Bravo Announces New Shows: 'Top Chef Junior' and the 'Jean-Christophe Novelli Project'
Do you love Top Chef, and yet sometimes find yourself ruminating, "Man, are the contestants old!"
Then Top Chef Junior has your name on it. Bravo announced today the development of its new competition series, where teens will compete for the Top Chef title and accompanying prizes and fame.
A docu-series is also in the works. If Jackie Warner of Workout fame gets a show about running a gym, then why shouldn't Jean-Christophe Novelli star on a show about opening a cooking school? Bravo executives think he should.
With Top Chef as the number one food show on cable, Bravo is seeking to expand their food domain. Frances Berwick, the executive vice president and general manager of Bravo Media, made the following statement:
"The love of food reaches all ages and teens today are continually expanding their culinary knowledge—from cooking classes to kids' cookbooks. 'Top Chef Junior,' which will be based on the Emmy-nominated hit culinary series 'Top Chef,' is an eight episode series where teens (likely ages 13 to 16) will compete to see if they have what it takes to become a junior 'Top Chef.' Season-to-date, Bravo's 'Top Chef' ranks in the top 15 among kids/teens 2-17 in the Wed 10-11 p.m. time period (at No. 14) versus ad supported cable entertainment networks. Magical Elves ('Top Chef,' 'Project Runway,') will produce the series, with Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz serving as executive producers.
"With Top Chef Junior we're reaching a growing market and are developing a series that will teach and test the skills of younger aspiring chefs and appeal to the whole family," says Berwick.
This raises a host of questions. Will the young teens show off their knife skills? Will they butcher whole pigs? Will they go, as has been known to happen on the original Top Chef, for lengthy stretches without sleep? What about child labor laws?
The network is also developing a docu-series, the untitled Jean-Christophe Novelli Project, which will chronicle chef Novelli's move to Los Angeles as he opens a cooking school to train wannabe professional chefs. Novelli already has an eponymous cooking school in the UK, which has placed in the "Top 25 Cookery Schools in the World." He is a Michelin award-winning chef with restaurants in London, France and South Africa. But perhaps his most important television credential is his designation as "World's Sexiest Chef" by the New York Times.
The Jean-Christophe Novelli Project is produced by Mentorn USA, the people behind Work Out and Paradise Hotel for Bravo.
Does the world need more reality food TV? Will you tune in?
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8 Comments:
I don't know...the idea of teenage attitudes in the kitchen and kids wielding knives kinda worries me. Of course, having said that, I guess Lisa's attitude and Hung running around the kitchen last season aren't too much different....
charmon at 4:39PM on 06/11/08
I have an idea, when Lisa loses tonight, maybe she can try out for the Jr. version, since she's acted like such a child this season.
Southern_bella at 4:52PM on 06/11/08
Top Chef Junior sounds pretty lame but the Novelli Project should be interesting.
I don't understand what the reward for TC Jr. will be, probably money to go to culinary school, but money never seemed to be the most desired reward for winning Top Chef.
Carosone at 5:32PM on 06/11/08
I think the kids will be better behaved and have better attitudes than some Top Chef contestants. I imagine the kids chosen will be very serious about learning and will not think they are too good for any task given to them.
The thing that bothers me about Top Chef is that if you are a Top Chef you should be able to make a bar of soap taste good. Too many think they are too wonderful to have to cook with simple basic items.
eatorama at 5:33PM on 06/11/08
STEPH!!! Wooohoooo I am so happy I could just scream
Woman top chef AWESOME!!! Richard was great anyone would want to cook with him now.
JerzeeTomato at 1:01AM on 06/12/08
If the current contestants are OLD, I should be turning to dust as I type. ;-(
Like I haven't had enough of teens with crazy hair, piercings and 'tude. Nightmare.
PerkyMac at 1:05AM on 06/12/08
"Top Chef Junior"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!
Not another "Not Chef" show...
ronzoni at 8:49AM on 06/12/08
They need to fill the void caused by Project Runway leaving. I have no interest in Top Chef Junior.
aharste at 12:07PM on 06/12/08