Top Chef: Season 5 Preview

Top Chef returns for Season 5 on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 10 p.m., and it looks to be gearing up for a great season. 

Check out the contestants on the show’s home page. Based on looks alone, I’m going for Jeff from Niceville, Florida. Aside from the fact that he’s from a town called Niceville, he just looks like a nice guy, somebody you’d want to have a beer with.

Jeff is one of 17 cheftestants (Bravo’s word – can’t claim credit for it) vying for that Top Chef spot. Judges include Padma Lakshmi, cookbook author and actress; Tom Colicchio, chef/owner of Craft Restaurants; Gail Simmons of Food & Wine magazine; and Toby Young, food critic and author of How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (upcoming film in theaters this Friday).

There are some really cool guests this season, too, including Martha Stewart, Foo Fighters, and Natasha Richardson. Check out a quick-clip of the new season here!

Any contestants catch your eye? Let me know your predictions in the comments section below!

Image: Top Chef, Bravo, 2008