Life After Top Chef

Season

2012

USA

5.9

TV-14

For the first time, cameras are taken outside of the Top Chef kitchen and into the lives of Bravo Media's most beloved former cheftestants in Life After Top Chef. The show follows Richard Blais in Atlanta, Jen Carroll in Philadelphia, Spike Mendelsohn in D.C., and Fabio Viviani in Los Angeles as they reach milestones in both their personal lives and culinary careers, from opening their own restaurants to expanding franchises and establishing themselves as culinary leaders in the food world.

Episode List

S1 • E1

Cook Your Aspen Off

In the premiere episode of "Life After Top Chef," viewers catch a glimpse into the personal and professional lives of memorable former chef'testants - Richard Blais in Atlanta, Jen Carroll in Philadelphia, Spike Mendelsohn in D.C., and Fabio Viviani in Los Angeles.

S1 • E2

No Food Deed Goes Unpunished

After some last minute schmoozing and boozing in Aspen, the chefs return home. Fabio dives into production meetings and a charity cooking class at a local church. Richard checks in on his Flip Burger boutiques and is appalled to discover his reputation is going up in flames. Spike fears his nosy parents will interfere with his new bistro concept. Jen's desperate quest for investors leads her to the Charleston Food & Wine Festival, where she serves up lambs and clams to the culinary elite.

S1 • E3

Duck Hearts and French Baguettes

Richard interviews potential chefs for the Spence and struggles to get out of the doghouse with his frustrated wife by granting her unsettling birthday wish. Jen feels the pressure preparing a charity dinner for Cole Hamels and the Phillies. Fabio's busy schedule is interrupted by the arrival of his Italian mother, who's got her own advice on how he should be living his life.

S1 • E4

Shear Today, Gone to Marrow

After a teary farewell with his mother, Fabio jets to New York for a celebrity chef appearance on "Good Morning America." Richard cooks at the prestigious Food & Wine Best New Chef event to promote the Spence and impress his critics. Richard confides in Fabio and fellow Top Chef alums Carla Hall, Angelo Sosa and Dale Talde over a revealing dinner. Frustrated with her stalled restaurant, Jen flees Philadelphia on a flirty road trip with Spike.

S1 • E5

Good Shuck with That

A frazzled Richard conducts a nerve-racking menu tasting for his picky partners, and critiques construction of The Spence. Fabio meets a beverage maker in hopes of striking it rich with his own a martini drink line. Spike and Jen wrap up their road trip with a lesson in oyster farming.

S1 • E6

Mt. Viviani Erupts

With only a week left until its opening, Spike and his family scramble to get Good Stuff Crystal City ready for the public. Jen puts her pop-up restaurant on hold to travel to L.A. and helps Fabio cater an extravagant charity dinner. Richard forces his chefs through a gauntlet of cooking tests to find their skills tragically lacking.

S1 • E7

Let's Do Launch

Fabio and Jacopo try to make a splash in the beverage biz with a VIP tasting of their new martini line. Spike delivers on his promise to bring investors to Jen's pop up, but she still struggles to impress investors with the launch of her pop-up restaurant. It's the opening day of the Spence and Richard is more on edge than ever as he battles a packed house, his rookie staff, and a broken smoker.

S1 • E8

First Lady's Choice

Still striving to find a work-life balance, Fabio meets with his life coach and has a shocking breakthrough about his secret, painful past. Then later, his paternal instincts kick into overdrive as he takes in a bbq with his life coach's family. Meanwhile, Spike and his family make a mad dash to open the doors on Good Stuff Crystal City only to discover that none of their staff knows how to cook their signature burgers. Jen treats her mother with a family trip to the salon, which takes a tearful, touching turn. Then, its "Top Chef" déjà vu as the four former cheftestants are summoned one last time to battle it out in a Quickfire-style cook-off for First Lady Michelle Obama.