Holland America Line, Miller High Life, and the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card Join the Award-Winning Culinary Series as First-Time Partners, while BMW of North America, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives, Saratoga® Spring Water and Morton Salt Return for Another Sizzling Competition
Foodies Everywhere will Savor Newly Crafted Integrations with a Special High-Seas Finale
New York, NY – February 7, 2024 — NBCUniversal announced today the crème de la crème of integrated brand partnerships during the upcoming 21st season of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” which will take place in Wisconsin.
The Emmy, James Beard and Critics’ Choice Award-winning series will feature new integrations that will further elevate the viewing experience including world-leading brands – BMW of North America, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives, Holland America Line, Miller High Life, Morton Salt, Saratoga® Spring Water, and the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card.
Season 21 is set to premiere on Wednesday, March 20 at 9pm ET/PT on Bravo and is available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Bravo’s “Top Chef” continues to deliver a captivating culinary competition for aspiring foodie enthusiasts across the globe and groundbreaking business impact for marketers. “Top Chef” has proved time and time again to be a favorable environment for brands and viewers who experience strong emotional engagement for both endemic and non-endemic ad categories. During last year’s milestone 20th World All-Stars season, +96% of viewers said advertised brands featured in each episode were a good fit; +84% agreed that integrated partners were more likeable vs. standards ads; and 75% were more interested in the advertised brands featured in the episode after tuning in.
“Bravo’s ‘Top Chef’ has been inspiring viewers for nearly two decades. Whether it’s the thrill of the competition, the heartfelt stories of our cheftestants, the elaborate meals or thriving destinations, this highly engaged fan base keeps coming back for more. The passion of our fans is enhanced even further by creatively integrating our brand partners directly into the action, bringing the storyline and elements to life in new ways. Together, we can develop innovative challenges, spotlight new locations, elevate chef profiles and more that would not be possible otherwise. We’re especially thrilled for season 21 as the show heads into a new delicious era with freshly curated marketing moments with new and returning partners”
– Jamie Cutburth, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Content Partnerships, NBCUniversal Advertising and Partnerships
BMW of North America is returning for the seventh year in a row as the exclusive season-long auto sponsor. The luxury auto brand will captivate viewers in a custom elimination challenge, where cheftestants will journey to the city of Madison, Wisc., in the BMW X1 with the opportunity to win $10,000. In the challenge, the chefs create a stunning dish inspired by famed architect and Wisconsin native Frank Lloyd Wright. In addition, BMW of North America will continue its long-standing presenting sponsorship of Bravo’s Emmy-Winning digital companion series, “Top Chef: Last Chance Kitchen.”
Returning sponsor, Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives will put the power of Finish Ultimate clean to the test in a flaming Quickfire challenge. Contestants will be tasked to display their flambé skills and wow the judges in a surprise twist to win a cash prize of $20,000 thanks to Finish Dishwasher Detergent and Additives. Plus, food lovers tuning in throughout the season will be delighted that Finish dishwashing will be bringing back some of their favorite alums from Bravo’s “Top Chef” and Telemundo’s “Top Chef VIP” as they whip up hard to clean dishes that are no match for Finish Detergents and Additives featured in custom content that will run in commercial time and across social. Additionally, the brand sponsor is furnishing the prize for “Top Chef” Fan Favorite on BravoTV.com.
Bravo’s “Top Chef” is heading for a special high-seas finale with award-winning cruise line Holland America to showcase the perfect pairing between its Global Fresh Fish program and the high-stakes penultimate elimination challenge. While onboard the MS Eurodam sailing in the Caribbean, the final four cheftestants receive a surprise visit from the program’s Fresh Fish Ambassador, Chef Masaharu Morimoto before having to prepare an eight-course fish tasting menu for the judges and table of experts. Thanks to our brand partners at Holland America Line, the winner of the challenge will receive a $10,000 cash prize as well as a 10-day cruise anywhere Holland America sails to.
During the Wisconsin-based season, brand sponsor Molson Coors’ Miller High Life will add to the competition as the official Beer partner. Through a unique branded elimination challenge, fans will get a glimpse of the historic, nearly 175-year-old Miller Beer Caves within the Miller Brewery, as the chefs are tasked with keeping a beer budget while cooking an entire high-end meal. The winner of the challenge that delivers diners champagne taste without breaking the bank will receive $10,000 from Miller High Life.
The official Grand Prize sponsor and official water partner, Saratoga® Spring Water, is providing $250,000 to the chef who earns the coveted title of “Top Chef.” The Saratoga® Brand is also delivering the freshest must-watch culinary content with a brand-new weekly digital series, “The Dish with Kish.” It features “Top Chef” host Kristen Kish, who will be dishing out the spiciest behind-the-scenes moments of each episode.
New to the kitchen, the Wells Fargo Active Cash Credit Card will heat up the competition sponsoring Quickfire Quickcash prizing for the first time in the series’ history totaling $80,000 throughout the season. Additionally, the financial services brand, will be front and center during fan-favorite, Restaurant Wars challenge, with the winning team earning $40,000 courtesy of the brand as part of their larger cash prize sponsorship.
In addition to the delicious line-up of integrated partnerships, this season will feature flavorful bites thanks to in-show sponsor and Official Salt of “Top Chef,” Morton Salt.
For more information on “Top Chef” and its lineup of cheftestants, please visit Bravotv.com/top-chef.
About Bravo Media
Bravo is the premier lifestyle and entertainment brand that drives cultural conversation around its high-quality, interactive original content across all platforms. The network features a diverse slate of original programming, including Emmy® Award-winning “Top Chef” and “Project Runway,” fan-favorites “Vanderpump Rules,” “Below Deck,” “Southern Charm,” and the highly popular “Million Dollar Listing” and “The Real Housewives” franchises. Bravo also boasts the only live late-night talk show on television with the critically acclaimed “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” which has become a nightly destination for A-list celebrities. Bravo is part of the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming portfolio, which includes NBCU’s broadcast, cable and streaming platforms: NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen, SYFY, Universal Kids, USA Network and Peacock. For more information, visit BravoTV.com.
About NBCUniversal
NBCUniversal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our theme parks and consumer experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, USA Network, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and Universal Studio Group, and have world-renowned theme parks and attractions through Universal Destinations & Experiences. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. Visit www.nbcuniversal.com for more information.
Media Contacts
Adriana Cirianni: adriana.cirianni@nbcuni.com
