The reality television show competition Top Chef on Bravo has become one of the biggest smash hits of the last few years. A group of super talented chefs live in a house together and compete in food challenges, being judged by some of the biggest and best names in the business.

Winning the competition is a launching pad to stardom in the food industry. Of course, simply performing well and not winning can still give a chef a huge boost from the exposure. Today, the Top Chef winners and top contestants are continuing to make a name for themselves, with their restaurants, cooking and other activity.

For example, in the last season it was Michael Voltaggio that won the competition with his creative cooking. However, brother Bryan Voltaggio finished in second place and also gained a ton of popularity. His restaurant Volt in Frederick, Maryland is rated as one of the region's best and he continues to produce excellent food.

Kevin Gillespie from last season was also one of the top finishers. His restaurant in Atlanta is also well known for its food creations, and is of course much more popular than ever before. Contestants from previous seasons such as Richard Blais and Spike Mendelsohn have all gone on to bigger and better things as well.

Watching the show you also get to know all of the hosts, judges and personalities. Padma Lakshmi is the stunning host, and Tom Colicchio is the main judge. Other regular judges are Gail Simmons and Toby Young and are all known for their own personality and food quirks.

Top Chef is unlike other reality television shows because it focuses much more on the competition and much less on the drama between the contestants. Winners and top contestants enjoy a launching pad to huge fame and continue to earn their spot in the cooking world with their restaurants and creations.