MIAMI, FL – July 18, 2025 – Twenty fan-favorite personalities are ready to face the world’s most demanding kitchen on the new season of Telemundo’s Top Chef VIP, with a new premiere date starting this Tuesday, July 22 at 7pm/6c. This star-studded cast, featuring music icons, acclaimed actors and actresses, popular content creators, and even a beauty queen, will put their culinary skills to the test in complex, high tension, and time-sensitive challenges, all for a chance to win the coveted Top Chef VIP title and a grand prize of $200,000.
Hosted by Carmen Villalobos, judges Chef Antonio “Toño” de Livier, Chef Tita, and Chef Betty Vázquez are coming in tougher than ever for this season packed with intense flavors, emotions, and fierce competition. Viewers can expect a week full of culinary entertainment with themed episodes: Elimination Mondays, Immunity Tuesdays, Salvation Wednesdays, Elimination Thursdays, Immunity Fridays, and Salvation Sundays.
Throughout the reality competition, each contestant will have everything they need to shine like a true chef, including fully equipped cooking stations with stovetops and ovens, and access to the iconic Mercado (the Market), stocked with fresh, high-quality ingredients. The celebrities will face challenges solo, in pairs, and in teams, cooking for the judges and special guests. They will also have to face the impressive outdoor tests with unpredictable weather challenges, cook for hundreds of guests, and impress the judging panel.
This season’s contestants are: Sergio Sendel, Lorena Herrera, Juan Soler, Cristina Porta, Jerry Bazúa, Valeria Cuevas, Sergio Goyri, Nicole Curiel, Curvy Zelma, Elvis Crespo, Héctor Sandarti, Salvador Zerboni, Paco Pizaña, Matías Ochoa, Christopher Vélez, Angélica Celaya, Yany Prado, Norkys Batista, Celinee Santos, and Karina “La Voz” Moreno. They are all already preparing by learning to handle utensils, ingredients, recipes, and other culinary tricks before officially stepping into the Top Chef VIP kitchen.
Audiences will be able to watch Top Chef VIP on Telemundo, or catch up on the Telemundo app (available on Google Play Store and Apple Store) and Telemundo.com. New episodes will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock. The reality competition also airs on Telemundo Internacional for viewers across Spanish-speaking Latin America.
Viewers can explore additional exclusive content by visiting Telemundo.com/TopChefVIP and following @TelemundoEntretenimiento on YouTube. Fans can join the conversation using the hashtag #TopChefVIP4 on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X, and by following @TelemundoRealities.
Top Chef VIP is a RCN production for Telemundo based on NBCUniversal Formats’ Top Chef franchise, under the executive production of Francisco “Cisco” Suarez, Executive Vice President of Programming for Realities and Primetime Specials of Telemundo, along with Luciano Cardinali and Fernando Lorente as executive producers.
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, a suite of FAST channels, 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 91 affiliate stations. Telemundo also owns an independent station serving Puerto Rico. Anchored on Telemundo Studios, the network is the #1 producer of scripted Spanish-language content in the U.S., and the only network to produce original content specifically for US Hispanic audiences. Offering over 600 hours of reality TV shows a year, and top-rated live specials such as the Billboard Latin Music Awards and Miss Universe, Telemundo is considered the undisputed Home of Live TV in Hispanic media. The network is also the exclusive Spanish-language home of the world’s two most popular sporting events, the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games. NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises is a division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
Press contact:
Gerardo Oyola
Director, Alternative Programming Publicity
gerardo.oyola@nbcuni.com
