Top Chef Season 23 has officially landed in the Carolinas. And some South Carolina Bravolebrities are very excited about this and ready to party in the show’s honor.
Southern Charm Season 11 cast members and Charleston residents, Shep Rose, Craig Conover, and Austen Kroll, reunited in Charlotte, NC, on Monday, March 2, to attend the Top Chef Season 23 premiere event. They were joined by Southern Hospitality Season 4 cast members and Republic employees, Michols Peña, Maddi Reese, and Joe Bradley, who were in attendance to support the new season, which was filmed between Charlotte and Greenville, SC.
Shep took to his Instagram Story on Monday night, where he gave a look into his night out in Charlotte. In one photo, Shep can be seen wearing a velvet blazer, standing next to Austen and Craig, who posed against a Carolinas-themed backdrop. “At the [Top Chef] premiere in Charlotte with the boys,” he wrote over the photo.
Austen was also on hand to snap a photo of the Carolina Theatre marquee, lit up with Bravo’s logo. And Craig made sure to snap a photo with Top Chef Season 23 host, Kristen Kish, in their “chic” black outfits.
The Southern Hospitality cast members also got in on the fun, pretending to pose like Kristen and the rest of the Top Chef Season 23 judges, Gail Simmons and Tom Colicchio, against a promotional backdrop. Maddi and Joe, who are still dating, were also on hand to talk and answer questions on the red carpet, which is fitting since Maddi is a Charlotte native.
Details on Craig Conover’s appearance on Top Chef Season 23
Top Chef viewers will get to see more of Craig this season, as the Charleston restaurant owner will be serving as a guest judge alongside Southern Charm cast member Madison LeCroy. In a post to Top Chef‘s official Instagram account in Sept. 2025, it was revealed that both Southern Charm-ers will lend their culinary tastes to the panel.
“Cooking down south!” they captioned the carousel. “Craig and Madison from [Southern Charm] join as guest judges for Season 23 of [Top Chef].”
RELATED: Top Chef Season 23 Features a Southern Charm Crossover and a Game-Changing Cast (TRAILER)
How to watch episodes of Top Chef Season 23Â
Craig will be one of the many guest judges appearing on Top Chef Season 23. The brand new season premieres on Bravo with a supersized episode on Monday, March 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo.
However, viewers can get a head start on the season premiere, as Top Chef Season 23, Episode 1, is currently streaming on Peacock, Bravo’s YouTube channel, and VOD.Â
On Monday, March 16, Top Chef Season 23 will move to its regular time slot at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT with 75-minute-long episodes. These episodes will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Per an announcement for the new season, Top Chef Season 23 will “showcase the finest in southern hospitality, embracing the rich history, agriculture, and outdoors, as a new batch of accomplished and renowned chefs vie for the ultimate Top Chef title. With the region’s freshest ingredients at their fingertips, and high stakes on the line, the chefs will have to cook their best as they battle through Quickfire and Elimination Challenges designed to put their skills, creativity, and knowledge to the test.”
RELATED: Meet the Top Chef Season 23 Cheftestants, Including a Couple & Identical Twins (Bios & Photos)
Learn more about the Top Chef Season 23 prize money.
