Alejandro López, Alicia Machado, Daniela Castro, Diana Reyes, El Niño Prodigio, José Luis ‘El Puma’ Rodríguez, Mark Tacher, Patricia Navidad, Polo Morin, and Rosie Rivera Are Some of the Celebrities Who Will Leave the Glamour Behind to Show Off their Culinary Skills in Hispanic TV’s Most Famous Kitchen
The Winner of this New Season Hosted by Carmen Villalobos Will Take Home $200,000
MIAMI, FL — March 14, 2024 – If you think you’ve seen it all on La Casa de los Famosos, wait for the new season of Top Chef VIP to begin, where the main ingredients will be rivalries, surprises, and exciting moments as 20 personalities join Hispanic TV’s most famous kitchen, beginning this May on Telemundo, the home of reality shows. This season will be hosted once again by internationally renowned personality Carmen Villalobos and will present the most innovative and unexpected challenges that will push celebrities out of their comfort zone. In the end, only one of them will win $200,000, double the cash prize previously awarded on Top Chef VIP that will also double the demands made by the celebrity judges, which will soon be announced.
The celebrities that will put their skills to the test throughout this third edition of Top Chef VIP are:
- Alejandro López, a Colombian actor famous for his participation in hit telenovelas and TV series, including Telemundo’s El Señor de los Cielos, among other network original productions. This sports and travel enthusiast loves to cook dishes from his native Colombia and Mexico, something he hopes to demonstrate on Top Chef VIP.
- Alicia Machado, one of the most recognized and beloved personalities on Spanish-language TV known for her work as an actress and presenter, in addition to being a former Miss Universe. The winner of Telemundo’s first season of La Casa de los Famosos returns to the network to show her passion for cooking on Top Chef VIP.
- Carolina Tejera, a renowned Venezuelan actress who has worked in hit telenovelas in her native country, Mexico, and the United States. She has played both leading and antagonistic roles with her captivating personality. She is joining Top Chef VIP to prove that she can conquer whatever she wants by being herself.
- Daniela Castro, a famous Mexican actress and singer with an outstanding career performing in classic telenovelas, films, and plays. Her family is the most important thing in her life,reason why she is joining Top Chef VIP together with her daughter, Danka.
- Danka Castro, Daniela’s daughter, started acting in popular Mexican telenovelas from a very young age alongside her mother, then continued in many other productions as a young actress. She is ready to show her true personality on Top Chef VIP and demonstrate what she can do in front of the stove.
- David Salomón, a top Mexican fashion designer of Lebanese descent who is considered one of the best in Mexico and has designed gowns for renowned personalities such as Kate Walsh, Eva Longoria, Lucero, and Roselyn Sánchez. His work as a designer can be compared to his passion for cooking, where he mixes Yucatan flavors with his Lebanese roots.
- Diana Reyes, better known as the Queen of Pasito Duranguense, is a renowned Mexican singer with a musical career spannig over 30 years. Aside from her multiple albums and golden records, Reyes is passionate about cooking, and her objective is to grow every day on Top Chef VIP.
- El Niño Prodigio, whose real name is Víctor Florencio, is a popular Dominican psychic and astrologer who became known for his predictions about the future. He is ready to bring the flavors, aromas and culinary techniques that have been present in his life to the Top Chef VIP kitchen.
- Gary Centeno, an outstanding television, film and theater actor who has participated in multiple successful productions. Although he has mainly developed his career in Mexico, he is very proud of his Costa Rican origin. He has participated in several reality shows and says he will shine on Top Chef VIP.
- Ivanna Jiménez, the youngest member of the popular Mexican musical group, LemonGrass. This talented personality defines herself as disciplined and admits she likes to be a perfectionist. She hopes to demonstrate these traits on Top Chef VIP, where she will be ready to learn new skills in order to be crowned the winner of the competition.
- Jason Romo, a young Mexican actor known for playing Diego Bustamante on Telemundo’s hit series, El Señor de los Cielos. His outgoing personality will make him one of the most seductive contestants on Top Chef VIP. He claims to be the only one in his family who cooks well and has no problem overcoming all the challenges he sets for himself.
- José María Galeano, an actor born in Spain with an extensive career in his native country, Mexico, and the United States. This award-winning actor has participated in several productions including La Doña and José José, El Príncipe de la Canción. He comes with his heart set on winning Top Chef VIP as cooking is his secret passion.
- José Luis “El Puma” Rodríguez, one of the most iconic Venezuelan singers, widely recognized throughout Latin America and internationally who has also hosted and acted in multiple productions. He decided to enter the Top Chef VIP kitchen to enjoy each cooking challenge and surprise audiences with his expansive gastronomic tastes.
- Mariana Botas, a Mexican actress who began her career as a child when she debuted in the telenovela, Una Luz en el Camino. In addition to her acting career, she also serves as a cohost of the hit Podcast Envinadas, which presents open conversations on a wide variety of topics.
- Mark Tacher, Mexican actor who is famous for his participation in productions such as Telemundo’s La Reina del Sur and Malverde. His outgoing personality leads him to set himself new challenges such as participating on Top Chef VIP, where he aims to learn everything it takes to make it to the finale.
- Natalia Juárez, Mexican actress and content creator with millions of followers on social media who rose to fame at a very young age. Aside from sharing comedy videos on her social platforms, cooking is also one of her top themes for content creation, making her a very strong participant on Top Chef VIP.
- Pancho Uresti, regional Mexican singer from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He began his career at the age of 3, and at 18 he was a vocalist for Tierra Sagrada. With a successful career that includes three record productions, this young, married father of 3 children is ready to become the winner of Top Chef VIP.
- Patricia Navidad, one of the most beloved Mexican singers and actresses who became famous for her participation in numerous telenovela productions. Her connection with the audience led her to become the first runner-up of the last edition of Telemundo’ La Casa de los Famosos. She is now ready to win Top Chef VIP.
- Polo Morín, a renowned actor who has participated in several TV productions in his native Mexico, including cooking reality competitions where he has demonstrated his notable passion for gastronomy and his knowledge of different culinary techniques.
- Rosie Rivera, a TV personality who has appeared on numerous television productions. In 2022, she released her first single together with her brother Juan Rivera. She joins Top Chef VIP to show a new facet of her life.
The new season of Top Chef VIP features the return of Carmen Villalobos as host of the hit cooking competition. A native of Barranquilla, Colombia, Villalobos is one of the most versatile personalities in the world of entertainment with an extraordinary artistic career that includes successful TV series, telenovelas and hosting several network specials. She is also one of the most popular social media personalities in Latin America with millions of followers on Instagram and Tik Tok.
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The third season of Top Chef VIP, which will feature high-quality kitchen equipment by Royal Prestige®, will introduce a new group of renowned personalities who will put their cooking skills to the test in each weekday episode. Each week, their cooking skills and techniques will be evaluated by a demanding panel of judges made up of renowned Latin American chefs whose task is to determine who advances and who leaves the competition. In the end, only one of the celebrity contestants will be crowned the champion, taking home the title of Top Chef VIP and $200,000 cash prize.
About NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises:
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises leads the media industry in the production and distribution of Spanish-language content for U.S. Hispanics and audiences around the world. The company serves U.S. Hispanics through its national broadcast network, the cable network Universo, and digital platforms including the Telemundo app and streaming services, such as Peacock, among others. The Telemundo Network offers Spanish-language entertainment, news, and sports content reaching 95% of U.S. Hispanic TV households in 210 markets through 30 owned stations and 90 affiliate stations. Telemundo also owns an independent station serving Puerto Rico. Telemundo is the exclusive U.S. Spanish-language home of the world’s two most popular sporting events, the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games, as well as the Premier League and Mexican soccer team Chivas. The #1 producer of scripted Spanish-language content in the U.S., Telemundo Global Studios includes Telemundo Television Studios, Telemundo Streaming Studios, and Underground Producciones. Telemundo’s new Tplus content brand on Peacock features programming developed for the full spectrum of Hispanics. NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises is a division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
