Top Chef Season 20 Cheftestant Buddha Lo Just Revealed Surprising Show Secrets

On the Season 19 finale of Bravo’s Top Chef, which aired last June, Buddha Lo was named the winner of the cooking competition series. Now, the Marky’s Caviar and Huso executive chef is back for Season 20 along with 15 other competitors from Top Chef iterations around the globe, including winners and finalists, to compete in London for the World All-Star title.

While you’ll have to wait to see who takes home the coveted crown and bragging rights, you can discover a few behind-the-scenes production secrets right now. In the clip above, during his hotel tour of the Kimpton Fitzroy London, Buddha chats with BravoTV.com exclusively about what it’s really like to be a cheftestant on Top Chef.

“We cannot walk around anywhere without being ushered,” he explains. Buddha doesn’t share why that is, but he does crack a joke about the odd situation. To hear what he says, watch the video above. In midst of the tour, Buddha shows off his living quarters, noting that it’s a “nice place to decompress.” He even deems the space a “luxury.” Check out the clip above to find out why he feels that way.

When the chefs aren’t competing against one another, they’re usually taking turns in the “hot seat” to film interviews with producers. Buddha revealed that this is where they talk about what they’ve been up to on the show and it “usually takes about three hours.”

Buddha gave an emotional interview on the Season 19 finale, opening up about winning Top Chef. “Today, a 15-year-old boy in regional Australia has lived his dream,” he shared. “I didn’t dream to be an astronaut, I didn’t dream to be anything else. I dreamt to be right here.”

You can hear more Top Chef production secrets from Buddha in the video above.

And if you want even more Top Chef in your life, learn more about Tom Colicchio in the clip below.

Watch Top Chef on Bravo Thursdays at 9/8c and the next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo app.