Freight House in Paducah, is joined by chefs from across the nation who will compete for a $125,000 prize:

Eric Adjepong; Washington, D.C.
Kelsey Barnard Clark; Dothan, Alabama
Sara Bradley; Paducah, Kentucky
Edmund "Eddie" Konrad; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pablo Lamon; Miami Beach, Florida
Natalie Maronski; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Michelle Minori; San Francisco, California
Nini Nguyen; Brooklyn, New York
Brandon Rosen; San Mateo, California
Kevin Scharpf; Dubuque, Iowa
Caitlin Steininger; Cincinnati, Ohio
Justin Sutherland; St. Paul, Minnesota
David Viana; Asbury Park, New Jersey
Adrienne Wright; Boston, Massachusetts
Brian Young; Boston, Massachusetts

Watch the 'Top Chef' season 16 premiere

Season 16 of Bravo's 'Top Chef' will air at 9 p.m. on Thursday. Find more information about the show and catch a sneak peek at bravotv.com.

A free public viewing party will also take place Thursday at the historic Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway.

The party is organized by the Kentucky Department of Tourism with Louisville Tourism and will be hosted by Decca owner Annie Pettry, who previously competed on the show.

Doors to the event open 8:30 p.m. Seating is first come, first serve.

For more information on the event and upcoming season, visit GoToLouisville.com/TopChef.

Bailey Loosemore: 502-582-4646; bloosemore@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/baileyl.