Top Chef’s Kristen Kish Felt ‘More Confident’ Going Into Her 2nd Season as Host: ‘Sure of Myself’ (Exclusive)

Kristen Kish may be a pro chef, but she’s now feeling like a pro host heading into Top Chef season 22.

“I probably just internally [was] more confident and sure of myself,” Kish, 41, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, March 12, about her sophomore season as host of the Bravo cooking competition series. “I think going from the first time to the second time, there’s going to be a jump in confidence and I certainly felt that.”

Kish noted that she’s excited to once again dive into “the heart and the soul” of the show, which is the chefs and their “storytelling” through food. “It also really kind of takes me aback every single time I do it, from the first time to our last finale,” she told Us. “We just kind of sit back and you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, we just got to experience that.’”

Before taking on her hosting role, Kish famously competed on season 10 of Top Chef in 2012, becoming the second female winner in the show’s history. One month after longtime host Padma Lakshmi announced her exit from the series after 17 years, Kish was announced as her replacement in July 2023. Kish officially made her Top Chef hosting debut when season 21 premiered last March.

The show’s latest season — which premieres on Thursday, March 13 — will see Kish and fellow judges Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons travel to Canada to watch 15 chefs compete in a high-stakes culinary battle.

“Everything’s new. The landscape is different. The challenges are different. The food that they’re cooking is different,” Kish teased of what’s to come. “And I think that is the beauty of Top Chef is that they have been to many locations, introduced so many chefs around the world, and every single plate of food is different and every location and challenge is tailor-made for that location. It’s really amazing.”

Having been on the show since its 2006 premiere, Colicchio, 62, told Us he “giggled” at the realization of the show’s nearly 20-year-long run. “It’s just been a great run,” he added.

Fellow OG judge Simmons, 48, said she was “really excited” to bring the show to her home country. “I just think it feels different than any season we’ve ever done before,” she added. “Our kitchen — and I’m trying not to be biased — but the Top Chef kitchen was so beautiful this season.”

Despite starring on a cooking show, the Top Chef judges told Us that their TV series of choice are not other shows in the genre. “The only cooking competition show I watch is the Great British Bake Off because it’s sweet and they’re home bakers,” Kish said, while Simmons noted she prefers to watch “travel vlogs” in her free time.

Colicchio, for his part, stated, “I’ve been cooking for over 40 years and I’ve been doing Top Chef for almost 20 years. And the last thing I want to do when I’m not doing either one of those is watch food TV. Anything but food TV. “

Top Chef season 22 premieres on Bravo Thursday, March 13, at 9 p.m. ET.

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi