‘Top Chef’ Season 20 Winner on Making History as First World All-Star and Why They ‘Definitely’ Can’t Take Over for Host Padma Lakshmi
variety.comJennifer Maas TV Business Writer SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the Season 20 finale of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Buddha Lo became the first ever “Top Chef: World All-Stars” winner Thursday, beating out his finale competition Sara Bradley and Gabri Rodriguez in the Paris-set “Top Chef” Season 20 finale.
But Lo’s win was historic beyond that special 20th anniversary season achievement, as he became the first “Top Chef” contestant to ever win two seasons back to back, having claimed victory in Season 19, “Top Chef: Houston.” Adding another layer of prestige, Lo has the honor of being the final contestant to be declared winner by Padma Lakshmi before she exits the cooking competition after 19 seasons as host.
Needless to say, Lo had much to discuss following the finale, and Variety caught up with him the morning after the finale to break down his big win, saying goodbye to Lakshmi and why he “definitely” couldn’t be the one to replace her at the judges’ table alongside Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons, despite his new title. First, what does it feel like to have won not just “World All-Stars,” but also back-to-back seasons, first for Houston in Season 19 and now for Season 20 in London, which saw U.S.
and international “Top Chef” winners and finalists compete for the first time? It’s just everything kind of molded into one.
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