Top Chef Masters, Season 5

Bravo’s Top Chef Masters returns for a fifth season with 13 new award-winning chefs ready to compete for bragging rights, the title of ‘Top Chef Master’ and $100,000 for their charity. In a new twist this season, each Master will have his or her sous chef compete in an online competition, “Battle of the Sous Chefs,” hosted by Hugh Acheson. The results of each online episode directly impacts the Masters, awarding them advantages, such as immunity (the winner of each battle earns the Top Chef Master immunity), and sometimes, disadvantages, depending on their sous chef’s performance (the chefs who perform the worst always earn obstacles for their Top Chef Master). Every episode of “Battle of the Sous Chefs” leads up to the next episode of Top Chef Masters, and explores the uniquely interdependent relationship between a Master chef and his or her sous chef. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone is back as series host alongside new head critic Gail Simmons, with returning judges James Oseland, Ruth Reichl, and Francis Lam, and new judge, food and dining editor Lesley Suter. The chefs face off in some of the most difficult and unique challenges seen thus far -- and they’re serving up food for some top entertainers and celebrity guest judges including: Busy Philipps, Kathie Lee Gifford, Lindsay Price, the cast of Days Of our Lives, Ali Larter, the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba, LA Cult Favorites Lucha Va Voom among others. To date, Top Chef Masters has given over 1 million dollars to charities with this season increasing that total to over 1.25 million dollars. The series pits 13 world-renowned chefs against each other to see how well they fare in fierce culinary competition. Each week will whittle down the chefs until the finale where one winner is crowned "Top Chef Master" and receives the grand prize of $100,000 for their charity.